PAUL C in the War Room - XXV : In a Foreign Field Forever England

The Dardanelles or the Gallipoli campaign was a disaster that cost Churchill a place in the Government which was a good idea badly executed and underestimated the fighting abilities of the Turkish forces.

The Opening Words

Hemingway was a lion of mid-Century literature. One of the few to have written recognized classics on two major conflagrations - For Whom the Bells Toll on the Spanish Civil War and earlier A Farewell to Arms on the First World War.




"In the late summer of that year we lived in a house in a village that looked across the river there were pebbles and boulders, dry and white in the sun, and the water was clear and swiftly moving and blue in the channels. Troops went by the house and down the road and the dust they raised powdered the leaves of the trees. The trunks of the trees too were dusty and the leaves fell early that year and we saw the troops marching along the road and the dust rising and leaves, stirred by the breeze, falling and the soldiers marching and afterward the road bare and white except for the leaves."

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

I have to say that Mrs Jennison, my old English teacher would have marked me down considerably for using the word "and" 12 times in three sentences.

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
2,235 pages

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
1,741 pages

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
3,340 pages

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
3,937 pages

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
780 pages

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
2,783

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
1,666 pages

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
4,120 pages

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
4,590 Pages

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
99. Martha Quest by Doris Lessing (1952) 333 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 91/150
100. The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom (1971) 221pp Non-Fiction / 150Y Challenge 92/150 / War Room
101. Summer by Edith Wharton (1917) 194 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 93/150 / 1001 Books
2,558 pages

November

102. Journey's End by R.C. Sherriff (1928) 95 pp Drama / 150Y Challenge 94/150 / War Room
103. Held by Anne Michaels (2023) 220 pp Fiction / Booker Shortlist
104. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway (1929) 293 pp Fiction / War Room / 1001 Books / 150Y Challenge 95/150
105. Geneva by Richard Armitage (2023) 280 pp Thriller
106. World War One British Poets ed by Candace Ward (1997) 71pp Poetry / War Room
107. The Dark Lake by Sarah Bailey (2017) 429 pp Thriller
1,388 pages

Currently Reading

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
14. The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom

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
4. Journey's End by R.C. Sherriff
5. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
6. World War One British Poets ed Candace Ward

DECEMBER - Spanish Civil War

WILDCARD - Pick your own fight

BAC

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

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
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER

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, 1917, 1918


Row 4 : 1920, 1922, 1923, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 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, 1971, 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

BEST BOOKS OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

NYT made their list so here is mine:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/362027#8586025

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

October books 235-270
https://www.librarything.com/topic/364990#8646900

November

271. The House on the Borderland by William Hope Hodgson
272. The Walled Garden by Sarah Hardy
273. Anecdotal Evidence by Wendy Cope
274. The Great Transformation by Karl Polanyi
275. The Gathering by CJ Tudor
276. This Little Family by Ines Bayard
277. Little, Big by John Crowley
278. Claimed! by Gertrude Barrows Bennett
279. The Ratline by Philippe Sands
280. End Times by Peter Turchin

Book Stats

Books Read : 107
Pages Read in completed books : 29,138 pp

Longest book : Battle Cry of Freedom : 862 pp
Shortest book : Poems : Louis MacNeice : 37 pp
Mean book length : 272.32 pp

Books written by men : 64
Books written by women : 43

Non-Fiction : 23
Fiction : 61
Poetry : 9
Thriller : 9
Drama : 5

1870's : 1 book
1880's : 4 books
1890'S : 3 books
1900's : 2 books
1910's : 3 books
1920's : 6 books
1930's : 6 books
1940's : 4 books
1950's : 10 books
1960's : 7 books
1970's : 6 books
1980's : 7 books
1990's : 6 books
2000's : 7 books
2010's : 15 books
2020's : 20 books

UK Authors : 47
US Authors : 30
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
Netherlands Author : 1
Canada Author : 1
Australia 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 : 12

Read : 107 books
Added : 280 books

Change to TBR : +173

Welcome to my 25th thread of 2024

Happy New Thread!

Wow, a two-fer today. I caught the first post of RD's and now you. I think I'll have to go play the lottery today. I'm on a winning streak. LOL

Happy new one!

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread, Paul

>14 mahsdad: Thank you, Jeff.

>15 mahsdad: I noticed a number of new threads today - RD, Katie, Mark, Stasia, Rachel to name but a few.

>16 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita

>17 amanda4242: Thanks Amanda. I am still pondering on my BAC reading for this month.

>18 Kristelh: Thanks Kristel. Lovely to see you. x

Happy new thread, Paul!

Happy whatever!

Thank you, dear Stasia. I will get around the threads shortly. Just going to the clinic as I am a bit under the weather this morning.

Happy new thread Paul!

I hope the water recedes and firm ground rises under your feet.

>24 quondame: Got the armbands affixed this morning and am floating slowly to the surface! No work for me today at least.

Thanks as always for your kind wishes and company, Susan. xx

>2 PaulCranswick: Two classic Hemingways.

Stay well.

Happy New Thread!

Happy new thread, Paul! I hope you feel better soon.

>2 PaulCranswick: Those two Hemingways are the books I've already chosen for the last two War Room reads. I don't know how I've made it this far having never read either one, a major hole in my reading. So it's time to tackle both.

>26 RBeffa: Thank you, Ron. Indeed. I went back to bed for a few hours and feel a bit better after a good soak in the bath.

>27 SilverWolf28: Thanks, dear Silver.

>28 atozgrl: There are so many books still to read, Irene, aren't there?!

I have read For Whom the Bells Toll but I started A Farewell to Arms in my teens and could not get into it at all. I hope to have better luck this time.

>23 PaulCranswick: I am sorry to hear that you are not feeling well, Paul. I hope you get to feeling better soon!

Happy new thread, Paul. Hope you are feeling better soon.

>31 alcottacre: Still a bit under the weather, Stasia, but I hope that rest and reading will promote good health.

>32 Familyhistorian: Thank you, Meg!

>33 PaulCranswick: I hope the same for you.

Happy New Thread Paul! Can’t say i’ve ever got on with Hemingway particularly although i have read some of his books. Last one was A Farewell to Arms in 2010 when we were staying in Kobarid, now in Slovenia but was Capporetto (and part of Italy at the time) in the book.

Happy New Thread, Paul. I hope you are feeling better soon.

>34 alcottacre: Thank you, Sister

>35 SandDune: We fully agree on this, Rhian. He will never be a favourite of mine either.

>36 vancouverdeb: I see we are edging towards the Booker award in less than a fortnight, Deb. I still haven't read any of the shortlist but I may put that right in the coming few days. x

Happy New Thread, Paul. Sorry to hear you are not feeling well. I hope you bounce back quickly. I am currently listening to Marvin Gaye- What's Going on & Let's Get it On. 2 fantastic LPs.

>39 msf59: Thanks Mark. I have been listening to plenty of music today too. Animals, Beatles, CCR, Drifters, ELO, Fleetwood Mac (sixties version), Genesis, Hollies, Isley Brothers, Jackson 5, Kinks, Led Zeppelin, The Monkees, The Nice, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Pink Floyd, Queen, Rolling Stones, Small Faces, Temptations, Uriah Heep, Ricky Valance, Who, Yardbirds and the Zombies. 4 songs each.

Wow! Lots of classic stuff. When we are with the camping group, all of these groups are in our musical rotation. I recently listened to the original Faces. What a fantastic group that was.

I will do the same alphabetical mix tomorrow. Selecting four songs. For some I took the songs from one album - Hard Day's Night for The Beatles, Let it Bleed for the Stones, Something Else for the Kinks, Jazz for Queen. Others I just picked 4 songs I knew I liked.

>40 PaulCranswick: What - no AEC?! 'Noonah" at least... Roscoe (84 years old with COPD) just played at a George Lewis concert in Germany.

>43 m.belljackson: I wasn't in the mood for jazz today, Marianne but maybe tomorrow. Impressive that he is still performing at 84 years old.

>44 PaulCranswick: Forgot to add - for your Creative New Music Loving friend -
that the George Lewis concert is on Youtube - R. performs at the end,
but his influence on the first two pieces is obvious.

The female conductor is amazing,
as are the wildly contradictory responses to the concert
from two German writers!

Happy new one, Paul!

>45 m.belljackson: I will tip off Johann (my jazz loving friend) to look at YouTube, Marianne, thank you. x

>46 drneutron: Thank you, DocRoc.

>30 PaulCranswick: There are too many books still to read, Paul. When will I ever find the time to get to them all?

I am determined to read the Hemingways finally, however. I need to get some of these classic books done.

>48 atozgrl: I hope to finish two more books this weekend (I have already finished Journey's End and both have connections to WW1 - Held the Booker Nominated book by Anne Michaels and A Farewell to Arms by Hemingway.

Happy New Thread, Paul.

Thank you, Arlie. xx

I wish it had been accompanied by better health.

Sniffles at the Weekend

Hot toddies in the evening
Lozenges through the day
Health can spoil the weekend
Rest turns feet to clay.

Schemes for the days are gone
Changes plans to sleep -
Sleep that comes in fits and starts
No matter that I'm counting sheep.

Listening to Elton and Nazareth
Feels almost biblical
A playlist for my mood and form
To concentration its inimical.

Waiting for a call from home;
I can see their faces but hear no voices
Looking at messages, finding none
Work else family are bitter choices

It is a time for soup
A time for baths warmly bubbled
Switching off air-conditioning.
Fleshly the bolster is snuggled.

Loneliness is heightened by wheezes
Precious time slowly receding
All I have for company
Are my books and my reading.

>52 PaulCranswick: And your distant reading partners. Thinking of you. Feel better soon.

>53 booksaplenty1949: Thank you my friend. Feeling a bit sorry for myself. xx

>52 PaulCranswick: Sorry you are under par Paul. Good poim tho.

>55 Caroline_McElwee: Thank you, Caroline. A bit rudimentary as I typed it straight onto my thread. Started off with a few lines disorganised and I formed them into rhymes of sorts by shuffling the stray lines until I got six verses full.

Want to have a shout out for Kemi Badenoch being elected as leader of the Conservatives in the UK. First black person in the leadership role of any political party and that is to be applauded certainly that she was able to rise on the merit of her character rather than being judged on the colour of her skin.

I don't agree with her on a lot of things but it is another glass ceiling shattered.

Let's see what happens in the USA come Tuesday. I have some concerns about the ability of Ms. Harris to articulate her position well and her choice of Veep is frankly bizarre, but her opponent should be disbarred from office period.

>57 PaulCranswick: I’m not at all as happy about Kemi Badenoch being elected Paul. Well I wouldn’t have been happy about Robert Jenrick either though, James Cleverly would have been marginally better than either of them. But Kemi Badenoch represents the next constituency over from us so I probably know more about her and she’s a nasty piece of work in my opinion…

Began Le feu. Predictably, the poilus are not speaking standard French, but I have a translation by Fitzwater Wray to help me out, although of course it substitutes dated British slang for the French expressions.

>52 PaulCranswick:, hope you feel better soon, Paul - but at least you've put your state into prose.

>57 PaulCranswick:, interesting, good for her! Will bear watching her career.

>58 SandDune: I'm with you Rhian. I'd like to celebrate for the reasons Paul mentioned, but its hard based on her spoutings. If nothing else hopefully it will give Labour a second term.

Will Hutton reminds me that the OBR is far from unbiased and as it is quoted so often the 'repeat something often enough' it becomes fact comes to mind!

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/nov/03/investment-drives-growth-t...

>58 SandDune: Not talking about her politics, Rhian, which I don't agree with, merely the fact that the Tories have elected a black woman to lead them. As I believe in a meritocracy without reference to class, creed, colour, gender or sexuality it is something to welcome.

>59 booksaplenty1949: It is coming up for me too, but I am not brave enough to try it in the original French.

>60 Kristelh: Yes, Krystal it didn't amount much to poetry I guess!

>61 Caroline_McElwee: I won't vote for her either, Caroline, but it is a first worth taking notice of Rachel Reeves was quick enough to make a point of her being the first female Chancellor.
There is no Budget Responsibility these days and the coming years are going to be ones of difficult choices and priorities. We need to get rid of the plethora of quangos put in place and Government's need to start doing the jobs they were elected to do and not delegate to unrepresentative, unelected bodies.

Also worth noting 50% of the Labour cabinet are female. I'm not saying they will all end up being great at their jobs, or won't make missteps, but at least they have an opportunity to offer perspectives that may have been missed when it wasn't the case.

>64 Caroline_McElwee: That is worth noting, Caroline. My party has gotten off to a bad start in all honesty but we do have another four and a half years to make a difference positively for the British people. Some of the Labour team impress me - Wes Streeting, Bridget Phillipson for example but we seem to have a few square pegs in round holes that is giving the Government some teething problems.

>64 Caroline_McElwee: We will know there is true equality when there are as many incompetent women as incompetent men in positions of authority.

>57 PaulCranswick: Paul said, “ Let's see what happens in the USA come Tuesday. I have some concerns about the ability of Ms. Harris to articulate her position well and her choice of Veep is frankly bizarre, but her opponent should be disbarred from office period.”

Paul, I’m going to take a break from your thread for a bit. I am having a hard time with the political stuff; a lot of the USA is stressed out awaiting the election.

Karen O

P.s. I do hope you’re feeling better!

>66 booksaplenty1949: Hahaha there is plenty of incompetence in British politics from all sides of the political spectrum.

>67 klobrien2: I certainly don't want to stress you or anyone else, Karen.
Take good care of yourself dear lady and I fully understand. To be fair, I haven't mentioned politics too much recently but I get it that you'd sooner talk and think about something else right now.

If you don't mind I will still visit your place and speak to other things. x

Catching up on book reviews.................

BOOK #101



Summer by Edith Wharton
Date of Publication : 1917
Origin of Author : USA
Gender of Author : Female
Pages : 194 pp
Challenges : 1001 Books / 150Y Challenge

Can we overcome our genes?
What is the fullest meaning of guardianship?

I enjoyed this knowledge of blooming sexuality and small town responsibilities. It isn't quite on a par with Ethan Frome but a good novel nonetheless.

BOOK #102



Journey's End by R.C. Sherriff
Date of Publication : 1928 (first performance)
Origin of Author : UK
Gender of Author : Male
Challenges : War Room / 150Y Challenge

I am a huge fan of British situation comedy and the Black Adder series in particular. The last of the four series is set in the trenches of the Western Front and I hadn't realized what a huge debt it owed to this wonderful play.

Mason the "cook" is clearly the model for Baldrick; George is taken from the idealistic Raleigh and the laconic, embittered Stanhope was modified only somewhat by Rowan Atkinson in the lead of Captain Blackadder.

The production I watched was a little shouty but the impact of this tragi-comedy still came across nicely.

>70 PaulCranswick: Adding that one to the tbr list. (I'm also a Blackadder fan.)

BOOK #103



Held by Anne Michaels
Date of Publication : 2023
Origin of Author : Canada
Gender of Author : Female
Challenges : Booker Shorlist

Boy she can write!

Tremendous lyrical prose and this book reads wonderfully but it is far too fragmented to appreciate the whole sufficiently.

I was left hoping that she would pull it all together somehow but without spoiling anything, she doesn't. I would be surprised if this wins the Booker mainly because I think to call this collection of ruminations "a novel" is stretching it a wee bit.

>71 amanda4242: Whilst some of the humour was of its time a little bit, Amanda, the stuff regarding the food they were eating reminded me very much of some of Baldrick's best scenes.

>70 PaulCranswick: Have a copy of Journey’s End, a novelisation of the play, by Sheriff and Vernon Bartlett. Will try to get to it this month.
PS A fairly scathing review of the novel https://greatwarfiction.wordpress.com/2008/05/23/journeys-end-the-novel/ which opines that its chief virtue is to make us appreciate the play.

>73 PaulCranswick: Now I’m curious. Also a Blackadder fan. If what you say is right, the whole series would have to be planned from the first. I’d love to see it again!

Hope you are beginning to feel better!

>74 booksaplenty1949: That is interesting. I hadn't realized that there was a novelization of the play or that it seems to depart from/expand upon the original so much. I can only recommend the play.

>75 EllaTim: I certainly think it gave inspiration to the premise, Ella. The TV series was a highlight for me - I think it is one of the greatest comedies ever on television.
By the way, I think you can get some of the episodes in full on YouTube.

>76 figsfromthistle: Slowly but surely, Anita. I am a little better than yesterday at the least.

BOOK #104



A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
Date of Publication : 1929
Origin of Author : USA
Gender of Author : Male
Pages : 293 pp
Challenges : War Room / 1001 Books / 150Y Challenge

Hemingway will never be an absolute favourite author of mine but this does have its moments.

Set in Italy in the last dregs of the First World War and the disastrous Battle of Caporetto, this is as much a book of romance as it is a book on war. Based partly on the author's own experiences and if so he must have been annoying as a fellow if the dialogue is representative.

Mildly recommended.

Happy New Thread Paul!!
Feel better soon!!!

Happy new thread, Paul

>79 PaulCranswick: I've read enough Hemingway now to conclude that his best work is in his short stories. But A Farewell to Arms is certainly one of his best novels.

>80 hredwards: Thank you, Harold.

>81 The_Hibernator: Thanks Rachel. xx

>82 ChrisG1: Well I can certainly agree that it is better than some of his other novels. I know some people can't abide it but I think The Old Man and the Sea was his best work.

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

https://www.librarything.com/topic/365528#

Hope you're feeling better, Paul!

>85 amanda4242: Not fully recovered, Amanda, but I am back at work.

I noticed your thread already and posted there before coming to my own thread!

As I stated a few months ago I am planning a GRAND EUROPEAN TOUR CHALLENGE next year based at the moment on the following:

A Wider Scandinavia
The Warsaw Pact
The Ottoman Empire
From Caesar to Meloni
The Germanic World
The Iberian Peninsula
France and the Benelux
Europe in the 19th Century
Non-National Languages
A Racially Diverse Europe
Books about places
Translated Literature in the 21st Century

Just double checking that there is interest.
I recall that 2024's idea for a WAR ROOM CHALLENGE has had a number of devotees but I think two years in a row of conflict would be rather like being stuck in an abusive relationship! Wanted something a bit lighter and more varied for the coming year.

>87 PaulCranswick: Well as you know Paul I'm pretty rubbish at challenges, but I may dip in and out.

>88 Caroline_McElwee: For me, Caroline, that is what they are there for. I am not the completist fiend I used to be!

>87 PaulCranswick: I’m still interested, Paul.

And I’m hoping that you’re feeling better today.

>90 Matke: Well I managed to crawl back into work, Gail, but my voice was more gravelly than Lee Marvin's today!

>87 PaulCranswick: War is hell, apparently. I’ve enjoyed, if that’s the word, the opportunity to contemplate humanity’s long history of trying to solve problems by killing one another, but I could use a break. Humanity also has a long and less depressing history of packing up and moving, for a short time or a long time. In an era of resurgent “nationalism” and nativism it is good to be reminded that these identities are actually very fluid.

>92 booksaplenty1949: I have enjoyed the challenge immensely too. Hosting it has been a privilege. It has provoked some really great and oftentimes very intelligent discussion and help cement some friendships for me in the group, your esteemed self very much included. x

>93 PaulCranswick: The strength of our friendship has been underlined for me by the fact that it has survived the revelation that you are a big fan of The Old Man and the Sea.

I've tried real hard to keep up with the War Room but sometimes I've been lost in action. I will be trying to participate in the new challenge!

>94 booksaplenty1949: Hahaha but that is not quite what I said. I said I thought it was his best work but I don't exactly love it.

>95 Kristelh: Clever continuation of theme in you being MIA, Kristel! I am happy with dipping in and out wherever you are comfy. The AAC is very appealing to me this month by the way!

>96 PaulCranswick:, Thank you, Paul. I really wanted to do better with the war effort. Not sure if I am missing in action or if I've gone AWOL.

>87 PaulCranswick: This look like fun. I'll join in most months. I've enjoyed the War theme this year though not managed to complete some books that I had hoped to as I got sidetracked or lost my reading mojo.
>79 PaulCranswick: I haven't read Hemingway for a few years, the last one was The Dangerous Summer, nonfiction about bullfights in Spain.

>87 PaulCranswick: I'm looking forward to the European tour!

>5 PaulCranswick: Happy new thread!

>87 PaulCranswick: Sounds like a great idea, Paul.

>97 Kristelh: Only occasionally Kristel and in my army there are no penalties!

>98 avatiakh: I look at your reading for books I would like or want to add, Kerry, so I am always pleased to have you along. x

>99 amanda4242: That's great Amanda. x

>100 ocgreg34: Thanks Greg. Always a pleasure to see you buddy.

>101 EllaTim: The Netherlands will be very much a part of the tour as well, Ella. x

>69 PaulCranswick: Summer has sat on my shelf for many years. Don't know why I haven't gotten to it.

I'm going to continue reading war related books for this coming year. Re-reading a favorite novel at the moment but have a batch of non-fiction to get to.

>105 RBeffa: Ron, I have so many war related books, especially on the two World Wars that I will always have one near my reading desk.

On this day when world events are much in focus I was incensed by something I read in the Telegraph this morning (before my left leaning friends are too horrified I like balanced reading. I "take" three British papers - Telegraph, Independent and Guardian and two American ones NYT & WSJ).
The University of Canterbury is cancelling its English Literature as it is deemed no longer "viable".

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/11/05/university-scraps-english-literature...

>107 PaulCranswick:, That just seems so wrong.

>107 PaulCranswick: That is terrible!!!

And again I didn't make it under 100.
Happy new thread, Paul, and all the best for your health and your family.
>107 PaulCranswick: that hurts my heart.

>108 Kristelh: As a student of English Lit, I am heartbroken that there are signs it could disappear as a subject.

>109 hredwards: Yes, Harold. Indeed it is.

>110 SirThomas: Anytime you visit I am happy, Thomas. For the Philistines, it is always just about the money.

>111 PaulCranswick: It breaks my heart that I see book sections at stores either getting smaller and smaller or disappearing altogether.

>113 hredwards: I am with you Harold. I do my utmost to encourage friends and colleagues to read and read and read more. In fact I am taking a book of economics into work by JK Galbraith for one of my team who is interested in the history of economics.

>107 PaulCranswick: I feel sad to hear of students' options being narrowed. I'm not sure I can read the Telegraph article (paywall).

However, I am going to point out some context that I think Paul knows - there is more than one university in Canterbury, Kent, England (there's also a Canterbury University in New Zealand!) - I think there are three. We have several generations of universities here. It might be that students wanting to do a more traditional English Literature degree (or some variations) are choosing the 1960s University of Kent in Canterbury or the University of Creative Arts (I don't know anything about this one). I think the University of Canterbury is one of the newest universities, mostly known as Polytechnics until 1992. The courses they offer have always been either vocational or a bit different in character, and the post 1992 universities also face a lot of academic and class snobbery. I think some of this is unfair, and that some of the new universities might offer better teaching as well as more access.

In the early 1980s, Nina Stibbe took a job as nanny for the editor of the London Review of Books - 30 years later her first book, Love Nina was a collection of letters home to her sister. As well as an account of life on one of north London's most literary streets, Stibbe writes about studying for a degree at a then polytechnic and it sounds as though students, many of whom had left school quite young, really got quite a good education this way.

Higher Education is being squeezed though, with courses being cut, redundancies on a huge scale and politicians often disparaging "Mickey Mouse" degrees. The new Tory leader studied engineering, and apparently has some experience as a computer hacker too.

>115 elkiedee: Yes, Luci, I did know that there was more than one University in Canterbury (but I didn't realize there were three) as - from my day - they converted the Polytechnics into Universities. I don't like the snobbery from the longer established institutions towards the younger ones - whether that is from the institutions themselves, wider academia, Employers and even intended students. Apparently it was due to not enough demand for the course which knowing how the clearance system works - I find difficult to believe unless it is to prioritize the higher fees that foreign students bring with them (due to the quite ridiculous residency restrictions I had to pay foreign student fees for my eldest two).

The Education Secretary has a lot of work to do in getting schools and universities properly resourced with teachers, professors and full curricula.

Hi Paul, a belated Happy New Thread, mate. It turned out i was wrong about Lehmann for Yorkshire but i am sure it is a coup for Northamptonshire. Nice to see Anthony McGrath after his successful spell at Essex but i am really not sure about John Sadler as batting coach and then Jack White has signed for Yorkshire from Northants. Love and hugs to you and the family from both of us dear friend.

>116 PaulCranswick: I was explaining my comments for others following your thread. I didn't know about the 3rd university in Canterbury either.

I wish I was a bit more optimistic about higher education resourcing. Danny is applying for university now to study Maths. My cousin has been made redundant. Student finance has been redesigned to burden students with debt for most of their lives and create huge hidden public debt off balance sheets, all at much higher rates than government borrowing to invest (and train medical and education professionals) could be.

>117 johnsimpson: Lovely to see you, John. I hope your pain issues are much better mate.
I'm not sure that the Yorkshire boys need a batting coach!

>118 elkiedee: I'm not that positive either, Luci. The importance of education always gets overlooked doesn't it?

Checking to see how you are feeling today, Paul - and I mean apart from the heart sickening election results here in the States.

Happy whatever!

>107 PaulCranswick: I find that so sad.

>120 alcottacre: Indeed, Stasia. I didn't want to comment anything about yesterday because it is a bit too raw for everybody. But we will just keep on keeping on and the advantage of your system is that there are no third terms.

To all my friends, keep your chins up.

The cancelling of English Lit is sad, Stasia, and needed to be pointed out in this temple of books and reading! (I mean LT not my thread of course!).

Sorry for the super late response....happy not so new thread... ^^ I just haven't been online...been super busy

>121 PaulCranswick: there are no third terms. It would not surprise me at all if Trump tries to fix that.

>123 alcottacre: Oh lord...if he does then im going to cry- I hope the laws he wants to pass are vetoed as well

>124 louisisaloafofbreb: I think the new VP-elect J D Vance could be a scarier prospect than Trump - Trump's nasty but what he actually believes in is anyone's guess, whereas I think Vance is more of an ideological conservative. I dread to think what's going to happen in the US at state and more local level - school boards, curriculum interference, more activity censoring and banning books in schools and public libraries.

>125 elkiedee: Oh no, honestly i have been sobbing all day just thinking about how my rights are going to be taken to the point my head hurts....and J.D. Vance is going to be a horrible president if that does happen...

>122 louisisaloafofbreb: Anyhow great to see you, Lily and glad that you managed to drop by. Hope all is well.

>123 alcottacre: I'll try for staying positive right now as he will not be able to do that. I don't wish him physical harm but I would be very surprised if the two attempts on his life are the last we will see.

>127 PaulCranswick: Honestly, all hasnt rlly been well- well actually it has...but today just hurt me a lot

>124 louisisaloafofbreb: Well it looks like Executive and Legislature as well as Judiciary will all be in sync this time so there is not going to be any veto or any excuse.

Just typing that makes me shiver to be honest as there will not be checks to his policy platforms.

I would only point out a couple of things in that regard as I really don't want to talk about politics and this is policy:

1. There may be too much governmental waste and regulation but don't remove protections for people at the same time. Trickle down economics is a theory that causes the poor to starve.

2. Freedoms and liberties are not only for those in your caucus they are meant to be for everybody. I fear that very specific minorities may have their rights trampled upon and I am specifically thinking about trans people and immigrants ("legal" or otherwise) - human rights as well as citizen's rights.

3. Remember you are required to rule for all the population and not just those who voted for you. Reach out to those who opposed you and demonstrate that the genuine fears of a second term are not wholly founded. There is more strength in forgiveness than revenge.

>125 elkiedee: There is an evolution in Vance's thinking that is disquieting certainly, Luci. His views are more socially conservative than his Master.

>126 louisisaloafofbreb: I think there are so many people worried about the future but I also think that those same people are not going to sit idly by and let their rights be taken away if it is attempted.

>128 louisisaloafofbreb: I understand.

To be quite honest I don't really want to encourage too much discussion on politics for the next few days as it is so raw for so many of my dear friends. I will always offer perspective and succour where possible and needed but I do hope that we can concentrate just for a while on less sensitive matters - like BOOKS! xx

>130 PaulCranswick: As there are two reasons today has gone horribly, I have finally cut off an extremely manipulative irl friend I had, and it took me a whole 9 years to realize, but at least its over with, as well as everything that has happened dealing with trump.

but anywaysss I have finally continued the perks of being a wallflower and I hope I'm done with it soon

>87 PaulCranswick: I could see participating in a challenge like that - a lot more leeway than wars, too.

>116 PaulCranswick: CCCU was formerly a teacher training college. It became a university in 2005.

>132 louisisaloafofbreb: I would have thought that finally cutting off a manipulative friend was good news, Lily?

>133 ChrisG1: You will be more than welcome Chris. Escapism is attractive right now.

>134 booksaplenty1949: Quite right. It would be sad if they dropped English Literature since an alumni is Abdulrazak Gurnah.

>135 PaulCranswick: Yeah, but it still hurts, especially after being friends with them for 9+ years

>137 louisisaloafofbreb: I suppose

>138 PaulCranswick: I guess thats why i didnt see the signs, I was used to how they acted and I think I'm gonna hit the hay, its 12:09am over here and my head is pounding

>139 louisisaloafofbreb: As I always tell you - go and take plenty of rest and don't stress.

BOOK #105



Geneva by Richard Armitage
Date of Publication : 2023
Origin of Author : UK
Gender : Male
Pages : 280 pp

Richard Armitage is an accomplished actors. One of my favourites in fact.

This is his first novel / thriller and boy is it a good start.

Atmospheric and with a propulsive narrative. Once it grips hold and you are in, you wont be able to stop until you reach the end out of breath.

Recommended. I look forward to seeing what he does next.

>141 PaulCranswick: I enjoyed this too Paul, but had some reservations. In my review The concept is current, but I think it missed out on spending some time exploring the moral questions, there was an opportunity but it was missed. Personally I suspect the publishers discouraged him as they may have felt it would slow the thrilleresque pace, but in not doing so I felt it went against the main character's personality.

Armitage didn't set out to become a novelist. He does a lot of reading for Audible, and was commissioned to write an original work for it, that was subsequently turned into a novel, the reverse of the usual way! The second is on Audible but not yet a novel I understand. I don't often listen to audio books.

Actors often make fine novelists because they have a good ear, and an eye for structure.

>142 Caroline_McElwee: I must admit, Caroline, that I read your review after reading the book (I often look for my friends thoughts on books to see if they coincide with my own views) and your view of the book was very similar to mine.

I do read more thrillers than you do but I thought this was a pretty good effort.

Hi Paul, pardon me while I jump in to post a PSA for the groups 2024 Christmas Swap. I know you've already joined, you are one of the stalwarts. :) But I'm going to use your thread to try to cast a larger net to make sure as many people know about it as possible. Not everyone follows me, or might not see the Group Announcement thread. So I'm visiting a bunch of the more active groups to post a link to the group thread.

The 2024 Christmas Swap thread is live. If anyone who reads this is interested head on over, all the details are there. If not, no big deal, thank you for your time. :)

https://www.librarything.com/topic/365525

Okay - you said to "concentrate" on books:

Last month I finished (started long ago) WAR AND PEACE, The Christian Bible, and Leaves of Grass,
interspersed with Wendy Wax and VICTORIAN POETRY (up to Edmund Fitzgerald) for a break.

Moved on to GUIDE TO THE GEOLOGICAL MODEL OF THE ASSYNT MOUNTAINS - inspired
to look on Thrift books for Simon Lamb's Devil in the Mountain, going from Scotland to the Andes for "upward thrust."

Then YA = REASONS TO LOOK AT THE NIGHT SKY - a poetic version of Astronomy, followed by a beautiful ER win = SOLSTICE.

Ready to move deeper into Ayaan Hirsi Ali's HERETIC which she leads off with Three eye-shattering sentences!

And worked in My Seven Black Fathers by Will Yemi Jawando.

>141 PaulCranswick: I will have to see if I can track down a copy of that one. Thanks for the recommendation, Paul!

Happy whatever!

Paullll- how do i somehow not cry over people who basically screamed at me- and they are my best friends gf-

Hi Paul. Cutting English Lit in Canterbury. Canterbury almost the starting point of English Lit because of the Canterbury Tales!

Here in Holland two universities are cutting foreign language studies. They say there is no more demand for German. Or French, or Arabic. What’s the use of Arabic, people say. But so much gets lost, when we have no interchange between cultures. And language studies are so much more than just learning a language.

One of these days people will see that cutting out education and literature and art only makes us poorer as a species.

>149 banjo123: I recall reading a few years ago that there were more American undergraduates majoring in kinesiology than in all foreign languages put together.

Of course once upon a time publicly-funded post-secondary education was supposed to give students general intellectual training which would be applicable to whatever field they subsequently chose, and make them better citizens. Training in specific job skills was the responsibility of the future employer.

>144 mahsdad: More than welcome, Jeff and a tad flattering! I hope it helps buddy because the Christmas Swap is an institution already.

>145 m.belljackson: Wow! You have been busy, Marianne. What is the Victorian Poetry book you are reading, if I may ask?

>146 alcottacre: I thought that the first 30 or so pages trundled a bit and then it grabbed me and never much let go. Caroline made some good and very constructive criticisms but I thought, on the whole, it was a really good debut.

>147 louisisaloafofbreb: Self-control is important sometimes, Lily. If we always show people that they can get under our skin and hurt us so easily then there is more propensity for them to continue to carry on such behaviour. I often counsel my three kids to choose their friends wisely and treat those we do choose how we would expect to be treated ourselves. Sometimes you just have to remove yourself from toxic company.

>148 EllaTim: I am so proud of one of our number, Rhian (SandDune) who is from Wales but an English speaker in trying to learn the Welsh language. I have Irish antecedents and can speak only a few words of Gaelic and I think that the demise of native cultures is a serious and tragic thing.
The teaching of certain core subjects should surely be carried by all institutions of higher learning.
Your point on the interchange of cultures is a point well made and I agree entirely, Ella. That is partly what makes me scared about the nationalistic and xenophobic rhetoric coming out of much of the Western World these days.

>149 banjo123: Exactly right, Rhonda. x

>153 PaulCranswick: I already removed his gf from my life....she made me take a mental health hiatus from that site because of the horrid things she was saying brought back trauma

>150 booksaplenty1949: I thought "kinetics" so I had a clue but I must admit that I had never even heard of "kinesiology" until reading your post!

>151 booksaplenty1949: How times have changed! Employers are rapidly disappearing too!

>155 louisisaloafofbreb: Hiatus is a good word, Lily. Sometimes we do need to take a break from people and places that cause us stress.

>157 PaulCranswick: It was more than stress, i was honestly about to delete my account, but alas I have friends on there

>158 louisisaloafofbreb: Lily you have to do your best to avoid these conflagrations that seem to follow you around. I don't understand why anyone would be abusive to you because as far as I can see you are always friendly and respectful and thoughtful to others. There is something in your chosen circle that you need to address or move away from. I found, as I got older, that it is always better to try and surround ourselves in positivity.

Sometimes in life we cannot get along with everyone - and that is normally no-one's fault in particular as people do not always click or gel - and sometimes we want to cling to friendships futilely with those who do not consider us as friends. There are a couple of examples to me in the group of people I really like but who don't have the same view of myself - there is no point blaming them as they are not wrong and they are entitled to like or dislike whoever they want - so it is best to just quietly move away and not disturb or be disturbed and without hard feelings.

>159 PaulCranswick: I get that, and im trying to surround myself in positivity but even if I try it never happens, I make better friends in real life but then realize they are awful human beings...and my kindness is always being taken for granted...even my own stepmother thinks I'm too nice to some people.

>160 louisisaloafofbreb: Unfortunately, Lily, life is often a case of "trial and error" and oftentimes our errors result in us facing trials in life. As we get more advanced in years we tend to realize who and what are good for us.

>161 PaulCranswick: Life sucks in my opinion, and the trial and error seems to last forever

>162 louisisaloafofbreb: Nah life is wonderful, Lily.

I got up this morning and the skies were starting to wash away the darkness and prepare for light. I watched the sun rise over my adopted tropical city of Kuala Lumpur in perfect stillness and peace. Faint chirrups of birds I could glimpse but not identify; the gentle stirring of the city preparing for the tumult of Friday in the nation's capital. I sat and breathed deeply in the city with my toast and my coffee and the promise of an Australian thriller on my lap. I realized that despite all the crap and the tensions and bad things in the world including my enforced separation from my family, the world is a wonderful place to be in and life is full of potentiality that we should not let others spoil or unduly encumber.

So f@%k Trump and his ilk, f@%k the negativity - they will not spoil my state of being.

>163 PaulCranswick: I guess.

I didnt see anything you were seeing...and I got screamed at to get up when I fell back to sleep on my mothers couch, when it was time to leave, and honestly school leaves me mentally exhausted. I barely even have time to read....so I may not get to 75

>145 m.belljackson: Well done on War and Peace. I felt a real sense of accomplishment when I finished it—took me four months. Re Edmund Fitzgerald, do you mean Edward Fitzgerald, “translator” of The Rubaiyat? I think of Edmund Fitzgerald as a ship that sank in Lake Superior, memorialised in a great song by Gordon Lightfoot Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald .

>164 louisisaloafofbreb: Don't worry about 75, Lily, it is just a number. I did embellish my breakfast a little bit to make a point - that point being to stay positive. There are tougher days to look forward to than school days - embrace them and welcome them.

>165 booksaplenty1949: Agree - War and Peace is an achievement (one that still eludes me) and not that many can justly claim to have read the Bible all the way through.

Friday Lunchtime Additions

276. This Little Family by Ines Bayard
277. Little, Big by John Crowley
278. Claimed! by Gertrude Barrows Bennett
279. The Ratline by Philippe Sands
280. End Times by Peter Turchin

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/365590

Thank you, Silver. I am hoping for another decent reading weekend.

>166 PaulCranswick: I guess, school gives me headaches a lot, which I don't look forward to. I have had this one headache for 3 days now, it wont leave me alone.

>170 louisisaloafofbreb: It can be blood pressure issues, Lily, that causes constant headaches or something wrong with your eyes. My guess is you are stressing yourself.

>166 PaulCranswick: There is a book available—- Read Through the Bible in a Year—-and many websites and podcasts with similar reading plans, so it’s not a book even the highly motivated can get through without committing serious time. And these are just reading plans, not commentaries.

>172 booksaplenty1949: A long time ago I did read most of the Bible and I still have an Oxford King James at home as well as a couple of editions of The Book of Common Prayer along with four translations of the Quran and one in the original Arabic which I can read and recite but not really fully understand.

>152 PaulCranswick: Paul - not only spending my life reading, but the light weight Wendy Wax book, A WEEK AT THE LAKE

held a surprise tie-in to WAR AND PEACE which I totally applaud -

"Nadia yawned. 'Head hurt from so many words. That Tolstoy need editing.'"

^^^^^^^^

VICTORIAN POETRY is a super old, 1931, Classic edited by C.E. ANDREWS, Ph.D. and M.O. PERCIVAL, Ph.D
from Columbus, Ohio, R.G. ADAMS & CO.

>174 m.belljackson: Your link is to a different book called Victorian Poetry. I think you want this one Victorian Poetry.

>171 PaulCranswick: I do have glasses, and sometimes forget to clean them. School does stress me out a lot.

>175 booksaplenty1949: Hi - thanks for finding that - I thought it was too old to turn up so didn't check Touchstones.

>173 PaulCranswick: I participate in a weekly drop-in for people who want to practise English as a second language. Somehow we got on to birds and avian intelligence, recently, and someone from Lebanon pointed out that the crow showed Adam, or maybe Cain, how to bury Abel’s body. He was quite surprised when I told him that this story was missing from the KJV. Also, when I checked, from the Aggadah elaborating the text of the Hebrew Bible Legends of the Jews. Getting the whole story would require even more than a year, apparently.

>174 m.belljackson: Hahaha I can understand one's head hurting after reading War and Peace! I guess all serious readers should have Ulysses & War and Peace on their lists.

>175 booksaplenty1949: Thanks for the changed touchstone. I don't think that one is available on our side of the pond, but it looks like a good primer.

>176 louisisaloafofbreb: Eye strain causes headaches for sure, Lily. Take care of your spectacles.

>177 m.belljackson: LT's catalogues are not very often found wanting, Marianne.

>178 booksaplenty1949: The differences in the books of the three monotheistic religions and between sects of each of them is very interesting. The story of the crows places some of the Old Testament as tipping a nod to Zoroastrianism beliefs in which the crow or is it the raven, in my limited understanding has some significance.

>180 PaulCranswick: I'll try my best to remember!

>182 louisisaloafofbreb: I'm not really in a good place to lecture on this Lily as I tend to throw my glasses down on the bed next to whatever book I have been reading

>181 PaulCranswick: Isn’t that interesting!

>184 EllaTim: Theology especially in comparative terms is very interesting, Ella. I am certainly no scholar but the source of belief systems is something I always enjoy looking into.

>183 PaulCranswick: Haha, I sometimes fall asleep with them on

>186 louisisaloafofbreb: Me too, Lily. Believe me some things do not improve with age!

>185 PaulCranswick: I found this book quite fascinating The Bible as It Was. There is a review/description of it here https://jhsonline.org/index.php/jhs/article/view/5981/5034.

>187 PaulCranswick: Really doesnt haha, although its only happened a few times

>188 booksaplenty1949: Thank you for that. It is a subject that is deeply fascinating as you say.

>189 louisisaloafofbreb: I wish I could say the same, Lily!

>153 PaulCranswick: Good to know, Paul. Thank you for the additional input.

>167 PaulCranswick: Nice haul, Juan! I have not read any of those. My latest acquisitions are posted on the 'This Just In' thread if you care to take a look.

Happy whatever, brother!

>190 PaulCranswick: Oh wow! Have your glasses ever broken because of that? I never broken a pair yet!

>191 alcottacre: I will go and have a look, Stasia. I'm always interested to see what you have been busy adding.

>192 louisisaloafofbreb: Not broken them for a long time, touch wood.

>193 PaulCranswick: Haha, superstitious? Let's hope you don't break your glasses!

>194 louisisaloafofbreb: The last time I broke my glasses was at an "amusement" park on the roller coaster they insisted I remove my glasses and put them in my pocket for safekeeping......and they got crushed in my pocket.

>163 PaulCranswick: Taking the time to notice is powerful Paul. Glad you had a good morning.

>196 Caroline_McElwee: I always try to start my day with that level of serenity, Caroline. Didn't work this morning as I fell asleep again after waking at 5.00 am and had to rush to get to work on time.

I hope this morning was more serene, Paul.

>195 PaulCranswick: My dad has a case for his glasses, and it works to not crush them when he goes on roller coasters

>198 Familyhistorian: This last morning was fine, Meg!

>199 louisisaloafofbreb: Yeah it would have been good if I had had a case with me too.

>200 PaulCranswick: I bet it would have been.

BOOK #106



World War One British Poets anthology edited by Candace Ward
Date of Publication : 1997 (1914-18)
Origin of Authors : UK
Pages : 71 pp
Challenges : War Room

That great flowering of poetic brilliance, the First World War produced some memorable verse and some stellar literary figures whose time was bright but fleeting. Particularly Brooke, Sorley, Owen and Rosenberg.

Most of the greats are here: Brooke's romantic idealism, Owen's innovative brilliance, Thomas and his distractive observations, Rosenberg's agued realism and Sassoon always sardonically epigrammatic. Gurney, Graves and Sorley are also well represented.

Three obvious omissions for me which rankled a little David Jones, Binyon and Blunden and there was far too much by non-combatants such as Hardy, Houseman, Bridges, De La Mare and Meynall.

Overall though one can't help but be moved by some of the writing. This is a fragment from my own favourite Isaac Rosenberg taken from "Dead Man's Dump"

None saw their spirits' shadow shake the grass,
Or stood aside for the half-used life to pass
Out of those doomed nostrils and the doomed mouth,
When the swift iron burning bee
Drained the wild honey of their youth.

My copy of Le feu turns out to be missing pages 85-116. I noted on the fly-leaf that I bought it in 1983 so I guess it’s too late to go back for a refund. Fortunately I have an English version in Four Dramatic War Novels so I can fill in the gap. Should probably euthanise the misprinted volume but maybe I’ll leave that to my heirs. I tend to anthropomorphise inanimate objects. Enjoying the novel, in any event. A French take on a conflict I know mostly from English writers. Many interesting differences.

>203 booksaplenty1949: Oh how frustrating! I have it up this month too and I am looking forward to it (in English mind).

I have had a quiet weekend LT wise mainly because I didn't want to get drawn into the sensitive subject of the elections Stateside.

>204 PaulCranswick: Every public event I have attended this past week has included a statement by the host etc along the lines of “Let’s all take a deep breath and not scream.” Including the conductor at a symphony concert.

>206 booksaplenty1949: Time to get on unfortunately. I am not American and if I was I could not have voted for him, but a majority of Americans did as inconceivable as it is to many.

The feeling that his victory was a result of collective stupidity does not address how the Democratic Party lost its base. Blue collar middle Americans turned off from their messaging and they have to address why. I don't buy that she lost simply because she was a woman of colour (although I am sure that there is an element who voted with prejudice in their hearts).

It seems to me that American elections always come down to the winning of a handful of crucial states - Had she put Shapiro on the ticket and had she addressed those heartland concerns instead of desperately trying not to offend any of her potential constituency she would have gotten home.

Happy whatever, Paul! I hope you are feeling better now.

>208 alcottacre: I am still a bit chesty, Stasia, but much better.

Glad you’re starting to feel better Paul. Have a good week.

>207 PaulCranswick: Trump didn’t just win the Electoral College, he won about 3.5 million more votes than Harris. So unlike in 2016 we cannot blame this on the vagaries of the American system.

They believe his and sorry to say this but sh*t, even the 'they are eating the cats and eating the dogs' like thats old timey f*cking racism

Hope you are over your sniffles and such.

I hope you are feeling better, Paul. I hope also that it won't be too long until you can see Pip again - and the rest of your family.

Reaching out for sympathy and minor congratulations. Own a series of lectures on the Italian Renaissance on DVDs but no longer have a portable device to play them on, or did not until I recently bought one. Listened to a number of lectures, but then when I turned device back on we seemed to be back at the beginning again. Attempting to discover how to select a later lecture, I managed to change the language of the device’s menus from English to Japanese? Korean? who knows? Despair. User manual cryptic, to put it charitably. BUT, St Isidore of Seville came through for me https://elcidonline.com/student-news/campus-features/2014/12/09/technology-issue.... Feeling like a techie, although well over the age of 16.

>210 Kristelh: I am almost fully recovered, Kristel, but I have to go and sit in the Court of Appeal this morning ready to instruct our lawyers on a case appealing the call upon a Bond and a Stay Order granted by the High Court.

>211 booksaplenty1949: Indeed so, the election results were clear enough this time around.

>212 louisisaloafofbreb: Ok for unhinged sensationalism but it was hardly the issue that was likely to tip the scales, Lily.

>213 thornton37814: A very slight cough now, Lori, but I am almost back to normal. Lovely to see you dear lady.

>214 vancouverdeb: Thank you, Deb. We have the Booker result announced this evening (Tuesday) and is it possible that there is a more sure fire winner than Percival Everett this year?

>215 booksaplenty1949: Hahah well done you! I would have been completely at a loss, I am happy to admit.

>217 PaulCranswick: There are plenty of reasons, and a lot of people I know support him- and don't know I'm going to be one of the people affected by his d@mn crap

>218 PaulCranswick: Have formed relationship with lovely people at neighbourhood Mac outlet where I can play geriatric techno-peasant to get help with my iPad, but could not expect assistance with no-name device probably assembled in some Chinese prison. Desperation is powerful.

>219 louisisaloafofbreb: Trans People survived Trump last time around and this time will be no different. I don't think he is coming for your rights but they will not be given up without demur from right minded people everywhere.

>220 booksaplenty1949: Hahaha I don't want to sample one of their prisons just to get a discounted laptop!

>218 PaulCranswick: I really don’t know what will win The Booker Prize , Paul . People seem keen on James, Orbital and Stone Yard Devotional . Not too long until we find out . I’ve only read James and The Safekeep from the shortlist.

>222 vancouverdeb: I have only read, Held, Deb and thought it a bit obtuse, though Ms. Michaels can really write.

>221 PaulCranswick: We all know, he will try- he's going after government stuff too, social security checks- gone, and plenty of other things

>224 louisisaloafofbreb: I am trying very hard not to get drawn into discussing the policy aims of the incoming US administration as it is a bit raw for so many of us whether in terms of deportations, tariffs, foreign policy or environmental issues - there are plenty of things to be worried about.

I am glad to hear that you are feeling better and hope all goes well with the High Court.

Happy whatever!

>226 alcottacre: Our matter was 10th of 11 matters before the Court of Appeal Court 4 this morning. At 12.58 we got to our turn and the Presiding Judge of three stood down the matters to take new dates as they were swearing in new Appeal Judges in the afternoon. So a morning in court to no result.

>227 PaulCranswick: Sorry to hear that your day was basically wasted. I hope the matter is resolved soon!

>227 PaulCranswick: Hope you brought a book. Might be time to start War and Peace.

>225 PaulCranswick: Yeah, both minors and adults, and even the elderly will be affected, and now I'm in a rlly bad mood (not because of this)

>227 PaulCranswick:, oh, how frustrating.

>228 alcottacre: It was an interesting morning to be honest, Stasia, because I hadn't visited the Court of Appeal in its new home and I was able to watch several cases argued before the panel and gauge their thinking and consider the arguments just as they did. Interestingly I agreed with them in 9 of the 10 cases and I felt that they were clearly wrong in law in one of the matters when they decided against a moneylender who was trying to execute a charge against a low cost housing development group of owners.

>229 booksaplenty1949: Hahaha I did and I made some progress but I was also finding some of the cases enthralling.

>230 louisisaloafofbreb: Let's see what happens because pre-COVID he actually did an OK job with the economy and got inflation way down which is good for the poor as it is a tax on everything we buy. I don't think he should have been allowed to stand for instructions he tried to give Mike Pence, but your President he is.

>231 Kristelh: It was OK to be honest, Kristel.

ORBITAL by Samantha Harvey has won the BOOKER PRIZE. I must say that I am surprised.



I thought that Percival Everett had it in the bag. I will read Harvey's book today.

I see that the House results have still not been called and that 18 seats are still "up for grabs". I think that is pretty shameful a full week after the election and lends unjust weight to those wishing to poke at conspiracy. There is no excuse not to count all the votes of an election within a day of it being held and the longer it goes on the more the election's validity will be questioned. Get on with it for heaven's sake.

>234 PaulCranswick:. I did not think James was the one to win the Booker but I am surprised that it was Orbital. I thought it might be The Safe Keep and I heard a lot of likes for Stone Yard Devotional. James was too US.

>236 Kristelh: As you may remember, Kristel, I am not a fan of the US authors being included in the Booker mix so I am happy that she has won even though I have still to read the book. I am increasingly a fan of American writing but I just feel that they have enough prizes exclusively for them such that they don't need to be foisted onto this one too. It should give more of a showcase for British and Commonwealth authors.

>234 PaulCranswick: I just saw a Tik Tok from the Booker Prizes page. The Penguin UK Books podcast was interviewing Sara Collins, who was one of the judges. She was saying that they got 150 books in January and they were meeting in June for the first round, so she had to read them all and in such a way that she felt she gave every one of them a fair chance.

Much as I love reading, I'm not sure if I could ever read that many in such a short amount of time

>234 PaulCranswick: Oh I definitely could if it was my job, Jeff. I read around 150 books a year despite having an extremely busy working life that takes up at least 10 hours daily. Take that away and have an additional 8 hours per day of extra reading and you are reading easily a book a day extra on average.

UPDATE ON BOOKER WINNERS

1969 Something to Answer For by PH Newby READ
1970 The Elected Member by Bernice Rubens READ
1970 Troubles by JG Farrell READ
1971 In a Free State by VS Naipual
1972 G. by John Berger
1973 The Siege of Krishnapur by J.G. Farrell READ
1974 Holiday by Stanley Middleton READ
1974 The Conservationist by Nadine Gordimer
1975 Heat and Dust by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala READ
1976 Saville by David Storey READ
1977 Staying On by Paul Scott READ
1978 The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch
1979 Offshore by Penelope Fitzgerald READ
1980 Rites of Passage by William Golding READ
1981 Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie READ
1982 Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally READ
1983 Life and Times of Michael K by JM Coetzee
1984 Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner READ
1985 The Bone People by Keri Hulme
1986 The Old Devils by Kingsley Amis READ
1987 Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively READ
1988 Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey
1989 The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
1990 Possession by AS Byatt READ
1991 The Famished Road by Ben Okri
1992 The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
1992 Sacred Hunger by Barry Unsworth READ
1993 Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha by Roddy Doyle
1994 How Late it was, How Late by James Kelman
1995 The Ghost Road by Pat Barker
1996 Last Orders by Graham Swift READ
1997 The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy READ
1998 Amsterdam by Ian McEwan READ
1999 Disgrace by JM Coetzee READ
2000 The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
2001 True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey READ
2002 Life of Pi by Yann Martel READ
2003 Vernon God Little by DBE Pierre
2004 In the Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst
2005 The Sea by John Banville READ
2006 The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai
2007 The Gathering by Anne Enright READ
2008 The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga READ
2009 Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel READ
2010 The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson
2011 The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes READ
2012 Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel READ
2013 The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
2014 The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan READ
2015 A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James READ
2016 The Sellout by Paul Beatty READ
2017 Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders READ
2018 Milkman by Anna Burns
2019 The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
2019 Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo READ
2020 Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart READ
2021 The Promise by Damon Galgut READ
2022 The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka READ
2023 Prophet Song by Paul Lynch READ
2024 Orbital by Samantha Harvey

I have a total of 22 Booker winners still to read and all of them on the shelves.

BOOK #107



The Dark Lake by Sarah Bailey
Date of Publication : 2017
Origin of Author : Australia
Gender of Author : Female
Pages : 429 pp

A pretty engaging and entertaining murder mystery in small town Australia.

A tad generic perhaps but a good old fashioned page turner nonetheless with a heroine we can admire but not quite like.

>129 PaulCranswick: "Trickle down economics is a theory that causes the poor to starve."

That's a feature, not a bug.

It will motivate them to work harder, and never refuse anything demanded of them by an employer or potential employer.

And you can pay them so much less when they are literally starving.

This set of opinions is usually encoded as references to "laziness" and "improvidence" of poor people, but sometimes the references are clearer and more explicit.

It's also been a "thing" in political argument for at least a couple of centuries.

>233 PaulCranswick: Everything is already getting more expensive- so the inflation is getting worse

>242 ArlieS: The free market alone does not work. A command economy doesn't work. The market economy has to be managed to get the outcomes we all desire.

>243 louisisaloafofbreb: Well he can't be blamed for that......still on Biden's watch. I think Trump will bring down inflation but at what cost?

CARTOON

>240 PaulCranswick: I've read 20 of the Booker winners. Of the others there are several I wouldn't read or tried and failed such as God of small things. I agree that the prize should exclude US writers, there are enough awards for US writers only.

Oh dear, I'm number 376 in the library queue for Orbital with 29 copies being circulated.

>246 avatiakh: Oh yes that is one of my least favourite of the Booker winners, Kerry.
Some of the winners have completely baffled me. The Sellout, The Gathering, The God of Small Things and The Sea all greatly disappointed me.
I thought Midnight's Children, The Promise, Saville, Sacred Hunger and Wolf Hall were top notch.

>247 avatiakh: I will certainly read it this week.

Oh Trump! Today he is " cracking down on the Canadian Border" . What's new ? I don't care. Build a wall! I agree, the Booker can be baffling. Last year was a good year for the Booker, with many excellent reads.

>249 vancouverdeb: I thought that the problem was likely US emigration into Canada following his election - I don't think he is concerned at a large influx coming the other way, Deb! With the Conservatives in Canada at 42% in the polls it will be interesting to see whether Trump hurts or hinders their cause in your country.

I agree that I was a little bit underwhelmed by the Booker List this year too.

Here is the article from CBC, Paul regarding Trump and immigration. I guess he thinks terrorists get through. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/border-czar-canada-vulnerable-1.7381797

I so dread the thought of the Conservatives getting into power in Canada, but they probably will as we have had Trudeau in for 9 years, I think it is. When, and I think it is when, Pierre Polivere gets into power, I will likely have a good cry that day and carry on. I have read that Pierre Polievere and Trump are not thought to get along any better than Trump and Trudeau. At least Trudeau keeps a civil tongue, and we can hope Pierre can do the same. PP is just a just a nutbar, in my opinion, but ... what can you do. I do loathe him. I try not to do so.

>251 vancouverdeb: Immigration policy is a very raw subject on both sides of the pond with the boats coming into England and bringing with them a great deal of public outcry some of it understandable but much of it frankly incredible.
I don't like illegal immigration as it does tend to tar with the same brush those that go through the proper channels to do it properly. That said there seems to be a degree of callousness in turning our faces against people who often need a helping hand. There has to be a better way.

I still think Trump will find more people trying to get out than want to come in with him as President!

I must say that on a personal level I do not like Trudeau - heavy handed and hypocritical. That said I am no conservative. I don't know enough about Canadian politics but surely Trudeau would be better handing the baton to someone not so deeply unpopular to carry the fight to Poliviere. I must say the latter does seem to be a bit smug but a smooth operator.

>248 PaulCranswick: When I raised the question of The Great Indian Novel with an Indian friend Midnight’s Children was an immediate suggestion.

>248 PaulCranswick: Yes as it should be, I suppose.

Others would be:

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
The English Teacher by RK Narayan
Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh
Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
A Village by the Sea by Anita Desai

>248 PaulCranswick: Hmm I haven't read the same ones as you - my picks would be The Bone People, Midnight's Children, The Finkler Question, The Elected Member, The Line of Beauty.
Midnight's Children would be my overall pick, though I read it in 1993 alongside Freedom at Midnight and I think my impressions are a blend of both books.
The Finkler Question is a love it or hate it read and I remember loving it.

>255 avatiakh: I really must finish off the Booker winners next year as I have less than two a month to do.

>254 PaulCranswick: My counter-suggestion of Kim drew a snort.

>253 booksaplenty1949:. And not The Great Indian Novel? Shashi Tharoor. He claimed it in his title after all.

>244 PaulCranswick: He cant be blamed, but what he can be blamed for is the anti-trans law passed today

>234 PaulCranswick: I was so glad to see that a British author won even though Orbital did not really work well for me.

>241 PaulCranswick: Thanks for the recommendation. I will have to see if I can track that one down, Paul.

Happy whatever!

>257 booksaplenty1949: A great book though, particularly on the Great Game. I asked my Indian friend from Tamil Nadu and he said "something by RK Narayan".

>258 Kristelh: Haven't read it, Kristel, but it surely is a contender even in a self-publicizing way!

>259 louisisaloafofbreb: Sorry again not him. He isn't inaugurated until January and he is not passing any laws, or more correctly asking Congress to do so until then at the earliest. I am another not looking forward to seeing what he comes up with and his selection of Matt Gaetz as Attorney General is a shocker but hysteria as to what he cannot have done yet is not in the least bit helpful, Lily.

>260 alcottacre: Yeah, some of the people I usually trust with reviews loved the book too.

Good solid read was The Dark Lake.

One thing I must call out is a FEMA official directing workers not to render assistance to Trump supporters in Florida. She has been fired apparently and is seemingly wanting to now bring down others with her.

I thought it was a conspiracy theory but it is reported and corroborated in the Wall Street Journal. I was disappointed to find that a search of the NYT doesn't show that they have covered the story.

The extremes in the country must find ways to come closer together.

https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/fema-fires-employee-who-told-relief-workers-...

>261 PaulCranswick: Any writer is ultimately limited by his or her time and place, even when exploring ideas of universal significance. Kipling was born in India and Kim gives us a vivid picture of Indian culture under the Raj. Kim’s journey of self-discovery has made the book a significant one, especially for boys of his age, I gather. We don’t want to get all “nativist.” Zadie Smith is a British writer, full stop.

>264 booksaplenty1949: The Raj is a fact of historical fact for good and for ill and Kim is an artifact of that time, but a wonderfully enjoyable one.

>265 PaulCranswick: As a non-Indian of course I would not seriously weigh in on the question of The Great Indian Novel, but I would be interested in the inside take. India is, after all, a very diverse country, with 22 official languages, I believe.

>244 PaulCranswick: I agree with you, but I'm some kind of Social Democrat - not a US conservative.

>249 vancouverdeb: >250 PaulCranswick: Oh joy! I imagine myself having difficulty getting back to my birth country in the event of something resembling kristallnacht. Maybe I should think in terms of fleeing to Mexico (a shorter drive) than flying to Canada.

No, I don't really expect a kristallnacht even in a MAGA-ruled United States. But I figure the risk is non-zero, even high enough to make contingency plans. There certainly *are* some quantity of MAGA types that want to "pwn the libs" physically, as we saw during the covid pandemic with people going out of their way to cough on mask wearers - apparently common enough to seem normal, in some areas - as well as rarer overt violence, with the perp generally portrayed by media sources as deranged.

>250 PaulCranswick: I’m sure Trump and his followers have no problem with anyone leaving the US for Canada; it’s people coming in over an inevitably rather porous border they’re concerned about, people who have come to Canada with longer term plans to enter the US.

Paul, your lists of books read is incredible. Thank you for taking the time to go through each war. What a nasty bit of buggers we are with all this killing!

>266 booksaplenty1949: I don't quite agree. I think you are as entitled to an opinion on an aesthetic level as anyone else is. Otherwise you could not opine on the Great British Novel and I couldn't have a view on the Great American novel. I think it is fair though that the Great Indian Novel should be written by someone who is Indian at least ethnically (whatever that is). So Kim would be a tough choice other than to note that Kipling was born in Bombay and brought up in "British India".

>267 ArlieS: Arlie, I am increasingly having difficulty in deciding what to label myself politically. I grew up a socialist and worked on Tony Benn's team in Chesterfield as a student and loved the dear man almost like a father and I still believe in many of the values he held so forthrightly, but times have changed and some of the causes my party espouse I am having trouble with. I sort of think of myself as a Social Libertarian as I believe in personal freedom within a socially responsible community.

>268 ArlieS: Well I don't think Trump is going to instigate anything approaching what happened in the Germany of the 1930s. He has a nascent ability to see issues that affect people but his policy prescriptions invariably over-react.
What I really don't like about him is that often he appeals to our baser side, his world view seems grounded in selfishness both personally and nationally and I could never embrace that outlook.
He could safely be criticized for many things but his opponents often missed the mark when there were two factors against him that should have ensured he got nowhere near a second term. First was his uncouth and unpresidential manner and that required his opponents to take the moral high ground and they did not.
Secondly, of all the points and charges against him the only one that really disqualified him were the instructions he tried to give to Mike Pence to thwart the ratification of the 2020 elections. You didn't need to probe his state of mind as his actions had been crystallized and the Democrats should have gone all in on that.

>269 booksaplenty1949: Will we see net emigration under Trump?

>270 Whisper1: The idea of reading about past conflicts, Linda, is usually to try to find ways to avoid similar things happening in the future. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of some wonderful historians, it doesn't seem to work.
Hatred, greed and mistrust always find a way.

>272 PaulCranswick: Emigration to Canada, except for those in some occupational areas, requires a job offer or sponsorship by a family member already here, so not an option for most Americans. Actually more Americans emigrated to Canada during the Biden administration than during the first Trump administration https://immigration.ca/americans-leaving-u-s-for-canada-in-greater-numbers-since....

>274 booksaplenty1949: That is an interesting statistic and slightly surprising.

>275 PaulCranswick: It's possible that emigrating simply takes time - people who started considering leaving during Trump's first term finally did the deed after it ended.

>276 ArlieS: I suppose that could be it, Arlie.

Trump is an "interesting" character very successful in my view in identifying primal concerns but then prescribing remedies that have the potential of damaging more than they solve:

1. America as a nation is unhealthy (most can accept)
Ans : Appoint RFKjr to cause mayhem. Whilst he has some good ideas he has some bat-shit crazy ones too.

2. There is too much waste in government spending (true the world over)
Ans : Appoint Elon & Vivek to advise on cutting and carving. Will they focus on destroying or saving?

3. The system of Justice has been weaponized (I think that has been true from both sides)
Ans : Appoint the rabid Matt Gaetz as AG to scourge the agencies. I can't think of someone less likely to apply the law without thinking about politics first.

4. The border is porous (true certainly and why South Texas turned against the Dems)
Ans : Tom Holman to round-up "illegals" in a faux legitimizing of inhumanity. Process the people properly and the one's with criminal records etc I think we can agree should not be allowed to stay but that is not a majority of those coming.

I could go on.

>205 PaulCranswick: ha

>277 PaulCranswick: The very idea of rounding up and deporting what? 15 million people is ludicrous. Building a 2,000-mile-long wall that Mexico would pay for was a highly plausible idea, by comparison.

>278 Caroline_McElwee: It is true, Caroline, don't you think?

>280 booksaplenty1949: I couldn't agree more. The border crossings need to be controlled and the system needs to be changed, but deportations should be of those picked up who have criminal records who are not in the USA legally.