PAUL C in the War Room - XXIII : with Uncle Ho in the historic city of Hue
This is a continuation of the topic PAUL C in the War Room - XXI : With Sherman marching to the coast.
This topic was continued by PAUL C in the War Room - XXIV : Aghanistan - America's longest war.
Talk 75 Books Challenge for 2024
Join LibraryThing to post.
1PaulCranswick
Part of the Tet Offensive, the Battle of Hue in 1968 was a victory of sorts for the US and the South.
2PaulCranswick
The Opening Words
For the War Room Challenge this month I will read The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien which is set in Vietnam.
"First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried letters from a girl named Martha, a junior at Mount Sebastian College in New Jersey. They were not love letters, but Lieutenant Cross was hoping, so he kept them folded in plastic at the bottom of his rucksack. In the late afternoon, after a day's march, he would dig his foxhole, wash his hands under a canteen, unwrap the letters, hold them with the tips of his fingers, and spend the last hour of light pretending."
Interested..........................?
For the War Room Challenge this month I will read The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien which is set in Vietnam.
"First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried letters from a girl named Martha, a junior at Mount Sebastian College in New Jersey. They were not love letters, but Lieutenant Cross was hoping, so he kept them folded in plastic at the bottom of his rucksack. In the late afternoon, after a day's march, he would dig his foxhole, wash his hands under a canteen, unwrap the letters, hold them with the tips of his fingers, and spend the last hour of light pretending."
Interested..........................?
3PaulCranswick
Books Read January to September
January
1. Dear Future Boyfriend by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz (2000) 90 pp Poetry / 150Y Challenge 15/150
2. Pax Romana by Adrian Goldsworthy (2016) 420 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 16/150
3. The Lantern Bearers by Rosemary Sutcliff (1959) 306 pp Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 17/150
4. Black Hearts in Battersea by Joan Aiken (1964) 286 pp Fiction / BAC / 150Y Challenge 18/150
5. Carthage Must Be Destroyed by Richard Miles (2010) 373 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 19/150
6. When We Were Warriors by Emma Carroll (2019) 248 pp Fiction / War Room / 150y Challenge 20/150
7. Double Indemnity by James M Cain (1936) 136 pp Thriller / 150Y Challenge 21/150
8. Persian Fire by Tom Holland (2005) 376 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 22/150
February
9. North Woods by Daniel Mason (2023) 369 pp Fiction 150Y Challenge 23/150
10. The African by JMG Le Clezio (2004) 106 pp Non-Fiction / 150Y Challenge 24/150
11. The British are Coming by Rick Atkinson (2019) 564 pp Non-Fiction / War Room
12. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather (1927) 297 pp Fiction 150Y Challenge 25/150
13. Redcoat by Bernard Cornwell (1987) 405 pp Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 26/150
March
14. Fatal Colours by George Goodwin (2011) 239 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 27/150
15. R.S. Thomas : Selected Poems by R.S. Thomas (2003) 343 pp Poetry / BAC / 150Y Challenge 28/150
16. The Maiden by Kate Foster (2023) 370 pp Fiction
17. The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan (2024) 334pp Fiction / Warm Room
18. The Wren, The Wren by Anne Enright (2023) 273 pp Fiction
19. The Brothers York : An English Tragedy by Thomas Penn (2019) 572 pp Non-Fiction / War Room
20. Pet by Catherine Chidgey (2023) 323 pp Fiction
21. Brotherless Night by VV Ganeshanathan (2023) 341 pp Fiction
22. Breakdown by Cathy Sweeney (2024) 217 pp Fiction
23. Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas (1954) 108 pp Drama / BAC / 150 Y Challenge 29/150
24. Bosworth: Psychology of a Battle by Michael Jones (2002) 220 pp Non-Fiction/ War Room / 150Y Challenge 30/150
April
25. The Sweet Science by A.J. Liebling (1956) 232 pp Non-Fiction / AAC / 150Y Challenge 31/150
26. The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith (1955) 249pp Thriller / 150Y Challenge 32/150 / 1001 Books
27. Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad (2023) 319 pp Fiction / War Room
28. Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym (1977) 186 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 33/150 / BAC/ 1001 Books
29. A History of the Crusades I by Steven Runciman (1951) 281 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 34/150
30. Loot by Tania James (2023) 289 pp Fiction
31. Field Work by Seamus Heaney (1979) 56 pp Poetry / 150Y Challenge 35/150
32. A History of the Crusades II by Steven Runciman (1952) 385 pp Non-Fiction / War Room
33. A History of the Crusades III by Steven Runciman (1954) 401 pp Non-Fiction / War Room
34. Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy (2023) 233 pp Fiction
35. The People of Hemso by August Strindberg (1887) 152 pp Fiction / 1001 Books / 150Y Challenge 36/150
36. Five Children and It by E. Nesbit (1902) 237 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 37/150
37. The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope (1875) 766 pp Fiction / BAC / 150Y Challenge 38/150
38. The Details by Ia Genberg (2022) 151 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 39/150
May
39. Napoleon by Alan Forrest (2011) 331 pp Non-Fiction / War Room
40. The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey (2024) 449 pp Fiction
June
41. Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris (2022) 550 pp Thriller / War Room
42. Selling Manhattan by Carol Ann Duffy (1987) 52 pp Poetry
43. A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley (1939) 392 pp Fiction / BAC / 150Y Challenge 40/150
44. The Fox by D.H. Lawrence (1922) 123 pp Fiction / BAC / 1001 Books / 150Y Challenge 41/150
45. Peace by Richard Bausch (2008) 171 pp War Room / 150Y Challenge 42/150
46. The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave (2019) 304 pp Fiction / BAC
47. River East, River West by Aube Rey Lescure (2024) 339 pp Fiction
48. Minor Detail by Adania Shibli (2017) 112 pp Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 43/150
49. The House of Broken Bricks by Fiona Williams (2024) 377 pp Fiction / Alternate Women's Prize
50. Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger (1920) 296 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 1001 Books / Anita Memoriam / 150Y Challenge 44/150
51. A Move in the Weather by Anthony Thwaite (2003) 67 pp Poetry
July
52. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (1989) 137 pp Fiction / War Room / 150 Year Challenge 45/150
53. The Middle Daughter by Chika Unigwe (2023) 305 pp Fiction / Women's Alternative Longlist
54. The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon (1961) 255 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 150 Y Challenge 46/150
55. The Kreutzer Sonata by Leon Tolstoy (1891) 76 pp Fiction / 1001 Challenge / 150 Y Challenge 47/150
56. The Way Back by Erich Maria Remarque (1931) 286 pp Fiction/ War Room/ 150Y Challenge 48/150 / Anita Memoriam Read
57. Berlin Cantata by Jeffrey Lewis (2012) 248 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 49/150
58. The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld (2020) 359 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 50/150
August
59. Poems : MacNeice by Louis MacNeice (1935) 37 pp Poetry / 150Y Challenge 51/150
60. Red Dragon by Thomas Harris (1981) 421 pp Thriller / 150Y Challenge 52/150
61. Chess by Stefan Zweig (1941) 83pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 53/150
62. The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang (1997) 230 pp Non-Fiction/ War Room /150 Challenge 54/150
63. The Last Green Valley by Mark Sullivan (2021) 435 pp Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 55/150
64. The Grand Alliance by Winston Churchill (1950) 629 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / BAC / 150 Y Challenge 56/150
65. A Farewell to France by Noel Barber (1983) 787 pp Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 57/150
66. Laughter in the Dark by Vladimir Nabokov (1933) 197 pp Fiction / 150 Y Challenge 58/150
67. War Diaries 1939-1945 by Viscount Alanbrooke (1957) 721 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 150 Y Challenge 59/150
68. Close Quarters by Michael Gilbert (1947) 190 pp Thriller / 150 Y Challenge 60/150
69. The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron (2015) 390 pp Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 61/150
September
70. The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara (1974) 355 pp Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 62/150
71. Black Rain by Masuji Ibuse (1965) 300pp Fiction / War Room / Anita Memoriam / 150Y Challenge 63/150
72. An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen (1882) 82 pp Play / 150Y Challenge 64/150
73. Academy Street by Mary Costello (2014) 179 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 65/150
74. 33 Days by Leon Werth (1940) 116 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 66/150
75. Human Voices by Penelope Fitzgerald (1980) 200 pp Fiction / BAC / War Room / 150Y Challenge 67/150
76. Counter-Attack and Other Poems by Siegfried Sassoon (1918) 63 pp Poetry / War Room / 150Y Challenge 68/150
77. Marius the Epicurean by Walter Pater (1885) 267 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 69/150
78. The Boys from Brazil by Ira Levin (1976) 258 pp Thriller / 150Y Challenge 70/150
79. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (1962) 146 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 71/150
80. Mrs. Ames by E.F. Benson (1912) 301 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 72/150
81. The Story of a Life by Aharon Appelfeld (1999) 191 pp Non-Fiction / 150Y Challenge 73/150
82. The Edwardians by Vita Sackville-West (1930) 285 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 74/150
83. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (1884) 305 pp Fiction / AAC / 1001 Books / 150Y Challenge 75/150
84. Love and Obstacles by Aleksandar Hemon (2009) 210 pp Short Stories / AAC / 150Y Challenge 76/150
85. Payment Deferred by C.S. Forester (1926) 187 pp Thriller / 150Y Challenge 77/150
86. Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov (1900) 45 pp Drama / 150Y Challenge 78/150
87. Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson (1988) 862 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 79/150
88. Gigi by Colette (1944) 57 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 80/150
89. The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea (1963) 181pp Fiction / 150Y Chellenge 81/150
January
1. Dear Future Boyfriend by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz (2000) 90 pp Poetry / 150Y Challenge 15/150
2. Pax Romana by Adrian Goldsworthy (2016) 420 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 16/150
3. The Lantern Bearers by Rosemary Sutcliff (1959) 306 pp Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 17/150
4. Black Hearts in Battersea by Joan Aiken (1964) 286 pp Fiction / BAC / 150Y Challenge 18/150
5. Carthage Must Be Destroyed by Richard Miles (2010) 373 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 19/150
6. When We Were Warriors by Emma Carroll (2019) 248 pp Fiction / War Room / 150y Challenge 20/150
7. Double Indemnity by James M Cain (1936) 136 pp Thriller / 150Y Challenge 21/150
8. Persian Fire by Tom Holland (2005) 376 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 22/150
February
9. North Woods by Daniel Mason (2023) 369 pp Fiction 150Y Challenge 23/150
10. The African by JMG Le Clezio (2004) 106 pp Non-Fiction / 150Y Challenge 24/150
11. The British are Coming by Rick Atkinson (2019) 564 pp Non-Fiction / War Room
12. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather (1927) 297 pp Fiction 150Y Challenge 25/150
13. Redcoat by Bernard Cornwell (1987) 405 pp Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 26/150
March
14. Fatal Colours by George Goodwin (2011) 239 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 27/150
15. R.S. Thomas : Selected Poems by R.S. Thomas (2003) 343 pp Poetry / BAC / 150Y Challenge 28/150
16. The Maiden by Kate Foster (2023) 370 pp Fiction
17. The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan (2024) 334pp Fiction / Warm Room
18. The Wren, The Wren by Anne Enright (2023) 273 pp Fiction
19. The Brothers York : An English Tragedy by Thomas Penn (2019) 572 pp Non-Fiction / War Room
20. Pet by Catherine Chidgey (2023) 323 pp Fiction
21. Brotherless Night by VV Ganeshanathan (2023) 341 pp Fiction
22. Breakdown by Cathy Sweeney (2024) 217 pp Fiction
23. Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas (1954) 108 pp Drama / BAC / 150 Y Challenge 29/150
24. Bosworth: Psychology of a Battle by Michael Jones (2002) 220 pp Non-Fiction/ War Room / 150Y Challenge 30/150
April
25. The Sweet Science by A.J. Liebling (1956) 232 pp Non-Fiction / AAC / 150Y Challenge 31/150
26. The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith (1955) 249pp Thriller / 150Y Challenge 32/150 / 1001 Books
27. Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad (2023) 319 pp Fiction / War Room
28. Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym (1977) 186 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 33/150 / BAC/ 1001 Books
29. A History of the Crusades I by Steven Runciman (1951) 281 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 34/150
30. Loot by Tania James (2023) 289 pp Fiction
31. Field Work by Seamus Heaney (1979) 56 pp Poetry / 150Y Challenge 35/150
32. A History of the Crusades II by Steven Runciman (1952) 385 pp Non-Fiction / War Room
33. A History of the Crusades III by Steven Runciman (1954) 401 pp Non-Fiction / War Room
34. Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy (2023) 233 pp Fiction
35. The People of Hemso by August Strindberg (1887) 152 pp Fiction / 1001 Books / 150Y Challenge 36/150
36. Five Children and It by E. Nesbit (1902) 237 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 37/150
37. The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope (1875) 766 pp Fiction / BAC / 150Y Challenge 38/150
38. The Details by Ia Genberg (2022) 151 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 39/150
May
39. Napoleon by Alan Forrest (2011) 331 pp Non-Fiction / War Room
40. The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey (2024) 449 pp Fiction
June
41. Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris (2022) 550 pp Thriller / War Room
42. Selling Manhattan by Carol Ann Duffy (1987) 52 pp Poetry
43. A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley (1939) 392 pp Fiction / BAC / 150Y Challenge 40/150
44. The Fox by D.H. Lawrence (1922) 123 pp Fiction / BAC / 1001 Books / 150Y Challenge 41/150
45. Peace by Richard Bausch (2008) 171 pp War Room / 150Y Challenge 42/150
46. The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave (2019) 304 pp Fiction / BAC
47. River East, River West by Aube Rey Lescure (2024) 339 pp Fiction
48. Minor Detail by Adania Shibli (2017) 112 pp Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 43/150
49. The House of Broken Bricks by Fiona Williams (2024) 377 pp Fiction / Alternate Women's Prize
50. Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger (1920) 296 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 1001 Books / Anita Memoriam / 150Y Challenge 44/150
51. A Move in the Weather by Anthony Thwaite (2003) 67 pp Poetry
July
52. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (1989) 137 pp Fiction / War Room / 150 Year Challenge 45/150
53. The Middle Daughter by Chika Unigwe (2023) 305 pp Fiction / Women's Alternative Longlist
54. The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon (1961) 255 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 150 Y Challenge 46/150
55. The Kreutzer Sonata by Leon Tolstoy (1891) 76 pp Fiction / 1001 Challenge / 150 Y Challenge 47/150
56. The Way Back by Erich Maria Remarque (1931) 286 pp Fiction/ War Room/ 150Y Challenge 48/150 / Anita Memoriam Read
57. Berlin Cantata by Jeffrey Lewis (2012) 248 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 49/150
58. The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld (2020) 359 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 50/150
August
59. Poems : MacNeice by Louis MacNeice (1935) 37 pp Poetry / 150Y Challenge 51/150
60. Red Dragon by Thomas Harris (1981) 421 pp Thriller / 150Y Challenge 52/150
61. Chess by Stefan Zweig (1941) 83pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 53/150
62. The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang (1997) 230 pp Non-Fiction/ War Room /150 Challenge 54/150
63. The Last Green Valley by Mark Sullivan (2021) 435 pp Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 55/150
64. The Grand Alliance by Winston Churchill (1950) 629 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / BAC / 150 Y Challenge 56/150
65. A Farewell to France by Noel Barber (1983) 787 pp Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 57/150
66. Laughter in the Dark by Vladimir Nabokov (1933) 197 pp Fiction / 150 Y Challenge 58/150
67. War Diaries 1939-1945 by Viscount Alanbrooke (1957) 721 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 150 Y Challenge 59/150
68. Close Quarters by Michael Gilbert (1947) 190 pp Thriller / 150 Y Challenge 60/150
69. The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron (2015) 390 pp Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 61/150
September
70. The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara (1974) 355 pp Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 62/150
71. Black Rain by Masuji Ibuse (1965) 300pp Fiction / War Room / Anita Memoriam / 150Y Challenge 63/150
72. An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen (1882) 82 pp Play / 150Y Challenge 64/150
73. Academy Street by Mary Costello (2014) 179 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 65/150
74. 33 Days by Leon Werth (1940) 116 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 66/150
75. Human Voices by Penelope Fitzgerald (1980) 200 pp Fiction / BAC / War Room / 150Y Challenge 67/150
76. Counter-Attack and Other Poems by Siegfried Sassoon (1918) 63 pp Poetry / War Room / 150Y Challenge 68/150
77. Marius the Epicurean by Walter Pater (1885) 267 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 69/150
78. The Boys from Brazil by Ira Levin (1976) 258 pp Thriller / 150Y Challenge 70/150
79. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (1962) 146 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 71/150
80. Mrs. Ames by E.F. Benson (1912) 301 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 72/150
81. The Story of a Life by Aharon Appelfeld (1999) 191 pp Non-Fiction / 150Y Challenge 73/150
82. The Edwardians by Vita Sackville-West (1930) 285 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 74/150
83. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (1884) 305 pp Fiction / AAC / 1001 Books / 150Y Challenge 75/150
84. Love and Obstacles by Aleksandar Hemon (2009) 210 pp Short Stories / AAC / 150Y Challenge 76/150
85. Payment Deferred by C.S. Forester (1926) 187 pp Thriller / 150Y Challenge 77/150
86. Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov (1900) 45 pp Drama / 150Y Challenge 78/150
87. Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson (1988) 862 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 79/150
88. Gigi by Colette (1944) 57 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 80/150
89. The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea (1963) 181pp Fiction / 150Y Chellenge 81/150
4PaulCranswick
Books Read October to December
October
90. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien (1990) 233 pp Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 82/150
91. The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1892) 70 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 83/150/ 1001 Books
92. Ratlines by Stuart Neville (2013) 399 pp Thriller / 150Y Challenge 84/150
93. Another Part of the Wood by Beryl Bainbridge (1968) 165 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 85/150
94. Holes by Louis Sachar (1998) 233 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 86/150 / Anita Memorial Read.
95. A Woman of No Importance by Oscar Wilde (1893) 80 pp Drama / 150Y Challenge 87/150
96. Say Uncle by Kay Ryan (1991) 76 pp Poetry / 150Y Challenge 88/150 / AAC
97. The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux (1975) 379 pp Non-Fiction / 150Y Challenge 89/150
98. The Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald (1969) 175 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 90/150
October
90. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien (1990) 233 pp Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 82/150
91. The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1892) 70 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 83/150/ 1001 Books
92. Ratlines by Stuart Neville (2013) 399 pp Thriller / 150Y Challenge 84/150
93. Another Part of the Wood by Beryl Bainbridge (1968) 165 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 85/150
94. Holes by Louis Sachar (1998) 233 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 86/150 / Anita Memorial Read.
95. A Woman of No Importance by Oscar Wilde (1893) 80 pp Drama / 150Y Challenge 87/150
96. Say Uncle by Kay Ryan (1991) 76 pp Poetry / 150Y Challenge 88/150 / AAC
97. The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux (1975) 379 pp Non-Fiction / 150Y Challenge 89/150
98. The Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald (1969) 175 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 90/150
5PaulCranswick
Currently Reading
6PaulCranswick
The War Room
JANUARY - Ancient Wars (Greeks/Romans/Persians/Carthage/Egyptians/Alexander, etc) https://www.librarything.com/topic/356820
1. Pax Romana by Adrian Goldsworthy
2. The Lantern Bearers by Rosemary Sutcliff
3. Carthage Must Be Destroyed by Richard Miles
4. Persian Fire by Tom Holland
FEBRUARY - The American War of Independence : https://www.librarything.com/topic/358097#n8402612
1. The British are Coming by Rick Atkinson
2. Redcoat by Bernard Cornwell
MARCH - The War of the Roses : https://www.librarything.com/topic/358941
1. Fatal Colours by George Goodwin
2. The Brothers York : An English Tragedy by Thomas Penn
APRIL - Wars of Religion https://www.librarything.com/topic/359824#n8524265
1. Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad
2. A History of the Crusades I by Steven Runciman
3. A History of the Crusades II by Steven Runciman
4. A History of the Crusades III by Steven Runciman
5. Minor Detail by Adania Shibli
MAY - Napoleonic Wars : https://www.librarything.com/topic/360466
1. Napoleon by Alan Forrest
JUNE - English Civil War : https://www.librarything.com/topic/361198
1. Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris
JULY - Colonial Wars : https://www.librarything.com/topic/361750#n8568832
1. The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon
AUGUST - WW2
1. When We Were Warriors by Emma Carroll
2. The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan
3. Peace by Richard Bausch
4. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
5. The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang
6. The Last Green Valley by Mark Sullivan
7. The Grand Alliance by Winston Churchill
8. A Farewell to France by Noel Barber
9. War Diaries 1939-1945 by Viscount Alanbrooke
10. The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron
11. Black Rain by Masuji Ibuse
12. 33 Days by Leon Werth
13. Human Voices by Penelope Fitzgerald
SEPTEMBER - American Civil War : https://www.librarything.com/topic/363081#n8612485
1. The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
2. Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson
OCTOBER - American Follies (Korea, Vietnam, Gulf-War, Afghanistan) : https://www.librarything.com/topic/364666
1. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
NOVEMBER - WW1 :
1. Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger
2. The Road Back by Erich Maria Remarque
3. Counter-Attack by Siegfried Sassoon
DECEMBER - Spanish Civil War
WILDCARD - Pick your own fight
JANUARY - Ancient Wars (Greeks/Romans/Persians/Carthage/Egyptians/Alexander, etc) https://www.librarything.com/topic/356820
1. Pax Romana by Adrian Goldsworthy
2. The Lantern Bearers by Rosemary Sutcliff
3. Carthage Must Be Destroyed by Richard Miles
4. Persian Fire by Tom Holland
FEBRUARY - The American War of Independence : https://www.librarything.com/topic/358097#n8402612
1. The British are Coming by Rick Atkinson
2. Redcoat by Bernard Cornwell
MARCH - The War of the Roses : https://www.librarything.com/topic/358941
1. Fatal Colours by George Goodwin
2. The Brothers York : An English Tragedy by Thomas Penn
APRIL - Wars of Religion https://www.librarything.com/topic/359824#n8524265
1. Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad
2. A History of the Crusades I by Steven Runciman
3. A History of the Crusades II by Steven Runciman
4. A History of the Crusades III by Steven Runciman
5. Minor Detail by Adania Shibli
MAY - Napoleonic Wars : https://www.librarything.com/topic/360466
1. Napoleon by Alan Forrest
JUNE - English Civil War : https://www.librarything.com/topic/361198
1. Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris
JULY - Colonial Wars : https://www.librarything.com/topic/361750#n8568832
1. The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon
AUGUST - WW2
1. When We Were Warriors by Emma Carroll
2. The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan
3. Peace by Richard Bausch
4. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
5. The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang
6. The Last Green Valley by Mark Sullivan
7. The Grand Alliance by Winston Churchill
8. A Farewell to France by Noel Barber
9. War Diaries 1939-1945 by Viscount Alanbrooke
10. The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron
11. Black Rain by Masuji Ibuse
12. 33 Days by Leon Werth
13. Human Voices by Penelope Fitzgerald
SEPTEMBER - American Civil War : https://www.librarything.com/topic/363081#n8612485
1. The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
2. Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson
OCTOBER - American Follies (Korea, Vietnam, Gulf-War, Afghanistan) : https://www.librarything.com/topic/364666
1. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
NOVEMBER - WW1 :
1. Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger
2. The Road Back by Erich Maria Remarque
3. Counter-Attack by Siegfried Sassoon
DECEMBER - Spanish Civil War
WILDCARD - Pick your own fight
7PaulCranswick
British Author Challenge (Hosted by my friend Amanda)
JANUARY - Joan Aiken & Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle : Black Hearts in Battersea
FEBRUARY - Emma Newman & Ronald Firbank
MARCH - Welsh Writers : Selected Poems R.S. Thomas; Under Milk Wood
APRIL - Barbara Pym & Anthony Trollope - Quartet in Autumn; The Way We Live Now
MAY - Time Portals : A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley
JUNE - Kiran Millwood Hargrave - The Deathless Girls & D.H. Lawrence - The Fox
JULY -
AUGUST - Winston Churchill - The Grand Alliance
SEPTEMBER - The 80s - Human Voices by Penelope Fitzgerald
JANUARY - Joan Aiken & Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle : Black Hearts in Battersea
FEBRUARY - Emma Newman & Ronald Firbank
MARCH - Welsh Writers : Selected Poems R.S. Thomas; Under Milk Wood
APRIL - Barbara Pym & Anthony Trollope - Quartet in Autumn; The Way We Live Now
MAY - Time Portals : A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley
JUNE - Kiran Millwood Hargrave - The Deathless Girls & D.H. Lawrence - The Fox
JULY -
AUGUST - Winston Churchill - The Grand Alliance
SEPTEMBER - The 80s - Human Voices by Penelope Fitzgerald
8PaulCranswick
American Author Challenge (Hosted with occasional assistance this year by my friend Linda)
JANUARY - Mark Twain - Huckleberry Finn
FEBRUARY - Susan Sontag
MARCH - Truman Capote
APRIL - Non-Fiction - The Sweet Science by AJ Liebling
MAY - William Maxwell
JUNE - Queer Authors - Say Uncle by Kay Ryan
JULY
AUGUST - Jeffrey Lent
SEPTEMBER - Adoptive Americans - Love and Obstacles by Aleksandar Hemon
JANUARY - Mark Twain - Huckleberry Finn
FEBRUARY - Susan Sontag
MARCH - Truman Capote
APRIL - Non-Fiction - The Sweet Science by AJ Liebling
MAY - William Maxwell
JUNE - Queer Authors - Say Uncle by Kay Ryan
JULY
AUGUST - Jeffrey Lent
SEPTEMBER - Adoptive Americans - Love and Obstacles by Aleksandar Hemon
10PaulCranswick
150 YEARS OF BOOKS
150 years; 150 books; 150 authors; 15 months
Done:
Row 1 : 1874, 1875, 1882, 1884, 1885, 1887
Row 2 : 1889, 1891, 1892, 1893, 1900, 1902
Row 3 : 1904, 1908, 1910, 1912, 1915, 1918
Row 4 : 1920, 1922, 1923, 1926, 1927, 1930, 1931, 1933
Row 5 : 1935, 1936, 1937, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1944, 1945, 1947
Row 6 : 1950, 1951, 1954, 1955 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963
Row 7 : 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977
Row 8 : 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991
Row 9 : 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008
Row 10 : 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
150 years; 150 books; 150 authors; 15 months
Done:
Row 1 : 1874, 1875, 1882, 1884, 1885, 1887
Row 2 : 1889, 1891, 1892, 1893, 1900, 1902
Row 3 : 1904, 1908, 1910, 1912, 1915, 1918
Row 4 : 1920, 1922, 1923, 1926, 1927, 1930, 1931, 1933
Row 5 : 1935, 1936, 1937, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1944, 1945, 1947
Row 6 : 1950, 1951, 1954, 1955 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963
Row 7 : 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977
Row 8 : 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991
Row 9 : 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008
Row 10 : 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
11PaulCranswick
BEST BOOKS OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
NYT made their list so here is mine:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/362027#8586025
NYT made their list so here is mine:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/362027#8586025
12PaulCranswick
Books Added in 2024
January books 1-31
https://www.librarything.com/topic/357215#8360403
February books 32-73
https://www.librarything.com/topic/358698#8432568
March books 74-104
https://www.librarything.com/topic/359405#8476551
April books 105-130
https://www.librarything.com/topic/360210#8513437
May books 131-144
https://www.librarything.com/topic/360952#8540231
June books 145-160
https://www.librarything.com/topic/361445#8558052
July books 161-182
https://www.librarything.com/topic/362027#8578805
August books 183-200
https://www.librarything.com/topic/362737#8601627
September books 201-234
https://www.librarything.com/topic/363372#8623252
235. The Thief of Always by Clive Barker
236. A Lucky Man by Jamel Brinkley
237. Openings by Lucy Caldwell
238. On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel
239. Nonfiction by Julie Myerson
240. Indiom by Daljit Nagra
241. One Fine Day : Britain's Empire on the Brink by Matthew Parker
242. Shardik by Richard Adams
243. And Yet by Kate Baer
244. Love's Bonfire by Tom Paulin
245. A Scattering by Christopher Reid
246. Say Uncle by Kay Ryan
247. Writers Writing Dying by CK Williams
248. The Between by Tananarive Due
249. Mama Day by Gloria Naylor
250. The Wolves of Eternity by Karl-Ove Knausgaard
251. Hangman by Maya Binyam
252. A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson
January books 1-31
https://www.librarything.com/topic/357215#8360403
February books 32-73
https://www.librarything.com/topic/358698#8432568
March books 74-104
https://www.librarything.com/topic/359405#8476551
April books 105-130
https://www.librarything.com/topic/360210#8513437
May books 131-144
https://www.librarything.com/topic/360952#8540231
June books 145-160
https://www.librarything.com/topic/361445#8558052
July books 161-182
https://www.librarything.com/topic/362027#8578805
August books 183-200
https://www.librarything.com/topic/362737#8601627
September books 201-234
https://www.librarything.com/topic/363372#8623252
235. The Thief of Always by Clive Barker
236. A Lucky Man by Jamel Brinkley
237. Openings by Lucy Caldwell
238. On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel
239. Nonfiction by Julie Myerson
240. Indiom by Daljit Nagra
241. One Fine Day : Britain's Empire on the Brink by Matthew Parker
242. Shardik by Richard Adams
243. And Yet by Kate Baer
244. Love's Bonfire by Tom Paulin
245. A Scattering by Christopher Reid
246. Say Uncle by Kay Ryan
247. Writers Writing Dying by CK Williams
248. The Between by Tananarive Due
249. Mama Day by Gloria Naylor
250. The Wolves of Eternity by Karl-Ove Knausgaard
251. Hangman by Maya Binyam
252. A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson
13PaulCranswick
Book Stats
Books Read : 98
Pages Read in completed books : 27,043 pp
Longest book : Battle Cry of Freedom : 862 pp
Shortest book : Poems : Louis MacNeice : 37 pp
Mean book length : 275.95 pp
Books written by men : 60
Books written by women : 38
Non-Fiction : 22
Fiction : 57
Poetry : 8
Thriller : 7
Drama : 4
1870's : 1 book
1880's : 4 books
1890'S : 3 books
1900's : 2 books
1910's : 2 books
1920's : 4 books
1930's : 6 books
1940's : 4 books
1950's : 9 books
1960's : 7 books
1970's : 5 books
1980's : 7 books
1990's : 5 books
2000's : 7 books
2010's : 14 books
2020's : 18 books
UK Authors : 43
US Authors : 28
Ireland Authors : 6
Sweden Authors : 2
France Authors : 4
Malaysia Authors : 1
New Zealand Authors : 1
Palestine Authors : 1
Germany Authors : 2
Nigeria Authors : 1
Russian Authors : 3
Austria Authors : 1
Japan Authors : 2
Norway Authors : 1
Israel Authors : 1
Bosnian Author : 1
Nobel Winners : 1 (79/120)
Carnegie Medal Winners : 2 (7th overall)
Women's Prize Winners : 1
Pulitzer Fiction Prize Winners : 1
1001 Books : 10
Read : 98 books
Added : 252 books
Change to TBR : +154
Books Read : 98
Pages Read in completed books : 27,043 pp
Longest book : Battle Cry of Freedom : 862 pp
Shortest book : Poems : Louis MacNeice : 37 pp
Mean book length : 275.95 pp
Books written by men : 60
Books written by women : 38
Non-Fiction : 22
Fiction : 57
Poetry : 8
Thriller : 7
Drama : 4
1870's : 1 book
1880's : 4 books
1890'S : 3 books
1900's : 2 books
1910's : 2 books
1920's : 4 books
1930's : 6 books
1940's : 4 books
1950's : 9 books
1960's : 7 books
1970's : 5 books
1980's : 7 books
1990's : 5 books
2000's : 7 books
2010's : 14 books
2020's : 18 books
UK Authors : 43
US Authors : 28
Ireland Authors : 6
Sweden Authors : 2
France Authors : 4
Malaysia Authors : 1
New Zealand Authors : 1
Palestine Authors : 1
Germany Authors : 2
Nigeria Authors : 1
Russian Authors : 3
Austria Authors : 1
Japan Authors : 2
Norway Authors : 1
Israel Authors : 1
Bosnian Author : 1
Nobel Winners : 1 (79/120)
Carnegie Medal Winners : 2 (7th overall)
Women's Prize Winners : 1
Pulitzer Fiction Prize Winners : 1
1001 Books : 10
Read : 98 books
Added : 252 books
Change to TBR : +154
14PaulCranswick
Welcome to the twenty third thread of 2024
15amanda4242
Happy new thread!
17PaulCranswick
>15 amanda4242: Thank you, Amanda
19booksaplenty1949
>16 PaulCranswick: Great choice.
20atozgrl
Happy new thread, Paul. I fell so far behind your last thread that I couldn't catch up. I figured I'd better jump in here before this one gets out of hand.
21SilverWolf28
Happy New Thread!
22quondame
Happy new thread Paul!
>1 PaulCranswick: Ah, a war that I lived through that some of my classmates did not.
>1 PaulCranswick: Ah, a war that I lived through that some of my classmates did not.
23PaulCranswick
>18 Kristelh: Thank you, Kristel.
>19 booksaplenty1949: It has been calling to me for a while. I will start it today.
>19 booksaplenty1949: It has been calling to me for a while. I will start it today.
24PaulCranswick
>20 atozgrl: More than welcome, Irene. You are welcome to drop by whenever you want to do. xx
>21 SilverWolf28: Thank you, Silver. x
>21 SilverWolf28: Thank you, Silver. x
25vancouverdeb
Happy New Thread, Paul!
26PaulCranswick
>25 vancouverdeb: Thank you, Deb.
27SirThomas
Happy New Thread, Paul!
I can hardly keep up with your pace, but I'll do my best.
Happy Tuesday!
I can hardly keep up with your pace, but I'll do my best.
Happy Tuesday!
28figsfromthistle
Happy new one!
30msf59
Happy October, Paul. Happy New Thread. Hooray for The Things They Carried. One of my favorites.
31booksaplenty1949
For those interested in the context of “American Follies” I highly recommend The Ugly American. In a series of short stories set in a fictional Asian country the authors depict the cultural insensitivity of American officials, more interested in enjoying diplomatic perks than acquiring any local insight which would help them win “hearts and minds” in the Cold War. A related read is Dr Tom Dooley’s Three Great Books—-first-person accounts of a US Navy doctor involved in the resettlement of Vietnamese in South Vietnam after the partition of the country in 1954. After being outed as a gay man (not mentioned in any of the books) Dooley left the USN but remained in South-East Asia running a medical charity. The epitome of American hubris. Huge Cold War best-sellers.
32louisisaloafofbreb
Happy New Thread!
34m.belljackson
>16 PaulCranswick: Careful of Baby Water Buffalo scene...horrifying to some...
37PaulCranswick
>27 SirThomas: Thomas, your best is more than good enough any time!
>28 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita. I am a bit slow getting set up because work has been so hectic. I came home intending to get well organized and promptly fell asleep!
>28 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita. I am a bit slow getting set up because work has been so hectic. I came home intending to get well organized and promptly fell asleep!
38PaulCranswick
>29 EllaTim: Thanks Ella. I am really looking forward to reading this much lauded book.
>30 msf59: Thanks Mark. Great to see you here, buddy, as always.
>30 msf59: Thanks Mark. Great to see you here, buddy, as always.
39PaulCranswick
>31 booksaplenty1949: That does sound like a good read. I will go and look for that one.
>32 louisisaloafofbreb: Thank you, Lily. You have been a bit quiet lately. Hope all is well with you.
>32 louisisaloafofbreb: Thank you, Lily. You have been a bit quiet lately. Hope all is well with you.
40PaulCranswick
>33 hredwards: Thank you, dear Harold.
>34 m.belljackson: Oh no, Marianne! I have just read The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea by Mishima which involves a horrible scene of grotesque cruelty to a cat which made me hugely uncomfortable.
>34 m.belljackson: Oh no, Marianne! I have just read The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea by Mishima which involves a horrible scene of grotesque cruelty to a cat which made me hugely uncomfortable.
41PaulCranswick
>35 ArlieS: Thank you, Arlie
>36 drneutron: Thanks Doc Roc. Thread is never official without your blessing!
>36 drneutron: Thanks Doc Roc. Thread is never official without your blessing!
43PaulCranswick
>42 Matke: In a year in which I said I would be slowing down, Gail! Thanks for stopping by and I have thoroughly enjoyed your company this year.
44PaulCranswick
BOOK #88
Gigi by Colette
Date of Publication : 1944
Origin of Author : France
Gender of Author : Female
Pages : 57 pp
At first glance this was a nice palette cleanser after the almost 900 page Civil War history with its dancing dialogue and witty repartee. There is something though to modern eyes deeply disturbing about a 15 year old young girl being groomed by her Grandmother and Great Aunt for a life as a courtesan.
I am glad that such a distasteful subject matter didn't extend beyond 60 pages no matter how well written this was.
Gigi by Colette
Date of Publication : 1944
Origin of Author : France
Gender of Author : Female
Pages : 57 pp
At first glance this was a nice palette cleanser after the almost 900 page Civil War history with its dancing dialogue and witty repartee. There is something though to modern eyes deeply disturbing about a 15 year old young girl being groomed by her Grandmother and Great Aunt for a life as a courtesan.
I am glad that such a distasteful subject matter didn't extend beyond 60 pages no matter how well written this was.
45PaulCranswick
BOOK #89
The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea by Yukio Mishima
Date of Publication : 1963
Origin of Author : Japan
Gender of Author : Male
Pages : 181 pp
Challenges : 150Y Challenge
Another deeply disturbing novel to end a productive month's reading.
I am not a squeamish fellow but there is a scene where a cat is cruelly put to death by a gang of young boys which is as horrific as it is vividly rendered.
This is in its constituent parts brilliantly written and I can see why it is that Mishima is so revered but his imagination was off kilter to say the least. The denouement of this short novel was also horrific to read.
The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea by Yukio Mishima
Date of Publication : 1963
Origin of Author : Japan
Gender of Author : Male
Pages : 181 pp
Challenges : 150Y Challenge
Another deeply disturbing novel to end a productive month's reading.
I am not a squeamish fellow but there is a scene where a cat is cruelly put to death by a gang of young boys which is as horrific as it is vividly rendered.
This is in its constituent parts brilliantly written and I can see why it is that Mishima is so revered but his imagination was off kilter to say the least. The denouement of this short novel was also horrific to read.
46amanda4242
>45 PaulCranswick: Mishima was...weird. Try The Sound of Waves for something lighter.
47booksaplenty1949
>46 amanda4242: Read a lot of him in earlier life; then one day said “Wait, no.”
48PaulCranswick
September Reading in Review
One of my best reading months for a while.
20 Books Read
15 written by men
15 written by women
Fiction : 13
Non-Fiction : 2
Thrillers : 2
Drama : 2
Poetry : 1
6 British Authors
5 USA authors
2 French
2 Japanese
1 Norwegian
1 Russian
1 Irish
1 Bosnian
1 Israeli
Longest Book Battle Cry of Freedom
Shortest Book Uncle Vanya
Book of the Month
The Story of a Life by Aharon Appelfeld
Honourable Mentions
Academy Street & Battle Cry of Freedom
One of my best reading months for a while.
20 Books Read
15 written by men
15 written by women
Fiction : 13
Non-Fiction : 2
Thrillers : 2
Drama : 2
Poetry : 1
6 British Authors
5 USA authors
2 French
2 Japanese
1 Norwegian
1 Russian
1 Irish
1 Bosnian
1 Israeli
Longest Book Battle Cry of Freedom
Shortest Book Uncle Vanya
Book of the Month
The Story of a Life by Aharon Appelfeld
Honourable Mentions
Academy Street & Battle Cry of Freedom
49PaulCranswick
>46 amanda4242: I can see that, Amanda. Sound of Waves was so light that he kept his promise to kill himself after finishing it.
>47 booksaplenty1949: In terms of writing there is much to love, in terms of theme there is plenty to avoid.
>47 booksaplenty1949: In terms of writing there is much to love, in terms of theme there is plenty to avoid.
50PaulCranswick
October's War Room Thread is up
We are looking at Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan and the Second Gulf War
https://www.librarything.com/topic/364666
We are looking at Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan and the Second Gulf War
https://www.librarything.com/topic/364666
51m.belljackson
>50 PaulCranswick: My husband was a Sergeant in Vietnam;
my brother, at my Marine father's promotion
(with the ongoing anti-war fury of the rest of the family),
enlisted in the Marines, but was thankfully spared by a hernia.
my brother, at my Marine father's promotion
(with the ongoing anti-war fury of the rest of the family),
enlisted in the Marines, but was thankfully spared by a hernia.
53kaylin_b
Happy new thread! I read The Things They Carried about five years ago, and I remember enjoying it, but I may have to go back and reread because I seem to have forgotten quite a bit.
54johnsimpson
Hi Paul, Happy New Thread mate, i think we are on a par with book acquisitions for the year.
55PaulCranswick
>51 m.belljackson: My brother in law served in the Royal Engineers in Iraq, Marianne, but I am mightily grateful that I was spared the horror of ever being enlisted to arms.
>52 amanda4242: But that doesn't alter my point, Amanda, does it? One more book.
>52 amanda4242: But that doesn't alter my point, Amanda, does it? One more book.
56PaulCranswick
>53 kaylin_b: Thank you and it is lovely to see you making your first visit here.
>54 johnsimpson: Great to see you, John. I am trying to keep myself under control but I still cannot read as many as I am adding.
>54 johnsimpson: Great to see you, John. I am trying to keep myself under control but I still cannot read as many as I am adding.
57m.belljackson
>40 PaulCranswick: the two books pale after the monkey news from Indonesia...
58PaulCranswick
>57 m.belljackson: You mean the Topeng Monyet practice in Indonesia, Marianne? The forcing of monkey's to dance?
I saw something much worse a couple of decades ago when I was having a discussion with traders in a backwoods village in the Southern State of Johor. There was a practice amongst those Chinese Malaysian traders of partaking in Monkey brains. They had circular steel tables with a large hole cut into the middle. A monkey was tied and put into that hole. One of the guys would take a sharpened machete and slice off the top of the head of the monkey and they proceeded to drink the brains through a straw.
I have never seen anything so disgustingly horrific and - a peaceful person though I am - I had to be restrained by friends from venting my displeasure to the men. I never went back to those villages and never did any business with the people there.
I saw something much worse a couple of decades ago when I was having a discussion with traders in a backwoods village in the Southern State of Johor. There was a practice amongst those Chinese Malaysian traders of partaking in Monkey brains. They had circular steel tables with a large hole cut into the middle. A monkey was tied and put into that hole. One of the guys would take a sharpened machete and slice off the top of the head of the monkey and they proceeded to drink the brains through a straw.
I have never seen anything so disgustingly horrific and - a peaceful person though I am - I had to be restrained by friends from venting my displeasure to the men. I never went back to those villages and never did any business with the people there.
59m.belljackson
>58 PaulCranswick: No, this was different - got reminded today because there was an article about a USA man who also participated in tortures.
I could not bear to read beyond the headline. Previously it was all about Indonesia.
I could not bear to read beyond the headline. Previously it was all about Indonesia.
60PaulCranswick
>59 m.belljackson: I'm not aware of your particular reference, Marianne, but I do find cruelty to animals extremely vile and hurtful. This is an issue that there will always be absolute accord between us. No excuses whatsoever.
61louisisaloafofbreb
>39 PaulCranswick: Hah, trying to focus on school while also ultimately losing friends over petty drama
62PaulCranswick
>61 louisisaloafofbreb: Stay focused, Lily. If petty dramas loses friends then you probably needed to lose them anyway and if they are friends they will come back to you.
63louisisaloafofbreb
>62 PaulCranswick: Yeah, one of them got pissed for saying that the person she is friends with is a b-word (when she very much is)
64PaulCranswick
>63 louisisaloafofbreb: "b" word? blonde, brunette, biafran??? No better don't tell me!
65louisisaloafofbreb
>64 PaulCranswick: haha you make me laugh, and i have her phone number blocked and everything bc she cheated on two of my friends sooo i don't like her much
66PaulCranswick
>65 louisisaloafofbreb: Reason enough to disassociate yourself, Lily, I would say!
67louisisaloafofbreb
>66 PaulCranswick: Yep! I didnt really like her anyways
68ocgreg34
>3 PaulCranswick: Happy new thread!
70m.belljackson
>60 PaulCranswick: do a Search "Ringleaders of Monkey Torture from Indonesia to..."
(etc., then UK TO USA.) ...all of them should be sent into Outer Space.
(etc., then UK TO USA.) ...all of them should be sent into Outer Space.
71PaulCranswick
>70 m.belljackson: The mistreatment of monkeys in this region is rife, Marianne. I see evidence of it all the time. Malaysia is nowhere near as bad as China, Indonesia or Thailand but still has its issues.
73alcottacre
>2 PaulCranswick: I would be reading that one along with you, Paul, except that I have already read it. I found the book to be excellent, so I hope you do too.
Happy new thread!
Happy new thread!
74RBeffa
>40 PaulCranswick: I stopped reading mishima after that and donated away the books of his that I owned. The cat torture was disgusting
75PaulCranswick
>72 m.belljackson: I'm sorry Marianne, I don't understand your question. Why what? You brought up the horrors of cruelty to monkeys in Indonesia, I agreed with you and relayed my own experience of witnessing it.
>73 alcottacre: So far so very good, Stasia!
>73 alcottacre: So far so very good, Stasia!
76PaulCranswick
>74 RBeffa: Compellingly written maybe, Ron, but sickening too.
77m.belljackson
>75 PaulCranswick: "Why" do they hurt these small innocent animals?
78PaulCranswick
>77 m.belljackson: Hahaha, oh I see. I wish not only could I answer that question, Marianne, but that I could do something effective to prevent it from happening too.
80SilverWolf28
Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/364720
81PaulCranswick
>79 DianaNL: Thank you, dear Diana
82PaulCranswick
>81 PaulCranswick: Thanks Silver. I am looking forward to a great reading weekend.
83PaulCranswick
Friday lunchtime additions
235. The Thief of Always by Clive Barker
236. A Lucky Man by Jamel Brinkley
237. Openings by Lucy Caldwell
238. On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel
239. Nonfiction by Julie Myerson
240. Indiom by Daljit Nagra
241. One Fine Day : Britain's Empire on the Brink by Matthew Parker
235. The Thief of Always by Clive Barker
236. A Lucky Man by Jamel Brinkley
237. Openings by Lucy Caldwell
238. On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel
239. Nonfiction by Julie Myerson
240. Indiom by Daljit Nagra
241. One Fine Day : Britain's Empire on the Brink by Matthew Parker
85PaulCranswick
>84 amanda4242: Not my normal stuff, Amanda, but I bought it because it is in a special "olive" edition issued by Harper Perennial.
86booksaplenty1949
Was discussing with coevals books read in high school English class, and whether the author was subsequently dead to them. (In my case “Yes” with exception of Shakespeare and Dickens.) One member of the group grew up in Italy so I inquired what was on the high school Italian curriculum and she mentioned The Betrothed which is apparently the Great Italian Novel. I have had a copy on my shelf forever but I took this as a sign to actually read it. I see now that it would have qualified for April’s “Wars of Religion” read. Plot unfolding at an exceptionally leisurely pace but not unenjoyably.
87PaulCranswick
>86 booksaplenty1949: I should get to that one too soon - it has been on the shelves a while already.
88booksaplenty1949
>87 PaulCranswick: I see you have the more recent translation, by Bruce Penman. I am reading the Archibald Colquhoun version but have reserved Penman’s at the library to make a comparison. Sometimes the rendering of popular speech in a translation dates badly—“By Jove, old chaps, let’s tuck in to tiffin,” sort of thing—-but so far I am finding Colquhoun quite acceptable.
90PaulCranswick
>88 booksaplenty1949: I have found that it does affect my enjoyment of an author as I get used to the voice of a particular translator. I loved Leonard Tancock's translations of Zola for example.
>89 alcottacre: Thank you, Juana.
>89 alcottacre: Thank you, Juana.
91PaulCranswick
I had brunch just now of full English (turkey bacon and chicken sausages; instead of the prohibited normal options) and exquisite Earl Grey tea. It is right next to my favourite discount bookstore. It is my favourite because I can occasionally come across poetry volumes there.
242. Shardik by Richard Adams
243. And Yet by Kate Baer
244. Love's Bonfire by Tom Paulin
245. A Scattering by Christopher Reid
246. Say Uncle by Kay Ryan
247. Writers Writing Dying by CK Williams
Shardik is a book I read and which I remember scared me as a child.
The other five are poetry collections by modern poets all well regarded. Tom Paulin was born in West Yorkshire like Ted Hughes, Tony Harrison, Simon Armitage and, erm, me.
Anniversary by Christopher Reid is added to his collection but I won't count this small collection as a separate book.
242. Shardik by Richard Adams
243. And Yet by Kate Baer
244. Love's Bonfire by Tom Paulin
245. A Scattering by Christopher Reid
246. Say Uncle by Kay Ryan
247. Writers Writing Dying by CK Williams
Shardik is a book I read and which I remember scared me as a child.
The other five are poetry collections by modern poets all well regarded. Tom Paulin was born in West Yorkshire like Ted Hughes, Tony Harrison, Simon Armitage and, erm, me.
Anniversary by Christopher Reid is added to his collection but I won't count this small collection as a separate book.
92Caroline_McElwee
I met Tom Paulin in a local lift a few years back Paul, ha.
93PaulCranswick
>92 Caroline_McElwee: I didn't get to meet him Caroline but I did attend a lecture he gave at Nottingham University back in the 80's on William Hazlitt of all people and I remember being vaguely disappointed because I thought it would have been on poetry.
94PaulCranswick
Book #90
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
Date of Publication : 1990
Origin of Author : US
Gender of Author : Male
Pages : 233 pp
Challenges : War Room Challenge / 150Y Challenge
Unashamedly autobiographical.
I slowly read this collection of vignettes from O'Brien's war experiences in 'Nam and before and after his tour there. He purposely blurs the lines of truth and fiction on the basis that there is as much truth in the stories than in having experienced them. The reason I read the book slowly was that some of the passages were so breathtakingly good, I had to go back and re-read them over; underline them and then read them over again. This book justifies why I started this challenge.
Recommended.
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
Date of Publication : 1990
Origin of Author : US
Gender of Author : Male
Pages : 233 pp
Challenges : War Room Challenge / 150Y Challenge
Unashamedly autobiographical.
I slowly read this collection of vignettes from O'Brien's war experiences in 'Nam and before and after his tour there. He purposely blurs the lines of truth and fiction on the basis that there is as much truth in the stories than in having experienced them. The reason I read the book slowly was that some of the passages were so breathtakingly good, I had to go back and re-read them over; underline them and then read them over again. This book justifies why I started this challenge.
Recommended.
95PaulCranswick
Book #91
The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Date of Publication : 1892
Origin of Author : USA
Gender of Author : Female
Pages : 70 pp
Challenges : 150Y Challenge / 1001 Books
I must conclude that some of the 1001 Book selections are perverse. They didn't even choose the whole collection, slight as it was, merely the lead story. In this collection a paltry 17 pages charting psychological breakdown based on an obsession with poor decor.
Short at least but why this is still in print so readily after 132 years does bemuse me slightly.
The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Date of Publication : 1892
Origin of Author : USA
Gender of Author : Female
Pages : 70 pp
Challenges : 150Y Challenge / 1001 Books
I must conclude that some of the 1001 Book selections are perverse. They didn't even choose the whole collection, slight as it was, merely the lead story. In this collection a paltry 17 pages charting psychological breakdown based on an obsession with poor decor.
Short at least but why this is still in print so readily after 132 years does bemuse me slightly.
96amanda4242
>95 PaulCranswick: Short at least but why this is still in print so readily after 132 years does bemuse me slightly.
It's beloved of American lit teachers, so they keep it in print.
It's beloved of American lit teachers, so they keep it in print.
97PaulCranswick
>96 amanda4242: I'm not sure that I really understand why it would be so beloved, Amanda and I am not often churlish!
98amanda4242
>97 PaulCranswick: It's easy to teach because its themes are so glaringly obvious.
99avatiakh
>94 PaulCranswick: I still have to read this one. Everyone seems to appreciate it.
100booksaplenty1949
>97 PaulCranswick: I saw a made-for-TV film version of this story—made by the BBC, I believe—-which was very powerful, and subsequently read the story in its light, which is quite a different experience than yours. And as others have pointed out, the story’s place as a window into the history of psychiatry is of continuing interest. The fact that this story is the author’s only surviving literary legacy is an indication that its theme is the draw, not the writer’s literary ability.
I see that another film version was made in 2021.
I see that another film version was made in 2021.
101witchyrichy
Close enough to a new thread for me to say hello! Hope all is well!
>94 PaulCranswick: An excellent book well worth reading slowly. Ken Burns' series is also worth watching.
>94 PaulCranswick: An excellent book well worth reading slowly. Ken Burns' series is also worth watching.
102PaulCranswick
>98 amanda4242: You could almost memorize the whole thing!
>99 avatiakh: Certainly I would recommend it. Visceral and sensitive.
>99 avatiakh: Certainly I would recommend it. Visceral and sensitive.
103PaulCranswick
>100 booksaplenty1949: I didn't mean to suggest that it was awful because it wasn't but it had insufficient weight to make the 1001 list. 17 pages....really?
>101 witchyrichy: Lovely to see you, Karen.
>101 witchyrichy: Lovely to see you, Karen.
104SqueakyChu
>94 PaulCranswick: I read The Things They Carried a long time ago, but I remember how impressed I was by that book back then, Paul. I later had the good fortune to see and hear the author Tim O'Brien speak at the National Book Festival in Washington, DC. He impressed me even more. We've sadly moved on to other wars (this day, 10/7, being especially hard on me), but this book remains one of my favorite books about war/the military in that it expresses its good and bad.
I found what I wrote in 2005 after reading that book:
In this novel, the author’s beautiful writing brings alive his service as a soldier in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He shares closely-held fears, funny stories, horrible experiences, personal philosophies, and soldier-to-soldier conversations. It presents a good balance of wartime’s bad and the ugly with the not-so-expected love and beauty. The author exquisitely expresses his universal ideas about war. Psychological realities of becoming, being, and having been a wartime soldier are keenly described.
For some readers, the book presents itself as a collection of stories. For me, it works well as a novel because it had me thinking of the author as the protagonist. As he recalls his youth, he remembers his call to the draft, his years of service in Viet Nam, his buddy’s post war return to civilian life, and even a sweet love of his young childhood. Although the time skips around, that is how our memories work--with no set chronology as to what we remember or in what order. In remembering, our minds sometimes turn fact into fiction and vice versa. O’Brien uses this blend of fact and fiction to makes his war stories truly memorable.
I was not on LT back then. Ha! Think I'll add my review to LT now. Almost twenty years later is not too late, I hope! :D
I also just found this book on a BookCrossing bookray I started back then (when it was cheap to mail books overseas).
https://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/2000742/
Note: I still am an avid Bookcrosser, only I no longer can afford to ship books overseas.
I found what I wrote in 2005 after reading that book:
In this novel, the author’s beautiful writing brings alive his service as a soldier in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He shares closely-held fears, funny stories, horrible experiences, personal philosophies, and soldier-to-soldier conversations. It presents a good balance of wartime’s bad and the ugly with the not-so-expected love and beauty. The author exquisitely expresses his universal ideas about war. Psychological realities of becoming, being, and having been a wartime soldier are keenly described.
For some readers, the book presents itself as a collection of stories. For me, it works well as a novel because it had me thinking of the author as the protagonist. As he recalls his youth, he remembers his call to the draft, his years of service in Viet Nam, his buddy’s post war return to civilian life, and even a sweet love of his young childhood. Although the time skips around, that is how our memories work--with no set chronology as to what we remember or in what order. In remembering, our minds sometimes turn fact into fiction and vice versa. O’Brien uses this blend of fact and fiction to makes his war stories truly memorable.
I was not on LT back then. Ha! Think I'll add my review to LT now. Almost twenty years later is not too late, I hope! :D
I also just found this book on a BookCrossing bookray I started back then (when it was cheap to mail books overseas).
https://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/2000742/
Note: I still am an avid Bookcrosser, only I no longer can afford to ship books overseas.
105PaulCranswick
>104 SqueakyChu: It certainly isn't too late, Madeline, and that is an impressive piece of writing - thanks for sharing it.
I must admit that I am thinking a lot about my many Jewish friends today but it is a humanity issue more than anything else. One of the things that has saddened me the most in the last year has been brazen attempts to downplay and/or be apologists for some of the most brutal and heinous acts of my lifetime. I am of course disconsolate about the innocents caught up in its aftermath but the perverse attempt to equate Israel's response to the acts they are responding to is sickening to me. It should be recognized that Israel does not wish the death of all muslims whilst Hamas and Hezbollah etc., do wish to see the extermination of the Jewish state and it's ethnic majority.
I hope that the next year brings more peace to the world but I go into it not exactly filled with hopefulness/
I must admit that I am thinking a lot about my many Jewish friends today but it is a humanity issue more than anything else. One of the things that has saddened me the most in the last year has been brazen attempts to downplay and/or be apologists for some of the most brutal and heinous acts of my lifetime. I am of course disconsolate about the innocents caught up in its aftermath but the perverse attempt to equate Israel's response to the acts they are responding to is sickening to me. It should be recognized that Israel does not wish the death of all muslims whilst Hamas and Hezbollah etc., do wish to see the extermination of the Jewish state and it's ethnic majority.
I hope that the next year brings more peace to the world but I go into it not exactly filled with hopefulness/
106SqueakyChu
>105 PaulCranswick: One of the things that I keep in my heart from Elie Wiesel who survived one of the more recent darkest periods of Jewish history is not to lose hope. No matter the outcome of any bad situation, the loss of hope makes everything harder for everyone.
Hezbollah and Hamas do not represent all Arabs or Palestinians as much as they would like to think they do. I'll quietly let this subject fade for now as it is really too painful for me to discuss here.
Hezbollah and Hamas do not represent all Arabs or Palestinians as much as they would like to think they do. I'll quietly let this subject fade for now as it is really too painful for me to discuss here.
107PaulCranswick
BOOK #92
Ratlines by Stuart Neville
Date of Publication : 2013
Origin of Author : UK
Gender of Author : Male
Pages : 399 pp
Challenges : 150Y Challenge
Propulsive.
Follows sort of in the footsteps of The Boys from Brazil but with a less far fetched and more earthy tone.
In Ryan, Neville created one of the most inept special services guy I have seen in fiction. Bested at all corners , he really should have been chopped into small pieces by the end of the early part of the narrative.
Ratlines by Stuart Neville
Date of Publication : 2013
Origin of Author : UK
Gender of Author : Male
Pages : 399 pp
Challenges : 150Y Challenge
Propulsive.
Follows sort of in the footsteps of The Boys from Brazil but with a less far fetched and more earthy tone.
In Ryan, Neville created one of the most inept special services guy I have seen in fiction. Bested at all corners , he really should have been chopped into small pieces by the end of the early part of the narrative.
108booksaplenty1949
Have started Going after Cacciato, another Viet Nam novel by Tim O’Brien. Off to a very impressive start.
110karenmarie
Hi Paul.
This is the start of my September 5th message, which still, sad to say, applies.
Hi Paul! Happiest new thread.
With no chance of catching up unless I spend all day at it across multiple threads, here I am. Again. Less than two months since my last visit but still across multiple threads. Sigh.
>20 atozgrl: >48 PaulCranswick: Congratulations on 20 books in September. I'm glad Battle Cry of Freedom got an Honourable Mention.
>95 PaulCranswick: Short at least but why this is still in print so readily after 132 years does bemuse me slightly. I have this on my Kindle. I don't remember who mentioned it and snagged my attention. At least it only cost 99¢ plus tax.
This is the start of my September 5th message, which still, sad to say, applies.
Hi Paul! Happiest new thread.
With no chance of catching up unless I spend all day at it across multiple threads, here I am. Again. Less than two months since my last visit but still across multiple threads. Sigh.
>95 PaulCranswick: Short at least but why this is still in print so readily after 132 years does bemuse me slightly. I have this on my Kindle. I don't remember who mentioned it and snagged my attention. At least it only cost 99¢ plus tax.
111PaulCranswick
>110 karenmarie: Dear Karen, it is always an absolute pleasure to get a message from you.
Is it cheap at $1? I have a beautiful version of War and Peace which I picked up for around $7.50 and is has 1,224 pages.
The Yellow Wallpaper costs $0.0582 per page
War and Peace costs less than $0.0061 per page
In other words it costs almost 10 times proportionately the amount of Tolstoy's epic!!
Is it cheap at $1? I have a beautiful version of War and Peace which I picked up for around $7.50 and is has 1,224 pages.
The Yellow Wallpaper costs $0.0582 per page
War and Peace costs less than $0.0061 per page
In other words it costs almost 10 times proportionately the amount of Tolstoy's epic!!
112alcottacre
>91 PaulCranswick: I have not read any of those either, Paul. I will just have to wait and see what you think of them although since most are poetry collections I doubt I will ever get to them :)
>94 PaulCranswick: I believe I gave that one 5 stars when I read it a few years ago. I am glad to see that you enjoyed it.
Happy whatever!
>94 PaulCranswick: I believe I gave that one 5 stars when I read it a few years ago. I am glad to see that you enjoyed it.
Happy whatever!
113m.belljackson
>111 PaulCranswick: 200 pages into War and Peace and still no character to connect with...
114booksaplenty1949
>113 m.belljackson: Fortunately there are still about 1200 pages to go!
115m.belljackson
>114 booksaplenty1949: Cold Comfort when you're out in the 60th (or so it seems) battlefield...
116amanda4242
>115 m.belljackson: You'll long for the battles after the 500th drawing room scene.
118EllaTim
>94 PaulCranswick: Sounds like a great book, Paul. That’s the real deal, when you’re underlining and rereading!
119PaulCranswick
>112 alcottacre: Yeah it is definitely a five star read, Stasia. xx
>113 m.belljackson: I must own that I haven't yet read it, Marianne. I did read Anna Karenina and that may be more your cup of tea.
>113 m.belljackson: I must own that I haven't yet read it, Marianne. I did read Anna Karenina and that may be more your cup of tea.
120PaulCranswick
>114 booksaplenty1949: Yeah, Marianne is still scratching at the surface yet.
>115 m.belljackson: Is it so full of battlescenes?
>115 m.belljackson: Is it so full of battlescenes?
121PaulCranswick
>116 amanda4242: I remember starting it years ago and being surprised at the fact that nothing much seemed to happen in the first 50 pages.
>117 m.belljackson: Well I don't really Pearl Rule books very often, I sort of promise myself to come back to something when my mood changes.
>117 m.belljackson: Well I don't really Pearl Rule books very often, I sort of promise myself to come back to something when my mood changes.
122PaulCranswick
>118 EllaTim: Hi Ella. It is not often that I do underline and make notes so that is really a sign of my being impressed.
123amanda4242
>121 PaulCranswick: It doesn't start picking up until a few hundred pages in. One of the problems with W&P is that most of the people you meet at the beginning aren't important and are barely even mentioned for the rest of the book.
124PaulCranswick
>123 amanda4242: I will definitely read it and ought really to have done so for the War Room this year, Amanda.
125PaulCranswick
BOOK #93
Another Part of the Wood by Beryl Bainbridge
Date of Publication : 1968
Origin of Author : UK
Gender of Author : Female
Pages : 165 pp
Challenges : 150Y Challenge
Beryl Bainbridge was the doyenne of writing up unlikeable characters and this early example of her work is full of them.
In fact it is hard to stumble across a redeeming feature of any of the participants in this tale of temporary back to nature gone wrong.
Far from her best work but still mildly recommended.
Another Part of the Wood by Beryl Bainbridge
Date of Publication : 1968
Origin of Author : UK
Gender of Author : Female
Pages : 165 pp
Challenges : 150Y Challenge
Beryl Bainbridge was the doyenne of writing up unlikeable characters and this early example of her work is full of them.
In fact it is hard to stumble across a redeeming feature of any of the participants in this tale of temporary back to nature gone wrong.
Far from her best work but still mildly recommended.
126PaulCranswick
I spent an enjoyable hour yesterday in the company via Zoom of Sanjit who had recently contacted me in this group. He is doing a Masters in Computer Science in Atlanta and asked if I would mind being interviewed to discuss online communities and particularly my experiences with you guys!!
I hope that I satisfactorily conveyed my enthusiasm and affection for this group last night.
I hope that I satisfactorily conveyed my enthusiasm and affection for this group last night.
127PaulCranswick
A couple of bits of personal news which are less good.
My father, who as friends here will know I am not on very good terms with, had a minor stroke at the weekend. I spoke to him in the hospital the day before yesterday and he seemed shaky, slurry and teary. Despite our differences, I was touched and of course I don't want him to suffer or be ill. He is 80 years old and still working via his business. He was discharged yesterday. His younger wife looks after him well but she will need a bit of help going forward.
Kyran messaged me yesterday afternoon and asked me if I would call him when I got home. Poor lad has broken up with his girlfriend of three years - she dropped the bombshell on him the day before and he is devastated. Apparently the reason she gave him is that she doesn't think he is ambitious enough financially and he was quite content to subordinate his own work - he is content to be a teacher and is something of an idealist, whilst she is studying towards something in bio-chem via a Masters at Berkeley and she felt she was leaving him behind. I liked the girl too but if she calculates worth in such terms then he will be better with someone else.
My father, who as friends here will know I am not on very good terms with, had a minor stroke at the weekend. I spoke to him in the hospital the day before yesterday and he seemed shaky, slurry and teary. Despite our differences, I was touched and of course I don't want him to suffer or be ill. He is 80 years old and still working via his business. He was discharged yesterday. His younger wife looks after him well but she will need a bit of help going forward.
Kyran messaged me yesterday afternoon and asked me if I would call him when I got home. Poor lad has broken up with his girlfriend of three years - she dropped the bombshell on him the day before and he is devastated. Apparently the reason she gave him is that she doesn't think he is ambitious enough financially and he was quite content to subordinate his own work - he is content to be a teacher and is something of an idealist, whilst she is studying towards something in bio-chem via a Masters at Berkeley and she felt she was leaving him behind. I liked the girl too but if she calculates worth in such terms then he will be better with someone else.
128booksaplenty1949
>124 PaulCranswick: I volunteer at a massive used book sale every year, sorting and pricing the “Hardcover Literary Fiction to 1975” section, and over the years I have discovered that I can sell as many copies of War and Peace (and Ulysses) as I can get my hands on. These are books serious readers promise themselves they will read someday. I came late to W&P owing to a mistaken belief that I would learn Russian and read it in the original. That delusion died hard. But when I did finally read it (in English) I felt better and stronger for it. Like seeing Niagara Falls or the Eiffel Tower. An important human experience.
129booksaplenty1949
>127 PaulCranswick: A lot to deal with. As son and father. Nothing, of course, one can actually “do” in either situation, which is hard. Thinking of you, dear distant on-line friend. Feeling privileged to live at a time when one can connect in this way. If you would be amenable to sharing your father’s given name I would like to put him on a prayer list.
130PaulCranswick
>128 booksaplenty1949: That is a great anecdote and what a wonderful point of view. I agree that as a book lover there are certain books which should be on most people's to do list. I consider myself relatively well read but there are some very glaring omissions which I plan to rectify over the next few years. For example:
I have read The Canterbury Tales but not Paradise Lost
I have read The Iliad but not The Odyssey
I have read Sense and Sensibility but not Pride and Prejudice
I have read Tom Jones but not Gulliver's Travels
I have read The Age of Innocence but not Moby Dick
I have read North and South but not Middlemarch
I have read David Copperfield but not Bleak House
I have read Crime and Punishment but not The Brothers Karamazov
I have read Anna Karenina but not War and Peace
I have read Doctor Zhivago but not Life and Fate
I have read Underworld but not Gravity's Rainbow
I have read The Yellow Birds but not Matterhorn
I have read The Canterbury Tales but not Paradise Lost
I have read The Iliad but not The Odyssey
I have read Sense and Sensibility but not Pride and Prejudice
I have read Tom Jones but not Gulliver's Travels
I have read The Age of Innocence but not Moby Dick
I have read North and South but not Middlemarch
I have read David Copperfield but not Bleak House
I have read Crime and Punishment but not The Brothers Karamazov
I have read Anna Karenina but not War and Peace
I have read Doctor Zhivago but not Life and Fate
I have read Underworld but not Gravity's Rainbow
I have read The Yellow Birds but not Matterhorn
131PaulCranswick
>129 booksaplenty1949: I feel similarly privileged to have stumbled across this site and then this group and having made such wonderfully warm hearted, like minded friends - your goodself included.
My father's given name is Eric.
My father's given name is Eric.
132booksaplenty1949
>131 PaulCranswick: Thank you.
133PaulCranswick
>132 booksaplenty1949: No, thank you. x
134booksaplenty1949
>130 PaulCranswick: I studied Paradise Lost as an undergraduate and it fell on deaf ears. But more recently I got involved in a discussion group where we read it week by week and discussed it over a beer and it was a whole new poem.
135PaulCranswick
>134 booksaplenty1949: Kyran adores the book and Milton more generally. Epic poems have never really been my bag to be honest but I must get to it sometime.
136atozgrl
>127 PaulCranswick: Hello Paul, I'm sorry to hear that you had such bad news. I am glad you were able to speak with your father. I hope he recovers well.
As for Kyran's girlfriend, he will be better off without her if that is the value she puts on a person. I'm sorry for his loss and grief, as I know it must be very painful, but she does not seem like someone he should spend his life with. There is much in the world that is more valuable than money.
As for Kyran's girlfriend, he will be better off without her if that is the value she puts on a person. I'm sorry for his loss and grief, as I know it must be very painful, but she does not seem like someone he should spend his life with. There is much in the world that is more valuable than money.
137PaulCranswick
>136 atozgrl: Thank you for those kind words, Irene.
Kyran's news took me completely by surprise as I thought they were in perfect concord. He was not exaggerating her reasons as he sent me her text to him explaining her decision.
Kyran's news took me completely by surprise as I thought they were in perfect concord. He was not exaggerating her reasons as he sent me her text to him explaining her decision.
138amanda4242
>130 PaulCranswick: That's an impressive list of have reads!
Using the same books, my list is:
I have read Paradise Lost but not The Canterbury Tales
I have read The Iliad & The Odyssey
I have read Sense and Sensibility & Pride and Prejudice
I have read Tom Jones & Gulliver's Travels
I have read The Age of Innocence & Moby Dick
I have read North and South & Middlemarch
I have read neither David Copperfield nor Bleak House
I have read neither Crime and Punishment nor The Brothers Karamazov
I have read Anna Karenina & War and Peace
I have read neither Doctor Zhivago nor Life and Fate
I have read neither Underworld nor Gravity's Rainbow
I have read neither The Yellow Birds nor Matterhorn
Using the same books, my list is:
I have read Paradise Lost but not The Canterbury Tales
I have read The Iliad & The Odyssey
I have read Sense and Sensibility & Pride and Prejudice
I have read Tom Jones & Gulliver's Travels
I have read The Age of Innocence & Moby Dick
I have read North and South & Middlemarch
I have read neither David Copperfield nor Bleak House
I have read neither Crime and Punishment nor The Brothers Karamazov
I have read Anna Karenina & War and Peace
I have read neither Doctor Zhivago nor Life and Fate
I have read neither Underworld nor Gravity's Rainbow
I have read neither The Yellow Birds nor Matterhorn
139mahsdad
>126 PaulCranswick: I too got picked by Sanjit. I opted to answer his questions in a google doc. I'm always happy to warble about our favorite place on the 'net. :)
140PaulCranswick
>138 amanda4242: Ha! Not surprisingly you lead me 13-12 in the reading of those monsters
I should also add:
I have read Ulysses but not Finnegan's Wake
I have read Lincoln in the Bardo but not The Corrections
I have read Mrs Dalloway but not The Hours
I have read Dracula but not Frankenstein
I have read Les Miserables but not The Hunchback of Notre Dame
I have read The Count of Monte Cristo but not The Three Musketeers
I have read All Quiet on the Western Front but not The Good Soldier Svejk
I have read 100 Years of Solitude but not Don Quixote
I have read The Sound and the Fury but not Infinite Jest
I have read the Rougon Macquart books but not In Search of Lost Time
I should also add:
I have read Ulysses but not Finnegan's Wake
I have read Lincoln in the Bardo but not The Corrections
I have read Mrs Dalloway but not The Hours
I have read Dracula but not Frankenstein
I have read Les Miserables but not The Hunchback of Notre Dame
I have read The Count of Monte Cristo but not The Three Musketeers
I have read All Quiet on the Western Front but not The Good Soldier Svejk
I have read 100 Years of Solitude but not Don Quixote
I have read The Sound and the Fury but not Infinite Jest
I have read the Rougon Macquart books but not In Search of Lost Time
141PaulCranswick
>139 mahsdad: I'm pleased it wasn't just me, Jeff! Nice young guy and I wish him all the very best with his studies. Hopefully we have helped him!
142EllaTim
I’m sorry for your bad news, Paul. I feel for Kyran, wanting to be a teacher is a fine ambition.
Have I read your interesting list?
Paradise Lost no, The Canterbury Tales no
The Iliad started and could not finish & The Odyssey no
Sense and Sensibility & Pride and Prejudice both
Tom Jones no & Gulliver's Travels yes
The Age of Innocence no, Moby Dick no
North and South no & Middlemarch yes
David Copperfield yes, Bleak House yes
Crime and Punishment yes, The Brothers Karamazov half
Anna Karenina no & War and Peace yes
Doctor Zhivago no, Life and Fate reading
I have read neither Underworld nor Gravity's Rainbow
I have read neither The Yellow Birds nor Matterhorn
I liked War and Peace, but don’t try to read it in a hurry.
Have I read your interesting list?
Paradise Lost no, The Canterbury Tales no
The Iliad started and could not finish & The Odyssey no
Sense and Sensibility & Pride and Prejudice both
Tom Jones no & Gulliver's Travels yes
The Age of Innocence no, Moby Dick no
North and South no & Middlemarch yes
David Copperfield yes, Bleak House yes
Crime and Punishment yes, The Brothers Karamazov half
Anna Karenina no & War and Peace yes
Doctor Zhivago no, Life and Fate reading
I have read neither Underworld nor Gravity's Rainbow
I have read neither The Yellow Birds nor Matterhorn
I liked War and Peace, but don’t try to read it in a hurry.
143hredwards
I too will be praying for your father, Paul if you don't mind.
And I hope that Kyran will see that he is better off. It may take awhile, but I look back now on so many things in my life where I was devastated over something and great blessings came out of the situation. I wish that for Kyran.
And I hope that Kyran will see that he is better off. It may take awhile, but I look back now on so many things in my life where I was devastated over something and great blessings came out of the situation. I wish that for Kyran.
144Caroline_McElwee
>127 PaulCranswick: Sorry to hear about your dad Paul. Even when one is on shaky terms, it isn't pleasant learning about suffering. I can't remember if your brother is likely to be of help.
Kyran and his girlfriend sound like they weren't a great match in some aspects unfortunately. Interesting it took so long to bubble up. It is probably for the best if it may make a greater mess unaddressed further down the line Paul. Glad he enjoys his teaching. What is his subject?
Kyran and his girlfriend sound like they weren't a great match in some aspects unfortunately. Interesting it took so long to bubble up. It is probably for the best if it may make a greater mess unaddressed further down the line Paul. Glad he enjoys his teaching. What is his subject?
145m.belljackson
Paul - Hope your Father improves and you can bond anew again.
Sorry that Kyran didn't see that "decision" coming.
Is he teaching in California?
Good to know that most of the early War and Peace names I had written to keep track of
will not be needed - hard enough to keep track of many name changes - looking forward
to the promise of the plot engaging around 300 pages.
I'm now on Page 221 and use Wendy Wax Ocean Beach series and Leaves of Grass for a break.
Sorry that Kyran didn't see that "decision" coming.
Is he teaching in California?
Good to know that most of the early War and Peace names I had written to keep track of
will not be needed - hard enough to keep track of many name changes - looking forward
to the promise of the plot engaging around 300 pages.
I'm now on Page 221 and use Wendy Wax Ocean Beach series and Leaves of Grass for a break.
146figsfromthistle
>127 PaulCranswick: Sorry to hear about your father. Family relationships can be complicated. I hope your dad's recovery is a speedy one.
Sorry to hear about Kyran. I am not sure why she would calculate worth in such terms- quite sad really. Ah well, it was not meant to be and I am sure eventually Kyran will find the right partner.
Sorry to hear about Kyran. I am not sure why she would calculate worth in such terms- quite sad really. Ah well, it was not meant to be and I am sure eventually Kyran will find the right partner.
147amanda4242
>140 PaulCranswick: You've got me beat there since I've only read seven of those.
Mrs. Dalloway
Dracula
Frankenstein
The Count of Monte Cristo
The Three Musketeers (Count of Monte Cristo is far superior.)
Don Quixote
The Sound and the Fury
Mrs. Dalloway
Dracula
Frankenstein
The Count of Monte Cristo
The Three Musketeers (Count of Monte Cristo is far superior.)
Don Quixote
The Sound and the Fury
148ArlieS
>127 PaulCranswick: You have my sympathy. And I agree with others about the ex-girlfriend.
>130 PaulCranswick: Interesting list. I've read some of the one's you haven't, but never even heard of others you have read.
>117 m.belljackson: I certainly won't be reading War and Peace.
>130 PaulCranswick: Interesting list. I've read some of the one's you haven't, but never even heard of others you have read.
>117 m.belljackson: I certainly won't be reading War and Peace.
149vancouverdeb
Sorry to hear about your dad, Paul, even if you are not on good terms. Sorry to hear about Kyran's break up with his girlfriend as well. A breakup is always so hard. I feel a bit lucky that our son William married his highschool sweetheart, though they waited until they were both 25 and both had established careers as a computer developer / analyst and Serenade as a teacher. They have been married 9 years now and have the two kids, as you know. Our eldest , Daniel has told us he is not interested in marrying or having kids , so at the age of nearly 40 , he is still just dating. At least we have not been through the heartbreak of breakups with our kids.
150PaulCranswick
>142 EllaTim: Eight read is a decent number from someone else's list, Ella.
I think Kyran's interest to teach is admirable.
>143 hredwards: Thank you, Harold. I tried to impart pretty much that to Kyran too when we spoke. The tribulations in life are what we learn from and what makes us more complete.
I think Kyran's interest to teach is admirable.
>143 hredwards: Thank you, Harold. I tried to impart pretty much that to Kyran too when we spoke. The tribulations in life are what we learn from and what makes us more complete.
151quondame
Lots of sympathy to Kyran. He hasn't just lost a girlfriend, he's lost the idea of who she was, which can be even more devastating.
Devaluing her though, no, that doesn't win anything. 20somethings often do things for reasons other than what they state, and the choice of who to share a life with is so complex. I would never defend a cruelly delivered break up, but the break up itself I'd never judge.
Devaluing her though, no, that doesn't win anything. 20somethings often do things for reasons other than what they state, and the choice of who to share a life with is so complex. I would never defend a cruelly delivered break up, but the break up itself I'd never judge.
152PaulCranswick
>144 Caroline_McElwee: My brother and my father are on poor terms, Caroline, as my father cheated my brother in a business they shared a number of years ago. My brother started again from scratch and is now hugely successful whist my father did not prosper for his act of greed and deception. He is still my Dad so when I spoke to him by video call a couple of days ago it was still painful.
I don't think he has really settled on his subject yet to be honest as he is doing relief teaching.
>145 m.belljackson: Thanks Marianne.
Kyran is in the UK, in London. His ex-girlfriend lives in California.
I do think with a monster book like W&P, some breaks or palate cleaners are probably necessary.
I don't think he has really settled on his subject yet to be honest as he is doing relief teaching.
>145 m.belljackson: Thanks Marianne.
Kyran is in the UK, in London. His ex-girlfriend lives in California.
I do think with a monster book like W&P, some breaks or palate cleaners are probably necessary.
153PaulCranswick
>146 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita. I was also blindsided by Kyran's ex as they seemed in sync exactly and she did not strike me as being in the least bit materialistic. They both appeared a little Bohemian to me if truth be known.
>147 amanda4242: I have started Don Quixote twice before and not gotten very far.
>147 amanda4242: I have started Don Quixote twice before and not gotten very far.
154PaulCranswick
>148 ArlieS: Thanks Arlie. I suppose we never really know what is in someone's heart until they reveal it to us. Personally I think she is over stressed with her studies and the fact that he is in London and she is in California. Kyran should chill and see what happens. He is lucky he isn't his father because his father would quite probably get on the next plane to California and screw things up good and proper.
>149 vancouverdeb: Deb, I always marvel at the beauty of your daughter in law's name - Serenade is such a lovely name. What is that saying? It is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. Kyran will be ok, I'm sure.
>149 vancouverdeb: Deb, I always marvel at the beauty of your daughter in law's name - Serenade is such a lovely name. What is that saying? It is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. Kyran will be ok, I'm sure.
155PaulCranswick
>151 quondame: Those are wise words, Susan. I did caution Kyran not to react too badly and to say things in his time of hurting that he will never be able to take back.
156avatiakh
I'm also sending sympathetic thoughts on your father's health and Kyran's break-up. It would be hard to maintain a long distance relationship so perhaps that was also a factor.
I saw an advert on a bus I was following this morning for an upcoming friendly football match between Malaysia and New Zealand.
I saw an advert on a bus I was following this morning for an upcoming friendly football match between Malaysia and New Zealand.
157PaulCranswick
>156 avatiakh: That is interesting, Kerry, and I must admit to not being aware of that. The New Zealand Prime Minister visited Malaysia recently and our building in particular. I had the opportunity to meet him but, unfortunately I had an urgent meeting with our lawyers and was unable to do so.
158avatiakh
>158 avatiakh: Our PM is my local MP and his office is near where we live, opposite a bakery we sometimes frequent when the desire for a good meat pie takes hold. Have yet to meet him but have corresponded with his office a few times.
159booksaplenty1949
>153 PaulCranswick: I read Don Quixote in my v early teens. Have no idea what I made of it and have been reluctant to give it another try now that my attention span is very much not what it once was. Of course in my youth I was not distracted by the internet. The telephone was in the kitchen. Even watching television required a trip to the insalubrious “rec room” in the basement. So it was a matter of keep reading or stare out the window.
160PaulCranswick
>158 avatiakh: That's cool, Kerry. He made a good impression here I must say.
161PaulCranswick
>159 booksaplenty1949: The modern distractions impeding reading. I hadn't really considered that so much but you make really good points. I do agree that attention spans generally are on the wane.
162Kristelh
Sorry to hear of your father’s stroke and praying for his recovery. And also sorry about Kryan’s breakup and even tho it is all for the best, break ups are hard and it takes awhile to get over them.
163Kristelh
Have I read your interesting list?
Paradise Lost no, The Canterbury Tales yes
Iliad & The Odyssey yes, but a long time ago
Sense and Sensibility & Pride and Prejudice yes, yes
Tom Jones yes & Gulliver's Travels yes
The Age of Innocence yes Moby Dick yes
North and South yes & Middlemarch yes
David Copperfield yes, Bleak House yes
Crime and Punishment yes, The Brothers Karamazov yes
Anna Karenina yes & War and Peace yes
Doctor Zhivago no, Life and Fate map
Underworld yes Gravity's Rainbow no
The Yellow Birds no Matterhorn Yes
have read Ulysses but not Finnegan's Wake
I have read Lincoln in the Bardo, the Corrections, no
Both Mrs Dalloway and The Hours
I have read Dracula but not Frankenstein
Both Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame
I have read both The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers
I have read All Quiet on the Western Front and The Good Soldier Svejk
I have read both 100 Years of Solitude and Don Quixote
I have read both The Sound and the Fury and Infinite Jest
I have read some of the Rougon Macquart books and In Search of Lost Time
Paradise Lost no, The Canterbury Tales yes
Iliad & The Odyssey yes, but a long time ago
Sense and Sensibility & Pride and Prejudice yes, yes
Tom Jones yes & Gulliver's Travels yes
The Age of Innocence yes Moby Dick yes
North and South yes & Middlemarch yes
David Copperfield yes, Bleak House yes
Crime and Punishment yes, The Brothers Karamazov yes
Anna Karenina yes & War and Peace yes
Doctor Zhivago no, Life and Fate map
Underworld yes Gravity's Rainbow no
The Yellow Birds no Matterhorn Yes
have read Ulysses but not Finnegan's Wake
I have read Lincoln in the Bardo, the Corrections, no
Both Mrs Dalloway and The Hours
I have read Dracula but not Frankenstein
Both Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame
I have read both The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers
I have read All Quiet on the Western Front and The Good Soldier Svejk
I have read both 100 Years of Solitude and Don Quixote
I have read both The Sound and the Fury and Infinite Jest
I have read some of the Rougon Macquart books and In Search of Lost Time
164PaulCranswick
>162 Kristelh: Thank you, Kristel. He certainly wouldn't agree that it is for the best just at the moment!
>163 Kristelh: I think that is the most complete of the "difficult books" list, Kristel.
>163 Kristelh: I think that is the most complete of the "difficult books" list, Kristel.
165louisisaloafofbreb
Hiya Paul!
166alcottacre
>127 PaulCranswick: I am sorry to hear both about your father and Kyran. I know it has to be hard on you being so far from them both. I will pray for all of you.
168PaulCranswick
HAN KANG from South Korea has won the Nobel Prize today.
For me it is a strange one but I'm glad Asia got a winner. I have read The Vegetarian and I must say it was frankly weird.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/live/2024/oct/10/nobel-prize-in-literature-202...
For me it is a strange one but I'm glad Asia got a winner. I have read The Vegetarian and I must say it was frankly weird.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/live/2024/oct/10/nobel-prize-in-literature-202...
169louisisaloafofbreb
>167 PaulCranswick: I learned some stuff about my mamaw yesterday and i am in pain leaning down & sitting down
170amanda4242
>168 PaulCranswick: As someone who reads horror novels, I mostly remember The Vegetarian as old hat. (Do the people who hand out major literary awards never read genre novels?!). I've also apparently read Human Acts, but have zero memory of it.
Still, a better choice for the Nobel than Bob Dylan.
Still, a better choice for the Nobel than Bob Dylan.
171booksaplenty1949
>170 amanda4242: List of those who did not receive a Nobel Prize since its inception pretty much covers every major 20thC+ author. A joke.
172booksaplenty1949
>163 Kristelh: Doctor Zhivago a “difficult book”? A middlebrow book, yes. But not hard to read unless you were expecting excellence.
173Caroline_McElwee
>168 PaulCranswick: That is the only book of hers I have, as yet unread so far Paul.
174PaulCranswick
>169 louisisaloafofbreb: Hope you become pain free soon, Lily.
>170 amanda4242: My Korean buddies at work will be happy at least.
>170 amanda4242: My Korean buddies at work will be happy at least.
175PaulCranswick
>171 booksaplenty1949: The list of those who didn't win the prize is startling. Zola, Ibsen, James, Twain, Hardy, Tolstoy, Chekhov in the first decade for example.
>172 booksaplenty1949: It is number 82 on Goodreads list of difficult books for whatever that is worth.
>172 booksaplenty1949: It is number 82 on Goodreads list of difficult books for whatever that is worth.
177ArlieS
>170 amanda4242: I wouldn't be surprised to find that mny of them felt genre to be beneath them.
178louisisaloafofbreb
>174 PaulCranswick: I hope so, it really hurts to sit down and basically do anything
179booksaplenty1949
>175 PaulCranswick: Nothing, IMHO. Apparently A Tale of Two Cities is #25. Really?
180Kristelh
>172 booksaplenty1949:, I never implied that Dr. Zhivago is difficult. It is on my TBR list but I never seem to get it done. I am actually looking forward to it.
181quondame
>176 PaulCranswick: Perhaps it's considered difficult just because it's a long Russian novels.
182amanda4242
>181 quondame: Looks like a lot of the books on GR's "difficult" list are there simply because of the length.
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/827.Most_Difficult_Novels
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/827.Most_Difficult_Novels
183quondame
>182 amanda4242: Well, long means thick, and thick heavy books are difficult for me to hold, so OK sure, long=difficult.
184PaulCranswick
>177 ArlieS: I'm not always sure that authors take themselves as seriously as others perceive them to do.
>178 louisisaloafofbreb: I am a firm believer in hot baths.
>178 louisisaloafofbreb: I am a firm believer in hot baths.
185PaulCranswick
>179 booksaplenty1949: Yeah that is not exactly a tough read, I can agree.
>180 Kristelh: I think it was yours truly who created the confusion. I was originally looking at renowned books and it sort of morphed.
>180 Kristelh: I think it was yours truly who created the confusion. I was originally looking at renowned books and it sort of morphed.
186PaulCranswick
>181 quondame: I have traditionally had more problem with German literature than Russian which at least usually has the benefit of a plot.
>182 amanda4242: It is a factor though, Amanda, because a book's size can be offputting.
>182 amanda4242: It is a factor though, Amanda, because a book's size can be offputting.
187PaulCranswick
>183 quondame: I have hit myself in the face with heavy books due to unintended slumber whilst reading!
188quondame
>187 PaulCranswick: I get face-Kindled on a regular basis.
189PaulCranswick
>188 quondame: Hahaha for some reason that is such a vivid image, Susan!
190louisisaloafofbreb
>184 PaulCranswick: I'll try that in a bit
191PaulCranswick
>190 louisisaloafofbreb: It is the remedy to almost all of my aches and pains, Lily.
192alcottacre
>168 PaulCranswick: The only book that I have read by her is The White Book, which I enjoyed. I may pass on The Vegetarian. I am not all that fond of 'weird' books!
193louisisaloafofbreb
>191 PaulCranswick: i shall do that tomorrow morning
194PaulCranswick
>192 alcottacre: I don't do well with them either. Stasia, to be honest.
>193 louisisaloafofbreb: Better at night, Lily, as it will also aid your rest.
>193 louisisaloafofbreb: Better at night, Lily, as it will also aid your rest.
195louisisaloafofbreb
>194 PaulCranswick: I probably have to get up at 5:45am EST so i will be awake for a long time
196booksaplenty1949
>180 Kristelh: Nah. Difficult to pick up once you’ve put it down, maybe, but not intellectually challenging in any way.
197PaulCranswick
>195 louisisaloafofbreb: I also get up at 5.45 am every day, Lily.
>196 booksaplenty1949: It is thirty years since I read it and I remember it being a good story well told.
>196 booksaplenty1949: It is thirty years since I read it and I remember it being a good story well told.
198PaulCranswick
Lunchtime Additions
248. The Between by Tananarive Due
249. Mama Day by Gloria Naylor
250. The Wolves of Eternity by Karl-Ove Knausgaard
251. Hangman by Maya Binyam
252. A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson
248. The Between by Tananarive Due
249. Mama Day by Gloria Naylor
250. The Wolves of Eternity by Karl-Ove Knausgaard
251. Hangman by Maya Binyam
252. A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson
199booksaplenty1949
>197 PaulCranswick: Do not try to relive that experience.
200louisisaloafofbreb
>197 PaulCranswick: I only get up around that time for school at 8am EST
201booksaplenty1949
In fairness, if you look at the many LT reviews of Dr Zhivago they are more than usually “mixed.” Five stars and one star, both thoughtfully defended. I would be in the one star camp myself, if I gave stars. I would suggest that Pasternak’s Nobel Prize was a political gesture, whatever one thinks of his only well-known book.
202SilverWolf28
Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/364866
203alcottacre
>198 PaulCranswick: Ha! You did pick up one of Tananarive Due's books. You will have to let me know how it is. I own Hangman but have not yet read it, so if you are interested in a shared read of that one at some point, let me know :)
204PaulCranswick
>199 booksaplenty1949: Hahaha there are another enough other books on the shelves to keep me busy for a while.
>200 louisisaloafofbreb: Well mine is to go to work but it is pretty much the same issue.
>200 louisisaloafofbreb: Well mine is to go to work but it is pretty much the same issue.
205PaulCranswick
>201 booksaplenty1949: It is a marmite type of book, isn't it? I liked it but it didn't blow me away either.
>202 SilverWolf28: Thank you, Silver.
>202 SilverWolf28: Thank you, Silver.
206PaulCranswick
>203 alcottacre: I did say! I had kept an eye out for Hangman although I think it may be a few months before I actually get to it.
207PaulCranswick
BOOK #94
Holes by Louis Sachar
Date of Publication : 1998
Origin of Author : USA
Gender of Author : Male
Pages : 233 pp
Challenges : 150Y Challenge
I am not sure what I expected from this book but this wasn't it.
A very engaging tale of punishment, mischance and redemption in the present and the past.
I wouldn't like to think that I was one of those digging the holes (though the exercise would do me no end of good) but it was good to read of them and the story they revealed.
Recommended
Holes by Louis Sachar
Date of Publication : 1998
Origin of Author : USA
Gender of Author : Male
Pages : 233 pp
Challenges : 150Y Challenge
I am not sure what I expected from this book but this wasn't it.
A very engaging tale of punishment, mischance and redemption in the present and the past.
I wouldn't like to think that I was one of those digging the holes (though the exercise would do me no end of good) but it was good to read of them and the story they revealed.
Recommended
208PaulCranswick
BOOK #95
A Woman of No Importance by Oscar Wilde
Date of Publication : 1893
Origin of Author : British (Irish)
Gender of Author : Male
Pages : 80
Challenges : 150Y Challenge
Oscar Wilde is a literary hero of mine. Would that he had lived longer and in a more tolerant society that his work was more abundant but it may have been less refulgent without his life experiences.
Novels, stories and poetry but his dramatic output is where is was most prolific and great. A wonder of aphorism, paradox and irony with the most zinging of dialogue he also packed a wonderful emotional punch when the time was right.
He was of his time but very much before his time with this sharp take down on Victorian upper class morals and in his advocacy for the rights of womankind.
Very much recommended.
A Woman of No Importance by Oscar Wilde
Date of Publication : 1893
Origin of Author : British (Irish)
Gender of Author : Male
Pages : 80
Challenges : 150Y Challenge
Oscar Wilde is a literary hero of mine. Would that he had lived longer and in a more tolerant society that his work was more abundant but it may have been less refulgent without his life experiences.
Novels, stories and poetry but his dramatic output is where is was most prolific and great. A wonder of aphorism, paradox and irony with the most zinging of dialogue he also packed a wonderful emotional punch when the time was right.
He was of his time but very much before his time with this sharp take down on Victorian upper class morals and in his advocacy for the rights of womankind.
Very much recommended.
209louisisaloafofbreb
>204 PaulCranswick: Yep, it really is, and we might as well be living at school & visiting home at this point
210alcottacre
>207 PaulCranswick: Dodging that particular BB as I have already read it.
>208 PaulCranswick: That one too, although I would like to see the play rather than reading it. I wonder if YouTube can help me out there. . .Off to check!
Happy whatever, Paul!
>208 PaulCranswick: That one too, although I would like to see the play rather than reading it. I wonder if YouTube can help me out there. . .Off to check!
Happy whatever, Paul!
211banjo123
Hi Paul! I thought the books by Han Kang that I've read were really good. (the Vegetarian and Human Acts) But hard topics. I was glad to see her get the prize, though I am doubtful of how useful of a prize it is.
212PaulCranswick
>209 louisisaloafofbreb: It took me some time to work/life balance properly in order, Lily, but the balance is important.
>210 alcottacre: Stasia, I watched a British production on YouTube from 2018 which is delightfully done.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXIogLEWinc
>210 alcottacre: Stasia, I watched a British production on YouTube from 2018 which is delightfully done.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXIogLEWinc
213PaulCranswick
>211 banjo123: Dear Rhonda, I thought that the premise of The Vegetarian was frankly strange but the novel has the virtue of sticking in the memory which says something of her gifts I suppose. Well apart from the money I suppose dolts like me do make lists of Nobel winners and try to read something from all of 'em!
214PaulCranswick
BOOK #96
Say Uncle by Kay Ryan
Date of Publication : 1991
Origin of Author : USA
Gender of Author : Female
Pages : 76 pp
Challenges : American Author Challenge / 150Y Challenge
Kay Ryan is a recent discovery.
Her short poems are exquisitely polished and call out to read aloud. Her wordplay is dextrous and delightful and I will certainly look to find and add more of her work to my shelves.
This is "Grazing Horses"
Sometimes the
green pasture
of the mind
tilts abruptly.
The grazing horses
struggle crazily
for purchase
on the frictionless
nearly vertical
surface. Their
furniture-fine
legs buckle
on the incline,
unhorsed by slant
they weren't
designed to climb
and can't.
Recommended
Say Uncle by Kay Ryan
Date of Publication : 1991
Origin of Author : USA
Gender of Author : Female
Pages : 76 pp
Challenges : American Author Challenge / 150Y Challenge
Kay Ryan is a recent discovery.
Her short poems are exquisitely polished and call out to read aloud. Her wordplay is dextrous and delightful and I will certainly look to find and add more of her work to my shelves.
This is "Grazing Horses"
Sometimes the
green pasture
of the mind
tilts abruptly.
The grazing horses
struggle crazily
for purchase
on the frictionless
nearly vertical
surface. Their
furniture-fine
legs buckle
on the incline,
unhorsed by slant
they weren't
designed to climb
and can't.
Recommended
215Caroline_McElwee
>208 PaulCranswick: You can't beat Oscar.
Have you read any of his social essays Paul? He did serious as well as funny. I need to get back to them, I read a few years ago.
Have you read any of his social essays Paul? He did serious as well as funny. I need to get back to them, I read a few years ago.
216PaulCranswick
>215 Caroline_McElwee: I have read most of his output, Caroline, at some stage to be honest. Unerringly wonderful.
217Familyhistorian
Hard to keep up with your thread these days, Paul. Sorry to hear about your father and about Kyran’s heartbreak. Hope life is on the upswing soon.
218PaulCranswick
Always great to see you at anytime, Meg. Life is ok at the moment and Kyran seems to be slowly getting himself together although he is listening to too much Andy Williams!
219hredwards
>218 PaulCranswick: Andy Williams? The Moon River singer? I don't know why but that took me by surprise. I didn't think today's generation even knew who that was.
220PaulCranswick
>219 hredwards: Sometimes I think that Kyran is not of his generation, Harold!
221PaulCranswick
BOOK #97
The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux
Date of Publication : 1975
Origin of Author : USA
Gender of Author : Male
Pages : 379 pp
Challenges : 150Y Challenge
I grew up with a wanderlust. A young boy. A voracious reader even then who hailed from a small mining village in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Trains were a joy and an adventure from my youngest days clipping across country to the seedy joys of an often overcast Blackpool or Lytham in July, with a bag of sweets in one hand and a Famous Five or Doctor Who book in the other. My Grandma and brother either side. I have Asia in my soul after thirty years imbibing its tastes and smells and sights and sounds.
Theroux's book - by train from London across Asia - is an obvious delight for me. His observations, encounters and opinions funny, descriptively vivid and oftentimes profound.
I read this many moons ago and I don't remember enjoying it quite nearly as much as this time.
Also one of my favourite ever book covers.
The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux
Date of Publication : 1975
Origin of Author : USA
Gender of Author : Male
Pages : 379 pp
Challenges : 150Y Challenge
I grew up with a wanderlust. A young boy. A voracious reader even then who hailed from a small mining village in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Trains were a joy and an adventure from my youngest days clipping across country to the seedy joys of an often overcast Blackpool or Lytham in July, with a bag of sweets in one hand and a Famous Five or Doctor Who book in the other. My Grandma and brother either side. I have Asia in my soul after thirty years imbibing its tastes and smells and sights and sounds.
Theroux's book - by train from London across Asia - is an obvious delight for me. His observations, encounters and opinions funny, descriptively vivid and oftentimes profound.
I read this many moons ago and I don't remember enjoying it quite nearly as much as this time.
Also one of my favourite ever book covers.
222avatiakh
>221 PaulCranswick: I read and enjoyed most of Theroux's books a few decades back.
223PaulCranswick
>222 avatiakh: I read most of them around that time, too, Kerry. It is surprising how little of it I actually remembered.
224avatiakh
I probably can't recall much at all as well, just that I found them interesting and fun.
225PaulCranswick
>224 avatiakh: Exactly! I will go and look for some of his other work - I think I have Dark Star Safari on the shelves.
226PaulCranswick
I am sorry to see that the New Zealand born poet Fleur Adcock has passed away at the age of 90.
Irreverent and direct, I have had work by her on my shelves since the 1980s. I currently have her Poems 1960-2000 on the shelves.
She was prolific and always readable. This is a poem of her's called "Weathered"
Irreverent and direct, I have had work by her on my shelves since the 1980s. I currently have her Poems 1960-2000 on the shelves.
She was prolific and always readable. This is a poem of her's called "Weathered"
227torontoc
I loved The Great Railway Bazaar There was a second book years later by Theroux that added to the story. I'll check the name.
229hredwards
>220 PaulCranswick: That's great though, so many young people today don't appreciate the older classics.
Man, I sound ancient. My youngest grandson had watched a couple of old black & white movies. He asked me one day what it was like back when everything was black & white, before there was color in the world. He was dead serious, he's eight. I tried to answer him without laughing.
Man, I sound ancient. My youngest grandson had watched a couple of old black & white movies. He asked me one day what it was like back when everything was black & white, before there was color in the world. He was dead serious, he's eight. I tried to answer him without laughing.
231PaulCranswick
>228 booksaplenty1949: Oops, I had refreshed the page before posting that at >230 PaulCranswick:. Thanks for that.
>229 hredwards: As soon as he mentioned Andy Williams, Harold, I was already mouthing "Where do I begin?"
>229 hredwards: As soon as he mentioned Andy Williams, Harold, I was already mouthing "Where do I begin?"
232booksaplenty1949
>229 hredwards: Ah yes, that magic moment. “Let there be colour. And there was colour…”
234PaulCranswick
>232 booksaplenty1949: But it is a lovely story though, right?
>233 torontoc: I don't think I have read that one, either, Cyrel
>233 torontoc: I don't think I have read that one, either, Cyrel
235PaulCranswick
POET OF THE DAY
George Barker - 1913-1991 was an interesting British poet active in a similar timescale as Auden. He was also famous for a long affair with Elizabeth Smart and being the inspiration for her famous novel. He was also married to the author Elspeth Barker.
This is one of his more straight-forward poems which presaged the coming war.
To Any Member Of My Generation
What is it you remember? - the summer mornings
Down by the river at Richmond with a girl,
And as you kissed, clumsy in bathing costumes,
History guffawed in a rosebush. What a warning -
If only we had known, if only we had known!
And when you looked in mirrors was this meaning
Plain as the pain in the centre of a pearl?
Horrible tomorrow in Teutonic postures
Making absurd the past we cannot disown?
Whenever we kissed we cocked the future's rifles
And from our wild-oat words, like dragon's teeth,
Death underfoot now arises; when we were gay
Dancing together in what we hoped was life,
Who was it in our arms but the whores of death
Whom we have found in our beds today, today?
George Barker - 1913-1991 was an interesting British poet active in a similar timescale as Auden. He was also famous for a long affair with Elizabeth Smart and being the inspiration for her famous novel. He was also married to the author Elspeth Barker.
This is one of his more straight-forward poems which presaged the coming war.
To Any Member Of My Generation
What is it you remember? - the summer mornings
Down by the river at Richmond with a girl,
And as you kissed, clumsy in bathing costumes,
History guffawed in a rosebush. What a warning -
If only we had known, if only we had known!
And when you looked in mirrors was this meaning
Plain as the pain in the centre of a pearl?
Horrible tomorrow in Teutonic postures
Making absurd the past we cannot disown?
Whenever we kissed we cocked the future's rifles
And from our wild-oat words, like dragon's teeth,
Death underfoot now arises; when we were gay
Dancing together in what we hoped was life,
Who was it in our arms but the whores of death
Whom we have found in our beds today, today?
236Caroline_McElwee
>218 PaulCranswick: Ha, that took me back to my childhood and the Andy Williams Show Paul.
This topic was continued by PAUL C in the War Room - XXIV : Aghanistan - America's longest war.
