Cameling's 75 Throw Down with a side of 1010 - Part 2

My categories for the 1010 Challenge are:
Biographies
Travelogues : An Area of Darkness
Crime/Mysteries : White Nights
History
Business Non-Fiction : Drive : The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
Classic literature
Historical Fiction
Short Stories : Love Begins in Winter, What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us
Asian fiction : The Palace of Illusions,The Last Chinese Chef
Fantasy

January Books Read
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
Love Begins in Winter by Simon Van Booy
Double Cross by James David Jordan
Drive : The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink
The Information Officer by Mark Mills
Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim
The Salt Smugglers by Gerard de Nerval
White Nights by Ann Cleeves
The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us by Laura van den Berg
An Area of Darkness by V.S. Naipaul
The Good Good Pig by Sy Montgomery

February Books Read
The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones
Georg Letham : Physician and Murderer by Ernst Weiss
A Case of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammed Hanif
The Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse
Beyond the Blossoming Fields by Junichi Watanabe
Key Lime Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke
Suffer the Little Children by Donna Leon
Not Quite Paradise : An American Sojourn in Sri Lanka by Adele Barker

My first thread appears here : http://www.librarything.com/topic/78973

Found you!

wow, you're fast! I only just posted that.

I've just finished An Area of Darkness by V.S. Naipaul.

V.S. Naipaul has a genius for crafting the most beautiful stories. Part of his genius I think lies in his acute observatory skills. In this book, he travels to India, Kashmir and the Himalayas and his observations of the land are described with poetic beauty. You feel the dust and noise of Bombay, the breathtaking secrets of the Himalayas and the fragility of Kashmir. He certainly entices you to start looking into plane fares to India and dusting off your hiking boots.

The caste system of India seems to govern everything from the kind of jobs one can hold, to whom a person can marry. His description of the caste system was fascinating. His anecdotes of people he met or observed ranged from disquieting to hilarious. At times I found his manner a little condescending in his descriptions of the corporate officers or box-wallahs who adopted mannerisms of the British after India's independence. His descriptions of the emaciated children living in the slums were heart-wrenching although through it all, he manages to capture the quiet dignity with which they carry themselves.

Things have changed a little in India since the days of the British Raj, but not by much.

I've given this 3 1/2 stars although the more I think about it, the more I think I'm going to change it to a 4 star.

And don't forget that the steampunk group read of The Anubis Gates is set for the END of February, Thursday Next-I-mean-cameling, so no excuses about schedules!

Welcome to the two-thread club!

Gracias, Stasia. I still don't understand how you can be so cheerful with so little sleep though. I think I would be a puffy-eyed godzilla if I had less than 6 hours sleep a night.

#7: I rarely sleep more than 5 hours. Most nights (days!) I sleep between 3-5 hours. I have not heard myself described as a puffy-eyed godzilla yet, but give me time :)

>7 cameling: I would be a puffy-eyed godzilla if I had less than 6 hours sleep a night So...what's your excuse the *rest* of the time...?

>8 alcottacre: I have not heard myself described as a puffy-eyed godzilla yet Like we're gonna do it to your *face*? Who wants to die?

*flees at top speed*

#9: Sometimes I think you have a death wish, Richard . . . Run for your life, the puffy-eyed godzilla is coming to get you!

Do you take little naps during the day? I can't imagine the monster I'd become if I had your sleep patterns. If I get 6 hours, I'm a happy chirpy waker in the mornings....except for Tuesdays.

did I hear something from the corner of our resident gout victim? hmm... i'm sure not! must be the wind outside

#11: Sometimes yes - on the days I have only gotten about 3 hours sleep, I will take what I call one of my 'famous 15-minute naps', but otherwise, no I do not nap.

Caroline- How are you, my friend! Hope you have a great weekend!

V.S. Naipaul is being added to my wishlist. Thank you so very, very, much!

I liked An Area of Darkness, but not as much as India: A Wounded Civilization. I have at least two of his other non-fiction books that I hope to read this summer, The Writer and the World and The Loss of El Dorado, and I'm planning to read his biography, The World Is What It Is, sometime this year.

#8 Wow. I can cope with that kind of sleep no problems for a finite period - a couple of weeks maybe, but then I crash and nothing will wake me (I have slept through fire alarms)...

C--You have lots of great friends here. :) Glad to be one of them.

An Area of Darkness sounds great! I've never ready any V.S. Naipaul, so I've added it and India: A Wounded Civilization to my wishlist. Thanks, Caroline and Darryl!

Hi Mark, bundle up when you head out for your rounds ... it's getting brutal! Hope you are a warm and toasty weekend.

Lynda : You're welcome.

Darryl : I've got The Writer and the World on my TBR as well that I'm planning on getting to some time this year. I've read India : A Wounded Civilization and I liked it quite a bit, but I would have liked a little bit more depth into the history. Also, sometimes during the book, I wished he was sitting next to me because I wanted to ask him why he had certain impressions or opinions.

fliss : We'll be sure not to put you in a sentry's post! ;-)

Berly : Back at'cha .... I love being on LT and can't believe the number of wonderful people I've met here.

Marcia : You're welcome. I hope you enjoy them. You should check out some of his novels too. I liked A House for Mr Biswas and Miguel Street. I wasn't too keen on Half a Life bur I know a number of people who like it alot.

Include me in the group who is glad to have met you through LT, Caroline!

This is a very VISUAL thread! Which character are you, Stasia!

Naipaul is quite an interesting character. I also have his biography waiting for me - The World Is What It Is. I understand he is a bit of a b------d, which is definitely an unfair comment as I have not yet read about him.

I am Eeyore all the way. I love him!

You lot are insanely weird in being able to cope with that little sleep. 5 hours is a NAP for me!!

Then again, I do have a fatigue illness so maybe that explains it :P

Yea, well lots of people think I am insanely weird, sleep or no sleep :)

#24

Don't worry, everyone thinks I'm insanely weird as well. I'm sitting here having a conversation with my guinea pig for starters........it doesn't bode well.

#25: I talk to the dogs all the time. I have also been known to talk to my books.

Love the group hug, Stasia.... you picked my favorite Disney group too. My car keys are on an Eyeore keychain with all the others hanging on to his tail.

#21 : Karen, yes indeedy ... i love visuals, so all are welcome to help decorate my thread.
I haven't read his biography yet either so it's hard to say, but there were instances when I read An Area of Darkness where I felt he was being very condescending to the people he was observing. I wonder if it was just my being overly sensitive and reading more into what he was saying than he had intended, or if he is a little arrogant. It will be interesting to read The World is What It Is and form a more solid opinion then.

Jenny : you're not weird or insane.... i think it completely normal speaking to plants, dogs, cats, turtles, birds, trees, guinea pigs, hamsters, chickens, pigs, horses, the tv, my car and the fridge. I haven't yet started to talk to books like Stasia, but give me time...

I have an Eeyore keychain, too. Catey gave it to me years ago and I still use it.

Catching up, checking in... carry on!

Talking to books IS weird, Stasia, but please don't change.

Anything less than eight hours is sleep deprivation for me - although I really need 10 plus hours a day. I consider it a huge handicap - and think of the time wasted.

Happy Weekend!! Not only do I need a solid 8 hours of sleep, I throw in a nap or two. Today is cold and rainy. Hmmm...clean out the garage, then nap!

I usually sleep for 5-6 hours on work days, 7-8 hours max on days that I'm off. If I'm really tired, I can sleep for up to 8-10 hours at a time, but that is quite unusual. If I'm off from work, I'll often take a mid-afternoon nap. I started doing this in my 20s, when I worked full time and took a commuter train to university after work. Those naps were incredibly refreshing!

Wow. I can't sleep for more than 8 hours max .... if I happen to do so, I know I'm ill. I also tend to wake up at roughly the same time every morning (sans alarm clock) regardless of what country/time zone I'm in and regardless of what time I've gone to bed.

It's a little weird, but I don't seem to suffer from jetlag and my body clock seems to automatically adjust to local time upon arrival.

I've tried taking naps in the day, but it only makes me feel tired or lethargic when I wake up.

For me, the key to daytime naps is that they should be short, preferably no more than 30 minutes and definitely no more than an hour. Otherwise I am lethargic for several hours afterward.

ditto what Stasia said in message #20

I never used to nap.. now I do on occasion..
I find a nap on the porch in the summer to be decadent in the extreme.

I used to sleep 5-6 hours a night and be fine.. now I need 7-8.
I used to work a desk job though.. or tech work.. now I have a somewhat
backbreaking job, so that may have something to with it? Age?

Anyway.. I like 8 hrs best...
Caroline was up late/ early ? I believe?

anyway.. just cruising though to see what you are doing :)

I would be a cross between Kanga and Owl, I think. My kids are Tigger (though she often acts like an eeyore since becoming a teen), Pooh (yes, she is a bear of very little brain, I'm afraid, but she makes up for it in loveability... most of the time) and Piglet (who came out with the best two parts taken and matching the little pink character's coloring. She has since become quite like him in personality, as well. Of course, lately, she might more of a Roo).

Oh my gosh... I think to sleep 8 hours straight would be heaven! I'm doing lucky if I can get 6 lately. I can't sleep until the kids are all tucked away and off to dreamland, and then I have to unwind before falling out, which usually means after midnight. Then up at 6am to rouse them for school... Wakey Wakey, eggs and bakey!

Found you, Caroline...and you are a Star

......me, i have been an insomniac since childhood...the Blood Pressure meds helped for a while but now, i go to bed..sleep for a few hours..and am awake until whenever..that's how i catch Stasia's posts...lucky me for that

the Eggs-and-Bakey ain't such a problem..i bake onion/bacon muffins and keep hard-boiled eggs in the fridge (along with some serious mayonnaise)...with my carafe of Java i am just about ready to speak by 10 AM...obviously, i don't have kids...

you people are a Hoot!
;-}

There you are, Caroline. Starred!

Babysat this weekend for a couple of friends, and I used them as an excuse to watch my favorite Winnie-the-Pooh and the Haffalump movie. They're usually watching Dora the Explorer but I can't stand the high pitched voices in Dora, so I introduced them to gentler Pooh. They're 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 and I think I may have some new converts to the Pooh Club. :-)

mmm...onion/bacon muffins? send some over if you have too much, Jude!

I had an onion,ham & cheese this morning and a tower of hot buttered crumpets with marmite. Breakfast of champions .... or at least it's the breakfast needed to get me through 2 project meetings this morning.

Just finished a delightful book yesterday. The Good Good Pig by Sy Montgomery is highly recommended -- even to those who aren't big animal lovers.

I wasn't sure what to expect but I do know I didn't expect to fall in love with a pig. Born the runt of the litter, and adopted by writers and travelers, Sy Montgomery and Howard Mansfield, this book revolves around the life and loves of Christopher Hogwood, piggy extraordinaire.

Much like Dewey the cat of Spencer, Iowa fame, Christopher Hogwood's community extended beyond New England. Chris had an adventurous spirit and had a talent for escaping from his cozy pig pen in the barn and trotting over into neighboring plots of land or the town. It would not be uncommon for Sy to receive calls telling her that there's a large black and white pig rooting up their yard and asking if it might be hers, or for Ed the police officer leading Chris home with apples.

Soon the townspeople and businesses are saving their scraps for Chris's slop bucket and he grows to well over 700lbs. A simple pig who just loved to eat and be with people, Chris unwittingly provided healing therapy for lonely children, children caught in the maelstrom of their parents' divorce and children with cancer by basking in their attention and giving them something else to focus on besides their troubles. For a few minutes or hours, these children and some adults start on their journey to emotional healing thanks to Chris.

You will laugh and tear up at some of the stories that was Christopher Hogwood's life but you will come away feeling quite blessed that you got to know him a little too through this book.

Definitely 4 stars edging on the 4.5 side of the 5 pointer scale.

#41: Adding The Good Good Pig to the BlackHole. Thanks for the recommendation, Caroline.

The Good Good Pig has been on my TBR list for ages. I really need to get it and read it.

Nice review, Caroline! I'll add this to my wish list, too.

I love the sounds of The Good Good Pig Caroline. Onto the pile it goes.

{trying very hard to not make a bringing home the bacon joke and not succeeding very well}

Tad, about being an "ork" on wee camel's old thread...not so sure about that one. Bad connotations from LotL.

ETA: just clicked on the "Good Good Pig" link and one look at Christopher's face convinced me I had to read this one. Thanks, Caroline!

I finally caught up to you!

#41 Another wishlist add!

You're welcome all who appreciated the recommendation. There are pictures in the middle of the book that show Chris from his runty stage, when he was a young un, and when he's older and a bit of a poser .... 'nuff said.... no more spoilers from me.

You'll be pleased to know that Christopher was not adopted for his bacon as Sy is a vegetarian and Howard is Jewish. Perhaps Christopher knew that he was not for the chop any time soon, and that accounted for his sweet personality.

hey there, Carrie Lee ... nice seeing you.

Sure, why not. What's one more on the pile?!

That's the spirit, Berly!

added to TBR as well (Dutch translation located at public library)

What's Dutch for pig, Anita?

I can't stand the high pitched voices in Dora,

I hate the yelling. She shouts everything, and encourages kids to be louder, louder, louder. Teaching my child basic Spanish phrases would be wonderful, but he already has screaming down, thank you very much.

> 53
pig = varken, but the translation is called Bofkont, that means lucky one.

No teary pig books for this gal, thanks...



nope nope nope

Luxx : Oh good ... another anti-Dora fan for the very same reason that I detest her.

Thanks, Anita.

Kath : It's not really teary, not at all. Just perhaps a few teeny tiny bits. On the whole it's a very uplifting book with more than a few funny bits.

Mmm...pig...yum! Only way I want pig in a book, though, is if it's printed on vellum.

sorry.. can't risk it..

:PPP

I had to add The Good Good Pig to my wish list. I'm such a sucker for well-written animal stories. Have all of you read (the popular, but oh-so-good) Marley & Me by John Grogan or The Cat Who Came for Christmas by Cleveland Amory? Both are not-to-be-missed stories for cat lovers or dog lovers (pick one - because I know most of you are not both!).

That's why I have a low tolerance for Dora. She SHOUTS when she talks! I am going to delete the episodes from my DVR right now and just play dumb when the grandkids come to visit next time. I think Winnie-the-Pooh will be a much more soothing choice.

>60 SqueakyChu:: Loved Marley, both book and movie. I guess I'm the exception. I have always owned dogs (or been owned by them), but I like cats -- and pigs -- as well. Guess I am a sucker for animal stories in general.

Dunno about that, Donna...Piglet's voice is pretty danged irritating, too, taken in large doses. Although Dora is practically a meditation tape compared to those HORRIBLE Disney cartoons! I couldn't *understand* Disney characters when I was a child. I hated the cartoons because they made no sense, I told parents, who collectively heaved a sigh of relief and left me to Looney Tunes.

--> 62

By any chance, are you also a fan of Charlotte's Web, Donna?

I've had The Good Good Pig on my TBR list for quite awhile now, but I'd forgotten all about it... and looky here, what do I see? A gift card for the bookstore? HUZZAH!!! *runs off to store*

#64 ...or The Sheep Pig? ;)

#60 : Madeline, I loved Marley and Me and The Cat Who Came For Christmas. Have you read Dewey by Vicki Myron? That's another good animal story book.

#61 : Oh Winnie and gang are definitely alot more soothing compared to Dora and Diego. I don't know what Richard is talking about ... Piglet's voice is rather like someone suffering from blocked adenoids but his voice matches his little sweet face.

#62 : Horrible Disney cartoons? What was so horrible about them? I really like Disney cartoons and cartoon movies.

#65 : Yaay ...a giftcard! How wonderful. I'm sure you've put it to good use, Faith. :-)

#66: Awww....fliss, Babe was such a nice story. I'd forgotten about this.

The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones needs a warning label .... Do not read this if you are hungry and like Chinese food!

What do you get when you take excerpts from the memoir of a famous chef in China who used to prepare meals for Chinese royalty and officials? What if the American grandson of that famous chef returns to China to discover his roots and learns how to cook Chinese food from his father's oldest friends? What if this grandson decides to enter a national competition of chefs?

Take a pinch of Chinese history. Add a tablespoon of bitterness from a man who had to flee China to avoid persecution during the Cultural Revolution. Stir in the hope and confidence of his son, the last in this family of chefs, who sees a bright future for China. Whisk in slowly, 3 cups of Chinese culture over the centuries, the food, the complexity behind the layers of how food is prepared and enjoyed, and how food is central in the binding relationship that make up families and business partners in China.

Mix this together with a half cup of despair by a food critic who goes to China to write an article on this chef while she grapples with the shocking knowledge that her late husband had an affair while he was in China and may have fathered a child. Add a dash of suspense and sprinkle in a budding romance.

What emerges is a rich and hearty twelve course banquet that will delight.

The slightly odd note though, I thought, was the romance between the critic and the chef. That, in my opinion, was rather contrived and I would have preferred the author ending the book

However, this note was not sufficient for me not to really enjoy this book.
I've given it 4 and a half stars.

I want to read the threads but I need to start packing for my trip and 6am flight tomorrow morning. Heading to Singapore for 2 weeks, so of course I'll need to pick out some good books to take with me on my trip.

Have a safe and enjoyable trip, Caroline!

Ooo, so jealous. Have a great trip!

Have a wonderful trip! Safe journey! I added The Good, Good Pig to the tbr list.

Eat lots of pork!

*still fuming over adding the dratted chinese chef thing to wishlist*

I am adding The Last Chinese Chef to the BlackHole even though my local library does not have it. It does have A Cup of Light by the same author though. Have you read that one, Caroline?

Have a safe trip to Singapore!

Have a great trip, don't pack the chewing gum!

>69 cameling:: This sounds interesting. Looking at the reviews, it seems like many agree with you about the romance being a bit of a distraction.

To all the Pooh affcionados here - a shameless plug for the February 75 Books Take It Or Leave It Challenge where I would love to have company reading my choice of a book with a red spine, The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff (whose touchstone doesn't seem to be working).

"Sing Ho! for the life of a bear!"

Now returning this thread to its rightful owner, Caroline,...and bon voyage!

Singapore.. she goes back and forth to these aisian countries like she is hopping over to NJ...
wow.. :-o

--> 67

I have a copy of Dewey here at home, but I never seem to get around to reading it with all of these diversions I have around here *plus* the sheer number of books that are calling me to read them from my TBR. I always feel just finishing one book is such an accomplishment... :)

Caroline, I loved your review of The Last Chinese Chef enough to wishlist it and thumb it...even if you didn't like the ending.

My husband and I just had an "ending" discussion yesterday. He didn't like the ending of Brooklyn by Colm Toibin because he thought there were too many loose ends. Overall, he thought the book was good and liked the writing. I, however, thought the ending was just perfect.

ETA: These touchstones are making me absolutely bonkers!!

--> 78

Marilyn, I *so* love Pooh bear that, if I find a copy of The Tao of Pooh, I'll try to squeeze it into this month's reading.

However, I must admit that my most beloved Pooh character is Eeyore. How come there's no "The Tao of Eeyore"? My older son lives by Eeyore's philosphy (i.e. everything is always worse than it seems). :)

P.S. Caroline, have a safe and wonderful trip!!

Re: Disney Cartoons - I have always found them to be a little bland, boring and predictable. I much prefer (preferred) Looney Tunes and Tom & Jerry....

#82 There may be no Tao of Eeyore, but there is a Te of Piglet (an extension on The Tao of Pooh - both very accessible reads, I found...

Re Disney Cartoons, I have mixed feelings - I loved a lot of the earlier ones, but they are extremely sugar-coated... My favourite animated film as a child by miles was The Last Unicorn - fantastic film and it didn't need a happy end...

--> 84

It's not the same. :(

I'm sorry SqueakyChu. :( Maybe you should write to Benjamin Hoff?! ;)

Eeyore is very popular here on the 75 challenge threads. Maybe we could start a petition and send it to Benjamin Hoff.

I'd sign! :)

Have fun in foodie paradise in Singapore! (Even though they've banished all the rest of the 'real' Singapore since I was first there in '81...) At least you'll be shedding the nasty cold winter weather en route -- this is the nicest time of year for a SEAsia trip. *sigh*

Does anyone here remember a book about a writer who ends up with a stray cat, who of course he writes about? I had a copy, back in the early 70s, maybe -- Mister Cat? Or something like that? Can't find it on Amazon under that title, which is an ominous sign. Like Dewey, but I remember it as being both more literate and (sorry) a tad less banal... I love cats (I am currently in the possession of several; anyone who shares a home with cats knows exactly which way the chain of ownership runs...) but Dewey was just too saccharine for me. Lingering on my Kindle is A Lion Called Christian, about two humans who get a lion cub from Harrod's. Having grown up half a block from Harrod's I can vouch for the possibility of such a thing, but have yet to read the book...

But the Te of Piglet is yellow-spined from the look of it! It will definitely have to wait for a different TIOLI month.

#82: Eeyore has been my favorite character for as long as I can remember!

hello all ... here I am in sunny Singapore and yes, it is sunny, hot and humid, so thankfully there's a nice breeze today and when it gets unbearable, there's always the nice air conditioned cafes and bookstores to hide in. At the moment though, I'm under a tree by the beach, instead of dealing with snow back home, so I really can't complain.

Stasia : I've read Cup of Light which is her second book after Lost in Translation and it didn't elicit much beyond a shrug. I think this Last Chinese Chef a much better book and her research shows through her poetic prose.

#89 : They've banished the 'real' Singapore? Surely not all of it though ... there are still some pockets off the beaten track. It is all very sanitized though, which is fine with me because I would pass up authentic dirt for clean streets, clean eateries and most of all safety since I tend to wander around on my own most of the time. But you are right.... this is a food paradise and my expanding waist readily attests to this fact every time I come here.

Sorry, I can't think of a stray cat story ..... wait, it's not the Cat Who Went to Paris is it? I loved that book although now that I think of it, I don't think it was written in the 70s and Norbet the cat wasn't a stray, I don't think. It's a really wonderful book though, about a man who was definitely non-cat until he got this little kitten and then his whole world changed.

Eeyore Rules!

Singapore sounds wonderful. Stay safe.
Great Eeyore gif.

Nope, it's not the Cat that Went to Paris -- now this is driving me crazy! It will come back to me, I hope -- it was the best of this genre of cat stories that I recall. Maybe the cat was called Max? Arghhh. I hate it when this happens. (Mind you I also hated working in a bookstore and having people like me wander in and ask for that new book, you know, the one with the blue cover, that's about some guy who discovers himself through tragedy, you know...!!)

Singapore in the early 1980s -- still had a bit of the original Bugis Street, and the kind of edgy (but not unsafe) Chinatown and the last remnants of the fascinating Chinese community who lived on boats in the river, and who have now all been moved on. Chinatown is prettier, but... I think the only place I've ever felt worried about my safety as a solo traveler was in Marrakech; def not SE Asia. Well, maybe that I'd step on an unexploded bomb in Laos.

Is there a good Singapore specific cookbook that compiles all the hawkers' recipes? That would be a great book....

I have A Cup of Light in my pile, but have not been motivated to get to it after enjoying but not loving Lost in Translation. I saw The Last Chinese Chef in a bargain bin a year or so ago, and didn't buy it, in what I considered to be a remarkable show of restraint. Perhaps I'll look for a library copy.

OK, I am taking A Cup of Light out of the BlackHole (where it clearly did not belong!)

Considering visiting Caroline in Singapore, after spending part of my morning in about 2 feet of snow..

Suzanne : Oh ok, I get what you mean now. Yes, Bugis Street is still here and so is Chinatown, but they're all spruced up and clean. Even Keong Siak Street where the brothels used to be is now sparkling and gentrified with tons of wonderful (but not fancy) little restaurants. Pockets of the East Coast have retained their local color for food and the old Peranakan buildings.

I have a few really good Singapore cookbooks and there's one that's specifically compiled for hawker recipes. Send me a PM with your address and I'll get one for you and mail it to you when I get home.

Bummer .... you've got me curious about the cat book now too.

Come one, come all ... it's sunny and humid (booooo hissssss) in Singapore but before work starts tomorrow, I'm stuffing myself with fresh seafood and tropical fruits! oh yummy!

I finished Georg Letham : Physician and Murderer by Ernst Weiss.

To say that I wasn't expecting how this story unfolded would be an understatement. Georg Letham was a respected doctor with a passion for scientific research. All it took was a series of small mistakes one fateful night and his life spiraled into a hell he could not have imagined.

This book takes the reader onto a sensory and emotional rollercoaster. Written in the style of a memoir, my first impression of Georg was that of a man who was bored with his wife, desperate for money and afraid of his father.

The murder that takes place is almost incidental. What takes centerstage are the events that lead up to it, and the events following the murder. What could drive a man, a respected doctor and scientific researcher, to take a life, and once that life is taken, does he feel remorse and wish to atone for the crime, or is he emotionally detached as to not feel anything other than regret that he made a few mistakes leading to his arrest and subsequent punishment?

As Georg faces exile on a steamy tropical island where many have died from yellow fever, memories of his father flit through his mind.... his father's deep hatred of rats, his father forcing him to watch his method of exterminating them, his father's attempts at removing an officer in the department and his father's unsuccessful expedition to the North Pole as their ship is besieged with rats (yes, there is a lot about rats in this book). I don't quite get the horrible experiment with his father's dog on the ship, which left me with a very nasty taste in my mouth.

Once on the island, all convicts are assigned duties. Georg and another is initially assigned to clean out the morgue and there meets an old colleague who's trying to study how the disease is spreading. There is a very detailed study of mosquitoes and before long, a team is gradually formed to engage in a secret experiment ........ on themselves.

Drama abounds in this book and some very interesting details on how experiments are conceived and implemented. What's equally interesting is Georg's evolution or perhaps the emergence of his true self.

My main gripe though is that it was unclear how Georg and his fellow convict managed to recover from their bout of yellow fever when so many before and after them died from it.

I'd recommend this guardedly. I can see how some will be put off by the vivid descriptions of the rats, the convicts and their condition on the ship, details of patients suffering from yellow fever and even a baby's birth. But for the less squeamish, this is a pretty riveting read.

I'm giving this 4 stars

I haven't been to Singapore for years, glad to hear that the food is still good there!

Your review of Georg Letham: Physician and Murderer is excellent but I won't be adding it to my tbr pile. I don't like rats at all.

Thanks, Kerry ... I like rats even less now after reading this book.

Thank goodness it's so hot here, so I sweat off all the extra food I keep eating whenever I'm here

Ooh, nice review, Caroline! I'll start Georg Letham later today.

Thanks, Darryl. I took quite a while before I could put this review down. I didn't know where to start or how much to write. Too little and it wouldn't have done the book justice. Too much and I'll just be spoiling it for everyone who hasn't read it. You're a great reviewer, so I can't wait to read what you have to say. I'm sure you'll do a much better job of this than I have.

Hope you enjoy your read.

Caroline- Good review! This sounds very good, rats or not!

*drops off sun screen*

A nasty thing happens to a dog? Nope, won't be reading that one. Caroline, I could do everything except the humidity (especially the tropical fruit). We wimpy Celt types wilt easily.

Mark : Thank you. I think you'll enjoy this one.... even with the rats. My housemate used to keep 2 rescued lab rats as pets, and I really hated it when she let them out of their cage to run around in her room. I was petrified that she'd accidentally leave her door open and they'd run out into the rest of the house. What's worse with her rats were not only that they were rats and therefore ugly (i think it's their long scaly tails that really freak me out) but they also had weird tumors growing on their back ... so think Igor with a pointy rat face, long whiskers and a scaly tail.... oh and give him a caramel colored twin.

Kath : Thank you ... I've been slathering it on for protection. It's actually pretty cool in the morning and evening. it's just midday and the afternoon that's been brutal.

Tui : Yeah, I didn't like the dog bit ... and didn't quite understand the purpose of what they did to it. Although the dog gets his own back ... in a way. Way to go, Rufu (name of the dog in the book).

Pet rats don't bother me much. My sister had pet rats, when we were growing up and they were quite entertaining, smart and affectionate...but wild rats? Quite a different story!! I could do without the tumors too!

Have you noticed how rats are always cast in roles of crime bosses or evil beings in cartoons?

>109 cameling:: Ahem..Remy from Ratatouille?

:-D

Oh yeah... I forgot about Remy ...but he's the exception ... I think his mother was a mouse. ;-)

Living in an old renovated tithe barn, we're constantly getting rats in the walls and between the floorboards. It can be especially disconcerting in my flat because when I'm in bed my head is right by the wall and you can hear them running up and down, sliding about in the wall cavities! At first I was constantly getting visions of that huge horrible glinty-eyed rat in 'Lady and the Tramp' but now I'm kinda used to them... they're a pain when they keep me awake though!

Think I'll give the book a miss, but I thumbsed your review Caroline - and I'm VERY jealous that you're in sunnier climes right now while we're surrounded by mist and rain and drizzle. Icky weather.

Caroline, very interesting to read your review, as I think we had a lot of the same reactions. I certainly found the rat parts extremely difficult to take and in the Arctic section that actually almost made me stop reading the book. As for Georg and his colleague not dying, there is a mention in passing that only (only!) about 40-50% of the people who got it died.

speaking of rats and tumors... anyone who has them as pets knows that they grow tumors almost as a hobby. Why d you suppose that they say causing cancer in rats makes it unsafe for humans? Everything causes cancer in rats. Time they quit animal testing with them or any living creature.

Don't mind rats - I'd almost like to have one as a pet except am afraid that Willie would have it for lunch. I once saw a guy with interestingly dyed hair in line at the cash register in a local discount store with a rat -obviously a pet - perched on his shoulder. And the rat's coat had been dyed to match his master's (or vice versa - never really was quite sure about that). The really weird thing about it was that nobody else seemed to mind the presence of the rat. I know I didn't.

Ugh, rats.

Mice are fine, gerbils are fine, rats are NOT.

At the yard where I used to work, we'd often hear rats at night/early morning if one of us hadn't been round the 'back yard' for a while. For months, on and off, I had the unfortunate experience of going round there at night, turning the light on and seeing the BIGGEST rat I have ever seen illuminated there.

Not only was he huge, but he was blind in one eye and utterly scarred, ears chewed off, gashes across his skin etc. He'd been in a few fights and won! He also had two smaller, but still big, friends with him that scurried off as soon as I moved.

However, he would just sit and look, not moving until I went at him with a broom and got within about 2ft of him. He would then come back and taunt me.

UGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Well, individually maybe rats are OK (and, by the way, lab/pet rats are NOTHING like "real" rats), but when there are hundreds and thousands of them . . . And I'm someone who had mice, hamsters, and gerbils for pets as a kid.

For a while, the house next door had rats. They would come out at night, and get into the garbage outside this brownstone duplex, which is parked outside my office windows. My cats (about the same size as the rats) were terrified of them. Which says something about the rats, not my cats! They tried scratching at the window screen to get in...

Don't particularly like rats, but that book does sound interesting . . .

I remember squeakychu reviewing a book last year, Rat written from a rat's point of view, by Andrzej Zaniewski.

I'd forgotten about that book - squeaky reviewed it a year ago yesterday, exactly. Just tossed it onto the giant wishlist.

LOL ..... I LOVE that 5 other people besides myself voted 'No' to Darryl's poll that I be spanked with a wooden spoon for enjoying sunnier climes. Yes, my people, come to me!

Kath : LOL ... rats growing tumors as a hobby... you crack me up.

#116 : Charlotte, maybe nobody noticed that it was a rat on his shoulder since its coat was the same color as his hair. It could be they thought it was just part of a weird haircut. I think I can safely say that I would have kept a wide wide wide berth if I had been there...... possibly from across the street

#117 : See? Exactly why I hate rats! They bold, mean and ....... actually the one you saw all scarred up is completely scary to visualize. I can't believe you actually went towards that monster with a broom. You're a brave one, Jenny. I think I would have thrown something at it to try and get it to run away .....hmmm...but then what are the chances the monster would hurl the object back at me

#121 : I remember reading the Zanieswki book and it didn't endear the creature to me in the slightest. I did enjoy the book though .... but I still don't like rats.
(except Remy as Tad reminded me)

Remy is a cartoon rat, designed from the get-go to be cute and endearing. I have yet to encounter a real life variant that I could tolerate. A tumorous rat running loose would send me off in search of a new roomie, pronto.

--> 121

I happen to like rats. I see them as simply furry mammals trying to live their lives as nature intended for them to do. They have a very bad rap (i.e bubonic plague, etc.).

I found Rat by Polish author Andrzej Zaniewski a very good book, but people who don't like rats would not particularly like it. It's a rat's life from the viewpoint of a rat. Not all of what rats do in life is pretty, but what they do is instinctive and is essential for their survival.

A quirk of this book is that it shifts back and forth from third to second person narrative at odd places - without rhyme or reason. Still, I would recommend this book.

Check out its cover art. It's very cool (...if you like rats)!

Not fond of rats, bats, mice or any such vermin but great review Caroline and you've got me interested.

BTW as far as the poll goes a wooden spoon seems a little harsh although I am extremely jealous.

What happened? The last time I checked the poll it had 5 yes votes, and 0 no votes. How many times did you vote no, Caroline?

For all those who voted yes: please report to Logan Airport on the day of Caroline's return to the US, so that we can welcome her with wooden spoons open arms.

All kidding aside, I hope that you have a relaxing trip, although I'm sure that work will consume the vast majority of your time.

Members of the Rodentia are Not Welcome Here.

The dog cruelty puts the eternal kibosh on reading this one. Couldn't have been a cat, could it. *snaps fingers* But thumbs up for a good review and also for warning me about something I simply can't endure reading about.

#123: Yes, my people, come to me!

Well, I am here. Seriously, I live in Texas - how could I vote 'yes'?

It's sleeting and freezing and miserable here. The shop's been open nearly five hours and we've made less than £5. I have my wooden spoon at the ready... ;-)

OK, worryingly, I just accidentally wrote 'wooden stake' instead of 'wooden spoon'. My apologies, and rest assured, there will be no staking going on over the weather. Yet.

#131

A wooden stake, now you're talking ;)

Ouch! Rough group here. Enjoy the sunshine Cameling. And since it is so clean there, you probably won't see any rats, which is good.

Stay put Caroline.. you really don't want to come back to the nort east until the end of the week at least. Just be safe....

#125 : Kath ... ok he wasn't too bad once I found his picture. Somehow the link broke when you posted it or something. But curious ol' me just clicked on it anyway to see what was under the hood.

#126 : You know Madeline, I think it's also their long tails that add to their overall terrifying look. They do not have nice tails. Their tails are creepy. Their tails make you want to bury the whole thing under a very very very large rock. A rat without his disgusting tail and fattened up a little so he became a little rounder would maybe not be so bad looking ..... hmm... i think I just described a pointy nosed guinea pig.

#127 : Bonnie I actually like bats. I think they're kinda cute and all that echolocation thing is way cool. I went hiking last year in Hong Kong into a bat cave and just watching them all fly out of the cave in a big dark cloud was amazing.

#128 : Ha! Foiled in his evil plan. Darryl, take another look at the poll results ... it's getting tighter than the election race for the MA senate seat. And I only voted once, I'll have you know........ although I did try to vote multiple times,but it kept telling me that I already voted and so could not vote again. bah!

But you are right... work is taking up even more of my time here than when I'm home. I'm on LT now before i get on a conference call in 10 mins (it's 9.50pm for me now) and then I have another conference call at midnight. Tomorrow promises to be another full day, although I will at least get to relax a little at the end at my favorite martini bar in Singapore. They have a happy hour between 5 - 7pm where the waiters roam around the room periodically carrying trays heaped with little steak sandwiches that are offered to the patrons for free ... and you can take as many as you like. :-)

I haven't made it to my favorite bookstore here yet which is an indication of how tight my schedule is during this trip, but I should have the afternoon free (i hope) on Friday to seek out some bookstore therapy.

I have still managed though, to get some good runs in early in the mornings by the beach ... so it's not all bad.

#129 : Richard, the incident with the dog was just one small portion of the story, although I have to say the image I had continues to stay with me till today. If you find a way to skip over those 3 pages, you may enjoy the rest of the book ...which has nothing to do with dogs.

#135

Yeah, isn't that weird? I adore my guinea pig but I could never feel that way about a rat. Do you think its just been indoctrinated in us because we call them vermin and associate them with rubbish?

#130 : Stasia's in my corner, Stasia's in my corner .... of Texas.

#131 : Aww Ellie ... a stake? You subconsciously think I'm a vampire? oh phooey!

#132 : You can stop the gleeful anticipation. No need to encourage Ellie's violent tendencies there, Jenny.

#133 : Thankfully you are right, Berly ... no rats spotted as yet, except for perhaps the human variety.

#134 : I actually wouldn't mind a little coolness Kath ... the afternoon heat has been pretty unbearable. But then ask me that again next weekend when I get home and I may have a different answer

You all (or yall in Stasia speak) are making me laugh right out loud.

Here's a mouse story for you:

Years ago, I was scrubbing my bathroom floor. A friend called and asked me to dinner. I left, forgetting to empty the bucket of water. I returned later, reached in the bucket to wring out the cloth and instead pulled up a fat, mushy mouse and inadvertently smushed (a Pennsylvania word) it in my hards.

I am not prone to the "vapors", but I felt dizzy and the room spun just a tad.

ugh...

#138

That reminds me of another yard story, or two. We had a continual rodent problem, despite putting out poison etc, and were used to seeing/hearing mice.

This happened over a course of some days. When I had been sorting out the bags of feed (25kg of a cereal feed) I had noticed that one had been chewed in the corner so I put the whole thing in a metal bin to keep safe.

A couple of days later, I opened said bin, pulled out the bag and tipped it loose into another one. As I did so, two mice came out with it. I flicked them out, shut the lid on both bins and thought no more of it.

The next day I opened the first feed bin and found that I had inadvertently transported TWELVE mice within the bag when I had first moved it. They were now trapped and running round and round. I, eventually, caught all 12 in a bucket and took them off to a field where I released them.

We also had various incidents of baby mouse/rat problems but I'll save them for another time ;)

--> 135

i think I just described a pointy nosed guinea pig.


LOL @ Caroline!

Jenny

You are one brave woman! You caught all 12 mice in a bucket...

I am most impressed.

> 138 Uuuuggghhhh *running back out of thread*

I don't like to think about rats...I had to do research with them when I graduated from college. A whole year of them...yuk!

Checking in on my favorite world traveler...

Something worse than rats and mice?

Rat babies and mouse babies. Perhaps I'll tell you the stories of them one day ;)

#145 They're all pink and bare, aren't they ;o)

I actually don't have a problem with rodents of any shape or form (that I've come across anyway). ...which is lucky.

My parents place is part of a terrace with a partially shared attic. Soon after we first moved in there, I started to hear scrabbling noises at night, from the built in cupboards behind my bed (my room was in the attic) and it wasn't long before everyone started to hear them. My parents hopefully kept saying the noises were probably squirrels, but we then found out that the previous owners used to regularly get rats and that the next door neighbour on one side had let her house get extremely run down inside... I think that the rat coming out to wave my mum goodbye as she drove out of the garage early every morning on the way to work was the final straw...

They were very clever though - we had massive heavy duty rat traps with bits of Mars bar on in various strategic places and they managed to spring all the traps for the chocolate without getting caught... Then there was the time that they dragged an entire bag of potatoes and a bunch of bananas under the skirting (bar a couple of tell tale chewed specimens)...

I suppose at least they were field rats rather than sewer rats and they did get rid of them in the end.

I also had a bat fly in to my room the night before my first day at my first job - my new colleagues must have thought I was very strange babbling about bats the next day. I wonder if that would count as an omen?!

Just to add another dimension to the conversation... rats are actually among the most loyal pets you can have! A friend of mine had a rat during her college years that she could let roam about the house freely, and would come when she called it. Apparently it slept on her pillow next to her every night, and she could take it outside for exercise without fear of it running away! They'd play outside together and when it was time to go in, she called it and it would crawl up her leg & onto her shoulder for the trip back into the house!

And that's just one of a number of stories I've heard! They may be dirty when outside and feral... but as housepets, they're as loyal and trainable as a dog!

Strange, isn't it?!

>147 dk_phoenix: Strange, isn't it?!

More like incredible and slighty nauseating especially the crawl up her leg & onto her shoulder part.

My sister-equivalent has kids with multiple animal allergies and for years they had *shudder* guinea pigs and hamsters and all manner of rodents.

*pause for nausea to recede*

The odour, the faetor, the feculent pong of their house prevented me from visiting for quite a long time. And these were obsessively maintained, cage-cleaned specimens. I can only imagine

ugh, had to go unswallow, leaving now

Tomorrow is your birthday! Happy Almost Birthday To You Dear Caroline!

edited for typos..

Caroline, an early welcome to your thirties at last! Many happy returns of the day!

Happy Birthday to You Tomorrow, Caroline! Just in case I drink a little too much at the Winefest tomorrow and fall asleep before I can get online.

Happy Almost Birthday!!! Anything fun planned?

Happy Birthday, Caroline! Hopefully you'll have as much fun as this little guy, but without the mess.

On your birthday, don't you think it only fair that someone else clean up the mess?

Happy birthday! (Since it's past midnight across the country, now, it's official...)

Happy Birthday, my traveling friend! Hope you have a safe return home!

Have a great birthday, Caroline. Hope it is full of wonderful surprises!

Haaaaappy Birthday! May it be full of cake, books, and relaxation :D

Happy Birthday. The coolest people have February birthdays.

Funny TadAD. I feel the same way. ;) Happy Birthday Caroline!!!

Happy, happy birthday, Caroline! Keep cool and travel safely!

162 + 163

Yup, gotta agree with that!!

Happy birthday Caroline :)

162, 163 and 165, Aquarius rulezzzzz ;-)

Happy Birthday!!!!!

Hope you birthday is fantastic Caroline!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy birthday to you!

#166 Except you gotta share the love with us later February birthdays, too. I am a Pisces. ;)

Thank you, thank you, one and all. What a lovely surprise .... to come back online and find that my thread is still home to rodent stories and then to all these very lovely birthday greetings. I'm very touched. Thank you all for your thoughts.

I had a lovely birthday. My friends surprised me with a little party the day before, and much fun and laughter was to be had .... especially when 3 little kids wanted to blow out the candles to the cake with such enthusiasm that I think a gallon of spit made it onto the cake as well. One of my friends (parents of 1 of the exceptionally enthusiastic kids) came prepared and brought out a second cake for the adults ... leaving the spittle speckled cake for all the kids to share amongst themselves.

My husband flew in the day before my birthday! yaaaaaay.
As my birthday also fell on the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year and I'm here in Singapore where some of my family still live, I had the double pleasure of enjoying my birthday with an extended family during the annual Family Reunion dinner that's held on the eve of the New Year. I'm feeling very blessed and have almost recovered from the hectic work week suffered the week before.

The best thing about my birthday is that i went for a run by the beach with my mom's golden retriever and he didn't trip me up once, nor did I trip myself up over tree roots (as I'm usually wont to do).

Wow! What a great birthday with family in a cool locale and the Chinese Lunar New Year in the background. We wished our Master in Tae Kwon Do Happy New Year in Korean today, but I couldn't recreate it without some prompting. Hope you enjoy the rest of your trip and that this year is a happy, healthy one in your life.

(PS--The second spit-free cake is sheer genius. I just watched a show on the Food Detective with my kids and the germ scene is not pretty after the candles are blown out! LOL)

I managed to finish 2 books in the last few days: A Case of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammed Hanif rates I think a 3 and a half stars.

A fictitious take on what may have occurred in Pakistan during the late 80s following General Zia ul Haq's rule and the events that led to his demise in the plane crash.

A humorous, although sometimes blackly so, take on the political instability during the times, and of General Zia's personality. There is much in this book to entertain the reader but at the same time, under the cloak of humor, one is made aware of the injustices that fall on certain segments of society, and topics that continue to plague some in Pakistan today.

The second book I finished was The Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse. I thought this was a mystery and so it was, but a rather weak one. It's not marketed as a YA book but I would definitely classify it as one.

In this book, one Freddie Watson, having been released from a psychiatric treatment center for a nervous breakdown suffered years after the death of his brother George in the war, finds himself on a roadtrip across France. As he drives through the mountains, a winter squall blows in and his car spins out of control and hangs over a precipice.

He manages to disentangle himself from the wreckage and walks to the nearest village he can find, a village that seems cloaked in shadows and an intense silence. He does, however, find an inn for the night and the innkeeper invites him to an annual village fete. He meets some merry people at the fete, including a captivating young lady who seems to know things about him and his brother. But before he can get to know her better, a brawl starts and soldiers ride in on horses, seemingly intent on massacring everyone present.

Who are these people? Who is the woman he met and who managed to help him escape? As she tells him a horrific story of people in the area who are regularly hunted by others, one starts to become aware that all is not as it seems. As her story comes to a close, she disappears. Was she a dream? Why does no-one at the fete remember seeing Freddie there? Why do they not mention the brawl? Freddie needs to uncover the mystery if only to fulfill his wish to find the woman again.

Very light quick read and a 3 star effort.

Glad to hear you had an enjoyable birthday even if you had to be away from home, Caroline!

A belated Happy Birthday Caroline - I'm so glad you had such a lovely day (and a successful run - very impressive in my book)... :-)

Fabulous birthday story, Caroline! I'm sure you'll remember it forever.

Happy New Year!

I liked A Case of Exploding Mangoes a bit more than you did, but I'm glad that you enjoyed it. I loved Hanif's (mis)characterization of General Zia, in particular, and I wouldn't mind reading it again.

Caroline- Sounded like you had a wonderful birthday! Good for you! When are you coming home? Glad you liked A Case of Exploding Mangoes, I've had that on my radar for awhile!

Caroline - A belated Happy Birthday to you (as well as a Happy Valentine's Day)!

it sounds lovely, Caroline! I am happy for you ~ having such a wonderful opportunity to be with your family on your birthday !

Happy belated birthday! My daughter turns 11 tomorrow, so I agree with those who said that Feb. birthdays are the coolest. Sounds like it was a good one!

Great birthday experiences, all around... (and lucky there was that second cake to hand...)

What a wonderful birthday story Caroline! Friends, family, surprises and warm, beautiful weather; what could be better?

Belated happy birthday! Sounds like you had a fantastic day ;)

It does sound like it was a lovely day - belated birthday greetings from New Hampshire! Took my mother for a drive to the beach here on Sunday - it wasn't nearly as lovely as yours...but the temperature might have had something to do with it! Now waiting for snow...

...and it's here - in southern MA - though it's a pretty puny version of a February snowstorm in New England. Probably a little more is falling up around Boston.
Sorry I missed your birthday, Caroline. Sounds as if it was a good one. All the best to you.

Whoof .... had a pretty hectic week after that ... and no time to log in on LT. Am now back in Boston .. only to find that my wireless router is on the blink and I have no internet access at home. *sigh* On the plus side, there's no snow either, so at least I don't have weather conditions to have to contend with.

Thank goodness for my dear library where I can hole up for a few hours and as long as there aren't any other patrons waiting to use the computer I can catch up on as many threads a possible in the time allocated.
Verizon have promised to send me a replacement router on Monday and I can hardly wait. It's amazing how dependent I've become on having internet access at home. Feels weird not to be able to get onto my laptop and go online whenever I wish.

Still, I guess I'll get quite a bit of reading done over the weekend. :-)

Read Beyond the Blossoming Fields by Junichi Watanbe and loved it!

A fictitious look at the life story of Ginko Ogino, the first female doctor in Japan.

Born to a wealthy family in Japan in the early 19th century, Ginko Ogino, had no inkling of how her life would change when she first came back to her family home, after being infected with gonorrhea by her husband of one year. Sent to the hospital in Tokyo for treatment, she is shocked and humiliated at her treatment at the hands of the doctors and medical students. She ostracizes herself by seeking a divorce from her husband and has to live with the stares from the villagers and her family's disapproval.

Vowing to become a doctor herself so that other females would not have to continue suffering such indignities at the hands of male doctors,she sets out to gain the education she needs in order to gain entry into a medical college. This is a story of a courageous and determined woman, for in male dominated Japan, a woman wanting to be more than a teacher was unheard of. She suffers not just societal presssures to conform, but the pressure of being disowned by her own family for wanting to enter into the medical field.

Gaining entrance into a medical college, she is further hampered by resentful male students who consider her a trespasser into the male domain,and harrass her unmercifully.

Despite the many obstacles in her way, she eventually gains her medical degree and receives her certification to practice. As her fame grows, she paves the way for more females to enter into the medical profession and offered internships to many who were in the same financial straits that she was in when she herself was a student.

Her life, even after she became a successful medical practitioner, was not an easy one. The disease was to plague her for the rest of her life, and she carried a deep resentment against the male gender for many years, despite forming a few platonic but caring relationships with some men in her life, until finally she falls in love with a younger man and marries him, inspite of universal disapproval from everyone whose opinions she held dear.

She was a woman of compassion but perhaps because of her struggles to build a life for herself without conforming to social dictates, she held others to almost unbending standards that many failed to meet. She was no less stern on herself and till the end of her days, she sought to provide public service to improve and enhance the position of women in society.

Definitely a 4 star rated book in my opinion. There were times I thought her a bit too unbending and could not like her, but there were many more occasions for me to admire her and her determination to achieve all that she had set out for herself.

Zipped through The Key Lime Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke this morning.
Another fun cozy mystery in the Hannah Swensen series. This time, our intrepid baking sleuth is up to her eyeballs as one of the judges of desserts for the Tri-County Fair while anxious over her cat, Moishe's apparent loss of appetite, and a friend's unexpected death following an attack.

Finding suspects much less motive for the murder seems more of a challenge and frustrating as gradually the victim's past comes into light.

Definitely not a book to read when hungry because all the descriptions of cookies and pies will have you salivating. I did take note of the pages of some of the more interesting sounding recipes and will have to try them out one of these days.

A 3 star read.

Welcome back Caroline! Beyond the Blossoming Fields sounds fascinating. I'm going to add it to the pile.

>186 cameling: Wow!! That sounds *great*! I can't wait to get it. Ben tornata in casa, Caroline, even though you're another year older.

*heeheehee*

#186 -- Gotta read this -- thanks for the suggestion!! I once interviewed Japan's only female neurosurgeon for a story, oh, 25 years ago. She told me that when she told her parents what they wanted to be, they thought she was nuts. Especially when she told them the reason -- that she wanted to know what inside our brains made them different from the brain of, say, her cat. Why could she and her cat talk to each other? Fabulous question showing scientific curiosity at an early age, but her parents tried to stop her from studying science because it wasn't feminine...

Glad to know that you are safe home and fie on the internet company !

Great review of Beyond the Blossoming Fields, Caroline! I'm definitely adding it to my wish list.

#186: Well, I went to add Beyond the Blossoming Fields to the BlackHole and discovered it was already there :)

I am glad you are safely arrived home, Caroline!

I just added Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder to my kindle. The series sounds like fun!

I spent all day yesterday catching up on the tv programs that I missed while I was away. Thank goodness for Tivo ... and today I found that it's not my wireless router that's busted, but my laptop is misbehaving. So I'm borrowing my husband's to catch up on LT ... and boy are there alot of threads to go through. I may not even make them all before the end of the evening!

Thanks all, it's good to be back and the sun's out today, melting even more snow off my driveway.

Richard : I did receive an application to AARP when I collected my mail yesterday. Phoooey... how old do they think I am anyway?! I don't think they have a very reliable database if they're off by a good decade.

Suzanne : Did the neurosurgeon you interviewed eventually receive her family's support? I thought it was so sad that Ginko Ogino's family, all but her sister, turned their backs on her and didn't even support her financially during her studies. It was only after she became a reknown doctor that her sister-in-law deigned to look her in the eye and speak directly to her, inviting her even to join some of the other family members for a meal at her mother's funeral.

Luxx : It's a fun series ...but not one to read on an empty stomach or when one's in the middle of a sugar craving.

Happy birthday, Caroline! I got my first AARP mailer when I hit 50, I think. Ouch! That hurt! Regarding Ogino's tendency to be tough on others (I'm presuming that includes any women that followed her into her profession, but maybe I'm wrong?) as well as herself, that seems to be a pattern for those women who were "firsts." This is not true anymore and just anecdotal evidence, but the women doctors I knew 35 years ago, all were a lot tougher and a whole lot less sensitive than many male doctors. But then you could understand why they had to be. Surgery, especially, was a man's world. Anyway, Beyond the Blossoming Fields sounds good, so thanks for the review!

Hi Bonnie - yes, Ogino was tough on female interns and nurses who worked for her as well as some of her patients who she felt ought to stand up to the men in their lives. Her brusque nature often hid the compassion she felt for them. And yes, it was precisely because of her struggles to carve a life that she wanted for herself that made her so tough and at times uncompromising.

Hmm... oddly I can't edit my previous post again. I wanted to add that even today, some doctors need additional lessons in better bedside manners. A friend of mine who has a daughter with a dropped foot has met with a succession of impatient doctors and specialists who seem to keep an eye on the clock, rather than be concerned about allaying their fears and explaining procedures that may help the child.

#199 You can probably blame the health insurance companies for the clock-watching doctors. . . .

#195, 197 I got my "invitation" to join AARP a few days after I hit the big 50. I actually called them up and told them to get my name off their mailing list -- I'm many years from retirement, and certainly don't consider myself part of the "seniors" crowd! I also don't like their politics -- the way they take positions that suit their leadership, and then claim to speak for ALL their members. (I have that trouble with AAA, too!) They do NOT speak for me!

Welcome back Caroline! Your mention of Joanne Fluke makes me want to rush home and start on #2, Strawberry Shortcake Murder. I too have a feeling some of Hannah's recipes might end up in my kitchen at some point!

I definitely agree that some doctors need a little lesson in bedside manners even now. My grandmother has recently been quite ill - she's going for a heart valve replacement soon - and managed to land herself a kidney infection as well. But when she first went to the doctors, instead of reassuring her and mentioning the most common problems first, the woman just sighed and said it was 'probably something much more serious' than an infection... I mean, what the hell?! Doctors moan that everyone looks their symptoms up on the internet and come to the surgery convinced they're about to die, then turn round and scare someone to death for a kidney infection?! My grandmother already survived a virus attacking her heart, then bowel cancer, but this 'professional' GP managed to reduce her to a quivering wreck over a run-of-the-mill problem.

*takes a deep breath and counts to ten* Sorry Caroline, you can have your thread back now!

Terri : Don't even get me started on the HMOs ... I hate our health system.

I'm afraid I don't know enough about AARP to comment but I guess I'll have to research them when I get closer to 55.

Ellie : One of my friend's 78 year old grandmother went in for surgery for a slipped disk, and they sent her home on the same day even though she was still in some pain, and very woozy from the anesthesia.
I'm very lucky in that my primary physician is a lovely lady. She doesn't mind my questions and doesn't give me the impression that she wishes she could be done with me sooner... although maybe that's because I rarely see her outside of my annual physicals since I'm rarely ill.

I'm indignant that your grandmother was put to such stress by that doctor. Did she or any member of your family lodge a complaint about this doctor scaring her needlessly?

Finished Suffer the Little Children by Donna Leon, another yummy read in the Brunetti series.

A pediatrician and his family are attacked in their home in the middle of the night, and their young son taken from them. The pediatrician is hospitalized after being hit on the head and loses his ability to speak. The fact that the midnight raid and abduction was undertaken by members of the Carabiniere has Commissioner Guido Brunetti stepping into the picture.

Is this merely a case of illegal adoptions or something more? Watching Brunetti and his team slowly unwind the many spirals in this mystery is as enjoyable as getting more peeks into his charming family.

I give this 3.5 stars

I switched OB's mid-pregnancy because of rude doctors in the practice. Grrrrr.

196 - I just started baking again (and made bread for the first time this weekend!), so the series and my sweet tooth will go hand in hand.

Everytime I read a Hannah book, I end up baking over the weekend. haha.... so much for the diet I'm supposed to be imposing on myself.

I made spiced shortbread this evening. We dipped the ginger/cinnamon/nutmeg-flavored, maple cream cheese iced, cookies in hot chocolate as we watched "Elf".

It was tasty.

Hmm.... I'll swap some of your spiced shortbread with some brandied apple cookies I made yesterday. They go oh so well with hot chocolate or warm milk.

Brandied apple cookies! Num! I think they'd go right nice with a mug of "enhanced" hot chocolate. Bring 'em on over. I've got the shortbread all tinned up.

I absolutely agree that far too many doctors have terrible interpersonal skills, whether in the office or in the hospital setting. Many US medical schools, including my alma mater (University of Pittsburgh), teach first and second year medical students how to interact with patients of all types (young, old, angry, tearful, etc.) well before they start seeing patients as third year students, by using trained actors as patients. I found those sessions, especially as a first year student, nerve wracking, even though it was in a classroom with my peers with a person who wasn't a true "patient", but those and other sessions were as important as any of the basic science courses I took in the first two years of training.

It still amazes me how rude some physicians can be towards patients and their families. Earlier this month I took care of a young child whose father is a physician (endocrinologist) not far from the hospital I work at. One of my partners, who was a med school classmate of this father, told me that one of our orthopedic surgeons, who was also seeing the child, was incredibly rude and condescending to the father, and was equally rude to her when she spoke with him by phone.

One reason (of several) that I prefer to work in a hospital than in private practice is that I can set my own hours, and don't have to worry about seeing a particular patient at a certain time. So, I can spend more time with families who have questions, and can go back and visit them whenever we need to talk or if I need to check back on a seriously ill child.

I'm waiting for my AARP application. I still can't believe it, but I'll turn 50 in just over 13 months, so I'll be eligible for membership on 3/24/11. I can't wait!

My neice teaches at the med school from which she graduated. We haven't talked for a while but (as I understand it) at least at one point in time, she was one of those instructors who taught bedside manners to students before they began their clinical work. Her best example of what NOT to do was the doctor who was my Mom's primary physician during her terminal illness (who was terribly upset that my mom's dying interrupted his golf game, among other charming qualities.) I think primary care physcians should definitely have good people skills.

But, then, there are those times when specialist's skills may be worth putting up with a little bad manners. My mom once was reluctant to go to a particularlly brilliant surgeon because she'd heard bad things about his attitude. Another one of my mom's doctors (whom she loved) said (and she loved this) "If you want bedside manner, get a lapdog. If you want one of the best thoraxic (sp?) surgeons in the state, go to this guy."

(It turns out, the surgeon in question saw my Mom's case as a special challenge -- something to perhaps write up for the medical journals -- and was nice to her. She loved him! Go figure.)

My theory (knowing what I know now) is that the surgeon in question had Asperger's Syndrome or was otherwise on the very high end of the autism spectrum -- and his resulting attention to detail (at, perhaps, the expense of social skills) what what made him such an amazing surgeon.

Hmm.... now that's an interesting thought, Richard ..... if they all get eaten by tomorrow, I'll have to make another batch and send some over to you.

Darryl - I've seen my in-laws intimidated by doctors and as such, they don't ask the questions they should be asking when they've had to go for consults. Nowadays my husband or his sister will try to accompany them, especially if they're not going for routine check ups, just so they will ask questions on behalf of their parents and my husband has said that sometimes the doctors are just so impatient and condescending.

I've never understood why some doctors don't like talking to their patients. Surely it makes sense to allay whatever fears their patients may have? Especially when faced with a daunting procedure, treatment or surgery?

Of course there are some very good doctors, and I'm sure you are one of them, Darryl. You sound like a really caring doctor. I'm sure your patients feel so reassured when they see you coming down the halls.
When my niece was in hospital for her leukemia treatments, the nurses and her doctors were simply amazing. They always had time for all the patients, to sit and chat with them and their families. Then again, my mom would bake cakes and cookies on a very regular basis and bring them in for the ward staff.... bribery always helps. ;-)

> 210 You hit the nail on the head, Terri. Medical schools, law schools, and Ph. D. programs of all kinds are filled with people with Asperger's Syndrome. They get to study exclusively the topic that most interests them, and (as I'm sure you know) have an amazing knack for memorization and detail!

"If you want bedside manner, get a lapdog. If you want one of the best thoraxic (sp?) surgeons in the state, go to this guy."

That is so true. I think you have to overlook a lot when you see a specialist. But I want the best doctor, not the nicest one. My primary is the nicest guy in the world but he never bites off more than he can chew and is quick to send you to a specialist and I've never met a specialist with a decent bedside manner. There may be a few out there but I don't know them.

I was working with a pediatrician a while back before one of our health system's electronic health record go-lives. He told us that the first day of medical school, they give each potential physician a stack of charts. Whoever throws them the farthest gets to be the surgeons.

But I agree with Bonnie. The crabbiest physician I've ever worked with is my orthopaedic surgeon, and he is the best. He's much nicer to me when I'm a patient than he is when I'm trying to help him with his computer!

Just as an aside, the medical selection process now in Canada has eliminated the possibility to have students such as you describe - no more Aspergers, etc. The interview process is rigorous and the admission criteria is based only 50% on marks. The only problem not eliminated by the process now is the sociopathic personality - and that is hopefully at a minimum.

Unfortunately, it does exclude some mightily talented people - but modern society demands personable doctors now, sometimes at the expense of intellect.

(BTW; I would go with the doctor that other docs recommend, not someone personable, if you are considering a procedure. )

Caroline.. I once worked for ophthalmologists nearby. I was working the front desk there, not doing tech work. The techs scheduled surgeries for the patients. One woman who was in a wheel chair was crying. The tech ignored that. She just kept throwing out dates. The woman said I am scared.. isn't there someone who can explain things to me so I understand what you want to do? The tech said "We don't do that here" I flew out from behind the desk, knelt by her and told her all I knew, and also told her that my dad had the same surgeries only months before and said it was a breeze. Turns out a surgeons mistake had put her in the wheelchair. I was called on the carpet for doing what I did and "wasting time".

Same place, a one day post surgical patient was walking out looking blank.. out of it. He just walked out the door, I went after him, afraid that there was no one waiting for him. Again, I was in trouble. Thre were many things in that horrible place that I hated. One week after 9/11 , one day after one of the doctors growled at me ( as in GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR like a dog) I called and left a message on the machine that I was never coming back. I know it wasn't the right thing to do.. but I had had enough. ( there was so much more.. ye gods )

The new vet at the office where I used to work.. ( as in new and just out of school) told me on saturday that I was anal rententive when she saw my cat. The third of three to get sick. It was in reference to her asking after my dog whom she saw a couple of months ago.. and asked if I raised his percorten.. I told her no, that it didn't need raised that his ratio was perfect ...and it wasn't a good idea to raise the meds when you finally achieve a good ratio.. and she said I was anal retentive ...

Darryl! you are not that close to fifty? Good heavens, you don't look it.

Terri, you are in a unique position to see things of that nature.. :)
I am glad it worked out for your mom :)

I once worked for a group of peroiodontists in the Boston area. One of them was known for flinging a scalpet out so it would stick in the hallway wall across from his door. Not a safe situation. He had a bad temper, and if something irritated him....

Then there was the dentist ( that my mom worked for ) who felt up his patients, including young girls..

so many years, so many stories.

Darryl is clearly much different than these others.. one look at him with that little girl to see that..

#216 The tech said "We don't do that here"

What WERE they doing there? I thought there was a law about full disclosure on medical procedures.

Kath, you have the worst luck in regard to people you've worked for of anyone I can think of. Have ALL your employers been clueless?

Re; the new vet: maybe you need a new new vet? :)

The dentist. . . why didn't someone report him?

Yikes, the world is insane!

I am glad it worked out for your mom :)

That doctor who had been too blunt with another patient about a prognosis . . . I wish he'd been a little more up-front about Mom's situation after the cancer came back. But he did give her enough extra time that she got to see her youngest grandson -- my boy!

Gee, look at all your stories (although I think Kath, yours win top marks for being the scariest) ......and people wonder why I don't like going to see dentists and doctors ( Darryl, you'll be among the exceptions) and only go in when I absolutely have to. I wish they would include a course in med school that impresses upon the would-be doctors and dentists that taking the time to explain things clearly to patients will lead to patients being less scared, and also probably more willing to take their advise. Who likes being told that they need a procedure (oddly most often one not covered by insurance) but given little or no reasons to explain why the procedure is needed, what's involved pre and post procedure, and what risks have to be considered.

I think many people are bullied into agreeing to certain procedures or meds.

I don't even mind if they aren't being overly nice to me. I just want things explained so I know what's going on. After all, it's my body/teeth/eyes .... and I wonder if the shoe were on the other foot, if they would want details too?

I've been inundated with work and really long hours ... I even had a conference call at 3am this week! Feeling very sorry for myself today as I have another long day ahead despite the fact that it's Friday.

Didn't get as much reading as I would have liked only because I've just been so tired that I've had to zone out watching the Olympics on tv. Even paying attention to commercials was too much for my overworked little brain.

Still, I did manage to finish an ER book I received: Not Quite Paradise : An American Sojourn in Sri Lanka by Adele Barker. It's a wonderful book.

If anyone wants a quick history lesson into Sri Lanka, this is a good book to read. I didn't know much about Sri Lanka before I started reading this memoir of an American woman who went over to Sri Lanka who received a Fulbright scholarship to teach English literature. She brought her son with her and together, they started to carve a life for themselves among the colorful locals and other expatriates.

Barker brings to life the characters she lives with and befriends during her stay in Sri Lanka. She doesn't gloss over the inconveniences that plague their everyday lives, such as the torrential rains and the power outages to name but 2 of what I would consider to be the hardest things to have to resign oneself to.

What make this more than a simple travel essay is Barker's coverage of the rich history of Sri Lanka, the colonial masters who put their indelible stamp on the island, the very tragic dissolution of harmony that used to exist among the Tamils, Sinhalese and Moors who lived there, and the violence that constantly shadows and threatens to erupt with next to no warning at any time. Throughout all of this, the humor, gentleness and warmth of the people shine through in her writing.

I'm glad I read this book because it's given me an appreciation and a look into a place I didn't know much about.

Definitely a 4 star read in my book.

*heavy, heavy sigh*

*resentfully slopes off to wishlist cameling's latest read*

tra-la-la ..... *skipping merrily*..... payback can be so thrilling, richard

That GIF is just obNOXiously cheery.

i know... he made me giggle and so I had to post it ...... I'm all about spreading cheer don't you know? More so because I've decided to chuck part of the work I was planning on doing today and shelving it till Monday. I'm going to leave work early and head over to a bookstore instead. I figure I deserve this treat after the really s*(&^y week that I've had.

Amen to that, sister woman. Anyone who does a conference call at 3am is entitled to part of a workday off, no questions asked.

We had 18in of snow last night, so the PO is out...soon, I promise...but maybe an LT author book will spring into your arms at the bookstore! Howsabout Colum McCann, since he's doing an author chat?

He's on my list of authors to look out for while I'm at the bookstore .... I'll see which ones jump in and stay in my basket. I'm trying to be good and not buy too many books on the last day of February so that the total amount spent on new books this month stays below my grocery bill for the month.

Caroline- Sending you out a warm hug! Sorry work has been such a pain for you! Hope you can relax a bit this weekend! Nothing like a good book...

Caroline.. I agree regarding work history..
sigh

well... it is friday and work is .. believe me.. the farthest thing from my mind.
All of the kids must have made it home safe, as they didn't make the news :P so I am free to relax and prepare for my sons visit next week :)

#195 -- wow, how the number of posts can creep up while my back is turned!! Yes, she eventually got the support of her family -- but only after she got married (to a Westerner, natch) and had a little boy. Then they relaxed; safely marred and a mother, so their social standing was only harmed somewhat by her profession and choice of husband...

#219 -- I wish I had liked that book as much as you had... but I didn't.

So --
#220 -- If you want my copy, send me a PM and I'll dig it up/out from wherever it has slunk off to hide. It was an LTER book for me.

Caroline,

Having had an insane week at work myself, I empathize with you completely. Have a great weekend.

The Sri Lanka book sounds interesting, I finished reading a novel set partly there and partly in London this morning, Brixton Beach and while I quite liked it and want to read more, I would have liked to know more about the background to the novel. It's a Harper Collins edition with stuff at the back as well, but it was author interview stuff, they didn't put in anything on the background to the novel.

#219: I will give that one a try. Thanks for the recommendation, Caroline!

I hope work eases up for you soon.

I don't know a darn thing about Sri Lanka, so I should probably read that one... sounds good, nice review!

It does sound good... dammit woman, I've already bought an armful of books this month after my saintly January! Ah well. I don't know anything about Sri Lanka - except my parents went on holiday there once - so it's educational, right?

ETA: Crisis averted - it isn't published here until June... *breathes a sigh of relief*
Also ETA: Maybe not. It says it's published in June 2010 but it's already down as being in stock and available for express delivery. More investigation required. :-)

Thanks for the support everyone. I'm so glad it's the weekend and I plan to do nothing but relax.

#233 : Well, since you've been so good in January, surely it's time to celebrate in Feburary ... so go ahead .... celebrate with some worthy book purchases. ;-)

#228 : What didn't you like about it, Suz?

>219 cameling:: The book about Sri Lanka sounds quite interesting. I'll add it to the list.

I've started a new thread here