Paul's Grand European Tour 14
This is a continuation of the topic Paul's Grand European Tour 13.
This topic was continued by Paul's Grand European Tour 15.
Talk 75 Books Challenge for 2025
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1PaulCranswick
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a Bavarian town and ski resort and reminds of the diversity of the Germanic landscape.
2PaulCranswick
The Opening Words
I plan to read The German Lesson by Siegfried Lenz for the European Grand Tour challenge this month. An author new to me.
"They've kept me in to write an essay. Joswig, our favourite guard, has brought me to this room of mine, with its solid walls, has tapped the bars across my window, given my pallet the once-over, and then searched my metal cupboard and my old hiding-place behind the looking-glass. Silently, silently, with an aggrieved expression, he went on to inspect the table, the stool that's all covered with notches, turned his attention to the outlet in the hand-basin, even gave the window-sill a few inquisitorial knocks, and examined the stove to establish that it was just an ordinary stove. "
Interested.........?
I plan to read The German Lesson by Siegfried Lenz for the European Grand Tour challenge this month. An author new to me.
"They've kept me in to write an essay. Joswig, our favourite guard, has brought me to this room of mine, with its solid walls, has tapped the bars across my window, given my pallet the once-over, and then searched my metal cupboard and my old hiding-place behind the looking-glass. Silently, silently, with an aggrieved expression, he went on to inspect the table, the stool that's all covered with notches, turned his attention to the outlet in the hand-basin, even gave the window-sill a few inquisitorial knocks, and examined the stove to establish that it was just an ordinary stove. "
Interested.........?
3PaulCranswick
Poetry
In my early teens my favourite poet by a country mile was John Betjeman. I have since grown out of him in favour of the more complicated works of Eliot, Yates, Dylan Thomas, Louis MacNeice, Ted Hughes and Seamus Heaney, but the old Liberal still makes me yearn both for my youth and for the England I loved.
This is about an encounter on my doorstep. Pontefract is a mere 4 miles from where I was brought up.
The Licorice Fields At Pontefract
In the licorice fields at Pontefract
My love and I did meet
And many a burdened licorice bush
Was blooming round our feet;
Red hair she had and golden skin,
Her sulky lips were shaped for sin,
Her sturdy legs were flannel-slack'd
The strongest legs in Pontefract.
The light and dangling licorice flowers
Gave off the sweetest smells;
From various black Victorian towers
The Sunday evening bells
Came pealing over dales and hills
And tanneries and silent mills
And lowly streets where country stops
And little shuttered corner shops.
She cast her blazing eyes on me
And plucked a licorice leaf;
I was her captive slave and she
My red-haired robber chief.
Oh love! for love I could not speak,
It left me winded, wilting, weak,
And held in brown arms strong and bare
And wound with flaming ropes of hair.
In my early teens my favourite poet by a country mile was John Betjeman. I have since grown out of him in favour of the more complicated works of Eliot, Yates, Dylan Thomas, Louis MacNeice, Ted Hughes and Seamus Heaney, but the old Liberal still makes me yearn both for my youth and for the England I loved.
This is about an encounter on my doorstep. Pontefract is a mere 4 miles from where I was brought up.
The Licorice Fields At Pontefract
In the licorice fields at Pontefract
My love and I did meet
And many a burdened licorice bush
Was blooming round our feet;
Red hair she had and golden skin,
Her sulky lips were shaped for sin,
Her sturdy legs were flannel-slack'd
The strongest legs in Pontefract.
The light and dangling licorice flowers
Gave off the sweetest smells;
From various black Victorian towers
The Sunday evening bells
Came pealing over dales and hills
And tanneries and silent mills
And lowly streets where country stops
And little shuttered corner shops.
She cast her blazing eyes on me
And plucked a licorice leaf;
I was her captive slave and she
My red-haired robber chief.
Oh love! for love I could not speak,
It left me winded, wilting, weak,
And held in brown arms strong and bare
And wound with flaming ropes of hair.
4PaulCranswick
BOOKS READ IN 2025 (1-75)
By the way my completed dates are using the British system of DD/MM/YY
1. Colonel Chabert by Honore de Balzac (1832) 101 pages Fiction from before the last decade. (Completed 1/1/25)
2. Forest of Noise by Mosab Abu Toha (2024) 77 pages Poetry/Plays (completed 1/1/25)
3. Now Then by Rick Broadbent (2023) 433 pages Non-Fiction (Completed 2/1/25)
4. The Hunter by Tana French (2024) 467 pages Thriller (Completed 4/1/25)
5. Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood (2023) 293 pp Fiction from the last decade (completed 5/1/25)
6. The Great Fortune by Olivia Manning (1960) 318 pp Fiction before this decade (completed 7/1/25)
7. Stag's Leap by Sharon Olds (2012) 89 pp Poetry/Plays (completed 8/1/25)
8. The Wild Places by Robert Macfarlane (2007) 321 pp Non-Fiction (Completed 12/1/25)
9. The Reborn by Lin Anderson (2010) 424 pp Thriller (Completed 25/1/25)
10. The Cold Millions by Jess Walter (2020) 337 pp Fiction from this Decade (Completed 28/1/25)
11. Lost Empires by J.B. Priestley (1965) 308 pp Fiction before this decade (Completed 28/1/25)
12. After You Were, I Am by Camille Ralphs (2024) 71 pp Poetry/Plays (Completed 28/1/25)
13. The Junior Officers' Reading Club by Patrick Hennessey (2009) 327 pp Non-Fiction (Completed 29/1/25)
14. Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths (2013) 390 pp Thriller (Completed 31/1/25)
15. Fen by Daisy Johnson (2016) 190 pp Fiction from the last decade (Completed 31/1/25)
16. In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin (2009) 237 pp Fiction before this decade (Completed 1/2/25)
17. The Power of Geography by Tim Marshall (2021) 356 pp Non-Fiction (Completed 2/2/25)
18. Macbeth by William Shakespeare (1606) 97 pp Poetry/Plays (Completed 2/2/25)
19. Night Blind by Ragnar Jonasson (2015) 210 pp Thrillers(Completed 4/2/25)
20. Take it Back by Kia Abdullah (2020) 373 pp Fiction from the last decade (Completed 5/2/25)
21. Nagasaki by Eric Faye (2012) 109 pp Fiction before this decade (Completed 6/2/25)
22. The Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks (2015) 287 pp Non-Fiction (Completed 7/2/25)
23. Alphabet by Inger Christensen (1981) 77 pp Poetry/Plays (Completed 8/2/25)
24. Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson (2012) 427 pp Sci-Fi/Fantasy (Completed 9/2/25)
25. The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane (2023) 379 pp Fiction from the last decade (Completed 10/2/25)
26. Silence by Shusaku Endo (1966) 201 pp Fiction before this decade (Completed 15/2/25)
27. In the Land of the Cyclops by Karl Ove Knausgaard (2018) 297 pp Non-Fiction (Completed 16/2/25)
28. God's Gift to Women by Don Paterson (1997) 56 pp Poetry/Plays (Completed 16/2/25)
29. Our Fathers by Rebecca Wait (2020) 334 pp Thriller (Completed 16/2/25)
30. The Other Americans by Laila Lalami (2019) 301 pp Fiction from the last decade (Completed 20/2/25)
31. Dart by Alice Oswald (2002) 48 pp Poetry/Plays (Completed 21/2/25)
32. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (2012) 294 pp Fiction before this decade (Completed 22/2/25)
33. Afternoons with the Blinds Drawn by Brett Anderson (2019) 278 pp Non-Fiction (Completed 23/2/25)
34. Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson (1946) 203 pp (Completed 27/2/25)
35. Othello by William Shakespeare (1602) 145 pp (Completed 28/2/25)
36. Nesting by Roisin O'Donnell (2025) 382 pp (Completed 8/3/25)
37. Selected Poems 1969-2005 by David Harsent (2007) 133 pp (Completed 8/3/25)
38. Zero Days by Ruth Ware (2023) 339 pp (Completed 15/3/25)
39. The Pigeon Tunnel by John le Carre (2016) 342 pp (Completed 16/3/25)
40. The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden (2024) 258 pp (Completed 31/3/25)
41. Selected Poems by Zbigniew Herbert (2007) 249 pp (Completed 31/03/25)
42. Picture Her Dead by Lin Anderson (2011) 438 pp (Completed 4/4/25)
43. Poetry for and Other Chronic Conditions by A.K. Davidson (2024) 55 pp (Completed 5/4/25)
44. Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout (2024) 326 pp (Completed 14/4/25)
45. The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk (2008) 728 pp (Completed 19/4/25)
46. The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey (1975) 538 pp (Completed 20/4/25)
47. Richard II by William Shakespeare (1595) 109 pp (Completed 20/4/25)
48. Blaming by Elizabeth Taylor (1976) 168 pp (Completed 7/5/25)
49. The Blue Bird by Maurice Maeterlinck (1908) 287 pp (Completed 9/5/25)
50. Wild Grass by Ian Johnson (2004) 292 pp (Completed 12/5/25)
51. Original Sin by P.D. James (1994) 551 pp (Completed 13/5/25)
52. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (1977) 178 pp (Completed 16/5/25)
53. Swell by Maria Ferguson (2025) 81 pp (Completed 21/5/25)
54. Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq (2022) 212 pp (Completed 31/5/25)
55. October by China Mieville (2017) 329 pp (Completed 31/5/25)
56. All Our Yesterdays by Natalia Ginzburg (1952) 418 pp (Completed 7/6/25)
57. Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare (1599) 104 pp (Completed 7/6/25)
58. Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton (2024) 279 pp (Completed 9/6/25)
59. Don't Skip Out On Me by Willy Vlautin (2019) 293 pp (Completed 11/6/25)
60. Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix (2023) 122 pp (Completed 17/6/25)
61. The Forward Book of Poetry 2025 edited by William Sieghart (2024) 121 pp (Completed 20/6/25)
62. The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan (1978) 133pp (Completed 23/6/25)
63. Crooked Seeds by Karen Jennings (2024) 190 pp (Completed 29/6/25)
64. The White Album by Joan Didion (1979) 223 pp (Completed 29/6/25)
65. Crow Lake by Mary Lawson (2002) 338 pp (Completed 4/7/25)
66. The Experience of Pain by Carlo Emilia Gadda (1963) 225pp (Completed 5/7/25)
67. Coriolanus by William Shakespeare (1608) 307 pp (Completed 6/7/25)
68. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls (1961) 282 pp (Completed 7/7/25)
69. The Eloquence of the Sardine by Bill Francois (2019) 194 pp (Completed 8/7/25)
70. House of Lords and Commons by Ishion Hutchinson (2017) 68 pp (Completed 9/7/25)
71. Theory & Practice by Michelle de Kretser (2024) 183 pp (Completed 12/7/25)
72. The Seeker by S.G. MacLean (2015) 398 pp (Completed 16/7/25)
73. The Pigeon by Patrick Suskind (1988) 77 pp (Completed 27/7/25)
74. The End of Eddy by Edouard Louis (2014) 192 pp (Completed 30/7/25)
75. The Artist by Lucy Steeds (2025) 294 pp (Completed 31/7/25)
By the way my completed dates are using the British system of DD/MM/YY
1. Colonel Chabert by Honore de Balzac (1832) 101 pages Fiction from before the last decade. (Completed 1/1/25)
2. Forest of Noise by Mosab Abu Toha (2024) 77 pages Poetry/Plays (completed 1/1/25)
3. Now Then by Rick Broadbent (2023) 433 pages Non-Fiction (Completed 2/1/25)
4. The Hunter by Tana French (2024) 467 pages Thriller (Completed 4/1/25)
5. Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood (2023) 293 pp Fiction from the last decade (completed 5/1/25)
6. The Great Fortune by Olivia Manning (1960) 318 pp Fiction before this decade (completed 7/1/25)
7. Stag's Leap by Sharon Olds (2012) 89 pp Poetry/Plays (completed 8/1/25)
8. The Wild Places by Robert Macfarlane (2007) 321 pp Non-Fiction (Completed 12/1/25)
9. The Reborn by Lin Anderson (2010) 424 pp Thriller (Completed 25/1/25)
10. The Cold Millions by Jess Walter (2020) 337 pp Fiction from this Decade (Completed 28/1/25)
11. Lost Empires by J.B. Priestley (1965) 308 pp Fiction before this decade (Completed 28/1/25)
12. After You Were, I Am by Camille Ralphs (2024) 71 pp Poetry/Plays (Completed 28/1/25)
13. The Junior Officers' Reading Club by Patrick Hennessey (2009) 327 pp Non-Fiction (Completed 29/1/25)
14. Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths (2013) 390 pp Thriller (Completed 31/1/25)
15. Fen by Daisy Johnson (2016) 190 pp Fiction from the last decade (Completed 31/1/25)
16. In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin (2009) 237 pp Fiction before this decade (Completed 1/2/25)
17. The Power of Geography by Tim Marshall (2021) 356 pp Non-Fiction (Completed 2/2/25)
18. Macbeth by William Shakespeare (1606) 97 pp Poetry/Plays (Completed 2/2/25)
19. Night Blind by Ragnar Jonasson (2015) 210 pp Thrillers(Completed 4/2/25)
20. Take it Back by Kia Abdullah (2020) 373 pp Fiction from the last decade (Completed 5/2/25)
21. Nagasaki by Eric Faye (2012) 109 pp Fiction before this decade (Completed 6/2/25)
22. The Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks (2015) 287 pp Non-Fiction (Completed 7/2/25)
23. Alphabet by Inger Christensen (1981) 77 pp Poetry/Plays (Completed 8/2/25)
24. Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson (2012) 427 pp Sci-Fi/Fantasy (Completed 9/2/25)
25. The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane (2023) 379 pp Fiction from the last decade (Completed 10/2/25)
26. Silence by Shusaku Endo (1966) 201 pp Fiction before this decade (Completed 15/2/25)
27. In the Land of the Cyclops by Karl Ove Knausgaard (2018) 297 pp Non-Fiction (Completed 16/2/25)
28. God's Gift to Women by Don Paterson (1997) 56 pp Poetry/Plays (Completed 16/2/25)
29. Our Fathers by Rebecca Wait (2020) 334 pp Thriller (Completed 16/2/25)
30. The Other Americans by Laila Lalami (2019) 301 pp Fiction from the last decade (Completed 20/2/25)
31. Dart by Alice Oswald (2002) 48 pp Poetry/Plays (Completed 21/2/25)
32. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (2012) 294 pp Fiction before this decade (Completed 22/2/25)
33. Afternoons with the Blinds Drawn by Brett Anderson (2019) 278 pp Non-Fiction (Completed 23/2/25)
34. Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson (1946) 203 pp (Completed 27/2/25)
35. Othello by William Shakespeare (1602) 145 pp (Completed 28/2/25)
36. Nesting by Roisin O'Donnell (2025) 382 pp (Completed 8/3/25)
37. Selected Poems 1969-2005 by David Harsent (2007) 133 pp (Completed 8/3/25)
38. Zero Days by Ruth Ware (2023) 339 pp (Completed 15/3/25)
39. The Pigeon Tunnel by John le Carre (2016) 342 pp (Completed 16/3/25)
40. The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden (2024) 258 pp (Completed 31/3/25)
41. Selected Poems by Zbigniew Herbert (2007) 249 pp (Completed 31/03/25)
42. Picture Her Dead by Lin Anderson (2011) 438 pp (Completed 4/4/25)
43. Poetry for and Other Chronic Conditions by A.K. Davidson (2024) 55 pp (Completed 5/4/25)
44. Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout (2024) 326 pp (Completed 14/4/25)
45. The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk (2008) 728 pp (Completed 19/4/25)
46. The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey (1975) 538 pp (Completed 20/4/25)
47. Richard II by William Shakespeare (1595) 109 pp (Completed 20/4/25)
48. Blaming by Elizabeth Taylor (1976) 168 pp (Completed 7/5/25)
49. The Blue Bird by Maurice Maeterlinck (1908) 287 pp (Completed 9/5/25)
50. Wild Grass by Ian Johnson (2004) 292 pp (Completed 12/5/25)
51. Original Sin by P.D. James (1994) 551 pp (Completed 13/5/25)
52. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (1977) 178 pp (Completed 16/5/25)
53. Swell by Maria Ferguson (2025) 81 pp (Completed 21/5/25)
54. Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq (2022) 212 pp (Completed 31/5/25)
55. October by China Mieville (2017) 329 pp (Completed 31/5/25)
56. All Our Yesterdays by Natalia Ginzburg (1952) 418 pp (Completed 7/6/25)
57. Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare (1599) 104 pp (Completed 7/6/25)
58. Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton (2024) 279 pp (Completed 9/6/25)
59. Don't Skip Out On Me by Willy Vlautin (2019) 293 pp (Completed 11/6/25)
60. Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix (2023) 122 pp (Completed 17/6/25)
61. The Forward Book of Poetry 2025 edited by William Sieghart (2024) 121 pp (Completed 20/6/25)
62. The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan (1978) 133pp (Completed 23/6/25)
63. Crooked Seeds by Karen Jennings (2024) 190 pp (Completed 29/6/25)
64. The White Album by Joan Didion (1979) 223 pp (Completed 29/6/25)
65. Crow Lake by Mary Lawson (2002) 338 pp (Completed 4/7/25)
66. The Experience of Pain by Carlo Emilia Gadda (1963) 225pp (Completed 5/7/25)
67. Coriolanus by William Shakespeare (1608) 307 pp (Completed 6/7/25)
68. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls (1961) 282 pp (Completed 7/7/25)
69. The Eloquence of the Sardine by Bill Francois (2019) 194 pp (Completed 8/7/25)
70. House of Lords and Commons by Ishion Hutchinson (2017) 68 pp (Completed 9/7/25)
71. Theory & Practice by Michelle de Kretser (2024) 183 pp (Completed 12/7/25)
72. The Seeker by S.G. MacLean (2015) 398 pp (Completed 16/7/25)
73. The Pigeon by Patrick Suskind (1988) 77 pp (Completed 27/7/25)
74. The End of Eddy by Edouard Louis (2014) 192 pp (Completed 30/7/25)
75. The Artist by Lucy Steeds (2025) 294 pp (Completed 31/7/25)
5PaulCranswick
Books Read 76-
Completion dates are based on the British system of (DD/MM/YY)
July
76. The Pine Islands by Marion Poschmann (2017) 180 pp (Completed 31/7/25)
Completion dates are based on the British system of (DD/MM/YY)
July
76. The Pine Islands by Marion Poschmann (2017) 180 pp (Completed 31/7/25)
7PaulCranswick
THE GRAND EUROPEAN BOOK TOUR
January : Prelude - 19th Century Europe : https://www.librarything.com/topic/367210 - Colonel Chabert by Balzac
February : Nordic Nations : https://www.librarything.com/topic/368107
1. Night Blind by Ragnar Jonasson (Iceland)
2. Alphabet by Inger Christensen (Denmark)
3. In the Land of the Cyclops by Knausgaard (Norway)
4. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (Sweden)
5. Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson (Finland)
March : Warsaw Pact : https://www.librarything.com/topic/368897
Selected Poems by Zbigniew Herbert
April : Ottoman Empire
The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk
May : Non-National Languages : https://www.librarything.com/topic/370571
June : Caesar to Meloni : https://www.librarything.com/topic/371345
All Our Yesterdays by Natalia Ginzburg
The Experience of Pain by Carlo Emilia Gaddo
July : The Germanic World :
The Pigeon by Patrick Suskind
The Pine Islands by Marion Poschmann
August : Anita Fameulstee Memorial Month (Benelux)
The Blue Bird by Maurice Maeterlinck
September : Books About European Places
October : La Belle France
1. Nagasaki by Eric Faye
2. Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix
3. The Eloquence of the Sardine by Bill Francois
4. The End of Eddy by Edouard Louis
November : Iberian Peninsula
December : Back to the Future : 21st Century in translation
January : Prelude - 19th Century Europe : https://www.librarything.com/topic/367210 - Colonel Chabert by Balzac
February : Nordic Nations : https://www.librarything.com/topic/368107
1. Night Blind by Ragnar Jonasson (Iceland)
2. Alphabet by Inger Christensen (Denmark)
3. In the Land of the Cyclops by Knausgaard (Norway)
4. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (Sweden)
5. Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson (Finland)
March : Warsaw Pact : https://www.librarything.com/topic/368897
Selected Poems by Zbigniew Herbert
April : Ottoman Empire
The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk
May : Non-National Languages : https://www.librarything.com/topic/370571
June : Caesar to Meloni : https://www.librarything.com/topic/371345
All Our Yesterdays by Natalia Ginzburg
The Experience of Pain by Carlo Emilia Gaddo
July : The Germanic World :
The Pigeon by Patrick Suskind
The Pine Islands by Marion Poschmann
August : Anita Fameulstee Memorial Month (Benelux)
The Blue Bird by Maurice Maeterlinck
September : Books About European Places
October : La Belle France
1. Nagasaki by Eric Faye
2. Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix
3. The Eloquence of the Sardine by Bill Francois
4. The End of Eddy by Edouard Louis
November : Iberian Peninsula
December : Back to the Future : 21st Century in translation
8PaulCranswick
British Author Challenge (Hosted by my friend Amanda)
January - The stage : https://www.librarything.com/topic/366934#8710962
Lost Empires by J.B. Priestley
February - Kia Abdullah : Take it Back & Adrian Tchaikovsky
March - Norah Lofts & Gerald Durrell
April - PD James & Paul Bailey
Original Sin by PD James
May - Nancy Mitford & Paul Scott
June - Elizabethan & Jacobean : Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
July - Dodie Smith & Mervyn Peake
August -
September -
October -
November -
December -
January - The stage : https://www.librarything.com/topic/366934#8710962
Lost Empires by J.B. Priestley
February - Kia Abdullah : Take it Back & Adrian Tchaikovsky
March - Norah Lofts & Gerald Durrell
April - PD James & Paul Bailey
Original Sin by PD James
May - Nancy Mitford & Paul Scott
June - Elizabethan & Jacobean : Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
July - Dodie Smith & Mervyn Peake
August -
September -
October -
November -
December -
9PaulCranswick
American Author Challenge (Hosted with occasional assistance this year by my friend Linda)
JANUARY - Pacific North West : https://www.librarything.com/topic/367006
The Cold Millions by Jess Walter
FEBRUARY - American Muslims (Guest Host) : https://www.librarything.com/topic/367970#n8746462
1. In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin
2. Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson
3. The Other Americans by Laila Lalami
MARCH - Stewart O'Nan (Guest Host; Katie)
APRIL - Appalachia - The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey
MAY - Pulitzer History Prize Winners
JUNE - Willy Vlautin - Don't Skip Out on Me
JULY - Romance
AUGUST -
SEPTEMBER -
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER -
DECEMBER -
JANUARY - Pacific North West : https://www.librarything.com/topic/367006
The Cold Millions by Jess Walter
FEBRUARY - American Muslims (Guest Host) : https://www.librarything.com/topic/367970#n8746462
1. In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin
2. Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson
3. The Other Americans by Laila Lalami
MARCH - Stewart O'Nan (Guest Host; Katie)
APRIL - Appalachia - The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey
MAY - Pulitzer History Prize Winners
JUNE - Willy Vlautin - Don't Skip Out on Me
JULY - Romance
AUGUST -
SEPTEMBER -
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER -
DECEMBER -
10PaulCranswick
NON-FICTION CHALLENGE
Hosted this year by my friend Benita. Challenge thread is here : https://www.librarything.com/topic/366835
January - Award Winners : The Wild Places by Robert Macfarlane
February - Maps : The Power of Geography by Tim Marshall
March - Espionage : The Pigeon Tunnel by John le Carre
April - Revolutions : October by China Mieville
May - China : Wild Grass by Ian Johnson
June - Natural Disasters
July - Creatures of the Sea - The Eloquence of the Sardine by Bill Francois
Hosted this year by my friend Benita. Challenge thread is here : https://www.librarything.com/topic/366835
January - Award Winners : The Wild Places by Robert Macfarlane
February - Maps : The Power of Geography by Tim Marshall
March - Espionage : The Pigeon Tunnel by John le Carre
April - Revolutions : October by China Mieville
May - China : Wild Grass by Ian Johnson
June - Natural Disasters
July - Creatures of the Sea - The Eloquence of the Sardine by Bill Francois
11PaulCranswick
50 Modern Classics of the last 50 years
1975 : The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey
1976 : Blaming by Elizabeth Taylor
1977 : Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
1978 : The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan
1979 : The White Album by Joan Didion
1975 : The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey
1976 : Blaming by Elizabeth Taylor
1977 : Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
1978 : The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan
1979 : The White Album by Joan Didion
12PaulCranswick
Big Book Challenge
Link to thread : https://www.librarything.com/topic/368910#n8778254
March - Fyodor Dostoevsky or alternatives
April - Orhan Pamuk, Nikos Kazantzakis or much further back
The Museum of Innocence
May - Iberian Tomes : Cervantes, or alternatives
June - Victorian Ladies : George Eliot, or alternatives
July -
Link to thread : https://www.librarything.com/topic/368910#n8778254
March - Fyodor Dostoevsky or alternatives
April - Orhan Pamuk, Nikos Kazantzakis or much further back
The Museum of Innocence
May - Iberian Tomes : Cervantes, or alternatives
June - Victorian Ladies : George Eliot, or alternatives
July -
13PaulCranswick
Women's Prize Longlist (Announced 4/3/25)
1. Aria Aber, Good Girl owned
2. Kaliane Bradley, The Ministry of Time owned
3. Jenni Daiches, Somewhere Else owned
4. Saraid de Silva, Amma owned
5. Karen Jennings, Crooked Seeds READ
6. Miranda July, All Fours owned
7. Laila Lalami, The Dream Hotel owned
8. Sanam Mahloudji, The Persians owned
9. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Dream Count owned
10. Roisín O’Donnell, Nesting READ
11. Rosanna Pike, A Little Trickery owned
12. Rose Ruana, Birding owned
13. Lucy Steeds, The Artist READ
14. Elizabeth Strout, Tell Me Everything READ
15. Yael van der Wouden, The Safekeep READ
16. Nussaibah Younis, Fundamentally owned
1. Aria Aber, Good Girl owned
2. Kaliane Bradley, The Ministry of Time owned
3. Jenni Daiches, Somewhere Else owned
4. Saraid de Silva, Amma owned
5. Karen Jennings, Crooked Seeds READ
6. Miranda July, All Fours owned
7. Laila Lalami, The Dream Hotel owned
8. Sanam Mahloudji, The Persians owned
9. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Dream Count owned
10. Roisín O’Donnell, Nesting READ
11. Rosanna Pike, A Little Trickery owned
12. Rose Ruana, Birding owned
13. Lucy Steeds, The Artist READ
14. Elizabeth Strout, Tell Me Everything READ
15. Yael van der Wouden, The Safekeep READ
16. Nussaibah Younis, Fundamentally owned
14PaulCranswick
AWARD INCUMBENTS
Here are 85 active awards that I keep an eye on across the Anglosphere together with the incumbent winners. All are fiction of a sort - non-fiction awards will be subject of a separate post. I have not included foreign language awards from France, Germany, Scandinavia, Italy etc which again will be subject to a separate post
Given my background 44 of the awards are British, 20 are from the US, 9 from Australia, 4 from Canada, 4 from NZ and 2 from Ireland and 2 are international awards not tied to a particular country.
Genre wise 52 could be termed as literary awards
14 are crime and thriller awards
6 are SF and Fantasy awards
3 are YA awards
Here is the list for those interested
1 Stella Prize : Theory & Practice by Michelle de Kretser, Australian Award READ
2 Miles Franklin : Praiseworthy by Alexis Wright, Australian Award Owned
3 Australian Book Industry Literary Fiction Winner : Dusk by Robbie Arnott, Australian Award
4 Australian Book Industry International Book : The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley, Australian Award Owned
5 Prime Minister's Literary Awards : Anam by Andre Dao, Australian Award Owned
6 Giller Prize : Held by Anne Michaels, Canadian Award READ
7 Governor General's Prize : Empty Spaces by Jordan Abel, Canadian Award
8 Atwood Gibson Prize : Batshit Seven by Sheung-King, Canadian Award
9 International Dublin Literary Prize : The Adversary by Michael Crummey, Irish Award
10 Kerry Irish Fiction Award : Time of the Child by Niall Williams, Irish Award
11 Acorn Prize for Fiction : Delirious by Damien Wilkins NZ Award
12 Hubert Church Best First Fiction : Poorhara by Michelle Rahurahu NZ Award
13 Sir Walter Scott Prize : The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller UK Award Owned
14 British Book Awards Best Novel : James by Percival Everett, UK Award READ
15 British Book Awards Best Debut Novel : Butter by Asako Yazuki, UK Award Owned
16 Rubery International Book Award for Fiction : The Heron Catchers by David Joiner, UK Award
17 James Tait Black Prize : My Heavenly Favourite by Lucas Rijneveld, UK Award Owned
18 Jhalak Prize for Prose : Namesake by N.S, Nuseibeh, UK Award
19 The Dylan Thomas Prize : The Coin by Yasmin Zaher, UK Award
20 Ondaatje Prize : Clear by Carys Davies, UK Award Owned
21 Orwell Fiction Prize : Heart, Be at Peace by Donal Ryan, UK Award Owned
22 Booker Prize : Orbital by Samantha Harvey, UK Award READ
23 International Booker Prize :Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq, UK Award READ
24 Saltire Fiction Book of the Year : What Doesn't Kill Us by Ajay Close, UK Award
25 Rhys Davies Trust Fiction Award (Wales) : The Unbroken Beauty of Rosalind Bone by Alex McCarthy, UK Award
26 Goldsmith's Prize : Parade by Rachel Cusk, UK Award Owned
27 Hawthornden Prize : Orbital by Samantha Harvey, UK Award READ
28 Republic of Consciousness Prize : There's A Monster Behind the Door by Gaelle Belem, UK Award
29 Writers Prize for Fiction : The Wren, The Wren by Anne Enright, UK Award READ
30 Portico Prize : Toto Among the Murderers by Sally J Morgan, UK Award
31 Waterstone's Book of the Year: Butter by Asako Yazuki, UK Award Owned
32 Waterstone's Debut Novel : Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon, UK Award READ
33 Reader's Award for Fiction : You are Here by David Nicholls, UK Award
34 Gordon Burn Prize : Ootlin by Jenni Fagan, UK Award
35 Nota Bene Prize : Kala by Colin Walsh, UK Award Owned
36 Betty Trask Award Winter Animals Ashani Lewis UK LIT
37 Author's Club Best First Novel : Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon, UK Award READ
38 Sunday Times Young Writer Award Rural Hours Harriet Baker UK LIT
39 Nero Fiction Award Lost in the Garden Adam S. Leslie UK LIT
40 Nero Debut Fiction Award : Wild Houses by Colin Barrett, UK Award Owned
41 Pulitzer : James by Percival Everett, USA Award READ
42 National Book Award : James by Percival Everett, USA Award READ
43 National Book Critics Circle Award : My Friends by Hisham Matar, USA Award Owned
44 LA Times Book Prize : Say Hello to My Little Friend by Jennine Capo Crucet, USA Award Owned
45 Andrew Carnegie Medal : James by Percival Everett, USA Award READ
46 Carol Shields Prize Code Noir Canisia Lubrin USA LIT
47 Center for Fiction First Novel God Bless You, Otis Spunkmeyer Joseph Earl Thomas USA LIT
48 Chautauqua Prize Whale Fall Elizabeth O'Connor USA LIT
49 Pen Hemingway Debut Fiction Early Sobrieties Michael Deagler USA LIT
50 Pen Faulkner Award Small Rain Garth Greenwell USA LIT
51 Kirkus Prize : James by Percival Everett, USA Award READ
52 LA Times Art Seidenbaum First Fiction Award Cinema Love Jiaming Tang USA LIT
53 Aurealis Best Fantasy Novel Thoroughly Disenchanted Alexandra Almond Aust SF
54 Aurora Book Award Valkyrie Kate Heartfield Canada SF
55 Arthur C Clarke Award Annie Bot Sarah Greer UK SF
56 Robert Holdstock British Fantasy Novel Talonsister Jenn Williams UK SF
57 Hugo Awards : Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh, USA award Owned
58 Nebula Award Someone You Can Build a Nest In John Wiswell USA SF
59 Ned Kelly Best Book Darling Girls Sally Hepworth Aust Thriller
60 Ned Kelly Best Debut Book Murder in the Pacific: Ifira Point Matt Francis Aust Thriller
61 Ned Kelly International Award The Only Suspect Louise Candlish Aust Thriller
62 Macavity Best Mystery Novel All the Sinners Bleed S.A.Cosby Int Thriller
63 Macavity Best First Mystery Novel The Peacock and the Sparrow I.S. Berry Int Thriller
64 Ngaio Awards Best Novel Ritual of Fire D.V. Bishop NZ Thriller
65 Ngaio Awards Best Debut Novel Dice Claire Bayliss NZ Thriller
66 CWA Gold Dagger The Book of Secrets Anna Mazzola UK Thriller
67 CWA John Creasey First Novel Dagger All Us Sinners Katie Massey UK Thriller
68 CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Dark Ride Lou Berney UK Thriller
69 CWA Historical Dagger The Betrayal of Thomas True AJ West UK Thriller
70 CWA Crime Fiction in Translation The Night of Baba Yaga Akira Otani UK Thriller
71 CWA Twisted Dagger Nightwatching Tracy Sierra UK Thriller
72 CWA Whodunnit Dagger The Case of the Singer and the Showgirl Lisa Hall UK Thriller
73 Sue Feder Award for Best Historical Mystery The Mistress of Bhatia House Sujata Massey UK Thriller
74 Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Book of the Year : In the Blink of an Eye by Jo Callaghan, UK award Owned
75 McIlvanney Prize for Best Scottish Crime Novel : The Cracked Mirror by Christopher Brookmyre, UK Award Owned
76 Bloody Scotland Debut Book of the Year The Silent House of Sleep Allan Gaw UK Thriller
77 British Book Awards Crime & Thriller Award : Hunted by Abir Mukherjee, UK Award Owned
78 Shirley Jackson Award The Reformatory Tananarive Due USA Thriller
79 Edgar Best Novel Award The In Crowd Charlotte Vassell USA Thriller
80 Edgar Best First Novel by American Author Holy City Henry Wise USA Thriller
81 Anthony Award for Best Novel All the Sinners Bleed S.A.Cosby USA Thriller
82 Anthony Award for Best First Novel The Peacock and the Sparrow I.S. Berry USA Thriller
83 Carnegie Medal for YA Fiction Glasgow Boys Margaret McDonald UK YA
84 Nero Children's Fiction Award The Twelve Liz Hyder UK YA
85 Newbery Medal Winner The First State of Being Erin Entrada Kelly USA YA
Here are 85 active awards that I keep an eye on across the Anglosphere together with the incumbent winners. All are fiction of a sort - non-fiction awards will be subject of a separate post. I have not included foreign language awards from France, Germany, Scandinavia, Italy etc which again will be subject to a separate post
Given my background 44 of the awards are British, 20 are from the US, 9 from Australia, 4 from Canada, 4 from NZ and 2 from Ireland and 2 are international awards not tied to a particular country.
Genre wise 52 could be termed as literary awards
14 are crime and thriller awards
6 are SF and Fantasy awards
3 are YA awards
Here is the list for those interested
1 Stella Prize : Theory & Practice by Michelle de Kretser, Australian Award READ
2 Miles Franklin : Praiseworthy by Alexis Wright, Australian Award Owned
3 Australian Book Industry Literary Fiction Winner : Dusk by Robbie Arnott, Australian Award
4 Australian Book Industry International Book : The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley, Australian Award Owned
5 Prime Minister's Literary Awards : Anam by Andre Dao, Australian Award Owned
6 Giller Prize : Held by Anne Michaels, Canadian Award READ
7 Governor General's Prize : Empty Spaces by Jordan Abel, Canadian Award
8 Atwood Gibson Prize : Batshit Seven by Sheung-King, Canadian Award
9 International Dublin Literary Prize : The Adversary by Michael Crummey, Irish Award
10 Kerry Irish Fiction Award : Time of the Child by Niall Williams, Irish Award
11 Acorn Prize for Fiction : Delirious by Damien Wilkins NZ Award
12 Hubert Church Best First Fiction : Poorhara by Michelle Rahurahu NZ Award
13 Sir Walter Scott Prize : The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller UK Award Owned
14 British Book Awards Best Novel : James by Percival Everett, UK Award READ
15 British Book Awards Best Debut Novel : Butter by Asako Yazuki, UK Award Owned
16 Rubery International Book Award for Fiction : The Heron Catchers by David Joiner, UK Award
17 James Tait Black Prize : My Heavenly Favourite by Lucas Rijneveld, UK Award Owned
18 Jhalak Prize for Prose : Namesake by N.S, Nuseibeh, UK Award
19 The Dylan Thomas Prize : The Coin by Yasmin Zaher, UK Award
20 Ondaatje Prize : Clear by Carys Davies, UK Award Owned
21 Orwell Fiction Prize : Heart, Be at Peace by Donal Ryan, UK Award Owned
22 Booker Prize : Orbital by Samantha Harvey, UK Award READ
23 International Booker Prize :Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq, UK Award READ
24 Saltire Fiction Book of the Year : What Doesn't Kill Us by Ajay Close, UK Award
25 Rhys Davies Trust Fiction Award (Wales) : The Unbroken Beauty of Rosalind Bone by Alex McCarthy, UK Award
26 Goldsmith's Prize : Parade by Rachel Cusk, UK Award Owned
27 Hawthornden Prize : Orbital by Samantha Harvey, UK Award READ
28 Republic of Consciousness Prize : There's A Monster Behind the Door by Gaelle Belem, UK Award
29 Writers Prize for Fiction : The Wren, The Wren by Anne Enright, UK Award READ
30 Portico Prize : Toto Among the Murderers by Sally J Morgan, UK Award
31 Waterstone's Book of the Year: Butter by Asako Yazuki, UK Award Owned
32 Waterstone's Debut Novel : Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon, UK Award READ
33 Reader's Award for Fiction : You are Here by David Nicholls, UK Award
34 Gordon Burn Prize : Ootlin by Jenni Fagan, UK Award
35 Nota Bene Prize : Kala by Colin Walsh, UK Award Owned
36 Betty Trask Award Winter Animals Ashani Lewis UK LIT
37 Author's Club Best First Novel : Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon, UK Award READ
38 Sunday Times Young Writer Award Rural Hours Harriet Baker UK LIT
39 Nero Fiction Award Lost in the Garden Adam S. Leslie UK LIT
40 Nero Debut Fiction Award : Wild Houses by Colin Barrett, UK Award Owned
41 Pulitzer : James by Percival Everett, USA Award READ
42 National Book Award : James by Percival Everett, USA Award READ
43 National Book Critics Circle Award : My Friends by Hisham Matar, USA Award Owned
44 LA Times Book Prize : Say Hello to My Little Friend by Jennine Capo Crucet, USA Award Owned
45 Andrew Carnegie Medal : James by Percival Everett, USA Award READ
46 Carol Shields Prize Code Noir Canisia Lubrin USA LIT
47 Center for Fiction First Novel God Bless You, Otis Spunkmeyer Joseph Earl Thomas USA LIT
48 Chautauqua Prize Whale Fall Elizabeth O'Connor USA LIT
49 Pen Hemingway Debut Fiction Early Sobrieties Michael Deagler USA LIT
50 Pen Faulkner Award Small Rain Garth Greenwell USA LIT
51 Kirkus Prize : James by Percival Everett, USA Award READ
52 LA Times Art Seidenbaum First Fiction Award Cinema Love Jiaming Tang USA LIT
53 Aurealis Best Fantasy Novel Thoroughly Disenchanted Alexandra Almond Aust SF
54 Aurora Book Award Valkyrie Kate Heartfield Canada SF
55 Arthur C Clarke Award Annie Bot Sarah Greer UK SF
56 Robert Holdstock British Fantasy Novel Talonsister Jenn Williams UK SF
57 Hugo Awards : Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh, USA award Owned
58 Nebula Award Someone You Can Build a Nest In John Wiswell USA SF
59 Ned Kelly Best Book Darling Girls Sally Hepworth Aust Thriller
60 Ned Kelly Best Debut Book Murder in the Pacific: Ifira Point Matt Francis Aust Thriller
61 Ned Kelly International Award The Only Suspect Louise Candlish Aust Thriller
62 Macavity Best Mystery Novel All the Sinners Bleed S.A.Cosby Int Thriller
63 Macavity Best First Mystery Novel The Peacock and the Sparrow I.S. Berry Int Thriller
64 Ngaio Awards Best Novel Ritual of Fire D.V. Bishop NZ Thriller
65 Ngaio Awards Best Debut Novel Dice Claire Bayliss NZ Thriller
66 CWA Gold Dagger The Book of Secrets Anna Mazzola UK Thriller
67 CWA John Creasey First Novel Dagger All Us Sinners Katie Massey UK Thriller
68 CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Dark Ride Lou Berney UK Thriller
69 CWA Historical Dagger The Betrayal of Thomas True AJ West UK Thriller
70 CWA Crime Fiction in Translation The Night of Baba Yaga Akira Otani UK Thriller
71 CWA Twisted Dagger Nightwatching Tracy Sierra UK Thriller
72 CWA Whodunnit Dagger The Case of the Singer and the Showgirl Lisa Hall UK Thriller
73 Sue Feder Award for Best Historical Mystery The Mistress of Bhatia House Sujata Massey UK Thriller
74 Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Book of the Year : In the Blink of an Eye by Jo Callaghan, UK award Owned
75 McIlvanney Prize for Best Scottish Crime Novel : The Cracked Mirror by Christopher Brookmyre, UK Award Owned
76 Bloody Scotland Debut Book of the Year The Silent House of Sleep Allan Gaw UK Thriller
77 British Book Awards Crime & Thriller Award : Hunted by Abir Mukherjee, UK Award Owned
78 Shirley Jackson Award The Reformatory Tananarive Due USA Thriller
79 Edgar Best Novel Award The In Crowd Charlotte Vassell USA Thriller
80 Edgar Best First Novel by American Author Holy City Henry Wise USA Thriller
81 Anthony Award for Best Novel All the Sinners Bleed S.A.Cosby USA Thriller
82 Anthony Award for Best First Novel The Peacock and the Sparrow I.S. Berry USA Thriller
83 Carnegie Medal for YA Fiction Glasgow Boys Margaret McDonald UK YA
84 Nero Children's Fiction Award The Twelve Liz Hyder UK YA
85 Newbery Medal Winner The First State of Being Erin Entrada Kelly USA YA
15PaulCranswick
Family Photo
Pip:
Pip:
16PaulCranswick
Books Added in 2025
January & February Books 1-64 : https://www.librarything.com/topic/368611#8767173
March & April Books 65-124 : https://www.librarything.com/topic/369865#8810025
May & June Books 125-210 : https://www.librarything.com/topic/371621#8881561
July
211. Sea Monsters by Chloe Aridjis
212. 1923 : The Mystery of Lot 212 and a Tour de France Obsession by Ned Boulting
213. Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton
214. The Wedding People by Alison Espach
215. Hagstone by Sinead Gleeson
216. What Belongs to You by Garth Greenwell
217. A Far Cry from Kensington by Muriel Spark
218. And So I Roar by Abi Dare
219. Let Me Go Mad in My Own Way by Elaine Feeney
220. Night of Power by Robert Fisk
221. Saraswati by Gurnaik Johal
222. Audition by Katie Kitamura
223. Close to Home by Michael Magee
224. Muckle Flugga by Michael Pedersen
225. The Cracked Mirror by Chris Brookmyre
226. Scaffolding by Lauren Elkin
227. The Names by Florence Knapp
228. Highway Thirteen by Fiona MacFarlane
229. The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller
230. Hunted by Abir Mukherjee
231. Butter by Asako Yuzuki
232. Isola by Allegra Goodman
233. When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzen
234. The Brass Age by Slobodan Snajder
235. Juice by Tim Winton
236. The Black Friar by S.G. MacLean
237. The Dollmaker of Krakow by R.M. Romero
238. The Weekend by Charlotte Wood
239. The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovitz (USA)
240. Endling by Maria Reva (Canada)
241. Flesh by David Szalay (Canada / UK / Hungary)
242. Love Forms by Claire Adam (Trinidad)
243. Misinterpretation by Ledia Xhoga (Albania / USA)
244. Edenglassie by Melissa Lucashenko
245. Ripeness by Sarah Moss
246. Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh
247. In the Blink of an Eye by Jo Callaghan
248. Fugitive Prince by Janny Wurts
249. Anam by Andre Dao
250. One Boat by Jonathan Buckley
January & February Books 1-64 : https://www.librarything.com/topic/368611#8767173
March & April Books 65-124 : https://www.librarything.com/topic/369865#8810025
May & June Books 125-210 : https://www.librarything.com/topic/371621#8881561
July
211. Sea Monsters by Chloe Aridjis
212. 1923 : The Mystery of Lot 212 and a Tour de France Obsession by Ned Boulting
213. Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton
214. The Wedding People by Alison Espach
215. Hagstone by Sinead Gleeson
216. What Belongs to You by Garth Greenwell
217. A Far Cry from Kensington by Muriel Spark
218. And So I Roar by Abi Dare
219. Let Me Go Mad in My Own Way by Elaine Feeney
220. Night of Power by Robert Fisk
221. Saraswati by Gurnaik Johal
222. Audition by Katie Kitamura
223. Close to Home by Michael Magee
224. Muckle Flugga by Michael Pedersen
225. The Cracked Mirror by Chris Brookmyre
226. Scaffolding by Lauren Elkin
227. The Names by Florence Knapp
228. Highway Thirteen by Fiona MacFarlane
229. The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller
230. Hunted by Abir Mukherjee
231. Butter by Asako Yuzuki
232. Isola by Allegra Goodman
233. When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzen
234. The Brass Age by Slobodan Snajder
235. Juice by Tim Winton
236. The Black Friar by S.G. MacLean
237. The Dollmaker of Krakow by R.M. Romero
238. The Weekend by Charlotte Wood
239. The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovitz (USA)
240. Endling by Maria Reva (Canada)
241. Flesh by David Szalay (Canada / UK / Hungary)
242. Love Forms by Claire Adam (Trinidad)
243. Misinterpretation by Ledia Xhoga (Albania / USA)
244. Edenglassie by Melissa Lucashenko
245. Ripeness by Sarah Moss
246. Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh
247. In the Blink of an Eye by Jo Callaghan
248. Fugitive Prince by Janny Wurts
249. Anam by Andre Dao
250. One Boat by Jonathan Buckley
17PaulCranswick
2025 Book Stats
Books Read : 76
Pages Read in completed books : 19,471
Longest book : The Museum of Innocence : 728 pp
Shortest book : Dart : 48 pp
Mean book length : 256.20 pp
Pages per day average in completed books : 91.84
Books written by men : 39
Books written by women: 36
Books written by both : 1
Non-Fiction : 13
Fiction : 34
Poetry : 12
Thriller : 9
SF/Fantasy : 2
Drama : 6
1590s : 2 books
1600s : 3 books
1830s : 1 book
1900s : 1 book
1940s : 1 book
1950s : 1 book
1960s : 5 books
1970s : 5 books
1980s : 2 books
1990s : 2 books
2000s : 9 books
2010s : 22 books
2020s : 22 books
UK Authors : 34
US Authors : 13
France Authors : 5
Ireland Authors : 2
Australia Authors : 2
Palestine Authors : 1
Iceland Authors : 1
Denmark Authors : 1
Norway Authors : 1
Japan Authors : 1
Sweden Authors : 1
Finland Authors : 1
Netherlands Authors : 1
Poland Authors : 1
Turkey Authors : 1
Belgium Authors : 1
India Authors : 1
Italy Authors : 2
South Africa : 1
Canada Authors : 1
Jamaica Authors : 1
German Authors : 2
Various Authors : 1
Challenges :
European Grand Tour Challenge : 17 books
Non-Fiction Challenge : 6 books
American Author Challenge : 6 books
British Author Challenge : 4 books
Women's Prize Longlist : 5 books
1001 Books : 2 books
50 Modern Classics from the Last 50 Years : 5/50
Awards :
Pulitzer Poetry Prize
Booker International : 1 book
Nobel Winners : 1 new
Women's Prize : 1
Miles Franklin : 1
Read : 76 books
Added : 250 books
Change to TBR : +174
January Books : 15
January Pages : 4,146
Pages Average : Per book : 276.40 Per Day : 133.74
February Books : 20
February Pages : 4,709
Pages Average : Per Book 235.45 Per day 168.19
March Books : 6
March Pages : 1,700
Pages Average : Per Book 283.33 Per Day : 54.84
April Books : 6
April Pages : 2,194
Pages Average : Per Book 365.67 Per Day : 109.70
May Books : 8
May Pages : 2,098
Pages Average : Per Book 262.25 Per Day : 67.68
June Books : 9
June Pages : 1,883
Pages Average : Per Book 209.22 Per Day : 62.77
July Books : 12
July Pages : 2,738
Pages Average : Per Book 228.17 Per Day : 88.32
Books Read : 76
Pages Read in completed books : 19,471
Longest book : The Museum of Innocence : 728 pp
Shortest book : Dart : 48 pp
Mean book length : 256.20 pp
Pages per day average in completed books : 91.84
Books written by men : 39
Books written by women: 36
Books written by both : 1
Non-Fiction : 13
Fiction : 34
Poetry : 12
Thriller : 9
SF/Fantasy : 2
Drama : 6
1590s : 2 books
1600s : 3 books
1830s : 1 book
1900s : 1 book
1940s : 1 book
1950s : 1 book
1960s : 5 books
1970s : 5 books
1980s : 2 books
1990s : 2 books
2000s : 9 books
2010s : 22 books
2020s : 22 books
UK Authors : 34
US Authors : 13
France Authors : 5
Ireland Authors : 2
Australia Authors : 2
Palestine Authors : 1
Iceland Authors : 1
Denmark Authors : 1
Norway Authors : 1
Japan Authors : 1
Sweden Authors : 1
Finland Authors : 1
Netherlands Authors : 1
Poland Authors : 1
Turkey Authors : 1
Belgium Authors : 1
India Authors : 1
Italy Authors : 2
South Africa : 1
Canada Authors : 1
Jamaica Authors : 1
German Authors : 2
Various Authors : 1
Challenges :
European Grand Tour Challenge : 17 books
Non-Fiction Challenge : 6 books
American Author Challenge : 6 books
British Author Challenge : 4 books
Women's Prize Longlist : 5 books
1001 Books : 2 books
50 Modern Classics from the Last 50 Years : 5/50
Awards :
Pulitzer Poetry Prize
Booker International : 1 book
Nobel Winners : 1 new
Women's Prize : 1
Miles Franklin : 1
Read : 76 books
Added : 250 books
Change to TBR : +174
January Books : 15
January Pages : 4,146
Pages Average : Per book : 276.40 Per Day : 133.74
February Books : 20
February Pages : 4,709
Pages Average : Per Book 235.45 Per day 168.19
March Books : 6
March Pages : 1,700
Pages Average : Per Book 283.33 Per Day : 54.84
April Books : 6
April Pages : 2,194
Pages Average : Per Book 365.67 Per Day : 109.70
May Books : 8
May Pages : 2,098
Pages Average : Per Book 262.25 Per Day : 67.68
June Books : 9
June Pages : 1,883
Pages Average : Per Book 209.22 Per Day : 62.77
July Books : 12
July Pages : 2,738
Pages Average : Per Book 228.17 Per Day : 88.32
18PaulCranswick
Welcome to my 14th thread of 2025.
20PaulCranswick
>19 atozgrl: Thank you, Irene, and well done for being first up!
21amanda4242
Happy new thread!
22Kristelh
Happy new thread Paul. I will have to go back and study a little deeper but wanted to say congrats.
23PaulCranswick
>21 amanda4242: Thank you dear Amanda
>22 Kristelh: Thanks Kristel. I think my setting up time is getting longer too.
>22 Kristelh: Thanks Kristel. I think my setting up time is getting longer too.
27Familyhistorian
Happy new thread, Paul. Pip looks happy! You caught my interest with The Seeker .
28PaulCranswick
>27 Familyhistorian: Thank you, Meg. I think she generally is a pretty happy child - spoilt rotten by her Grandmother that is for sure.
So far The Seeker is a book I am whizzing through. Just read 60 pages of it over lunch time.
So far The Seeker is a book I am whizzing through. Just read 60 pages of it over lunch time.
29mahsdad
Happy New Thread, Paul.
You always talk about the lists on my page, but you are getting quite the collection. I am especially intrigued by the list of literary awards. Oh such fodder for new lists.
I need to add longest and shortest books to my statistics, thanks for the idea.
You always talk about the lists on my page, but you are getting quite the collection. I am especially intrigued by the list of literary awards. Oh such fodder for new lists.
I need to add longest and shortest books to my statistics, thanks for the idea.
30PaulCranswick
>29 mahsdad: Aren't we all here to help give each other ideas, Jeff?! I have picked up so many great ideas from the threads, your included, over the years.
32booksaplenty1949
>3 PaulCranswick: Alan Bennett’s Poetry in Motion opened my eyes to the merits of Betjeman and other 20th C British poets outside the Modernist canon.
33booksaplenty1949
>1 PaulCranswick: Site of the 1936 Olympic Games, Adolf Hitler presiding.
34PaulCranswick
>31 ArlieS: Thanks Arlie. No objection from me on the assessment of Pip!
>32 booksaplenty1949: I still get a tad irritated if I read an entire poetry collection and find not a single rhyme whatsoever in it. I noticed that the Forward Poetry book this year failed to produce a single entry amongst a considerable number of poems that had rhyme or alliteration anywere near it.
>32 booksaplenty1949: I still get a tad irritated if I read an entire poetry collection and find not a single rhyme whatsoever in it. I noticed that the Forward Poetry book this year failed to produce a single entry amongst a considerable number of poems that had rhyme or alliteration anywere near it.
35PaulCranswick
>33 booksaplenty1949: Yes of course the 1936 Winter Games were in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
A mere 12 days after the Games, Hitler sent in the Jackboots to remilitarize the Rhineland which was a crucial test of Western resolve, which they failed and enabled the first steps towards conflagration.
A mere 12 days after the Games, Hitler sent in the Jackboots to remilitarize the Rhineland which was a crucial test of Western resolve, which they failed and enabled the first steps towards conflagration.
38figsfromthistle
Happy new thread!
39PaulCranswick
>36 Caroline_McElwee: Thank you, Caroline
>37 bell7: Thanks, Mary. Hani will be going back to see her soon. I am hoping to follow at the end of August.
>37 bell7: Thanks, Mary. Hani will be going back to see her soon. I am hoping to follow at the end of August.
40PaulCranswick
>38 figsfromthistle: Thank you dear Anita
42Kristelh
>23 PaulCranswick:. I can believe that!. You track a lot. I try to keep it simple but it gets away from you. How’s work going? Hope you’ve got less stress and that the end is in sight.
43EllaTim
Happy New Thread, Paul!
>1 PaulCranswick: For me Garmish Partenkirchen means New Years Day and the Ski Jumping competition Dutch TV has invariably aired that day. Since I don’t know how mainy years.
I’ve read The German Lesson and liked it a lot! I hope you will too Paul.
>1 PaulCranswick: For me Garmish Partenkirchen means New Years Day and the Ski Jumping competition Dutch TV has invariably aired that day. Since I don’t know how mainy years.
I’ve read The German Lesson and liked it a lot! I hope you will too Paul.
44m.belljackson
For Poets, hard to top Edgar Allan Poe!
45PaulCranswick
>41 jnwelch: On my last thread Joe from here : https://www.librarything.com/topic/371961#8899550
>42 Kristelh: The less said about work the better, Kristel. Enormously stressful right now and the end seems to be a mirage quite often!
>42 Kristelh: The less said about work the better, Kristel. Enormously stressful right now and the end seems to be a mirage quite often!
46PaulCranswick
>43 EllaTim: I remember watching the ski-jumping and marvelling that someone would actually be brave enough or foolish enough to do that!
>44 m.belljackson: You would have a friend in Kyran, Marianne, because he might say exactly that too!
>44 m.belljackson: You would have a friend in Kyran, Marianne, because he might say exactly that too!
48PaulCranswick
>47 hredwards: Thank you, Harold.
In matter of fact the Pip photo is not an entirely new one as I have used it on an earlier thread, but I never tire of looking at it.
In matter of fact the Pip photo is not an entirely new one as I have used it on an earlier thread, but I never tire of looking at it.
50booksaplenty1949
>1 PaulCranswick: You might want to correct your spelling of “Partenkirchen.” No cherry liqueur involved.
52msf59
Happy New Thread, Paul. I love the topper. I visited Garmisch a couple of times while I was stationed in Germany during the early 1980s. Absolutely beautiful area.
Thanks for posting the Pulitzer winners. My take-away is I am impressed how many they got right. Even if I would have chosen another title I have to respect their selection as a strong choice. A good example is the Goon Squad/Matterhorn year, (although I would go with the latter on that one). I like your alternative picks too.
Thanks for posting the Pulitzer winners. My take-away is I am impressed how many they got right. Even if I would have chosen another title I have to respect their selection as a strong choice. A good example is the Goon Squad/Matterhorn year, (although I would go with the latter on that one). I like your alternative picks too.
53PaulCranswick
>52 msf59: Thanks Mark. Prizes will always be just opinions at the end of the day but one or two of the choices in retrospect seem so obvious and right whilst others baffle. It is also the benefit of hindsight.
54AMQS
Awww Pip - she's adorable!
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a favorite spot of my brother, and since he lives in Munich, he likes to get away there as much as he can. I've never been.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a favorite spot of my brother, and since he lives in Munich, he likes to get away there as much as he can. I've never been.
55PaulCranswick
>54 AMQS: Thank you, Anne and lovely to see you here.
I'm sure that Munich is much more than beer and old men in short trousers and its surrounding areas are majestic looking at least.
I'm sure that Munich is much more than beer and old men in short trousers and its surrounding areas are majestic looking at least.
56PaulCranswick
FEATURED BOOK AWARD
Last week I started looking at the various book awards throughout the Anglosphere and I listed 85 awards. They are listed above here https://www.librarything.com/topic/372305#8900236
I plan over the next few months to deep dive and feature all of the awards that I mention above and have listed their incumbent awardees. I will start at the top with THE STELLA PRIZE
WHAT IS THE STELLA PRIZE?
Think of it as The Women's Prize but limited to Australian authors. The prize is also open (as of 2021) to authors who identify as non-binary. The award was created due to Australia's premier literary Prize, The Miles Franklin Award, being perceived by the award's founders as too male-centric. Ironically women have won the Miles Franklin almost every year since the Stella Prize came into being. It is open to all genres - a poetry collection and a non-fiction book have won previously
WHAT DOES THE WINNER GET?
AUS $60K
WHEN IS THE AWARD TIMELINE
Longlist in March, Shortlist in April, Winner announced in May (23 May this year). For books from the previous year.
WHICH BOOK WON IN 2025
Theory & Practice by Michelle de Kretser
HONOUR ROLL OF PAST WINNERS
2013 : Mateship with Birds by Carrie Tiffany
2014 : The Forgotten Rebels of Eureka by Clare Wright
2015 : The Strays by Emily Bitto
2016 : The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood
2017 : The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose
2018 : Tracker by Alexis Wright
2019 : The Erratics by Vikki Laveau-Harvie
2020 : See What You Made Me Do by Jess Hill
2021 : The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld
2022 : Dropbear by Evelyn Araluen
2023 : The Jaguar by Sarah Holland-Batt
2024 : Praiseworthy by Alexis Wright
2025 : Theory & Practice by Michelle de Kretser
MY RECORD
I have read 2 (2021, 2025)
I own a further 3 (2015, 2016, 2024)
Last week I started looking at the various book awards throughout the Anglosphere and I listed 85 awards. They are listed above here https://www.librarything.com/topic/372305#8900236
I plan over the next few months to deep dive and feature all of the awards that I mention above and have listed their incumbent awardees. I will start at the top with THE STELLA PRIZE
WHAT IS THE STELLA PRIZE?
Think of it as The Women's Prize but limited to Australian authors. The prize is also open (as of 2021) to authors who identify as non-binary. The award was created due to Australia's premier literary Prize, The Miles Franklin Award, being perceived by the award's founders as too male-centric. Ironically women have won the Miles Franklin almost every year since the Stella Prize came into being. It is open to all genres - a poetry collection and a non-fiction book have won previously
WHAT DOES THE WINNER GET?
AUS $60K
WHEN IS THE AWARD TIMELINE
Longlist in March, Shortlist in April, Winner announced in May (23 May this year). For books from the previous year.
WHICH BOOK WON IN 2025
Theory & Practice by Michelle de Kretser
HONOUR ROLL OF PAST WINNERS
2013 : Mateship with Birds by Carrie Tiffany
2014 : The Forgotten Rebels of Eureka by Clare Wright
2015 : The Strays by Emily Bitto
2016 : The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood
2017 : The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose
2018 : Tracker by Alexis Wright
2019 : The Erratics by Vikki Laveau-Harvie
2020 : See What You Made Me Do by Jess Hill
2021 : The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld
2022 : Dropbear by Evelyn Araluen
2023 : The Jaguar by Sarah Holland-Batt
2024 : Praiseworthy by Alexis Wright
2025 : Theory & Practice by Michelle de Kretser
MY RECORD
I have read 2 (2021, 2025)
I own a further 3 (2015, 2016, 2024)
57Kristelh
>56 PaulCranswick: I will be interested in following your exploration of the prizes. I find that I have read 0 Stella Prize winners. Australian books can be hard to find here in the Midwest, I find.
58PaulCranswick
>57 Kristelh: Thank you, Kristel. They are not easy to get over here in Malaysia either to be quite honest.
Not a single one of the books that won that I haven't read or don't currently own is available in the main bookstores here, without special order.
Not a single one of the books that won that I haven't read or don't currently own is available in the main bookstores here, without special order.
59SirThomas
Happy New Thread, Paul.
Siegfried Lenz is a good choice, even though I had to read him at school...
>15 PaulCranswick: Gorgeous!
Siegfried Lenz is a good choice, even though I had to read him at school...
>15 PaulCranswick: Gorgeous!
60PaulCranswick
>59 SirThomas: Thanks Thomas and great to see you.
>15 PaulCranswick: I am always as happy as Pip is here when food is about to be served.
>15 PaulCranswick: I am always as happy as Pip is here when food is about to be served.
61booksaplenty1949
>53 PaulCranswick: “The benefit of hindsight” means a lot to me. In the case of an award that has been around for a century, like the Pulitzer, I can observe that there are many authors of whom I, an English major and lifelong literature enthusiast, have never even heard. Not just the novels—-the authors themselves failed to demonstrate any lasting quality. Of course other readers may feel “So what?” but this observation has dictated my reading habits for a long time.
62PaulCranswick
>61 booksaplenty1949: Some books go under the radar for a while before gaining traction and the body of someone's work normally reveals earlier publications that deserved more attention back in the day.
63LizzieD
I came yesterday and visited, but I didn't speak? I must have heard the Call of the Cats. They are at it again.
Meanwhile, Pip is absolutely lovely. Just when you think she can't get any cuter, she does.
Happy Reading! (I'll be interested to hear what you thing of The German Lesson. I dipped into it once but had to reserve it for a later that hasn't yet happened.)
Meanwhile, Pip is absolutely lovely. Just when you think she can't get any cuter, she does.
Happy Reading! (I'll be interested to hear what you thing of The German Lesson. I dipped into it once but had to reserve it for a later that hasn't yet happened.)
64booksaplenty1949
>62 PaulCranswick: Of course there are books which are ahead of their time or whose merit is not evident to the first generation of readers. My point concerns, rather, books whose merit is not evident to a *second* generation of readers, having been lauded by the first.
65PaulCranswick
>63 LizzieD: I would have remembered surely, Peggy!
The German Lesson is a little daunting to be honest but it is next up. I was on the phone with Pip last night and she can speak already although she seems to be the only one who understands what she is trying to say!
>64 booksaplenty1949: Or a third generation, perhaps?
The German Lesson is a little daunting to be honest but it is next up. I was on the phone with Pip last night and she can speak already although she seems to be the only one who understands what she is trying to say!
>64 booksaplenty1949: Or a third generation, perhaps?
66avatiakh
Hi Paul, I got left behind on your previous thread. I like reading from award shortlists rather than the winners themselves. So much depends on the judges' arguments for their favoured book that the winner is often a compromise choice.
New Zealand has the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards which is a carry on from previous sponsored awards over the years. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ockham_New_Zealand_Book_Awards
Another award for YA and children's books is the Phoenix Award. Many worthy books have won this award: 'The Phoenix Award annually recognizes one English-language children's book published twenty years earlier that did not then win a major literary award. It is named for the mythical bird phoenix that is reborn from its own ashes, signifying the book's rise from relative obscurity'
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Award
...and another for YA books is the Buxtehude Bull, a German book prize that includes an interesting selecton of judges. 'The winner is determined by a jury of eleven young readers and eleven adults. The jury is formed anew every year.' Some really excellent YA fiction in there.
https://www.buxtehuder-bulle.de/index.php/en/
New Zealand has the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards which is a carry on from previous sponsored awards over the years. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ockham_New_Zealand_Book_Awards
Another award for YA and children's books is the Phoenix Award. Many worthy books have won this award: 'The Phoenix Award annually recognizes one English-language children's book published twenty years earlier that did not then win a major literary award. It is named for the mythical bird phoenix that is reborn from its own ashes, signifying the book's rise from relative obscurity'
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Award
...and another for YA books is the Buxtehude Bull, a German book prize that includes an interesting selecton of judges. 'The winner is determined by a jury of eleven young readers and eleven adults. The jury is formed anew every year.' Some really excellent YA fiction in there.
https://www.buxtehuder-bulle.de/index.php/en/
67PaulCranswick
>66 avatiakh: I agree with you entirely on preferring short (and long) lists to the actual winner oftentimes.
Unless I am mistaken the Acorn Prize and the Hubert Church Prize are the two main fiction prizes in the Ockham Book Awards - I will look at the Phoenix award for inclusion in my list (I also want to look at South African prizes and Canadian thrillers).
I am slowly compiling Non-Fiction award data and then I will be looking at prizes outside the Anglosphere.
Unless I am mistaken the Acorn Prize and the Hubert Church Prize are the two main fiction prizes in the Ockham Book Awards - I will look at the Phoenix award for inclusion in my list (I also want to look at South African prizes and Canadian thrillers).
I am slowly compiling Non-Fiction award data and then I will be looking at prizes outside the Anglosphere.
68avatiakh
>67 PaulCranswick: Oh probably, I scrolled your list looking for Ockham. Over the years the awards have gotten new sponsors from time to time so I'm less familiar and usually don't want to read the winners anyway.
69PaulCranswick
>68 avatiakh: Well not too many of the winners stood out to me, Kerry, but I do bemoan the difficulty in obtaining Australian and NZ titles here.
70PaulCranswick
FEATURED BOOK AWARD
Last week I started looking at the various book awards throughout the Anglosphere and I listed 85 awards. They are listed above here https://www.librarything.com/topic/372305#8900236
Today we feature the grand old prize for Australian Fiction : The MILES FRANKLIN AWARD
WHAT IS THE MILES FRANKLIN AWARD?
Australia's most prestigious annual literary prize open to a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases
WHAT DOES THE WINNER GET?
AUS $60K
WHEN IS THE AWARD TIMELINE
Awarded annually in July Longlist in May , Shortlist in June, Winner announced in July (24 July this year).
WHICH BOOK WON IN 2024
Praiseworthy by Alexis Wright
HONOUR ROLL OF PAST WINNERS
1957 Voss by Patrick White Owned
1958 To the Islands by Randolph Stow
1959 The Big Fellow Vance Palmer
1960 The Irishman Elizabeth O'Conner
1961 Riders in the Chariot Patrick White
1962 The Well-Dressed Explorer Thea Astley
1962 The Cupboard Under the Stairs George Turner
1963 Careful, He Might Hear You Sumner Locke Elliott
1964 My Brother Jack George Johnston
1965 The Slow Natives Thea Astley
1966 Trap Peter Mathers
1967 Bring Larks and Heroes Thomas Keneally
1968 Three Cheers for the Paraclete Thomas Keneally
1969 Clean Straw for Nothing George Johnston
1970 A Horse of Air Dai Stivens
1971 The Unknown Industrial Prisoner David Ireland
1972 The Acolyte Thea Astley
1974 The Mango Tree Ronald McKie
1975 Poor Fellow My Country Xavier Herbert
1976 The Glass Canoe David Ireland
1977 Swords and Crowns and Rings Ruth Park
1978 Tirra Lirra By the River Jessica Anderson
1979 A Woman of the Future David Ireland
1980 The Impersonators Jessica Anderson
1981 Bliss by Peter Carey
1982 Just Relations Rodney Hall
1984 Shallows Tim Winton
1985 The Doubleman by Christopher Koch
1986 The Well Elizabeth Jolley
1987 Dancing on Coral Glenda Adams
1989 Oscar and Lucinda Peter Carey
1990 Oceana Fine Tom Flood
1991 The Great World David Malouf
1992 Cloudstreet Tim Winton
1993 The Ancestor Game Alex Miller
1994 The Grisly Wife Rodney Hall
1995 The Hand that Signed the Paper Helen Demidenko
1996 Highways to a War Christopher Koch
1997 The Glade Within the Grove David Foster
1998 Jack Maggs by Peter Carey
1999 Eucalyptus by Murray Bail
2000 Drylands Thea Astley
2000 Benang Kim Scott
2001 Dark Palace Frank Moorhouse
2002 Dirt Music Tim Winton
2003 Journey to the Stone Country Alex Miller
2004 The Great Fire Shirley Hazzard
2005 The White Earth Andrew McGahan
2006 The Ballad of Desmond Kale Roger McDonald
2007 Carpentaria Alexis Wright
2008 The Time We Have Taken Steven Carroll
2009 Breath Tim Winton
2010 Truth Peter Temple
2011 That Deadman Dance Kim Scott
2012 All That I Am Anna Funder
2013 Questions of Travel Michelle de Kretser
2014 All the Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld
2015 The Eye of the Sheep by Sofie Laguna
2016 Black Rock White City AS Patric
2017 Extinctions Josephine Wilson
2018 The Life to Come Michelle de Kretser
2019 Too Much Lip Melissa Lucashenko
2020 The Yield Tara June Winch
2021 The Labyrinth Amanda Lohrey
2022 Bodies of Light Jennifer Down
2023 Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens Shankari Chandran
2024 Praiseworthy Alexis Wright
MY RECORD
I have read 4 (1984, 1996, 1998, 1999)
I own a further 18 (1957, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2020, 2023, 2024)
FACTOID
The Stella Prize was set up in 2013 because its founders felt women were insufficiently represented in the Miles Franklin Award. In the 12 awards since then the Miles Franklin was won 11 times by ladies!
Last week I started looking at the various book awards throughout the Anglosphere and I listed 85 awards. They are listed above here https://www.librarything.com/topic/372305#8900236
Today we feature the grand old prize for Australian Fiction : The MILES FRANKLIN AWARD
WHAT IS THE MILES FRANKLIN AWARD?
Australia's most prestigious annual literary prize open to a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases
WHAT DOES THE WINNER GET?
AUS $60K
WHEN IS THE AWARD TIMELINE
Awarded annually in July Longlist in May , Shortlist in June, Winner announced in July (24 July this year).
WHICH BOOK WON IN 2024
Praiseworthy by Alexis Wright
HONOUR ROLL OF PAST WINNERS
1957 Voss by Patrick White Owned
1958 To the Islands by Randolph Stow
1959 The Big Fellow Vance Palmer
1960 The Irishman Elizabeth O'Conner
1961 Riders in the Chariot Patrick White
1962 The Well-Dressed Explorer Thea Astley
1962 The Cupboard Under the Stairs George Turner
1963 Careful, He Might Hear You Sumner Locke Elliott
1964 My Brother Jack George Johnston
1965 The Slow Natives Thea Astley
1966 Trap Peter Mathers
1967 Bring Larks and Heroes Thomas Keneally
1968 Three Cheers for the Paraclete Thomas Keneally
1969 Clean Straw for Nothing George Johnston
1970 A Horse of Air Dai Stivens
1971 The Unknown Industrial Prisoner David Ireland
1972 The Acolyte Thea Astley
1974 The Mango Tree Ronald McKie
1975 Poor Fellow My Country Xavier Herbert
1976 The Glass Canoe David Ireland
1977 Swords and Crowns and Rings Ruth Park
1978 Tirra Lirra By the River Jessica Anderson
1979 A Woman of the Future David Ireland
1980 The Impersonators Jessica Anderson
1981 Bliss by Peter Carey
1982 Just Relations Rodney Hall
1984 Shallows Tim Winton
1985 The Doubleman by Christopher Koch
1986 The Well Elizabeth Jolley
1987 Dancing on Coral Glenda Adams
1989 Oscar and Lucinda Peter Carey
1990 Oceana Fine Tom Flood
1991 The Great World David Malouf
1992 Cloudstreet Tim Winton
1993 The Ancestor Game Alex Miller
1994 The Grisly Wife Rodney Hall
1995 The Hand that Signed the Paper Helen Demidenko
1996 Highways to a War Christopher Koch
1997 The Glade Within the Grove David Foster
1998 Jack Maggs by Peter Carey
1999 Eucalyptus by Murray Bail
2000 Drylands Thea Astley
2000 Benang Kim Scott
2001 Dark Palace Frank Moorhouse
2002 Dirt Music Tim Winton
2003 Journey to the Stone Country Alex Miller
2004 The Great Fire Shirley Hazzard
2005 The White Earth Andrew McGahan
2006 The Ballad of Desmond Kale Roger McDonald
2007 Carpentaria Alexis Wright
2008 The Time We Have Taken Steven Carroll
2009 Breath Tim Winton
2010 Truth Peter Temple
2011 That Deadman Dance Kim Scott
2012 All That I Am Anna Funder
2013 Questions of Travel Michelle de Kretser
2014 All the Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld
2015 The Eye of the Sheep by Sofie Laguna
2016 Black Rock White City AS Patric
2017 Extinctions Josephine Wilson
2018 The Life to Come Michelle de Kretser
2019 Too Much Lip Melissa Lucashenko
2020 The Yield Tara June Winch
2021 The Labyrinth Amanda Lohrey
2022 Bodies of Light Jennifer Down
2023 Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens Shankari Chandran
2024 Praiseworthy Alexis Wright
MY RECORD
I have read 4 (1984, 1996, 1998, 1999)
I own a further 18 (1957, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2020, 2023, 2024)
FACTOID
The Stella Prize was set up in 2013 because its founders felt women were insufficiently represented in the Miles Franklin Award. In the 12 awards since then the Miles Franklin was won 11 times by ladies!
71avatiakh
>70 PaulCranswick: I've read five of these winners (1989, 2005, 2009, 2013, 2018) and read other books by winning writers. I gave up on Carpentaria by Alexis Wright, I listened to a couple of hours on audio. I recently got my own copy of Cloudstreet by Tim Winton and want to read that in the near future.
Lots of writers I've yet to read though I have their books on my shelves. Text Publishing has a great Text Classics series and several of the earlier winners are now part of that series.
https://www.textpublishing.com.au/text-classics
I have to say that Michelle de Kretser is not my cup of tea. I've read at least three of her books, the last one I received a review copy which was the only reason I completed it.
The Life to Come - 'Now I've finished and reflected on the book I can admire the writing, the style and referencing of the literary community both in Sydney and Paris, though none of this makes me love the book.'
eta: I've only read Mateship with Birds from the Stella Prize winners, just an average read.
Lots of writers I've yet to read though I have their books on my shelves. Text Publishing has a great Text Classics series and several of the earlier winners are now part of that series.
https://www.textpublishing.com.au/text-classics
I have to say that Michelle de Kretser is not my cup of tea. I've read at least three of her books, the last one I received a review copy which was the only reason I completed it.
The Life to Come - 'Now I've finished and reflected on the book I can admire the writing, the style and referencing of the literary community both in Sydney and Paris, though none of this makes me love the book.'
eta: I've only read Mateship with Birds from the Stella Prize winners, just an average read.
72PaulCranswick
>71 avatiakh: I didn't think that Michelle de Kretser's latest book was particularly an enjoyable read, Kerry, I agree.
I do like Tim Winton, David Malouf and Peter Carey. I thought Jack Maggs was a tremendous re-imagining of Great Expectations.
I do think it is comical that they lobbied for the Stella Prize and then women won 11 of the last 12 Miles Franklins. Maybe the Australians should start a Men's Writing Prize as opportunities for male writers there seem to be few and far between these days!!!
I do like Tim Winton, David Malouf and Peter Carey. I thought Jack Maggs was a tremendous re-imagining of Great Expectations.
I do think it is comical that they lobbied for the Stella Prize and then women won 11 of the last 12 Miles Franklins. Maybe the Australians should start a Men's Writing Prize as opportunities for male writers there seem to be few and far between these days!!!
73Kristelh
Good morning (here) Paul. I’ve read the Peter Carey books and I’ve also read All the Birds, Singing. I’ve read Remembering Babylon by Malouf and Patrick White is on my tbr. So I did a bit better with this list.
74PaulCranswick
>73 Kristelh: I have also read books by Winton, Koch, Malouf, Temple and Carey that are not on the winners scroll.
I do enjoy some of the Australian authors, Kristel.
I do enjoy some of the Australian authors, Kristel.
75PaulCranswick
BOOK # 72
The Seeker by S.G. MacLean
Date of Publication : 2015
Origin of Author : UK
Gender of Author : Female
Pages : 398 pp
Thoroughly enjoyable and satisfying historical mystery thriller set in Cromwellian London.
During the interregnum London's dark alleys are filled with intrigue, plots and suspicion. Seeker is the Lord Protector's man but can he foils the constant plots against the life of the man who had the Stuart King executed and in whose bed chambers he now spends his nights.
.
The Seeker by S.G. MacLean
Date of Publication : 2015
Origin of Author : UK
Gender of Author : Female
Pages : 398 pp
Thoroughly enjoyable and satisfying historical mystery thriller set in Cromwellian London.
During the interregnum London's dark alleys are filled with intrigue, plots and suspicion. Seeker is the Lord Protector's man but can he foils the constant plots against the life of the man who had the Stuart King executed and in whose bed chambers he now spends his nights.
.
76SilverWolf28
Happy New Thread!
77SilverWolf28
Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/372482
78PaulCranswick
FEATURED BOOK AWARD
Last week I started looking at the various book awards throughout the Anglosphere and I listed 85 awards. They are listed above here https://www.librarything.com/topic/372305#8900236
Today we feature the AUSTRALIAN BOOK INDUSTRY AWARDS which recognizes several categories and I will feature six of them here.
Literary Fiction; International Book; New Writer; General Fiction; General Non-Fiction; and Older Children Book of the Year.
WHAT ARE THE AUSTRALIAN BOOK INDUSTRY AWARDS?
Started in 2001 the awards cover both the industry at large, publishers, bookstores but also books themselves. I have chosen 6 of the category awards and they also award an overall book of the year.
WHAT DOES THE WINNERS GET?
Seems to vary but the overall winner gets A$20,000 as far as I can tell.
WHEN IS THE AWARD TIMELINE
Awarded annually - shortlists announced in March and winner announced this year on 7 May.
WHICH BOOKS WON IN 2025
Literary Fiction : Dusk by Robbie Arnott
International Book : The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley Owned
New Writer Prize : We are the Stars by Gina Chick
General Fiction Prize : What Happened to Nina? by Dervla McTiernan
General Non-Fiction Prize : The Chairman's Lounge by Joe Aston
John Marsden Award (YA) : My Family and Other Suspects by Kate Emery
HONOUR ROLL OF PAST WINNERS
The Awards seem to have been in the current format since 2017. From 2017 until todate these were the winners in respective criteria.
2017
Literary Fiction : The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith
International Book : Commonwealth by Ann Patchett Owned
New Writer Prize : Fight Like a Girl by Clementine Ford
General Fiction Prize : The Dry by Jane Harper READ
General Non-Fiction Prize : The Road to Ruin by Niki Savvi
John Marsden Award (YA) : The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon
2018
Literary Fiction : See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt
International Book : Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli
New Writer Prize : Nevermoor : The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
General Fiction Prize : The Secrets She Keeps by Michael Rowbotham
General Non-Fiction Prize : The Trauma Cleaner Sarah Krasnostein
John Marsden Award (YA) : Begin End Begin by Danielle Binks
2019
Literary Fiction : Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton Owned
International Book : Less by Andrew Sean Greer Owned
New Writer Prize : Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton Owned
General Fiction Prize : The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland
General Non-Fiction Prize : No Friend but the Mountains by Behrouz Boochani
John Marsden Award (YA) : Jane Doe and the Cradle of All Worlds by Jeremy Lachlan
2020
Literary Fiction : The Weekend by Charlotte Wood
International Book : The Testaments by Margaret Atwood Owned
New Writer Prize : Your Own Kind of Girl by Clare Bowditch
General Fiction Prize : Bruny by Heather Rose
General Non-Fiction Prize : 488 Rules for Life by Kitty Flanagan
John Marsden Award (YA) : Welcome to Your Period by Yumi Stynes
2021
Literary Fiction : A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing by Jessie Tu
International Book : Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid Owned
New Writer Prize : The Coconut Children by Vivian Pham
General Fiction Prize : The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams READ
General Non-Fiction Prize : Phosphorescence by Julia Baird
John Marsden Award (YA) : The Left Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix Owned
2022
Literary Fiction : Love and Virtue by Diana Reid
International Book : The Storyteller by Dave Grohl Owned
New Writer Prize : The Mother Wound by Armani Haydar
General Fiction Prize : Before You Knew My Name by Jacqueline Bublitz
General Non-Fiction Prize : She's On the Money by Victoria Devine
John Marsden Award (YA) : The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni
2023
Literary Fiction : Horse by Geraldine Brooks Owned
International Book : Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus Owned
New Writer Prize : Wake by Shelley Burr
General Fiction Prize : Dirt Town by Hayley Scrivenor
General Non-Fiction Prize : Bulldozed by Niki Savva
John Marsden Award (YA) : The Blood Traitor by Lynette Noni
2024
Literary Fiction : Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton Owned
International Book : Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
New Writer Prize : Green Dot by Madeleine Gray
General Fiction Prize : The Bookbinder of Jericho by Pip Williams Owned
General Non-Fiction Prize : The Voice to Parliament by Thomas Mayo
John Marsden Award (YA) : Welcome to Sex by Dr. Melissa Tan
MY RECORD of the 54
I have read 2 books
I own a further 13 books
Last week I started looking at the various book awards throughout the Anglosphere and I listed 85 awards. They are listed above here https://www.librarything.com/topic/372305#8900236
Today we feature the AUSTRALIAN BOOK INDUSTRY AWARDS which recognizes several categories and I will feature six of them here.
Literary Fiction; International Book; New Writer; General Fiction; General Non-Fiction; and Older Children Book of the Year.
WHAT ARE THE AUSTRALIAN BOOK INDUSTRY AWARDS?
Started in 2001 the awards cover both the industry at large, publishers, bookstores but also books themselves. I have chosen 6 of the category awards and they also award an overall book of the year.
WHAT DOES THE WINNERS GET?
Seems to vary but the overall winner gets A$20,000 as far as I can tell.
WHEN IS THE AWARD TIMELINE
Awarded annually - shortlists announced in March and winner announced this year on 7 May.
WHICH BOOKS WON IN 2025
Literary Fiction : Dusk by Robbie Arnott
International Book : The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley Owned
New Writer Prize : We are the Stars by Gina Chick
General Fiction Prize : What Happened to Nina? by Dervla McTiernan
General Non-Fiction Prize : The Chairman's Lounge by Joe Aston
John Marsden Award (YA) : My Family and Other Suspects by Kate Emery
HONOUR ROLL OF PAST WINNERS
The Awards seem to have been in the current format since 2017. From 2017 until todate these were the winners in respective criteria.
2017
Literary Fiction : The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith
International Book : Commonwealth by Ann Patchett Owned
New Writer Prize : Fight Like a Girl by Clementine Ford
General Fiction Prize : The Dry by Jane Harper READ
General Non-Fiction Prize : The Road to Ruin by Niki Savvi
John Marsden Award (YA) : The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon
2018
Literary Fiction : See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt
International Book : Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli
New Writer Prize : Nevermoor : The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
General Fiction Prize : The Secrets She Keeps by Michael Rowbotham
General Non-Fiction Prize : The Trauma Cleaner Sarah Krasnostein
John Marsden Award (YA) : Begin End Begin by Danielle Binks
2019
Literary Fiction : Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton Owned
International Book : Less by Andrew Sean Greer Owned
New Writer Prize : Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton Owned
General Fiction Prize : The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland
General Non-Fiction Prize : No Friend but the Mountains by Behrouz Boochani
John Marsden Award (YA) : Jane Doe and the Cradle of All Worlds by Jeremy Lachlan
2020
Literary Fiction : The Weekend by Charlotte Wood
International Book : The Testaments by Margaret Atwood Owned
New Writer Prize : Your Own Kind of Girl by Clare Bowditch
General Fiction Prize : Bruny by Heather Rose
General Non-Fiction Prize : 488 Rules for Life by Kitty Flanagan
John Marsden Award (YA) : Welcome to Your Period by Yumi Stynes
2021
Literary Fiction : A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing by Jessie Tu
International Book : Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid Owned
New Writer Prize : The Coconut Children by Vivian Pham
General Fiction Prize : The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams READ
General Non-Fiction Prize : Phosphorescence by Julia Baird
John Marsden Award (YA) : The Left Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix Owned
2022
Literary Fiction : Love and Virtue by Diana Reid
International Book : The Storyteller by Dave Grohl Owned
New Writer Prize : The Mother Wound by Armani Haydar
General Fiction Prize : Before You Knew My Name by Jacqueline Bublitz
General Non-Fiction Prize : She's On the Money by Victoria Devine
John Marsden Award (YA) : The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni
2023
Literary Fiction : Horse by Geraldine Brooks Owned
International Book : Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus Owned
New Writer Prize : Wake by Shelley Burr
General Fiction Prize : Dirt Town by Hayley Scrivenor
General Non-Fiction Prize : Bulldozed by Niki Savva
John Marsden Award (YA) : The Blood Traitor by Lynette Noni
2024
Literary Fiction : Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton Owned
International Book : Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
New Writer Prize : Green Dot by Madeleine Gray
General Fiction Prize : The Bookbinder of Jericho by Pip Williams Owned
General Non-Fiction Prize : The Voice to Parliament by Thomas Mayo
John Marsden Award (YA) : Welcome to Sex by Dr. Melissa Tan
MY RECORD of the 54
I have read 2 books
I own a further 13 books
80avatiakh
>78 PaulCranswick: I have a copies of Dusk, The Ministry of Time and My Family and Other Suspects from the 2025 list.
Shelley Burr's Lane Hollow series is really good, the third book came out in April so I need to get it read.
The 2019 winner Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton was really great.
Shelley Burr's Lane Hollow series is really good, the third book came out in April so I need to get it read.
The 2019 winner Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton was really great.
81PaulCranswick
>80 avatiakh: I have a few books by Dalton and I have heard good things about him, Kerry.
Slowly filling in the gaps as I was disturbed to attend meetings to discuss claims we had made against the client because of changes in tax law. The Book awards are far more interesting!
Slowly filling in the gaps as I was disturbed to attend meetings to discuss claims we had made against the client because of changes in tax law. The Book awards are far more interesting!
82alcottacre
>15 PaulCranswick: Oh, she is getting too big already!
Thank you for creating all of these lists for awards that I have never heard of! I am definitely going to have to check some of them out. . .
Happy new thread, brother!
Thank you for creating all of these lists for awards that I have never heard of! I am definitely going to have to check some of them out. . .
Happy new thread, brother!
83PaulCranswick
>82 alcottacre: Thank you, Sis. The Australian Book Industry Awards is a difficult one to put up as I am featuring 6 of its awards and the first 15 years of the awards are difficult to find information for.
84Kristelh
Greeting Paul. I’ve read a couple of these; The Ministry of Time and Lessons in Chemistry.
85PaulCranswick
>84 Kristelh: I have got a few of them on the shelves, Kristel, but of those I have so far listed I only read two of them. The Dry and The Dictionary of Lost Words.
86PaulCranswick
Friday additions
225. The Cracked Mirror by Chris Brookmyre
226. Scaffolding by Lauren Elkin
227. The Names by Florence Knapp
228. Highway Thirteen by Fiona MacFarlane
229. The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller
230. Hunted by Abir Mukherjee
231. Butter by Asako Yuzuki
Incumbent award winners (Brookmyre, Miller, Mukherjee and Yuzuki) Knapp and MacFarlane are expected to be award worthy and Scaffolding is a book I have been looking out for for a while.
225. The Cracked Mirror by Chris Brookmyre
226. Scaffolding by Lauren Elkin
227. The Names by Florence Knapp
228. Highway Thirteen by Fiona MacFarlane
229. The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller
230. Hunted by Abir Mukherjee
231. Butter by Asako Yuzuki
Incumbent award winners (Brookmyre, Miller, Mukherjee and Yuzuki) Knapp and MacFarlane are expected to be award worthy and Scaffolding is a book I have been looking out for for a while.
87zuzaer
Happy new thread, Paul! The topper is great.
I love the discussion about the awards, will try to stay close to read about others!
>66 avatiakh: Phoenix Award sounds fantastic. The Buxtehude... mixed feelings. It's good that there are adults, too. To cut long story short, there's a best-selling series in Poland right now that didn't merit being heaved from Wattpad; my friend started reading it for fun but is struggling to finish the first volume, the lack of good story, good characterisation, good descriptions, good everything (ethics? what ethics?) making it unbearable. She decided that we, the twenty-somethings, used to read quite a lot and as such could determine that this or that book is written "not that well" (I'm not pretending I was able to see a Great Literature when I was a teenager, but I could dissect and interpret, at least.) Unfortunately, it looks like that's not always the case now. Another part is that the editor should be brought up on moral charges of printing an unbelievable story featuring some deeply worrying topics that only show bad habits. Apart from the fact that it's simply badly written. So, sorry for this rant, it got on my mind when I read about Buxtehude, and I think it's good there are SOME adults in the jury.
I, myself, have never felt the urge to follow literature awards; the Anglosaxon ones show books that are mostly waiting to be translated, and I don't feel the need to see what's going on in the literary world in Poland right now. My cintemporary literature class at university only strenghtened my conviction. But then, I love old literature, so I'm always more inclined to read something that is a century or two old, and the fact that I don't always believe in literature awards has nothing to do with it. (My contemporary lit teacher was right: the future is in the past, and I've always been a history girl.)
>78 PaulCranswick: Paul, how do the publishers and bookstores awards work? Is the voting somehow open to the public? (I've taken part once or twice in my city's independent bookstores awards.)
I love the discussion about the awards, will try to stay close to read about others!
>66 avatiakh: Phoenix Award sounds fantastic. The Buxtehude... mixed feelings. It's good that there are adults, too. To cut long story short, there's a best-selling series in Poland right now that didn't merit being heaved from Wattpad; my friend started reading it for fun but is struggling to finish the first volume, the lack of good story, good characterisation, good descriptions, good everything (ethics? what ethics?) making it unbearable. She decided that we, the twenty-somethings, used to read quite a lot and as such could determine that this or that book is written "not that well" (I'm not pretending I was able to see a Great Literature when I was a teenager, but I could dissect and interpret, at least.) Unfortunately, it looks like that's not always the case now. Another part is that the editor should be brought up on moral charges of printing an unbelievable story featuring some deeply worrying topics that only show bad habits. Apart from the fact that it's simply badly written. So, sorry for this rant, it got on my mind when I read about Buxtehude, and I think it's good there are SOME adults in the jury.
I, myself, have never felt the urge to follow literature awards; the Anglosaxon ones show books that are mostly waiting to be translated, and I don't feel the need to see what's going on in the literary world in Poland right now. My cintemporary literature class at university only strenghtened my conviction. But then, I love old literature, so I'm always more inclined to read something that is a century or two old, and the fact that I don't always believe in literature awards has nothing to do with it. (My contemporary lit teacher was right: the future is in the past, and I've always been a history girl.)
>78 PaulCranswick: Paul, how do the publishers and bookstores awards work? Is the voting somehow open to the public? (I've taken part once or twice in my city's independent bookstores awards.)
88avatiakh
>87 zuzaer: I like the idea of the Buxtehude Award though agree that some selections might be less than stellar. Just that what adults think is good for children is not always what they like.
Many of the European winners aren't available in English which is a shame. I like reading translated childrens and YA books so seek out some of these awards.
All these awards bring lesser known books into the spotlight which is great as popular writers dominate the spotlight.
I also love the idea of the Phoenix Award, dragging a book out of the past and into the spotlight. Many of these books go on to be republished. Here in New Zealand we have the Storylines Gaelyn Gordon Award which is similar 'for a work of fiction for children or young adults by a living author. It must have been continuously in print for at least five years, the book must not have won a major New Zealand award where a monetary prize is offered.' I attended a few times when the award was presented, always great to see a good book recognized and honoured.
Australia had the Inky Awards which was discontinued in 2020 where 12-18 yr olds could vote for their favourite YA book from a selected longlist/shortlist of books
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inky_Awards
Another shortlived award that I researched a few years ago was The Children's Rights Workshop's The Other Award 1975-1987 which was established as an irritant and counter to the Carnegie, the Kate Greenaway and the Guardian. I came across it after reading winners, Talking in Whispers and The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiler. https://booksforkeeps.co.uk/article/awards-3/
What is the name of the Polish series your friend is struggling with?
My son has taught himself Polish and has a few books in Polish including one by Jaroslaw Grzedowicz on his shelf as well as the Witcher books. He has talked about getting a few more books by Polish writers lately. He's interested in Polish history.
Many of the European winners aren't available in English which is a shame. I like reading translated childrens and YA books so seek out some of these awards.
All these awards bring lesser known books into the spotlight which is great as popular writers dominate the spotlight.
I also love the idea of the Phoenix Award, dragging a book out of the past and into the spotlight. Many of these books go on to be republished. Here in New Zealand we have the Storylines Gaelyn Gordon Award which is similar 'for a work of fiction for children or young adults by a living author. It must have been continuously in print for at least five years, the book must not have won a major New Zealand award where a monetary prize is offered.' I attended a few times when the award was presented, always great to see a good book recognized and honoured.
Australia had the Inky Awards which was discontinued in 2020 where 12-18 yr olds could vote for their favourite YA book from a selected longlist/shortlist of books
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inky_Awards
Another shortlived award that I researched a few years ago was The Children's Rights Workshop's The Other Award 1975-1987 which was established as an irritant and counter to the Carnegie, the Kate Greenaway and the Guardian. I came across it after reading winners, Talking in Whispers and The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiler. https://booksforkeeps.co.uk/article/awards-3/
What is the name of the Polish series your friend is struggling with?
My son has taught himself Polish and has a few books in Polish including one by Jaroslaw Grzedowicz on his shelf as well as the Witcher books. He has talked about getting a few more books by Polish writers lately. He's interested in Polish history.
89PaulCranswick
>87 zuzaer: & >88 avatiakh: What great posts; thanks both of you.
The Phoenix Award does sound great doesn't it?
The bookseller and publisher awards are apparently decided by 200 professionals in the field.
I do very much get the point about literature awards putting off the more general reader as they can tend to be unnecessarily snooty sometimes. Increasingly it is form over content - probably why older writing is often more enjoyable.
The Phoenix Award does sound great doesn't it?
The bookseller and publisher awards are apparently decided by 200 professionals in the field.
I do very much get the point about literature awards putting off the more general reader as they can tend to be unnecessarily snooty sometimes. Increasingly it is form over content - probably why older writing is often more enjoyable.
90booksaplenty1949
>78 PaulCranswick: You are dedicating quite a lot of time to listing awards and recipients. Do you think this is related to work stress? I say this as a person who gets obsessive about flagging author pictures and combining editions as an escape.
91avatiakh
>89 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul. I'm currently reading The Third Temple which won Israel's Bernstein Prize in 2016.
92PaulCranswick
>90 booksaplenty1949: I am, I suppose unduly interested in awards AND work is uber stressful so you may have a point. I am borderline obsessive so when it comes to lists and stats I will go overboard.
>91 avatiakh: Israeli book awards are very much on my radar too, Kerry.
>91 avatiakh: Israeli book awards are very much on my radar too, Kerry.
93alcottacre
>86 PaulCranswick: My weekly post of new acquisitions is on the 'This Just In' thread, Juan, if you care to take a look.
I can honestly say that I have not read a single book in your post, lol.
I can honestly say that I have not read a single book in your post, lol.
94PaulCranswick
>93 alcottacre: A lot of fairly new stuff on that one, Stasia. Butter was something of a sensation in Japan, UK and here.
96Familyhistorian
I had no idea there were so many literary prizes before you listed them all, Paul. Not that I'm tempted to read a book because it won a prize, judges seem to go by a whole other criteria than I do when judging a literary work.
97PaulCranswick
>95 vancouverdeb: I am not good at such predictions, as history in the group demonstrates, Deb. I always like to predict based on blurb etc but I am usually wrong. I do think if they both make the longlist only one will go forward to the shortlist.
>96 Familyhistorian: I have only scratched the surface of it too, Meg. I do read books that make longlists as I like to pretend I am just as good a judge as any other!
>96 Familyhistorian: I have only scratched the surface of it too, Meg. I do read books that make longlists as I like to pretend I am just as good a judge as any other!
98zuzaer
>88 avatiakh: exactly, there need to be a careful balance between "what adults see as good for kids", "what kids see as good for them" and "what is actually good for kids"...
Wow, congrats to your son! Polish isn't easy to learn, I know that, so just that he is doing it is huge. The series I ranted about is "Rodzina Monet" (The Monet Family), but fortunately I think he won't be a target for this since he isn't a young, impressionable girl that dreams of going to America (at any rate, please don't buy it.)
I see that Grzędowicz writes sci-fi, your son may be interested in reading Stanisław Lem's novels (easily available also in translation, since he was a big thing a couple of decades ago, mostly known for Solaris, although kids in school read his short stories and I liked his novels about Pilot Pirx.) More YA-targeted, there's a series of books Felix, Net i Nika by Rafał Kosik that is 21st century reality/fantasy. I guess The Witcher is a classic by now! (never read it, so can't help here; I only know there was a hilarious Polish adaptation.)
>89 PaulCranswick: I'd say, increasingly it's meaningless literature... but I'm biased (:
>96 Familyhistorian: exactly! me and my friends tend to joke that we can accept awards given a hundred years ago (as in, if you're a director of the movie adaptation of a book that won Nobel a century ago and you dare to change the major character for whatever reason, you're just full of yourself), but there is a tendency of strange nominations. Or sometimes they're just simply not what we (personally) are looking for and therefore not so important.
Wow, congrats to your son! Polish isn't easy to learn, I know that, so just that he is doing it is huge. The series I ranted about is "Rodzina Monet" (The Monet Family), but fortunately I think he won't be a target for this since he isn't a young, impressionable girl that dreams of going to America (at any rate, please don't buy it.)
I see that Grzędowicz writes sci-fi, your son may be interested in reading Stanisław Lem's novels (easily available also in translation, since he was a big thing a couple of decades ago, mostly known for Solaris, although kids in school read his short stories and I liked his novels about Pilot Pirx.) More YA-targeted, there's a series of books Felix, Net i Nika by Rafał Kosik that is 21st century reality/fantasy. I guess The Witcher is a classic by now! (never read it, so can't help here; I only know there was a hilarious Polish adaptation.)
>89 PaulCranswick: I'd say, increasingly it's meaningless literature... but I'm biased (:
>96 Familyhistorian: exactly! me and my friends tend to joke that we can accept awards given a hundred years ago (as in, if you're a director of the movie adaptation of a book that won Nobel a century ago and you dare to change the major character for whatever reason, you're just full of yourself), but there is a tendency of strange nominations. Or sometimes they're just simply not what we (personally) are looking for and therefore not so important.
99booksaplenty1949
>98 zuzaer: I’d say you could change anything you liked in a movie adaptation of a work by a pre-1930 Nobel Laureate and no one would say boo, because no one has ever heard of them, let alone read anything by them. Rudyard Kipling a rare exception.
100booksaplenty1949
Donald Trump is rumoured to be not much of a reader but if he happened to dip into Glass Houses by Louise Penny that would explain why he felt it necessary to impose tariffs on imports from Canada until they do something about the torrent of drugs pouring over the border into the US. This mystery story is predicated on the idea that Canada has eclipsed Mexico as a source of fentanyl and kindred substances. Actual statistics show that .1% of fentanyl seizures by US border security are made at the Canadian border but Penny has not let that stand in the way of her plot. Oh well. I donate her books as I read them to a book sale which benefits a worthy cause so at least I feel I’m decluttering.
101zuzaer
>99 booksaplenty1949: Unfortunately... I'm not going to rant about it but there are two (!)* incoming adaptations of the 1890 Polish novel (right, sorry, the author got the Nobel for another one, but this one is great too), one by the Polish TV and the other one by Netflix, and I was worrying that Netflix is going to misinterpret everything up until I read some quoter from the Polish director... And may I add that we have a perfectly good movie and mini-TV series from 1968! But unfortunately, there's a trend of re-doing adaptations (with the "young viewer" in mind and with "modern" changes because surely, that female leading character was a budding feminist {I'm sorry, but she wasn't}), and not only in the Polish cinema... *cough* Disney's so-called 'live action' *cough*
Anyway, I don't care if everyone has to read a book at school or if it's laying forgotten in major libraries. The point is, you do not take liberty to re-appropriate the works (see the Roald Dahl problem recently). I'm of the mind that the movie adaptation should be as close to the original as humanly possible, but even without that opinion you shouldn't do what you want with the plot. The author wrote those characters that way for a reason. There is a difference between weaving your own plot on the basis of some other work (Master and Margarita, possibly Pride and Prejudice and Zombie?) and tweaking a couple of things and presenting them as "your view on", or, worse, as a pure adaptation (Mansfield Park 1999, Sullivan's 3rd part of Anne of Green Gables). If you don't want to present the work of other, write your own script. No one tells you to create the 516th adaptation.
Because some changes may seriously damage the plot. In Mansfield Park (1999), one scene (!) with accepting/refusing a proposal crushes the moral integrity of the main character, which, really, destroys the whole point of the plot and the story. I won't talk about the added slavery theme as I should rethink it beforehand, but I'm not sure it was necessary. The announced cast of Netflix's upcoming Harry Potter series may shift the social problems from class inequity (as seen in the books) to racism, which is a pretty big change, I'd say. Not to say that the producers completely disregarded the extensive descriptions of Professor Snape. To sum this up: every story focuses on something; let's maybe not change it just because we think some other concern is more pressing.
Right, I see I'm getting more and more frustrated, so I'll just stop here. Paul, if you feel this is too off-topic, I'll change my comment accordingly.
*what it is recently about there being two productions, one Polish and one external, made at the same time?! I swear, it's the second or third case I've heard of in the past few years.
Anyway, I don't care if everyone has to read a book at school or if it's laying forgotten in major libraries. The point is, you do not take liberty to re-appropriate the works (see the Roald Dahl problem recently). I'm of the mind that the movie adaptation should be as close to the original as humanly possible, but even without that opinion you shouldn't do what you want with the plot. The author wrote those characters that way for a reason. There is a difference between weaving your own plot on the basis of some other work (Master and Margarita, possibly Pride and Prejudice and Zombie?) and tweaking a couple of things and presenting them as "your view on", or, worse, as a pure adaptation (Mansfield Park 1999, Sullivan's 3rd part of Anne of Green Gables). If you don't want to present the work of other, write your own script. No one tells you to create the 516th adaptation.
Because some changes may seriously damage the plot. In Mansfield Park (1999), one scene (!) with accepting/refusing a proposal crushes the moral integrity of the main character, which, really, destroys the whole point of the plot and the story. I won't talk about the added slavery theme as I should rethink it beforehand, but I'm not sure it was necessary. The announced cast of Netflix's upcoming Harry Potter series may shift the social problems from class inequity (as seen in the books) to racism, which is a pretty big change, I'd say. Not to say that the producers completely disregarded the extensive descriptions of Professor Snape. To sum this up: every story focuses on something; let's maybe not change it just because we think some other concern is more pressing.
Right, I see I'm getting more and more frustrated, so I'll just stop here. Paul, if you feel this is too off-topic, I'll change my comment accordingly.
*what it is recently about there being two productions, one Polish and one external, made at the same time?! I swear, it's the second or third case I've heard of in the past few years.
102booksaplenty1949
>101 zuzaer: Well, Henryk Sienkiewicz was an exception to my general ignorance of early Nobel Prize winners. But the larger question is complicated. I did enjoy Anne with an E’s exploration of some of the unanswered questions of the original work—-why neither of the Cuthberts had ever married, for example. Of course Anne of Green Gables is no Jane Austen novel. It’s a work of popular fiction. Popular fiction must keep abreast of the times, or become a relic. Wouldn’t let a Roald Dahl work near a child I cared about.
103avatiakh
>101 zuzaer: Thanks for your tips on Polish books. Will let him know about Rafał Kosik. I know he wants to read Henryk Sienkiewicz and would love your recommendations on Polish history books covering medieval times through to the 18th century.
He started with duolingo and then watched lots of Netflix shows & youtube shows in Polish with subtitles. He also listens to audiobooks. We visited Poland (Zakopane & Krakow) back in 2008 and he just felt a connection to the country. His great grandparents were born there in Chrzanów & Sosnowiec.
He started with duolingo and then watched lots of Netflix shows & youtube shows in Polish with subtitles. He also listens to audiobooks. We visited Poland (Zakopane & Krakow) back in 2008 and he just felt a connection to the country. His great grandparents were born there in Chrzanów & Sosnowiec.
104booksaplenty1949
Just added White Spines after chancing on an LT description. A book about collecting books. Yessss.
105PaulCranswick
>98 zuzaer: That is a great little walk through Polish lit, thank you. I have a few Stanislaw Lem books but not yet braved them as it isn't really my normal genre.
I am a lover of poetry as many who visit here will know and Poland has of course being very blessed in that regard. I have books in translation by Milosz, Szymborska and Herbert all of whom I dip into regularly.
My objection to much of modern literature is that it often dispenses with one of good writing's essential ingredients - plot. I like to be told a story. Modern awards are increasingly becoming obsessed with works that highlight minority concerns - which whilst of intrinsically of value do not always hold the interest of the general reader.
>99 booksaplenty1949: Well yes that is true of course and I am often left fuming when a film adaptation of a novel strays too far from the original.
I am a lover of poetry as many who visit here will know and Poland has of course being very blessed in that regard. I have books in translation by Milosz, Szymborska and Herbert all of whom I dip into regularly.
My objection to much of modern literature is that it often dispenses with one of good writing's essential ingredients - plot. I like to be told a story. Modern awards are increasingly becoming obsessed with works that highlight minority concerns - which whilst of intrinsically of value do not always hold the interest of the general reader.
>99 booksaplenty1949: Well yes that is true of course and I am often left fuming when a film adaptation of a novel strays too far from the original.
106PaulCranswick
>100 booksaplenty1949: Yes, I don't much imagine many of the last Presidents were great readers, Obama excepted. I always liked the fact that he would list his summer reading for all to ponder upon. It seemed to humanize him more.
>101 zuzaer: I agree pretty much with all of that - I don't like the bastardizing of an author's work either.
I believe in two things here - free speech - I am one who enjoys opinion not one who seeks to regulate them! Secondly, I believe firmly in courtesy.
You always bring both to my thread and I am always happy to have you drop back with the freedom to say whatever you want. xx
>101 zuzaer: I agree pretty much with all of that - I don't like the bastardizing of an author's work either.
I believe in two things here - free speech - I am one who enjoys opinion not one who seeks to regulate them! Secondly, I believe firmly in courtesy.
You always bring both to my thread and I am always happy to have you drop back with the freedom to say whatever you want. xx
107PaulCranswick
>102 booksaplenty1949: I get your point on Dahl but I am a little less censorious of his book which are, in the main, great fun for kids and his adult short stories are often tremendous. I know that some of his writing clunks to today's sensitivities but I do think that we have to be careful in "tailoring" work to sanitize it.
>103 avatiakh: I don't have (as far as I know) any Polish antecedents, Kerry, but I do have an affinity with Polish people largely because many of them settled in West Yorkshire immediately before, during and after the war. I grew up working in a Polish deli in Huddersfield, developing many friends from the community. I went to Poland with three of them back in the 1980s and also went to Kracow, Zakopane, Czestochowa and Auschwitz. I dare say it is very different there today.
>103 avatiakh: I don't have (as far as I know) any Polish antecedents, Kerry, but I do have an affinity with Polish people largely because many of them settled in West Yorkshire immediately before, during and after the war. I grew up working in a Polish deli in Huddersfield, developing many friends from the community. I went to Poland with three of them back in the 1980s and also went to Kracow, Zakopane, Czestochowa and Auschwitz. I dare say it is very different there today.
109avatiakh
>105 PaulCranswick: I agree Paul, a novel needs a good plot.
I was researching Polish novels and read that The Pharoah by Boleslaw Prus 'was the favourite novel of Joseph Stalin, who saw it as a manual on attaining and maintaining power.'
>107 PaulCranswick: Paul - I also visited Auschwitz. We had our two youngest with us and the signage suggested that they were too young (10 & 12 yrs) but we had no choice but to bring them. It was an awful rainy day and felt very appropriate.
When I was in the UK in 2023 my son and I had a fabulous Polish meal at Swojskie Jadło in Boston. My grandmother had gone to school in Boston long ago so I wanted to visit but it is now quite a dreary place, at least the part we drove through. We went on to Lincoln which is still quite charming.
I was researching Polish novels and read that The Pharoah by Boleslaw Prus 'was the favourite novel of Joseph Stalin, who saw it as a manual on attaining and maintaining power.'
>107 PaulCranswick: Paul - I also visited Auschwitz. We had our two youngest with us and the signage suggested that they were too young (10 & 12 yrs) but we had no choice but to bring them. It was an awful rainy day and felt very appropriate.
When I was in the UK in 2023 my son and I had a fabulous Polish meal at Swojskie Jadło in Boston. My grandmother had gone to school in Boston long ago so I wanted to visit but it is now quite a dreary place, at least the part we drove through. We went on to Lincoln which is still quite charming.
110PaulCranswick
>109 avatiakh: It may have been a figment of my imagination but the place felt a few degrees colder than the spaces around it. I felt quite disturbed for a long time after visiting Auschwitz to be honest and I can still shiver just remembering it but I am grateful for the opportunity to visit the place and pay my silent respect to those who so cruelly perished there and my admiration for those who braved it and lived to tell others of what transpired there.
It isn't that far from where I grew up but I am not sure if I have ever been to Boston. Now Lincoln is a city a love. Once the tallest building in the world was constructed there and remain the Minster or Cathedral. It has some good eateries and at least one very good second hand book shop.
It isn't that far from where I grew up but I am not sure if I have ever been to Boston. Now Lincoln is a city a love. Once the tallest building in the world was constructed there and remain the Minster or Cathedral. It has some good eateries and at least one very good second hand book shop.
111zuzaer
>102 booksaplenty1949: I'm not saying you should lets children read Roald Dahl (or Sienkiewicz's novel about children in Africa, for that matter), but the fact that there's something wrong with the story (as in Sienkiewicz's case, a grossly unfounded 19th century view on people of Africa, I don't know what's wrong with Dahl so I won't make a case out of him) doesn't allow you (you, as in: editor) to change the book. Don't do a 100th reprint. Or do it with a good introduction where you point out what is incorrect and why it is. The fact that someone decided to redact a Roald Dahl's novel, probably without informing the reader, is a massive breach of ethics to me. If it becomes a relic, then so be it, we'll know why.
>103 avatiakh: ooh, Sienkiewicz!!! Quo vadis, for which he got Nobel (although one can argue that it was simply his most popular and universal=easy to understand work.) 14th century and Poland vs the Teutonic Orded is Krzyżacy. Then the famous Trilogy, set during various wars in the 17th century. I would recommend trying to get an edition with commentary as it's heavy with 1) history, and 2) Latin phrases. There are a couple of English translations, the oldest available on Project Gutenberg; if you want it in Polish (it will be difficult! just a heads up) try to get your hands on Zielona Sowa from the 'Arcydzieła Literatury Polskiej' series - could be available on Allegro, maybe. I remember reading Ogniem i mieczem and being delighted by a thorough commentary. There are the short stories that are various and quite good. Now, for the modern works: I hate Bez dogmatu with passion (the main character... maybe I'm a feminist, after all), W pustyni i w puszczy is controversial as it presents the 19th century view on Africa.
If you're on Netflix, there should be two shows available: one is "High Water" and talks about the 1997 flood in Wrocław which was catastrophic for the city. The other one is "1670" and I honestly don't know whether to go in favour or against it... Mostly because I'm still wary to watch it. It's a satire, probably on today's Poland, in the 17th century costume. Maybe something to watch together. May be full of the context that will be unknown to you.
There are books by Elżbieta Cherezińska who is apparently set to cover the whole medieval history of Poland. I haven't read anything by her, but my mum was content.
Back to the 19th century, there was Bolesław Prus, who wrote Faraon, a novel about the fictional pharaoh Ramses XIII. Józef Ignacy Kraszewski's Stara baśń, set in the 9th century, is said to be canonical. If your son wants to delve into the late 19th/early 20th century, there's an entire set of works worth reading.
Oh, right, and there's Tokarczuk and her Księgi Jakubowe. I don't know. I haven't read it and I'm not convinced, but it is an option and will be availaible.
If you, however, would like to read some non-fiction books, there's Norman Davies, there's contemporary Andrzej Nowak, there's a 20th century historian Paweł Jasienica.
(It's heartwarming to see that he wants to understand his roots! Chrzanów and Sosnowiec are both in the region of Silesia which had its own unique history. I don't know much about it, but it was heavily influenced by Czechia and Germany.)
(Sorry, >105 PaulCranswick:, that's an even bigger walk through Polish lit!)
>105 PaulCranswick: I agree, there seems to be an influx of "form over plot" writing. Is it necessarily bad? In theory, no. If that's all you can find in a bookshop... I believe it has its merit when it has a purpose.
>106 PaulCranswick: Thank you. I want to be really upfront: sometimes I get passionate about something and write a whole article and then pause and think, "is it too much? is that even on topic?" So, if one day you decide I've overblown something, just let me know. Not anyone here needs to have a strong opinion about what is a good adaptation. Also, I feel I've stolen your thread to start a great discussion about it and I'm feeling a little guilty now.
(I'm glad we're in agreement about the adaptations, though.)
>107 PaulCranswick: I agree, it's difficult to work with "In desert and wilderness" as it probably is with Dajl nowadays in the class, (if they're even still on the list of books to be read), but that's the point of reading: to be able to understand where it's coming from and why is it shaped the way it was. Off the top of my head, I've never read the Twilight series but my friend told me the author comes from the Mormons culture, and it shaped how she clothed her main character. And so on. That's the point of the class, ideally, to tell the children "now we're going to read this book but be aware that this, this and that is incorrect as nowadays we know that..." and that's the point of a preface. I'm firmly against rewriting the past, in this case literature, just because it suits us better.
Haha, yes, today's Poland is vastly different from the one in the 80s! Even from the 2000s. There are pros and cons to everything but being free, being in a free market and, lastly, being a part of the EU has helped a lot. (I was in Georgia two summers past, and I was sad to realise that the country, including parts of the capital Tbilisi, in many instances looks just as my country looked like before we've had the opportunity to grow. A humbling thought. They do have great nature though.) If you want to compare the Poland from the 80s to today's Poland, you can watch the aforementioned "High Water" and then any romantic comedy.
>109 avatiakh: I didn't know that! But yes, "The Pharaoh" is all about politics and power. (There's a great movie adaptation, by the way. https://easterneuropeanmovies.com is my go-to page.)
>103 avatiakh: ooh, Sienkiewicz!!! Quo vadis, for which he got Nobel (although one can argue that it was simply his most popular and universal=easy to understand work.) 14th century and Poland vs the Teutonic Orded is Krzyżacy. Then the famous Trilogy, set during various wars in the 17th century. I would recommend trying to get an edition with commentary as it's heavy with 1) history, and 2) Latin phrases. There are a couple of English translations, the oldest available on Project Gutenberg; if you want it in Polish (it will be difficult! just a heads up) try to get your hands on Zielona Sowa from the 'Arcydzieła Literatury Polskiej' series - could be available on Allegro, maybe. I remember reading Ogniem i mieczem and being delighted by a thorough commentary. There are the short stories that are various and quite good. Now, for the modern works: I hate Bez dogmatu with passion (the main character... maybe I'm a feminist, after all), W pustyni i w puszczy is controversial as it presents the 19th century view on Africa.
If you're on Netflix, there should be two shows available: one is "High Water" and talks about the 1997 flood in Wrocław which was catastrophic for the city. The other one is "1670" and I honestly don't know whether to go in favour or against it... Mostly because I'm still wary to watch it. It's a satire, probably on today's Poland, in the 17th century costume. Maybe something to watch together. May be full of the context that will be unknown to you.
There are books by Elżbieta Cherezińska who is apparently set to cover the whole medieval history of Poland. I haven't read anything by her, but my mum was content.
Back to the 19th century, there was Bolesław Prus, who wrote Faraon, a novel about the fictional pharaoh Ramses XIII. Józef Ignacy Kraszewski's Stara baśń, set in the 9th century, is said to be canonical. If your son wants to delve into the late 19th/early 20th century, there's an entire set of works worth reading.
Oh, right, and there's Tokarczuk and her Księgi Jakubowe. I don't know. I haven't read it and I'm not convinced, but it is an option and will be availaible.
If you, however, would like to read some non-fiction books, there's Norman Davies, there's contemporary Andrzej Nowak, there's a 20th century historian Paweł Jasienica.
(It's heartwarming to see that he wants to understand his roots! Chrzanów and Sosnowiec are both in the region of Silesia which had its own unique history. I don't know much about it, but it was heavily influenced by Czechia and Germany.)
(Sorry, >105 PaulCranswick:, that's an even bigger walk through Polish lit!)
>105 PaulCranswick: I agree, there seems to be an influx of "form over plot" writing. Is it necessarily bad? In theory, no. If that's all you can find in a bookshop... I believe it has its merit when it has a purpose.
>106 PaulCranswick: Thank you. I want to be really upfront: sometimes I get passionate about something and write a whole article and then pause and think, "is it too much? is that even on topic?" So, if one day you decide I've overblown something, just let me know. Not anyone here needs to have a strong opinion about what is a good adaptation. Also, I feel I've stolen your thread to start a great discussion about it and I'm feeling a little guilty now.
(I'm glad we're in agreement about the adaptations, though.)
>107 PaulCranswick: I agree, it's difficult to work with "In desert and wilderness" as it probably is with Dajl nowadays in the class, (if they're even still on the list of books to be read), but that's the point of reading: to be able to understand where it's coming from and why is it shaped the way it was. Off the top of my head, I've never read the Twilight series but my friend told me the author comes from the Mormons culture, and it shaped how she clothed her main character. And so on. That's the point of the class, ideally, to tell the children "now we're going to read this book but be aware that this, this and that is incorrect as nowadays we know that..." and that's the point of a preface. I'm firmly against rewriting the past, in this case literature, just because it suits us better.
Haha, yes, today's Poland is vastly different from the one in the 80s! Even from the 2000s. There are pros and cons to everything but being free, being in a free market and, lastly, being a part of the EU has helped a lot. (I was in Georgia two summers past, and I was sad to realise that the country, including parts of the capital Tbilisi, in many instances looks just as my country looked like before we've had the opportunity to grow. A humbling thought. They do have great nature though.) If you want to compare the Poland from the 80s to today's Poland, you can watch the aforementioned "High Water" and then any romantic comedy.
>109 avatiakh: I didn't know that! But yes, "The Pharaoh" is all about politics and power. (There's a great movie adaptation, by the way. https://easterneuropeanmovies.com is my go-to page.)
112booksaplenty1949
>107 PaulCranswick: The first movie version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory changed the title, among other things. Willie Wonka has been given a back-story in later films. Like Cinderella, the appealing elements of his plots have passed into popular culture and others—-the stepsisters cutting off their toes to try to squeeze into the glass slipper—have been edited out. If you think it preferable for a work which now offends our sensibilities to remain solely in a special reading room for scholars to consult, that’s one POV, but I think that accords Dahl too much importance.
113ArlieS
>101 zuzaer: It seems to me that a lot of movies are made to cash in on something that's already popular. Sometimes this involves yet another entry in a previously successful series. Sometimes it's a remake of a movie that was popular decades ago. And sometimes it's an adaptation of a successful book.
These vary in faithfulness to their original. Sometimes it's a clear rip off, with essentially nothing kept except the name, hoping people will buy based on the well known "brand". Sometimes it's a sincere attempt to create something good, based on a good original. Mostly it's a mix - too blatant a name rip off might get panned by reviewers, and give the producer a bad name; too good a product might be nixed by money-conscious management, or be impossible given the medium.
Books have the same problem, except they are generally less expensive to produce. Still, just about every popular novel spawns both imitations and sequels, which are rarely as good as the original. I figure this is yet another example of the general law "80% of everything is crap".
These vary in faithfulness to their original. Sometimes it's a clear rip off, with essentially nothing kept except the name, hoping people will buy based on the well known "brand". Sometimes it's a sincere attempt to create something good, based on a good original. Mostly it's a mix - too blatant a name rip off might get panned by reviewers, and give the producer a bad name; too good a product might be nixed by money-conscious management, or be impossible given the medium.
Books have the same problem, except they are generally less expensive to produce. Still, just about every popular novel spawns both imitations and sequels, which are rarely as good as the original. I figure this is yet another example of the general law "80% of everything is crap".
114zuzaer
I agree that cashing in is becoming more and more popular, and it's frustrating, both in the sense of remakes and re-printing. The imitations and sequels are at least something slightly more original, even if I agree that most is a crap trying to make money after something popular (re: werewolves after The Twilight, postapocalyptics after The Hunger Games, magical schools after Harry Potter). Of course, our culture is based on imitation, for good and for bad, and sometimes one can only feel that "nihil novi", nothing is truly original. But throughout the centuries, writers would base their works on others' concepts and then write creatively, which I find lacking in today's cinema (Disney...).
115PaulCranswick
>111 zuzaer: I agree with your position on amending modern books to make them more palatable to modern readers. An introduction or afterword suffices to explain to the reader that some of the language may be objectionable today.
Lovely meander through Polish literature.
>112 booksaplenty1949: I'm not according Dahl any special privileges here but I would judge his books as written not as sanitized. I think if they are being sanitized to keep them acceptable or popular that is what is affording him privilege.
Lovely meander through Polish literature.
>112 booksaplenty1949: I'm not according Dahl any special privileges here but I would judge his books as written not as sanitized. I think if they are being sanitized to keep them acceptable or popular that is what is affording him privilege.
116PaulCranswick
>113 ArlieS: In general terms, Arlie, I am a reader rather than a watcher so I find it very easy to agree that in terms of book adaptations movies are made to cash in on something that is already popular.
>114 zuzaer: They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery it is also the surest form of cashing in.
>114 zuzaer: They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery it is also the surest form of cashing in.
117booksaplenty1949
Writing/publishing is a business. The artist in the garret creating inspired but unsaleable work is a Romantic myth. It’s no more objectionable to “cash in” on a book than it is to “cash in” on someone’s talent as an engineer, an architect, or a designer of running shoes.
118PaulCranswick
>117 booksaplenty1949: I'm not objecting at all to cashing in - it is a business for sure and a lucrative one oftentimes. There is an issue though surely when you are selling a movie as being based on a book and it is actually different in most of its fundamentals. A few tweaks can be interesting and needful but it should at least closely resemble the book it has taken the name of.
119PaulCranswick
FEATURED BOOK AWARD
I have started looking at the various book awards throughout the Anglosphere and I listed 85 awards (this will get bigger). They are listed above here https://www.librarything.com/topic/372305#8900236
Politics and Fiction are uneasy bedfellows but today we will feature THE PRIME MINISTER'S LITERARY AWARD from Australia.
WHAT IS THE PRIME MINISTER'S LITERARY AWARD?
Australia's most lucrative annual literary prize open to any novel from the Previous calendar year. There are now 6 categories but I will concentrate here on the literary fiction award. The inaugural award was in 2008.
WHAT DOES THE WINNER GET?
AUS $80K
WHEN IS THE AWARD TIMELINE
Awarded annually in September: Shortlist announced in July.
WHICH BOOK WON IN 2024
Anam by Andre Dao
HONOUR ROLL OF PAST WINNERS
2008 The Zookeeper's War by Steven Conte
2009 The Boat by Nam Le
2010 Dog Boy by Eva Hornung
2011 Traitor by Stephen Daisley
2012 Foal's Bread by Gillian Mears
2013 Questions of Travel by Michelle de Kretser
2014 A World of Other People by Steven Carroll
2014 The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan
2015 The Golden Age by Joan London
2016 The Life of Houses by Lisa Gorton
2016 The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood
2017 Their Brilliant Careers by Ryan O'Neill
2018 Border Districts by Gerald Murnane
2019 The Death of Noah Glass by Gail Jones
2020 The Yield by Tara June Winch
2021 The Labyrinth by Amanda Lohrey
2022 Red Heaven by Nicholas Rothwell
2023 Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au
MY RECORD
I have read 1 (Flanagan)
I own a further 6 ( Le, Hornung, Mears, De Kretser, Wood, Winch)
FACTOID
The Prime Minister actually makes the award based on recommendations from the Judging committee which is decided by the Ministry of Culture. It has proven a diverse an interesting award. 19 winners (10 ladies and 9 men).
I have started looking at the various book awards throughout the Anglosphere and I listed 85 awards (this will get bigger). They are listed above here https://www.librarything.com/topic/372305#8900236
Politics and Fiction are uneasy bedfellows but today we will feature THE PRIME MINISTER'S LITERARY AWARD from Australia.
WHAT IS THE PRIME MINISTER'S LITERARY AWARD?
Australia's most lucrative annual literary prize open to any novel from the Previous calendar year. There are now 6 categories but I will concentrate here on the literary fiction award. The inaugural award was in 2008.
WHAT DOES THE WINNER GET?
AUS $80K
WHEN IS THE AWARD TIMELINE
Awarded annually in September: Shortlist announced in July.
WHICH BOOK WON IN 2024
Anam by Andre Dao
HONOUR ROLL OF PAST WINNERS
2008 The Zookeeper's War by Steven Conte
2009 The Boat by Nam Le
2010 Dog Boy by Eva Hornung
2011 Traitor by Stephen Daisley
2012 Foal's Bread by Gillian Mears
2013 Questions of Travel by Michelle de Kretser
2014 A World of Other People by Steven Carroll
2014 The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan
2015 The Golden Age by Joan London
2016 The Life of Houses by Lisa Gorton
2016 The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood
2017 Their Brilliant Careers by Ryan O'Neill
2018 Border Districts by Gerald Murnane
2019 The Death of Noah Glass by Gail Jones
2020 The Yield by Tara June Winch
2021 The Labyrinth by Amanda Lohrey
2022 Red Heaven by Nicholas Rothwell
2023 Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au
MY RECORD
I have read 1 (Flanagan)
I own a further 6 ( Le, Hornung, Mears, De Kretser, Wood, Winch)
FACTOID
The Prime Minister actually makes the award based on recommendations from the Judging committee which is decided by the Ministry of Culture. It has proven a diverse an interesting award. 19 winners (10 ladies and 9 men).
120booksaplenty1949
>118 PaulCranswick: If a book is still under copyright I assume the author/estate has some say, but I’m no lawyer.
121PaulCranswick
>120 booksaplenty1949: Yes, he does, I believe under IP and copyright laws. It is normally purchased in effect from the author by selling the rights of the book for filming purposes which would then depend upon the actual contract between buyer and seller.
122Familyhistorian
>97 PaulCranswick: I'm not sure if you missed me or Deborah in your response up there, Paul.
123avatiakh
>119 PaulCranswick: I've also only read one of these, Questions of Travel which I remember liking. Not many of the later winners appeal. I have 2008-2011 and the Flanagan on my radar.
124PaulCranswick
>122 Familyhistorian: Yikes, let me go and put that right, Meg. I take pride in making sure that I answer every message sent to me so thank you for pointing that out to me. It was inadvertently done believe me.
>123 avatiakh: I was slightly underwhelmed by Flanagan's book to be honest, Kerry, although I should really have liked it. Foal's Bread is probably the next cab on the rank for me as far as this award goes.
>123 avatiakh: I was slightly underwhelmed by Flanagan's book to be honest, Kerry, although I should really have liked it. Foal's Bread is probably the next cab on the rank for me as far as this award goes.
125PaulCranswick
>122 Familyhistorian: Actually I did reply to you both, Meg, but somehow I got the post numbers wrong. Sometimes if two posts come in at the same time they initially get the same number until you refresh the thread. Maybe that is what happened.
Anyway I have corrected it back.
Anyway I have corrected it back.
126Kristelh
>119 PaulCranswick: Like you, I’ve only read the Flanagan. None of the others have been on my radar but this does seem like an interesting award.
127PaulCranswick
THE MILES FRANKLIN AWARD winner will be announced on Thursday.
Here is the shortlist:
Chinese Postman by Brian Castro
Theory & Practice by Michelle de Kretser READ
Dirt Poor Islanders by Winnie Dunn
Compassion by Julie Janson
Ghost Cities by Siang Lu
Highway 13 by Fiona McFarlane Owned
https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2025/06/25/274723/miles-franklin-...
Wasn't blown away by De Kretser's book but she is apparently the favourite.
Here is the shortlist:
Chinese Postman by Brian Castro
Theory & Practice by Michelle de Kretser READ
Dirt Poor Islanders by Winnie Dunn
Compassion by Julie Janson
Ghost Cities by Siang Lu
Highway 13 by Fiona McFarlane Owned
https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2025/06/25/274723/miles-franklin-...
Wasn't blown away by De Kretser's book but she is apparently the favourite.
128PaulCranswick
>126 Kristelh: I think that the picks look quite solid to be fair, Kristel.
129m.belljackson
>118 PaulCranswick: The early chapters of THE LION TREES succinctly and totally cover the book to movie reality
as author Angus Mann debates actress Tilly in a rip-roaring rant!
as author Angus Mann debates actress Tilly in a rip-roaring rant!
130PaulCranswick
>129 m.belljackson: You have an unerring knack for unearthing books I have never heard of, Marianne.
131m.belljackson
From 2014, no less, and with a long and beautiful inscription from Owen Thomas.
And, you might well Love DOMESTIC VIOLETS from 2011.
(Most all of the unearthing are from the long lost Save Shelves.)
And, you might well Love DOMESTIC VIOLETS from 2011.
(Most all of the unearthing are from the long lost Save Shelves.)
132PaulCranswick
>131 m.belljackson: I have everything the chap has in your book, Marianne, except the dog!
133m.belljackson
As well, there is the admirably nuts and prescient Andrei Codrescu - from 1996!
135johnsimpson
>43 EllaTim:, Hi Ella, i can fondly remember watching the Four Hills Tournament from 26th December into the New Year, this along with the regular Rugby League fixture on Boxing Day (26TH), Wakefield Trinity V Leeds with commentary by the legendary Eddie Waring. How i miss those days, now i have to subscribe to a channel to watch the Four Hills and i don't do this.
136zuzaer
>117 booksaplenty1949: Yes, it is a business, but I believe in a bit of ethics alongside the process. As >118 PaulCranswick: said, in movies' cause, being faithful in general; in editors' case, not tweaking the book just because you felt like doing it. Going back to that strange Polish YA series, not publishing a new literature that could actually show harmful tendencies as appropriate. (Are those statements a bit contrary to each other? Maybe.)
>119 PaulCranswick: I was going to ask whether it's the Prime Minister who gets to decide! That would have been funny.
>119 PaulCranswick: I was going to ask whether it's the Prime Minister who gets to decide! That would have been funny.
137booksaplenty1949
>136 zuzaer: When an author signs a deal with a movie studio he or she can stipulate conditions, as Mr Cranswick notes above (122). If s/he doesn’t, I don’t see why the studio is morally obligated to resist making changes.
138PaulCranswick
>133 m.belljackson: I'm not sure how well that one will have aged, Marianne.
>134 drneutron: Always welcome, Jim.
>134 drneutron: Always welcome, Jim.
139PaulCranswick
>135 johnsimpson: Wasn't it better, John, back in the day before greed took over entirely?
I see our two teams played out a pre-season 0-0 draw in Sweden at the weekend and we would probably be the happier of the two. Quite remarkable that the two can fill out a 50,000 stadium in Sweden just for a pre-season game.
>136 zuzaer: In a way He/She does decide because although the winner is recommended to the PM I don't see that the PM has to accept the recommendation!
I see our two teams played out a pre-season 0-0 draw in Sweden at the weekend and we would probably be the happier of the two. Quite remarkable that the two can fill out a 50,000 stadium in Sweden just for a pre-season game.
>136 zuzaer: In a way He/She does decide because although the winner is recommended to the PM I don't see that the PM has to accept the recommendation!
140PaulCranswick
>137 booksaplenty1949: I think morally obligated is a bit too far when money has changed hands and a few tweaks is interesting to those nerds (like me) who will look closely to see what differences there are between book and film, but to change it completely seems to somewhat obviate the point of buying the rights in the first place.
141m.belljackson
>138 PaulCranswick: Nah - not the book Touchstones chose - The Dog with the Chip in his Neck instead.
142booksaplenty1949
>140 PaulCranswick: Although the novel Jaws was a best-seller, the reviews were pretty dire. Like many critics, Spielberg found the shark the only attractive character. He eliminated all the subplots and focussed on the chase that makes the film version so great, while reimagining the roles played by Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw.
143PaulCranswick
>141 m.belljackson: No less obscure, I think!
>142 booksaplenty1949: Then it begs the question, why on earth buy the film rights to the book? I loved the film but haven't read the book.
>142 booksaplenty1949: Then it begs the question, why on earth buy the film rights to the book? I loved the film but haven't read the book.
144booksaplenty1949
>143 PaulCranswick: Well, the book was a best-seller. The premise was obviously of huge interest.
145atozgrl
>125 PaulCranswick: I replied to two posts on my thread last month by clicking on the Reply option within the message, and when I went back later, I found that the replies were no longer pointing to the correct messages. I had to manually fix them. Since I've seen replies pointing to wrong messages on other threads this year, I'm starting to wonder if there's an issue with LT.
146vancouverdeb
Happy Belated New Thread, Paul. I have not been on LT for a couple of days.
148zuzaer
>137 booksaplenty1949: I've written a lengthy post but then I realised that we're probably going to keep on disagreeing. So. I firmly believe that even in this world, there is a space for a basic amount of human decency and respect
when dealing with the other's work. If I'm an editor, a publisher, a screenwriter or a movie director working with someone else's story—it's theirs, not mine, and I have to acknowledge and respect that, whether that person still lives or died few hundred years ago.
It may seem like I'm an extremist in that regard; and maybe a little, but I do enjoy works based on another medium, too. The issue is how much and why is changed and then probably how it's reflected in the promotion and post-release discussion.
There's also that nowadays, people seem to prefer re-doing something instead of creating something unique (and that's saddening).
when dealing with the other's work. If I'm an editor, a publisher, a screenwriter or a movie director working with someone else's story—it's theirs, not mine, and I have to acknowledge and respect that, whether that person still lives or died few hundred years ago.
It may seem like I'm an extremist in that regard; and maybe a little, but I do enjoy works based on another medium, too. The issue is how much and why is changed and then probably how it's reflected in the promotion and post-release discussion.
There's also that nowadays, people seem to prefer re-doing something instead of creating something unique (and that's saddening).
149booksaplenty1949
>148 zuzaer: As a child I enjoyed The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, and The Hardy Boys. Years later I discovered that the “authors” of these series were pseudonyms used by any number of writers for the Stratemeyer Syndicate. In a previous discussion here of “complete” versions of The Count of Monte Cristo I discovered that Alexandre Dumas employed a small army of ghostwriters to meet his various serial commitments. Authorship is a complicated business and the origin of an “idea” is even more elusive. Shakespeare’s only fully original play is The Merry Wives of Windsor and it’s pretty feeble, IMHO. I think that if Spielberg hadn’t come along the novel Jaws would be forgotten, like the original Hamlet, the one with the happy ending.
150zuzaer
Well yes, our culture has been ripe with basing the story on someone else's idea (literally since the Greek and Roman Mythology, or even earlier). That doesn't negate the fact that sometimes the autorship is very straightforward and that today we're generally trying to acknowledge things (we're even decades past the “death of the author”). Again, there is a difference between using someone's idea as a beginning point (“prompt”, let's say) and taking someone's work, twisting it so that it's “right” and showing it as if it were the original work.
151booksaplenty1949
>150 zuzaer: I’m sure Peter Benchley was crying all the way to the bank.
152PaulCranswick
>144 booksaplenty1949: That's true but you don't need to option the rights merely based on a premise. I guess in this instance though everyone won in so far as a great premise with possibly substandard execution on the page was converted into one of the 1970's most universally acclaimed films.
>145 atozgrl: I'm guessing that in the instance on my thread, Irene, it was simply a case of carelessness on my part!
>145 atozgrl: I'm guessing that in the instance on my thread, Irene, it was simply a case of carelessness on my part!
153PaulCranswick
>146 vancouverdeb: I will be over at your place later, Deb. Today I will focus upon the Giller Prize, a favourite of mine, as my featured award.
>147 Familyhistorian: It did surprise me, Meg, when you informed me that I had missed both you and Deb. I can sometimes miss one post if they cross but I don't remember missing two entirely before. I was pleased it was a glitch either by LT or me.
>147 Familyhistorian: It did surprise me, Meg, when you informed me that I had missed both you and Deb. I can sometimes miss one post if they cross but I don't remember missing two entirely before. I was pleased it was a glitch either by LT or me.
154PaulCranswick
>148 zuzaer: One of the things that I have to do in my job - especially when I had a team of eight staff on my Contracts team, is to go through all their letters and edit/correct them. One thing I realised very early was that people have different drafting styles and, whilst I will occasionally out of frustration completely re-write the clunkiest of sentences, I concentrate on content over form in my editing. When I am correcting letters for something more than an obvious typo I always sit with the letter's originator and explain why I am changing their draft both as a training tool and as a feedback, because sometimes that point out that their reasoning was based on a fact that I wasn't aware of and I have reinstated what they had written in the first place.
There is nothing worse than having someone try to impose their writing style on you - quibbling over certain words which make no actual difference to the content.
>149 booksaplenty1949: That is a good point actually and a good editor is certainly worth their weight in gold.
There is nothing worse than having someone try to impose their writing style on you - quibbling over certain words which make no actual difference to the content.
>149 booksaplenty1949: That is a good point actually and a good editor is certainly worth their weight in gold.
155PaulCranswick
>150 zuzaer: I agree with that completely Susan.
>151 booksaplenty1949: In all fairness, references to Jaws as a good example to justify fairly brazen editing is somewhat undermined by the fact that the movie employed a certain Peter Benchley to write the screenplay of the movie! A little bit of a different point when you are editing your own work and maybe he retains some of the credit with Spielberg for the success of the movie.
>151 booksaplenty1949: In all fairness, references to Jaws as a good example to justify fairly brazen editing is somewhat undermined by the fact that the movie employed a certain Peter Benchley to write the screenplay of the movie! A little bit of a different point when you are editing your own work and maybe he retains some of the credit with Spielberg for the success of the movie.
156booksaplenty1949
>155 PaulCranswick: Would be interested to see what he actually contributed. Maybe a screenwriting “credit” was part of the deal in granting the movie rights. Wouldn’t be the first time.
PS This account https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaws_(film)# says his script was unusable.
PS This account https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaws_(film)# says his script was unusable.
157PaulCranswick
>156 booksaplenty1949: Could be right but he cannot well complain can he if he was employed to do the screenplay?
158PaulCranswick
FEATURED BOOK AWARD
I have started looking at the various book awards throughout the Anglosphere and I listed 85 awards (this will get bigger). They are listed above here https://www.librarything.com/topic/372305#8900236
Onto Canada today and one of my favourites THE GILLER PRIZE
WHAT IS THE GILLER PRIZE?
Probably Canada's best known and most prestigious annual literary prize open to any Canadian novel from 1 October to 30 September of the next year (similar to the UK's Booker). First awarded in 1994, this year's longlist will be announced on 15 September, the shortlist on 6 October and the winner on 17 November.
WHAT DOES THE WINNER GET?
CAN $100K
WHEN IS THE AWARD TIMELINE
As above. Awarded on 17 November this year.
WHICH BOOK WON IN 2024
Held by Ann Michaels
HONOUR ROLL OF PAST WINNERS
1994 The Book of Secrets by M.G. Vassanji READ
1995 A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry READ
1996 Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood READ
1997 Barney's Version by Mordecai Richler Owned
1998 The Love of a Good Woman by Alice Munro Owned
1999 A Good House by Bonnie Burnard
2000 Mercy Among the Children by David Adams Richards
2000 Anil's Ghost by Michael Ondaatje Owned
2001 Clara Callan by Richard B Wright
2002 The Polished Hoe by Austin Clarke
2003 The In-Between World of Vikram Lall by M.G. Vassanji READ
2004 Runaway by Alice Munro
2005 The Time In-Between by David Bergen
2006 Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam Owned
2007 Late Nights on Air by Elizabeth Hay
2008 Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden
2009 The Bishop's Man by Linden MacIntyre
2010 The Sentimentalists by Johanna Skibsrud
2011 Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan Owned
2012 419 by Will Ferguson Owned
2013 Hellgoing : Stories by Lynn Coady
2014 Us Conductors by Sean Michaels
2015 Fifteen Dogs by Andre Alexis READ
2016 Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien READ
2017 Bellevue Square by Michael Redhill
2018 Washington Black by Esi Edugyan Owned
2019 Reproduction by Ian Williams
2020 How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa
2021 What Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad Owned
2022 The Sleeping Car Porter by Suzette Mayr
2023 Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein READ
MY RECORD
I have read 8 (1994-6, 2003, 2015-16, 2023, 2024)
I own a further 8 (Edugyan x2, Akkad, Ferguson, Lam, Ondaatje, Richler and Munro) )
FACTOID
The Giller Prize was instituted by Jacob Rabinovitch and named in honour of his wife, Doris Giller.
I have started looking at the various book awards throughout the Anglosphere and I listed 85 awards (this will get bigger). They are listed above here https://www.librarything.com/topic/372305#8900236
Onto Canada today and one of my favourites THE GILLER PRIZE
WHAT IS THE GILLER PRIZE?
Probably Canada's best known and most prestigious annual literary prize open to any Canadian novel from 1 October to 30 September of the next year (similar to the UK's Booker). First awarded in 1994, this year's longlist will be announced on 15 September, the shortlist on 6 October and the winner on 17 November.
WHAT DOES THE WINNER GET?
CAN $100K
WHEN IS THE AWARD TIMELINE
As above. Awarded on 17 November this year.
WHICH BOOK WON IN 2024
Held by Ann Michaels
HONOUR ROLL OF PAST WINNERS
1994 The Book of Secrets by M.G. Vassanji READ
1995 A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry READ
1996 Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood READ
1997 Barney's Version by Mordecai Richler Owned
1998 The Love of a Good Woman by Alice Munro Owned
1999 A Good House by Bonnie Burnard
2000 Mercy Among the Children by David Adams Richards
2000 Anil's Ghost by Michael Ondaatje Owned
2001 Clara Callan by Richard B Wright
2002 The Polished Hoe by Austin Clarke
2003 The In-Between World of Vikram Lall by M.G. Vassanji READ
2004 Runaway by Alice Munro
2005 The Time In-Between by David Bergen
2006 Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam Owned
2007 Late Nights on Air by Elizabeth Hay
2008 Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden
2009 The Bishop's Man by Linden MacIntyre
2010 The Sentimentalists by Johanna Skibsrud
2011 Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan Owned
2012 419 by Will Ferguson Owned
2013 Hellgoing : Stories by Lynn Coady
2014 Us Conductors by Sean Michaels
2015 Fifteen Dogs by Andre Alexis READ
2016 Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien READ
2017 Bellevue Square by Michael Redhill
2018 Washington Black by Esi Edugyan Owned
2019 Reproduction by Ian Williams
2020 How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa
2021 What Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad Owned
2022 The Sleeping Car Porter by Suzette Mayr
2023 Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein READ
MY RECORD
I have read 8 (1994-6, 2003, 2015-16, 2023, 2024)
I own a further 8 (Edugyan x2, Akkad, Ferguson, Lam, Ondaatje, Richler and Munro) )
FACTOID
The Giller Prize was instituted by Jacob Rabinovitch and named in honour of his wife, Doris Giller.
159booksaplenty1949
>157 PaulCranswick: Well the people “complaining” here are not authors. They are expressing a disinterested view that it is wrong to change an author’s plot or characters or setting when adapting his/her work to another medium, even if the author has signed over his/her rights or been dead for a hundred years. A Romantic view to me, and one that would deprive us of a lot of art/entertainment if generally held.
160booksaplenty1949
>158 PaulCranswick: Barney’s Version is brilliant, IMHO.
161PaulCranswick
>159 booksaplenty1949: The discussion that originally came up also included the amending of older works for modern consumption in the same medium. This was the issue that most motivated criticism from me, although I don't see the point in altering a book beyond recognition for TV or the movies without the buy in of the author.
>160 booksaplenty1949: I have heard so many good things about Mordecai Richler, I must get to him soon.
>160 booksaplenty1949: I have heard so many good things about Mordecai Richler, I must get to him soon.
162avatiakh
>158 PaulCranswick: The Giller Prize has not been on my radar. I've only read one winner, A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. Most of the others have not turned up on my shelves though I do want to read Mordecai Richler as I've only read his children's book, Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang which was much more fun than I expected.
A film adaption of a book is expected to have changes. Some changes are great and others less than stellar. Mostly I just accept them and move on, I read the reviews and choose which ones to watch. Remember when they cast Tom Cruise as Reacher, most fans of the books just boycotted the fims.
Alterations and omissions in a new edition of a book due to changing social attitudes is unacceptable iIMO. A respectful introduction message should be all that's needed, most people are intelligent enough to realise that standards change over time and society has become so much less tolerant of older works that don't meet today's views. Again we are mostly intelligent enough to pick and choose what to read.
Children should be given the respect to read what they choose, they don't need to be protected from a few swear words or attitudes in a book. A book can start a discussion rather than be hidden away.
A film adaption of a book is expected to have changes. Some changes are great and others less than stellar. Mostly I just accept them and move on, I read the reviews and choose which ones to watch. Remember when they cast Tom Cruise as Reacher, most fans of the books just boycotted the fims.
Alterations and omissions in a new edition of a book due to changing social attitudes is unacceptable iIMO. A respectful introduction message should be all that's needed, most people are intelligent enough to realise that standards change over time and society has become so much less tolerant of older works that don't meet today's views. Again we are mostly intelligent enough to pick and choose what to read.
Children should be given the respect to read what they choose, they don't need to be protected from a few swear words or attitudes in a book. A book can start a discussion rather than be hidden away.
163PaulCranswick
>162 avatiakh: I understand in the Cruise instance he wasn't cast as such but appointed himself on the basis that it was his production company that had bought the rights. I agree though it was comical in the extreme thinking that he could think to carry off the role. The TV series is excellent though I think.
164booksaplenty1949
>163 PaulCranswick: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Reacher_(film) Lee Child seemed to try to keep a foot on both sides of the fence over the casting. First film grossed $213 million, so Tom Cruise’s self-selection not entirely catastrophic.
165booksaplenty1949
>162 avatiakh: Victorian society was much more prudish than the preceding era; authors like Feilding fell out of favour. And I see that Thomas Bowdler produced The Family Shakespeare in 1807. Nothing new here.
PS Sobering: https://newrepublic.com/article/119516/report-book-burning-under-huac-and-eisenh...
PS Sobering: https://newrepublic.com/article/119516/report-book-burning-under-huac-and-eisenh...
166avatiakh
>163 PaulCranswick: >164 booksaplenty1949: I've watched the Tom Cruise ones on tv and have to say they are ok, despite Cruise not fitting the description of Reacher. I've watched Season 1 of the tv Reacher and liked it though haven't really got into season 2. I stopped reading the books when Child's brother took over.
167zuzaer
>154 PaulCranswick: Then we're in agreement since that was what I was taught about editing/correcting books, articles, etc. I'm conscious of some of my flaws (I adore en dashes and prefer them over parentheses and despise too many short sentences in a row) and try to mitigate the effect my own style would have on another's text. As someone said, an editor is a window and needs to show the text and its meaning.
>158 PaulCranswick: it struck me how many different, strange, crazy, amazing and baffling titles are out there. “How to Pronounce Knife”?!
>158 PaulCranswick: it struck me how many different, strange, crazy, amazing and baffling titles are out there. “How to Pronounce Knife”?!
169PaulCranswick
>164 booksaplenty1949: It wasn't that the film bombed as Cruise draws audiences but it was the farcical temerity of Cruise a foot plus shorter than the character in the book trying to fill the boots. The whole point of Reacher is the huge size of the man.
>165 booksaplenty1949: Certainly true that the regency period was less prudish than the Victorian age.
>165 booksaplenty1949: Certainly true that the regency period was less prudish than the Victorian age.
170booksaplenty1949
>169 PaulCranswick: Yes, when I read that Reacher was 6’5 in the books I could see that the casting of Tom Cruise must have seemed like a joke.
I was surprised that “Bowdlerisation” predated the Victorian era. Not surprised that the Zola translations available on Project Gutenberg, dating from the late 19th C, have had sexual references edited out.
I was surprised that “Bowdlerisation” predated the Victorian era. Not surprised that the Zola translations available on Project Gutenberg, dating from the late 19th C, have had sexual references edited out.
171PaulCranswick
>166 avatiakh: I also stopped reading the books when Lee Child abdicated. The Cruise movies were ok if you don't think of them as Reacher films.
>167 zuzaer: It is funny, Susan, because I thought exactly the same thing when I was typing that book as the Giller winner in 2020.
I had a pretty sharp exchange too this morning at work because one of my staff's letters were on my desk with some rather agitated looking scrawl from the head Korean with an obviously different idea on what the letter shall say. His idea was utterly preposterous and my staff had basically covered the points in the draft that I had given her earlier. His idea was so ridiculous that I thought he was joking at first and let out something of a guffaw which he didn't find at all amusing. I left the letter on my desk for a couple of hours and then redrafted it in such a convoluted way that his ridiculous point was no longer evident to the reader. Not wanting to admit that he didn't understand some of the verbiage in my drafting he just signed it.
>167 zuzaer: It is funny, Susan, because I thought exactly the same thing when I was typing that book as the Giller winner in 2020.
I had a pretty sharp exchange too this morning at work because one of my staff's letters were on my desk with some rather agitated looking scrawl from the head Korean with an obviously different idea on what the letter shall say. His idea was utterly preposterous and my staff had basically covered the points in the draft that I had given her earlier. His idea was so ridiculous that I thought he was joking at first and let out something of a guffaw which he didn't find at all amusing. I left the letter on my desk for a couple of hours and then redrafted it in such a convoluted way that his ridiculous point was no longer evident to the reader. Not wanting to admit that he didn't understand some of the verbiage in my drafting he just signed it.
172PaulCranswick
>168 Kristelh: I was pretty surprised that I had read 8 of them already and quite a number of others appeal to me also.
>170 booksaplenty1949: Some of Zola's work was a bit racy for the times, I guess. Zola, Balzac and Hugo are three of my absolute favourite authors.
>170 booksaplenty1949: Some of Zola's work was a bit racy for the times, I guess. Zola, Balzac and Hugo are three of my absolute favourite authors.
173alcottacre
>158 PaulCranswick: A prize that I am actually familiar with and have read some of the winners, lol.
I feel woefully underread when it comes to any of the prizes. . .
Happy whatever, Paul!
I feel woefully underread when it comes to any of the prizes. . .
Happy whatever, Paul!
174booksaplenty1949
>172 PaulCranswick: “Racy for the times” in the UK. Standard stuff in France, apparently.
175zuzaer
>171 PaulCranswick: Oh dear...
176m.belljackson
>159 booksaplenty1949: See Note above #129 to Paul for an amazing answer - doubt that the Kansas libraries have Volume I of THE LION TREES, nice surprise if one does.
Also, you can find it under Big Book Challenge.
Also, you can find it under Big Book Challenge.
177m.belljackson
>162 avatiakh: really? read the opening chapter of Junot's DROWN and maybe wonder who you would ever want to read it.
178avatiakh
>171 PaulCranswick: Looked like a good time to duck out of the series.
>177 m.belljackson: I'm not familiar with that book though I've read something by Diaz before. I often give up on a book after a paragraph or twenty or so pages. I only recommend books that I loved not those that I've felt were 3 stars or less.
Life's too short and many books are not worth the effort.
>177 m.belljackson: I'm not familiar with that book though I've read something by Diaz before. I often give up on a book after a paragraph or twenty or so pages. I only recommend books that I loved not those that I've felt were 3 stars or less.
Life's too short and many books are not worth the effort.
179PaulCranswick
>173 alcottacre: Shouldn't it be wonderfully under read as you have plenty still to go at, Juana?
>174 booksaplenty1949: It is the over digestion of garlic that causes it apparently!
>174 booksaplenty1949: It is the over digestion of garlic that causes it apparently!
180PaulCranswick
>175 zuzaer: I know! The chap is a pain in the neck to be quite honest. Sometimes in contract negotiations sleight of hand, subtlety and diplomacy are what is required but he has a habit of telegraphing everything he wants to do and I have to painfully explain to him the consequences of some of his intended courses of action. He eventually agrees with me.
>176 m.belljackson: Don't quite follow but I have had a quick look for the book and it isn't the easiest to track down.
>176 m.belljackson: Don't quite follow but I have had a quick look for the book and it isn't the easiest to track down.
181PaulCranswick
>177 m.belljackson: I can't see the direct link to Kerry's earlier post, Marianne, but Junot Diaz wrote a series of short stories a while ago, This is How You Lose Her, which I disliked immensely.
>178 avatiakh: It was indeed a good time to jump off the bandwagon, Kerry.
I agree that there are simply too many books to worry too much about the ones that don't do it for you.
>178 avatiakh: It was indeed a good time to jump off the bandwagon, Kerry.
I agree that there are simply too many books to worry too much about the ones that don't do it for you.
182PaulCranswick
Posting numbers have been dropping off fairly steadily over the years. I went back to 2012 and looked at the posting numbers then opposed to now.
At 24/7/12 the top 12 threads had collectively 39,627 posts
At 24/7/25 the top 12 threads had collectively 22,731 posts
We are posting at 57.5% of our numbers from 2012
These were the top 12 threads at July 2012
Paul 5253 posts
Richard 4747
Kath 4586
Joe 4030
Mark 3890
Stephen 2968
Ilana 2788
Cee 2601
Darryl 2564
Caro 2087
Mamie 2083
Amber 2030
Kath, Stephen (ape), Ilana, Darryl, Caro and Amber no longer maintain threads in the group and Cee is here rarely.
Only 5 threads are common to both years. The 2025 list as at today is
Paul 3,702
Richard 3,404
Mark 2,775
Stasia 1,841
Katie 1,803
Joe 1,662
Mamie 1,512
Karen 1,451
Mary 1,440
Peggy 1,076
Laura 1,058
Deb 1,007
Although Richard and myself remain the two threads with the most posts; we would place only 6th today on the 2012 list.
At 24/7/12 the top 12 threads had collectively 39,627 posts
At 24/7/25 the top 12 threads had collectively 22,731 posts
We are posting at 57.5% of our numbers from 2012
These were the top 12 threads at July 2012
Paul 5253 posts
Richard 4747
Kath 4586
Joe 4030
Mark 3890
Stephen 2968
Ilana 2788
Cee 2601
Darryl 2564
Caro 2087
Mamie 2083
Amber 2030
Kath, Stephen (ape), Ilana, Darryl, Caro and Amber no longer maintain threads in the group and Cee is here rarely.
Only 5 threads are common to both years. The 2025 list as at today is
Paul 3,702
Richard 3,404
Mark 2,775
Stasia 1,841
Katie 1,803
Joe 1,662
Mamie 1,512
Karen 1,451
Mary 1,440
Peggy 1,076
Laura 1,058
Deb 1,007
Although Richard and myself remain the two threads with the most posts; we would place only 6th today on the 2012 list.
183PaulCranswick
In addition to the Miles Franklin Award, the Waterstone's Debut Fiction Award will be awarded also today.
The six books shortlisted are :
Confessions by Catherine Airey
Sunstruck by William Rayfet Hunter
Saraswati by Gurnaik Johal
Ordinary Saints by Niamh Ni Mhaoileon
When the Cranes Fly South by Ridzen Lisa
The Artist by Lucy Steeds
I have half the shortlist on the shelves but haven't read any of them yet. Eagerly awaiting this announcement as I genuinely have no idea what will win.
The six books shortlisted are :
Confessions by Catherine Airey
Sunstruck by William Rayfet Hunter
Saraswati by Gurnaik Johal
Ordinary Saints by Niamh Ni Mhaoileon
When the Cranes Fly South by Ridzen Lisa
The Artist by Lucy Steeds
I have half the shortlist on the shelves but haven't read any of them yet. Eagerly awaiting this announcement as I genuinely have no idea what will win.
184PaulCranswick
THE 2025 MILES FRANKLIN AWARD has been won by Siang Lu
for his novel Ghost Cities.
https://www.perpetual.com.au/insights/siang-lu-wins-miles-franklin-award/
for his novel Ghost Cities.
https://www.perpetual.com.au/insights/siang-lu-wins-miles-franklin-award/
185PaulCranswick
THE WATERSTONE'S DEBUT FICTION PRIZE has been won by Lucy Steeds for her novel The Artist.
https://www.waterstones.com/category/cultural-highlights/book-awards/the-waterst...
https://www.waterstones.com/category/cultural-highlights/book-awards/the-waterst...
186avatiakh
I picked up a copy of a Stella Prize winner yesterday, The Erratics.
>184 PaulCranswick: I just requested Ghost Cities from the library, only 3 people in the queue. Looks like an interesting read.
>184 PaulCranswick: I just requested Ghost Cities from the library, only 3 people in the queue. Looks like an interesting read.
187PaulCranswick
FEATURED BOOK AWARD
THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE
WHAT IS THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE?
A relatively new prize, it was established in 2022 by the UK's leading book retailer. It awards a prize for the best debut fiction published in the UK the previous year.
WHAT DOES THE WINNER GET?
GBP 5,000 and more importantly the backing of the Waterstones group
WHEN IS THE AWARD TIMELINE
From a shortlist of 6 the prize is awarded in July / August of each year. It was awarded on 24 July 2025.
WHICH BOOK WON IN 2025
The Artist by Lucy Steeds
HONOUR ROLL OF PAST WINNERS
2022 The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty Owned
2023 In Memoriam by Alice Winn Owned
2024 Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon READ
MY RECORD
I have read 1 (2024)
I own the other 3
FACTOID
Waterstones is comfortably the UK's biggest book high street retailer. It has 311 stores and employs 3,500 people. It also owns Foyles and Blackwells which are my favourite bookshops.
THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE
WHAT IS THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE?
A relatively new prize, it was established in 2022 by the UK's leading book retailer. It awards a prize for the best debut fiction published in the UK the previous year.
WHAT DOES THE WINNER GET?
GBP 5,000 and more importantly the backing of the Waterstones group
WHEN IS THE AWARD TIMELINE
From a shortlist of 6 the prize is awarded in July / August of each year. It was awarded on 24 July 2025.
WHICH BOOK WON IN 2025
The Artist by Lucy Steeds
HONOUR ROLL OF PAST WINNERS
2022 The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty Owned
2023 In Memoriam by Alice Winn Owned
2024 Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon READ
MY RECORD
I have read 1 (2024)
I own the other 3
FACTOID
Waterstones is comfortably the UK's biggest book high street retailer. It has 311 stores and employs 3,500 people. It also owns Foyles and Blackwells which are my favourite bookshops.
188PaulCranswick
>186 avatiakh: Ghost Cities does look an interesting read, Kerry. I will have a look for it.
189SilverWolf28
Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/372642
190PaulCranswick
>189 SilverWolf28: Thank you, Silver.
Hani is going back to the UK tomorrow so I will have time to read.
Hani is going back to the UK tomorrow so I will have time to read.
191Whisper1
Hi Paul, as always, I am impressed with the scope of your reading and the amount of books you read! I've had a slow sumer of reading. I hope to get back to pages soon. In the meantime, the photo above titled "Pip" is so very special!
192PaulCranswick
>191 Whisper1: Thank you, Linda. It is always lovely to have you visit my humble abode.
193EllaTim
>187 PaulCranswick: Waterstones even has a bookshop in Amsterdam. I’ll have to pay them a visit one of these days.
194PaulCranswick
>193 EllaTim: That's interesting Ella. I didn't know they had a store in Netherlands.
195PaulCranswick
Sad today because I took Hani to the airport this morning and she is on the way back to the UK to spend time assisting with taking care of Pip whilst Yasmyne works.
All being well we will be reunited at the end of August.
All being well we will be reunited at the end of August.
196PaulCranswick
Some additions this lunchtime:
232. Isola by Allegra Goodman
233. When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzen
234. The Brass Age by Slobodan Snajder
235. Juice by Tim Winton
'Isola' and 'Juice' are two books I have been eagerly awaiting. Ridzen's book was shortlisted for the Waterstone's Debut Fiction Prize and Snajder's book caught my eye on the teeming shelves.
232. Isola by Allegra Goodman
233. When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzen
234. The Brass Age by Slobodan Snajder
235. Juice by Tim Winton
'Isola' and 'Juice' are two books I have been eagerly awaiting. Ridzen's book was shortlisted for the Waterstone's Debut Fiction Prize and Snajder's book caught my eye on the teeming shelves.
197Caroline_McElwee
>185 PaulCranswick: I enjoyed this novel Paul. Like this cover over mine.
198booksaplenty1949
Do people here flag/vote on author pictures? Before I discovered “Talk” one of my entertaining time-wasters on LT was accumulating badges, which got me involved with looking at author pictures and flagging/voting on duplicates and pictures which were not, in fact, images of the author in question. I still enjoy this, but I am surprised at how few people seem to get involved. One of my authors wrote a book on Thomas Edison (among many others) and someone posted six pictures of Edison on the author page as pictures of Dagobert D. Runes. I flagged them, thinking they would soon be gone, given that this was an obvious error, but no. I believe only eight votes are required to remove a picture, so it appears that my fellow flaggers are few and far between.
199PaulCranswick
>197 Caroline_McElwee: It is a lovely cover isn't it, Caroline. I started the book earlier and am loving it so far. Tremendous writing - she is one to watch for sure. I saw an interview with her by Waterstones and she is an engaging person who explained a lot of her thinking in writing the book which I found insightful and endearing.
>198 booksaplenty1949: I am not a flagger really but some things do irritate certainly when people knowingly put out false information.
>198 booksaplenty1949: I am not a flagger really but some things do irritate certainly when people knowingly put out false information.
200booksaplenty1949
>199 PaulCranswick: Authors who review their own books without admitting authorship and post fake pictures. Sad.
201PaulCranswick
>200 booksaplenty1949: Yup, slightly pathetic
202avatiakh
>196 PaulCranswick: Some nice additions to your library.
203PaulCranswick
>196 PaulCranswick: I am pleased with them, but I was rushing a little bit so I limited myself to only four.
204Familyhistorian
I don't usually read books on the prize lists so I was surprised by how many Giller winners I have read - Half-Blood Blues, Do Not Say We Have Nothing, Bellevue Square, Washington Black, Reproduction, How to Pronounce Knife and The Sleeping Car Porter.
Sorry to see that Hanni has left for the UK again.
Sorry to see that Hanni has left for the UK again.
205PaulCranswick
>204 Familyhistorian: Surely it depends on the prize, Meg. There are prizes for all sorts of books these days.
She has arrived there safely.
She has arrived there safely.
206PaulCranswick
I went out for breakfast and in the same mall as a good discount book store.
236. The Black Friar by S.G. MacLean
237. The Dollmaker of Krakow by R.M. Romero
238. The Weekend by Charlotte Wood
236. The Black Friar by S.G. MacLean
237. The Dollmaker of Krakow by R.M. Romero
238. The Weekend by Charlotte Wood
207Kristelh
Sorry that you’re alone and Hanni is away taking care of Pip. But August will soon be here. Does that mean you’ll be done working and going back to England or Hanni returning to you?
208booksaplenty1949
>206 PaulCranswick: My local used book store has a sale on this weekend. I lined up and squeezed into the tiny shop yesterday and found a few great bargains, but will pick over the leavings again on Monday. I gather that when “collectors” offer their books to a bookseller the deal is often “all or nothing,” so if the seller wants some special items s/he is then stuck with a lot that’s not so special. Eventually the surplus has to be gotten rid of. But one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, even in the book department.
209PaulCranswick
>207 Kristelh: The plan is for me to go back at last, Kristel, but I have some things to settle first.
>208 booksaplenty1949: This discount store in KL is a local chain that buys up or takes back the books that didn't sell first time around. Can find some great books "new" at around $5.
>208 booksaplenty1949: This discount store in KL is a local chain that buys up or takes back the books that didn't sell first time around. Can find some great books "new" at around $5.
210louisisaloafofbreb
Hiya Paul, sorry for such a late new thread comment (209 comments late now- uh.... whoops)
211booksaplenty1949
>209 PaulCranswick: “Remainders” a big source of my library in my impecunious student days.
212PaulCranswick
>210 louisisaloafofbreb: Better late than never, Lily. Thank you for stopping by. xx
>211 booksaplenty1949: I try to go to one of their branches every month - I noticed that they have a really good selection of YA books.
>211 booksaplenty1949: I try to go to one of their branches every month - I noticed that they have a really good selection of YA books.
213PaulCranswick
Somehow double posted.
Happy Sunday everyone!
Happy Sunday everyone!
214zuzaer
>206 PaulCranswick: I am, of course, intrigued mostly by the second one; the Land of Dolls sounds interesting (reminding me slightly of Klara and the sun) and Cracow, well, of course, even if I don't actually know a lot about what happened here during the war. (Aside from Hans Frank and his buddies treating every piece of art, book, etc. as their possessions.)
>209 PaulCranswick: I used to go to a bookshop like that with my dad when I was younger. A low price for books that passed the five years or whatever time there was in a publishing rights contract between the author and the publisher. But I remember I got bored with teens' section very quickly and tried to make do with history books.
>209 PaulCranswick: I used to go to a bookshop like that with my dad when I was younger. A low price for books that passed the five years or whatever time there was in a publishing rights contract between the author and the publisher. But I remember I got bored with teens' section very quickly and tried to make do with history books.
216PaulCranswick
>214 zuzaer: It is a beautiful book, Susan. The cover is gorgeous and the artwork inside the book is lovely too. LT reopened my eyes to that fact that YA has some real storytelling treasures.
>215 amanda4242: That is bright and early, Amanda!
>215 amanda4242: That is bright and early, Amanda!
217louisisaloafofbreb
>212 PaulCranswick: your very welcome Paul
218PaulCranswick
>217 louisisaloafofbreb: As are you, Lily.
219booksaplenty1949
Three books on the go at the moment: La Conquête de Plassans for the Emile Zola Group Read, Goethe’s Italian Journey for this month’s Grand European Tour, and I Chose Freedom, which I think just makes the cut for a Big Book. All worthy reads, but not exactly escapist fare. So I’m taking some Time Out with a mystery: East Is East. It’s even a Large Print library book—-don’t even need to look for my glasses.
220PaulCranswick
>219 booksaplenty1949: I have managed to get a lot of books on the go again and must get some of them finished by the month end.
The Pine Islands
The Pigeon
The Artist
The Tin Drum
and
The End of Eddy
are the most likely I would suggest to get over the line.
The Pine Islands
The Pigeon
The Artist
The Tin Drum
and
The End of Eddy
are the most likely I would suggest to get over the line.
221PaulCranswick
BOOK #73
The Pigeon by Patrick Suskind
Date of Publication : 1988
Origin of Author : Germany
Gender of Author : Male
Pages : 77 pp
Challenges : 1001 Books; European Grand Tour
Quirky novella about a man whose humdrum and orderly life is momentarily unhinged by a Pigeon who decides to encamp outside his apartment room.
I suppose it is about memory, rationality, routine, ageing and ultimately belonging.
Read in a single sitting and enjoyed it although I would hardly think it of sufficient gravitas to make the 1001 most essential works of fiction ever written.
The Pigeon by Patrick Suskind
Date of Publication : 1988
Origin of Author : Germany
Gender of Author : Male
Pages : 77 pp
Challenges : 1001 Books; European Grand Tour
Quirky novella about a man whose humdrum and orderly life is momentarily unhinged by a Pigeon who decides to encamp outside his apartment room.
I suppose it is about memory, rationality, routine, ageing and ultimately belonging.
Read in a single sitting and enjoyed it although I would hardly think it of sufficient gravitas to make the 1001 most essential works of fiction ever written.
222PaulCranswick
Hopefully I am less than two days away from hitting 75 books this year.
223booksaplenty1949
>220 PaulCranswick: I read The End of Eddy back in 2018, in the context of the “Gilet Jaune” movement. Illuminating.
224PaulCranswick
>223 booksaplenty1949: The parents are objectively terrible but he makes them strangely sympathetic.
225vancouverdeb
Good luck hitting 75 books, Paul. Not long now.
226alcottacre
>179 PaulCranswick: You make a good point, Paul. I needed that reminder!
>196 PaulCranswick: I very much enjoyed Isola, Paul, so I hope you do as well. I have never heard of any of the other books so some investigation is in order.
>206 PaulCranswick: I have never heard of any of those either. *sigh*
Happy whatever, brother!
>196 PaulCranswick: I very much enjoyed Isola, Paul, so I hope you do as well. I have never heard of any of the other books so some investigation is in order.
>206 PaulCranswick: I have never heard of any of those either. *sigh*
Happy whatever, brother!
227PaulCranswick
>225 vancouverdeb: I will get there in July which is about par for the course for me these days, Deb. xx
I am eagerly awaiting the Booker Longlist announcement.
>226 alcottacre: I hadn't heard of The Brass Age either but it stood out on the shelves somehow as certain books desperate for attention are wont to do, Juana. Winton and Ridzen's books have gotten some blurb for book awards recently. Tim Winton is a wonderful writer IMHO.
I am eagerly awaiting the Booker Longlist announcement.
>226 alcottacre: I hadn't heard of The Brass Age either but it stood out on the shelves somehow as certain books desperate for attention are wont to do, Juana. Winton and Ridzen's books have gotten some blurb for book awards recently. Tim Winton is a wonderful writer IMHO.
228PaulCranswick
THE BOOKER PRIZE LONGLIST HAS JUST BEEN ANNOUNCED and there are a number of surprises on the list of 13 books.
https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/prize-years/2025
One Boat by Jonathan Buckley (UK)
Seascraper by Benjamin Wood (UK)
Audition by Katie Kitamura (USA)
The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovitz (USA)
Flashlight by Susan Choi (USA)
Endling by Maria Reva (Canada)
Flesh by David Szalay (Canada / UK / Hungary)
The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller (UK)
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai (India)
The South by Tash Aw (Malaysia)
Love Forms by Claire Adam (Trinidad)
Universality by Natasha Brown (UK)
Misinterpretation by Ledia Xhoga (Albania / USA)
Quite a varied list nationality and balanced gender wise 7 women and 6 men.
Tash Aw represents a Malaysia that seemingly doesn't really want him. Would you believe that his book has been withdrawn from bookstores here as the book is said to advocate for homosexual rights. Shameful.
I owned 3 at the time of release of the list.
https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/prize-years/2025
One Boat by Jonathan Buckley (UK)
Seascraper by Benjamin Wood (UK)
Audition by Katie Kitamura (USA)
The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovitz (USA)
Flashlight by Susan Choi (USA)
Endling by Maria Reva (Canada)
Flesh by David Szalay (Canada / UK / Hungary)
The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller (UK)
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai (India)
The South by Tash Aw (Malaysia)
Love Forms by Claire Adam (Trinidad)
Universality by Natasha Brown (UK)
Misinterpretation by Ledia Xhoga (Albania / USA)
Quite a varied list nationality and balanced gender wise 7 women and 6 men.
Tash Aw represents a Malaysia that seemingly doesn't really want him. Would you believe that his book has been withdrawn from bookstores here as the book is said to advocate for homosexual rights. Shameful.
I owned 3 at the time of release of the list.
229PaulCranswick
Within 40 minutes of the award announcement I owned a further 5 of the Booker longlist.
I managed to find:
239. The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovitz (USA)
240. Endling by Maria Reva (Canada)
241. Flesh by David Szalay (Canada / UK / Hungary)
242. Love Forms by Claire Adam (Trinidad)
243. Misinterpretation by Ledia Xhoga (Albania / USA)
also
244. Edenglassie by Melissa Lucashenko
245. Ripeness by Sarah Moss
246. Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh
247. In the Blink of an Eye by Jo Callaghan
248. Fugitive Prince by Janny Wurts
244 & 245 I would have expected on the Booker longlist.
Tesh is up for Amanda's BAC this next month and Callaghan is an incumbent award winner. Wurts is a hunch.
I managed to find:
239. The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovitz (USA)
240. Endling by Maria Reva (Canada)
241. Flesh by David Szalay (Canada / UK / Hungary)
242. Love Forms by Claire Adam (Trinidad)
243. Misinterpretation by Ledia Xhoga (Albania / USA)
also
244. Edenglassie by Melissa Lucashenko
245. Ripeness by Sarah Moss
246. Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh
247. In the Blink of an Eye by Jo Callaghan
248. Fugitive Prince by Janny Wurts
244 & 245 I would have expected on the Booker longlist.
Tesh is up for Amanda's BAC this next month and Callaghan is an incumbent award winner. Wurts is a hunch.
230humouress
Looks like I'm jumping back in just in time, Paul. I'm about 30 books behind you.
>206 PaulCranswick: Gosh, what a coincidence.
>206 PaulCranswick: Gosh, what a coincidence.
231PaulCranswick
>230 humouress: Hahaha
232louisisaloafofbreb
Paul, question- if your bf tells you that he was overwhelmed but was talking to other people the day before and didn't even tell you happy birthday and cheats on you, is this message "Hey look I gotta get some stuff off my chest, but I honestly don't think this is working out and I think I would be better off single. It's just I know about you cheating on me and you've also started to become toxic. I'm sorry if this is sudden or hurts you but I think it is better for the both of us and I understand if you are mad." A good message to send...?
233PaulCranswick
>232 louisisaloafofbreb: The toxic bit isn't a nice way to let someone go, true or not. Relationships go both ways and are not a one direction road, Lily.
234louisisaloafofbreb
>233 PaulCranswick: Sorry but I just kinda don't wanna be with someone who cheats on me, and I believe thats kinda toxic and honestly....I'm not even excited about our relationship anymore....
235PaulCranswick
>234 louisisaloafofbreb: Then you don't need to worry so much about how they will respond to your note, Lily.
236PaulCranswick
As usual I didn't do fantastically well in my Booker Longlist predictions.
If you remember I had a go at guessing the list last month and I got three right:
Flesh, Universality and The Land in Winter.
https://www.librarything.com/topic/371621#8888771
If you remember I had a go at guessing the list last month and I got three right:
Flesh, Universality and The Land in Winter.
https://www.librarything.com/topic/371621#8888771
238Kristelh
>236 PaulCranswick:. I think it is great to get 3 right. Some of the utub guys got none. (Benreads).
Things noted; no Irish books, Ben seems to be the name this year.
I have Audition that I will read next.
Things noted; no Irish books, Ben seems to be the name this year.
I have Audition that I will read next.
239louisisaloafofbreb
>235 PaulCranswick: Yeah, I feel sick today so I should probably focus on myself instead of staying terrified on how he will respond....
240PaulCranswick
>238 Kristelh: I'm not overly impressed with some of the BookTubers to be honest as so many of them seem obsessed with certain types of genres. I do respect the knowledge of a number of them - especially BobtheBookerer and Benreads and I find Mr Savidge and his mum endearing.
I was very surprised that no Irish or Australasian books made it.
I will join you on Audition.
>239 louisisaloafofbreb: If he is already a cheater then I wouldn't give too many hoots on what his response will be.
I was very surprised that no Irish or Australasian books made it.
I will join you on Audition.
>239 louisisaloafofbreb: If he is already a cheater then I wouldn't give too many hoots on what his response will be.
241Kristelh
>240 PaulCranswick:, Paul, I agree that they do seem to be obsessed with a "certain types of genre". I will have to check to see if I have listened to BobtheBookerer and Mr Savidge.
242louisisaloafofbreb
>240 PaulCranswick: he cheated in June, didn't wanna hurt him but I couldn't deal with that anymore
243PaulCranswick
>241 Kristelh: I think it is Savidgereads, Kristel. I also like the sincerity and enthusiasm of Erik Karl Anderson but I cannot watch him for very long as he has a sort of hyper style of delivery and he tends to squint at the camera which makes me lose focus.
244PaulCranswick
>242 louisisaloafofbreb: The one who cheats is unlikely to be hurt by the one who was cheated.
245louisisaloafofbreb
>244 PaulCranswick: probably, and he would have done it again probably
246booksaplenty1949
Finally finished I Chose Freedom which in turn enabled me to finish The Anti-Communist Manifestoes: Four Books That Shaped the Cold War. Now that these authors’ accounts of Soviet concentration camps and Soviet infiltration of foreign governments have been vindicated we can stop arguing about their accuracy or otherwise and start asking why so many people wilfully turned a blind eye to what went on. Fleming is a retired professor of literature and brings great insight to the social dynamic of the time—-the response of the French intelligentsia to Darkness at Noon, for example.
247amanda4242
>229 PaulCranswick: Glad you were able to find something by Tesh!
248PaulCranswick
>245 louisisaloafofbreb: In my experience and unless there are extenuating circumstances somebody who cheats once will cheat again and again and again.
>246 booksaplenty1949: I must say that both of those books do look fascinating. What does that make your completed 2025 total so far?
>246 booksaplenty1949: I must say that both of those books do look fascinating. What does that make your completed 2025 total so far?
249PaulCranswick
>247 amanda4242: I do try, Amanda. I have more opportunity to concentrate on reading in August so hopefully I hit all the challenges next month.
250booksaplenty1949
>248 PaulCranswick: 60. On track.
The Kravchenko book was a tough read but Fleming’s brilliant analysis made it worthwhile. Whole new insight into the “Red Scare.”
The Kravchenko book was a tough read but Fleming’s brilliant analysis made it worthwhile. Whole new insight into the “Red Scare.”
251PaulCranswick
>250 booksaplenty1949: I plan to update the read books stats in the coming days so I will include you.
252PaulCranswick
BOOK #74
The End of Eddy by Louis Eduoard
Date of Publication : 2014
Origin of Author : France
Gender of Author : Male
Pages : 192 pp
A coming of age story of sorts. Eddy realizes early that he is different and doesn't fit easily into an archetypal Northern French industrial town. The culture is macho and based on booze and bashing people. Eddy is bullied at school and realizes that, almost in spite of himself, he does not like girls.
It is a hard read and a pretty well done one as the author makes the support cast well rounded. Despite all his deep seated faults and against his prejudices, the drunken, violent and unemployed father loves his son as does the mother even as their actions can be cruel it serves to illuminate their occasional kindnesses.
While I had plenty of sympathy for Eddy in a world not attuned to being sensitive to his nature he also manages to be dislikable - whiny, selfish and ungrateful. Intentional or not it made for a very good novel.
The End of Eddy by Louis Eduoard
Date of Publication : 2014
Origin of Author : France
Gender of Author : Male
Pages : 192 pp
A coming of age story of sorts. Eddy realizes early that he is different and doesn't fit easily into an archetypal Northern French industrial town. The culture is macho and based on booze and bashing people. Eddy is bullied at school and realizes that, almost in spite of himself, he does not like girls.
It is a hard read and a pretty well done one as the author makes the support cast well rounded. Despite all his deep seated faults and against his prejudices, the drunken, violent and unemployed father loves his son as does the mother even as their actions can be cruel it serves to illuminate their occasional kindnesses.
While I had plenty of sympathy for Eddy in a world not attuned to being sensitive to his nature he also manages to be dislikable - whiny, selfish and ungrateful. Intentional or not it made for a very good novel.
253vancouverdeb
I like all of the Book Tubers, almost Paul, and I especially love Eric Karl Anderson. I have read The Land in Winter and I would recommend it, Paul. I have Love Forms out from the library, so that will probably be my next read from the Longlist. I am thinking of ordering The Rest of Our Lives from Blackwells in the UK. They are already out of stock online. Restock August 12, I think I read.
254PaulCranswick
>253 vancouverdeb: I like Erik Karl too, Deb, I just find him difficult to watch for a protracted period. He strikes me as a very nice fellow and his judgement on what makes a good read is, I think, quite sound. He doesn't have the snarky-ness of one or two of the others and usually tries to be fair.
I think my first read from the Longlist will be Audition, Deb, as she is a writer I have read and liked before. I hope to get to all the longlist before the results are out but The South being removed from stores here doesn't help as does the unavailability of Desai's book until after the shortlist is announced. They need to change that rule IMHO.
I think my first read from the Longlist will be Audition, Deb, as she is a writer I have read and liked before. I hope to get to all the longlist before the results are out but The South being removed from stores here doesn't help as does the unavailability of Desai's book until after the shortlist is announced. They need to change that rule IMHO.
255louisisaloafofbreb
>248 PaulCranswick: if you let them get away with cheating in the first place, which I basically did
256PaulCranswick
>255 louisisaloafofbreb: Well you have ended that now, Lily. You need to let go and move on.
257louisisaloafofbreb
>256 PaulCranswick: yeah probably should
258PaulCranswick
BOOK #75
The Artist by Lucy Steeds
Date of Publication : 2025
Origin of Author : UK
Gender of Author : Female
Pages : 294 pp
Winner of the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize 2025; Alternative Booker Longlist 1/13; Women's Prize Longlist
Sometimes you come across a book that blows you away. Blows you away by the breathtaking quality of its writing. Blows you away by the creation and scope of its characters. Blows you away by the evocation of place. Blows you away by the realization of the plot.
It is rare though that it succeeds on all levels. This book succeeds on all levels. You can smell the linseed oil and the lavender in the Provencal air, you can taste the array of tomatoes, pomegranate, oysters. You can feel the breeze in you hair and the touch of the hand against hand. You can see the artist at work and rest.
It is extraordinary to me that this book has "only" won the Waterstones Debut fiction prize. There are thirteen books on the Booker Longlist and I will be astonished if more than one or two exceed it in my estimation.
Heartily recommended. The best book I have read this year by a country mile.
The Artist by Lucy Steeds
Date of Publication : 2025
Origin of Author : UK
Gender of Author : Female
Pages : 294 pp
Winner of the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize 2025; Alternative Booker Longlist 1/13; Women's Prize Longlist
Sometimes you come across a book that blows you away. Blows you away by the breathtaking quality of its writing. Blows you away by the creation and scope of its characters. Blows you away by the evocation of place. Blows you away by the realization of the plot.
It is rare though that it succeeds on all levels. This book succeeds on all levels. You can smell the linseed oil and the lavender in the Provencal air, you can taste the array of tomatoes, pomegranate, oysters. You can feel the breeze in you hair and the touch of the hand against hand. You can see the artist at work and rest.
It is extraordinary to me that this book has "only" won the Waterstones Debut fiction prize. There are thirteen books on the Booker Longlist and I will be astonished if more than one or two exceed it in my estimation.
Heartily recommended. The best book I have read this year by a country mile.
259PaulCranswick
Finally made it to 75!
260vancouverdeb
Congratulations on reaching 75 books, Paul! 🎉
262avatiakh
>258 PaulCranswick: Great review that compells me to seek out the book.
eta: I'm #77 in the queue at my library for this.
eta: I'm #77 in the queue at my library for this.
263PaulCranswick
I had a look at the Goodreads eligibility list for the Booker Longlist.
In their ordering list they would have predicted 4 of the 13 books
These novels placed 3rd, 7th, 8th and 13th on the list.
Audition, Endling, Universality and The Land in Winter are in from their list in that order.
Of the other 13 that didn't receive enough votes some were really unexpected.
Positions on the list:
20, Flesh; 48, The South; 56, Flashlight; 59, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny; 62, Love Forms; 63, Misinterpretation; 66, Seascraper; 85, One Boat; 156, The Rest of Our Lives
Fair to say from that listing that the last two were quite a surprise.
In their ordering list they would have predicted 4 of the 13 books
These novels placed 3rd, 7th, 8th and 13th on the list.
Audition, Endling, Universality and The Land in Winter are in from their list in that order.
Of the other 13 that didn't receive enough votes some were really unexpected.
Positions on the list:
20, Flesh; 48, The South; 56, Flashlight; 59, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny; 62, Love Forms; 63, Misinterpretation; 66, Seascraper; 85, One Boat; 156, The Rest of Our Lives
Fair to say from that listing that the last two were quite a surprise.
264PaulCranswick
>260 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deb. I had a couple of pretty barren months but I am enjoying my reading again.
>261 quondame: Thanks Susan. I wanted to get to 200 books this year so I have to do 25 books a month from here on in. A tall order for me.
>261 quondame: Thanks Susan. I wanted to get to 200 books this year so I have to do 25 books a month from here on in. A tall order for me.
265PaulCranswick
>262 avatiakh: Thank you for that Kerry. Number 77 on the list indicates that word about it is getting around!
266PaulCranswick
I enjoy buying new fiction in expectation of award listings and in response to them so I have a goodly number that would have been eligible for the Booker Longlist but didn't make it and which weren't read by me at the time of award.
This is my alternative Booker Longlist from my shelves:
The Artist by Lucy Steeds READ
Three Days in June by Ann Tyler
Confessions by Catherine Airey
Juice by Tim Winton
Edenglassie by Melissa Lucashenko
Ripeness by Sarah Hall
Muckle Flugga by Michael Pedersen
Let Me Go Mad in My Own Way by Elaine Feeney
Saraswati by Gurnaik Johal
You will see that I have only picked nine to date. That is because I only own 9 of the actual longlist. I will add to the alternative list when and if I can track down the remaining 4 books.
This is my alternative Booker Longlist from my shelves:
The Artist by Lucy Steeds READ
Three Days in June by Ann Tyler
Confessions by Catherine Airey
Juice by Tim Winton
Edenglassie by Melissa Lucashenko
Ripeness by Sarah Hall
Muckle Flugga by Michael Pedersen
Let Me Go Mad in My Own Way by Elaine Feeney
Saraswati by Gurnaik Johal
You will see that I have only picked nine to date. That is because I only own 9 of the actual longlist. I will add to the alternative list when and if I can track down the remaining 4 books.
268ArlieS
>258 PaulCranswick: Congrats on #75!
269PaulCranswick
>267 bell7: Thank you Mary. xx It is funny that I was over at your just now wishing you the same. We are always close in our reading but you beat me to it!
>268 ArlieS: Thanks Arlie.
>268 ArlieS: Thanks Arlie.
270PaulCranswick
BOOK #76
The Pine Islands by Marion Poschmann
Date of Publication : 2017
Origin of Author : Germany
Gender of Author : Female
Pages : 180 pp
European Grand Tour Challenge
A strange but strangely engaging novel which is fabulist, funny and fetching.
Our hero wakes with the certainty that his wife is unfaithful and his response is the same as anyone elses - he drops everything and hops on a flight to Japan!
The hero then saves someone from suicide and the two of them set off on a pilgrimage to the Pine Islands following Basho's lead.
Poschmann then explores a world in which the irrational makes sense. Allegorical of Japan or modern life in general.
Not really my cup of tea but it certainly had moments to recommend it.
The Pine Islands by Marion Poschmann
Date of Publication : 2017
Origin of Author : Germany
Gender of Author : Female
Pages : 180 pp
European Grand Tour Challenge
A strange but strangely engaging novel which is fabulist, funny and fetching.
Our hero wakes with the certainty that his wife is unfaithful and his response is the same as anyone elses - he drops everything and hops on a flight to Japan!
The hero then saves someone from suicide and the two of them set off on a pilgrimage to the Pine Islands following Basho's lead.
Poschmann then explores a world in which the irrational makes sense. Allegorical of Japan or modern life in general.
Not really my cup of tea but it certainly had moments to recommend it.
271PaulCranswick
That will be my lot for July. I will be starting on my August reads now! (It is already August here).
272SilverWolf28
Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/372777
273SilverWolf28
Congratulations on reaching 75 books!
274amanda4242
Congrats on 75!
278zuzaer
>258 PaulCranswick: congratulations on reading 75 books, Paul! The 75th one certainly sounds interesting. Is it somewhat historical (although I suppose the characters are fictional) or is it set in the 21st century?
280figsfromthistle
Congrats on reaching 75 books!
281SirThomas
Congratulations on reaching this magical goal, Paul—and with such a wonderful book!
I hope it will soon be available in my language.
Have a wonderful weekend!
I hope it will soon be available in my language.
Have a wonderful weekend!
282PaulCranswick
>280 figsfromthistle: Thank you Anita. Quickly on to the next 75!
>281 SirThomas: Thank you my friend. It is always great when you bring up the milestone with a very good book!
>281 SirThomas: Thank you my friend. It is always great when you bring up the milestone with a very good book!
284PaulCranswick
>283 Kristelh: Thanks Kristel. I am a happy chappy today
286PaulCranswick
>285 drneutron: Thanks DocRoc
288PaulCranswick
>287 hredwards: Thank you dear fellow
289Matke
Well done on reaching 75, Paul. That’s an amazing amount of reading for anyone, let alone someone as busy as you.
290PaulCranswick
>289 Matke: Thank you for that, Gail. Lovely to see you here. xx
This topic was continued by Paul's Grand European Tour 15.
