Paul C's Roads Less Travelled in 2026 - 14
This is a continuation of the topic Paul C's Roads Less Travelled in 2026 - 13.
Talk 75 Books Challenge for 2026
Join LibraryThing to post.
1PaulCranswick
What springs to my mind when I think of Cuba. Castro, The Bay of Pigs, Rum, Cigars and sensual ladies. This painting (one of a series) captures a few of those!
2PaulCranswick
The Opening Words
The Booker Longlist will be announced at the end of this month and I will want to read some of them (if I haven't already). I have no idea what will be on that list but Goodreads lists 265 eligible books for the prize and I have 24 on the shelves already and have read 2 of them so far. I have little idea which of the 22 I have on the shelves will make it but I will take a guess that The Renovation by Kenan Orhan might just make it.
"I don't know by what accident the builders had managed it, but instead of a remodeled bathroom attached to my bedroom, they had installed a prison cell. They had told me it would take a month (thank goodness we had a second bathroom, though we did find ourselves exploiting the kindness of a neighboring flat every now and again when one of us was taking a particularly long shower), and I had pestered them the whole time; my offers of tea or snacks were obvious ploys to steal peeks at their works."
Interested...................................?
The Booker Longlist will be announced at the end of this month and I will want to read some of them (if I haven't already). I have no idea what will be on that list but Goodreads lists 265 eligible books for the prize and I have 24 on the shelves already and have read 2 of them so far. I have little idea which of the 22 I have on the shelves will make it but I will take a guess that The Renovation by Kenan Orhan might just make it.
"I don't know by what accident the builders had managed it, but instead of a remodeled bathroom attached to my bedroom, they had installed a prison cell. They had told me it would take a month (thank goodness we had a second bathroom, though we did find ourselves exploiting the kindness of a neighboring flat every now and again when one of us was taking a particularly long shower), and I had pestered them the whole time; my offers of tea or snacks were obvious ploys to steal peeks at their works."
Interested...................................?
3PaulCranswick
Poetry
Cuba has traditionally had a vibrant poetry scene. This poem is by Herberto Padilla and is called "Anne Frank"
Heberto Padilla
Anne Frank, translated by Alastair Reid and Andrew Hurley
In front of Cologne Cathedral
—divided by two black columns—
once more the children
are taking up their songs.
I have watched them playing:
mostly, I have noticed,
they jump from one song to the next,
from one tune
to another.
And today I was given the photo
of your thin fading face,
child, now arrived in your high Hebrew heaven.
And how odd
that I am now sitting on this bench
(a few steps from the Rhine)
watching the water go by,
for I had long thought
that blood would have flowed . . .
Cuba has traditionally had a vibrant poetry scene. This poem is by Herberto Padilla and is called "Anne Frank"
Heberto Padilla
Anne Frank, translated by Alastair Reid and Andrew Hurley
In front of Cologne Cathedral
—divided by two black columns—
once more the children
are taking up their songs.
I have watched them playing:
mostly, I have noticed,
they jump from one song to the next,
from one tune
to another.
And today I was given the photo
of your thin fading face,
child, now arrived in your high Hebrew heaven.
And how odd
that I am now sitting on this bench
(a few steps from the Rhine)
watching the water go by,
for I had long thought
that blood would have flowed . . .
4PaulCranswick
Books Read (First 75)
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)
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)
5PaulCranswick
Read Books 75-
May (Continued)
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: Stories 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)
July
95. A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes (2019) 345pp {Fiction} Picador (Completed 3/7/26)
96. The Hunting Dogs by Jorn Lier Horst (2012) 323pp {Thriller} Sandstone (Completed 4/7/26)
97. Havana Year Zero by Karla Suarez (2011) 256pp {Fiction} Charco (Completed 5/7/26)
98. Blue Moon by Lee Child (2019) 448 pp {Thriller} Bantam (Completed 6/7/26)
99. Lord Cornwallis by Daniel E. Harmon (2002) 76pp {Non-Fiction} Chelsea House (Completed 7/7/26)
100. Paths of the Dead by Lin Anderson (2014) 420pp {Thriller} Pan (Completed 8/7/26)
101. The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid (2022) 180pp {Fiction} Riverhead (Completed 9/7/26)
102. Dark Angel by Mari Jungstedt (2008) 395pp {Thriller} Corgi (Completed 11/7/26)
103. The Renovation by Kenan Orhan (2026) 248pp {Fiction} Hamish Hamilton (Completed 18/7/26)
104. Beside the Ocean of Time by George Mackay Brown (1994) 224pp {Fiction} John Murray (Completed 19/7/26)
105. Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri (2008) 333pp {Short Stories} Vintage (Completed 22/7/26)
106. Kingfisher by Rozie Kelly (2025) 204pp {Fiction} Saraband (Completed 23/7/26)
May (Continued)
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: Stories 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)
July
95. A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes (2019) 345pp {Fiction} Picador (Completed 3/7/26)
96. The Hunting Dogs by Jorn Lier Horst (2012) 323pp {Thriller} Sandstone (Completed 4/7/26)
97. Havana Year Zero by Karla Suarez (2011) 256pp {Fiction} Charco (Completed 5/7/26)
98. Blue Moon by Lee Child (2019) 448 pp {Thriller} Bantam (Completed 6/7/26)
99. Lord Cornwallis by Daniel E. Harmon (2002) 76pp {Non-Fiction} Chelsea House (Completed 7/7/26)
100. Paths of the Dead by Lin Anderson (2014) 420pp {Thriller} Pan (Completed 8/7/26)
101. The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid (2022) 180pp {Fiction} Riverhead (Completed 9/7/26)
102. Dark Angel by Mari Jungstedt (2008) 395pp {Thriller} Corgi (Completed 11/7/26)
103. The Renovation by Kenan Orhan (2026) 248pp {Fiction} Hamish Hamilton (Completed 18/7/26)
104. Beside the Ocean of Time by George Mackay Brown (1994) 224pp {Fiction} John Murray (Completed 19/7/26)
105. Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri (2008) 333pp {Short Stories} Vintage (Completed 22/7/26)
106. Kingfisher by Rozie Kelly (2025) 204pp {Fiction} Saraband (Completed 23/7/26)
6PaulCranswick
Currently reading
7PaulCranswick
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
https://www.librarything.com/topic/385218
1. Havana Year Zero by Karla Suarez
AUGUST - FRANCO CARIBBEAN
SEPTEMBER - COLOMBIAN AUTHORS
OCTOBER - FIRST NATION NORTH AMERICANS
NOVEMBER - ARGENTINIAN AUTHORS
DECEMBER - OTHER PARTS OF THE CONTINENTS
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
https://www.librarything.com/topic/385218
1. Havana Year Zero by Karla Suarez
AUGUST - FRANCO CARIBBEAN
SEPTEMBER - COLOMBIAN AUTHORS
OCTOBER - FIRST NATION NORTH AMERICANS
NOVEMBER - ARGENTINIAN AUTHORS
DECEMBER - OTHER PARTS OF THE CONTINENTS
8PaulCranswick
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 - Natalie Haynes & Mohsin Hamid
A Thousand Ships by Haynes
The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid
August -
September -
October -
November -
December -
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 - Natalie Haynes & Mohsin Hamid
A Thousand Ships by Haynes
The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid
August -
September -
October -
November -
December -
9PaulCranswick
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
JULY : AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY YEARS - Lord Cornwallis by Daniel E. Harmon
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
JULY : AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY YEARS - Lord Cornwallis by Daniel E. Harmon
10PaulCranswick
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
1848 : White Nights by Fyodor Dostoevsky
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
1994 : Beside the Ocean of Time by George Mackay Brown
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
77/200
11PaulCranswick
A-Z Challenge
A = 12 Books: Richard Adams, Claire Adam, Sherwood Anderson, Rudolfo Anaya, David Attenborough, Roma Agrawal, Lin Anderson
B = 12 Books: Roberto Bolano, Lucia Berlin, Fiona Benson, John Boyne, Iain M. Banks, Charles Baxter, George Mackay Brown
C = 12 Books: Cressida Cowell, Elizabeth Chadwick, Charly Cox, Ciaran Carson, Lucy Caldwell, Charles Causley, Lee Child
D = 8 Books: Friedrich Durrenmatt, Imtiaz Dharker, Anita Desai, Fyodor Dostoevsky
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, Natalie Haynes, Jorn Lier Horst, Daniel E. Harmon, Mohsin Hamid
I = 6 Books: Francis Iles, Washington Irving, Henrik Ibsen
J = 6 Books: Jonas Jonasson, Mari Jungstedt
K = 6 Books: Claire Keegan, Sheena Kalayil, Rene Karabash, Rozie Kelly
L = 8 Books: Yiyun Li, Valeria Luiselli, Louis L'Amour, Ashani Lewis, Jhumpa Lahiri
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, Kenan Orhan
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, Karla Suarez
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
106/200
A = 12 Books: Richard Adams, Claire Adam, Sherwood Anderson, Rudolfo Anaya, David Attenborough, Roma Agrawal, Lin Anderson
B = 12 Books: Roberto Bolano, Lucia Berlin, Fiona Benson, John Boyne, Iain M. Banks, Charles Baxter, George Mackay Brown
C = 12 Books: Cressida Cowell, Elizabeth Chadwick, Charly Cox, Ciaran Carson, Lucy Caldwell, Charles Causley, Lee Child
D = 8 Books: Friedrich Durrenmatt, Imtiaz Dharker, Anita Desai, Fyodor Dostoevsky
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, Natalie Haynes, Jorn Lier Horst, Daniel E. Harmon, Mohsin Hamid
I = 6 Books: Francis Iles, Washington Irving, Henrik Ibsen
J = 6 Books: Jonas Jonasson, Mari Jungstedt
K = 6 Books: Claire Keegan, Sheena Kalayil, Rene Karabash, Rozie Kelly
L = 8 Books: Yiyun Li, Valeria Luiselli, Louis L'Amour, Ashani Lewis, Jhumpa Lahiri
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, Kenan Orhan
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, Karla Suarez
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
106/200
12PaulCranswick
Bingo
13PaulCranswick
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
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
14PaulCranswick
Books Added in 2026
Jan to March
Books 1-79 : https://www.librarything.com/topic/379636#9150056
(Read 10 to date)
April to June
Books 80-147 : https://www.librarything.com/topic/384892#9215629
(Read 11 to date)
42 non-fiction
74 fiction
7 poetry
12 SF/fantasy
2 Drama
8 crime / thrillers
By Men 69
By Women 78
Read: 21
Jan to March
Books 1-79 : https://www.librarything.com/topic/379636#9150056
(Read 10 to date)
April to June
Books 80-147 : https://www.librarything.com/topic/384892#9215629
(Read 11 to date)
42 non-fiction
74 fiction
7 poetry
12 SF/fantasy
2 Drama
8 crime / thrillers
By Men 69
By Women 78
Read: 21
15PaulCranswick
Book Stats 2026
Books Read : 106
Pages Read in completed books : 26,918
Longest book : Shardik : 592 pp
Shortest book : The Earth Compels : 46 pp
Mean book length : 253.94 pp
Pages per day average in completed books : 131.95
Books written by men : 56
Books written by women: 50
Non-Fiction : 14
Fiction : 49
Poetry : 13
Thriller : 8
SF/Fantasy : 6
Drama : 2
Short Stories : 14
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 : 7 books
2000s : 11 books
2010s : 21 books
2020s : 40 books
UK Authors : 46
USA Authors : 25
Chile Authors : 1
Ireland Authors : 8
Canada Authors : 1
China Authors : 1
Switzerland Authors : 1
Australia Authors : 3
France Authors : 2
Sweden Authors : 2
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: 2
Cuba Authors: 1
Pakistan Authors: 1
Challenges :
Roads Less Travelled : 8 books
Non-Fiction Challenge : 7 books
British Author Challenge : 12 books
26 Short Story Collections : 14/26
Caroline Memorial Reads : 1
1001 Books : 4
Awards :
Baillie Gifford Prize : 1
Pulitzer Prize : 2
TS Eliot Prize : 1
Women's Prize: 2
Read : 106 books
Added : 167 books
Change to TBR : +61
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
July Books: 12
July Pages: 3,452
Pages Average: Per Book: 287.67 Per Day: 150.09
Books Read : 106
Pages Read in completed books : 26,918
Longest book : Shardik : 592 pp
Shortest book : The Earth Compels : 46 pp
Mean book length : 253.94 pp
Pages per day average in completed books : 131.95
Books written by men : 56
Books written by women: 50
Non-Fiction : 14
Fiction : 49
Poetry : 13
Thriller : 8
SF/Fantasy : 6
Drama : 2
Short Stories : 14
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 : 7 books
2000s : 11 books
2010s : 21 books
2020s : 40 books
UK Authors : 46
USA Authors : 25
Chile Authors : 1
Ireland Authors : 8
Canada Authors : 1
China Authors : 1
Switzerland Authors : 1
Australia Authors : 3
France Authors : 2
Sweden Authors : 2
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: 2
Cuba Authors: 1
Pakistan Authors: 1
Challenges :
Roads Less Travelled : 8 books
Non-Fiction Challenge : 7 books
British Author Challenge : 12 books
26 Short Story Collections : 14/26
Caroline Memorial Reads : 1
1001 Books : 4
Awards :
Baillie Gifford Prize : 1
Pulitzer Prize : 2
TS Eliot Prize : 1
Women's Prize: 2
Read : 106 books
Added : 167 books
Change to TBR : +61
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
July Books: 12
July Pages: 3,452
Pages Average: Per Book: 287.67 Per Day: 150.09
16PaulCranswick
Dedication
I thought to dedicate this thread to Josh Kerr who has just broken the World Mile record in athletics or my sister who turns 53 today (and both are in my heart today).
It is incumbent upon me to dedicate this to our new (or very soon new) Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, who I wish well in taking the UK in the right path forward.
I thought to dedicate this thread to Josh Kerr who has just broken the World Mile record in athletics or my sister who turns 53 today (and both are in my heart today).
It is incumbent upon me to dedicate this to our new (or very soon new) Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, who I wish well in taking the UK in the right path forward.
17PaulCranswick
Welcome to my 14th thread of 2026
19Familyhistorian
Happy new thread, Paul!
22PaulCranswick
>18 quondame: Thank you, Susan.
I just had a short nap with it being lunch time and my sleep being obliterated by the England national football team in their vain pursuit of glory.
>19 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg.
I just had a short nap with it being lunch time and my sleep being obliterated by the England national football team in their vain pursuit of glory.
>19 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg.
24booksaplenty1949
>1 PaulCranswick: Things are pretty grim there at the moment.
25PaulCranswick
>24 booksaplenty1949: One of my best friends is a fairly celebrated construction lawyer and his wife is Cuban - (I'm not sure that Clara smokes cigars though!).
He visits almost every year and has a sort of strained affection with the place.
He visits almost every year and has a sort of strained affection with the place.
26amanda4242
Happy new thread!
27booksaplenty1949
>25 PaulCranswick: Difficult to visit currently as airlines no longer serving it owing to local fuel shortage.
28PaulCranswick
>26 amanda4242: Thank you, Amanda.
>27 booksaplenty1949: That poor place has so many challenges to survive never mind thrive.
>27 booksaplenty1949: That poor place has so many challenges to survive never mind thrive.
29Kristelh
Happy new thread Paul. Sorry that your team didn't make it all the way. That is an awesome picture! Does it have a name and who is the artist. I would like to recreate it.
I have not been working on trying to read what I think might make the long list but I am looking forward to the announcement.
I have not been working on trying to read what I think might make the long list but I am looking forward to the announcement.
32msf59
Happy New Thread, Paul. I love that topper. Fits in very well with my current read- The Mambo Kings. I have also started Mother Mary Comes to Me and I am enjoying the audio.
33PaulCranswick
>29 Kristelh: Thank you, book twin. The paintings were suggested to me through one of our favourite Italian restaurants in Kuala Lumpur which was called "Nero Vivo" -
https://www.malaysianflavours.com/2015/03/nerovivo-italian-restaurant-jalan-ceyl...
I cannot remember the name of the artist who displayed her work on the walls of the restaurant. I found the images which reminded me of them on line and I know there are a number of artists who concentrate on this type of work but which one is responsible for the particular one shown, I am not sure.
>30 foggidawn: Thank you, Foggi
https://www.malaysianflavours.com/2015/03/nerovivo-italian-restaurant-jalan-ceyl...
I cannot remember the name of the artist who displayed her work on the walls of the restaurant. I found the images which reminded me of them on line and I know there are a number of artists who concentrate on this type of work but which one is responsible for the particular one shown, I am not sure.
>30 foggidawn: Thank you, Foggi
35Storeetllr
Happy new thread, Paul!
36Kristelh
>33 PaulCranswick:. in searching, it appears that this art work might be digitally created by a company rather than the art work of a particular artist. I do love it. Wonderful. The title is Confident Indulgence. I could not access the link you provided.
38vancouverdeb
Happy New Thread, Paul.
39PaulCranswick
>35 Storeetllr: Thanks Mary. Lovely to see you here.
>36 Kristelh: Not sure why the link isn't working, Kristel, I can open it fine. You could be right about the images but they are striking aren't they?
>36 Kristelh: Not sure why the link isn't working, Kristel, I can open it fine. You could be right about the images but they are striking aren't they?
40PaulCranswick
>37 atozgrl: Thank you, Irene.
>38 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deb. I will try to get chance to catch up with the thread set-up this morning.
>38 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deb. I will try to get chance to catch up with the thread set-up this morning.
41TSSTxym
>1 PaulCranswick: I love that painting!!
Hope all is relatively well in your world...mine is a bit shaky.
Hope all is relatively well in your world...mine is a bit shaky.
42SilverWolf28
Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/385521
43SilverWolf28
Happy New Thread!
44PaulCranswick
>41 TSSTxym: Thank you, Tizz. Hang in there. I will drop by and wish you well when I have done here. xx
>42 SilverWolf28: Thank you, Silver. Three books targeted to complete over the weekend.
>42 SilverWolf28: Thank you, Silver. Three books targeted to complete over the weekend.
45PaulCranswick
>43 SilverWolf28: Thanks Silver. xx
48PaulCranswick
Additions this lunchtime:
163. The Cut by Richard Armitage
164. Bad Fiction by Rebecca Sarah Ley
165. Permanence by Sophie Mackintosh
166. The Homes by J.B. Mylet
167. Black Wood Women by Michael Stewart
163. The Cut by Richard Armitage
164. Bad Fiction by Rebecca Sarah Ley
165. Permanence by Sophie Mackintosh
166. The Homes by J.B. Mylet
167. Black Wood Women by Michael Stewart
49SirThomas
Happy new thread, Paul!
Cuba sounds very interesting, I have only one book on my shelves by a cuban author, it is not necessarily representative.
spy vs spy by Antonio Prohias, but I found a book by Leonardo Padura, Havana Blue - I am looking forward to read the book.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Cuba sounds very interesting, I have only one book on my shelves by a cuban author, it is not necessarily representative.
spy vs spy by Antonio Prohias, but I found a book by Leonardo Padura, Havana Blue - I am looking forward to read the book.
Have a wonderful weekend.
50PaulCranswick
>49 SirThomas: Nice to see you Thomas.
My stock of Cuba books is not all that impressive to be honest. I have books by maybe five authors but I have always been intrigued by the country
My stock of Cuba books is not all that impressive to be honest. I have books by maybe five authors but I have always been intrigued by the country
51LizzieD
I think of you often, Paul, although you'd have no clue. I'm glad to see you reading and enjoying! Keep it up!
52EBT1002
>1 PaulCranswick: That is a stunning painting!
I see you are planning to read A Thousand Ships this month. I really enjoyed that one.
>51 LizzieD: What Peggy said! xo
I see you are planning to read A Thousand Ships this month. I really enjoyed that one.
>51 LizzieD: What Peggy said! xo
53PaulCranswick
>51 LizzieD: Likewise Peggy. For me you are one of the foundation stones of this wonderful group. Universally loved and respected and esteemed notably here in Kuala Lumpur. x
>52 EBT1002: Lovely to see you, Ellen, and you and Peggy will have me blushing!
You were right to enjoy A Thousand Ships - tremendous book wasn't it?
>52 EBT1002: Lovely to see you, Ellen, and you and Peggy will have me blushing!
You were right to enjoy A Thousand Ships - tremendous book wasn't it?
54booksaplenty1949
Cuba’s population is just under 10 million. Unsurprising that there are few Cuban writers compared to some of the previous destinations in this reading challenge.
55PaulCranswick
>54 booksaplenty1949: A bit disproportionate I agree! I don't think on reflection I made this month of July an easy one for the challenge and next month is a toughies as well!
56PaulCranswick
I am someone who has hated racism in all its forms all my life and I think that it was sport and some of my sporting heroes that helped teach me that colour was no bar to hero worship.
In my teens some of my heroes would have been - Pele, Ali-Foreman-Frazier, John Conteh, Daley Thompson, Paul Reaney and the entire West Indian test cricket team which is still the finest team I have ever witnessed. In the early 70's when I first picked up a bat and pretended to be one my heroes - Gary Sobers was one of the very first to wish to emulate. The greatest cricketing all rounder of all time. Born in 1936 in Barbados, Sir Garfield Sobers was the first player to hit six sixes in an over and played the game with a fierce joy that any observer couldn't fail to admire.
Sir Garfield Sobers passed away overnight and I am saddened beyond words.
In my teens some of my heroes would have been - Pele, Ali-Foreman-Frazier, John Conteh, Daley Thompson, Paul Reaney and the entire West Indian test cricket team which is still the finest team I have ever witnessed. In the early 70's when I first picked up a bat and pretended to be one my heroes - Gary Sobers was one of the very first to wish to emulate. The greatest cricketing all rounder of all time. Born in 1936 in Barbados, Sir Garfield Sobers was the first player to hit six sixes in an over and played the game with a fierce joy that any observer couldn't fail to admire.
Sir Garfield Sobers passed away overnight and I am saddened beyond words.
57booksaplenty1949
>55 PaulCranswick: True about next month, but you previously posted about Frantz Fanon and I have a long-owned but unread copy of Les Damnés de la terre, so I am looking forward to that. Aimé Césaire also looks to be another interesting anti-colonialist writer.
58PaulCranswick
>57 booksaplenty1949: I do have a number of authors who will fit as in addition to those two - Edouard Glissant, Patrick Chamoiseau, Maryse Conde, Dany Laferriere, Joseph Zobel, Gisele Pineau, Jean Casimir and Edwidge Danticat would also qualify.
59humouress
>56 PaulCranswick: RIP Sir Gary 🏏
60PaulCranswick
>59 humouress: What a player.
My all time Rest of the World XI (players in my lifetime only)
Barry Richards
Sunil Gavaskar
Ricky Ponting
Viv Richards
Sachin Tendulkar
Garfield Sobers
Kumar Sangakkara
Richard Hadlee
Wasim Akram
Shane Warne
Michael Holding
Rest of Squad to Tour: Glenn Turner, Brian Lara, Mike Proctor, Malcolm Marshall, Murali, Gilchrist
My all time Rest of the World XI (players in my lifetime only)
Barry Richards
Sunil Gavaskar
Ricky Ponting
Viv Richards
Sachin Tendulkar
Garfield Sobers
Kumar Sangakkara
Richard Hadlee
Wasim Akram
Shane Warne
Michael Holding
Rest of Squad to Tour: Glenn Turner, Brian Lara, Mike Proctor, Malcolm Marshall, Murali, Gilchrist
61PaulCranswick
MUSIC FROM SIXTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
Top Twenty Songs Stateside July 15 1966
Herb Alpert and His Tijuana Brass - "The Work Song"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ_hG9d3pnw&list=RDbQ_hG9d3pnw&start_rad...
Frank Sinatra - "Strangers in the Night"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwAERaRUsp0&list=RDZwAERaRUsp0&start_rad...
The Temptations - "Ain't Too Proud to Beg"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoLhQo0SFbc&list=RDQoLhQo0SFbc&start_rad...
Dusty Springfield - "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjKXAsmQJBg&list=RDMjKXAsmQJBg&start_rad...
The Troggs - "Wild Thing"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtJyfRCW3Ng&list=RDjtJyfRCW3Ng&start_rad...
The Beatles - "Paperback Writer"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjsuGa-622E&list=RDmjsuGa-622E&start_rad...
and number one:
Tommy James and the Shondells - "Hanky Panky"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpNKxvvWGCw&list=RDGpNKxvvWGCw&start_rad...
I don't know about you but some of these songs have stood the test of time better than others!
Top Twenty Songs Stateside July 15 1966
Herb Alpert and His Tijuana Brass - "The Work Song"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ_hG9d3pnw&list=RDbQ_hG9d3pnw&start_rad...
Frank Sinatra - "Strangers in the Night"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwAERaRUsp0&list=RDZwAERaRUsp0&start_rad...
The Temptations - "Ain't Too Proud to Beg"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoLhQo0SFbc&list=RDQoLhQo0SFbc&start_rad...
Dusty Springfield - "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjKXAsmQJBg&list=RDMjKXAsmQJBg&start_rad...
The Troggs - "Wild Thing"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtJyfRCW3Ng&list=RDjtJyfRCW3Ng&start_rad...
The Beatles - "Paperback Writer"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjsuGa-622E&list=RDmjsuGa-622E&start_rad...
and number one:
Tommy James and the Shondells - "Hanky Panky"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpNKxvvWGCw&list=RDGpNKxvvWGCw&start_rad...
I don't know about you but some of these songs have stood the test of time better than others!
63PaulCranswick
The UK also had Frank and the Beatles but also the Brilliant Kinks were top of the Charts with "Sunny Afternoon"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0neKYZYj6HA&list=RD0neKYZYj6HA&start_rad...
Chris Farlowe also featured with "Out of Time"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWBSmfZTi4s&list=RDnWBSmfZTi4s&start_rad...
Georgie Fame was in the charts with "Getaway"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS_qdUlfyLQ&list=RDpS_qdUlfyLQ&start_rad...
The Hollies were waiting at the "Bus Stop"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSprHUjAFK8&list=RDoSprHUjAFK8&start_rad...
Ike and Tina Turner were in the top 3 with "River Deep, Mountain High"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj0wPrN_Y_4&list=RDuj0wPrN_Y_4&start_rad...
I know I am British and biased but there is more verve and immediacy in the British charts than the American. I mean Tommy Roe at the top?!
I will do future years only using the British Charts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0neKYZYj6HA&list=RD0neKYZYj6HA&start_rad...
Chris Farlowe also featured with "Out of Time"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWBSmfZTi4s&list=RDnWBSmfZTi4s&start_rad...
Georgie Fame was in the charts with "Getaway"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS_qdUlfyLQ&list=RDpS_qdUlfyLQ&start_rad...
The Hollies were waiting at the "Bus Stop"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSprHUjAFK8&list=RDoSprHUjAFK8&start_rad...
Ike and Tina Turner were in the top 3 with "River Deep, Mountain High"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj0wPrN_Y_4&list=RDuj0wPrN_Y_4&start_rad...
I know I am British and biased but there is more verve and immediacy in the British charts than the American. I mean Tommy Roe at the top?!
I will do future years only using the British Charts.
64PaulCranswick
>62 DianaNL: Lovely to see you, Diana. I miss your more regular presence around here - especially as the Tour wends towards the Alps. I don't think that anyone will dethrone Pogacar.
66PaulCranswick
>65 DianaNL: I admire him immensely, Diana, but I have a habit of wanting the underdog to triumph. I have really high hopes for the young Frenchman but it is probably a year or two too early for him.
67Familyhistorian
Had to come back to check the thread with all the furniture in place. >63 PaulCranswick: My recollection is that we were listening to more from the British charts back then too.
68PaulCranswick
>67 Familyhistorian: I thought it was noticeably more cutting edge, Meg. The 1976 list similarly so.
69EBT1002
I know little about Cricket (although I did sit on a lawn and watch a match once - in England in 2002) but I love your tribute to Sir Garfield Sobers.
I now have "Paperback Writer" in my head. This is not a bad thing. It may not be the Beatles at their best but ... it is the Beatles. xo
I now have "Paperback Writer" in my head. This is not a bad thing. It may not be the Beatles at their best but ... it is the Beatles. xo
70PaulCranswick
>69 EBT1002: Not only a tremendous player but a wonderful ambassador for the sport and his country, Ellen.
Of all those songs it is "Sunny Afternoon" that I keep coming back to, but you are right that non-prime Beatles still beat almost everything else.
Of all those songs it is "Sunny Afternoon" that I keep coming back to, but you are right that non-prime Beatles still beat almost everything else.
71booksaplenty1949
>70 PaulCranswick: Nerdy classmate invited everyone to come over to his house after school to listen to a new LP his father had brought back from a business trip to England. “With the Beatles” —-the black album with the heads. He was, I’m afraid, often the victim of bullying but that afternoon he was king of the class as we listened to the record with complete awe.
72PaulCranswick
>71 booksaplenty1949: "All My Loving" is still a favourite. "It Won't Be Long" is prime Beatlemania fayre and there had been nothing like it before. "All I've Got to Do" is Lennon in his pomp.
73booksaplenty1949
>72 PaulCranswick: No rush, as far as I know, but I am working on a playlist for the reception after my funeral.
74booksaplenty1949
>69 EBT1002: Mr Cranswick has helped me out several times with cricket references I have encountered in English literature but rules of the game seem to go in one ear and out the other. I do enjoy the fact that the Brits carried these sports around the world. I am currently reading The Voyage of the Beagle and Darwin has just come across a cricket game in New Zealand in 1837.
76PaulCranswick
>73 booksaplenty1949: My father's picks at his funeral surprised me immensely, I have to say, but my own, well some early candidates would include something by:
Lennon/McCartney
Johnny Cash
Kinks
ELO
Mary Hopkin
Rimsky-Korsakov
Lennon/McCartney
Johnny Cash
Kinks
ELO
Mary Hopkin
Rimsky-Korsakov
77PaulCranswick
>74 booksaplenty1949: Ah yes, I do vaguely remember that. New Zealand is one of the great cricketing nations. Glenn Turner was an opening batsman you would bet your life on, Richard Hadlee one of the game's best all-rounders.
>75 avatiakh: It shows that they can play with the shackles off! 6-4 was a mad mad score. I just wish we had exhibited such abandon against Argentina because we would have put them to the sword.
>75 avatiakh: It shows that they can play with the shackles off! 6-4 was a mad mad score. I just wish we had exhibited such abandon against Argentina because we would have put them to the sword.
78avatiakh
>78 avatiakh: Husband says the best goal was by Bellingham.
79PaulCranswick
>78 avatiakh: It was England's best goal for sure but some of the French goals in the second half were special too. What a game!
80PaulCranswick
MUSIC FROM 50 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
Rod Stewart is in the top twenty 50 years ago and he is a singer I like but I am not going to show his video which is cringe-worthy and possibly the most misogynistic thing I have ever seen.
Instead my seven picks are:
The Tavares : "Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5epa__-5x0U&list=RD5epa__-5x0U&start_rad...
Bryan Ferry : "Let's Stick Together"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9EbR0ckb40&list=RDZ9EbR0ckb40&start_rad...
Queen : "You're My Best Friend"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaZpZQG2z10&list=RDHaZpZQG2z10&start_rad...
The Real Thing : "You to Me are Everything"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxAuAGfMMKU&list=RDpxAuAGfMMKU&start_rad...
Candi Staton : "Young Hearts Run Free"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wddgskIRVeg&list=RDwddgskIRVeg&start_rad...
Dr. Hook : "A Little Bit More"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6OIJ5unsn4&list=RDE6OIJ5unsn4&start_rad...
and at number one in the UK in July 1976
Elton John & Kiki Dee : "Don't Go Breaking My Heart"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0qW9P-uYfM&list=RDz0qW9P-uYfM&start_rad...
Interestingly it was the first time Elton had made Number One in the UK.
Rod Stewart is in the top twenty 50 years ago and he is a singer I like but I am not going to show his video which is cringe-worthy and possibly the most misogynistic thing I have ever seen.
Instead my seven picks are:
The Tavares : "Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5epa__-5x0U&list=RD5epa__-5x0U&start_rad...
Bryan Ferry : "Let's Stick Together"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9EbR0ckb40&list=RDZ9EbR0ckb40&start_rad...
Queen : "You're My Best Friend"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaZpZQG2z10&list=RDHaZpZQG2z10&start_rad...
The Real Thing : "You to Me are Everything"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxAuAGfMMKU&list=RDpxAuAGfMMKU&start_rad...
Candi Staton : "Young Hearts Run Free"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wddgskIRVeg&list=RDwddgskIRVeg&start_rad...
Dr. Hook : "A Little Bit More"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6OIJ5unsn4&list=RDE6OIJ5unsn4&start_rad...
and at number one in the UK in July 1976
Elton John & Kiki Dee : "Don't Go Breaking My Heart"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0qW9P-uYfM&list=RDz0qW9P-uYfM&start_rad...
Interestingly it was the first time Elton had made Number One in the UK.
81PaulCranswick
BOOK #103
The Renovation by Kenan Orhan
Date of Publication: 2016
Origin of Author: USA
Gender of Author: Male
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 248pp
Startling and disturbing.
This is a brilliantly conceived and well executed novel that considers dislocation, memory, dementia and family.
What would you do if you ordered a new bathroom and got a prison cell installed into your home instead? I'm not sure that my reaction would have been the same as Dilara's was but it certainly caused me to cogitate and speculate.
"National tragedies are national tragedies, but even the smallest horrors, the mundane misfortunes of existence, are enough to disappear little pieces of the self behind a numbing pain - loss, loss, loss becomes intangible, a void, and with each loss, eventually I will be gone."
Did I like it? Hard to say, but it was compulsive and compelling and discomfiting. I am sure that it is a book that will not easily leave me.
The Renovation by Kenan Orhan
Date of Publication: 2016
Origin of Author: USA
Gender of Author: Male
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 248pp
Startling and disturbing.
This is a brilliantly conceived and well executed novel that considers dislocation, memory, dementia and family.
What would you do if you ordered a new bathroom and got a prison cell installed into your home instead? I'm not sure that my reaction would have been the same as Dilara's was but it certainly caused me to cogitate and speculate.
"National tragedies are national tragedies, but even the smallest horrors, the mundane misfortunes of existence, are enough to disappear little pieces of the self behind a numbing pain - loss, loss, loss becomes intangible, a void, and with each loss, eventually I will be gone."
Did I like it? Hard to say, but it was compulsive and compelling and discomfiting. I am sure that it is a book that will not easily leave me.
82humouress
>75 avatiakh: >77 PaulCranswick: Brilliant game. France taking it easy in the first half allowed us to race away and though they made a come-back we kept our lead. All good goals. I'm so happy at the way England played; now we know what we can do.
Some of the commentators we had were saying this match doesn't matter or count for anything but it puts us into third seed in the world. And I'll bet our boys felt better after that match than whoever gets silver tomorrow.
Some of the commentators we had were saying this match doesn't matter or count for anything but it puts us into third seed in the world. And I'll bet our boys felt better after that match than whoever gets silver tomorrow.
83PaulCranswick
82 It was a great game and gave some insight as to how England may play when Harry Kane is not up front for us. A fluid front three - difficult to pick up and with plenty of speed is the way forward.
84booksaplenty1949
>82 humouress: That’s an interesting point—-you have to lose to get silver.
85PaulCranswick
>84 booksaplenty1949: History will still record that they made the final. I think that Fernandez who scored the equalizing goal against England could well have been sent off for a terrible early challenge on our player Anderson (had the roles have been reversed Anderson would have walked). I think that in games against Switzerland and Egypt, Argentina advanced because of the referee and not because of Messi. We threw it away in honesty which was not because of the referee but they should not have been still in the competition to have done so.
Fair play demands that Spain wins and I trust that they will.
Fair play demands that Spain wins and I trust that they will.
86booksaplenty1949
In the 200 Year Challenge I continue to slog through The Voyage of the Beagle. Assume it’s not on the school curriculum in New Zealand, which Darwin writes off in a few concluding sentences upon his departure: indigenous people much less charming than the Tahitians, settlers “the very refuse of society,” countryside quite unattractive. “Not a pleasant place.” Like many New Zealanders these days, I gather, he is very happy to have moved on to Australia.
87TSSTxym
>61 PaulCranswick: I was 15 in 1966 and remember every one of these tunes, some more fondly than others (Give some huge love to Dusty Springfield!!)
88avatiakh
>86 booksaplenty1949: Darwin went to Kororāreka (modern name Russell) which was the largest whaling port in the Southern Hemisphere at the time. It was known as a very rough town, 'the scourge of the Pacific' - lawlessness, alcohol, prostitution & brawls with up to 30-40 whaling ships at a time calling in for provisions and recreation. https://nzhistory.govt.nz/page/kororareka
The Maori tribes were all at war with each other, so not as welcoming as other islands people.
'The Musket Wars were a series of as many as 3,000 battles and raids fought throughout New Zealand (including the Chatham Islands) among Māori between 1806 and 1845, after Māori first obtained muskets and then engaged in an intertribal arms race in order to gain territory or seek revenge for past defeats.'
That part of New Zealand is well known for the beauty of its coastline, the many beautiful bays and small islands. Zane Gray spent a lot of time there doing big game fishing. I've had several stays on Urupukapuka Island one of his favourite spots.
At the time Australia was being used as a penal convict colony but Darwin would have been charmed by the flora & fauna.
New Zealanders are always moving to Australia, it's easy to do and for a long time you didn't even need a passport, that requirement was introduced in 1981.
If you are interested then perhaps Anne Salmond is worth reading, she's written several histories on New Zealand, the South Pacific and first encounters.
The Maori tribes were all at war with each other, so not as welcoming as other islands people.
'The Musket Wars were a series of as many as 3,000 battles and raids fought throughout New Zealand (including the Chatham Islands) among Māori between 1806 and 1845, after Māori first obtained muskets and then engaged in an intertribal arms race in order to gain territory or seek revenge for past defeats.'
That part of New Zealand is well known for the beauty of its coastline, the many beautiful bays and small islands. Zane Gray spent a lot of time there doing big game fishing. I've had several stays on Urupukapuka Island one of his favourite spots.
At the time Australia was being used as a penal convict colony but Darwin would have been charmed by the flora & fauna.
New Zealanders are always moving to Australia, it's easy to do and for a long time you didn't even need a passport, that requirement was introduced in 1981.
If you are interested then perhaps Anne Salmond is worth reading, she's written several histories on New Zealand, the South Pacific and first encounters.
89PaulCranswick
>86 booksaplenty1949: My own visit to the South Island admittedly yielded far different impressions. I think that the South Island is the most beautiful place I have visited.
>87 TSSTxym: Dusty and her performance is simply timeless isn't it, Tiss?
>87 TSSTxym: Dusty and her performance is simply timeless isn't it, Tiss?
90PaulCranswick
>88 avatiakh: That is fascinating historical background, Kerry, thank you.
91TSSTxym
>89 PaulCranswick:Dusty in Memphis is a stone cold classic!
92PaulCranswick
>91 TSSTxym: Indeed so. It is often on my playlist. "Just a Little Lovin" and "Son of a Preacher Man".
93PaulCranswick
Well done SPAIN!
You overcame FIFA and won for football. Some equal appalling refereeing decisions - including a perplexing disallowed goal and some awful challenges unpunished - but you still overcame.
Karma as the simply dreadful pantomime villain Fernandez finally got his come uppance and a red card.
You overcame FIFA and won for football. Some equal appalling refereeing decisions - including a perplexing disallowed goal and some awful challenges unpunished - but you still overcame.
Karma as the simply dreadful pantomime villain Fernandez finally got his come uppance and a red card.
94avatiakh
>90 PaulCranswick: Forgot to mention that one of the main reasons NZers moved to Oz was for the great weather. Here it rains throughout the year and our temperatures can't match the heat of Australia.
95PaulCranswick
>94 avatiakh: I love the rain and the cooler weather but I have been trained by tropical squalls and imposing heat and humidity for the last 30 odd years.
96booksaplenty1949
>88 avatiakh: Darwin spent a grand total of 9 days in NZ so I am not regarding his assessment as definitive.
97PaulCranswick
>96 booksaplenty1949: But it sounds quite an apt characterization of the specific part of NZ that he happened upon.
98PaulCranswick
BOOK #104
Beside the Ocean of Time by George Mackay Brown
Date of Publication: 1994
Origin of Author: UK
Gender of Author: Male
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 224pp
What a delightful wee novel!
This is a sort of Orcadian version of Billy Liar as feckless Thorfinn dreams himself as a Viking conqueror, a companion to the knights of the Bruce which morphs into a more serious return from the war to an island struggling to come to terms with its modern self.
A lost gem by a writer I was much more familiar with as a unique poetic influence but his fiction needs to be promoted afresh. This was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1994 - the year that another, but quite different Scotsman, James Kelman won for How Late it Was, How Late
Beside the Ocean of Time by George Mackay Brown
Date of Publication: 1994
Origin of Author: UK
Gender of Author: Male
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 224pp
What a delightful wee novel!
This is a sort of Orcadian version of Billy Liar as feckless Thorfinn dreams himself as a Viking conqueror, a companion to the knights of the Bruce which morphs into a more serious return from the war to an island struggling to come to terms with its modern self.
A lost gem by a writer I was much more familiar with as a unique poetic influence but his fiction needs to be promoted afresh. This was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1994 - the year that another, but quite different Scotsman, James Kelman won for How Late it Was, How Late
100Berly
>99 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul!! Happy reading ^ and go Spain!! Loved watching the games. : )
101PaulCranswick
>100 Berly: It is nice to say that the best team won, Kimmers!
102PaulCranswick
The BOOKER PRIZE will announce its LONGLIST on Tuesday 28 July 2026.
From its inception in 1969 there have been 340 books that have won or been shortlisted for the Prize.
So far I have read 137 of those books.
Amazingly only in 1996 have I read all the shortlisted books for a particular year. That genuinely surprises me.
Since 2001 they have been issuing LONGLISTS. Books that have been LONGLISTED but which weren't subsequently SHORTLISTED total:
There have been 222 longlisted books not shortlisted and I have read a paltry 31 of those books.
So altogether there are 562 "Booker Books" and I have read 168 of them.
From its inception in 1969 there have been 340 books that have won or been shortlisted for the Prize.
So far I have read 137 of those books.
Amazingly only in 1996 have I read all the shortlisted books for a particular year. That genuinely surprises me.
Since 2001 they have been issuing LONGLISTS. Books that have been LONGLISTED but which weren't subsequently SHORTLISTED total:
There have been 222 longlisted books not shortlisted and I have read a paltry 31 of those books.
So altogether there are 562 "Booker Books" and I have read 168 of them.
104Familyhistorian
Even with the Canadian team not going on to the later games and the later games hosted in the US, people here were still gathering outdoors to watch screens or at the fan fest venue. It was fun while it lasted but I'm happy that transit will get back to normal!
105humouress
>93 PaulCranswick: Phew - they had me worried.
Some odd decisions there. The FIFA World Cup started out as a good thing, way back when, but in recent years the organisation is looking a bit shady.
Some odd decisions there. The FIFA World Cup started out as a good thing, way back when, but in recent years the organisation is looking a bit shady.
106PaulCranswick
>103 Berly: Hahaha it did surprise me that there are two years still for which I haven't read a single winner, shortlisted and longlisted book.
>104 Familyhistorian: I will be pleased that I don't have to watch football on my handphone as the timings were typically awkward for us over here.
>104 Familyhistorian: I will be pleased that I don't have to watch football on my handphone as the timings were typically awkward for us over here.
107PaulCranswick
>105 humouress: The only thing in your post I cannot agree with Nina are the words "a bit".
All the way through to the final and then during the final itself decision after decision went in their favour.
Some:
Messi not getting sent off in the opening game against Algeria - it was cynical and a worse challenge than the one that Balogun was dismissed for.
The awful penalty decision early against Austria when a penalty was awarded wrongly after the Austrian player won the ball.
Penalty not given for a clear handball by the Argentina player against Jordan. Extremely inconsistent refereeing which allowed Argentina to foul without punishment whilst the Jordanians were penalised and carded.
Some very dubious and intrusive refereeing at the end of the Cape Verde game.
The travesty of the Egyptian disallowed goal. Not applying the same rule when Argentina scored their winner and denying Egypt a penalty in the process.
The sending off of Embolo for diving (it was a dive but not in a position on the field that merits a booking according to the rules), the overturning of a penalty that should have been given to Switzerland allied to objectively biased/one sided refereeing which failed to punish some very cynical challenges by Argentina.
Not punishing Fernandez for violent conduct against Anderson in the England game. Not giving a free kick to England prior to the Argentinian winner when Messi trod on Spence in the build up to the goal - exactly the reason that Egypt's goal had been disallowed but in a more advanced, impacting and obvious place.
The ridiculous disallowing of Spain's first goal. Allowing the usual Argentine rough-housing without penalty.
On top of all this the ludicrously easy draw given to Argentina in the competition which meant that they virtually had no travelling to do compared to their opponents.
FIFA IS CORRUPT!
All the way through to the final and then during the final itself decision after decision went in their favour.
Some:
Messi not getting sent off in the opening game against Algeria - it was cynical and a worse challenge than the one that Balogun was dismissed for.
The awful penalty decision early against Austria when a penalty was awarded wrongly after the Austrian player won the ball.
Penalty not given for a clear handball by the Argentina player against Jordan. Extremely inconsistent refereeing which allowed Argentina to foul without punishment whilst the Jordanians were penalised and carded.
Some very dubious and intrusive refereeing at the end of the Cape Verde game.
The travesty of the Egyptian disallowed goal. Not applying the same rule when Argentina scored their winner and denying Egypt a penalty in the process.
The sending off of Embolo for diving (it was a dive but not in a position on the field that merits a booking according to the rules), the overturning of a penalty that should have been given to Switzerland allied to objectively biased/one sided refereeing which failed to punish some very cynical challenges by Argentina.
Not punishing Fernandez for violent conduct against Anderson in the England game. Not giving a free kick to England prior to the Argentinian winner when Messi trod on Spence in the build up to the goal - exactly the reason that Egypt's goal had been disallowed but in a more advanced, impacting and obvious place.
The ridiculous disallowing of Spain's first goal. Allowing the usual Argentine rough-housing without penalty.
On top of all this the ludicrously easy draw given to Argentina in the competition which meant that they virtually had no travelling to do compared to their opponents.
FIFA IS CORRUPT!
109humouress
>107 PaulCranswick: Not to mention the ad I mean ‘hydration breaks’ and a halftime show which, presumably, no one watching at home saw anyway.
I hope those don’t become standard. When we lived in the States, friends took us to an American football game in November where, of course, it was cold sitting in the stands. And nothing happened on the field. I mean, one team would advance a couple of meters and that, it seemed, was the signal to bring on a specialist team so everyone off the field, a new team on, get settled - which takes 5 - 10 minutes - and go again; then something happens and it’s all change again. So for someone watching from the stands (and admittedly I don’t understand or know how the game is played) it was frustratingly boring.
Whereas I was glued to the screen for this World Cup. Not so much last night, though I desperately wanted Spain to win. It was a long slog.
I hope those don’t become standard. When we lived in the States, friends took us to an American football game in November where, of course, it was cold sitting in the stands. And nothing happened on the field. I mean, one team would advance a couple of meters and that, it seemed, was the signal to bring on a specialist team so everyone off the field, a new team on, get settled - which takes 5 - 10 minutes - and go again; then something happens and it’s all change again. So for someone watching from the stands (and admittedly I don’t understand or know how the game is played) it was frustratingly boring.
Whereas I was glued to the screen for this World Cup. Not so much last night, though I desperately wanted Spain to win. It was a long slog.
110PaulCranswick
>108 DianaNL: I well remember the ridiculous handball Messi got away with against the Netherlands in the last tournament and it is clear that this is too much of a coincidence to be a coincidence.
Sad to see Vingegaard crashing out yesterday. Evenpaul stood up well yesterday and young Seixas has something more than any of the previous French contenders have shown over the last 40 years.
Sad to see Vingegaard crashing out yesterday. Evenpaul stood up well yesterday and young Seixas has something more than any of the previous French contenders have shown over the last 40 years.
111Kristelh
>102 PaulCranswick:. Good job Paul, I’ve read 139 if I didn’t miss any. I have two years that I have not read any; 1969 and 1970 but I own the winners and Eva Trout.
I’ve read 48 winners and 91 short and long listed books.
I hope I’ve read some of this years long list. Soon we will know.
It’s why were book twins!
I’ve read 48 winners and 91 short and long listed books.
I hope I’ve read some of this years long list. Soon we will know.
It’s why were book twins!
112PaulCranswick
>109 humouress: I'm not sure why hydration breaks were needed in air conditioned stadia, Nina?
There are fanatical devotees of the Grid-Iron game and whilst I don't follow their devotion I am reluctant to criticize it too much especially as so many of our friends have to put up with my cricketing comments!
There are fanatical devotees of the Grid-Iron game and whilst I don't follow their devotion I am reluctant to criticize it too much especially as so many of our friends have to put up with my cricketing comments!
113PaulCranswick
>111 Kristelh: Wow Kristel only 2 books between us is quite typical it being us!
114PaulCranswick
THE UK HAS A NEW PRIME MINISTER
I am sad that Sir Keir Stamer failed in his role because I think he is a thoroughly decent man but not a politically savvy one.
Andy Burnham has a tough task ahead of him but he enters the job with the goodwill of many including a lifelong Labour man like me. He stands for a lot of things that I profoundly also believe in but which will be difficult to achieve.
I am sad that Sir Keir Stamer failed in his role because I think he is a thoroughly decent man but not a politically savvy one.
Andy Burnham has a tough task ahead of him but he enters the job with the goodwill of many including a lifelong Labour man like me. He stands for a lot of things that I profoundly also believe in but which will be difficult to achieve.
115Kristelh
>114 PaulCranswick: wishing the best for your country Paul.
116booksaplenty1949
>88 avatiakh: In the event, Darwin wasn’t much taken with Australia either. It was definitely time to head home.
117booksaplenty1949
>102 PaulCranswick: Looking for something to read at a friend’s holiday spot many years ago I came across Moon Tiger. “Winner of the Booker Prize” the cover announced. When I finished it I promised myself that in future I would give anything that won the Booker Prize a wide berth.
Have actually read four other winners—Flesh, Lincoln in the Bardo, Midnight’s Children, and Possession—and enjoyed them; indeed LitB was a highlight of my 21st century reading. But I wait for some factor which overrides my Booker Prize resolution.
Have actually read four other winners—Flesh, Lincoln in the Bardo, Midnight’s Children, and Possession—and enjoyed them; indeed LitB was a highlight of my 21st century reading. But I wait for some factor which overrides my Booker Prize resolution.
118PaulCranswick
>115 Kristelh: He is to the left of Starmer so I cannot see him getting along too well with Mr. Trump - won't lose too many sleepless nights over that either.
>116 booksaplenty1949: He went quite the long way round didn't he just?
>116 booksaplenty1949: He went quite the long way round didn't he just?
119PaulCranswick
>117 booksaplenty1949: I have to declare something of an interest here. One of my tutors at University was Jack Lively who was Penelope Lively's husband. I met Mrs Lively at a number of functions and have subsequently enjoyed her fiction. BUT, I have to agree that her most famous work - Moon Tiger is the one I least enjoyed and is probably the one that reads least like her work. Midnight's Children is close to my favourite Booker winner. For each Booker that I thought was tremendous there are another two that I found execrable.
120Berly
>118 PaulCranswick: I hope he doesn't get along with Rump.
121avatiakh
<119 I got disenchanted with reading the winners after reading an article on Booker judges' experiences. So many winners were a standoff compromise between the judging panel. Other times the chairing judge declared the winner and others had to fall in line. I've mentioned this before.
Still many great books have won and many more on the shortlist. Midnight's Children was a great read.
Still many great books have won and many more on the shortlist. Midnight's Children was a great read.
122avatiakh
>116 booksaplenty1949: Yeah, it's called the Lucky Country, but that doesn't always mean much.
I like to visit Australia but also always happy to come home
I like to visit Australia but also always happy to come home
123booksaplenty1949
>119 PaulCranswick: Well, that makes me feel less of a wet blanket. I do feel that it takes a while for the cream to rise to the top, which of course is not a view consistent with annual prize-giving.
124booksaplenty1949
>118 PaulCranswick: On the way home Darwin seemed to enjoy St Helena and Ascension more than Australia. Scientists see the world a bit differently, apparently.
We recall his son, staying with a friend over the school holidays, asking “Where does your father keep his barnacles?”
We recall his son, staying with a friend over the school holidays, asking “Where does your father keep his barnacles?”
125PaulCranswick
>120 Berly: Well Starmer tried to get along with him and it didn't work overly well. Trump will be gone in a little over two years and most of us hope for a return to normalcy. The US has a lot of challenges most particularly the national debt and the burden it will increasingly place upon future generations. The UK has similar problems with an unsustainable welfare bill.
I happen to agree with Burnham that the way to tackle the welfare bill is to get people back into work and contributing meaningfully to re-industrializing our society. It isn't by a programme of austerity or swingeing tax cuts. The welfare and taxation systems need urgent "root and branch" reform in the UK. It is a scandal that the tax allowance has been frozen and is intended to be frozen until 2031 as this propels the poorest of the working population into the tax system. The tax system needs to be re-calibrated and not simply to whack the better off but to make it affordable for everyone.
I happen to agree with Burnham that the way to tackle the welfare bill is to get people back into work and contributing meaningfully to re-industrializing our society. It isn't by a programme of austerity or swingeing tax cuts. The welfare and taxation systems need urgent "root and branch" reform in the UK. It is a scandal that the tax allowance has been frozen and is intended to be frozen until 2031 as this propels the poorest of the working population into the tax system. The tax system needs to be re-calibrated and not simply to whack the better off but to make it affordable for everyone.
126PaulCranswick
>121 avatiakh: Yes I have read about some of those stand-offs and the rather strange results they produced. The most famous being when Chairperson Fay Weldon changed her mind during phoning in the award and favouring Coetzee over Rushdie.
I thought the winners by Beatty, Enright, Jacobson, Roy, Middleton, Harvey, Banville and sadly Fitzgerald (she won for her worst book) were simply poor books.
Unsworth, Swift, Storey, Farrell, Saunders, Galgut, Martel, Mantel, Coetzee and Rushdie were excellent. Ishiguro and Ondaatje are both universally lauded too but I haven't read them.
I thought the winners by Beatty, Enright, Jacobson, Roy, Middleton, Harvey, Banville and sadly Fitzgerald (she won for her worst book) were simply poor books.
Unsworth, Swift, Storey, Farrell, Saunders, Galgut, Martel, Mantel, Coetzee and Rushdie were excellent. Ishiguro and Ondaatje are both universally lauded too but I haven't read them.
127PaulCranswick
>122 avatiakh: Quite perversely I haven't yet visited Australia but mainly because Hani, for some reason, is not keen
128PaulCranswick
>123 booksaplenty1949: I think that is right. Instant gratification does not always give the most lasting satisfaction!
How many Bookers and Pulitzers would have won had the award been decided a decade after publication?
>124 booksaplenty1949: Yes, I am not sure that Darwin would have been the a-typical traveller.
How many Bookers and Pulitzers would have won had the award been decided a decade after publication?
>124 booksaplenty1949: Yes, I am not sure that Darwin would have been the a-typical traveller.
129thornton37814
Just checking into thread #14. I was at a cross stitch retreat much of last week which has put me behind on both reading and posting. I did read a good bit last night and will probably do so today. I'm taking a list of books to check out with me to the library. I'll select about 2 to 4 of them from my short list--probably a variety of genres. Quantity depends on length of book. We only get them for 2 weeks but can renew them. I really wish they'd change the loan period to 3 weeks.
130booksaplenty1949
>129 thornton37814: A “cross stitch retreat”? Like, sewing?
131PaulCranswick
>129 thornton37814: Envious of a good lending library, Lori. I wish I could grumble about 3 weeks over two when I currently have nothing at all!
>130 booksaplenty1949: Is there something of a community of cross stitchers - I guess there would be just as with any group of people with mutual interests.
>130 booksaplenty1949: Is there something of a community of cross stitchers - I guess there would be just as with any group of people with mutual interests.
132booksaplenty1949
>131 PaulCranswick: When I googled “cross-stitch retreat” I found details on numerous multi-day events. Stitching rooms, guest-speakers, vendors. Who knew?
133drneutron
>132 booksaplenty1949: mrsdrneutron does quilting retreats a couple of times a year with her quilting friends. Sounds very similar to the cross-stitchers.
134booksaplenty1949
>133 drneutron: As a solo hobby sewing etc is well-suited to listening to audiobooks but I can also see its appeal as a social occasion.
135mdoris
Yes thee are hooking retreats too (rug hooking that is). P's cousin is an outstanding artist in this medium and has done pieces similar to Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis.
136booksaplenty1949
Listened to all 16 1/2 hours of The Voyage of the Beagle. Actually the last hour or so was an Appendix from the journal of the Captain of the Beagle, Robert FitzRoy, explaining how Darwin’s observations could be reconciled with what we would now call “Young Earth Creationism.” Was this included to prevent a boycott of the recording by Fundamentalists? I remained unconvinced. But in any event I finished the book and can now go on to 1840 in the 200 Year Challenge, once I decide which of my two copies of A Hero of Our Time to read. I bought the Nabokov version for the Edward Gorey cover but perhaps it is also the better translation.
137DeltaQueen50
Hi Paul, I thought I would come by and see how the books are treating you so far this year and it looks like you are having a successful reading year. I hope you and your family are healthy and happy.
138PaulCranswick
>132 booksaplenty1949: Not I certainly. Still Paul, needle, thread are not words that easily fit together.
>133 drneutron: Also interesting Jim. I am not aware of any such associations or groups in Malaysia but then again, why would I?
>133 drneutron: Also interesting Jim. I am not aware of any such associations or groups in Malaysia but then again, why would I?
139PaulCranswick
>134 booksaplenty1949: Even though it most definitely is not for me, I do like and admire others who have hobbies, interests and passions that would bring them together.
>135 mdoris: I must go and google "rug hooking", Mary, as I had honestly never heard of it.
eta
Ahhh!
>135 mdoris: I must go and google "rug hooking", Mary, as I had honestly never heard of it.
eta
Ahhh!140PaulCranswick
>136 booksaplenty1949: Well done, I remember that being something of a slog!
>137 DeltaQueen50: Lovely to see you dear Guru. We are fine although I am typing this early Thursday morning in Kuala Lumpur with the rain crashing against the window panes and not looking forward to braving my journey to work.
>137 DeltaQueen50: Lovely to see you dear Guru. We are fine although I am typing this early Thursday morning in Kuala Lumpur with the rain crashing against the window panes and not looking forward to braving my journey to work.
141EllaTim
>136 booksaplenty1949: Didn’t it take Darwin half his life to finally publish his theories? He had to face a lot of opposition. The afterword must have been ment to help the book go down, with public and science still convinced of other ideas.
142PaulCranswick
>141 EllaTim: Well he returned from the Voyage of the Beagle in 1836 and published the first edition of Origin of the Species in 1851. He published The Descent of Man 20 years after that and first used the word "evolution" in that book (though he did place it in later editions of his more famous work subsequently).
143booksaplenty1949
>141 EllaTim: I don’t find the afterword in any version of The Voyage of the Beagle available online in a pdf—-Project Gutenberg, for example, or Internet Archive. It seems to have been specifically attached to the Tantor audiobook version which came out in 2006.
144PaulCranswick
Sad month for sport:
World Cup: Argentina behaved like ruffians and displayed an unacceptable absence of sportsmanship in turning their backs on the Spanish players receiving the World Cup.
British Open: DeChambeau also behaved like a spoiled brat whining when penalised for improving his lie at Royal Birkdale. He broke the rules and the penalty was fair.
Sir Garfield: the passing of the cricketing great.
Kevin Keegan: the passing of fellow Yorkshireman and the only Englishman to win the Ballon d'or twice. A great for Scunthorpe, Liverpool, Hamburg, Southampton, Newcastle and England. A manager who made devoted fans smile and get off their seats.
RIP MIGHTY MOUSE
World Cup: Argentina behaved like ruffians and displayed an unacceptable absence of sportsmanship in turning their backs on the Spanish players receiving the World Cup.
British Open: DeChambeau also behaved like a spoiled brat whining when penalised for improving his lie at Royal Birkdale. He broke the rules and the penalty was fair.
Sir Garfield: the passing of the cricketing great.
Kevin Keegan: the passing of fellow Yorkshireman and the only Englishman to win the Ballon d'or twice. A great for Scunthorpe, Liverpool, Hamburg, Southampton, Newcastle and England. A manager who made devoted fans smile and get off their seats.
RIP MIGHTY MOUSE
145booksaplenty1949
Apropos of reading and needlework, an acquaintance attended law school with someone who was blind and had only vestigial arms. She read Braille with her toes. My step-grandmother, also blind, was a keen knitter and when she heard about this she had the idea that if she used her toes she could read and knit at the same time. Apparently sensitising one’s toes takes a lot of time, however. Fortunately she had access to “talking books”—-played on LPs back in the day.
146PaulCranswick
>143 booksaplenty1949: Not in my Penguin edition at any rate.
147PaulCranswick
>145 booksaplenty1949: That sounds extraordinary. As I get older and less mobile, I do appreciate more those who have overcome issues of disability and in some instances spectacularly so.
148vancouverdeb
I have a friend who loves to quilt and attends at least one quilt "camp" a year, Paul. They are held in retreat of some sort, at least the ones she goes too. A building with dorms or rooms - not actually a camp.
149PaulCranswick
>148 vancouverdeb: Nothing strange about it, Deb, as far as I can see.
I have been on poetry retreats (a long time ago)
Cycling training camps (very organized and usually very taxing physically), but these were usually held in nice places (Devon, the foothills of Pyrenees towards Canet Plage and Argeles Sur Mer, Nerja and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in Andalucia).
I have been on poetry retreats (a long time ago)
Cycling training camps (very organized and usually very taxing physically), but these were usually held in nice places (Devon, the foothills of Pyrenees towards Canet Plage and Argeles Sur Mer, Nerja and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in Andalucia).
150hredwards
>145 booksaplenty1949: Wow, on all levels!!
151humouress
>144 PaulCranswick: RIP
>125 PaulCranswick: That's okay; apparently the World Cup winners are going to be taxed on their prize money.
>125 PaulCranswick: That's okay; apparently the World Cup winners are going to be taxed on their prize money.
152PaulCranswick
>150 hredwards: I agree Harold, that is so impressive.
>151 humouress: Great player, Nina. Not my team but as a player for England he was fantastic and he was one of the only non-Leeds players to show any respect to Don Revie when he was terminally ill.
I actually don't see anything wrong with being taxed on your income, even if it is a bonus or prize money. Football players are in more position to contribute than most anyone else.
>151 humouress: Great player, Nina. Not my team but as a player for England he was fantastic and he was one of the only non-Leeds players to show any respect to Don Revie when he was terminally ill.
I actually don't see anything wrong with being taxed on your income, even if it is a bonus or prize money. Football players are in more position to contribute than most anyone else.
153EBT1002
>102 PaulCranswick: It will be interesting to see which books are on the long list, Paul. I find myself perusing prediction blogs but my experience is that the committee usually surprises us with at least one or five nominations.
154PaulCranswick
>153 EBT1002: I know! I have never predicted as much as half the list. Six is my best.
155PaulCranswick
BOOK #105
Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
Date of Publication: 2008
Origin of Author: USA
Gender of Author: Female
Genre: Short Stories
Challenges: Short Story Collections 14/26
Is there anyone writing today more adept at the short-story form than Jhumpa Lahiri? If there is someone please tell me so I can buy all their books!
She creates eminently believable worlds in miniature; characters that are immediate but relatable - situations distilled like the vintage concoctions she makes them become.
Not a dud amongst these stories. Highly recommended.
Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
Date of Publication: 2008
Origin of Author: USA
Gender of Author: Female
Genre: Short Stories
Challenges: Short Story Collections 14/26
Is there anyone writing today more adept at the short-story form than Jhumpa Lahiri? If there is someone please tell me so I can buy all their books!
She creates eminently believable worlds in miniature; characters that are immediate but relatable - situations distilled like the vintage concoctions she makes them become.
Not a dud amongst these stories. Highly recommended.
156quondame
>155 PaulCranswick: That’s a BB!
157PaulCranswick
>155 PaulCranswick: Then I did my job, Susan. That one deserves every accolade and I am not surprised that it has a rating well above 4.
158Familyhistorian
Gatherings of people who are interested in the same things like quilting or cross stitching are great. Who else can you talk to about those things that you have in common without getting signals that they are bored?
159PaulCranswick
>158 Familyhistorian: That is true; nothing worse than seeing someone's eyes glaze over when you are explaining something with passion!
160SirThomas
>144 PaulCranswick: RIP.
>155 PaulCranswick: And another BB, Paul. This one isn't in my library's collection, but I've found others and will borrow them—I'm looking forward to it.
Have a wonderful thursday, my friend.
>155 PaulCranswick: And another BB, Paul. This one isn't in my library's collection, but I've found others and will borrow them—I'm looking forward to it.
Have a wonderful thursday, my friend.
