Paul C's Roads Less Travelled in 2026 - 12

The urban sprawls of Latin America's biggest cities especially Mexico City, Rio and Sao Paulo have its overcrowded thrown together quarters whether they are called favelas, barrios, pueblos jovenes or ranchos. They have become part of the diverse landscapes of this varied continent.

Opening Words

The Finest Hotel in Kabul by Lyse Doucet has just won the Women's Prize for non-fiction so I will prioritize reading it.





"It was no way for a young man to spend a Saturday night in Kabul. Sadeq had been quietly considering his options. He could have joined his friends at their favourite hangout, the Nokhbagan snooker club, home to the best tables in the city."


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

Poetry

This is a much anthologized poem in the UK but may be less familiar to some of my non-British friends. Jenny Joseph also famously posed for the Columbia iconic torchbearer.



It is called, "A Warning" by Jenny Joseph

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other people’s gardens
And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practise a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

Books Read (First 75)

Books Read

January:

1. The Place of Tides by James Rebanks (2024) 285pp {Non-Fiction} Penguin/Allen Lane (Completed 1/1/26) 8/10
2. Nazi Literature in the Americas by Roberto Bolano (1996) 204 pp {Fiction} Vintage (Completed 3/1/26) RLT Challenge/ TM Challenge 6/10
3. Girl by Ruth Padel (2024) 107 pp {Poetry} Vintage (Completed 4/1/26) 4/10
4. Shardik by Richard Adams (1974) 592 pp {SF/Fantasy} Oneworld (Completed 6/1/26) BAC/TM Challenge 7/10
5. Antarctica by Claire Keegan (1999) 209pp {Short Stories} Faber (Completed 7/1/26) 8.5/10
6. The Good Father by Noah Hawley (2013) 384pp {Fiction} Hodder TM Challenge (Completed 10/1/26) 7.5/10
7. antibody by Rebecca Salazar (2025) 139pp {Poetry} McClelland & Stewart (Completed 12/1/26) 3/10
8. Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li (2025) 172pp {Non-Fiction} 4th Estate (Completed 13/1/26) 7/10
9. The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell (2017) 455pp {SF/Fantasy} Hodder (Completed 17/1/26) 7/10
10. Suspicion by Friedrich Durrenmatt (1953) 157pp {Thriller} Pushkin Vertigo (Completed 18/1/26)
11. The Wardrobe Department by Elaine Garvey (2025) 221pp {Fiction} Canongate (Completed 20/1/26)
12. The Hill Bachelors by William Trevor (2000) 245pp {Short Stories} Penguin (Completed 21/1/26)
13. Question 7 by Richard Flanagan (2023) 275pp {Non-Fiction} Vintage (Completed 23/1/26)
14. Before the Fact by Francis Iles (1932) 326pp {Thriller} Pan (Completed 24/1/26)
15. Scaffolding by Lauren Elkin (2024) 383pp {Fiction} Vintage (Completed 25/1/26)
16. Beloved by Toni Morrison (1987) 324pp {Fiction} Vintage (Completed 29/1/26)
17. The War of the Poor by Eric Vuillard (2019) 79pp {Fiction} Other Press (Completed 30/1/26)
18. The Distinctly Competent District Councillor by Jonas Jonasson (2026) 132pp {Fiction} 4th Estate (Completed 31/1/26)

February

19. Love Forms by Claire Adam (2025) 295pp {Fiction} Faber (Completed 2/2/26)
20. The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo (1831) 501pp {Fiction} Penguin Completed (2/2/26)
21. Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan (2021) 279pp {Fiction} Vintage (Completed 3/2/26)
22. After by Morris Gleitzman (2012) 209pp {Fiction} Penguin (Completed 5/2/26)
23. What Happened to the Corbetts by Nevil Shute (1939) 245pp {Fiction} Vintage (Completed 9/2/26)
24. The Autumn Throne by Elizabeth Chadwick (2016) 484pp {Fiction} Sphere (Completed 18/2/26)
25. A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin (2015) 399pp {Short Stories} Picador (Completed 18/2/26)
26. Becoming Ella Fitzgerald by Judith Tick (2024) 436pp {Non-Fiction} Norton (Completed 19/2/26)
27. The Separation by Christopher Priest (2002) 405pp {SF/Fantasy} Gollancz (Completed 23/2/26)
28. Poems from an Attic by Iris Murdoch (2025) 155pp {Poetry} Chatto & Windus (Completed 24/2/26)
29. Tales of the Alhambra by Washington Irving (1832) 304pp {Short Stories} Ebook (Completed 27/2/26)
30. Lublin by Manya Wilkinson (2024) 196pp {Fiction} And Other Stories (Completed) 27/2/26)
31. Poor Deer by Claire Oshetsky (2024) 226pp {Fiction} Ecco (Completed 28/2/26)
32. Strange Pictures by Uketsu (2022) 236pp {Thriller} HarperVia (Completed 28/2/26)

March

33. Nobody Asked for This by Charly Cox (2025) 105pp {Poetry} One Place Many Stories (Completed 3/3/26)
34. Only Here, Only Now by Tom Newlands (2024) 388pp {Fiction} Phoenix (Completed 3/3/26)
35. Maurice and Maralyn by Sophie Elmhirst (2024) 258pp {Non-Fiction} (Completed 10/3/26)
36. The Cuckoo's Lea by Michael J. Warren (2025) 277pp {Non-Fiction} Bloomsbury (Completed 10/3/26)
37. The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (1993) 202pp {Fiction} W&N (Completed 19/2/26)
38. On Reflection by Richard Holloway (2024) 227pp {Non-Fiction} Canongate (Completed 24/3/26)
39. Fierce Elegy by Peter Gizzi (2023) 61pp {Poetry} Penguin (Completed 28/3/26)
40. Returning by Edna O'Brien (1982) 158pp {Short Stories} Phoenix (Completed 30/3/26)
41. Under the Skin by Michel Faber (2000) 296pp {SF/Fantasy} Canongate (Completed 30/3/26)
42. Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli (2019) 350pp {Fiction} (Completed 30/3/26)
43. Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson (1919) 247pp {Short Stories} Penguin (Completed 31/3/26)
44. Vertigo & Ghost by Fiona Benson (2019) 90pp {Poetry} Cape Poetry (Completed 31/3/26)
45. Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin (1833) 273pp {Poetry} Pushkin Press (Completed 31/2/26)

April

46. Supporting Cast by Kit de Waal (2020) 127pp {Short Stories} Penguin (Completed 12/4/26)
47. Water by John Boyne (2023) 166pp {Fiction} Doubleday (Completed 12/4/26)
48. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (2025) 267pp {Fiction} Michael Joseph (Completed 15/4/26)
49. Cold Spring Harbor by Richard Yates (1986) 178pp {Fiction} Vintage (Completed 20/4/26)
50. Foretokens by Sarah Howe (2025) 80pp {Poetry} Chatto & Windus (Completed 21/4/26)
51. The Others by Sheena Kalayil (2025) 326pp {Fiction} Fly on the Wall Press (Completed 25/4/26)
52. Unruly by David Mitchell (2023) 403pp {Non-Fiction} Penguin (Completed 26/4/26)
53. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya (1972) 262pp {Fiction} (Completed 27/4/26)
54. The Hamiltons: Official Life in 1830 by Catherine Gore (1834) 367pp {Fiction} Open Library (Completed 27/4/26)
55. The Ode Less Traveled by Stephen Fry (2005) 352pp {Non Fiction} (Completed 28/4/26)
56. Three Days in June by Anne Tyler (2025) 196pp {Fiction} Chatto & Windus (Completed 28/4/26)
57. The Pleasant Light of Day by Philip O'Ceallaigh (2009) 264pp {Short Stories} Penguin (Completed 28/4/26)
58. Belfast Confetti by Ciaran Carson (1989) 108pp {Poetry} Wake Forest (Completed 29/4/26)
59. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (2004) 282pp {Fiction} Virago (Completed 30/4/26)
60. Gut by Giulia Enders (2015) 263pp {Non-Fiction} (Completed 30/4/26)

May

61. I, Claudius by Robert Graves (1934) 396pp {Fiction} Penguin (Completed 6 May 26)
62. Mama Amazonica by Pascale Petit (2017) 108pp {Poetry} Bloodaxe (Completed 6 May 2026)
63. A Life on Our Planet by David Attenborough (2020) 247pp {Non-Fiction} Penguin (Completed 9 May 2026)
64. Openings by Lucy Caldwell (2024) 235pp {Short Stories} Faber (Completed 9/5/26)
65. The Horse by Willy Vlautin (2024) 209pp {Fiction} Faber (Completed 13/5/26)
66. Luck is the Hook by Imtiaz Dharker (2018) 122pp {Poetry} Bloodaxe (Completed 13/5/26)
67. Valley of the Sun by Louis L'Amour (1995) 177pp {Short Stories} Bantam (Completed 13/5/26)
68. The Wax Child by Olga Ravn (2023) 178pp {Fiction} (Completed 14/5/26)
69. Crooked Plow by Itamar Vieira Junior (2018) 276pp {Fiction} Verso (15/5/26)
70. Good People by Patmeena Sabit (2026) 383pp {Fiction} Virago (Completed 19 May 2026)
71. Homesick by Eshkol Nevo (2004) 374pp {Fiction} Vintage (Completed 19/5/26)
72. The Scent of Oranges by Kathy George (2024) 359pp {Fiction} HQ (Completed 24/5/26)
73. Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky (2025) 436pp {SF/Fantasy} Tor (Completed 24/5/26)
74. Excession by Iain M. Banks (1996) 455pp {SF/Fantasy} Orbit (Completed 25/5/26)
75. Viking's Dawn by Henry Treece (1955) 184pp {Fiction} Puffin (Completed 27/5/26)

Books Read (76-150)

May

76. Fire on the Mountain by Anita Desai (1977) 146pp {Fiction} Vintage (Completed 27/5/26)
77. She Who Remains by Rene Karabash (2018) 155pp {Fiction} Peirene (Completed 27/5/26)
78. The Laird's Luck by Arthur Quiller-Couch (1901) 67pp {Short Story} Scribner (Completed 28/5/26)
79. All He Ever Wanted by Anita Shreve (2003) 340pp {Fiction} Abacus (Completed 29/5/26)
80. Frost in May by Antonia White (1933) 208pp {Fiction} Virago (Completed 30/5/26)
81. The Earth Compels by Louis MacNeice (1938) 46pp {Poetry} Faber (Completed 31/5/26)

June

82. Built: The Hidden Stories Behind our Structures by Roma Agrawal (2018) 271pp {Non-Fiction} Bloomsbury (Completed 2/6/26)
83. Taras Bulba by Nikolai Gogol (1835) 197pp {Fiction} Kindle (Completed 2/6/26)
84. Pericles by William Shakespeare (1609) 144pp {Drama} Oxford (Completed 5/6/26)
85. Poetry Please! ed. by Charles Causley (1985) 113pp {Poetry} Everyman (Completed 6/6/26)
86. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White (1952) 184pp {Fiction} HarperCollins (Completed 7/6/26)
87. The Glorious Heresies by Lisa McInerney (2015) 371pp {Fiction} John Murray (Completed 7/6/26)
88. The Open Veins of Latin America by Eduardo Galeano (1971) 308pp {Non Fiction} Monthly Review Press (Completed 9/6/26)
89. Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen (1890) 95pp {Drama} Faber (Completed 12/6/26)
90. Everest by Ashani Lewis (2024) 148pp {Short Stories} Dialogue (Completed 12/6/26)
91. The Black Friar by S.G. MacLean (2016) 456pp {Thriller} Quercus (Completed 21/6/26)
92. Companion Piece by Ali Smith (2022) 227pp {Fiction} Penguin (Completed 27/6/26)
93. A Relative Stranger by Charles Baxter (1990) 223pp {Short Stories} Norton (Completed 30/6/26)
94. White Nights by Fyodor Dostoevsky (1848) 86 pp {Fiction} Penguin (Completed 30/6/26)

Currently reading

Roads Less Travelled



THE AMERICAN CONTINENTs OFF THE BEATEN PATH

Our tour of the less well traveled pathways of the American continents in 2026.

I will not impinge on the wonderful American Author Challenge and I am not looking to repeat the Canadian author challenges that have featured as this is largely about everywhere else on the continent.

This will be our journey:

JANUARY - CHILEAN AUTHORS: https://www.librarything.com/topic/377059
1. Nazi Literature in the Americas by Roberto Bolano

FEBRUARY - ANGLO CARIBBEAN AUTHORS : https://www.librarything.com/topic/378317
1. Love Forms by Claire Adam

MARCH - MEXICAN AUTHORS
1. Lost Children Archive by Valeira Luiselli

APRIL - HISPANIC NORTH AMERICANS : https://www.librarything.com/topic/383269
1. antibody: poems by Rebecca Salazar
2. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya

MAY - BRAZILIAN AUTHORS: https://www.librarything.com/topic/384022
1. Crooked Plow by Itamar Vieira Junior

JUNE - NON-FICTION ABOUT THE AMERICAS
https://www.librarything.com/topic/384736
1. The Open Veins of Latin America by Eduardo Galeano

JULY - CUBAN AUTHORS
AUGUST - FRANCO CARIBBEAN
SEPTEMBER - COLOMBIAN AUTHORS
OCTOBER - FIRST NATION NORTH AMERICANS
NOVEMBER - ARGENTINIAN AUTHORS
DECEMBER - OTHER PARTS OF THE CONTINENTS

British Author Challenge (Hosted by my friend Amanda)



January - Cressida Cowell & Richard Adams https://www.librarything.com/topic/376836#n9049588
Shardik by Richard Adams, The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell

February - Elizabeth Chadwick & Nevil Shute
What Happened to the Corbetts by Shute
The Autumn Throne by Chadwick

March - Obscure Books
Only Here, Only Now by Tom Newlands (64 LT Members)

April - Kit de Waal & Stephen Fry
Supporting Cast by de Waal
The Ode Less Traveled by Fry

May - MM Kaye & Iain Banks
Excession by Banks

June - The Stuarts
Pericles by William Shakespeare

July -

August -

September -

October -

November -

December -

NON-FICTION CHALLENGE



Hosted this year by my friend Benita.

JANUARY : PRIZE WINNERS - Question 7 by Richard Flanagan
FEBRUARY : JAZZ - Becoming Ella Fitzgerald by Judith Tick
MARCH : RELIGION/SPIRITUALITY - On Reflection by Richard Holloway
APRIL : THE BODY - Gut by Giulia Enders
MAY : TRAVEL - A Life On Our Planet by David Attenborough
JUNE : BUILDINGS - Built by Roma Agrawal

The Time Machine

I will be reading 200 books one from each of the last 200 years, I will read them in date order and limit myself to one book per author.
Starting 2025 and ending 31 December 2026. I am combining this with my 50 Modern Classics from last years and other years I covered last year. The older books I will try to read in sequence

1826 : The Last Man by Mary Shelley
1827 : The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni
1828 : Pelham by Edward Bulwer Lytton
1829 : The Misfortunes of Elphin by Thomas Love Peacock
1830 : At the Sign of the Cat and Racket by Honore de Balzac
1831 : The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo
1832 : Tales of the Alhambra by Washington Irving
1833 : Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin
1834 : The Hamiltons: Official Life in 1830 by Catherine Gore
1835 : Taras Bulba by Nikolai Gogol
1890 : Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen
1908 : The Blue Bird by Maurice Maeterlinck
1919 : Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson
1932 : Before the Fact by Francis Iles
1933 : Frost in May by Antonia White
1934 : I, Claudius by Robert Graves
1938 : The Earth Compels by Louis MacNeice
1939 : What Happened to the Corbetts bt Nevil Shute
1945 : The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
1946 : Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson
1947 : We Always Treat Women Too Well by Raymond Queneau
1952 : All Our Yesterdays by Natalia Ginzburg
1953 : Suspicion by Friedrich Durrenmatt
1954 : The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien
1955 : Viking's Dawn by Henry Treece
1960 : The Great Fortune by Olivia Manning
1961 : Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
1963 : The Experience of Pain by Carlo Emilio Gadda
1965 : Lost Empires by JB Priestley
1966 : Silence by Shusaku Endo
1967 : Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin
1971 : The Open Veins of Latin America by Eduardo Galeano
1972 : Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
1974 : Shardik by Richard Adams
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
1982 : Returning by Edna O'Brien
1985 : Poetry Please! by Charles Causley
1986 : Cold Spring Harbor by Richard Yates
1987 : Beloved by Toni Morrison
1988 : The Pigeon by Patrick Suskind
1989 : Belfast Confetti by Ciaran Carson
1990 : A Relative Stranger by Charles Baxter
1991 : The Whitby Witches by Robin Jarvis
1993 : The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
1995 : Valley of the Sun by Louis L'Amour
1996 : Nazi Literature in the Americas by Roberto Bolano
1997 : God's Gift to Women by Don Paterson
1999 : Antarctica by Claire Keegan
2000 : The Hill Bachelors by William Trevor
2002 : Crow Lake by Mary Lawson
2003 : All He Ever Wanted by Anita Shreve
2004 : Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
2005 : The Ode Less Traveled by Stephen Fry
2007 : The Burnt-Out Town of Miracles by Roy Jacobsen
2008 : The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk
2009 : In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin
2011 : What it is Like to go to War by Karl Marlantes
2012 : Nagasaki by Eric Faye
2013 : The Good Father by Noah Hawley
2014 : The End of Eddy by Louis Eduoard
2015 : Gut by Giulia Enders
2016 : Conclave by Robert Harris
2017 : The Pine Islands by Marion Poschmann
2018 : A Lucky Man by Jamel Brinkley
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

75/200

A-Z Challenge

A = 12 Books: Richard Adams, Claire Adam, Sherwood Anderson, Rudolfo Anaya, David Attenborough, Roma Agrawal

B = 12 Books: Roberto Bolano, Lucia Berlin, Fiona Benson, John Boyne, Iain M. Banks, Charles Baxter

C = 12 Books: Cressida Cowell, Elizabeth Chadwick, Charly Cox, Ciaran Carson, Lucy Caldwell, Charles Causley

D = 8 Books: Friedrich Durrenmatt, Imtiaz Dharker, Anita Desai

E = 6 Books: Lauren Elkin, Sophie Elmhirst, Virginia Evans, Giulia Enders

F = 8 Books: Richard Flanagan, Michel Faber, Stephen Fry

G = 12 Books: Elaine Garvey, Morris Gleitzman, Peter Gizzi, Catherine Gore, Kathy George, Robert Graves, Nikolai Gogol, Eduardo Galeano

H = 12 Books: Noah Hawley, Victor Hugo, Richard Holloway, Sarah Howe

I = 6 Books: Francis Iles, Washington Irving, Henrik Ibsen

J = 6 Books: Jonas Jonasson

K = 6 Books: Claire Keegan, Sheena Kalayil, Rene Karabash

L = 8 Books: Yiyun Li, Valeria Luiselli, Louis L'Amour, Ashani Lewis

M = 12 Books: Toni Morrison, Iris Murdoch, David Mitchell, Louis MacNeice, Lisa McInerney, S.G. MacLean

N = 6 Books: Megan Nolan, Tom Newlands, Eshkol Nevo

O = 6 Books: Claire Oshetsky, Edna O'Brien, Philip O'Ceallaigh

P = 8 Books: Ruth Padel, Christopher Priest, Alexander Pushkin, Pascale Petit

Q = 3 Books: Arthur Quiller-Couch

R = 8 Books: James Rebanks,Marilynne Robinson, Olga Ravn

S = 12 Books: Rebecca Salazar, Nevil Shute, Patmeena Sabit, Anita Shreve, William Shakespeare, Ali Smith

T = 8 Books: William Trevor, Judith Tick, Anne Tyler, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Henry Treece

U = 6 Books: Uketsu

V = 6 Books: Eric Vuillard, Willy Vlautin, Itamar Vieira Junior

W = 8 Books: Manya Wilkinson Michael J Warren, Kit de Waal, Antonia White, E.B. White

X = 3 Books:

Y = 3 Books: Richard Yates

Z = 3 Books: Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Total 200

93/200

Best 100s

Best British 100: https://www.librarything.com/topic/378301#9103389

Best North American 100: https://www.librarything.com/topic/378301#9103390

Rest of the English Speaking World 100: https://www.librarything.com/topic/378301#9103392

Best in Translation 100: https://www.librarything.com/topic/378301#9103393

Seattle Library Book Bingo

Books Added in 2026

Jan to March
Books 1-79 : https://www.librarything.com/topic/379636#9150056

April
80. The Hamiltons by Charlotte Gore READ
81. The Merge by Grace Walker
82. Blueprint: How DNA Makes Us Who We Are by Robert Plomin
83. The 33 Strategies of War by Robert Greene
84. We Are Green and Trembling by Gabriela Cabezon Camara
85. The Remembered Soldier by Anjet Daanje
86. Eden's Shore by Oisin Fagan
87. The Unicorn Woman by Gayl Jones
88. Good People by Patmeena Sabit READ
89. Fire by John Boyne
90. The Nights are Quiet in Tehran by Shida Bazyar
91. Artists, Siblings, Visionaries by Judith Mackrell
92. The Others by Sheena Kalayil READ
93. Stay With Me by Hanne Orstavik
94. Lark and Termite by Jayne Anne Phillips
95. Ends of the Earth by Neil Shubin
96. Hayek's Bastards by Quinn Slobodian
97. Gut by Giulia Enders READ
98. The Deserters by Mathias Enard
99. On Earth as it is Beneath by Ana Paula Maia
100. The Charioteer by Mary Renault

May
101. Living Planet by David Attenborough
102. Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage by M.C. Beaton
103. Occupation by Julian Fuks
104. Kingfisher by Rozie Kelly
105. Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky READ
106. Excession by Iain M. Banks READ
107. The Scent of Oranges by Kathy George READ
108. Tortoise by Candlelight by Nina Bawden
109. Operation Heartbreak by Duff Cooper
110. Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson
111. Ghost-Eye by Amitav Ghosh
112. Call Me Ishmaelle by Xiaolu Guo
113. The Mercy Step by Marcia Hutchinson
114. She Who Remains by Rene Karabash READ
115. The Director by Daniel Kehlmann
116. The Issa Valley by Czeslaw Milosz
117. The Girls Who Grew Big by Leila Mottley
118. The Witch by Marie NDiaye
119. House of Splendid Isolation by Edna O'Brien
120. The Book of Records by Madeleine Thien
121. The Shetland Way by Marianne Brown
122. How to Be a Revolutionary by C.A. Davids
123. Fox by Joyce Carol Oates

June

124. The Drunken Forest by Gerald Durrell
125. The Pretender by Jo Harkin
126. Icarus Economics by John Rapley
127. Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
128. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White READ
129. Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
130. The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware
131. White Nights by Fyodor Dostoevsky READ
132. Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen READ
133. Land by Maggie O'Farrell
134. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
135. Days in the Caucasus by Banine
136. Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks
137. To the Lake by Kapka Kassabova
138. The City Changes its Face by Eimear McBride
139. May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry
140. Finding Belle by Reeta Chakrabarti
141. No Friend to this House by Natalie Haynes
142. The Unworthy by Roy Jacobsen
143. Sugartown by Caragh Maxwell
144. What We Can Know by Ian McEwan
145. We the Animals by Justin Torres
146. The Bookseller of Inverness by S.G. MacLean
147. The Last Chairlift by John Irving


42 non-fiction
74 fiction
7 poetry
12 SF/fantasy
2 Drama
8 crime / thrillers

By Men 69
By Women 78

Read: 20

Book Stats 2026

Books Read : 94
Pages Read in completed books : 23,466

Longest book : Shardik : 592 pp
Shortest book : The Earth Compels : 46 pp
Mean book length : 249.64 pp

Pages per day average in completed books : 129.65

Books written by men : 50
Books written by women: 44

Non-Fiction : 13
Fiction : 43
Poetry : 13
Thriller : 4
SF/Fantasy : 6
Drama : 2
Short Stories : 13

1600s : 1 book
1830s : 5 books
1840s : 1 book
1890s : 1 book
1900s : 1 book
1910s : 1 book
1930s : 5 books
1950s : 3 books
1970s : 4 books
1980s : 5 books
1990s : 6 books
2000s : 8 books
2010s : 16 books
2020s : 37 books

UK Authors : 39
USA Authors : 22
Chile Authors : 1
Ireland Authors : 8
Canada Authors : 1
China Authors : 1
Switzerland Authors : 1
Australia Authors : 3
France Authors : 2
Sweden Authors : 1
Trinidad Authors : 1
Japan Authors : 1
Spain Authors : 1
Mexican Authors : 1
Russia Authors : 3
German Authors : 1
Denmark Authors: 1
Brazil Authors: 1
Israel Authors: 1
Indian Authors: 1
Bulgaria Authors: 1
Uruguay Authors: 1
Norway Authors: 1

Challenges :
Roads Less Travelled : 6 books
Non-Fiction Challenge : 6 books
British Author Challenge : 9 books
26 Short Story Collections : 13/26
Caroline Memorial Reads : 1
1001 Books : 4

Awards :
Baillie Gifford Prize : 1
Pulitzer Prize : 2
TS Eliot Prize : 1
Women's Prize: 2

Read : 94 books
Added : 147 books

Change to TBR : +53

January Books : 18
January Pages : 4,689
Pages Average : Per book : 260.50 Per Day : 151.26

February Books : 14
February Pages : 4,370
Pages Average : Per book : 312.14 Per day : 156.07

March Books : 13
March Pages : 2,932
Pages Average : Per Book 225.54 Per day : 94.58

April Books : 15
April Pages : 3,641
Pages Average : Per Book : 242.73 Per Day : 121.37

May Books: 21
May Pages: 5,211
Pages Average : Per Book 248.14 Per Day: 168.10

June Books: 13
June Pages: 2,823
Pages Average : Per Book 217.15 Per Day: 94.10

Dedicated to WIMBLEDON tennis

The last week in June heralds the start of the Wimbledon tennis championships. Still played on grass and still undoubtedly THE tournament to win.
The first championships I can remember watching was the 1976 event. We had glorious players throughout the draw and I was enraptured by the flair of Connors, Panatta, Vilas and Nastase. All of them worn down by the iced veins of the extraordinary Bjorn Borg. I watched him decimate my then favourite Nastase as he went on a 48 match unbeaten run until 1981.

Welcome to my 12th thread of 2026

Happy new thread, Paul!

>18 quondame:

Wow that was quick. Thank you, Susan. x

Happy new thread!

Happy New 🧵, Paul.

>20 amanda4242: Thank you Amanda, what are your reading plans this weekend?

>21 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deb. I trust that Dave gets fitter and stronger every day. Am starting a few new books this weekend and The Finest Hotel in Kabul, which won the women's prize will be one of them.

>22 PaulCranswick: I plan on making my way through A Parade of Horribles, the new Dungeon Crawler Carl book.

>23 amanda4242: Unsurprisingly Amanda, I have never heard of it, but it has a great cover.

Happy new thread, Paul!

>25 atozgrl: Thank you dear Irene

Impressive start by the US team in the World Cup prevailing 4-1 over Paraguay who are no mugs. They will obviously face tougher tests in coming games but that is a formidable beginning.

Happy new thread, Paul!

>28 Familyhistorian: Thank you, Meg.

I am guessing that you will be following suit soon with a new thread of your own.

>22 PaulCranswick: Dave is doing better each day, thanks Paul. I looked at The Finest Hotel in Kabul at the bookstore today, and it looks interesting. I decided to wait for a copy to come in from the library. They have two copies and the wait should not be long. I have a hold on it.

Happy new thread Paul!

>30 vancouverdeb: I read the introduction last night, Deb, and really liked it.

Good to know that Dave is well and truly on the mend.

>31 humouress: Thanks neighbour.

Happy New Thread, Paul. Your speed is impressive - in posting and in reading.

>3 PaulCranswick: As you know, I'm not really into poetry, but this one spoke to me, and I hope I can incorporate some of that spirit into my life.

>33 SirThomas: It is one of my friend's favourite poems too, Thomas. We were discussing which poems and which poems we liked the other day and I was surprised that my friend was familiar with this one.

>34 PaulCranswick: It was published as a stand-alone book, with illustrations, which I have seen. Gives wrong emphasis to the poem’s meaning, I think, but probably has been seen by many who don’t normally read poetry.

>35 booksaplenty1949: I didn't realize that. I don't quite see how you make a full book out of a 22 line poem!

>36 PaulCranswick: Presumably it's about the illustrations.

I have a copy of a later Judith Kerr picture book which I feel is not really for children. It's about a woman remembering her late and very missed and beloved husband, Henry. I'm sad that my copy, acquired cheaply, is really damaged by a dodgy bookcase. I hate that IKEA Billy bookcase, I really do.

>2 PaulCranswick: I am interested, but my local library does not have a copy of it yet.

Happy new thread, Paul!

>36 PaulCranswick: By showing supposedly amusing pictures of old ladies doing the things she describes. Misses the point, IMO.
PS According to Wikipedia, also printed on tea towels.

>33 SirThomas: Jenny Joseph wrote the poem when she was 28 and came to hate it in later life, just as she continued to hate the colour purple.

>3 PaulCranswick: Torch bearer is a different Jenny Joseph—-from New Orleans, apparently.
Modelled in 1991.

Happy New Thread, Paul. I hope all is well there. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on those current reads.

>37 elkiedee: I had a similar disaster, Luci. When I was checking my new purchases and dropped my coffee at the same time. I have decent reflexes and minimized the damage but I still have a couple of new coffee stained tomes.

>38 alcottacre: I would hope that your library will prioritize a few copies of the winner of such a major prize, Stasia.

>39 booksaplenty1949: Yeah that sort of debases the thing a bit doesn't it?

>40 booksaplenty1949: I did hear that about her hating purple. She is in the minority not liking the poem. It has charm and insight.

>41 booksaplenty1949: I might have been lazy there then, because I did read that they were one and the same.

>42 msf59: Thanks Mark. All is good buddy.

>3 PaulCranswick: In my youth, I remember that there were clubs for women (mostly ladies of a certain age) -- the "Red Hat Ladies" who would get together and do social things, like go on day trips or what have you. They would wear purple clothes and red hats for their gatherings. I don't know if these clubs still exist, as I haven't heard much about them in many years. But that's how I'm aware of the poem.

>45 PaulCranswick: Dangers of AI research.

>46 foggidawn: Fascinating, Foggy. I have not heard of that before.

>47 booksaplenty1949: Probably the fact that I didn't use AI to check the truth of something I had heard from somewhere and accepted as known fact. I did notice when I read her wikipedia page that there was no reference to her doing any modelling!

I just wanted to say a big thank you to all my friends who have visited and posted on my threads this year. A short while ago the 3,000th post was posted to my threads this year.

I am humbly grateful to all my friends. xxx

I'm late, I'm late, I cannot wait... I have to wish you a happy new thread and then go back and savor. Have a good weekend. Enjoy your "football", BookTwin!

The Red Hat ladies did last too long, they were gone from my area by the time I could have achieved a place in their ranks. I have to say that I never looked at the full poem until today. I also do not wear purple and seldom red.

>51 Kristelh: Thank you BookTwin!

>52 Kristelh: The Red Hat Ladies would surely have been an intriguing bunch to have teamed up with. I like purple to be honest.

>49 PaulCranswick: JJ version of Columbia torch bearer dates from 1991, apparently, so poet would have been, erm, past it.

>34 PaulCranswick: There are Red Hat societies and dolls and that’s just the bits that flow through my filters!

>50 PaulCranswick: A short while ago the 3,000th post was posted to my threads this year.

Congratulations, brother!

Happy whatever, Paul!

Happy new thread, Paul!

>54 booksaplenty1949: And she looked absolutely nothing like the model even when younger when I study more carefully.

>55 quondame: The poem inspired a society of women, Susan. And there was me thinking it a twee parochial English poem!

>56 alcottacre: Thank you Stasia. Happy reading day, I hope!

>57 drneutron: Thanks DocRoc.

Happy New Thread!

>60 SilverWolf28: Thank you, Silver

About a quarter of the way through The Black Friar by S.G. MacLean which is a shared read with QuestingA.

Hi Paul, I'm starting this today. Will see how far I get!

Happy new thread!

>63 QuestingA: I will probably finish up halfway through it before I sleep. So far so good.

>64 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita

Greetings Book Twin. I was looking though the prizes and what has been awarded so far. If your curious stop by and check out my posting. The Walter Scott (HF) was awarded in May. The Orwell will be awarded in June (25th). The Giller was awarded in May.

>66 Kristelh: Hi Book Twin. Three of the biggest and best prizes.

Alice Jolly was a surprising winner of the Walter Scott in truth and I have the book on the shelves. It is normally a good bet for Booker Longlisting but let's see.

I must admit that I had missed the Giller Prize winner, I thought that was awarded much later in the year.

>67 PaulCranswick:, That's because you are right and I made a mistake. The Giller has not been awarded yet. It was the Walter Scott, the Stella, The Dublin, Pulitzer, and the Int Booker that have been announced. The Pulitzer has lots of triggers in it, violence to people and animals, etc. It won't be for ever one and I don't know of anyone that actually knew about this book. It was unknown to me.

>46 foggidawn: In your youth! I was aware of the Red Hat ladies some 20-25 years ago. At least one person I knew was involved with them. As far as I know, they still exist, even though I haven't heard anything about them for years now.

Checking Wikipedia, it says they were founded in 1998. That date is not my youth, unfortunately.

>65 PaulCranswick: hi Paul. I've read to the end of chapter 4. Am enjoying it. It's a fascinating period in British history.

>69 atozgrl: I could have sworn that I heard about them earlier in the ‘90s (my teen years) — maybe there were early, unofficial groups? But yes, my youth! :-D

Roy Hattersley has died aged 93.

>29 PaulCranswick: Well you were right about the new thread coming soon after yours, Paul. Seemed like a good time for it.

>68 Kristelh: And unknown to me, Kristel. I read the Pulitzer Board's awards page and think that they are concentrating of shock rather than sober assessment. Is a book that almost no-one had heard of really the best American work of fiction?

>69 atozgrl: It is not in my youth either!

>70 QuestingA: It is indeed. It is one of the what-ifs - what would have happened had Cromwell's health not given out? What would have happened if Parliament had truly ruled after the Civil war? I'm certainly someone who doesn't think we were improved by bringing the Stuarts back to rule over us.

>71 foggidawn: I hadn't heard of them until this last week, Foggi!

>72 elkiedee: I saw the news on the Memoriam thread and it was posted by you, Luci. I didn't know him at all and he was a bit to the right of me but seemed to be a thoroughly decent human being.

>73 Familyhistorian: My stats suggested that it was inevitable that you would start another one very soon, Meg, and, of course, I always follow you in the group and visit when I can.

>69 atozgrl: Boomers are about 20% of the population in Western countries and hold 50% of the wealth. Women are longer-lived than men. The idea that old ladies need some sort of support group is misguided.

I looked for the book you mentioned in my library, and they have a dutch translation! Finest Hotel in Kabul. Suprising. Will have a look.

I once came upon a group of red-hatted women, having an outing. First and last time. They looked like they were having fun. Nothing wrong with a bit of fun, is there?

Congratulations on those 3000 posts, Paul!

>78 EllaTim: Have all the fun you want. No need to portray yourself as some kind of victim.

>69 atozgrl: >78 EllaTim: My late mother was an ardent 'red hat' lady for some years. She had lots of accessories for her outings and loved the social interaction. She befriended an older lady who was in her 90s and took her to the outings.
I knew about the poem long before the red hat ladies appeared in my area.
Personally not for me. For a time a group took over a local cafe on their outings, just really loud fun for them.

>77 booksaplenty1949: Logical. But we don't use logic necessarily to encourage us to belong to groups and societies. I mean LT....................? Shouldn't we all have book pendants in our buttonholes or something.

>78 EllaTim: That is good Ella. I do hope you can get to it soon. I have never looked around for ladies in red hats but I would surmise that I will not see their like in Kuala Lumpur (red headscarves perhaps!)

>79 booksaplenty1949: Are they portraying themselves as victims? I must admit that I know nothing of the group to offer any meaningful contribution here.

>80 avatiakh: I don't much enjoy loudness in cafes, Kerry, as it interrupts reading time.

>81 PaulCranswick: What the poet says is that older ladies take more liberties. I hope this is true in Kuala Lumpur as well, Paul!

Happy new thread Paul. It moves at the speed of light over here!

>83 EllaTim: I think that the young defer more to the old here in South East Asia than in the West, generally, Ella, so your hopes are likely to be fulfilled here!

>84 mdoris: I am enjoying my reading and posting this month, Mary

I am looking back at my reading records from my time on LT.

It is interesting how much my reading has changed in 2026 from 2011 when I first joined.

Some is a reversion as I have returned to reading more poetry.
Some is an evolution. The proportion of male to female authors then was shocking.
Some is a change in emphasis - I read a lot of series thrillers back in the day (I am thinking of dedicating the summer to series reads actually).

This was my reading review of 2011

Books read: 119 one short of my actual target. There were a few chunksters to be fair.

Pages Read : 53,118 (not counting those started but not finished) some pages were "read" better than others.

Longest book read : London by Edward Rutherfurd 1169 pages

Shortest book read: The Chimes by Charles Dickens 78 pages

Favourite book of the year: Half of a Yellow Sun

Honourable mentions :
Fiction: The Children of Dynmouth by William Trevor, Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler
Non-Fiction: Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris
Poetry: Summoned by Bells by John Betjeman
Thriller: The Snowman by Jo Nesbo

Most disappointing book : The Age of Orphans

More Stats from my 2011 Reading

119 Books Read

51 Fiction
51 Thrillers
13 Non Fiction
2 Poetry
2 SF/Fantasy

102 books by men
17 books by women

20 Different Countries

52 UK
30 USA
7 Italy
6 Norway
3 Canada, Ireland
2 Australia, France, Germany, South Africa
1 Albania, Czechia, Denmark, Iceland, Japan, Netherlands, Nigeria, Russia, Serbia, Sweden

Paul, I joined in 2011 too. Fun to see the stats you have kept.

>88 mdoris: You will have noticed, Mary, over the years that I do very much enjoy statistics!

>75 PaulCranswick: I’m happy we’re allowed to celebrate Christmas, I have to say. In Cromwell’s time the police were out in force to catch you in the act of getting together with the family over roast goose and plum pudding. Theatre re-opening also a plus, IMO.

STATS from my 2012 Reading

Books Read: 100

Fiction : 41
Thriller: 32
Non-Fiction: 15
SF/Fantasy: 8
Poetry: 2
Drama: 2

Male Authors: 78
Female Authors: 22

24 Different Countries

45 UK
12 USA
5 Sweden
4 Norway, South Africa
3 Australia, Ireland, Italy
2 Canada, Czechia, Denmark, France, India
1 Argentina, Austria, Germany, Iceland, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Poland, Romania, Russia

Book of the Year:
The Road Home by Rose Tremain

Honourable Mentions:
Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh, Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (Fiction)
The Empire of the Summer Moon by S.C. Gwynne (Non Fiction)
Devil's Peak by Deon Meyer (Thrillers)
Horoscopes for the Dead by Billy Collins (Poetry)

>90 booksaplenty1949: Well yes, that is true, I am far too much of a free spirit to be a good Roundhead! Still I would have guessed that that religious zealotry would have subsided eventually. I was thinking from more of a a pro-republican anti-royalist POV.

STATS FROM MY 2013 READING

Books Read: 157

Fiction : 74
Thriller: 24
Non-Fiction: 33
SF/Fantasy: 4
Poetry: 19
Drama: 3

Male Authors: 120
Female Authors: 37

29 Different Countries

70 UK
35 USA
7 France, Ireland
5 Canada
4 Sweden
3 Norway
2 Belgium, China, Italy, New Zealand
1 Australia, Bulgaria, Chile, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Germany, India, Israel, Malaysia, Morocco, Peru, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, St. Lucia, Syria, Zimbabwe

Book of the Year:
Birthday Letters by Ted Hughes

Honourable Mentions:
The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng and The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers (Fiction)
Promise Land: A Northern Love Story by Anthony Clavane, A Short History of England by John Keegan (Non Fiction)
Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton (SF/Fantasy)

>77 booksaplenty1949: There seems to be a trend to beat up on Boomers. People in their 70's have always held a disproportionalte amount of wealth. I vividly recall seeing stories in the 90s about how Boomer's parents held disproportionate wealth & there was about to be a "historic" transfer to the Boomers. That will soon happen with Milllenials & they will be the next to be demonized. But the reality is that it's normal for older people to have a large % of wealth. Then they die & it moves on.

>94 ChrisG1: I haven't seen the statistical trends, Chris, but there is both logic and common sense in your comments. Comparative wealth and the share of that wealth does not, I believe, remain stagnant from generation to generation or from location to location. I would though need access to all lot of statistics to make a really sensible contribution here.

STATS FROM MY 2014 READING

Books Read: 146

Fiction : 93
Thriller: 10
Non-Fiction: 9
SF/Fantasy: 7
Poetry: 25
Drama: 2

Male Authors: 116
Female Authors: 30

19 Different Countries

59 USA
46 UK
7 France, Ireland
6 Italy
4 Australia, Russia
2 Norway
1 Austria, Canada, Egypt, Germany, Hungary, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa

Book of the Year:
Plainsong by Kent Haruf

Honourable Mentions:
True Grit by Charles Portis and My Antonia by Willa Cather (Fiction)
The Guns of August by Barbara W Tuchman (Non Fiction)
In Parenthesis by David Jones (Poetry)
Dominion by C.J. Sansom (Thriller

STATS FROM MY 2015 READING

Books Read: 120

Fiction : 49
Thriller: 21
Non-Fiction: 25
SF/Fantasy: 5
Poetry: 19
Drama: 1

Male Authors: 80
Female Authors: 40

18 Different Countries

66 Uk
22 USA
5 Sweden
4 Australia
3 Italy
2 Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, New Zealand, Norway
1 Algeria, Austria, Belarus, Hungary, India, South Africa

Book of the Year:
The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes

Honourable Mentions:
The Dictator's Last Night by Yasmina Khadra and Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones (Fiction)
Winter King by Thomas Penn (Non Fiction)
The Gingerbread House by Karin Gerhardsen (Thriller)
The Burning Perch by Louis MacNeice

>94 ChrisG1: It’s a bit more nuanced than that, I think. Wealth is not evenly distributed among members of any generation, as this article discusses https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/02/11/are-baby-boomers-wealthier-th... The existence of “seniors’ discounts” is a leftover from a time when most seniors were less well-off than those in the work force.

>92 PaulCranswick: There are many countries in the world where politically-backed religious zealotry is showing no signs of subsiding. They make very poor bedfellows, in my observation. Surely the UK demonstrates that there is no inherent contradiction between democracy and monarchy.

>77 booksaplenty1949: The Red Hat mission states this:

"Red Hat Society is our own women’s movement, of sorts – placing a strong emphasis on the positive aspects of life. We stress the importance of friendship and sisterhood, and the value of recess (play) into our busy lives. Always trailblazers, we help reshape the way modern women are viewed and valued in today’s culture."

If you haven't been treated as invisible, depressed because you are lonely, or because your nest is empty, or hesitant to go out or travel alone, then you might not think you need to find a group like this. My own cousin, snob that she was, stopped in to see if she would like to join and discovered that the group was 'too low-class' for her. Too bad. She could have used some fun.

I myself, in a city full of older women, join walking groups, book groups and music groups, try to keep better in touch with my friends, and push myself to investigate other kinds of social interaction. It's so easy just to sit on the couch and read, isn't it? Red Hat looks like it is by women, for women, encouraging free expression , camaraderie and enjoyment and a positive sense of oneself. Nothing 'victimized' about that.

>100 ffortsa: Amen! Nothing “victimized” about the Red Hats—just the opposite!

Karen O

P.s. I’m not a member, but have always admired what they stand for.

>98 booksaplenty1949: When we consider income we have to remember that the retirement age used to be much less decades ago than it is now because it recognizes a few things. The main one being that since people are living longer they will need to have have sufficient money to survive upon and a pension kicking in too soon would lead to disaster for the older generation.

>99 booksaplenty1949: I don't see that Monarchy and Democracy sit together well at all and Britain shows this rather than the opposite in my opinion. The UK is neither a true democracy nor is it a true monarchy. Any party that can govern unchecked in parliament with less than a third of the vote is taking advantage of an imperfect and mutated democracy. The British monarchy is so neutered as to be increasingly an anachronistic irrelevance.

>100 ffortsa: Nothing wrong with getting together for outings. Not sure why it has to be a statement about “the way women are viewed and valued in today’s culture.” This sounds like a proclamation of “victimhood” to me.

>100 ffortsa: As I have said above, Judy, I had never heard of this society prior to posting the poem and obviously I could not qualify as a member but I must admit that it sounds as if it could be fun with the right people involved in it.

>101 klobrien2: I think we benefit from the society of others, Karen, and especially like minded people. I would have thought that was to be encouraged and promoted and celebrated.

>102 PaulCranswick: Like democracy itself, the parliamentary system is a flawed system, but the only ones worse are all the others. Proportional representation has had a very mixed history, let’s just say, in Europe. But perhaps we’ve already had this debate here.

>103 booksaplenty1949: Mission statements often come across with fairly overblown language though don't they? I have always treasured the women in my life from Gran to mum to wife to daughters and I don't see a victim amongst them thankfully.

>105 booksaplenty1949: Indeed and it could be argued that Britain has benefited from stable government and that it shouldn't wish upon itself the smoke filled, closed-door compromises inherent in coalition. But the point I was making is that we don't have a monarchy that actually exercises any power or a system that is particularly democratic.

STATS FROM MY 2016 READING

Books Read: 113

Fiction : 60
Thriller: 11
Non-Fiction: 22
SF/Fantasy: 4
Poetry: 16
Drama: 0

Male Authors: 77
Female Authors: 36

13 Different Countries

58 Uk
28 USA
10 Canada
3 Ireland
2 Australia, France, Italy, Jamaica, New Zealand
1 Malaysia, Romania, South Africa, Sweden

Book of the Year:
The Orenda by Joseph Boyden

Honourable Mentions:
Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy and North Water by Ian McGuire (Fiction)
Return of a King by William Dalrymple (Non Fiction)
Crime Story by Maurice Gee (Thriller)
A New Selected Poems by Galway Kinnell (Poetry)

>107 PaulCranswick: True. But Cromwell was a dictator, full stop.

Hi Paul, I'm at the end of chapter six. I keep stopping to google people! I hadn't known much about the fifth monarchists. It's good to learn. I like the returning characters, and think Seeker is a good character. Strong, mostly infallible and with a humane side.

I agree about this being a "what if". If they had embraced democracy more and had elections after Cromwell's death, if Ireton hadn't died or if there was some other obvious successor (not Richard Cromwell). Who knows.

I won't read much tomorrow, so will probably check back on Wednesday. I hope you're enjoying it.

>98 booksaplenty1949: Yeah, wealth is never evenly distributed. Still don't get the anti-boomer sentiment going on - it certainly seems like some "influencers" see it as a button they can push to capitalize on some folks' resentments.

>109 booksaplenty1949: His motivations and end game has been debated for over 400 years but in essence you are right he was a military dictator reluctantly or not.

>110 QuestingA: Yes I am enjoying it. A bit further on than you are but I didn't get that much reading done yesterday as we have some court documents to submit on Wednesday and I had to concentrate on those just a smidgeon!

>111 ChrisG1: There is always a push to apportion blame for societal ills whether it is fair or not, Chris. In this case it is largely unfair I would agree with you.

>1 PaulCranswick: What a photo. I immediately have to check my reaction to the crowded circumstances, coming as it does from a place of tremendous privilege (globally and relatively speaking).

The discussion here about generational wealth --or, more accurately, wealth differences by generation? -- is fascinating. As a Boomer (albeit barely) I have struggled with some of the local rhetoric about us, especially the notion (here in the U.S.) that we expect the government to take care of us in our old age while we sit around drinking gin and playing dominoes. Nothing could be further from the truth. I started working at age 16 and Every Paycheck over my half-century of working had money withheld for social security and Medicare. I don't want the government to take care of me. I want them to keep their promise. They can give me the money in the form of social security and Medicare payments or they can write me one check for the amount I contributed. Partly being snide but....

*steps down off soapbox*

In reading, I see your praise for The Orenda. That's a book that stayed with me!

>114 EBT1002: I don't want the government to take care of me. I want them to keep their promise.

That is certainly true if part of the money you contribute to the state is in the form of social security and medicare deductions. I don't hold that my generation was spoiled by the post war boom and I think that we have been consistently productive. I do think that in a post-industrial society though we do have to get the balance right between needful safety net welfare and people who abuse the system designed to safeguard all of us.

Joseph Boyden has received a lot of criticism about the sincerity of his stated roots and I can't really speak to that with any authority but he sure wrote a fantastic novel in The Orenda.

Lovely to see you, Ellen.

Hi Paul! I am glad to "see" you. The Finest Hotel in Kabul looks like a great read, and I have placed a hold. I think it would be a good one to recommend to my book club, which will select all the books for next year (despite everyone but me being retired, we still think of "years" as going with the school calendar rather than the calendar calendar). Hope you and the lovely family are well!

>116 AMQS: Just as I used to view the years in terms of the football seasons in the UK which run August to May with June to August taken up by the Cricket.

I do like it so far, Anne, but I am perplexed as to how it beat out Arundhati Roy and Mother Mary Comes to Me which I thought to be a special, special book.

>107 PaulCranswick: Having a head of state who is not part of the elected political system means that all citizens can honour him or her as their national representative regardless of what party they (the citizens) support. I think this is a plus.

>118 booksaplenty1949: Are we still talking about Cromwell? ;0)

>119 humouress: Responding to Mr Cranswick’s comment about monarchy. Cromwell was an MP and a political leader before he took over the government.

Hi Paul, Happy New Thread mate. Why oh why did Bairstow not enforce the follow on in the last Championship game against Warwickshire, i will never know. The bowling was lack lustre to say the least on the final day.

Three debuts in the second test and Rew takes over with the gloves, talking of the Rew's, i see that young Thomas scored his debut first class hundred at age 18 and 197 days, James was 18 and 198 days when he got his. Somerset have a cracking bunch of youngsters with young Vaughan and Ogborne added to the Rew's.

>118 booksaplenty1949: A titular President can also fulfill that role if it has functional value and then we are not lumbered with them and their descendants and stream of hangers-on in perpetuity.

>119 humouress: It wasn't the best argument for Cromwell to be honest, Nina, but given the times and extraordinary zealotry facing his administration circumstances dictated. As was pointed out above the death of Ireton was a huge blow and the retirement of the wise Fairfax to his Yorkshire estate didn't help much.

>120 booksaplenty1949: He was but became primarily a General and leader of the New Model Army. The country was beset by intrigue from all sides - those plotting constantly a return of Charles Stuart and those who would go much further in the imposition of controls over the conduct of the commonwealth.

>121 johnsimpson: I was thinking exactly that, John. For me there are no circumstances that justify not capitalizing on the success of the bowlers. Coupled with the fact that the pitch was starting to settle. Terrible decision and I must say that the Yorkshire attack does not look fearsome.

Baker and the Rews are exciting but raw. I think the bowling attack considering we lost two bowlers who performed so well at Lords does look like it will wobble the Black Caps. It is really time for Jofra Archer to show his worth. Cox was I suppose due his chance.

STATS FROM MY 2017 READING

Books Read: 100

Fiction : 49
Thriller: 8
Non-Fiction: 14
SF/Fantasy: 7
Poetry: 16
Drama: 1
Graphic Novels: 5

Male Authors: 74
Female Authors: 26

39 Different Countries

31 Uk
23 USA
4 Canada, Australia
2 Ireland, France, Poland
1 Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Austria, Barbados, Belgium, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Czechia, Dominica, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Zambia

Book of the Year:
Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harare

Honourable Mentions:
The Dig by Cynan Jones and The Rainbow Troops by Andrea Hirata (Fiction)
Maus by Art Speigleman (Graphic)
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman (SF)
Poems New and Collected by Wislawa Szymborska (Poetry)

>124 PaulCranswick: After this I am coming into my two terribly fallow years reading wise and the only occasions in my adult life (well since about ten) that I have failed to read 100 books.

I don't personally have great memories of these years - they were tough times (as they were for so many of us. So looking back to these years will be cathartic hopefully.

STATS FROM MY 2018 READING

Books Read: 86

Fiction : 32
Thriller: 18
Non-Fiction: 18
SF/Fantasy: 7
Poetry: 11
Drama: 0
Graphic Novels: 0

Male Authors: 67
Female Authors: 19

30 Different Countries

42 UK
8 Ireland
6 USA
2 Canada, Australia, Italy
1 Angola, Argentina, Belgium, Colombia, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Ghana, Greece, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Syria

Book of the Year:
The Dry by Jane Harper

Honourable Mentions:
The Country Girls by Edna O'Brien and Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (Fiction)
The Iliad by Homer (Poetry)
Homo Deus by Yurav Noah Harari (Non-Fiction)
Slow Horses by Mick Herron (Thriller)

STATS FROM MY 2019 READING (ANNUS HORRIBILIS)

Books Read: 76

Fiction : 52
Thriller: 8
Non-Fiction: 9
SF/Fantasy: 0
Poetry: 7
Drama: 0
Graphic Novels: 0

Male Authors: 55
Female Authors: 21

40 Different Countries

21 UK
9 USA
3 France, Germany
2 Ireland, Canada, Italy, South Africa
1 Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, China, Czechia, Dominica, Egypt, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jamaica, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Poland, Russia, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Uganda, Uruguay, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Book of the Year:
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

Honourable Mentions:
Growth of the Soil by Knut Hamsun and Half a Lifelong Romance by Eileen Change (Fiction)
The Perseverance by Raymond Antrobus (Poetry)
Their Finest Hour by Winston Churchill (Non-Fiction)
The Hanging Garden by Ian Rankin (Thriller)

England have just made a solid start to the World Cup with a 4-2 victory over a decent Croatia. Should ensure that we make the knock-out stages. Strangely for an England team we looked better going forward than defending.

In cricket a new look England are playing New Zealand and the first day of the second test was quite even with the Black Caps batting and losing 7 wickets for almost 300. A new captain Joe Root (resuming his post) and with three debuts it was a very interesting beginning. New Zealand also start life without their best ever batsman (statistically at least) in the wonderful Kane Williamson and they will be reasonably satisfied how their lower middle order steadied things.

>128 PaulCranswick: Impressed by the attitude and speed of the English team against a very difficult opponent. The best game I’ve seen so far.

STATS FROM MY 2020 READING

Books Read: 123

Fiction : 43
Thriller: 15
Non-Fiction: 20
SF/Fantasy: 7
Poetry: 27
Drama: 11
Graphic Novels: 0

Male Authors: 92
Female Authors: 31

27 Different Countries

54 UK
28 USA
6 Ireland
4 Poland, Russia
3 Sweden
2 Australia, France, Greece
1 Austria, Canada, China, Denmark, Dem Rep of Congo, Dominican Rep, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, South Africa,
Spain, St. Kitts and Nevis, Ukraine, Zimbabwe

Book of the Year:
Golden Hill by Francis Spufford

Honourable Mentions:
Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift and The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald(Fiction)
North by Seamus Heaney (Poetry)
On Grand Strategy by John Lewis Gaddis (Non-Fiction)
The Thief by Megan Whelan Turner (SF/Fantasy)

>129 ctpress: I thought it was a good game too, Carsten. Croatia are genuinely formidable opposition and there were times when we looked really good against him. Herr Tuchel our manager knows his business and he showed real spunk in bringing on the attacking players to defend our lead on the front foot.

It has been an excellent tournament so far with the so called minnows exceeding expectations. Spain not winning was interesting and good for the tournament. France, Argentina, Germany, Morocco, Brazil and Norway all impressed and I thought Algeria were good also despite losing to Argentina as they bossed parts of the game and were simply undone by Messi.

>131 PaulCranswick: I felt England were too deep in the first half and we went back to being satisfied with a single goal lead so Croatia repaid our messing around too close to the goalmouth with two goals. The second half was much better though the Croatian goalkeeper did a good job.

I feel that I need to investigate the hype about the Cape Verde goalie.

>132 humouress: I think they were hesitant and played in the Southgate style in the first half conceding ground after scoring. Tuchel was not having any of that and apparently lit a fire under them at half time. The first section of the second half is possibly the best I have seen England play in a major tournament since tearing Netherlands to pieces in 1996.

You can see the difference in managerial approaches - he replaces Rice with Morgan Rogers sensing they need to get after Croatia whilst Southgate would have probably removed Rice for Henderson.

>133 PaulCranswick: Hmm, I hadn't considered managerial styles. True, Southgate kept us deeper in the field usually; but I think he did a great job and took England up the ranks.

Congrats on the England World Cup win! I have been enjoying watching some of the games, though I was working and missed that one.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/385027

>134 humouress: He was a big improvement on Roy Hodgson, Capello and Hodgson and he did bring the squad together in a more united manner than the cliques that existed earlier. I do feel however that his over cautious approach cost us dearly in the big moments. Against Croatia in the World Cup semis and against Italy in the Euro Finals and again against the French in the World Cup we failed to kill off matches that were there for us by sitting back and trying to keep what we had instead of going for the jugular.

>135 banjo123: There have been some good games so far and some good performances too and I rather unfairly omitted the USA team from their due share of praise as they looked very good as well, Rhonda. I think that as a game the England v Croatia game was of the highest quality so far though.

>136 SilverWolf28: Thanks Silver.

I am expecting a productive weekend.

>86 PaulCranswick: I'm still reading my way through London and probably started it around the same time that you did, Paul. It doesn't help that it is a door-stopper of a book.

>139 Familyhistorian: Hahaha I do remember reading that one, Meg and it is one of the longest - if not the longest books I have read whilst being in the group.

STATS FROM MY 2021 READING

Books Read: 151

Fiction : 83
Thriller: 17
Non-Fiction: 18
SF/Fantasy: 8
Poetry: 21
Drama: 4
Graphic Novels: 0

Male Authors: 94
Female Authors: 57

34 Different Countries

88 UK
24 USA
4 France
2 Italy, Russia, South Africa, Trinidad
1 Austria, Belgium, Canada, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Germany, Ghana, Ireland, Japan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Senegal, South Korea, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Syria, Thailand, Uruguay

Book of the Year:
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

Honourable Mentions:
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell and The Promise by Damon Galgut (Fiction)
Three Poems by Hannah Sullivan (Poetry)
A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf (Non-Fiction)
Corpus by Rory Clements (Thriller)

Hi Paul, Over for a visit, happy day to you and making notes of your "best of's" in case I haven't read them but many I have. Good news!

>142 mdoris: Lovely to see you as always, Mary.

I am hoping that my three call me today with it being Father's day.

In politics in the UK, the Prime Minister looks like he may be on the brink for the last time. Andy Burnham won the Makerfield Bi-Election with a staggering 55% of the vote for a pretty unpopular Labour Party. The ex-Mayor of Manchester will now almost certainly challenge for the leadership to oust the Prime Minister and will surely succeed in doing so. Apparently half the sitting MPs have already signed up to support him. Mr. Starmer is toast.

>10 PaulCranswick: I notice there’s a bit of a gap between 1835 and 1890. I am finding it’s a a challenge to limit myself to one book per author. Have finished César Birotteau (1837) which I’ve owned unread forever, so that is satisfying, and 1838 is also taken care of, but then things get complicated.

Happy Father's Day, Paul!

STATS FROM MY 2022 READING

Books Read: 156

Fiction : 79
Thriller: 12
Non-Fiction: 31
SF/Fantasy: 9
Poetry: 22
Drama: 0
Graphic Novels: 3

Male Authors: 93
Female Authors: 63

43 Different Countries

56 UK
33 USA
5 Canada, Ireland, Italy
3 France, Japan, Norway, Turkey
2 Argentina, Belgium, Germany, India, Israel, South Korea
1 Albania, Antigua, Australia, Bangladesh, Botswana, Egypt, Fiji, Greece, Guyana, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nigeria, Oman, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Rwanda, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Trinidad, Uzbekistan

Book of the Year:
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

Honourable Mentions
The Punch by Noah Hawley and Tarka the Otter by Henry Williamson (Fiction)
The Historians by Eavan Boland (Poetry)
War: How Conflict Shaped Us by Margaret MacMillan (Non-Fiction)
The Cook of the Halcyon by Andrea Camilleri (Thriller)

>145 booksaplenty1949: That is because I am sort of going in order from the beginning but filling books that I "happen" to read in the meantime! I have Midshipman Easy up next for 1836.

<146 Almost missed you! Thank you Amanda. I will go to breakfast soon with the lady of the manor and it will be her treat apparently!

>143 PaulCranswick: Father's Day here is in September, first Sunday. I hope you get your phone calls.

>150 avatiakh: It is funny isn't it how different places celebrate on different days. Malaysia follows the USA for Mother's Day and it is different in the UK. Hani, of course insists on celebrating both.

>149 PaulCranswick: I hope - I am sure, you enjoyed your breakfast with Hani, Paul.

She is changed it to lunch, Deb, so I am still here and still hungry but I am expecting a feast shortly as we are going to her favourite Thai place.

Some Additions

135. Days in the Caucasus by Banine
136. Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks
137. To the Lake by Kapka Kassabova
138. The City Changes its Face by Eimear McBride
139. May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry

>144 PaulCranswick: Not that I'm a Starmer supporter particularly but I wish the government would get on with governing instead of messing around with internecine politics.

>147 PaulCranswick: A decent amount of SF/F.

>151 PaulCranswick: Well, yes. Obviously.
(The one before Easter is the one that sticks in my memory whereas the commercially celebrated one in Singapore is the one that hits my family's consciousness.)

Husband and number one son landed back in Singapore this evening. The school (number two son's) celebrate Fathers' Day in September so we'll go with that.

>155 humouress: Parents have been around forever but Mothers’ and Fathers’ Days are very recent arrivals and seem pretty obviously a pretext for getting people to buy cards and gifts. Personally I prefer spontaneous gestures, although I have hung on to a few craft items created for the occasion in kindergarten art class.

>155 humouress: It would be nice if governments got on and governed wouldn't it. I am disappointed in Keir Starmer and, obviously as a Northerner myself I will be happy with Burnham, His rise is quite a story isn't it?

So far on the first 12 years that I have covered in my stats review (up to 2011-2022) I have 68 SF/Fantasy reads which does surprise me a little.

So you are together with Kerry and September!

>156 booksaplenty1949: Yeah but we don't go for the card and gift nonsense - it always involves the ingesting of copious calories with Hani and I and all my gang. I'm still full from dinner and I finished eating 7 hours ago!

>157 PaulCranswick: Any excuse for a feast is of course completely legitimate.

>158 booksaplenty1949: Woke up and it is 6:25 a.m. on Monday morning here and I am still not hungry!

>159 PaulCranswick: That's because you haven't started Moby-dick for a whale of an appetite!

When ordering, try to get the edition with illustrations by Barry Moser - love to read along with you.

Speaking of book love - for your gardening UK folks - MADOO is truly incredible,
both the gardens and the photography.

Finished César Birotteau, my 1837 book for the 200 Year Challenge. I am a great fan of Balzac, but this novel went into so much detail on French financial practices that I felt I was studying for my Chartered Accountant’s exams. 1838 involves 550 pages of Winter Studies and Summer Rambles in Canada. So I was a little discouraged to see that my best bet for 1839 was The Voyage of the *Beagle* BUT I have discovered it is available on CDs, which sounds more entertaining. Currently listening to The Decameron in a lively translation with a full cast of readers portraying the different storytellers, whenever I am in the car.

>159 PaulCranswick: Ah but I have started it, Marianne. Watch this spot of a review within the next couple of weeks as I want to savour it.

>161 booksaplenty1949: Not one of the Balzac works I have read but it sounds like it is not one of his most compelling!

1837 I have lined up Nick Of The Woods by Robert Montgomery Bird
1838 Mary Derwent by Ann S. Stephens
1839 The Charterhouse of Parma by Stendahl

>162 PaulCranswick: Charterhouse is of course one of the greats but I have already read it twice. I have nothing of this calibre to look forward to—yet.

>163 booksaplenty1949: I have not had the pleasure of reading that one yet so I am looking forward to it.

>164 PaulCranswick: You may need a pick-me-up after Nick and Mary.

>165 booksaplenty1949: I need a pick me up after today at work. A workshop with lawyers and delay experts to strategize our arbitral claims. 10 hours in a single meeting with half an hour break for sandwiches. The next two days more of the same.

>166 PaulCranswick: ☹️ Thought such practices were forbidden under the Geneva Convention. Stay strong.

>167 booksaplenty1949: Two more days of the same and I will want a break in Geneva!

Sounds like work is a bit stressful, Paul. Take care my book twin.

>166 PaulCranswick: UGH! Paul, challenging days.

>166 PaulCranswick: That sounds arduous and worth more than a short break for sandwiches. Hope you are able to power through it, Paul.

>162 PaulCranswick: "Me sabbee plenty"

Happy newish thread! And you're almost ready for the next one. I have been away from laptop and am not good at LT on my phone.

Your stats are impressive both in their keeping and their stories. I have discovered I am not good at them at all. I am just happy to list my books sometimes. Maybe I will download my 20 years of LT book tracking and see what I can conjure in Excel.

Happy New Thread Paul! I was out of town for a week so I'm trying to catch up. I live in a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri and we've had some World Cup games here. Although I haven't been to any, prices too rich for me. I understand England is practicing here in town or soon will be.

>169 Kristelh: Workshop finished yesterday, book twin, and I was able to get an early night's sleep!
I was completely spent.

>170 mdoris: They were indeed, Mary, gladly though they are over for a while and I am back on LT.

>171 Familyhistorian: In fairness though, Meg, they were pretty good sandwiches!
An indicator of how tiring and stressful it was is that I was not on LT for more than a few minutes each day.

>172 m.belljackson: Thank'ee Queequeg!

>173 witchyrichy: Like you Karen, I don't really use my phone for LT as it is a completely different and lesser experience in my opinion.

As you know I love my stats but I am particularly enjoying my looking back. Wasn't able to do much looking back this week so far but I will be back to that later today.

>174 hredwards: There seems to have been a lot of panic and depression about England's failure to despatch Ghana yesterday, Harold. I am fine with it actually - we only need to advance to the knock out stage and then it will depend with how we cope with each individual game.

The prices being charged are obscene aren't they?

BOOK #91



The Black Friar by S.G. Maclean
Date of Publication : 2016
Origin of Author: UK
Gender of Author: Female
Genre: Crime/Thriller
Pages: 456pp

This is the second book in the Damian Seeker series which is set during the time of the Cromwellian protectorate in 1650s England.

Royalist and Fifth Monarchist plots abound and at the same time young children are going missing on the streets of London. Seeker must contend with all of these whilst trying to manage the complicated relationships that he has developed around himself.

An interesting but flawed character who it is easy to sympathize with even though you are not always certain he is entirely on the right side of history.

>175 PaulCranswick:, your absence was noted. Hope that life is back to normal now?

>176 PaulCranswick: It was noted that you were absent from LT, a very strange state of affairs!

>177 PaulCranswick: I've heard about the prices and seen the crowds. There are lots of viewing places in Vancouver where people can watch together on screens, one way to beat the high ticket costs.

>179 Kristelh: I am still a bit on the busy side, Krystel, but I am almost back to normal.

>180 Familyhistorian: Felt strange for me too!

It is supposed to be a game for the people and I think that the pricing is disgraceful and greedy.

>181 PaulCranswick: It feels very much like a business proposition listening to FIFA's rules. At one point they even wanted to control water bottles that were able to be sold in the venue.

>182 Familyhistorian: The prices (even public transport to the venues) and rules are ridiculous. Somehow they're still getting the crowds.

>182 Familyhistorian: Shameful isn't it!

>183 humouress: For all that, Nina, the football has generally been of a good quality. The top players all seem to be firing too which helps get people off their seats.

STATS FROM MY 2023 READING

Books Read: 160

Fiction : 92
Thriller: 18
Non-Fiction: 24
SF/Fantasy: 1
Poetry: 24
Drama: 1
Graphic Novels: 0

Male Authors: 95
Female Authors: 65

52 Different Countries

76 UK
24 USA
4 France, Ireland
2 Canada, Kenya, Nigeria, Russia
1 Albania, Algeria, Angola, Australia, Austria, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Chad, Chile, Congo, Dem Rep of Congo, Egypt, Ethopia, Germany, Ghana, Guyana, Iceland, India, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Malaysia. Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Taiwan, Tanzania, Ukraine, Venezuela, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Book of the Year:
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

Honourable Mentions
The Wedding Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell and Prophet Song by Paul Lynch (Fiction)
What Goes On by Stephen Dunn (Poetry)
The Swerve by Stephen Greenblatt (Non-Fiction)
Bullet Train by Kotaro Isaka (Thriller)

>177 PaulCranswick: Unfortunately, I find the prices charged for any kind of event, concerts, sports, plays are all obscene these days. There is no one I consider worth spending that much money to see.
I don't understand how others do it.

>186 hredwards: Me too, Harold. I would spend an inordinate sum to see my loved ones but to see a football match or a music concert probably not.

The prices are ridiculous! We decided not to attend, although I am sort of regretting that decision now.... But FIFA is definitely not my favorite.

I am enjoying the games though! I'm glad that you are philosophical about the England/Ghana game. I am thrilled with the US so far.... with a little luck we could even make the quarterfinals. No way we would make any further, however.

>186 hredwards: You are right about the ticket prices. The touring company of Hamilton was back in our area recently, and we thought we might go, since we hadn't had the opportunity to see it yet. But the seats were in the $100's of dollars, which was a lot higher than I had previously seen for theater tickets in our area. (Of course, it has been some years since we've gone to a show.) That's the kind of price I would expect on Broadway, not here. And that was rather out of our range, so we didn't go.

>188 banjo123: The USA have been tremendous so far and they will not be a pushover for anyone. I do think that it depends on the draw and who you will have to play will determine how far you get (the same for the USA and England).

>189 atozgrl: Of course prices in Malaysia are not quite to that magnitude. I just think that the World Cup prices are particularly egregious.

>190 PaulCranswick: What I have heard about World Cup prices, they are certainly egregious. But I guess FIFA was the one setting the prices? Is that right? If so, they certainly should have set reasonable prices so that ordinary people could afford to attend--for some of the tickets at least.

>191 atozgrl: I understand that FIFA is the party responsible for ticket pricing but I am unsure as to whether the issue is worsened by ticket resellers or not.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/385137

Thank you, Silver!

>192 PaulCranswick: Ticket resellers make things worse for every event, so I'm sure they must be doing the same for the World Cup.

>194 PaulCranswick: They definitely will be, Irene, but I don't have any visibility on just how much they are taking advantage of circumstances.

I'm not much interested in FIFA, but you'd have to pay me to go. I think I'd pay to see Coldplay, but I missed seeing them a couple of years ago.

>197 vancouverdeb: I would pay to see my home team play (Leeds United) and I am fortunate that my brother has a corporate box at the stadium which means I don't have to do so. I would pay to go and watch Yorkshire play cricket and I suppose that there are a number of singers, musicians and actors I would pay to watch perform, but not to the extortionate extent that people are being charged here.

>189 atozgrl: I know. We saw Les Miz tour years ago when my wife and I were first married.
A couple of years ago it came to town again and I wanted so badly to take my daughter to experience it. The lowest price seats were almost $200 apiece. Sadly, I had to pass. It's terrible. We watched the movie, but there was always something magical about seeing it on stage, live. But not at those prices.

For sports events here you pay almost $100 just for parking. It's outrageous.

>199 hredwards: Outrageous is the word, Harold.

In the West End of London (our equivalent of Broadway) you can buy a mid circle seat for Les Miserables for about $75 which isn't terrible I suppose.

>200 PaulCranswick: Mr SandDune actually went to see Les Mis on Monday night. His ticket was £50 as he was part of a group of teachers from his school (they went to see a former pupil who was playing Jean Val Jean). We go to the theatre quite a lot but I wouldn’t pay silly money for tickets.

>201 SandDune: That is slightly better than I thought as it is equivalent to about $65. I am with you on theatre visits, Rhian, as I usually manage to fit in a show when I am in London. The last one I saw was Anthony Sher in Fiddler on the Roof.

I am not even going to try and catch up, Paul, but wanted to swing by and say "Hello." I hope all is going well there!

Happy whatever, brother!

>203 alcottacre: Everything is good here, Stasia.

I am just recovering from a severe bout of overwork!

Friday Lunchtime Additions

140. Finding Belle by Reeta Chakrabarti
141. No Friend to this House by Natalie Haynes
142. The Unworthy by Roy Jacobsen
143. Sugartown by Caragh Maxwell
144. What We Can Know by Ian McEwan
145. We the Animals by Justin Torres

The first book is a rare occasion of me adding a book simply because of the title (I am missing my youngest daughter!), Haynes is up for the BAC and it is another option to the shelves, Jacobsen's book on Nazi occupied Norway looks enticing, Maxwell's book has gotten good reviews, McEwan's book was lauded as a return to form and Torres' debut is part of the Harper American Classics series which I am enjoying to hunt out.

>199 hredwards: I heard they were charging high prices just for parking here as our Hurricanes made their Stanley Cup run, though not quite that high. I think it was $75? Some people went to the stadium even though they didn't have tickets, just to be there. I think there was an outdoor screen for them to watch.

>200 PaulCranswick: >201 SandDune: >202 PaulCranswick: Those prices sound more like what I was used to here, maybe somewhat higher, and that would be something I would pay. What they were asking this year was excessive.

>204 PaulCranswick: Oof. I hope you're feeling better ;0)

>183 humouress: >184 PaulCranswick: I'll just be glad when I no longer have to go into Vancouver and contend with the crowds on transit.

At least the period of overwork is over, Paul!

>202 PaulCranswick: >206 atozgrl: Best deal i had recently was good stall tickets for £10 each as part of the National Theatre Friday Rush. Jacob and Caroline go to the theatre a lot - Caroline is signed up to all the discount apps and invariably seems to find cheap tickets.

>206 atozgrl: I think we are on the same page, Irene. I do love the theatre and anything under $100 would still entice me.

>207 humouress: Thank you Nina. I am feeling fine and dandy at the moment.

>205 PaulCranswick: I enjoyed Finding Belle though fans of Jane Eyre might have issues with this more contemporary take on the story.

>208 Familyhistorian: Crowds are definitely something I don't like over much either, Meg.

>209 SandDune: That is a good deal, Rhian. I know if I lived in the environs of London the theatre would be a monthly treat.

>211 elkiedee: I do know of the journalist who has written the story, Luci, but I didn't know of its Jane Eyre connotations. I couldn't resist the title.

>206 atozgrl: The inflation rate means that $100 today is the equivalent of about $50 in 2000. I have observed that many people, presumably unconsciously, base their ideas of a “fair price” on what they paid for things at some key point in the past.

Happy Weekend, Paul. Just checking in. I hope all is well. I remember really enjoying We the Animals, so enjoy but I never got to his last novel...forgetting the title.

>214 booksaplenty1949: Well I was researching prices in London as of this week to come up with an average cinema ticket of $60 to $75 and I thought those prices were close to what I would have expected them to be.

>215 msf59: Nice to see you, Mark. His last novel was an award winner wasn't it?

Have completed my second run through the alphabet, reading a short story a day. This time I am going to read mystery stories. Don’t have any collections by an author whose name begins with “A” but I have several mystery anthologies so will start searching there.
PS Murder for Christmas has come through with a “The Case is Altered” by Margery Allingham.

I have a few short story collections with A authors but probably the nearest to Mystery would be Robert Aickman and his collection Dark Entries.

>218 PaulCranswick: Aickman’s stories seem more in the supernatural vein. Allingham’s was a nice country house mystery, although no one was actually murdered.

>219 booksaplenty1949: Yes, definitely so.

The July BAC thread is up!

https://www.librarything.com/topic/385160

>221 amanda4242: I have the Haynes ready to go. Mohsin Hamid is one that is a bit hit and miss for me so I will be more tentative about reading one more of his.

BOOK #92



Companion Piece by Ali Smith
Date of Publication: 2022
Origin of Author: UK
Gender of Author: Female
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 227 pp

There is an ebullience in Ali Smith's prose that hides the fact that her novel is actually a mish-mash of ideas and threads that don't really fit together.

Some of this fizzes tremendously but she is also capable of engendering complete bafflement. Lots of ideas and plenty of brilliance but don't bother trying to follow what the hell is happening or what the plot is all about.

Recommended if you prefer style over content.

>205 PaulCranswick:, Paul's acquisitions
140. Finding Belle by Reeta Chakrabarti Unfamiliar to me author
141. No Friend to this House by Natalie Haynes, I will be reading The Thousand Ships hopefully in June.
142. The Unworthy by Roy Jacobsen, I haven't read this author but I have The Unseen on the shelf
143. Sugartown by Caragh Maxwell, unfamiliar
144. What We Can Know by Ian McEwan, I haven't read this one.
145. We the Animals by Justin Torres, another unfamiliar to me.

Always fun to see what we share.

>224 Kristelh: That doesn't look like it will help our shared percentage so much!

You do love your stats, Paul!

I see you are reading S. G. MacLean. I have enjoyed her Alexander Seaton series. I have one left in that. I will be reading more.

Wimbledon will definitely be cutting into my reading time for the next couple of weeks.

I love Ali Smith. She certainly is not afraid to push the stylistic envelope.

>225 PaulCranswick: I know Paul. It's why I am surprised wee are book twins.

>226 BLBera: A very accurate observation, Beth, if a pretty obvious one!

I have read the first two Damian Seeker books set in Cromwellian London and they are pretty good. The author has very strong writing credentials as she is the niece of Alistair MacLean who was a mainstay of my reading as a young man.

Our best male and female players are injured, Beth, so I have little expectation of the Brits going far into the draw. I will be watching anyway as always. I love this time of year with Wimbledon and the Tour de France and then the Open Golf. The World Cup and the Cricket tests also feature for me and the pre-season for my club (Leeds United) will be interesting to see who we add to our squad (or lose).

Ali Smith combines bravery with innovative technique and is never boring.

>227 Kristelh: The numbers don't lie, Kristel!

>86 PaulCranswick: Half of a Yellow Sun took me back- I probably read it about then too. I recall loving it but not much of the story.

>216 PaulCranswick: ...an average cinema ticket of $60 to $75...as in the movies?? That sounds like a lot! We would pay about NZD18 (=about USD10) here to see a film.

>230 LovingLit: Much of the plot escapes me too nowadays Megan but I did love the novel.

You spotted a typo Megan. I meant to say theatre ticket not cinema ticket. Over here cinema tickets until COVID used to be about $2.50 but I understand that they have increased substantially since. Don't go much at all since the lockdown.

>231 PaulCranswick: Went to the cinema last week, Spielbergs new Disclosure Day. About 20 dollars (150 Danish kroner) for a ticket. I go maybe 2-3 times a year. A theatre ticket would be at least 50 dollars here - but often much higher.

>232 ctpress: About what I would have thought, Carsten. Hani tells me it was about $16 when she last went to the cinema in England.

Summer Serials

I aim to have a couple of months of comfort reading by catching up and wallowing in series that I either enjoy or have looked forward to starting.

I noticed that when I started on LT my thrillers/mystery reads were on a par pretty much with more literary fiction and I have gradually moved away from that. I love Scandi and have so many books in the genre that I look forward.

No pressure reading in the long July and August months as I edge toward my 60th birthday. I will read for the main challenges that I am doing - BAC, Roads Less Travelled and Non-Fiction but otherwise I will wallow!

Some final additions this month

146. The Bookseller of Inverness by S.G. MacLean
147. The Last Chairlift by John Irving

Bought at a local discount store. The Irving in particular is a real chunkster.

BOOK #93



A Relative Stranger by Charles Baxter
Date of Publication: 1990
Origin of Author: USA
Gender of Author: Male
Genre: Short Story
Challenges: Short Story Collections: 13/26
Pages: 223pp

I don't know why this collection has sat for so long ignored on my shelves.

Very nicely constructed short works of fiction by an author well able to articulate the stunted lives of small town urban and suburban America.

Recommended.

>234 PaulCranswick: Sounds like a great idea. I have a lot of local and Aussie crime to wallow in at some point.

BOOK #94



White Nights by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Date of Publication: 1848
Origin of Author: Russia
Gender of Author: Male
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 86pp

Hyper-sensitive males abound in Dostoevsky's work and certainly in this well known novella.

It is so earnest that it is almost satirical in its romanticized yearnings but it is also beautifully crafted and a good example of his early writing. He was about to come close to the firing squad for subversive dissemination on political tracts though here there is no politics to speak of other than that of between the sexes.

To be read in a positive frame of mind!

>237 avatiakh: I just want my reading to be a little less "serious" for a while and a bit less "literary", Kerry.

I will select an "A" author series first and three spring to mind immeditely:

Lin Anderson - I have so far read 8 of the 19 Rhona MacLeod series.
Kate Atkinson - I have so far read 3 of the 6 Jackson Brodie series.
Jussi Adler-Olsen - I have currently read 5 of the 11 Department Q series.