Paul's Grand European Tour 19
This is a continuation of the topic Paul's Grand European Tour 18 .
This topic was continued by Paul's Grand European Tour 20.
Talk 75 Books Challenge for 2025
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1PaulCranswick
I wasn't expecting to start a third thread in September so I will share my own particular part of Europe. I am at heart first and foremost a Yorkshireman.
2PaulCranswick
The opening words
I am starting The Rest of Our Lives this morning after it rather surprised me by making the Booker Shortlist.
"When our son was twelve years old, my wife had an affair with a guy called Zack Zirsky, whom she knew from synagogue. "
Interested.....................?
I am starting The Rest of Our Lives this morning after it rather surprised me by making the Booker Shortlist.
"When our son was twelve years old, my wife had an affair with a guy called Zack Zirsky, whom she knew from synagogue. "
Interested.....................?
3PaulCranswick
Poetry
Richard got me thinking about Philip Larkin last night and I therefore had to feature him here.
Larkin always reminded me of the British comedian Eric Morecambe
This is one of his more famous poems and pretty controversial at the time:
This Be The Verse
They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.
But they were fucked up in their turn
By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half the time were soppy-stern
And half at one another’s throats.
Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
And don’t have any kids yourself.
Richard got me thinking about Philip Larkin last night and I therefore had to feature him here.
Larkin always reminded me of the British comedian Eric Morecambe
This is one of his more famous poems and pretty controversial at the time:
This Be The Verse
They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.
But they were fucked up in their turn
By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half the time were soppy-stern
And half at one another’s throats.
Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
And don’t have any kids yourself.
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)
August
77. Audition by Katie Kitamura (2025) 197 pp (Completed 2/8/25)
78. Girlhood by Julia Copus (2019) 73 pp (Completed 3/8/25)
79. Home Boys by Alex Wheatle (2018) 231 pp (Completed 3/8/25)
80. The South by Tash Aw (2025) 270 pp (Completed 4/8/25)
81. Safe as Houses by Simone van der Vlught (2012) 262 pp (4/8/25)
82. The Wrecking Light by Robin Robertson (2010) 90 pp (8/8/25)
83. Highway 13 by Fiona McFarlane (2024) 296 pp (8/8/25)
84. The Cafe With No Name by Robert Seethaler (2023) 220 pp (Completed 10/8/25)
85. The Heeding by Rob Cowen (2021) 118 pp (Completed 16/8/25)
86. Once the Deed is Done by Rachel Seiffert (2025) 455 pp (Completed 16/8/25)
87. Canoes by Maylis de Kerangal (2021) 152 pp (Completed 17/8/25)
88. The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller (2024) 371 pp (Completed 24/8/25)
89. The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien (1954) 407 pp (Completed 24/8/25)
90. Universality by Natasha Brown (2025) 156pp (Completed 31/8/25)
September
91. Misinterpretation by Ledia Xhoga (2024) 321 pp (Completed 5/9/25)
92. Woke Racism by John McWhorter (2021) 187 pp (Completed 5/9/25)
93. Lit Up Inside by Van Morrison (2014) 201 pp (Completed 7/9/25)
94. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (2020) 377 pp (Completed 7/9/25)
95. Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann (2017) 291 pp (Completed 11/9/25)
96. When We Flew Away by Alice Hoffman (2024) 282 pp (Completed 15/9/25)
97. Devotions by Mary Oliver (2017) 442 pp (Completed 15/9/25)
98. The Rest of Our Lives by Benjamin Markovitz (2025) (Completed 30/9/25)
October
99. Touch Wood: Poems and a Story by Dannie Abse (2002) 88 pp (Completed 2/10/25)
100. Tin Man by Sarah Winman (2017) 195 pp (Completed 5/10/25)
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)
August
77. Audition by Katie Kitamura (2025) 197 pp (Completed 2/8/25)
78. Girlhood by Julia Copus (2019) 73 pp (Completed 3/8/25)
79. Home Boys by Alex Wheatle (2018) 231 pp (Completed 3/8/25)
80. The South by Tash Aw (2025) 270 pp (Completed 4/8/25)
81. Safe as Houses by Simone van der Vlught (2012) 262 pp (4/8/25)
82. The Wrecking Light by Robin Robertson (2010) 90 pp (8/8/25)
83. Highway 13 by Fiona McFarlane (2024) 296 pp (8/8/25)
84. The Cafe With No Name by Robert Seethaler (2023) 220 pp (Completed 10/8/25)
85. The Heeding by Rob Cowen (2021) 118 pp (Completed 16/8/25)
86. Once the Deed is Done by Rachel Seiffert (2025) 455 pp (Completed 16/8/25)
87. Canoes by Maylis de Kerangal (2021) 152 pp (Completed 17/8/25)
88. The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller (2024) 371 pp (Completed 24/8/25)
89. The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien (1954) 407 pp (Completed 24/8/25)
90. Universality by Natasha Brown (2025) 156pp (Completed 31/8/25)
September
91. Misinterpretation by Ledia Xhoga (2024) 321 pp (Completed 5/9/25)
92. Woke Racism by John McWhorter (2021) 187 pp (Completed 5/9/25)
93. Lit Up Inside by Van Morrison (2014) 201 pp (Completed 7/9/25)
94. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (2020) 377 pp (Completed 7/9/25)
95. Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann (2017) 291 pp (Completed 11/9/25)
96. When We Flew Away by Alice Hoffman (2024) 282 pp (Completed 15/9/25)
97. Devotions by Mary Oliver (2017) 442 pp (Completed 15/9/25)
98. The Rest of Our Lives by Benjamin Markovitz (2025) (Completed 30/9/25)
October
99. Touch Wood: Poems and a Story by Dannie Abse (2002) 88 pp (Completed 2/10/25)
100. Tin Man by Sarah Winman (2017) 195 pp (Completed 5/10/25)
6PaulCranswick
Currently Reading
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 :
1. The Pigeon by Patrick Suskind
2. The Pine Islands by Marion Poschmann
3. The Cafe With No Name by Robert Seethaler
August : Anita Fameulstee Memorial Month (Benelux) :
https://www.librarything.com/topic/372858
1. The Blue Bird by Maurice Maeterlinck
2. Safe as Houses by Simone van der Vlught
September : Books About European Places : https://www.librarything.com/topic/373424#n8936462
1. When We Flew Away by Alice Hoffman (Amsterdam)
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
5. Canoes by Maylis Kerangal
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 :
1. The Pigeon by Patrick Suskind
2. The Pine Islands by Marion Poschmann
3. The Cafe With No Name by Robert Seethaler
August : Anita Fameulstee Memorial Month (Benelux) :
https://www.librarything.com/topic/372858
1. The Blue Bird by Maurice Maeterlinck
2. Safe as Houses by Simone van der Vlught
September : Books About European Places : https://www.librarything.com/topic/373424#n8936462
1. When We Flew Away by Alice Hoffman (Amsterdam)
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
5. Canoes by Maylis Kerangal
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 - Emily Tesh & Alex Wheatle
Home Boys by Alex Wheatle.
September - Leone Ross & Alan Moore
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 - Emily Tesh & Alex Wheatle
Home Boys by Alex Wheatle.
September - Leone Ross & Alan Moore
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 - True Crime - Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
SEPTEMBER - Alice Hoffman - When We Flew Away
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 - True Crime - Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
SEPTEMBER - Alice Hoffman - When We Flew Away
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
August - The Movies -
September - Means of Transport
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
August - The Movies -
September - Means of Transport
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
1988 : The Pigeon by Patrick Suskind
2002 : Crow Lake by Mary Lawson
2008 : The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk
2009 : In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin
2012 : Nagasaki by Eric Faye
2014 : The End of Eddy by Louis Eduoard
2017 : The Pine Islands by Marion Poschmann
2019 : The Other Americans by Laila Lalami
2020 : The Cold Millions by Jess Walter
2021 : The Heeding by Rob Cowen
2022 : Heart Lamp Stories by Banu Mushtaq
2023 : Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood
2024 : The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
2025 : Nesting by Roisin O'Donnell
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
1988 : The Pigeon by Patrick Suskind
2002 : Crow Lake by Mary Lawson
2008 : The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk
2009 : In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin
2012 : Nagasaki by Eric Faye
2014 : The End of Eddy by Louis Eduoard
2017 : The Pine Islands by Marion Poschmann
2019 : The Other Americans by Laila Lalami
2020 : The Cold Millions by Jess Walter
2021 : The Heeding by Rob Cowen
2022 : Heart Lamp Stories by Banu Mushtaq
2023 : Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood
2024 : The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
2025 : Nesting by Roisin O'Donnell
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 - Gunter Grass or alternatives
August - Harry Mulisch or alternatives
September - Americana - Larry McMurtry or alternatives
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 - Gunter Grass or alternatives
August - Harry Mulisch or alternatives
September - Americana - Larry McMurtry or alternatives
13PaulCranswick
BOOKER SHORTLIST
THE BOOKER PRIZE shortlist has been announced:
Kiran Desai - The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny
Ben Markovits - The Rest of Our Lives - READ
Katie Kitamura - Audition - READ
Susan Choi - Flashlight - Owned
Andrew Miller - The Land in Winter - READ
David Szalay - Flesh - Owned
Current ranking:
1. Markovitz
2. Miller
3. Kitamura
THE BOOKER PRIZE shortlist has been announced:
Kiran Desai - The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny
Ben Markovits - The Rest of Our Lives - READ
Katie Kitamura - Audition - READ
Susan Choi - Flashlight - Owned
Andrew Miller - The Land in Winter - READ
David Szalay - Flesh - Owned
Current ranking:
1. Markovitz
2. Miller
3. Kitamura
14PaulCranswick
Incumbent Award Winners
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 Owned
9 International Dublin Literary Prize : The Adversary by Michael Crummey Owned
10 Kerry Irish Fiction Award : Time of the Child by Niall Williams, Irish Award Owned
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 Owned
19 The Dylan Thomas Prize : The Coin by Yasmin Zaher, UK Award Owned
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 Owned
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 Owned
34 Gordon Burn Prize : Ootlin by Jenni Fagan, Owned
35 Nota Bene Prize : Kala by Colin Walsh, UK Award Owned
36 Betty Trask Award : Winter Animals by Ashani Lewis, UK Award Owned
37 Author's Club Best First Novel : Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon, UK Award READ
38 Sunday Times Young Writer Award : Rural Hours by Harriet Baker Owned
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 by Canisia Lubrin, USA Award Owned
47 Center for Fiction First Novel : God Bless You, Otis Spunkmeyer by Joseph Earl Thomas, USA Award Owned
48 Chautauqua Prize : Whale Fall by Elizabeth O'Connor USA Award Owned
49 Pen Hemingway Debut Fiction Early Sobrieties Michael Deagler USA LIT
50 Pen Faulkner Award : Small Rain by Garth Greenwell Owned
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 by Sarah Greer, UK Award Owned
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 by Sally Hepworth, Australian Award Owned
60 Ned Kelly Best Debut Book Murder in the Pacific: Ifira Point Matt Francis Aust Thriller
61 Ned Kelly International Award : The Only Suspect by Louise Candlish, Australian Award Owned
62 Macavity Best Mystery Novel : All the Sinners Bleed by S.A.Cosby Owned
63 Macavity Best First Mystery Novel : The Peacock and the Sparrow by I.S. Berry Owned
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 by Anna Mazzola Owned
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 by Akira Otani Owned
71 CWA Twisted Dagger : Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra Owned
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 by Tananarive Due Owned
79 Edgar Best Novel Award : The In Crowd by Charlotte Vassell, USA Award Owned
80 Edgar Best First Novel by American Author : Holy City by Henry Wise, USA Award Owned
81 Anthony Award for Best Novel : All the Sinners Bleed by S.A.Cosby Owned
82 Anthony Award for Best First Novel : The Peacock and the Sparrow by I.S. Berry Owned
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 by Erin Entrada Kelly, USA Award Owned
Own or Read 59/85 award winners
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 Owned
9 International Dublin Literary Prize : The Adversary by Michael Crummey Owned
10 Kerry Irish Fiction Award : Time of the Child by Niall Williams, Irish Award Owned
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 Owned
19 The Dylan Thomas Prize : The Coin by Yasmin Zaher, UK Award Owned
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 Owned
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 Owned
34 Gordon Burn Prize : Ootlin by Jenni Fagan, Owned
35 Nota Bene Prize : Kala by Colin Walsh, UK Award Owned
36 Betty Trask Award : Winter Animals by Ashani Lewis, UK Award Owned
37 Author's Club Best First Novel : Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon, UK Award READ
38 Sunday Times Young Writer Award : Rural Hours by Harriet Baker Owned
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 by Canisia Lubrin, USA Award Owned
47 Center for Fiction First Novel : God Bless You, Otis Spunkmeyer by Joseph Earl Thomas, USA Award Owned
48 Chautauqua Prize : Whale Fall by Elizabeth O'Connor USA Award Owned
49 Pen Hemingway Debut Fiction Early Sobrieties Michael Deagler USA LIT
50 Pen Faulkner Award : Small Rain by Garth Greenwell Owned
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 by Sarah Greer, UK Award Owned
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 by Sally Hepworth, Australian Award Owned
60 Ned Kelly Best Debut Book Murder in the Pacific: Ifira Point Matt Francis Aust Thriller
61 Ned Kelly International Award : The Only Suspect by Louise Candlish, Australian Award Owned
62 Macavity Best Mystery Novel : All the Sinners Bleed by S.A.Cosby Owned
63 Macavity Best First Mystery Novel : The Peacock and the Sparrow by I.S. Berry Owned
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 by Anna Mazzola Owned
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 by Akira Otani Owned
71 CWA Twisted Dagger : Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra Owned
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 by Tananarive Due Owned
79 Edgar Best Novel Award : The In Crowd by Charlotte Vassell, USA Award Owned
80 Edgar Best First Novel by American Author : Holy City by Henry Wise, USA Award Owned
81 Anthony Award for Best Novel : All the Sinners Bleed by S.A.Cosby Owned
82 Anthony Award for Best First Novel : The Peacock and the Sparrow by I.S. Berry Owned
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 by Erin Entrada Kelly, USA Award Owned
Own or Read 59/85 award winners
15PaulCranswick
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 & August Books 211-305 : https://www.librarything.com/topic/373093#8921718
September :
306. Limberlost by Robbie Arnott
307. The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
308. Dark Like Under by Alice Chadwick
309. The Gold Bug Variations by Richard Powers
310. Native Nations by Kathleen Duval
311. Unruly by David Mitchell
312. The Blazing World by Jonathan Healey
313. Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden
314. Black Magic by Marjorie Bowen
315. The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
316. Covered With Night by Nicole Eustace
317. The Colonel and the Eunuch by Mai Jia
318. Fall Out by Tim Shipman
319. Highway Cottage by Ralf Webb
320. Aaron's Rod by D.H. Lawrence
321. Adrift on the Pacific by Edward S. Ellis
322. Dracula's Guest by Bram Stoker
323. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
324. Tar by Sherwood Anderson
325. Birds of Prey by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
326. Water at the Roots by Philip Britts
327. The Deerslayer by James Fenimore Cooper
328. Sketches by Boz by Charles Dickens
329. The Titan by Theodore Dreiser
330. Children of the Soil by Henrik Pontoppidan
331. Robinson by Muriel Spark
332. Alice Adams by Booth Tarkington
333. Away by Jane Urquhart
334. Michael Strogoff by Jules Verne
335. William the Silent by CV Wedgwood
336. The Somerset Tsunami by Emma Carroll
337. How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz
338. The Letter for the King by Tonke Dragt
339. The Harm Tree by Rose Edwards
340. The Tulip Touch by Anne Fine
341. Transcendent by Patrick Gallagher
342. The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
343. Never Forget You by Jamila Gavin
344. The Rapture by Claire McGlasson
345. The End of Drum-Time by Hanna Pylvainen
346. The Doctor's Wife by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
347. Beside the Ocean of Time by George MacKay Brown
348. Every One Still Here by Liadan Ni Chuinn
349. Julius by Daphne du Maurier
350. Buckeye by Patrick Ryan
351. The Feeling of Iron by Giaime Alonge
352. Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Howarth
353. Herscht 07769 by Laszlo Krasznahorkai
354. Cold Victory by Karl Marlantes
355. The White Bear by Henrik Pontoppidan
356. The Blood of Others by Simone de Beauvoir
357. Good Pop Bad Pop by Jarvis Cocker
358. Accidents in the Home by Tessa Hadley
359. In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden
360. Small Rain by Garth Greenwell
361. Helm by Sarah Hall
362. Creepy Crawly by Andrew Lowe
363. Watchmen by Alan Moore
364. Awaydays by Kevin Sampson
365. Not Waving but Drowning by Stevie Smith
366. Where the Line Bleeds by Jesmyn Ward
367. Seascraper by Benjamin Wood
368. Here Be Icebergs by Katya Adaui
369. Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
370. Kennedy 35 by Charles Cumming
371. Radical: A Life of My Own by Xiaolu Guo
372. Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li
373. The Carrying by Ada Limon
374. Someone Like Us by Dinaw Mengestu
375. The Watermark by Sam Mills
376. All the Blood is Red by Leone Ross
377. Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare
378. Strange Pictures by Uketsu
379. The Monsters We Deserve by Marcus Sedgwick
October
380. A Life on Our Planet by David Attenborough
381. Final Exam by Julio Cortazar
382. Omensetter's Luck by William H. Gass
383. Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin
384. Fellow Travelers by Thomas Mallon
385. Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy
386. The Racket by Conor Niland
387. A Bookshop of One's Own by Jane Cholmeley
388. Ootlin by Jenni Fagan
389. This is Not a Small Voice: Selected Poems by Sonia Sanchez
390. The Adversary by Michael Crummey
391. Rural Hours by Harriet Baker
392. The Great When by Alan Moore
393. Namesake by N.S. Nuseibeh
394. Ali and Nino by Kurban Said
395. Batshit Seven by Sheung-King
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 & August Books 211-305 : https://www.librarything.com/topic/373093#8921718
September :
306. Limberlost by Robbie Arnott
307. The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
308. Dark Like Under by Alice Chadwick
309. The Gold Bug Variations by Richard Powers
310. Native Nations by Kathleen Duval
311. Unruly by David Mitchell
312. The Blazing World by Jonathan Healey
313. Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden
314. Black Magic by Marjorie Bowen
315. The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
316. Covered With Night by Nicole Eustace
317. The Colonel and the Eunuch by Mai Jia
318. Fall Out by Tim Shipman
319. Highway Cottage by Ralf Webb
320. Aaron's Rod by D.H. Lawrence
321. Adrift on the Pacific by Edward S. Ellis
322. Dracula's Guest by Bram Stoker
323. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
324. Tar by Sherwood Anderson
325. Birds of Prey by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
326. Water at the Roots by Philip Britts
327. The Deerslayer by James Fenimore Cooper
328. Sketches by Boz by Charles Dickens
329. The Titan by Theodore Dreiser
330. Children of the Soil by Henrik Pontoppidan
331. Robinson by Muriel Spark
332. Alice Adams by Booth Tarkington
333. Away by Jane Urquhart
334. Michael Strogoff by Jules Verne
335. William the Silent by CV Wedgwood
336. The Somerset Tsunami by Emma Carroll
337. How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz
338. The Letter for the King by Tonke Dragt
339. The Harm Tree by Rose Edwards
340. The Tulip Touch by Anne Fine
341. Transcendent by Patrick Gallagher
342. The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
343. Never Forget You by Jamila Gavin
344. The Rapture by Claire McGlasson
345. The End of Drum-Time by Hanna Pylvainen
346. The Doctor's Wife by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
347. Beside the Ocean of Time by George MacKay Brown
348. Every One Still Here by Liadan Ni Chuinn
349. Julius by Daphne du Maurier
350. Buckeye by Patrick Ryan
351. The Feeling of Iron by Giaime Alonge
352. Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Howarth
353. Herscht 07769 by Laszlo Krasznahorkai
354. Cold Victory by Karl Marlantes
355. The White Bear by Henrik Pontoppidan
356. The Blood of Others by Simone de Beauvoir
357. Good Pop Bad Pop by Jarvis Cocker
358. Accidents in the Home by Tessa Hadley
359. In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden
360. Small Rain by Garth Greenwell
361. Helm by Sarah Hall
362. Creepy Crawly by Andrew Lowe
363. Watchmen by Alan Moore
364. Awaydays by Kevin Sampson
365. Not Waving but Drowning by Stevie Smith
366. Where the Line Bleeds by Jesmyn Ward
367. Seascraper by Benjamin Wood
368. Here Be Icebergs by Katya Adaui
369. Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
370. Kennedy 35 by Charles Cumming
371. Radical: A Life of My Own by Xiaolu Guo
372. Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li
373. The Carrying by Ada Limon
374. Someone Like Us by Dinaw Mengestu
375. The Watermark by Sam Mills
376. All the Blood is Red by Leone Ross
377. Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare
378. Strange Pictures by Uketsu
379. The Monsters We Deserve by Marcus Sedgwick
October
380. A Life on Our Planet by David Attenborough
381. Final Exam by Julio Cortazar
382. Omensetter's Luck by William H. Gass
383. Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin
384. Fellow Travelers by Thomas Mallon
385. Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy
386. The Racket by Conor Niland
387. A Bookshop of One's Own by Jane Cholmeley
388. Ootlin by Jenni Fagan
389. This is Not a Small Voice: Selected Poems by Sonia Sanchez
390. The Adversary by Michael Crummey
391. Rural Hours by Harriet Baker
392. The Great When by Alan Moore
393. Namesake by N.S. Nuseibeh
394. Ali and Nino by Kurban Said
395. Batshit Seven by Sheung-King
16PaulCranswick
2025 Book Stats
Books Read : 98
Pages Read in completed books : 25,109
Longest book : The Museum of Innocence : 728 pp
Shortest book : Dart : 48 pp
Mean book length : 256.21 pp
Pages per day average in completed books : 91.98
Books written by men : 51
Books written by women: 46
Books written by both : 1
Non-Fiction : 15
Fiction : 46
Poetry : 17
Thriller : 11
SF/Fantasy : 3
Drama : 6
1590s : 2 books
1600s : 3 books
1830s : 1 book
1900s : 1 book
1940s : 1 book
1950s : 2 books
1960s : 5 books
1970s : 5 books
1980s : 2 books
1990s : 2 books
2000s : 9 books
2010s : 29 books
2020s : 36 books
UK Authors : 44
US Authors : 19
France Authors : 6
Ireland Authors : 2
Australia Authors : 3
Palestine Authors : 1
Iceland Authors : 1
Denmark Authors : 1
Norway Authors : 1
Japan Authors : 1
Sweden Authors : 1
Finland Authors : 1
Netherlands Authors : 2
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
Malaysia Authors : 1
Austria Authors : 1
Albania Authors : 1
Various Authors : 1
Challenges :
European Grand Tour Challenge : 21 books
Non-Fiction Challenge : 6 books
American Author Challenge : 8 books
British Author Challenge : 5 books
Women's Prize Longlist : 5 books
1001 Books : 2 books
50 Modern Classics from the Last 50 Years : 5/50
Booker Prize Longlist : 6/13
Awards :
Pulitzer Poetry Prize
Booker International : 1 book
Nobel Winners : 1 new
Women's Prize : 1
Miles Franklin : 1
Walter Scott Prize : 1
Read : 98 books
Added : 379 books
Change to TBR : +281
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
August Books: 14
August Pages : 3,298
Pages Average : Per Book 235.57 Per day 106.39
September Books: 8
September Pages : 2,340
Pages Average : Per Book 292.50 Per Day : 78.00
Books Read : 98
Pages Read in completed books : 25,109
Longest book : The Museum of Innocence : 728 pp
Shortest book : Dart : 48 pp
Mean book length : 256.21 pp
Pages per day average in completed books : 91.98
Books written by men : 51
Books written by women: 46
Books written by both : 1
Non-Fiction : 15
Fiction : 46
Poetry : 17
Thriller : 11
SF/Fantasy : 3
Drama : 6
1590s : 2 books
1600s : 3 books
1830s : 1 book
1900s : 1 book
1940s : 1 book
1950s : 2 books
1960s : 5 books
1970s : 5 books
1980s : 2 books
1990s : 2 books
2000s : 9 books
2010s : 29 books
2020s : 36 books
UK Authors : 44
US Authors : 19
France Authors : 6
Ireland Authors : 2
Australia Authors : 3
Palestine Authors : 1
Iceland Authors : 1
Denmark Authors : 1
Norway Authors : 1
Japan Authors : 1
Sweden Authors : 1
Finland Authors : 1
Netherlands Authors : 2
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
Malaysia Authors : 1
Austria Authors : 1
Albania Authors : 1
Various Authors : 1
Challenges :
European Grand Tour Challenge : 21 books
Non-Fiction Challenge : 6 books
American Author Challenge : 8 books
British Author Challenge : 5 books
Women's Prize Longlist : 5 books
1001 Books : 2 books
50 Modern Classics from the Last 50 Years : 5/50
Booker Prize Longlist : 6/13
Awards :
Pulitzer Poetry Prize
Booker International : 1 book
Nobel Winners : 1 new
Women's Prize : 1
Miles Franklin : 1
Walter Scott Prize : 1
Read : 98 books
Added : 379 books
Change to TBR : +281
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
August Books: 14
August Pages : 3,298
Pages Average : Per Book 235.57 Per day 106.39
September Books: 8
September Pages : 2,340
Pages Average : Per Book 292.50 Per Day : 78.00
17PaulCranswick
Family Photo
On 2 September my brother and I turned 59. I am the De Vito twin!
On 2 September my brother and I turned 59. I am the De Vito twin!
18PaulCranswick
Welcome to my 19th thread of 2025.
19amanda4242
Happy new thread!
20PaulCranswick
>19 amanda4242: Thank you my friend. x
22PaulCranswick
>21 avatiakh: Lovely to see you bright and early, Kerry, but of course it is far ess early for you!
25PaulCranswick
>23 drneutron: Thank you Jim.
>24 Kristelh: Thanks Kristel, my most synched book reader as far as I can tell with my sharing well over 50% of your library.
>24 Kristelh: Thanks Kristel, my most synched book reader as far as I can tell with my sharing well over 50% of your library.
26alcottacre
Checking in on the new thread, Paul. I am pretty sure that I missed the last one entirely. . .
27PaulCranswick
>26 alcottacre: I know you have been pretty darned busy, Stasia, you are here now which is what counts. xx
29Kristelh
>25 PaulCranswick:, And proud to be your synched reader, Paul! We like great books, what can I say?
30figsfromthistle
Happy new thread!
33PaulCranswick
>28 humouress: Nice to see you neighbour!
>29 Kristelh: Well I am biased Kristel but at least sure that I am in very good company. xx
>29 Kristelh: Well I am biased Kristel but at least sure that I am in very good company. xx
34PaulCranswick
>30 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita
>31 hredwards: Thanks, Harold. He is still much bigger than I am - at least in height.
>31 hredwards: Thanks, Harold. He is still much bigger than I am - at least in height.
35PaulCranswick
>32 foggidawn: Thanks Foggi. Always a pleasure to have you stop by.
36Ignatius777
>1 PaulCranswick: God's Own County maybe missing there Paul ? ;)
38ffortsa
Hi, Paul, happy new thread. I wish I could have kept up this year, but at least I have your travel categories and your reading list. So many books to explore. Thanks.
41PaulCranswick
>36 Ignatius777: Yorkshire is God's own county as we say back home Ignatius. Great to see you here buddy.
>37 EllaTim: Thank you Ella. x
>37 EllaTim: Thank you Ella. x
42PaulCranswick
>38 ffortsa: No problem ever Judy about the difficulties of keeping up as I often struggle to do so myself. Lovely to see you here and you will always be one of my favourites.
>39 ArlieS: Thank you dear Arlie.
>39 ArlieS: Thank you dear Arlie.
43PaulCranswick
>40 DianaNL: What a lovely surprise it always is when you stop by Diana. xx
45PaulCranswick
>44 atozgrl: Thank you Irene.
46PaulCranswick
I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has stopped by my threads this year and helped me to pass 5,000 posts on my threads already in 2025. The milestone was passed earlier today and this is post 5,016.
47johnsimpson
Hi Paul, mate. Happy New Thread and a great thread topper. Sadly we lost a Great Yorkshireman and Cricket legend, the incomparable Harold Dennis "Dickie" Bird at the age of 92. A fantastic cricketer for Barnsley alongside Sir Michael Parkinson and Sir Geoffrey Boycott, Geoffrey said he watched with awe Dickie batting, making fifty and the hat being passed around. Sadly once at Yorkshire, his nerves got he better of him but in the Yorkshire Championship winning year of 1959, he made his highest score of 181 not out against Glamorgan at Bradford Park Avenue before he moved to Leicestershire, he retired at the age of 32 due to injury before becoming an Umpire.
If anything was to go wrong during a game, be it a Championship game or a Test Match, Dickie would be umpiring. He was a character before and after retirement and wherever he was in the world, he would tell anyone who would listen about Yorkshire, Yorkshire County Cricket Club and his beloved home town, Barnsley. His funeral will be a spectacle, the good folk of Barnsley and Yorkshire will give him a send off he well deserves.
If anything was to go wrong during a game, be it a Championship game or a Test Match, Dickie would be umpiring. He was a character before and after retirement and wherever he was in the world, he would tell anyone who would listen about Yorkshire, Yorkshire County Cricket Club and his beloved home town, Barnsley. His funeral will be a spectacle, the good folk of Barnsley and Yorkshire will give him a send off he well deserves.
48PaulCranswick
>47 johnsimpson: What a lovely post, John, about a lovely man!
I can only remember Dickie as an umpire but what a wonderful character he was. A proud Yorkie indeed and he will be sorely missed by all his fellow County men.
I can only remember Dickie as an umpire but what a wonderful character he was. A proud Yorkie indeed and he will be sorely missed by all his fellow County men.
49louisisaloafofbreb
Happy New Thread ^^
50PaulCranswick
>49 louisisaloafofbreb: Thank you, Lily.
52louisisaloafofbreb
>50 PaulCranswick: Your very welcome Paul
53DebiCates
>7 PaulCranswick: Oh Paul, LOOOOVE that thing you did with the map of Europe.
54DebiCates
>17 PaulCranswick: The pic of you and your twin is adorable! Happy Birthday...sometime in September ❤️
56PaulCranswick
>53 DebiCates: I would love to claim credit for it Debi, but I found it somewhere in the ether, I cannot remember where.
>54 DebiCates: It was on 2 September, Debi - thank you dear lady. At least he is the elder of the two of us according to most cultures. Korea on the other hand regard me as the elder on the wonderful basis that since I came out last I must have been put there first!
>54 DebiCates: It was on 2 September, Debi - thank you dear lady. At least he is the elder of the two of us according to most cultures. Korea on the other hand regard me as the elder on the wonderful basis that since I came out last I must have been put there first!
57DebiCates
>56 PaulCranswick: >It was on 2 September, Debi - thank you dear lady. At least he is the elder of the two of us according to most cultures. Korea on the other hand regard me as the elder on the wonderful basis that since I came out last I must have been put there first!
Happy BELATED birthday.
Working for an oil field supply company, I would have to agree with the Koreans on that. You and your brother were perfect LIFO inventory!
Happy BELATED birthday.
Working for an oil field supply company, I would have to agree with the Koreans on that. You and your brother were perfect LIFO inventory!
58PaulCranswick
>57 DebiCates: I do enjoy working with the Koreans and I have been giving advice to them on and off for over 30 years but they do have some fairly unusual customs and traditions. One is that when I child is born they already consider he or she to be 1 year old and they make allowance for womb time.
59DebiCates
>58 PaulCranswick: So, according to the Koreans you work with, you just had the big Six O. ha!
60humouress
>47 johnsimpson: I remember Dickie Bird umpiring back in the '80s. RIP.
>56 PaulCranswick: I see why you like working for Samsung.
>1 PaulCranswick: Ooh - I recognise Whitby Abbey up there. It's a picturesque place; the kids had a wonderful time running around the ruins when we went about 9 years ago.
>56 PaulCranswick: I see why you like working for Samsung.
>1 PaulCranswick: Ooh - I recognise Whitby Abbey up there. It's a picturesque place; the kids had a wonderful time running around the ruins when we went about 9 years ago.
61mdoris
>17 PaulCranswick: What a wonderful picture of you and your twin brother Paul. I loved the knobbly knees (2 pairs!)
62Familyhistorian
Happy new thread, Paul. >3 PaulCranswick: Now that's a poem I can relate to!
63vancouverdeb
Happy New Thread, Paul. Let me know what you think of The Rest of Our Lives as I have a hold on it at the library.
64PaulCranswick
>59 DebiCates: Yeah and now I am obviously not going to be in agreement with them, Debi!
>60 humouress: Well spotted on Whitby and you are right certainly. Hope your guys didn't disturb any suspicious looking coffins secreted on the grounds.
Knaresborough and the Settle railway are also there, I could be wrong but the village looks suspiciously like Helmsley.
>60 humouress: Well spotted on Whitby and you are right certainly. Hope your guys didn't disturb any suspicious looking coffins secreted on the grounds.
Knaresborough and the Settle railway are also there, I could be wrong but the village looks suspiciously like Helmsley.
65vancouverdeb
Cute picture of you and your brother, Paul. I missed it first time round . I have a sister born in the same year as me, me in January of 1961 and she in early November of 1961. She is not a twin, but we went to school together, in the same grade. Some thought we were twins. Maybe one day I'll post picture of the two of us a youngsters. I have curly hair, whereas hers is straight, so it's easy to tell us apart.
66humouress
>65 vancouverdeb: I believe that makes you 'Irish twins'.
67PaulCranswick
>61 mdoris: Thank you, Mary. I still have knobbly knees!
>62 Familyhistorian: Indeed Meg and it is true in my own case too. The tough love of my father certainly marked me for life and made me tougher myself but my dear mum was always a sweetie and loved us all probably way too much.
>62 Familyhistorian: Indeed Meg and it is true in my own case too. The tough love of my father certainly marked me for life and made me tougher myself but my dear mum was always a sweetie and loved us all probably way too much.
68PaulCranswick
>63 vancouverdeb: I think perhaps some of the book tubers have expectations that all the selected books must have some sort of cutting edge or unique way of looking at the world from a narrative style that challenges our perceptions on what fiction can do. This book doesn't really bother with that and seems to be plain story telling albeit from a world weary perspective - it is all the better for that too, Deb! To wit I am enjoying it so far.
>65 vancouverdeb: Thank you Deb. I do recall you mentioning your sister before and photos from our youth are always interesting things to behold.
>65 vancouverdeb: Thank you Deb. I do recall you mentioning your sister before and photos from our youth are always interesting things to behold.
69PaulCranswick
>66 humouress: Certainly used to be a thing in Catholic families back in the day. My wife and her sister are only 11 months apart in age too.
70CDVicarage
>69 PaulCranswick: My brother and I have the same birthday but three years apart!
71Kristelh
>56 PaulCranswick: I like that reasoning, Paul!
72Donna828
Happy newish thread, Paul. Love that twin picture. Two cuties!
I see you are currently reading Lonesome Dove. One of my all-time favorites.
I see you are currently reading Lonesome Dove. One of my all-time favorites.
74dianeham
Hi Paul! I think about you often but haven’t been on LT in ages. Life’s been weird this year but I’m ok today. Regards from Cape May, NJ.
75PaulCranswick
>70 CDVicarage: That is quite something, Kerry! Without wishing to be indelicate it is obvious to me that your parents must have been extremely regular in their habits!
>71 Kristelh: It is very typical of Korean thinking, Kristel.
>71 Kristelh: It is very typical of Korean thinking, Kristel.
76PaulCranswick
>72 Donna828: Thank you, Donna. Yes it is really good - I can see why it is so lauded as a book.
>73 quondame: Thank you dear Susan.
>73 quondame: Thank you dear Susan.
77PaulCranswick
>74 dianeham: Lovely to see you my dear friend. I also think about you often especially on commemorative days. Take care of your self and don't be a stranger. xx
78DebiCates
>75 PaulCranswick: That is quite something, Kerry! Without wishing to be indelicate it is obvious to me that your parents must have been extremely regular in their habits!
I hope that isn't offensive to CDVicarage, but it did make me laugh.
I hope that isn't offensive to CDVicarage, but it did make me laugh.
79PaulCranswick
>78 DebiCates: I hope so too, Debi, because Kerry is one of the nicest people around here.
80SilverWolf28
Happy New Thread!
81SilverWolf28
Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/374175
83vancouverdeb
My late dad, Hugh, shares a birthday with my brother, Hugh, but 27 years apart. Nice work on my parents part.
84PaulCranswick
>80 SilverWolf28: Thank you Silver
>81 SilverWolf28: Thanks for still doing this Silver. I am hoping to make a splash with finally finishing three chunksters this weekend plus a couple more.
>81 SilverWolf28: Thanks for still doing this Silver. I am hoping to make a splash with finally finishing three chunksters this weekend plus a couple more.
85PaulCranswick
>82 Matke: Thank you Gail. I do think that when Larkin succeeded he was tremendously effective. He will never be an absolute favourite of mine but I do really like some of his work.
>83 vancouverdeb: It is quite remarkable how that sort of thing re-occurs, I wonder if there is a sort of familial lambing-season in our genetic make-ups somewhere?!
>83 vancouverdeb: It is quite remarkable how that sort of thing re-occurs, I wonder if there is a sort of familial lambing-season in our genetic make-ups somewhere?!
86PaulCranswick
I wanted to share some fumbling attempts at the Japanese poetry form of haiku (in English of course!).
Haiku traditionally emanate from nature or go back to nature, they should have a break (usually a break word) and be in two parts and three lines. Whilst there are obvious variations the most often one used in English is 5-7-5 format (number of syllables per line).
I tried to cover all four seasons in sequence:
FOUR SEASONS OF HAIKU
(i)
Unlimitedness
Of feelings crushing; light
in winter air floats.
(ii)
Forest light escapes
To spring skies; wine glass full
distilling red shade.
(iii)
Blazing colour feeds
Summer days; time allowing
yellow turning grey.
(iv)
Auburn autumn leaf
Descends; auguries of death
eternal as time.
Haiku traditionally emanate from nature or go back to nature, they should have a break (usually a break word) and be in two parts and three lines. Whilst there are obvious variations the most often one used in English is 5-7-5 format (number of syllables per line).
I tried to cover all four seasons in sequence:
FOUR SEASONS OF HAIKU
(i)
Unlimitedness
Of feelings crushing; light
in winter air floats.
(ii)
Forest light escapes
To spring skies; wine glass full
distilling red shade.
(iii)
Blazing colour feeds
Summer days; time allowing
yellow turning grey.
(iv)
Auburn autumn leaf
Descends; auguries of death
eternal as time.
87CDVicarage
>75 PaulCranswick: I hadn't thought of that! I'm one of four and the gaps between us got smaller each time - four children in four years and 1 month.
88PaulCranswick
>87 CDVicarage: Wow, Kerry that is some going, but probably not too unusual at the time.
89Caroline_McElwee
Just had a quick gallop through this and your last thread Paul. I hope you are feeling less low now, but I do get that we dip sometimes, had a little of that myself lately. It helps to sit with the feelings I find.
90PaulCranswick
>89 Caroline_McElwee: Hi Caroline. My mood is ok but my energy levels are not quite what they should be still. Every day is a little bit better though. Lovely to see you as always.
91DebiCates
>86 PaulCranswick: Lovely haiku sequence, Paul! The winter one is an especial whammy for me, capturing some serious winter feelings and that special frigid light.
92PaulCranswick
>91 DebiCates: I have had the first part of that haiku for the longest time and I am fond of it just for its longevity in my scribbling files. I have the habit of rushing things off and then meddling with them over time. The haiku format is such a condensed and concentrated and tightly ordered form that too much meddling can prove counter-productive.
93PaulCranswick
Friday lunchtime additions
356. The Blood of Others by Simone de Beauvoir
357. Good Pop Bad Pop by Jarvis Cocker
358. Accidents in the Home by Tessa Hadley
359. In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden
360. Small Rain by Garth Greenwell
361. Helm by Sarah Hall
362. Creepy Crawly by Andrew Lowe
363. Watchmen by Alan Moore
364. Awaydays by Kevin Sampson
365. Not Waving but Drowning by Stevie Smith
366. Where the Line Bleeds by Jesmyn Ward
367. Seascraper by Benjamin Wood
356. The Blood of Others by Simone de Beauvoir
357. Good Pop Bad Pop by Jarvis Cocker
358. Accidents in the Home by Tessa Hadley
359. In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden
360. Small Rain by Garth Greenwell
361. Helm by Sarah Hall
362. Creepy Crawly by Andrew Lowe
363. Watchmen by Alan Moore
364. Awaydays by Kevin Sampson
365. Not Waving but Drowning by Stevie Smith
366. Where the Line Bleeds by Jesmyn Ward
367. Seascraper by Benjamin Wood
94amanda4242
>93 PaulCranswick: Watchmen? Not your usual fare, my friend.
95PaulCranswick
>94 amanda4242: I have one book by Alan Moore on the shelves and am not getting far with it, Amanda, so this is something of an act of desperation!
96amanda4242
>95 PaulCranswick: Not the comic of his I would have chosen for you, but it's a classic in the genre.
If Watchmen doesn't work out for you either, try The Mirror of Love on Open Library. https://openlibrary.org/works/OL2897782W/The_mirror_of_love?edition=key%3A/books...
If Watchmen doesn't work out for you either, try The Mirror of Love on Open Library. https://openlibrary.org/works/OL2897782W/The_mirror_of_love?edition=key%3A/books...
99PaulCranswick
>98 SirThomas: Thank you dear Thomas.
100booksaplenty1949
>17 PaulCranswick: Those knees!
101booksaplenty1949
>65 vancouverdeb: Two children born in the same year—a phenomenon known as “Irish twins.”
PS I see someone was ahead of me here. I didn’t look for a new thread until now—-just thought all my friends had gone silent, for some reason.
PS I see someone was ahead of me here. I didn’t look for a new thread until now—-just thought all my friends had gone silent, for some reason.
102PaulCranswick
>100 booksaplenty1949: They have served me reasonably faithfully until now! My ankles on the other hand......!
>101 booksaplenty1949: I had to admit having to look it up although the term was vaguely familiar to me.
>101 booksaplenty1949: I had to admit having to look it up although the term was vaguely familiar to me.
103PaulCranswick
>100 booksaplenty1949: They have served me reasonably faithfully until now! My ankles on the other hand......!
>101 booksaplenty1949: I had to admit having to look it up although the term was vaguely familiar to me.
>101 booksaplenty1949: I had to admit having to look it up although the term was vaguely familiar to me.
104Carmenere
Happy Saturday, Paul! Hope you are relaxing and reading a good book with a cup of tea beside you. Love your Friday lunchtime additions!!
105PaulCranswick
Quite disastrously power to my apartment building went down in my building at 12 noon - just in time for me to get home from work. It is now 8.17 pm and it is still not back on. I suffered in the heat long enough so came to a fairly nearby mall which has the benefit of being a little off the beaten path and serving good coffee so I will stick it out here until we get it back on. The electricity company is installing a temporary generator until they fix the main problem. At least the malls here stay open until 10 pm!!
106PaulCranswick
>104 Carmenere: How lovely to see you, Lynda, although our posts crossed. Unusually for me it is coffee - Spanish latte to be precise. Given I had no power earlier I accepted my fate and had a Saturday splurge too with 11 more books. I have left them in the house and will update later!
107Carmenere
>105 PaulCranswick: >104 Carmenere: Oops, looks like your Saturday wasn't thoroughly a happy one. Hope the power returns soon and definitely before 10pm!
haha you deserve another splurge for what you've had to endure!
haha you deserve another splurge for what you've had to endure!
108booksaplenty1949
>86 PaulCranswick: There used to be a place on every book’s LT “Common Knowledge” page for a “Haiku Summary.” Apparently a lot of people don’t know what a haiku is, because often the space contained a summary extending to several paragraphs. I admit I took some pleasure in erasing these. However, when I mentioned in a talk post that, of course, a haiku could only be 17 syllables, in a certain line division, I received a scathing reply. Apparently that’s just the beginning; there are rules about mood and tone as well. Not saying you are not following them; just reliving the personal putdown. Member is, like myself, a tireless picture flagger so I’m sure we share a weakness for “Gotcha!”
109PaulCranswick
>107 Carmenere: The power is back, Lynda, but because it is on a temporary generator it is particularly sketchy.
>108 booksaplenty1949: I think mine follow the rules but if they don't then so be it as they are a close enough approximation as far as I am concerned.
>108 booksaplenty1949: I think mine follow the rules but if they don't then so be it as they are a close enough approximation as far as I am concerned.
110PaulCranswick
Enforced Saturday additions
368. Here Be Icebergs by Katya Adaui
369. Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
370. Kennedy 35 by Charles Cumming
371. Radical: A Life of My Own by Xiaolu Guo
372. Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li
373. The Carrying by Ada Limon
374. Someone Like Us by Dinaw Mengestu
375. The Watermark by Sam Mills
376. All the Blood is Red by Leone Ross
377. Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare
378. Strange Pictures by Uketsu
368. Here Be Icebergs by Katya Adaui
369. Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
370. Kennedy 35 by Charles Cumming
371. Radical: A Life of My Own by Xiaolu Guo
372. Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li
373. The Carrying by Ada Limon
374. Someone Like Us by Dinaw Mengestu
375. The Watermark by Sam Mills
376. All the Blood is Red by Leone Ross
377. Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare
378. Strange Pictures by Uketsu
111Kristelh
>110 PaulCranswick:, @Paul, If one is going to be forced to spend hours out of their home, there ought to be rewards
112avatiakh
>110 PaulCranswick: Power outage is always annoying. An interesting set of books, I'm not familiar with any of them though I recognise a writer or two.
113booksaplenty1949
>112 avatiakh: Hope you recognised William Shakespeare.
114PaulCranswick
>112 avatiakh: Yeah, Kristel, that is pretty much what I thought as well!
>113 booksaplenty1949: The electricity is a bit temperamental on the generator as I think the supply is struggling to cope. The main refrigerator is tripping the power and the power circuits seems to be very strangely organized.
As to my additions, a few of them were as I am already thinking about next year's challenge. The Yiyun Li book is because of a booktuber video I saw.
>113 booksaplenty1949: The electricity is a bit temperamental on the generator as I think the supply is struggling to cope. The main refrigerator is tripping the power and the power circuits seems to be very strangely organized.
As to my additions, a few of them were as I am already thinking about next year's challenge. The Yiyun Li book is because of a booktuber video I saw.
116DebiCates
>110 PaulCranswick: #369! A thrill seeing a classic from my home state, New Mexico.
117avatiakh
>113 booksaplenty1949: Point taken. I did click on the Uketsu book right beside it too.
118PaulCranswick
>116 DebiCates: I had read about the author this week when researching my next year's challenge and fortuitously came across his book on the shelves.
>117 avatiakh: I have done similar things a million times, Kerry! By the way, the Uketsu books are all the rage here and of course being pushed heavily by a Japanese bookstore.
>117 avatiakh: I have done similar things a million times, Kerry! By the way, the Uketsu books are all the rage here and of course being pushed heavily by a Japanese bookstore.
119PaulCranswick
Weekend was a bit of a disaster in terms of lending me R&R time due to the electrical problems in my apartment building. I am reliably informed that the building maintenance have resolved the issues in my unit this afternoon so hopefully this evening will be more comfortable.
Destroyed my reading as well as my mood and I got barely 100 pages done in the entire weekend.
Destroyed my reading as well as my mood and I got barely 100 pages done in the entire weekend.
120PaulCranswick
Also I cannot remember the last time I went over 30 hours without posting here!
121Caroline_McElwee
>110 PaulCranswick: The Carrying was a hit for me Paul.
122PaulCranswick
>121 Caroline_McElwee: She is a strange one for me, Caroline, as despite me thinking that her style will not be for me there are usually at least half a dozen poems per collection that I fall in love with.
123booksaplenty1949
>120 PaulCranswick: Yes. You scared me.
124amanda4242
The October BAC thread is up!
https://www.librarything.com/topic/374254
Hope your electrical issues get sorted out, Paul. The power in my neighborhood went out at about 9:30 last night and didn't get restored until about 8:30 this morning. My guess is that PG&E didn't consider us a priority since the outage only affected 400 customers, and they could save a few cents by waiting until morning to fix it.
https://www.librarything.com/topic/374254
Hope your electrical issues get sorted out, Paul. The power in my neighborhood went out at about 9:30 last night and didn't get restored until about 8:30 this morning. My guess is that PG&E didn't consider us a priority since the outage only affected 400 customers, and they could save a few cents by waiting until morning to fix it.
125PaulCranswick
>123 booksaplenty1949: Hahaha, well I am here!
>124 amanda4242: The management have sorted out the problems in my unit and fixed the various circuits and trips for which I am happy, but the main building is still on generator. Supposed to be tomorrow when it is back to normal but I am happy today.
It is dreadful that they would leave you without power for 11 hours.
>124 amanda4242: The management have sorted out the problems in my unit and fixed the various circuits and trips for which I am happy, but the main building is still on generator. Supposed to be tomorrow when it is back to normal but I am happy today.
It is dreadful that they would leave you without power for 11 hours.
126amanda4242
>125 PaulCranswick: Glad to hear management is on it!
It is dreadful that they would leave you without power for 11 hours.
It's PG&E. We're lucky they didn't set the state on fire.
It is dreadful that they would leave you without power for 11 hours.
It's PG&E. We're lucky they didn't set the state on fire.
127PaulCranswick
>126 amanda4242: Hahaha well I suppose that is something to be grateful for then!
128PaulCranswick
BOOK #98
The Rest of Our Lives by Benjamin Markovitz
Date of Publication : 2025
Origin of Author : USA
Gender of Author : Male
Pages : 239 pp
Booker Shortlist : (3/6)
Finally broken my reading slump.
I always go into a novel open minded and despite some of the rather febrile reactions of distaste with the Judges of the Booker prize selecting this one both for long and then shortlist I wanted to look for the redeeming features and the qualities a fairly renowned panel saw in it.
I have to say I am on the side of the Judging panel and I thought this was a tremendous novel. Yes, it isn't trying to reshape the novel form with some cutting edge methodology and yes, its themes are themes that have been considered in numerous other novels. That does not in my view diminish the accomplishment of this novel for me.
The main character is both likeable and believable and Amy, his wife for al her foibles, hang ups and failings is real and well written. I could see people I know in the characters created by Ben Markovitz and, as someone of a certain age and having lived more than a little, I could well identify with the concerns expounded eloquently in this novel.
Not the most cutting edge of the three books on the shortlist that I have finished (that is Kitamura), not written in the most achingly beautiful prose (that is Miller), but I think that this is the most enjoyable read of the three and isn't that why we pick up books.
Recommended.
The Rest of Our Lives by Benjamin Markovitz
Date of Publication : 2025
Origin of Author : USA
Gender of Author : Male
Pages : 239 pp
Booker Shortlist : (3/6)
Finally broken my reading slump.
I always go into a novel open minded and despite some of the rather febrile reactions of distaste with the Judges of the Booker prize selecting this one both for long and then shortlist I wanted to look for the redeeming features and the qualities a fairly renowned panel saw in it.
I have to say I am on the side of the Judging panel and I thought this was a tremendous novel. Yes, it isn't trying to reshape the novel form with some cutting edge methodology and yes, its themes are themes that have been considered in numerous other novels. That does not in my view diminish the accomplishment of this novel for me.
The main character is both likeable and believable and Amy, his wife for al her foibles, hang ups and failings is real and well written. I could see people I know in the characters created by Ben Markovitz and, as someone of a certain age and having lived more than a little, I could well identify with the concerns expounded eloquently in this novel.
Not the most cutting edge of the three books on the shortlist that I have finished (that is Kitamura), not written in the most achingly beautiful prose (that is Miller), but I think that this is the most enjoyable read of the three and isn't that why we pick up books.
Recommended.
129Kristelh
>128 PaulCranswick:, @PaulCranswick. Thanks for the great review. It does sound like something I might enjoy.
130PaulCranswick
>129 Kristelh: The snootiness of some of the so called critics of this book probably made me more willing to cut it some slack but I genuinely liked it, Kristel.
131PaulCranswick
Got a nice surprise on coming to the office this morning. One of the staff who had his last day of work with us yesterday had left the gift of a new book on my desk with a really touching message.
379. The Monsters We Deserve by Marcus Sedgwick
not my normal genre, granted but I am still smiling this morning.
379. The Monsters We Deserve by Marcus Sedgwick
not my normal genre, granted but I am still smiling this morning.
132PaulCranswick
I fell off a cliff reading wise this month after a good start and found myself unable to do justice to some very good reading material.
I really enjoyed the starts of The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois but got bogged down really due to the heaviness of the book and my fatigue issues.
I am really enjoying my travels with McMurtry away from Lonesome Dove but I don't seem able to knock out more than 40 pages at a go.
I am really enjoying The Blazing World by Jonathan Healey and this has become the book I read (on my tablet) before sleep. I am probably doing 5% per day of it.
I hope to continue to read these three books this month to their happy conclusion and it is a reflection on the reader not the authors that I am needfully having to take my time with them.
I really enjoyed the starts of The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois but got bogged down really due to the heaviness of the book and my fatigue issues.
I am really enjoying my travels with McMurtry away from Lonesome Dove but I don't seem able to knock out more than 40 pages at a go.
I am really enjoying The Blazing World by Jonathan Healey and this has become the book I read (on my tablet) before sleep. I am probably doing 5% per day of it.
I hope to continue to read these three books this month to their happy conclusion and it is a reflection on the reader not the authors that I am needfully having to take my time with them.
133amanda4242
>132 PaulCranswick: I had to set Lonesome Dove aside for a little while to finish some library books that are due back soon, so I'm probably not even as far along as you are.
134PaulCranswick
>133 amanda4242: It is to the good, Amanda, as the AAC this coming month is Westerns anyhow.
135PaulCranswick
OCTOBER GRAND EUROPEAN TOUR THREAD IS UP:
Nous allons dans La Belle France
https://www.librarything.com/topic/374293
Nous allons dans La Belle France
https://www.librarything.com/topic/374293
137PaulCranswick
>136 alcottacre: And a cute drive by wave too!
138booksaplenty1949
>131 PaulCranswick: No personal reference intended, I assume.
139PaulCranswick
REVIEW OF READING IN SEPTEMBER
Books read : 8 (98)
Pages Read : 2,340 (25,109)
Longest Book : Devotions by Mary Oliver 442 pp
Shortest Book : Woke Racism by John McWhorter 187 pp
Mean Book Length : 292.50 pages
Mean Pages Read Daily : 78.00 pages
Books by Men : 5
Books by Women : 3
Fiction Books : 3
Non-Fiction : 2
Poetry : 1
Thrillers : 1
UK Authors : 2
US Authors : 5
Albanian Authors : 1
Book of the Month:
The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits
Books Added in September : 74
Started off well this last month and had seven books done before half way and decent progress on three chunksters and then I just ran out of steam completely. I finished one book in the last 15 days of the month which is dreadful by any reckoning but especially when I had such high hopes for my reading.
Hopefully October will be for me!
Books read : 8 (98)
Pages Read : 2,340 (25,109)
Longest Book : Devotions by Mary Oliver 442 pp
Shortest Book : Woke Racism by John McWhorter 187 pp
Mean Book Length : 292.50 pages
Mean Pages Read Daily : 78.00 pages
Books by Men : 5
Books by Women : 3
Fiction Books : 3
Non-Fiction : 2
Poetry : 1
Thrillers : 1
UK Authors : 2
US Authors : 5
Albanian Authors : 1
Book of the Month:
The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits
Books Added in September : 74
Started off well this last month and had seven books done before half way and decent progress on three chunksters and then I just ran out of steam completely. I finished one book in the last 15 days of the month which is dreadful by any reckoning but especially when I had such high hopes for my reading.
Hopefully October will be for me!
140PaulCranswick
>138 booksaplenty1949: Hahaha I did smile when I saw the title. The young man's name is Hafiz and it was his first job after leaving university and it is a pretty high pressure one at that, I guess.
I have a habit of giving all my staff nicknames and some of them are a little dependent upon how the receiver takes it. He was 23 years old when he joined us and was not working directly under me at first. He doesn't carry his years too well I suppose and looks possibly 10 years older than his actual age. My initial nickname for him was Muka tua which if literally translated would come out as "Old Face". I quickly realized he was upset by his nickname so I immediately stopped referring to him by that moniker. I had a chat about his experiences on Saturday morning and he told me he was scared of me when he joined but came to realize that of all the Senior Management I was the only one who would take time to help the younger staff, improve their understanding, have patience and include them "in interesting stuff". So I guess I won him over. His revised nickname was Fizz by the way.
I have a habit of giving all my staff nicknames and some of them are a little dependent upon how the receiver takes it. He was 23 years old when he joined us and was not working directly under me at first. He doesn't carry his years too well I suppose and looks possibly 10 years older than his actual age. My initial nickname for him was Muka tua which if literally translated would come out as "Old Face". I quickly realized he was upset by his nickname so I immediately stopped referring to him by that moniker. I had a chat about his experiences on Saturday morning and he told me he was scared of me when he joined but came to realize that of all the Senior Management I was the only one who would take time to help the younger staff, improve their understanding, have patience and include them "in interesting stuff". So I guess I won him over. His revised nickname was Fizz by the way.
141richardderus
>139 PaulCranswick: In honesty, PC, your poor month is most people's aspirational one, so I'm not too upset for you. It certainly had reads you could get your teeth into!
142avatiakh
>131 PaulCranswick: I haven't read that one by Sedgwick though I'm a fan of his books. He died too early, quite a shock at the time.
Lovely title to give as a departing gift.
Lovely title to give as a departing gift.
143Familyhistorian
Good to see your power restored and bookish compensation obtained.
144Kristelh
hello Paul. I did add Rosemary's Baby to my October read list. Hope the power at your place is back to normal.
145PaulCranswick
>141 richardderus: Well yes, RD, I suppose I should be grateful for everything I have, but we never are fully satisfied are we?!
>142 avatiakh: I had never heard of him to be honest, Kerry, but the book is an attractive one, so Hafiz has a good eye even though I never once saw him with a book in the two years he worked with me!
>142 avatiakh: I had never heard of him to be honest, Kerry, but the book is an attractive one, so Hafiz has a good eye even though I never once saw him with a book in the two years he worked with me!
146PaulCranswick
>143 Familyhistorian: Power restored physically and actually, Meg, as I do feel that I have a bit more energy again.
>144 Kristelh: That is good, Kristel, because it is at the top of my pile at the moment!
>144 Kristelh: That is good, Kristel, because it is at the top of my pile at the moment!
147PaulCranswick
The power company have fixed whatever the problem is and will be reconnecting the permanent supply today at 10 am when I am safely at work.
148DebiCates
>147 PaulCranswick: ugh, Paul, electrical outages are the worst. I spent 7 hours without electricity starting middle of the night on Monday. It was weird, everything so quiet, eerie even.. After it resumed, there were some weird brown outs and flickerings, it damaged my laptop that I had splurged on a year ago. :'( I'm replacing it with a cheapie until a later date. Daughter says I probably could use a tablet and be satisfied, as I'm not a "heavy app" user.
149alcottacre
>139 PaulCranswick: Too bad my local library does not have The Rest of Our Lives. I will look further afield.
Happy whatever, Paul!
Happy whatever, Paul!
150PaulCranswick
>148 DebiCates: No I am a book book person too, Debi. I let my wife buy me a tablet for e-readers for my birthday but more for reading in bed in the dark and also to throw her the feint that my book buying will slow.
Just got a message from the condo that they are having problems again but hope it will be resolved by 1 pm.
>149 alcottacre: Happy Thursday here to you Stasia. I really don't quite understand the distaste that a lot of the book tubers seemed to have for the book. Just seemed a bit snootily pretentious to be honest. A book doesn't have to always break new ground to be pleasing.
Just got a message from the condo that they are having problems again but hope it will be resolved by 1 pm.
>149 alcottacre: Happy Thursday here to you Stasia. I really don't quite understand the distaste that a lot of the book tubers seemed to have for the book. Just seemed a bit snootily pretentious to be honest. A book doesn't have to always break new ground to be pleasing.
151PaulCranswick
Book #99
Touch Wood: Poems and a Story by Dannie Abse
Date of Publication : 2002
Origin of Author : UK
Gender of Author : Male
Pages : 88 pp
Dannie Abse was, he thought at least, an incongruous thing - a Welsh Jew. Whether it is incongruous or not I have actually little idea but those two distinct parts of his background flavoured uniquely his poetry. His Welshness and his Jewishness and in his early years his nationhood stood prominent whilst overtime he grew closer to his spiritual roots.
I remember seeing Abse give a reading many many moons ago (he went to that great reading room in the sky as long ago as 2014) and he was an irreverent, entertaining and clearly very wise man.
I have read this collection before but enjoyed meandering through it's pages again.
Touch Wood: Poems and a Story by Dannie Abse
Date of Publication : 2002
Origin of Author : UK
Gender of Author : Male
Pages : 88 pp
Dannie Abse was, he thought at least, an incongruous thing - a Welsh Jew. Whether it is incongruous or not I have actually little idea but those two distinct parts of his background flavoured uniquely his poetry. His Welshness and his Jewishness and in his early years his nationhood stood prominent whilst overtime he grew closer to his spiritual roots.
I remember seeing Abse give a reading many many moons ago (he went to that great reading room in the sky as long ago as 2014) and he was an irreverent, entertaining and clearly very wise man.
I have read this collection before but enjoyed meandering through it's pages again.
152humouress
Now that you've succumbed to the lure of e-books, Paul, you might be interested in some of the October ER giveaways. I was browsing through them last night and a book on a Wiltshire (I think) regiment caught my eye. There were also a couple of poetry books on offer. Unfortunately for us I've only ever seen e-books offered for our region.
153PaulCranswick
>152 humouress: Indeed I believe that I won one last month, Nina. I must go and see what happened to it!
154PaulCranswick
The Wolfson History Prize is one of my favourite non-fiction awards and the shortlist was announced recently:
1. Embers of the Hands by Eleanor Barraclough
2. The Eagle and the Hart by Helen Castor
3. Multicultural Britain by Kieran Connell
4. Survivors: A History of the Last Captives of the Atlantic Slave Trade by Hannah Durkin
5. The Gravity of Feathers by Andrew Fleming
6. Victorian Female Detective by Sara Lodge
https://www.wolfsonhistoryprize.org.uk/
1. Embers of the Hands by Eleanor Barraclough
2. The Eagle and the Hart by Helen Castor
3. Multicultural Britain by Kieran Connell
4. Survivors: A History of the Last Captives of the Atlantic Slave Trade by Hannah Durkin
5. The Gravity of Feathers by Andrew Fleming
6. Victorian Female Detective by Sara Lodge
https://www.wolfsonhistoryprize.org.uk/
155SilverWolf28
Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/374356
156PaulCranswick
The Nobel Prize Laureate for 2025 will be announced next Thursday.
Over the last few years there has been a tendency to biannually award to men / women so if I am right the winner this year will be a male.
I have never been very good at guessing the winner but here are my thoughts on who will win:
Australia : Peter Carey, Tim Winton, Thomas Keneally, Richard Flanagan and Gerald Murnane are all contenders to a degree and I have an intuition that it may be the turn of the Antipodes this time.
Adunis is an evergreen expected contender but at 95 years old there isn't much more time left to honour the T.S. Eliot of Arabic poetry from the same region David Grossman would be a popular choice in many circles.
Tahar Ben Jalloun, Mia Couto, Alain Mabanckou or Nuruddin Farah could win for Africa.
Cesar Aira or Alejandro Zambra are possibilities as innovative South American innovators.
Thomas Pynchon, Don Delillo, Colson Whitehead or Richard Powers have sufficient bodies of work to make then the leading US candidates.
If Europe wins then maybe Javier Cercas has a chance for Spain, Cees Nooteboom may finally become the Dutch winner, Laszlo Krasznahorkai or even Andrey Kurkov could do it.
Slightly outside Europe could Hamid Ismailov deliver a first win for the barren steppes.
Finally the other sneaking feeling is for India but more likely next year!
Over the last few years there has been a tendency to biannually award to men / women so if I am right the winner this year will be a male.
I have never been very good at guessing the winner but here are my thoughts on who will win:
Australia : Peter Carey, Tim Winton, Thomas Keneally, Richard Flanagan and Gerald Murnane are all contenders to a degree and I have an intuition that it may be the turn of the Antipodes this time.
Adunis is an evergreen expected contender but at 95 years old there isn't much more time left to honour the T.S. Eliot of Arabic poetry from the same region David Grossman would be a popular choice in many circles.
Tahar Ben Jalloun, Mia Couto, Alain Mabanckou or Nuruddin Farah could win for Africa.
Cesar Aira or Alejandro Zambra are possibilities as innovative South American innovators.
Thomas Pynchon, Don Delillo, Colson Whitehead or Richard Powers have sufficient bodies of work to make then the leading US candidates.
If Europe wins then maybe Javier Cercas has a chance for Spain, Cees Nooteboom may finally become the Dutch winner, Laszlo Krasznahorkai or even Andrey Kurkov could do it.
Slightly outside Europe could Hamid Ismailov deliver a first win for the barren steppes.
Finally the other sneaking feeling is for India but more likely next year!
157PaulCranswick
>155 SilverWolf28: Thank you, Silver
158vancouverdeb
I finished The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny and I would be happy if it won the Booker Prize. Of course I have only read The Land in Winter from the Shortlist, which I also enjoyed. I have The Rest of Our Lives on hold at the library, but it is still in the " on order" category, so no idea when I will get to it.
159PaulCranswick
>158 vancouverdeb: It is the one, I cannot get my hands on, Deb, as it still hasn't made it to the stores in Malaysia. I really think that the Booker committee should change their planning and only include books that have been published in the year up until the shortlist is announced as it is aggravating to note that well into the shortlisting period the book still cannot be had.
160PaulCranswick
Friday Lunchtime additions:
380. A Life on Our Planet by David Attenborough
381. Final Exam by Julio Cortazar
382. Omensetter's Luck by William H. Gass
383. Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin
384. Fellow Travelers by Thomas Mallon
385. Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy
The Levin is a replacement of a copy I believe is in the UK because I wanted to read it with Kristel this month. Attenborough was someone who I grew up watching and is still remarkably active well into his tenth decade on our planet. Cortazar was one of Argentina's premier writers; Gass and Mallon provide a couple of lost classics whilst Roy's memoir has been very much lauded.
380. A Life on Our Planet by David Attenborough
381. Final Exam by Julio Cortazar
382. Omensetter's Luck by William H. Gass
383. Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin
384. Fellow Travelers by Thomas Mallon
385. Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy
The Levin is a replacement of a copy I believe is in the UK because I wanted to read it with Kristel this month. Attenborough was someone who I grew up watching and is still remarkably active well into his tenth decade on our planet. Cortazar was one of Argentina's premier writers; Gass and Mallon provide a couple of lost classics whilst Roy's memoir has been very much lauded.
161msf59
Happy Weekend, Paul. Finally making my way over here, after a very busy September. Due to your warbling, I finally landed a copy of The Heeding. It was not available anywhere in my library system. They finally located a copy in California. It cost me 5 bucks to have it sent but it was so worth it. An excellent collection. I may buy my own copy. I hope this Yorkshire poet writes more.
162karenmarie
Hi Paul. Absolutely no excuses. This year has been really challenging for me, which has morphed in more-than-usual depression. When I'm depressed, I don't communicate very well with people in my life.
So.
e-books, eh?
So.
e-books, eh?
163booksaplenty1949
>160 PaulCranswick: I highly recommend Cortazar’s Autonauts of the Cosmoroute—-an account of the author’s trip by camper van from Paris to Marseille, stopping at every rest stop on the way—-70 in all. An unlikely premise for an entertaining book, but if you look at the “thumbed” reviews on LT you will see glowing tributes to this unique saga.
164PaulCranswick
>161 msf59: I'm glad my recommendation worked for you Mark. He writes on nature also buddy and published earlier the very successful Common Ground earlier.
>162 karenmarie: Hahaha you don't do half bad my dear lady! I agree certainly that this has been the latest of tough years. I also don't get around the threads as much as I would like to these days. xx
E-books? I know......what the heck was I thinking!
>162 karenmarie: Hahaha you don't do half bad my dear lady! I agree certainly that this has been the latest of tough years. I also don't get around the threads as much as I would like to these days. xx
E-books? I know......what the heck was I thinking!
165PaulCranswick
>165 PaulCranswick: My thoughts are turning to that region given the challenge I am planning next year and Cortazar is an exceptionally interesting character in Latin American literature. Many believe that it was because of his influence that we got writers like Garcia Marquez and Carlos Fuentes.
I will look for that one as the author seems to be very much in vogue in English translation right now.
I will look for that one as the author seems to be very much in vogue in English translation right now.
166humouress
>162 karenmarie: *snigger* Maybe we'll even get him to read library books.
167PaulCranswick
>166 humouress: Have to go and get me a library couldn't find one that fit my needs in KL so I am busy assembling my own!
I know I can be accused of the same thing but..... what on earth are you doing up at this ungodly hour?
I know I can be accused of the same thing but..... what on earth are you doing up at this ungodly hour?
168vancouverdeb
>159 PaulCranswick: It's true that The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny was not published until September 23 in North America and September 25 in the UK, I think it was. I wonder what the hold up in Malaysia is ?
169PaulCranswick
>168 vancouverdeb: I have checked the two biggest bookstores and it isn't available. I will probably try to order it, Deb.
170PaulCranswick
Double posted. The site is driving me mad this morning.
171atozgrl
Paul, I hope the power problems in your building have finally been resolved. I was without Internet here for over 24 hours, and that was rather inconvenient as well. As a result, I got several days behind on your thread, and had some catching up to do. I'm glad your reading mojo has returned.
173PaulCranswick
I was a little incensed this morning when I saw that P. Diddy only got 4 years for what are on closer inspection pretty dreadful crimes. I truly wonder who he covered up for to get such a sweetheart sentence.
So while I was eating crumpets in the office for my breakfast I started scribbling:
DIDDY GOT LIFE
Diddy got four years
Tho’ some would have strung
Him up by the ears
Not just for the songs he sung
But for the lives destroyed
For the boys filmed and disgraced
For the girls with whom he toyed
And all the lines of coke he chased.
I hope he makes four years
A long, long time
Because I am not the only one who fears
That the time don’t fit the crime.
Every minute behind that locked door
Excluded from an estranged wife
Tho’ years the Judge gave him only four
But yesterday, Diddy got life.
So while I was eating crumpets in the office for my breakfast I started scribbling:
DIDDY GOT LIFE
Diddy got four years
Tho’ some would have strung
Him up by the ears
Not just for the songs he sung
But for the lives destroyed
For the boys filmed and disgraced
For the girls with whom he toyed
And all the lines of coke he chased.
I hope he makes four years
A long, long time
Because I am not the only one who fears
That the time don’t fit the crime.
Every minute behind that locked door
Excluded from an estranged wife
Tho’ years the Judge gave him only four
But yesterday, Diddy got life.
174humouress
>166 humouress: Correction: should have said *e-library books.
175PaulCranswick
>174 humouress: Hahaha ok neighbour, now that makes a little more sense!
176atozgrl
>172 PaulCranswick: Well, we didn't lose power, thank goodness. It was only the Internet. No Internet is inconvenient, no power is quite a bit worse, as it disrupts just about everything. (We are so spoiled. Our not so distant ancestors got along just fine without any of these things.)
177PaulCranswick
>176 atozgrl: We are spoiled indeed, Irene, I can fully agree with that!
178PaulCranswick
BOOK # 100
Tin Man by Sarah Winman
Date of Publication : 2017
Origin of Author : UK
Gender of Author : Female
Pages : 195 pp
I'm not sure why it has taken me so long to read anything by Sarah Winman.
This was an exquisitely crafted piece of fiction. It was emotionally very moving; it had compassion, it had tenderness, it had a grip on touching at the heart of love of various sorts and the feeling the requited and unrequited love take so many different forms.
Very strongly recommended.
Tin Man by Sarah Winman
Date of Publication : 2017
Origin of Author : UK
Gender of Author : Female
Pages : 195 pp
I'm not sure why it has taken me so long to read anything by Sarah Winman.
This was an exquisitely crafted piece of fiction. It was emotionally very moving; it had compassion, it had tenderness, it had a grip on touching at the heart of love of various sorts and the feeling the requited and unrequited love take so many different forms.
Very strongly recommended.
179PaulCranswick
Had a nice relaxing day today. Had breakfast at a bakery that did a tremendous breakfast which just happened to be close to a bookshop that I am starting to like.
386. The Racket by Conor Niland
387. A Bookshop of One's Own by Jane Cholmeley
388. Ootlin by Jenni Fagan
389. This is Not a Small Voice: Selected Poems by Sonia Sanchez
386. The Racket by Conor Niland
387. A Bookshop of One's Own by Jane Cholmeley
388. Ootlin by Jenni Fagan
389. This is Not a Small Voice: Selected Poems by Sonia Sanchez
180booksaplenty1949
>176 atozgrl: https://visualizingenergy.org/does-more-energy-use-increase-life-expectancy/ An interesting essay on the contribution that access to reliable energy sources has made to human longevity and quality of life.
181thornton37814
Glad you are still acquiring.
182PaulCranswick
>180 booksaplenty1949: Thanks for that. I am not sure that the connection is made perfectly but it is fairly obviously a factor too.
>181 thornton37814: I'm as certain as taxes, Lori!
>181 thornton37814: I'm as certain as taxes, Lori!
183PaulCranswick
Update on thread posting.
Leading 100 personal threads as at a few moments ago:
1 PaulCranswick 5,154
2 richardderus 4,540
3 msf59 3,582
4 Alcottacre 2,413
5 jnwelch 2,140
6 katiekrug 2,110
7 karenmarie 1,865
8 bell7 1,840
9 crazymamie 1,519
10 LizzieD 1,380
11 lauralkeet 1,333
12 vancouverdeb 1,291
13 Familyhistorian 1,288
14 klobrien 1,215
15 figsfromthistle 1,121
16 Whisper1 970
17 RebaRelishesReading 853
18 BLBera 852
19 jessibud 822
20 The_Hibernator 801
21 atozgirl 742
22 mahsdad 714
23 Berly 707
24 norabelle414 704
25 Caroline_McElwee 690
26 drneutron 665
27 EBT1002 644
28 kristel 637
29 mickyfine 617
30 quondame 612
31 foggidawn 606
32 (Sir)Thomas 597
33 Curioussquared 582
34 humouress 525
35 laytonwoman3rd 515
36 John Simpson 459
37 SandDune 444
38 carmenere 433
39 ffortsa 417
40 avatiakh 407
41 EllaTim 401
42 weird_o 378
43 donna 365
44 Deern 361
45 witchyrichy 360
46 thornton37814 345
47 CDVicarage 341
48 Banjo 336
49 ursula 333
50 AMQS 316
51 storettler 315
52 Arlie 309
53 copperskye 308
54 Elorin 291
55 mdoris 286
56 ronireads 285
57 hredwards 272
58 mstrust 263
59 cbl_tn 259
60 Lovinglit 240
61 owltherian 238
62 PawsForThought 235
63 streamsong 225
64 sibylline 206
65 SqueakyChu 197
66 LyndainOregon 184
67 swynn 184
68 elkidee 182
69 ChrisG 161
70 nerdytheorist 159
71 tiffin 159
72 Dejah_Thoris 150
73 ctpress 147
74 sirfurboy 143
75 Tess_W 134
76 kac522 131
77 vivians 130
78 Oberon 124
79 silverwolf 124
80 ravenwoodwitch 121
81 jdavidhacker 120
82 kimcassady 116
83 teymaneeya 112
84 magician's nephew 111
85 Matke 109
86 lycomayflower 105
87 arubabookwoman 100
88 rbeffa 97
89 alsvidur 96
90 amanda4242 93
91 meanderer 90
92 PocheFamily 85
93 SuzyQOregon 82
94 deedledee 78
95 walklover 78
96 torontoc 76
97 fairywings 74
98 scvlad 72
99 tungsten_peerts 70
100 chellebears 69
101 tjblue 65
102 AnneDC 64
103 dmulvee 60
104 zoe 60
Leading 100 personal threads as at a few moments ago:
1 PaulCranswick 5,154
2 richardderus 4,540
3 msf59 3,582
4 Alcottacre 2,413
5 jnwelch 2,140
6 katiekrug 2,110
7 karenmarie 1,865
8 bell7 1,840
9 crazymamie 1,519
10 LizzieD 1,380
11 lauralkeet 1,333
12 vancouverdeb 1,291
13 Familyhistorian 1,288
14 klobrien 1,215
15 figsfromthistle 1,121
16 Whisper1 970
17 RebaRelishesReading 853
18 BLBera 852
19 jessibud 822
20 The_Hibernator 801
21 atozgirl 742
22 mahsdad 714
23 Berly 707
24 norabelle414 704
25 Caroline_McElwee 690
26 drneutron 665
27 EBT1002 644
28 kristel 637
29 mickyfine 617
30 quondame 612
31 foggidawn 606
32 (Sir)Thomas 597
33 Curioussquared 582
34 humouress 525
35 laytonwoman3rd 515
36 John Simpson 459
37 SandDune 444
38 carmenere 433
39 ffortsa 417
40 avatiakh 407
41 EllaTim 401
42 weird_o 378
43 donna 365
44 Deern 361
45 witchyrichy 360
46 thornton37814 345
47 CDVicarage 341
48 Banjo 336
49 ursula 333
50 AMQS 316
51 storettler 315
52 Arlie 309
53 copperskye 308
54 Elorin 291
55 mdoris 286
56 ronireads 285
57 hredwards 272
58 mstrust 263
59 cbl_tn 259
60 Lovinglit 240
61 owltherian 238
62 PawsForThought 235
63 streamsong 225
64 sibylline 206
65 SqueakyChu 197
66 LyndainOregon 184
67 swynn 184
68 elkidee 182
69 ChrisG 161
70 nerdytheorist 159
71 tiffin 159
72 Dejah_Thoris 150
73 ctpress 147
74 sirfurboy 143
75 Tess_W 134
76 kac522 131
77 vivians 130
78 Oberon 124
79 silverwolf 124
80 ravenwoodwitch 121
81 jdavidhacker 120
82 kimcassady 116
83 teymaneeya 112
84 magician's nephew 111
85 Matke 109
86 lycomayflower 105
87 arubabookwoman 100
88 rbeffa 97
89 alsvidur 96
90 amanda4242 93
91 meanderer 90
92 PocheFamily 85
93 SuzyQOregon 82
94 deedledee 78
95 walklover 78
96 torontoc 76
97 fairywings 74
98 scvlad 72
99 tungsten_peerts 70
100 chellebears 69
101 tjblue 65
102 AnneDC 64
103 dmulvee 60
104 zoe 60
184Familyhistorian
Ohh, stats. Thanks for those, Paul.
185louisisaloafofbreb
Not sure if I got higher on the list haha, still trying to be on more! Im 67 books in so I'm nearly there!
187Kristelh
Thanks Paul (@PaulCranswick) for your work as keeper of the data!
188PaulCranswick
>187 Kristelh: My pleasure, Kristel and I must note that you are having a solid year. x
189msf59
I also loved Tin Man. She is such a good writer. I posted another Rob Cowen poem over on the Poetry Thread. I sure hope he continues to produce. 🤞🤞
190foggidawn
>183 PaulCranswick: Thanks for the stats, Paul! I remain consistent, if not extremely prolific like some of you. ;-)
191louisisaloafofbreb
>186 PaulCranswick: Possibly, who knows, and yeesh I'm tired, may take a nap when I get home
192PaulCranswick
>189 msf59: Winman has a very sure touch - good with characters, well plotted, sensitive and moving. I did see that you gave it a goodly number of stars, Mark.
>190 foggidawn: Consistency is a great attribute, Foggi and you have it in reading and posting.
>190 foggidawn: Consistency is a great attribute, Foggi and you have it in reading and posting.
194PaulCranswick
I am going to have to slow down with my book additions, but I had an alert on my phone that two books I was waiting for had arrived at my bookstore so after supper I stopped by to pick them up:
390. The Adversary by Michael Crummey
391. Rural Hours by Harriet Baker
and then unable to stop there:
392. The Great When by Alan Moore
393. Namesake by N.S. Nuseibeh
394. Ali and Nino by Kurban Said
395. Batshit Seven by Sheung-King
390. The Adversary by Michael Crummey
391. Rural Hours by Harriet Baker
and then unable to stop there:
392. The Great When by Alan Moore
393. Namesake by N.S. Nuseibeh
394. Ali and Nino by Kurban Said
395. Batshit Seven by Sheung-King
195vancouverdeb
The Adversary is a very worthwhile read, but dark, Paul. Nothing you can't handle.
196PaulCranswick
>195 vancouverdeb: Dark is great in its place, Deb. I have been waiting for the book to arrive in Malaysia for the longest time.
197Kristelh
I second The Adversary, Paul.
198PaulCranswick
>197 Kristelh: Given our book affinities, Kristel, that is pretty definitive that I am going to like it.
199Kristelh
I posted The National Prize Finalists if it is one you follow, Paul; fiction, nonfiction, poetry, young people, in translation.
200amanda4242
>194 PaulCranswick: Still trying to find an Alan Moore title that suits you?
I enjoyed The Great When, although it did take a few chapters for me to get my bearings.
I enjoyed The Great When, although it did take a few chapters for me to get my bearings.
201PaulCranswick
>199 Kristelh: I do follow all the major prizes, Kristel -so I will go and take a peek and see if I have any of them.
>200 amanda4242: Yes, that is my number three, Amanda - I do like the look of this one and I will definitely read one of them this year for the challenge.
>200 amanda4242: Yes, that is my number three, Amanda - I do like the look of this one and I will definitely read one of them this year for the challenge.
202SirThomas
>156 PaulCranswick: I'm also looking forward to the announcement, Paul.
>183 PaulCranswick: Thank you very much for the stats.
>183 PaulCranswick: Thank you very much for the stats.
203PaulCranswick
>202 SirThomas: Dear Thomas,
I am going to reduce my tips to three people:
(1) CEES NOOTEBOOM
(2) TIM WINTON
(3) ADUNIS
I am going to reduce my tips to three people:
(1) CEES NOOTEBOOM
(2) TIM WINTON
(3) ADUNIS
204Caroline_McElwee
>178 PaulCranswick: I haven't read this one of hers, but loved Still Life Paul.
205PaulCranswick
>204 Caroline_McElwee: I will definitely prioritize reading her other novels, Caroline. This was my first one of hers.
This topic was continued by Paul's Grand European Tour 20.
