PAUL C WITH A CLEAN SLATE IN '22 - Part 31

SCENES FROM MY PAST

I have arrived in Kuala Lumpur. This is the place - Kampung Warisan - that we made home for 17 years. Many happy moments and the place Belle was first brought home to and where Kyran and Yasmyne grew up.

The Opening Words

I want to choose my TIOLI December reads mainly from books that I bought in 2022 and this is one I picked up earlier in the year for TIOLI Challenge #1



The Push by Ashley Audrain of Canada.

' Your house glows at night like everything inside is on fire.

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

Books Read First Quarter

JANUARY

1. American Dream? A Journey on Route 66 by Khor Shing Yin (2019) 160 pp (AAC) - GN
2. The Forward Book of Poetry 2022 by Various Poets (2021) 155 pp - Poetry
3. Absolution by Murder by Peter Tremayne (1994) 274 pp - Thriller/Mystery
4. Somewhere Towards the End by Diana Athill (2008) 183 pp - (NF Challenge) NF
5. My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk (1998) 671 pp - (Asian Book Challenge{ABC}) Fiction; 1001
6. The Thief and the Dogs by Naguib Mahfouz (1962) 158 pp - (World Books/Food) Fiction
7. The Children Who Stayed Behind by Bruce Carter (1958) 216 pp - (BAC) YA Fiction
8. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (2021) 114 pp - Fiction
9. Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar (2020) 343 pp - (ABC) - Fiction (?)
10. Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings (1982) 192 pp - SF/Fantasy
11. Days in the History of Silence by Merethe Lindstrom (2011) 230 pp - Fiction/Holocaust
12. The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty (1972) 208 pp - Fiction; Pulitzer
13. My Two Worlds by Sergio Chejfec (2008) - 103 pp Fiction/Rebecca NYC reads
14. Hana's Suitcase by Karen Levine (2002) - 131 pp Non Fiction / Holocaust
15. Last Train to Istanbul by Ayse Kulin (2002) 384 pp Fiction / Asian Book Challenge
16. Up With the Larks by Tessa Hainsworth (2009) 278 pp Non Fiction
17. Cheryl's Destinies by Stephen Sexton (2021) 88 pp - Poetry
18. Hotel Bosphorus by Esmahan Aykol (2001) 246 pp - Thriller/Mystery / Asian Book Challenge
19. The List of Books by Frederic Raphael (1981) 154 pp - Non Fiction / Reference
20. Disquiet by Zulfu Livaneli (2017) 163 pp - Fiction / Asian Book Challenge
21. Turkey : A Short History by Norman Stone (2017) 185 pp - Non-Fiction
22. Black Out by Ragnar Jonasson (2011) 247 pp - Thriller/Scandi
23. The Wild Iris by Louise Gluck (1992) 63 pp - Poetry
24. A Foolish Virgin by Ida Simons (1959) 216 pp - Fiction
25. Tarka the Otter by Henry Williamson (1928) 329 pp - Fiction / 1001 Books
26. The Elected Member by Bernice Rubens (1969) 224 pp - Fiction / Booker Winner

5,715 pages

FEBRUARY

27. The Nest by Kenneth Oppel (2015) 244 pp - Fiction
28. Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World by Fareed Zakaria (2021) 156 pp Non-Fiction/ABC
29. Redemption Ground by Lorna Goodison (2018) 164 pp Non-Fiction
30. The Blue Between Sky and Water by Susan Abulhawa (2015) 288 pp Fiction /Asian Book Challenge
31. Door into the Dark by Seamus Heaney (1969) 44 pp Poetry
32. The Yellow Wind by David Grossman (1988) 218 pp Non-Fiction/Asian Book Challenge
33. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (2017) 343 pp Fiction / Booker Winner
34. If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin (1974) 197 pp Fiction
35. The Wrecking Light by Robin Robertson (2010) 90 pp Poetry
36. The Others by Sarah Blau (2018) 239 pp Thriller /ABC
37. Portable Kisses by Tess Gallagher (1992) 80 pp Poetry/ AAC

2,063 pages

MARCH

38. Rise Like Lions : Poetry for the Many edited by Ben Okri (2017) 258 pp Poetry
39. Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin (1958) 179 pp Non-Fiction
40. Intimacies by Katie Kitamura (2021) 225 pp Fiction / Asian Book Challenge
41. Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi (2013) 283 pp Fiction/ Asian Book Challenge
42. Songs of Mihyar the Damascene by Adonis (1961) 116 pp Poetry/Asian Book Challenge
43. Tales of the Tikongs by Epeli Hau'ofa (1983) 93 pp Fiction /Short stories
44. The Twits by Roald Dahl (1980) 87 pp Fiction /YA
45. The Historians : Poems by Eavan Boland (2020) 67 pp Poetry
46. Night Haunts by Sukhdev Sandhu (2007) 144 pp Non-Fiction
47. The Old Boys by William Trevor (1964) 170 pp Fiction
48. Autumn by Karl Ove Knausgaard (2015) 244 pp Non-Fiction/Memoir
49. The Fell by Sarah Moss (2021) 180 pp Fiction
50. Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner (1926) 203 pp Fiction
51. Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi (2018) 243 pp Fiction / Asian Book Challenge
52. Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney (2021) 337 pp Fiction

2,829 pages

Books Read Second Quarter

APRIL

53. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (1979) 180 pp Science Fiction/1001
54. Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy (1874) 389 pp Fiction/Re-read Reassessment
55. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark (1961) 128 pp Fiction/Re-read Reassessment
56. Mrs England by Stacey Halls (2021) 425 pp Fiction
57. The Moon and Sixpence by W Somerset Maugham (1919) 215 pp Fiction /Re-Read Reassessment
58. Poems : Giosue Carducci by Giosue Carducci (1907) 175 pp Poetry / Nobel Prize winner
59. White Mughals by William Dalrymple (2002) 501 pp Non Fiction / Shared Read (Stasia)
60. Weaveworld by Clive Barker (1987) 722 pp SF/Fantasy; BAC; Guardian Books
61. The Saddlebag by Bahiyyih Nakhjavani (2000) 253 pp Fiction /Asian Book Challenge
62. Pilgrims Way by Abdulrazak Gurnah (1988) 281 pp Fiction
63. A Village Life by Louise Gluck (2009) 71 pp Poetry/AAC wildcard
64. Brighton Rock by Graham Greene (1938) 269 pp Fiction/Re-Read Reassessment

3,609 pages

MAY

65. Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung (2017) 251 pp Fiction/Asian Book Challenge / Short Stories
66. Peterloo : Witnesses to a Massacre by Polyp (2019) 109 pp BAC / Graphic Book
67. Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid (1985) 148 pp 1001 Books
68. The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allen Poe (1844) 99 pp AAC/1001 Books/ Short Stories
69. Sovietistan by Erika Fatland (2014) 470 pp Non-Fiction/Travel
70. The Kids by Hannah Lowe (2021) 79 pp Poetry
71. Mouthful of Birds by Samanta Schweblin (2010) 228 pp Short Stories
72. The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles (2021) 420 pp Fiction
73. The Devil's Dance by Hamid Ismailov (2016) 405 pp Fiction / Asian Book Challenge
74. The Bell by Iris Murdoch (1957) 350 pp Fiction / Re-read
75. War : How Conflict Shaped Us by Margaret MacMillan (2020) 289 pp Non-Fiction
76. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (1859) 394 pp Fiction / Re-read

3,242 pages

JUNE

77. Has the West Lost It? by Kishore Mahbubani (2018) 91 pp Non-Fiction/Asian Book Challenge
78. Selected Poems : Anna Akhmatova by Anna Akhmatova (1985) 147 pp Poetry
79. The 3 Mistakes of My Life by Chetan Bhagat (2008) 258 pp Fiction/Asian Book Challenge
80. Murmur by Will Eaves (2018) 176 pp Fiction
81. Bessie Smith by Jackie Kay (1997) 194 pp Non-Fiction / BAC
82. The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue (2020) 295 pp Fiction/Capitals-Dublin
83. A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam (2007) 287 pp Fiction/ Asian Book Challenge
84. Promised You a Miracle by Andy Beckett (2015) 387 pp Non Fiction / History
85. Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree (2018) 732 pp Fiction / Asian Book Challenge
86. The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare (1983) 135 pp Fiction
87. All the Names Given by Raymond Antrobus (2021) 77 pp Poetry
88. Batlava Lake by Adam Mars-Jones (2021) 99 pp Fiction / Capitals-Pristina
89. A Girl in Exile by Ismail Kadare (2009) 186 pp. Fiction / Capitals-Tirana
90. Ludmila by Paul Gallico (1959) 65 pp Fiction / Capitals-Vaduz
91. Zorrie by Laird Hunt (2020) 161 pp Fiction
92. First Love by Gwendoline Riley (2017) 167 pp Fiction / Capitals-London

3,457 pages

Books Read Third Quarter

July

93. Imperium by Ryszard Kapuscinski (1993) 337 pp Non-Fiction /ATW (Poland)
94. The Late Sun by Christopher Reid (2021) 77 pp Poetry
95. The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka (2011) 129 pp Fiction / Asian Book Challenge
96. Waiting by Ha Jin (1999) 308 pp Fiction / Asia Book Challenge
97. The Morning Gift by Eva Ibbotson (1993) 507 pp Fiction / Capitals- Vienna
98. Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman (1998) 125 pp Non-Fiction
99. I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman (1995) 188 pp Fiction
100. Tom Jones by Henry Fielding (1749) 877 pp Fiction /BAC / 1001 Books
101. Breathtaking by Rachel Clarke (2021) 217 pp Non-Fiction
102. The Mothers by Brit Bennett (2016) 275 pp Fiction

3,040 pages

August

103. The Man Who Planted Trees by Jean Giono (1953) 42 pp Fiction
104. The Master of Go by Yasunari Kawabata (1951) 182 pp Fiction / Asian Book Challenge
105. Nemesis by Rory Clements (2019) 445 pp Thriller / BAC
106. Aesop's Fables by Aesop (bc 570) 212 pp Fiction / 1001 books
107. Earthlings by Sayaka Murata (2018) 247 pp Fiction / Asian Book Challenge
108. Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami (2001) 176 pp Fiction/ Asian Book Challenge
109. A Distant Mirror by Barbara Tuchman (1978) 634 pp Non-Fiction

1,938 pages

September

110. Downsizing by Tom Watson (2020) 244 pp Non-Fiction/TIOLI #1
111. My Brilliant Life by Kim Ae-ran (2011) 203 pp Fiction / TIOLI #2 ABC Challenge
112. Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey (2020) 279 pp Non-Fiction/NF Challenge / TIOLI #6
113. High Windows by Philip Larkin (1964) 46 pp Poetry / TIOLI #16
114. Treacle Walker by Alan Warner (2022) 152 pp Fiction
115. The Barefoot Woman by Scholastique Mukasonga (2008) 153 pp
116. The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon (1957) 138 pp Fiction / 1001 Books

1,215 pages

Books Read 4th Quarter

October

117. Asterix le gaulois by Rene Goscinny (1961) 48 pp Graphic Novel/OPEN LIBRARY
118. The Murderer by Roy Heath (1978) 210 pp Fiction/ATW - Guyana
119. A Girl's Story by Annie Ernaux (2016) 156 pp Fiction / Nobel Winner
120. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (1959) 246 pp Fiction
121. Ransom by Michael Symmons Roberts (2021) 88 pp Poetry
122. The Crofter and the Laird by John McPhee (1969) 159 pp Non-Fiction/AAC/OPEN LIBRARY
123. Britain's Royal Families by Alison Weir (1989) 331 pp Non-Fiction
124. Jubilee Lines edited by Carol Ann Duffy (2012) 134 pp Poetry
125. 11.22.63 by Stephen King (2011) 740 pp SF/Fantasy
126. The Blue Sky by Galsang Tschinag (1994) 201 pp Fiction/Asian Book Challenge/ATW - Mongolia
127. The Punch by Noah Hawley (2008) 245 pp Fiction
128. Crewe Train by Rose Macaulay (1928) 277 pp Fiction / Capitals - Andorra la Vella
129. The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka (2022) 386 pp Fiction/Booker/ATW - Sri Lanka
130. Appaloosa by Robert B. Parker (2005) 290 pp Fiction /Secret Santa
131. There, There by Tommy Orange (2018) 290 pp Fiction
132. The Five by Hallie Rubenhold (2019) 352 pp Non-Fiction
133. A Journal of the Flood Year by David Ely (1992) 223 pp Fiction
134. The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna (2010) 445 pp Fiction / ATW- Sierra Leone

4,821 pages

November

135. Me by Elton John (2019) 376 pp Non-Fiction
136. The Rest of Love by Carl Phillips (2004) 66 pp Poetry
137. Selected Poems by Geoffrey Hill (2006) 276 pp Poetry
138. The Safety Net by Andrea Camilleri (2017) 299 pp Thriller
139. The Tradition by Jericho Brown (2019) 72 pp Poetry
140. The Sicilian Method by Andrea Camilleri (2017) 298 pp Thriller
141. The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White (1939) 209 pp SF/Fantasy / BAC
142. The Cook of the Halcyon by Andrea Camilleri (2019) 264 pp Thriller
143. Riccardino by Andrea Camilleri (2020) 294 pp Thriller
144. The Queen of Air and Darkness by T.H. White (1940) 103 pp SF/Fantasy / BAC
145. The Ill-Made Knight by T.H. White (1958) 202 pp SF/Fantasy / BAC
146. The Candle in the Wind by T.H. White (1958) 125 pp SF/Fantasy / BAC
147. The Last Vote by Philip Coggan (2013) 272 pp Non-Fiction
148. The Wandering by Intan Paramaditha (2017) 433 pp Fiction / ABC / ATW - Indonesia
149. Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco (2010) 304 PP Fiction / ABC / ATW- Philippines
150. Aftermath : Life in the Fallout of the Third Reich by Harald Jahner (2019) 327 pp Non-Fiction

3,720 pages

December

151. The Push by Ashley Audrain (2021) 375 pp Thriller

Currently Reading

BOOKERS, PULITZERS, NOBEL WINNERS, 1001 BOOKS FIRST ED. & ETC

I have an ongoing challenge to read all the Booker Winners, all the Pulitzer Fiction Winners, something by each Nobel and all the 1001 Books First Ed Books. I will track my progress here:

BOOKERS READ BY DEC 31 2021 : 35 / 58
BOOKERS IN 2022 : 2 (36 / 57)
The Elected Member by Bernice Rubens
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka

PULITZERS READ BY DEC 31 2021 : 19 / 94
PULITZERS IN 2022 : 1 (20 / 94)
The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty

NOBEL LAUREATES READ BY DEC 31 2021 : 74 / 118
NOBEL WINNERS IN 2022 2 (76/119)
Poems by Giosue Carducci
A Girl's Story by Annie Ernaux

1001 BOOKS FIRST ED READ BY DEC 2021 : 319
1001 BOOKS IN 2022 8 (327)
My Name is Red
Tarka the Otter
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Annie John
The Purloined Letter
Tom Jones
Aesop's Fables
The Lonely Londoners

GUARDIAN 1000 BOOKS READ BY DEC 2021 : 349
GUARDIAN BOOKS IN 2022 5 (354)
My Name is Red
Lolly Willowes
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Weaveworld
Tom Jones

WOMEN'S PRIZE WINNERS READ BY DEC 2021 : 7 / 26
WOMEN'S PRIZE WINNERS IN 2022

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE



January - YA - The Children Who Stayed Behind by Bruce Carter
February - Mo / Renault
March - Between the Wars - Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner
April - Weaveworld by Clive Barker
May - Comics, Graphic Novels & Audiobooks - Peterloo : Witnesses to a Massacre
June - Bessie Smith by Jackie Kay
July - 18th Century - Tom Jones by Henry Fielding
August - Espionage - Nemesis by Rory Clements
September - Sequels/Adaptations etc -
October - The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna
November - Arthurian Tales - The Once and Future King by T.H. White

AMERICAN AUTHOR CHALLENGE



January - Graphic Books - The American Dream? A Journey on Route 66 by Khor Shing Yin
February - Tess Gallagher - Portable Kisses
March - Bernard Malamud
April - Louise Gluck (Wildcard) - A Village Life
May - Nineteenth Century - The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allan Poe
June - John Dos Passos
July - Gish Jen
August - Henry Louis Gates Jr
September - Pulitzers - The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty
October - John McPhee - The Crofter and the Laird
November - Native American Themes - There, There by Tommy Orange

ASIAN BOOK CHALLENGE 2022

Here is the link to the General Thread
https://www.librarything.com/topic/337731#n7692635

These will be the monthly jaunts for the ABC challenge.

JANUARY - Europe of Asia - Turkish Authors link to thread
https://www.librarything.com/topic/338244
1. My Name is Red
2. Last Train to Istanbul
3. Hotel Bosphorus
4. Disquiet

FEBRUARY - The Holy Land - Israeli & Palestinian Authors
Link to thread : https://www.librarything.com/topic/339017
1. The Blue Between Sky and Water
2. The Yellow Wind
3. The Others

MARCH - The Arab World - Writers from the Arab world
link to thread https://www.librarything.com/topic/340000
1. Frankenstein in Baghdad
2. The Songs of Mihyar the Damascene
3. Celestial Bodies

APRIL - Persia - Iranian writers
link to thread : https://www.librarything.com/topic/340943#n7802013
1. The Saddlebag

MAY - The Stans - There are 7 states all in the same region all ending in "Stan"
link to thread: https://www.librarything.com/topic/341521
1. The Devil's Dance (Uzbekistan)

JUNE - The Indian Sub-Continent - Essentially authors from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
Link to thread : https://www.librarything.com/topic/342060#n7866381
1. The 3 Mistakes of My Life
2. A Golden Age
3. Tomb of Sand
4. The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida

JULY - The Asian Superpower - Chinese Authors
Link to thread : https://www.librarything.com/topic/342727#n7879104
1. Waiting by Ha Jin

AUGUST - Nippon - Japanese Authors
Link to thread : https://www.librarything.com/topic/343245#n7895968
1. The Master of Go
2. Earthlings
3. Strange Weather in Tokyo

SEPTEMBER - Kimchi - Korean Authors
1. Cursed Bunny
2. My Brilliant Life

OCTOBER - INDO CHINA PLUS - Authors from Indo-China and other countries neighbouring China
1. The Blue Sky

NOVEMBER - The Malay Archipelago - Malaysian, Singaporean, Filipino and Indonesian Authors
1. Has the West Lost It?
2. The Wandering
3. Ilustrado

DECEMBER - The Asian Diaspora - Ethnic Asian writers from elsewhere
1. Homeland Elegies
2. Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World
3. Intimacies
4. Night Haunts
5. The Buddha in the Attic

I was able just about to cover the whole of the continent and I didn't include one for Russia as most of the authors are decidedly European in their ethnicity and leaning.

AROUND THE WORLD IN BOOKS SINCE 2021

Around the world in books challenge. I want to see how many countries I can cover without limiting myself to a specific deadline. Continued from last year.


1. United Kingdom - The Ways of the World by Robert Goddard EUROPE
2. Ireland - The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde EUROPE
3. Lithuania - Selected and Last Poems by Czeslaw Milosz EUROPE
4. Netherlands - The Ditch by Herman Koch EUROPE
5. Armenia - The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian ASIA PACIFIC
6. Zimbabwe - This Mournable Body by Tsitsi Dangarembga AFRICA
7. United States - Averno by Louise Gluck AMERICA
8. Australia - Taller When Prone by Les Murray ASIA PACIFIC
9. France - Class Trip by Emmanuel Carrere EUROPE
10. Russia - The Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov EUROPE
11. Denmark - Fear and Trembling by Soren Kierkegaard EUROPE
12. Democratic Republic of Congo - Tram 83 by Fiston Mwanze Mujila AFRICA
13. Canada - I Heard the Owl Call My Name by Margaret Craven AMERICA
14. Italy - The Overnight Kidnapper by Andrea Camilleri EUROPE
15. New Zealand - Dove on the Waters by Maurice Shadbolt ASIA PACIFIC
16. India - A Burning by Megha Majumdar ASIA PACIFIC
17. Libya - The Return by Hisham Matar AFRICA
18. Pakistan - Moth Smoke by Mohsin Hamid ASIA PACIFIC
19. South Korea - Diary of a Murderer by Kim Young-Ha ASIA PACIFIC
20. Morocco - The Curious Case of Dassoukine's Trousers by Fouad Laroui AFRICA
21. Thailand - Arid Dreams by Duanwad Pimwana ASIA PACIFIC
22. Norway - Echoland by Per Petterson EUROPE
23. Belgium - I Choose to Live by Sabine Dardenne EUROPE
24. Sweden - Still Waters by Viveca Sten EUROPE
25. Trinidad - Half a Life by VS Naipaul AMERICAS
26. Sudan - Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih AFRICA
27. Uruguay - Springtime in a Broken Mirror by Mario Benedetti AMERICAS
28. Syria - My Country : A Syrian Memoir by Kassem Eid ASIA PACIFIC
29. Ghana - The God Child by Nana Oforiatta Ayim AFRICA
30. Austria - Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E Frankl EUROPE
31. Germany - Cat and Mouse by Gunter Grass EUROPE
32. South Africa - No Turning Back by Beverley Naidoo AFRICA
33. Mauritania - Arab Jazz by Karim Miske AFRICA
34. Cuba - The Kingdom of This World by Alejo Carpentier AMERICAS
35. Nigeria - Notes on Grief by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie AFRICA
36. Portugal - The Return by Dulce Maria Cardoso EUROPE
37. Japan - Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids by Kenzaburo Oe ASIA PACIFIC
38. Senegal - At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop AFRICA
39. Malta - The Hiding Place by Trezza Azzopardi EUROPE
40. Chile - A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende AMERICAS
41. Lebanon - The First Century After Beatrice by Amin Maalouf ASIA PACIFIC
42. Spain - The Watcher in the Shadows by Carlos Ruiz Zafon EUROPE
43. Somalia - The Fortune Men by Nadifa Mohamed AFRICA
44. Malaysia - Strangers on a Pier by Tash Aw ASIA PACIFIC
45. Mexico - Sudden Death by Alvaro Enrigue AMERICAS
46. Latvia - The Hedgehog and the Fox by Isaian Berlin EUROPE
47. Malawi - Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver AFRICA
48. Turkey - My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk ASIA PACIFIC
49. Egypt - The Thief and the Dogs by Naguib Mahfouz AFRICA
50. Argentina - My Two Worlds by Sergio Chejfec - AMERICAS
51. Iceland - Black Out by Ragnar Jonasson - EUROPE
52. Jamaica - Redemption Ground by Lorna Goodison - AMERICAS
53. Palestine - The Blue Between Sky and Water by Susan Abulhawa - ASIA PACIFIC
54. Israel - The Yellow Wind by David Grossman - ASIA PACIFIC
55. Iraq - Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi - ASIA PACIFIC
56. Papua New Guinea - Tales of the Tikongs by Epeli Hau'ofa - ASIA PACIFIC
57. Oman - Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi - ASIA PACIFIC
58. Iran - The Saddlebag by Bahiyyih Nakhjavani - ASIA PACIFIC
59. Tanzania - Pilgrims Way by Abdulrazak Gurnah - AFRICA
60. Antigua - Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid - AMERICAS
61. Uzbekistan - The Devil's Dance by Hamid Ismailov - ASIA PACIFIC
62. Singapore - Has the West Lost It? by Kishore Mahbubani - ASIA PACIFIC
63. Ukraine - Selected Poems: Anna Akhmatova by Anna Akhmatova - EUROPE
64. Bangladesh - A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam - ASIA PACIFIC
65. Albania - A Girl in Exile by Ismail Kadare - EUROPE
66. Poland - Imperium by Ryszard Kapuscinski - EUROPE
67. China - Waiting by Ha Jin - ASIA PACIFIC
68. Greece - Aesop's Fables by Aesop - EUROPE
69. Rwanda - The Barefoot Woman by Scholastique Mukasonga - AFRICA
70. Guyana - The Murderer by Roy Heath - AMERICAS
71. Mongolia - The Blue Sky by Galsang Tschinag - ASIA PACIFIC
72. Sri Lanka - The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka - ASIA PACIFIC
73. Sierra Leone - The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna - AFRICA
74. Indonesia - The Wandering by Intan Paramaditha - ASIA PACIFIC
75. Philippines - Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco - ASIA PACIFIC


Create Your Own Visited Countries Map

African Reading Challenge 2023



Plans

January - NORTH AFRICA
February - LUSOPHONE LIT
March - CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE or Buchi Emecheta
April - THE HORN OF AFRICA
May - AFRICAN NOBEL WINNERS
June - EAST AFRICA
July - CHINUA ACHEBE or Ben Okri
August - FRANCOPHONE AFRICA
September - SOUTHERN AFRICA
October - SCHOLASTIQUE MUKASONGA / NGUGI WA THIONG'O
November - AFRICAN THRILLERS / CRIME WRITERS
December - WEST AFRICA

BOUGHT AND READ IN 2022

1 Opium Abdoh
2 The Blue Between Sky and Water Abulhawa READ
3 Mornings in Jenin Abulhawa
4 There Was a Country Achebe
5 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Adams READ
6 The Wasington Decree Adler-Olsen
7 The Aeinid by Virgil
8 Trouble With Product X Aiken
9 The Naked Don't Fear the Water Aikins
10 What a Strange Paradise Akkad
11 Leave the World Behind Alam
12 The Angel of History Alameddine
13 The Pact We've Made Alammar
14 Cwen Albina
15 The Book of Three Alexander
16 Boys in Zinc Alexievich
17 Bitter Orange Tree Alharthi
18 The Bread the Devil Knead Allen-Agostini
19 Salt Lick Allison
20 The President's Gardens Al-Ramli
21 In the Country Alvar
22 Animalia Amo
23 A Golden Age Anam READ
24 The Bones of Grace Anam
25 The Good Muslim Anam
26 Fantasyland Andersen
27 The Abyss and Other Stories Andreyev
28 All the Names Given Antrobus READ
29 Twilight of Democracy Applebaum
30 Red Famine Applebaum
31 Dear Future Boyfriend Aptowicz
32 The Golden Ass Apuleius
33 Eichmann in Jerusalem Arendt
34 The Travelling Cat Chronicles Arikawa
35 Under the Blue Aristide
36 The Dollmaker Arnow
37 Mad Boy Arvin
38 A Kind of Intimacy Ashworth
39 Ghosted Ashworth
40 Stet Athill
41 A God in Ruins by K Atkinson
42 Transcription by K Atkinson
43 The British are Coming by R Atkinson
44 Dearly Atwood
45 The Testaments Atwood
46 The Push Audrain
47 Mansfield Park Austen
48 Northanger Abbey Austen
49 Bunny Awad
50 Tower Bae
51 How the World Thinks Baggini
52 The Dark Lake Bailey, S
53 A Peace of the World Baker- Kline
54 I Will Miss You Tomorrow Bakkeid
55 When We Were Birds Banwo
56 The Powerful and the Damned Barber
57 Heading Inland Barker, N
58 The Women of Troy Barker, P
59 Night Boat to Tangier Barry
60 Shadows on the Road Barry, M
61 King Cnut Bartlett
62 Last Days in Old Europe Bassett
63 The Inseperables Beauvoir
64 Promised You a Miracle Beckett READ
65 Two Tribes Beckett, C
66 Staligrad Beevor
67 Humboldt's Gift Bellow
68 The Victim Bellow
69 Lucky Breaks Belorusets
70 The Personal Librarian Benedict
71 The Mothers Bennett READ
72 A Manual for Cleaning Women Berlin
73 The Diary of a Country Priest Bernanos
74 The Autumn of the Ace Bernieres
75 Poetry Will Save Your Life Bialosky
76 The Wars of the Roses : The Bloody Struggle for England's Throne Bicheno
77 Civilisations Binet
78 Rift Birch, B
79 Britain 1851-2021 Black
80 The Manningtree Witches Blackmore
81 Lorna Doone Blackmore, RD
82 Selected Poetical Works of Blake Blake
83 The Others Blau READ
84 Heritage Bonnefoy
85 The Beast of the Camargue Bonnot
86 The Hiding Place Boom
87 Two Serious Ladies Bowles
88 Plain Pleasures Bowles
89 White Crysanthemum Bracht
90 Stay With Me Till Morning Braine
91 Illyrian Spring Bridge
92 The Ascent of Man Bronowski
93 Vilette Bronte, C
94 Wuthering Heights Bronte, E
95 Maud Martha Brooks, G
96 The Clocks in this House All Tell Different Times Brooks, X
97 Seven Ways to Change the World Brown
98 Assembly Brown, N
99 Stand on Zanzibar Brunner
100 Notes from a Small Island Bryson
101 Glory Bulawayo
102 Moneyland Bullough
103 Dark Avenues Bunin
104 The Shape of Things to Come Burch
105 Reflections on the Revolution in France Burke
106 Case Study Burnet
107 Evelina Burney
108 Junky Burroughs
109 Perfidious Albion Byers
110 The Poetry of Lord Byron Byron
111 The Road to Oxiana Byron
112 August 1914 : France and the Great War Cabanes
113 Money and Power Cable
114 The Ruin of Kasch Calasso
115 Multitudes Caldwell, L
116 Mr Palomar Calvino
117 Riccardino Camilleri REd
118 Three Light Years Canobbio
119 Careless Capes
120 The Kingdom Carrerre
121 The Lost Girls of Rome Carrisi
122 Nostalgia Cartarescu
123 Queenie Carty-Williams
124 O'Pioneers Cather
125 And the Ass Saw the Angel Cave
126 Don Quixote Cervantes
127 Moonglow Chabon
128 The School for Good Mothers Chan
129 Red Earth and Pouring Rain Chandra
130 Love and Longing in Bombay Chandra
131 Naked Earth Chang
132 Bestiary Chang, K-Ming
133 The Paris Library Charles READ
134 The Canterbury Tales Chaucer
135 The Immortals Chaudhuri
136 My Two Worlds Chejfec READ
137 Grant Chernow
138 The Wish Child Chidgey
139 Remote Sympathy Chidgey
140 Echoes from the City Christensen
141 Peril at End House Christie
142 Cursed Bunny Chung READ
143 The Hunt for Red October Clancy
144 Time and Power Clark
145 Civilisations Clark
146 I Wanna Be Yours Clarke
147 Breathtaking Clarke READ
148 The Dark Knight and the Puppet Master Clarke
149 The Sands of Mars Clarke, AC
150 The End of the Day Clegg
151 Hitler's Secret Clements
152 A Prince and a Spy Clements
153 The Death of Jesus Coetzee
154 The Boy With the Tiger's Heart Coggin
155 The Netanyahus Cohen
156 The Future of Capitalism Collier
157 A House and It's Head Compton-Burnett
158 Manservant and Maidservant Compton-Burnett
159 310. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
160 Dignity Conran
161 Fate Consiglio
162 Confession of the Lioness Couto
163 Love in Idleness Craig
164 The Lie of the Land Craig, A
165 A Vicious Circle Craig, A
166 A Very Nice Girl Crimp
167 Dr Finlay's Casebook Cronin
168 Transit Cusk
169 Second Place Cusk
170 A Winter's Promise Dabos
171 The Anarchy Dalrymple
172 All Our Shimmering Skies Dalton
173 Damnation Spring Davidson, A
174 Kolymsky Heights Davidson, L
175 Beneath Another Sky Davies
176 West Davies, C
177 Justice on Trial Daw
178 Roxana Defoe
179 Bomber Deighton
180 Blood, Tears and Folly Deighton
181 The Profiteers Denton
182 Meditations of the First Philosophy Descartes
183 Trust Diaz
184 Martian Time-Slip Dick
185 They Dick, K
186 David Copperfield Dickens
187 A Spare Life Dimkovska
188 Desert Flower Dirie
189 Crime and Punishmen Dostoevsky
190 The Gambler Dostoevsky
191 The Guts Doyle
192 Jerusalem the Golden Drabble
193 This Living and Immortal Thing Duffy, A
194 The Generation Game Duffy, S
195 In the Name of the Family Dunant
196 The Dud Avocado Dundy
197 Justine Durrell
198 Balthazar Durrell
199 Mountolive Durrell
200 Clea Durrell
201 White Eagles Over Serbia Durrell
202 Monsieur Durrell
203 Suspicion Durrenmatt
204 The Cry of the Go-Away Bird Eames
205 The Informers Easton Ellis
206 Murmur Eaves READ
207 The Mother Edwards
208 The Witches of St Petersburg Edwards-Jones
209 Manhattan Beach Egan
210 After the Sun Eika
211 Flamingo Elliott
212 The Rack Ellis
213 The Waiting Years Enchi
214 The Dangers of Smoking in Bed Enriquez
215 The Sentence Erdrich
216 Returning to Rheims Eribon
217 The Office of Historical Corrections Evans, D
218 Telephone Everett
219 The Trees Everett
220 Ex Libris Fadiman READ
221 The Volunteer Fairweather
222 In the Darkroom Faludi
223 Everything is True Farooki
224 Sovietistan Fatland READ
225 Wild Palms Faulkner
226 Soldier's Pay Faulkner
227 Colossus Ferguson
228 Doom Ferguson
229 The Days of Abandonement Ferrante
230 The Story of a New Name Ferrante
231 Then We Came to the End Ferris
232 The Europeans Figes
233 The Whisperers Figes
234 The Body Snatchers Finney
235 The Package Fitzek
236 Effi Briest Fontane
237 A Tall History of Sugar Forbes
238 The Good Soldier Ford
239 The Longest Journey Forster
240 The Outsider Forsyth
241 A New Name Fosse
242 The Other Name Fosse
243 In the Wolf's Mouth Foulds
244 The Turner House Fournoy
245 Booth Fowler
246 Padagogy of the Oppressed Freire
247 Political Order and Political Decay Fukuyama
248 Identity Fukuyama
249 Unsettled Ground Fuller
250 The Great Crash 1929 Galbraith
251 Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch Galchen
252 Take Nothing With You Gale
253 Small Circle of Beings Galgut
254 Portable Kisses Gallagher, T READ
255 The Lover of Horses Gallagher, T
256 Mrs Arris Goes to Paris Gallico
257 Fate is the Hunter Gann
258 Of Women and Salt Garcia
259 Treacle Walker Garner READ
260 The Checklist Manifesto Gawande
261 The Yellow House Gayford
262 My Cleaner Gee
263 Breakout at Stalingrad Gerlach
264 Surviving Autocracy Gessen
265 Enbury Heath Gibbons
266 Until I Find Julian Giff
267 Gigi Colette
268 The Gardens of Mars Gimlette
269 The Man Who Planted Trees Giono READ
270 The Day of Silence Gissing
271 The Death of a Mafia Don Giuttari
272 A Florentine Death Giuttari
273 Talking to Strangers Gladwell
274 The Fine Art of Invisible Detection Goddard
275 Coromandel Sea Change Godden, R
276 Elective Affinities Goethe
277 Wilhelm Meister Goethe
278 Darkness Visible Golding
279 The Double Tongue Golding
280 Olga Dies Dreaming Gonzalez
281 Redemption Ground Goodison READ
282 The Mother Gorky
283 The Dark Circle Grant, L
284 The Greek Myths Graves
285 Straw Dogs Gray
286 Old Men in Love Gray
287 The Heart of the Matter Greene
288 Brighton Rock Greene READ
289 Our Man in Havana Greene
290 A Burnt out Case Greene
291 The Quiet American Greene
292 The Human Factor Greene
293 The End of the Affair Greene
294 Down Among the Wild Men Greenway
295 Rose Nicholson Greig
296 The Zig Zag Girl Griffiths
297 Matrix Groff
298 Delicate Edible Birds Groff
299 The Storyteller Grohl
300 Liar Gundar-Goshen
301 Pilgrims Way Gurnah READ
302 Memory of Departure Gurnah
303 Dottie Gurnah
304 Paradise Gurnah
305 Admiring Silence Gurnah
306 Red Birds Haif
307 The Last Family in England Haig
308 Burntcoat Hall, S
309 The Familiars Halls
310 Mrs England Halls READ
311 The Foundling Halls
312 The Quarry Halls, B
313 The Last White Man Hamid
314 For the Glory Hamilton
315 The Pages Hamilton
316 The Left Handed Woman Handke
317 The Great Alone Hannah
318 The Four Winds Hannah, K
319 The 1619 Project Hannah-Jones
320 21 Lessons for the 21st Century Harari
321 The Art of Fielding Harbach
322 Below Deck Hardcastle
323 Enon Harding
324 Far From the Madding Crowd Hardy READ
325 The Mayor of Casterbridge Hardy
326 Tess of the D'Urbervilles Hardy
327 The Woodlanders Hardy
328 Jude the Obscure Hardy
329 I Who Have Never Known Men Harpman READ
330 The Other Black Girl Harris
331 Tender Harwicz
332 Shadowless Hasan
333 Ill Feelings Hattrick
334 The Wall Haushofer
335 Dear Child Hausmann
336 Pandora's Jar Haynes
337 The Mere Wife Headley
338 The Murderer Heath READ
339 The Paper Palace Heller
340 True at First Light Hemingway
341 Death in the Afternoon Hemingway
342 A Moveable Feast Hemingway
343 Never Again Hennessy
344 A Small Revolution in Germany Hensher
345 Too Far to Walk Hersey
346 The Glass Bead Game Hesse
347 Emergency Hildyard
348 Men Who Feed Pigeons Hill
349 A Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons Hindley
350 The Outsiders Hinton
351 A Man Hirano
352 A Lie Someone Told About Yourself Ho Davies
353 The Age of Empire Hobsbawm
354 The Age of Extremes Hobsbawm
355 Dominion Holland
356 Cathedral Hopkins
357 Moonflower Murders Horowitz
358 The House of Silk Horowitz
359 The Hunting Dogs Horst
360 Southernmost House
361 All Change Howard
362 The Windsor Diairies Howard
363 Only Killers and Thieves Howarth
364 The Book of Mother Huisman
365 An Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding Hume
366 Zorrie Hunt READ
367 The Evening Road Hunt, L
368 Jonah's Gourd Vine Hurston
369 Island Huxley
370 The Morning Gift Ibbotson READ
371 The Slaughterman's Daughter Iczkovits
372 Headlong Ings
373 In One Person Irving
374 Bullet Train Isaka
375 Klara and the Sun Ishiguro, K
376 Common Ground Ishiguro, N
377 The Prince of West End Avenue Isler
378 The Devil's Dance Ismailov READ
379 Fault Lines Itami
380 The Librarian of Auschwitz Iturbe
381 The Will to Believe James
382 The Golden Bowl James
383 The Tusk that Did the Damage James, T
384 The Loves Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois Jeffers
385 The Changeling Jenkins
386 Middle Passage Johnson, C
387 Fen Johnson, D
388 Wild Grass Johnson, I
389 My Monticello Johnson, JN
390 A Deeper Shade of Blue Johnston
391 Hitman Anders and the Meaning of it All Jonasson
392 The Pugilist at Rest Jones
393 Realm Divided Jones, D
394 Palmares Jones, G
395 Corregidora Jones, G
396 Breathe Joyce
397 A Girl in Exile Kadare READ
398 Prolgemena on any future Metaphysics Kant
399 Imperium Kapuscinski READ
400 Travels with Herodotus Kapuscinski
401 The Emperor Kapuscinski
402 The Sound of the Mountain Kawabata
403 Before the Coffee Gets Cold Kawaguchi
404 Breasts and Eggs Kawakami
405 All the Lovers in the Night Kawakami
406 Bessie Smith Kay READ
407 This is Going to Hurt Kay
408 Every Fire You Tend Kaygusuz
409 Ask Again, Yes Keane, MB
410 Complete Poems of John Keats Keats
411 For the Good Times Keenan, D
412 A Disaffection Kelman
413 The Transition Kennard
414 The Answer to Everything Kennard
415 The End of the World is a Cul-de-Sac Kennedy
416 Painting Time Kerangal
417 Roundabout of Death Khartash
418 Things in Jars Kidd
419 My Brilliant Life Kim READ
420 See Now Then Kincaid
421 A Gift of Love King, Jr
422 Writers and Lovers King, L
423 Beast Kingsnorth
424 River Kinsky
425 Intimacies Kitamura READ
426 A Separation Kitamura
427 Why We're Polarized Klein
428 The House in the Cerulean Sea Klune
429 Autumn Knausgaard READ
430 Winter Knausgaard
431 Spring Knausgaard
432 Summer Knausgaard
433 War and War Krasznahorkai
434 The Light That Failed Kratsev
435 Last Train to Istanbul Kulin READ
436 Gods Without Men Kunzru
437 Build Your House Around My Body Kupersmith
438 Grey Bees Kurkov
439 Salt Kurlansky
440 Cod Kurlansky
441 Telex from Cuba Kushner
442 The Answers Lacey
443 Paul Lafarge
444 Wherabouts Lahiri
445 Modern Gods Laird
446 Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures Lam
447 Maid Land
448 Good Neightbours Langan
449 The Couple Next Door Lapena
450 The Praetorians Larteguy
451 Lady Chatterley's Lover Lawrence
452 A Town Called Solace Lawson
453 Salka Valka Laxness
454 Silverview Le Carre
455 The Goose Fritz Lebedev
456 Free Food for Millionaires Lee, MJ
457 Songbirds Lefteri
458 Lanterne Rouge Leonard
459 The Grass is Singing Lessing
460 Hana's Suitcase Levine, K READ
461 Things I Don't Want to Know Levy
462 Real Estate Levy
463 The Cost of Living Levy
464 Days in the History of Silence Lindstrom, M READ
465 Severance Ling Ma
466 The Wind on the Moon Linklater
467 Pleasantville Locke
468 She Lies in Wait Lodge
469 Martin Eden London
470 The Kids Lowe READ
471 Foreign Affairs Lurie
472 The War Between the Tates Lurie
473 Border Songs Lynch
474 Crewe Train Macaulay READ
475 The Night the Rich Men Burned Mackay
476 Tenderness MacLeod
477 Mother Mother Macmanus
478 War : How Conflict Shaped Us MacMillan READ
479 Collected Poems : Louis MacNeice MacNeice
480 The Colony Magee
481 From India Mahadevan
482 Has the West Lost It? Mahbubani READ
483 The Cruel Way Maillart
484 Gossip from the Forest Maitland
485 Manchester Happened Makumbi
486 The Silent Woman Malcolm
487 Nocilla Dream Mallo
488 Nocilla Experience Mallo
489 Nocilla Lab Mallo
490 Fly Away Peter Malouf
491 Aue Manawatu
492 Seasons of Purgatory Mandanipour
493 The Glass Hotel Mandel
494 Tangerine Mangan
495 Buddenbrooks Mann
496 Shadowplay Marshall
497 Batlava Lake Mars-Jones READ
498 Sorrow and Bliss Mason
499 You be Mother Mason
500 The Four Horsemen Mayhew
501 Governing the World Mazower
502 How Beautiful We Were Mbue
503 How to Disappear McAllister
504 Child of God McCarthy
505 Suttree McCarthy
506 The Crossing McCarthy
507 All the Pretty Horses McCarthy
508 Cities of the Plain McCarthy
509 Blood Meridian McCarthy
510 Greenlights McConaughey READ
511 Shakespearean McCrum
512 The Mermaids Singing McDermid
513 Little Girl Lost McGilloway
514 Lean Fall Stand McGregor
515 Pure Gold McHugh
516 The Rules of Revelation McInerney
517 Paradais Melchior
518 Three Rings Mendelsohn
519 The Exhibitionist Mendelson
520 Lenin on the Strain Merridale
521 Carthage Must Be Destroyed Miles
522 Utilitarianism Mill
523 Norwegian by Night Miller, D
524 A Children's Bible Millet
525 Go Big Milliband
526 Paradise Lost Milton
527 Nathaniel's Nutmeg Milton, G
528 Four Soldiers Mingarelli
529 Age of Anger Mishra
530 The Bettr Half Moalem
531 Black Mamba Boy Mohamed
532 King of the City Moorcock
533 The Sport of Kings Morgan
534 The Naked Ape Morris
535 The Bluest Eye Morrison
536 Adventures in Morocco Morrison
537 Maps of Our Spectacular Badies Mortimer
538 My Year of Rest and Relaxation Moshfegh
539 The Fell Moss READ
540 Signs for Lost Children Moss
541 Nightcrawling Mottley
542 The Barefoot Woman Mukasonga READ
543 Lives of Girls and Women Munro
544 First Person Singular Murakami
545 Colorless Tsukuru Tasaki Murakami
546 Convenience Store Woman Murata
547 The Bell Murdoch READ
548 The Sandcastle Murdoch
549 Under the Net Murdoch
550 The Time of the Angels Murdoch
551 The Confusions of Young Torless Musil
552 Male Tears Myers
553 Beastings Myers
554 Pnin Nabokov
555 Pale Fire Nabokov
556 How High We Go in the Dark Nagamatsu
557 The Boat Nam Le
558 Blanche on the Lam Neely
559 Open Water Nelson
560 Ratlines Neville
561 Little Fires Everwhere Ng
562 Outlawed North
563 We Were the Mulvaneys Oates
564 The Man Without Qualities Oates
565 The Diving Pool Ogawa
566 The Memory Police Ogawa
567 Ten North Frederick O'Hara
568 Dog Park Oksanen
569 Rooms Oliver
570 The Ministry of Bodies O'Mahony
571 Running in the Family Ondaatje
572 Daydreams of Angels O'Neill
573 Almost Love O'Neill
574 Dark Neighbourhood Onwuemezi
575 The Nest Oppel READ
576 There, There Orange READ
577 Chouette Oshetsky
578 The Man Who Died Twice Osman
579 Wildland Osnos
580 Gentlemen Ostergren
581 The Swimmers Otsuka
582 The Buddha in the Attic Otsuka READ
583 The Portrait Otten
584 The Road to War Overy
585 Peaces Oyeyemi
586 The Book of Form and Emptiness Ozeki
587 Daughters of the Labyrinth Padel
588 Silent House Pamuk
589 The Red-Haired Woman Pamuk
590 Benjamin's Crossing Parini
591 Love in the Big City Park
592 Travelling in a Strange Land Park, D
593 Appaloosa Parker, R READ
594 The Dutch House Patchett
595 The Moon and the Bonfires Pavase
596 The House on the Hill Pavese
597 The Wanderers Pears
598 An Instance of the Fingerpost Pears
599 The Brothers York Penn
600 The Essex Serpent Perry
601 12 Rules for Life Peterson
602 Beyond Order Peterson
603 Mama Amazonica Petit
604 Prague Phillips, A
605 The Secret Lives of Church Ladies Philyaw
606 Capital in the Twenty First Century Piketty
607 Elena Knows Pineiro
608 The Sense of Style Pinker
609 The Colossus Plath
610 The Death of Socrates Plato
611 Poetics Poetics
612 The Glass Pearls Pressburger
613 Within a Budding Grove Proust
614 The Kingdoms Pulley
615 Some Tame Gazelle Pym
616 The Lady from Tel Aviv Rabai Al-Madhoun
617 The Italian Radcliffe
618 The Fountainhead Rand
619 The World Made Straight Rash
620 English Pastoral Rebanks
621 The Behaviour of Love Reeves
622 The Late Sun Reid READ
623 Daisy Jones and the Six Reid
624 The Wolf and the Woodsman Reid
625 The Way Back Remarque
626 Purposes of Love Renault
627 The Evenings Reve
628 The Wave Rhue
629 Hard Choices : What Britain Does Next Ricketts
630 Pandemic Riddle
631 A Shock Ridgway
632 First Love Riley READ
633 My Phantoms Riley
634 Stiff Roach
635 The Storm of War Roberts
636 News of the Dead Robertson
637 Beautiful World, Where are You? Rooney READ
638 Many Different Kinds of Love Rosen
639 Oreo Ross
640 This Sky One Day Ross, L
641 Looking for Mr Goodbar Rossner
642 Call it Sleep Roth, H
643 The Humbling Roth, P
644 Statistics Without Tears Rowntree
645 Sleeping on Jupiter Roy
646 My Dark Vanessa Russell, K
647 On Politics Ryan
648 Holes Sacher
649 Fireflies Sagasti
650 China Room Sahota
651 Ours are the Streets Sahota
652 Ariadne Saint
653 The Teacher of Cheops Salvado
654 Seasons in the Sun Sandbrook
655 Who Dares Wins Sandbrook
656 State of Emergency Sandbrook
657 Never Had it So Good Sandbrook
658 White Heat Sandbrook
659 The Tyranny of Merit Sandel
660 East West Street Sands
661 Push Sapphire
662 The Double Saramago
663 The Wall Sartre
664 Time's Monster Satia
665 The Collapse of Globalism Saul
666 The Power of the Dog Savage
667 Without a Claim Schulman
668 After Sappho Schwartz
669 Mouthful of Birds Schweblin READ
670 Ottoman Odyssey Scott
671 Son of the Century Scurati
672 Vertigo Sebald
673 The Butt Self
674 Desiree Selinko
675 Once Upon a River Setterfield
676 Mercies Sexton
677 Sonnets Shakespeare
678 King Lear Shakespeare
679 Selected Poetry of Percy Bysse Shelley Shelley
680 The World to Come Shepard
681 The Real Iron Lady Shephard
682 The School for Scandal Sheridan
683 The Stone Diairies Shields
684 Body Surfing Shreve
685 Should We Stay or Should We Go Shriver
686 Our Country Friends Shteyngart
687 Improvement Silber
688 Prep Sittenfield
689 Money and Government Skidelsky
690 The Country of Others Slimani
691 Spring Smith, A
692 The Road to Unfreedom Snyder
693 Orwell's Roses Solnit
694 The Gallary of Vanished Husbands Solomons
695 August 14 Solzhenitsyn
696 The Moon and Sixpence Somerset Maugham READ
697 Cakes and Ale Somerset Maugham
698 Of Human Bondage Somerset Maugham
699 The Painted Veil Somerset Maugham
700 The Razor's Edge Somerset Maugham
701 In America Sontag
702 The Dictionary of Animal Languages Sopinka
703 The Quest for Cosmic Justice Sowell
704 The Interpreters Soyinka
705 Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth Soyinka
706 The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Spark READ
707 The Sign of the Beaver Speare, E READ
708 Light Perpetual Spufford
709 The New Oxford Book of War Poetry Stallworthy
710 My Cat Yugoslavia Statovci
711 The Grapes of Wrath Steinbeck
712 Closed Circles Sten
713 In Memory of Memory Stepanova
714 Seveneves Stephenson
715 Britain Alone Stevens
716 The Black Arrow Stevenson
717 Earth Abides Stewart
718 In the Days of Rain Stott
719 Dead Man's Embers Strachan
720 Oh William Strout
721 Roadside Picnic Strugartsky
722 Havana Year Zero Suarez
723 Asylum Road Sudjic
724 Sweet Bean Paste Sukegawa
725 The Last Green Valley Sullivan
726 The Silence of Scheherzade Suman
727 Law in a Time of Crisis Sumption
728 A World Without Work Susskind
729 How to be well Read Sutherland
730 Katalin Street Szabo
731 The Histories Tacitus
732 Animal Tadeo
733 Three Women Tadeo
734 The Listeners Tannahill
735 Blaming Taylor
736 Misbehaving Thaler
737 Picture Palace Theroux
738 The River Between Thiong'o
739 Learwife Thorp
740 Chinatown Thuan
741 The Great Level Tillyard
742 The Magician Toibin
743 The Books of Jacob Tokarczuk
744 Anna Karenina Tolstoy
745 This Sovereign Isle Tombs
746 Crashed Tooze
747 Swing Hammer Swing! Torrington
748 The Inequality Machine Tough
749 Lonely Castle in the Mirror Tsujimura
750 A Distant Mirror Tuchman READ
751 On the Eve Turgenev
752 Smoke Turgenev
753 Virgin Soil Turgenev
754 Vinegar Girl Tyler
755 Rabbit Redux Updike
756 The Neighborhood Vargas Lllosa
757 Another Now Varoufakis
758 Adults in the Room Varoufakis
759 Myra Breckinridge Vidal
760 Breakfast of Champions Vonnegut
761 The Order of the Day Vuillard
762 KL : A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps Wachsmann
763 The Castle of Otranto Walpole
764 Hench Walschots
765 The Cold Millions Walter
766 The Final Revival of Opal & Nev Walton, D
767 The Philosopher King Walton, J
768 Downsizing Watson READ
769 Fools Crow Welch, J
770 Remember Me Weldon
771 Two Hundred Years of Muddling Through Weldon
772 Kipps Wells
773 The Cutting Room Welsh
774 The Machine Gunners Westall
775 Harlem Shuffle Whitehead
776 Zone One Whitehead
777 The Classical School : The Turbulent Birth of Economics Williams, C
778 This is Happiness Williams, N
779 Four Letters of Love Williams, N
780 The Dictionary of Lost Words Williams, P
781 Resolution Wilson
782 Land Winchester
783 The Surgeon of Crowthorne Winchester
784 Still Life Winman
785 The Shepherd's Hut Winton
786 The Right Stuff Wolfe
787 Ten Great Works of Philosophy Wolff
788 The Female Persuasion Wolitzer
789 The Interestings Wolitzer
790 The Waves Woolf
791 The Years Woolf
792 The Man With the Compound Eyes Wu Ming-Yi
793 Trouble with Lichen Wyndham
794 Madam Wynne
795 20 Fragments of a Ravenous Youth Xiaolu Gao
796 Cold Spring Harbor Yates
797 Moscow Stations Yerofeev
798 Nightbitch Yoder
799 Briar Rose Yolen
800 Run Me to Earth Yoon
801 Fieldwork in Ukrainian Sex Zabuzhko
802 Ten Lessons for a Post- Pandemic World Zakaria
803 The Fellowship Zaleski
804 We Are All Birds Zayyan
805 The Hidden Pleasures of Life Zeldin
806 Between the Wars Ziegler
807 Black Shack Alley Zobel
808 The Attack on the Mill Zola
809 A Love Story Zola
810 The Conquest of Plassans Zola
811. Dominion by Peter Ackroyd
812. Dakota Kill by Peter Brandvold
813. The Romantics by Peter Brandvold
814. The Red Prince by Helen Carr
815. The House on the Lake by Nuala Ellwood
816. So Big by Edna Ferber
817. On Tangled Paths by Theodor Fontane
818. What You Have Heard is True by Carolyn Forche
819. A Fistful of Shells by Toby Green
820. Why We Get the Wrong Politicians by Isabel Hardman
821. The Junior Officer's Reading Club by Patrick Hennessey
822. Finisterre by Graham Hurley
823. Stalker by Lars Kepler
824. The Government of No One by Ruth Kinna
825. The Centurians by Jean Larteguy
826. The Flight Portfolio by Julie Orringer
827. The Devil in the Flesh by Raymond Radiguet
828. Ransom by Michael Symmons Roberts READ
829. So Sure of Death by Dana Stabenow
830. Germinal by Emile Zola
831. The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka READ
832. Triflers Need Not Apply by Camilla Bruce
833. We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
834. Mexican Gothic by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia
835. The Truants by Kate Weinberg
836. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
837. The Glamour Boys by Chris Bryant
838. Solar by Ian McEwan
839. Metamorphosis : Selected Stories by Penelope Lively
840. The City of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
841. Bonsai by Alejandro Zambra
842. Before My Actual Heart Breaks by Tish Delaney
843. The Other Slavery by Andres Resendez
844. The End of Everything by Katie Mack
845. The History of England : Volume VI - Innovation by Peter Ackroyd
846. Orlando King by Isabel Colegate
847. Orlando at the Brazen Threshold by Isabel Colegate
848. Agatha by Isabel Colegate
849. Leaving the Atocha Station by Ben Lerner
850. Exteriors by Annie Ernaux
851. K. by Roberto Calasso
852. Damned If I Do by Percival Everett
853. Meridian by Alice Walker
854. Outer Dark by Cormac McCarthy
855. A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale
856. The Morning Star by Karl Ove Knausgaard
857. Melmoth by Sarah Perry
858. The Girls of Slender Means by Muriel Spark
859. Light of the Moon by Elizabeth Buchan
860. The First Kingdom : Britain in the Age of Arthur by Max Adams
861. Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel
862. The Prime Ministers We Never Had by Steve Richards
863. Traitor in the Ice by KJ Maitland
864. My Turn to Make the Tea by Monica Dickens
865. A Winter War by Tim Leach
866. The Muse by Jessie Burton
867. Free : Coming of Age at the End of History by Lea Ypi
868. The North Ship by Philip Larkin
869. Torch by Lin Anderson
870. Deadly Code by Lin Anderson
871. Boyhood Island by Karl Ove Knausgaard
872. Night Film by Marisha Pessl
873. Banquet for the Damned by Adam Nevill
874. Before the Fall by Noah Hawley
875. Aftermath : Life in the Fallout of the Third Reich by Harald Jahner
876. Captains of the Sands by Jorge Amado
877. Driftnet by Lin Anderson
878. Cousin Bette by Honore de Balzac
879. Tobacco Road by Erskine Caldwell
880. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
The Avignon Quintet (Comprising - Monsieur not counted as it is already on the shelves)
881. Livia by Lawrence Durrell
882. Constance by Lawrence Durrell
883. Sebastian by Lawrence Durrell
884. Quinx by Lawrence Durrell
The Studs Lonigan Trilogy
885. Young Lonigan by James T Farrell
886. The Young Manhood of Studs Lonigan by James T Farrell
887. Judgment Day by James T Farrell
888. Waking Up by Sam Harris
889. Collected Poems of Ted Hughes by Ted Hughes counting volumes added or replaced:
890. Recklings by Ted Hughes
891. Wodwo by Ted Hughes
892. Crow by Ted Hughes
893. Prometheus on His Crag by Ted Hughes
894. Season Songs by Ted Hughes
895. Gaudete by Ted Hughes
896. Orts by Ted Hughes
897. Cave Birds by Ted Hughes
898. Remains of Elmet by Ted Hughes
899. Moortown Diary by Ted Hughes
900. River by Ted Hughes
901. Flowers and Insects by Ted Hughes
902. Rain-charm for the Duchy by Ted Hughes
903. Birthday Letters by Ted Hughes
904. The Lonely Skier by Hammond Innes
905. A Twist of Sand by Geoffrey Jenkins
906. The Jewish War by Josephus
907. New Selected Poems by Philip Levine
908. Hidden Symptoms by Dierdre Madden
909. Books Do Furnish a Room by Anthony Powell
910. Temporary Kings by Anthony Powell
911. Hearing Secret Harmonies by Anthony Powell
912. Citizens by Simon Schama
913. Guiltless by Viveca Sten
914. The Sin of Abbe Mouret by Emile Zola
915. Inferno by Dante Alighieri
916. The Illustrated Woman by Helen Mort
917. Dart by Alice Oswald
918. Girlhood by Julia Copus
919. Sandettie Light Vessel Automatic by Simon Armitage
920. Wisdom of the Ancients : Life Lessons from our Distant Past by Neil Oliver.
921. On War Carl von Clausewitz
922. Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen
923. Istanbul by Orhan Pamuk
924. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
925. Tell Them of Battles, Kings, and Elephants by Mathias Enard
926. The Years by Annie Erneaux
927. Life Among the Savages by Shirley Jackson
928. Dancing in the Dark by Karl Ove Knausgaard
929. The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt
930. The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida by Clarissa Goenawan
931. Selected Poems by W.H.Auden
932. A Harlot High and Low by Honore de Balzac
933. The Dead House by Harry Bingham
934. Brazzaville Beach by William Boyd
935. A Dry White Season by Andre Brink
936. The Tradition by Jericho Brown
937. Waiting for the Waters to Rise by Maryse Conde
938. Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline
939. The Tongue's Blood Does Not Run Dry by Assia Djebar
940. Masaryk Station by David Downing
941. I is Another by Jon Fosse
942. Caught by Henry Green
943. Back by Henry Green
944. Concluding by Henry Green
945. Hangover Square by Patrick Hamilton
946. A Conspiracy of Tall Men by Noah Hawley
947. The Major Works by Gerard Manley Hopkins
948. The Caveman by Jorn Lier Horst
949. Foster by Claire Keegan
950. The Stoning by Peter Papathanasiou
951. The Arctic by Don Paterson
952. The Age of Reason by Jean-Paul Sartre
953. Tonight You're Dead by Viveca Sten
954. Adam Bede by George Eliot
955. The Dark Valley by Valerio Varesi
956. Creatures of Passage by Morowa Yejide
957. His Excellency Eugene Rougon by Emile Zola
958. The Numbers Game : Why Everything You Know About Football is Wrong by Chris Anderson
959. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight trans by Simon Armitage
960. The Tenant by Katrine Engberg
961. This is the Night They Come for You by Robert Goddard
962. The Past by Tessa Hadley
963. The Goddess Chronicle by Natsuo Kirino
964. Some Rain Must Fall by Karl Ove Knausgaard
965. The End by Karl Ove Knausgaard
966. The Night Singer by Johanna Mo
967. Turning Blue by Benjamin Myers
968. Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl
969. If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
970. Widening Income Inequality by Frederick Seidel
971. What Goes On : Selected and New Poems 1995-2009 by Stephen Dunn
972. Close Quarters by Michael Gilbert
973. The Story of the World in 100 Moments by Neil Oliver
974. Jawbone by Monica Ojeda
975. The King's Fool by Mahi Binebine
976. The Demon of Dakar by Kjell Eriksson

Added 976
Read 61

Book Stats

Next up is yours

Ok got it

Well done, Ron. Great to see you up first. You get the virtual bookshelf dear fellow.

>1 PaulCranswick: Well, that’s rather...paradise-like!

Happy new thread Paul!

>1 PaulCranswick: How lush and beautiful it looks!

>19 Copperskye: It was a beautiful place to live and have the kids grow up in, Joanne. 16 acres close to the centre of town and only 270 units. We had a lovely 2,800 ft2 apartment that Hani got for a song (I had to do the singing of course) but we possibly stayed there a little too long.

>20 quondame: In those days I actually used that pool too, Susan. x

Happy new thread Paul!

Happy new one, Paul! Your place is beautiful!

>22 WhiteRaven.17: Thank you, Kro. I have loved having you join along with me on our reading journeys this year.

>23 drneutron: Moved out in 2018, Jim, but it was an occasionally idyllic place to be.

Happy new thread, Paul!

>1 PaulCranswick: I remember when you lived there!

>25 FAMeulstee: My first 6 and a half years in the group were 'plotted' from my reading room in that apartment, Anita. Thank you for being such a constant pal during all that time.

>18 PaulCranswick: Thank you Paul. Browsing LT at just the right moment. Your onetime home up top there looks like such a gorgeous place to live.

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread Paul!

>1 PaulCranswick: Not a bad little nook you found yourselves :0)

>27 RBeffa: It was and remains quite a special place, Ron. What I really liked about it was how friendly the guards were - they were so helpful and we made many good friends there.

Good for me that you were surfing at the right time.

>28 amanda4242: Thank you dear Amanda. x

>29 humouress: Thanks Nina. I had little to do with the sourcing of our places to live in truth. Hani can claim all of the credit including our present home too, by the way. She also is the one who drives the bargains - I just have to fork out the cash!

Wordle 527 4/6

⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜
🟩🟩⬜⬜⬜
🟩🟩⬜⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
On average today. I am on a fairly steady run at the moment.

HAppy new one!

>33 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita. Ron broke your run of being first but you are still bright and early to the party and just as welcome as always. x

Happy new thread, Paul. Nice place you had there in your topper.

>35 Familyhistorian: Thank you dear Meg. I prefer our current home mainly because the interior is brighter and it felt like a new, clean start when I moved here after a couple of years of being mired in financial troubles.

Happy new thread, Paul!

>37 bell7: Thank you, Mary. I am celebrating our new government in Malaysia today. Previously incarcerated politician Anwar Ibrahim has completed his rehabilitation and became Malaysia's 10th Prime Minister. He kindly declared a Public Holiday today in celebration.

Happy new thread, Paul.

happy new thread!

>39 ArlieS: Thank you, Arlie.

>40 banjo123: Thanks Rhonda.

I have to say that I am immensely blessed with all the dear friends who take the trouble to stop by. xx

Took Belle for lunch and she wanted some stationery which is conveniently housed in the bookstore. Last mini splurge of November:

977. Light Seekers by Femi Kayode
978. Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
979. Cocaine Nights by JG Ballard
980. Dusklands by JM Coetzee

Two thrillers (one for my African Novel Challenge next year)
Two additions to my 1001 library.

>38 PaulCranswick: Let's hope Anwar can turn Malaysia's fortunes back around. If he's going to declare a holiday every time he wins an election, that'll get him more votes :0)

>42 PaulCranswick: What a lucky coincidence.

>43 humouress: It is a good public relations move for sure, Nina, as is his declaration that he will not take any salary as PM and that he expects his reduced sized cabinet all to take a pay cut to signify their joint earnestness in assisting the public purse!

Isn't it funny how these coincidences seem to follow me around!

Happy new thread, Paul. Love the picture, so beautiful.

Happy new thread, Paul.
>1 PaulCranswick: this is a beautiful place to live for many reasons!

>38 PaulCranswick: Huh. I had to Google him, and I'm not sure I know enough of Malaysian politics to follow even his very thorough Wikipedia page. But I'm glad at least you get a day off to read?

Happy New Thread, Paul. I love the topper. It reminds me of our resort in Cancun. Just not as lush.

The home in the topper is lovely.

>42 PaulCranswick: It's obvious Belle didn't take long enough selecting stationery. Your haul is too small.

>45 Kristelh: Thanks Kristel. The kids especially are still very fond of the place.

>46 SirThomas: Thank you, Thomas. Kuala Lumpur certainly has its benefits for the resident.

>47 bell7: When I think of all the current fuss and palaver about the suppression of gay rights in Qatar with the football World Cup ongoing, it isn't long ago that Anwar was imprisoned here for alleged homosexual acts without much noise from the West as the corrupt leader who put him there was seen as their pal. Najib is now in turn in jail for stealing $2.6 bn from his own people.

I wish Anwar well and I certainly am grateful for the day off he gave me today!

>48 msf59: Thanks Mark. Cancun was more or less lush, than Kuala Lumpur? I am guessing you mean only more lush?

>49 thornton37814: She has a very good policy, Lori. She does her business very quickly and then comes and follows me around which is very discomfiting. She is smart because she never grumbles about following me around as she knows I will fold under the weight of her quietude!

Happy New Thread Paul!!!

What a lovely place you lived in.

I know I'm late but I kept putting off listing my favorite movies as there are so many of them. Next to reading movies are probably my favorite activity.
I will try to keep my list to 10.

In no particular order:
Star Wars-up to that point had never seen anything like it.
Raiders Of The Lost Ark-sparked an interest in archeology and history.
King Kong (the original)-Saw it on the big screen several years ago and the amount of detail in some of the shots was astounding.
Holiday Inn (the original White Christmas movie) my wife and I watch it every year.
It's A Mad, Mad, Mad World-almost every historic film comedian is in there somewhere, I remember seeing this in the theater with my grandparents which was a rare treat. Back in the days when it was a roadshow attraction with opening curtains and all. Love the old comedians!!
The Maltese Falcon-love the old film noir detectives.
The Ghost And Mr. Chicken-Don Knotts and the residents of small town Mayberryesque town, a haunted mansion and a terrific soundtrack. Loved seeing this on TV afterschool as a kid.
Gone With The Wind-watching it on TV all those years seemed long and overblown, but as with King Kong, saw it on the big screen and the details that were brought out. Truly a work of art.
Singing In The Rain-has always been my favorite musical.
Xanadu-a guilty pleasure. Saw this in High School and loved the music and Olivia wasn't bad either.
I'll stop there all though I don't want to.

Paul - re: Kyran and not driving >

Richard Powers over-long erudite book Three Farmers on Their Way to a Dance

early cements the plot with his refusal to get into a car:

"For a THIRD OF A CENTURY, I got by nicely without Detroit. First
off, I don't do well in cars and have never owned one."

>1 PaulCranswick: Happy new thread!

Happy new thread and >1 PaulCranswick: wow!

Hello Paul! Your ginormous list of book acquisitions is marvelously long. Am almost kind of glad that I don't have the wherewithal to let loose as I have nowhere to put books in such numbers.

I love It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, World. One of my favorite movies ever. Will never forget my three years younger cousin, when my mother and aunt took the kids to see it, asking, oh so seriously, when the funny part was supposed to start. She was a very solemn child at the age of seven. The rest of us were in hysterics.

>53 hredwards: I will say, Harold, that Raiders and Star Wars are real cinematic experiences and have brilliant soundtracks. ELO were my favourite group growing up and they recorded some great tracks for Xanadu.

>54 m.belljackson: Thanks for that, Marianne. Like me he is very late to driving. I didn't get my own licence until I was 25 or 26.
On Kyran news, he is headed stateside! His girlfriend, Yasmeen, is American and lives in or near to Sacramento and they will spend the Christmas season together. Good for him!

>55 ocgreg34: Thanks Greg. Lovely to see you here buddy.

>56 Storeetllr: Thank you, Mary. We had a few friends and relatives visit us whilst we lived in Kampung Warisan and they pretty much said the same when they saw that pool and those grounds. The photo does not flatter the place!

>57 Fourpawz2: I have to admit to having just made a fairly huge Book Depo order yesterday some of it with next years reading in mind. I am less worried about space (right now) than transportation if and when we relocate.

I don't think I have ever seen "It's a Mad Mad Mad World" but I am intrigued.

Great to have you drop by, dear Charlotte.

Wordle 528 2/6

⬜🟨🟨⬜🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Wowzer!

>61 PaulCranswick: Wow, congratulations on a Wordle in two!

BOOK #147



The Last Vote : The Threats to Western Democracy by Philip Coggan
Date of Publication : 2013
Origin of Author : UK
Pages : 272 pp

Very interestingly in the pre-Trumpian days Philip Coggan presciently analyses the threats to Western Democracy or more accurately the threats to democracy facing the world.

I won't go into too much detail but along with a potted history of the vote he sees increasing dissatisfaction with politicians and process leading to apathy. He sees globalisation and the taking of decisions by non-elected officials devaluing the votes of an electorate. He sees the increasing extremes in politics of both ilks but more pointedly from the right as likely to further erode democracy. He sees the reduction in economic and financial stability as the gravest of all threats as it pushes in turn the other trends at the expense of the vote.

This is a well written and thought provoking read and his opinions and suggestions are measured and sensible ones.

Recommended to those interested in the subject.

>62 FAMeulstee: A bit on the lucky side given my choice of first word, Anita.

Hi Paul and thanks for the bookish Thanksgiving wishes over on my thread. We had a good one 800+ miles from home at our son's house in East Denver looking across the city to the beautiful Rocky Mountains. It's an awesome setting but not as gorgeous as the paradise your kids were lucky to grow up in. Wow!

Congratulations on a new Prime Minister. Hope he is a good leader for Malaysia.
I hope Kyran has a good experience visiting California. Will he get to see some other parts of the country while he's here?

I'm happy to see an African challenge for next year. I have fallen off the Asian bandwagon, although I love the experience I had for the first 9 months of the year. I plan to do a reread of one of my favorite books for the December wild card: A Fine Balance. I believe that you are a fan as well. I'm looking forward to it.

>65 Donna828: Thank you for your lovely post, Donna.

I am sure that Kyran will travel a little if he is able to stretch his father a little as to his budget!

Denver is somewhere I have always wanted to visit and I do envy being able to look across to the mile high city at will.

I have enjoyed hosting the Asian challenge this year but wanted to move continents as there is a chance that I will physically achieve that too in 2023!

A Fine Balance remains my favourite novel published in my lifetime!

>1 PaulCranswick: I admit to being addicted to your opening images and accompanying memories. Because you note A Fine Balance as a favorite read, I am compelled to find a copy the copy I own, and read it. Because you are such a voracious reader, this must be one great book!

>67 Whisper1: I am humbled, Linda, that you are enjoying my journey back to the present through my threads this year. I do feel looking through thirty over examples of places that I have spent extended periods of time does give me very solid memories. We, most of us, look back on things in our past that wish we could have changed and done different and, God knows, that is me as much as anyone, but I also have a lot to be grateful for and to keep dear to me.

A Fine Balance has some sadness in it too, but it is well, well worth a read.

Your new prime minister sounds promising, Paul. I thought of
Nov27 was early to call your last book haul for the month!

>69 Familyhistorian: So far so good with him, Meg. Poor fellow was Deputy Prime Minister up until 1998 before his fall from grace and incarceration. He has been waiting 24 years to be PM.

I think that I can avoid the book stores for another couple of days!

BOOK #148



The Wandering by Intan Paramaditha
Date of Publication : 2017
Origin of Author : Indonesia
Pages : 433 pp

One of the strangest books I have ever waded through. Certainly innovative in so far as the reader is provided options at page breaks to continue the story in different parts of the book as the character literally wanders through the story on a route that each reader can decide.

It is a fun idea which occasionally works but is just as often perplexing and leads to several endings. The basic premise other than the "magic" wandering red shoes that our heroine has obtained by striking a bargain with her demon lover, is to consider the various problems faced by the migrant abroad.

I cannot in truth wholeheartedly recommend it but it was a very unique experience.

BOOK #149



Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco
Date of Publication : 2010
Origin of Author : Philippines
Pages : 304 pp.

I was not bowled over by the story interspersed as it was by clutches of imagined fiction and biography of an imagined exiled dead author and the piecing together of his story by our protagonist who had been his aide-de-camp in the run-up to the writer's sudden and somewhat mysterious death. I was bowled over by the quality of some of the writing though which flowed beautifully on occasionally.

The main story of the lead character's relationship with his grandparents, his search for his own belonging and roots and of his position as to his country and the route it was taking did interest. It was over complicated by the asides though and this detracted from my enjoyment of the whole.

Recommended? Yes for writing. No for plotting and structure.

Happy new thread! Beautiful photo and memories at the top.

>71 PaulCranswick: Sounds like the old "choose your own adventure" books for preteens. Without demon lovers.

>73 witchyrichy: Thank you, Karen. The memories are mainly positive ones too!

>74 RBeffa: I suppose it was a bit like that, Ron, but it is the first time that I have seen it tried in an adult work of literary fiction. Better idea than it was executed IMHO.

>71 PaulCranswick: & >72 PaulCranswick: Here's hoping that book #150 is better than the previous two.

Quick question about the African Novel Challenge: how wedded to the Novel part are you? I've been able to find something in English for nearly all of the countries, but in some cases it's a short story collection or a memoir.

>76 amanda4242: Thanks Amanda.

Memoir and definitely short stories are in order for the challenge - I didn't want too much politics involved in the challenge which is why I called it "Novel" but also it was in homage to Mandela and the name of his party just to contradict myself entirely!

>77 PaulCranswick: Cool! That's going to make things so much easier!

Guess we both get to enjoy knock out soccer for the World Cup. At least your team managed it a lot more comfortably than mine which barely drug itself to a win over Iran.

>78 amanda4242: I have a fairly decent collection of African authors which I will continue to add to, Amanda and there will be some memoirs in there.

>79 Oberon: We were definitely the more comfortable, Erik, but I am really pleased for the two excellent Leeds United players who contributed so ably to the US victory. The defence and midfield is really strong but, boy, you guys need a striker so badly. The chap who saw out the game for you up front would not play at a decent level in Europe.
I watched the last ten minutes or so as the England game was done and dusted by then and my heart was in my mouth there at the end with the so-called penalty call. The referee got it right thankfully.

I was also a little sad not to see more in the way of handshakes between the respective players at the end. Sporting events of this nature are always an opportunity to bring peoples together.

Wordle 529 5/6

⬜⬜🟩🟨⬜
🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

One of those horrible situations when you get three in place early but have a number of options.

Looks like I am going to miss out on consecutive TIOLI sweeps.

I have completed 14/16 and have just a little over a day to go. I will read through the evening in an attempt to get as close as I can and I reckon I will make it to 15 but probably not 16.

>80 PaulCranswick: I was sad to see Wales knocked out but they only had a distant chance at best (I’m not bothering with all the permutations of the points for all the different nations) but I was backing Iran for Asia/ as underdogs.

I see that you are completely unbiased in your support for the US team. My sons are the same; they’re backing Portugal and Argentina because this will (most likely) be the last World Cup for Rinaldo and Messi - but I still haven’t fully forgiven them the ‘hand of God’ goal.

>83 humouress: I couldn't support Argentina for the same reasons you give Nina! I mean it is only 36 years ago!! Seems like bloody yesterday though to my chipped shoulders.

I love the spirit Tyler Adams plays with and of course that he represents Leeds is coincidental of course!

>84 PaulCranswick: Of course.

just say hello, Paul

Hello Paul?

>85 humouress: :D

>86 paulstalder: Hi back, Paul. I trust that you are feeling much better, my friend?

>87 Kristelh: Hi Kristel. Always a pleasure to see you here. I think it is a translation thing with Paul. I said hello to him earlier over at his thread and I think that he is returning it!

>89 PaulCranswick: yes Paul, I see that now, I think I must have been asleep yet when I was checking threads.

>90 Kristelh: Hahaha I am typing this at 4.00 am with my sleeping times completely screwed up so I am not best equipped to comment sensibly on that, Kristel!

>90 Kristelh: didn't realize that I made a wake up call over here

>88 PaulCranswick: well, Paul, wearing such a crown takes its time

>92 paulstalder: But fully recovered?

Hope you are having a great day Paul! I'm hoping to polish off a book today.

>94 mdoris: Lovely to see you, Mary. I am just wrapping up one too but have you in mind a little too - hope you are doing ok, despite all, dear lady.

Very saddened to see of the passing of the Songbird Christine McVie of Chicken Shack and, of course, Fleetwood Mac.

This is a recent recording of her most famous song, which though she is obviously no longer at her best, conveys its moving sensibilities.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55l77Sk3XKY

RIP Songbird

BOOK #150



Aftermath : Life in the Fallout of the Third Reich by Harald Jahner
Date of Publication : 2019
Origin of Author : Germany
Pages : 327 pp

One of the most remarkable post war stories is the regeneration of Japan and particularly Germany from devastated losers of the war to economic heavyweights.

The transformation was not a walk in the park for the German people and most people would undoubtedly believe that that was only right and fair. The recriminations are there - both by the victorious powers, especially the Russians and, it seems also the French in disproportionate numbers, but the sheer contradictions that abounded make this telling a fascinating one.

There are many with just cause to hate the Germany of the immediate war years but that must be tempered by some admiration, grudging or otherwise, for their stoicism and ability to remake themselves.

Jahner fills his history with an abundant story of anecdotal detail that humanizes the whole thing so that it rings true without sentimentality. This is history how it should be written.

Recommended.

NOVEMBER READING STATS

Books Read : 16

Pages Read : 3,720

Longest Book : 433 pages

Shortest Book : 66 pages

Pages Per Day : 124.00

Average Book Length : 232.50

Books by Origin of Author :
7 UK, 4 Italy, 2 USA, 1 Indonesia, Philippines and Germany

Books by Gender : (hang my head in shame!)
15 by males
1 by females

Books by Genre :
4 : SF/Fantasy , Thrillers
3 : Poetry, Non-Fiction
2 : Fiction

Book of the Month :
Taken as a whole I would probably plump for The Once and Future King but I counted them individually and as good as the opening and closing books are sentimentality takes over in November.

THE SICILIAN METHOD by ANDREA CAMILLERI

Which is the book that really winds up the series.

>97 PaulCranswick: I was wondering about that one, Paul. Thanks for posting a review.

>97 PaulCranswick: It was a good read, Meg and a decent one to bring up my 150 with. x

>98 PaulCranswick: Choosing some crime novel over King Arthur?! Harrumph!

>101 amanda4242: I did try to explain the sentiment involved, Amanda. I have lived with Montalbano for a decade and a half and parting with him is as painful as his company was always entertaining and joyful.
I didn't get along with Book Three of White, which I know you loved but I did think that the last volume was wonderful and almost trumped my sentimentality!

What can I say it is sometimes the case we choose what we enjoy and cherish over that which we respect and appreciate!

>97 PaulCranswick: Congratulations on reaching 2 x 75, Paul!

And reaching 150 with a very good read. If it wasn't already listed on MountTBR, I would add it now.

>103 FAMeulstee: I think that many Europeans of a certain age will appreciate this one, Anita. I tells it very evenly and fairly - doesn't excuse the Germans but doesn't condemn them individually either for their collective sins, if that makes any sense.

Happy December Reading, Paul.

>105 Kristelh: Thanks Kristel. You too dear lady.

Congratulations on double 75 Paul!

Congratulations on 2 times 75, Paul - and with a recommendable book, too!

>107 humouress: Thank you dear neighbour

>108 SirThomas: Thomas I would be interested to know whether the book was successful in Germany. I felt it was sympathetic and realistic at the same time in looking at the aftermath of war in all its guises.

I'm heading over to thriftboooks.com to see if they have a copy of Aftermath : Life in the Fallout of the Third Reich by Harald Jahner. Your review is outstanding. Another one of your reads to add to the to be read pile.

I hope today brings sunshine to you,

>111 Whisper1: Nice of you to say so dear lady.
You always bring sunshine to me. xx

Wordle 529 5/6

⬜⬜🟩🟨⬜
🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

I made heavy weather of it today.

>113 PaulCranswick: Yesterdays Wordle again, Paul?

>114 FAMeulstee: There is something wrong with the numbering, Anita. I didn't play yet today and it is definitely a different word!

>110 PaulCranswick: I can't say much about it, Paul. I didn't know the book until now.
However, the Amazon ratings are 4.6 out of 5. And I'm on the waiting list at my public library and have to wait until February to borrow it as an ebook.
So I think it has been well received here.
I'm looking forward to it, too.

>97 PaulCranswick: Alternatively, read Holocaust by Reznikoff
and watch the Nazi flags come sailing out as Europe swings to the right.

Hi Paul, mate, Happy New Thread and congrats on 2 X 75 books read for the year so far.
What a start to the first day of the first Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi, i turned the radio on and we were 285 for 2 at the time and then i had to pop out and so had TMS on Five Live Sports extra and every time i got back in the car, the score had advanced by 40 to 50 runs even though i had only been out of the car for a short time. 506 for 4 at close of play and as long as the batsmen don't capitulate tomorrow, i can see 800+ being put on the board before England declare and Pakistan have to face an hour or so at the end of day 2 with three further days to take 20 wickets and no worries about conceding a few. Pakistan must be dreading tomorrow after the mauling they have taken today.

I see Australia put up a big score in the first Test against The West Indies but nice to see Tagenarine Chanderpaul get to 49 not out on debut by close of play.

Congratulations on your 150 books, Paul. Am green with envy.

Aftermath looks awfully good and I've added it to the giant freaking wish list. Thrift Books owes me a free book and I have 2 $25 Barnes and Noble gift cards burning a hole in my pocket so I just might unbend and purchase a copy now instead of in the dim, distant future. Might.

Congratulations on your 75x2. I possibly could make it before the end of the year but December will be a hard month to do so.

>116 SirThomas: That is quite the waiting list, Thomas, so I would say that you are right that it is well received in Germany.

>117 m.belljackson: I don't think that we will see a return to Nazism, Marianne. I am not that pessimistic about our future - the right in all its variants, as much as I shudder at some of their small mindedness, has different values thank God than those espoused by Hitler and his like. There will always be a rabid minority but Europe is not heading in that direction.
The danger is more prevalent closer to your home, I feel, as America still sets the cultural agenda, and much of its discourse is extreme and illiberal.

>118 johnsimpson: Especially pleased for Harry Brook and Ben Duckett both of whom, unlike Crawley deserved to be there. Admittedly he played well yesterday and I don't want to be churlish but really why is he still playing?

>119 Fourpawz2: Thank you, Charlotte. Given my quite full working life, I am always pleased to reach 150 and I am looking forward to days when I don't need to worry that the building facade is delayed or that the steelwork has been erected out of building tolerance - I will read a few more then for sure!

You could do worse than spend some of your gift voucher on Jahner's book. xx

>120 Kristelh: I normally do OK in December, Kristel but January is traditionally my best reading month. I will be rooting for you nonetheless!

Day 1 for SUSSEX and I saw you riding your bike across the lower path!

>124 m.belljackson: Not really sure about the reference, Marianne. Are you talking about the publicity shy Meghan Markle?
Or is your reference to the 83 year old Godmother of William who repeatedly asked a black lady in tribal dress at a function where she was from and thought her response of "Islington" was tongue in cheek?

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/346201

Congratulations on 150!

>125 PaulCranswick: Nah - the Jacquie Lawson SUSSEX Calendar which opened today.

>126 SilverWolf28: Thank you, Silver

>127 quondame: Thanks Susan. I had hoped to get to 200 this year but maybe next year if I get my workload a bit reduced.

>128 m.belljackson: Hahaha sorry Marianne, I will go and have a look for it.

Sale at the bookstore this lunchtime:

981. The Atrocity Exhibition by J.G. Ballard
982. Blue of Noon by Georges Bataille
983. The Unnamable by Samuel Beckett
984. The Path to the Spider's Nests by Italo Calvino
985. A Strange and Sublime Address by Amit Chaudhuri
986. The Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta
987. All Our Yesterdays by Natalia Ginzburg
988. Crome Yellow by Aldous Huxley
989. All Souls' Day by Cees Nooteboom
990. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S Thompson
991. Honor by Thrity Umrigar

7 1001 books
A new book by Umrigar
And books by Ginzburg, Emecheta and Chaudhuri

>131 PaulCranswick: That is an "interesting" list of books. The two on the top are pretty pornographic if I recall right. I am reading the Ballard next month. I've read Blue of Noon, he is not an author for me. I haven't read the Becket yet. I've read the gonzo journalism by Thompsom. I've read Huxley. You did score big on the 1001 books.

>132 Kristelh: I'll let you into a secret Kristel, I am intending to hunt down all 1001 books for my shelves within the next 12 months. I will have those stats available to monitor for next year as I am currently updating status. I want to have a nook in the house dedicated to the 1001 books.

>133 PaulCranswick: I have one in my house. I am working off the combined list.

>134 Kristelh: I'll soon have exact figures but it is almost in equal parts; a third read, a third owned and a third unowned.

This year I added 45 1001 Books first edition that I haven't yet read and there are a few on order.

>125 PaulCranswick: Well, Paul, her response could maybe start a Pop Trope:

when ANY Black person is asked where they are from, just answer "Islington" ...

>137 m.belljackson: That may catch on, Marianne. Would be a good put down to racism in fact.

Congratulations on making 2x75. I'll look at your African challenge, can't promise that I can be a goer as I stumbled at almost the first hurdle of this year's Asian challenge....good intentions.
Next year my goal will be to read from my shelves more and more as I own so many great books. I also purchased books for this year's challenges I set myself and then never got to, so they'll take priority.

World Cup - I don't care that much about this, my husband is right into it once again. He loves seeing all the unexpected wins.
My London-based daughter is all out for Japan as she spent a few months living there some years ago.

>139 avatiakh: The occasional dipping of toes in the water would be more than enough, Kerry. I am not a completist either in the challenges - only if something takes my fancy.

I must admit to enjoying some of the games at the World Cup. It has been far more successful so far than many imagined it would be. I always want the African and Asian teams to do well except when they play England!

Wordle 531 6/6

🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟩🟨⬜
🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

I made a meal of that one!

Wordle 532 4/6

⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜
🟨🟨⬜⬜⬜
🟩🟨⬜🟩⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Slightly better

>102 PaulCranswick: Harrumph! Just goes to show the dangers of sentimentality. ;)

Congratulations on hitting 150!

>143 amanda4242: If sentimentality is a sin, Amanda, I am often guilty as charged xx

>1 PaulCranswick: Well...I got here before the new thread went up, but not by a lot.

What a lovely home it was! Seventeen years, no less.

>145 richardderus: Nice to see you, dear fellow.

We had many happy memories of Kampung Warisan (literal translation Heritage Village), RD, and probably my most vivid from that photo would be of teaching Kyran to swim in that pool.

>131 PaulCranswick: Nearly to 1000 now. I only have Fear and Loathing from that list, and have yet to read it. Also congrats on reaching 150 books read!

>147 WhiteRaven.17: Not quite right, Kro, as I will show in the next post. xx

I wanted to take advantage of the last day of sale:

The Complete Enderby by Anthony Burgess
992. Inside Mr. Enderby
993. Enderby Outside
994. The Clockwork Testament
995. Enderby's Dark Lady
996. Libra by Don DeLillo
997. The Comfort of Strangers by Ian McEwan
998. The Music of Chance by Paul Auster
999. Delta of Venus by Anais Nin
1000. The Melancholy of Resistance by Laszlo Krasznahorkai

All 1001 books.

Wow, you did it, Paul - Congratulations!
What an achievement, now you just have to read....
Have a wonderful weekend!

>148 PaulCranswick: Well I was a little early, wasn't I? :) Congrats on reaching 1000 additions! That is an incredible years haul (and we still have a few weeks to go).

>150 SirThomas: Yeah, I did the (relatively) easy part, Thomas. Thanks my dear chap, have a wonderful weekend yourself.

>151 WhiteRaven.17: I will curtail a little Kro but I do have quite a number on order and hopefully a book or two from my Secret Santa. Let's see what my final number looks like.

Congrats on reaching a 1000, and completing your 1001 list. Did you buy the Taebaek Mountains and what language? Or is that one not included in the list you're following?

>153 Kristelh: I haven't completed my 1001 list collection - I think that there are still about 250-300 titles not on my shelves but I am getting to them slowly. I don't have that Korean classic and I certainly couldn't manage it in the vernacular! I do _target to get them all on the shelves by 2024, Kristel, but some of them will not be easy and probably pretty expensive to track down.

>154 PaulCranswick:, I run a small group on Goodreads for 1001 books. We call ourselves Reading1001. Two or three of our members have read French translation. I am unable to read Dutch and several books have not been translated. I will need to die before I read them all.

>154 PaulCranswick: That is an impressive goal to reach, Paul, all 1001 books on your shelves in 2024.
I will watch you do it ;-)

>155 Kristelh: Don't do that, dear lady! Hang on and we'll get them all translated. Looking on Book Depo I cannot really see too many either unavailable or untranslated.

>156 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita. If Kristel is right, I may need to finance some translations!

Wordle 533 4/6

⬜⬜🟨🟨🟨
⬜🟨🟨⬜🟩
🟨🟨⬜⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

That was a pretty easy one today.

>157 PaulCranswick: I have never seen the original English edition of 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, so I can't help you there.
I know in the Dutch edition 139 untranslated books are listed. And also some only available in 18th or 19th century publication. There were even more untranslated, but some have been translated in recent years.

>159 FAMeulstee: We may have stumbled upon a commercial opportunity, Anita! I will finish my tabulation of the status of owned, read and unowned books today (Sunday) and my scan on Book Depo as to what is not available.

BOOK # 151



The Push by Ashley Audrain
Date of Publication : 2021
Origin of Author : Canada
Pages : 375 pp

The blurb on the front cover by the Daily Mail says "Like The Girl on the Train - but better".

Rubbish. It is nothing like The Girl on the Train, but it is better. It is more realised. It is better written and moving and disturbing all at the same time.

Most of us think our kids are little angels (I know my three - especially my eldest and she is a lot like me is a likeable rascal - are endearing in their imperfections) but what if they were anything but?

I won't spoil the plot but I can recommend you pick up a copy and read it.

Belatedly and with apologies for that....the Asian Book Challenge December thread is finally up:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/346265#n7992194

We are considering the Asian diaspora to end 2022.

>161 PaulCranswick: There you look around the corner very carefully and already you are hit by a BB...
Have a wonderful Sunday, Paul!

>163 SirThomas: Hahaha, It is a good one and I am also enjoying the next one Salt Lick complete with bovine chorus.

You too, Thomas!

I am steadily reading this month The Nation's Favourite Poems of Journeys and enjoying the experience.

I will share a poem a day this week and this is from Christina Rosetti - Remember.

Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you plann'd:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.

Love the poem, Paul. Thanks for sharing.

>166 msf59: Nice isn't it, Mark?

>165 PaulCranswick: Wow. That took me right back to my moody early 20s. I loved all the morbid Victorian poets. Even wrote a few along those lines. (They were truly terrible.) Ah, youth. (I still like this one.)

>165 PaulCranswick: Beautiful, thanks for sharing Paul.

Hi Paul, hope you're enjoying the football? I've been very absent from LT for the last month sorting out some personal issues with my mother. An African challenge sounds fun!

>168 Storeetllr: Rosetti hit the tone just right, Mary. What she did takes remarkable control and skill.

>169 EllaTim: Thank you, Ella.

>170 SandDune: I did suspect you had some issues of that sort, Rhian. Hope all is ok.
I was sorry to see Wales not quite do themselves justice in the tournament having done so well to get there. I think it was a tournament too far for Ramsay and Bale.
It would be nice to see you next year on the African challenge as and when something takes your fancy.

Wordle 534 4/6

⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜
⬜🟨⬜🟩🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

I seem to be in a groove at the moment with 4 guesses a day.

>173 PaulCranswick: 533 took me a whopping three to figure out today. I'm interested to see what 534 holds.

Good week-ahead's reads!

>174 richardderus: I seem to be playing safe at the moment, RD, which is not my normal approach to be perfectly honest.

You too dear fellow.

England had a little too much for the champions of Africa, Senegal and advanced to the Quarter Finals of the World Cup after an impressive 3-0 victory tonight. Now for France!



So far, from a footballing perspective at least, Qatar World Cup has been a tremendous success.

There seems to be an increase in volcanic activity at present which may not be entirely bad news for those of us not in the immediate vicinity of the eruption sites. The largest eruption of the century happening in Tonga earlier this year and there have been lesser eruptions in Hawaii, Russia and Mexico and now East Java is starting up again.

It is commonly believed by scientists that increased volcanic activity resulted in a mini ice-age between 1350 and 1850 and even if an ice age of any magnitude is unlikely it could well act as a significant counter to pressures towards global warming.

Some hope for the earth and its ability to self regulate.

>177 PaulCranswick:, That’s an interesting observation.

>178 Kristelh: I was reading somewhere about the causes of the mini ice age in the so called Middle Ages and did notice a marked increase in volcanic activity. There are apparently a few scientists do believe that it can help offset some of the human driven global warming trends but do not expect them to be significant enough to make an irrevocable difference:

https://www.science.org/content/article/massive-volcanoes-could-cool-earth-more-...

Here is another poem from The Nation's Favourite Poems of Journeys. This is "High Flight" by John Gillespie Magee Jr who was a Canadian airman who died at the terribly young age of 19 in WW2

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
of sun-split clouds,—and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of—wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air ....

Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark nor ever eagle flew—
And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

>180 PaulCranswick:, I remember this poem very well. I think it used to be on the TV maybe at the end of broadcasting or ?

>181 Kristelh:
Interesting - our local TV station did the last three lines of this poem at the end of the broadcasting day. That was midnight. The picture background while it was being quoted was a still shot of a Gemini space capsule just after the engines had started. I always thought it was to celebrate the space race. But that might be just my perception.

Paul and I have been going a bit back and forth over Cranswickian levels of book purchasing. So, I went book shopping on Saturday at the Homewood Alabama Public Library Friends of the Library Used Bookstore. Homewood is an exclusive enclave inside of Birmingham, Alabama and the library used bookstore is a good place to shop for used nonfiction titles. I purchased 10 books for $11.00. When I got home and entered them all into LT I discovered that I already owned 5 of the titles. So, now I wonder what I should do with the extra books - take them to the Tuscaloosa, Alabama Public Library Friends of the Library Used Bookstore?

>181 Kristelh: That is interesting, Kristel. The last phrase - I'm not sure it was unique to him but it is memorable certainly.

>182 benitastrnad: Poor chap would have been 47 years old when "the Eagle landed" but alas had been dead by then for 28 years already!

>183 benitastrnad: If cataloguing is a reflection of book additions/purchasing, Benita, you knocked me into a cocked hat, I reckon! To be fair I very rarely (though not as rarely as a year or two ago) buy a book I already own unless it is a mix up between North American and European titles.

>185 PaulCranswick:
It seems that I am just serving as the go-between for the Used Bookstores of the two public libraries. Shameful place for a book lover to be.

>186 benitastrnad: The way you are going, Benita, you will probably soon have more books than each of the public libraries which is both a great credit to you as well as an indictment of the libraries themselves. I don't know about policy but the necessity of selling off stock is sad because often the public library should be the place to go to to get titles that people cannot pick up in their stores.

What a result in the First Test between Pakistan and England, with the equivalence of a Days play lost due to the setting of the Sun, i am amazed that Tests in Pakistan are not of six days with 75 overs per day. Six times 75 =450 and Five times 90 =450, simples.

The start that England got off to set the tone and then setting a quick fire second innings and a brave declaration, gave the bowlers as much time as was possible to get a result, either way. England's 921 runs off 136.5 overs compared to 847 off 252 overs. Pakistan have a young, inexperienced bowling attack and that has been made worse with Haris Rauf's injury, so England could do the same again on Friday in Multan, if they win the toss and bat first.

>188 johnsimpson: Inspiring stuff, John, if I'm honest and even Crawley likes to bat against Pakistan!

>187 PaulCranswick:, I so agree with you Paul. A public library should be a place where you can find treasures. It doesn’t need to be a Barnes and Nobles that only wants to stock books that are current best sellers. But they cycle books like they are freshness dated.

>190 Kristelh: I am not a good judge actually, Kristel, as I haven't had the benefit of a public lending library for the best part of three decades. I do believe that libraries should be cherished and it was, after all, the name of the site that pulled me in over other then more obvious book sites like Goodreads.

Wordle 535 3/6

🟨🟨⬜🟩🟩
🟩⬜🟨🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Got a great opening word today! mater, aimer, amber

>149 PaulCranswick: I knew you could do it!

>193 thornton37814: Being a complete magpie doesn't come too difficult to me in truth, Lori! Second time since I have been in the group that I have passed 1,000 acquisitions in the year and I think one year I was at around 900 or so.

>183 benitastrnad: My Dad grew up in Heflin, Alabama. Close to Anniston.

My library used to have a table where they sold books and I got some great buys there. Then some high up Goober decided the Library could make more selling them on Ebay and such so they did away with it. :(

>191 PaulCranswick: Our other local Library was in the news a couple of years ago because the Librarians were purging the stacks and filling dumpsters with old books.
Made a lot of people extremely angry including me.
Sometimes the library here is so "woke" I can't hardly stand to go in. I do a lot of reserving stuff online and picking it up when it comes in.

I sympathize with the problem of how to store books - which is what libraries do. The big question for society at large is what should a library be? A giant warehouse for books? A giant study hall (which is the trend for academic libraries) with lots of open study spaces? Should libraries devote more money to digital collections which cost more to maintain and purchase, but don't take up the space of a library building?

Most public libraries weed books from the collection because they have to. Tax payers simply won't pay for endless amounts of warehouse space. Choices have to be made. That is why societies that want libraries hired professionals to make those decisions - they are called librarians. Even so, librarians don't make all the decisions. Many of the decisions are made by people higher up in the city administrative chain who aren't librarians and don't care about libraries because they don't get input from the public about what libraries should be.

>195 hredwards: I do get, Harold, that libraries need to be able to regenerate but it does seem a bit over the top the rush to sell.

>196 hredwards: I think you know that I am all for free speech, Harold, and devoutly against the culture of cancel and condemn that seems so prevalent nowadays and the speed to try to silence those who voice opposition to or even question a perceived consensus viewpoint. If that is demonstrated by the abuse of books then I am sorry but the left has gone so far around the circle that it has joined the right.

>197 benitastrnad: No I get the exigencies of space, Benita. I think that the criticism is in the choices sometimes not that those choices have to be made. I agree that it isn't always easy to choose but it is sad that many libraries nowadays simply do not have a very broad selection to choose from if my Wakefield library librarian friends are to be believed,

Wow, 1000 books in a year. Amazing Paul. I once over indulged to the tune of 500, that's the most I ever expect to achieve. I really have to start going the other way, but I think I have only been able to keep acquisitions to single figures one month this year.

My goal is no more than three a month next year, and three will need to exit each month too. I'm worried my floor will give way!

>97 PaulCranswick: Congratulations on reaching 150 books read! I'm not too far behind, with my all-time high of 133 books.

>200 Caroline_McElwee: I say it most years Caroline but I do hope that next year I will manage to read more than I add, although with my _target of adding all of the 1001 books to my library that may need to wait until 2024!

>201 ocgreg34: Thanks Greg. I often managed 200 books when I was a student but since I joined LT my best was 157 books which I believe I will surpass this year.

Wordle 536 3/6

⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩
⬜🟩⬜🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Another solidly good day

Just on statistics - as many will know I keep tabs on the 140 busiest threads in the group and those treads racked up 100,000 posts this year a few short hours ago.

We are some way off the 2012-14 numbers but still pretty impressive nonetheless.

Wow, that is impressive!

Congrats on acquiring 1000 books this year! I hope you have found spots on your shelves for all of them...or do you have to find a new book area?

>180 PaulCranswick: That poem is familiar.

Congrats? on your 1000 books, Paul.

>207 Familyhistorian: Thank you Meg.

>204 PaulCranswick: We are a very chatty bunch this year :-)

>209 FAMeulstee: And you as usual are well to the fore, Anita inside the top ten of busiest threads.

Top Twenty threads as per close of business yesterday :

1 PaulCranswick
2 richardderus
3 katiekrug
4 scaifea
5 msf59
6 karenmarie
7 alcottacre
8 laurelkeet
9 jnwelch
10 FAMeulstee
11 bell7
12 Familyhistorian
13 figsfromthistle
14 MickyFine
15 BLBera
16 drneutron
17 Berly
18 RebaRelishesReading
19 jessibud2
20 curioussquared

>210 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul.
I see I have entred the top 10! I guess that is a first for me :-)

>210 PaulCranswick: Thanks for sharing, Paul. I sure seem comfortable in the 5th spot. I remember being in that position before, for a number of years. I think I had 20 threads last year and I will barely make 15 this year and I am perfectly okay with that. Grins...

>211 FAMeulstee: I'm pretty sure it is not a first for you, Anita, but the other years stats are on my other computer. I will charge it and have a look!

>212 msf59: In all the years since I have been keeping count (since 2012), Mark, you have the second most posts overall with only yours truly having more.

Heh, surprised that I cracked the top twenty given how I've been neglecting my threads the second half of this year.

>210 PaulCranswick: It's been a big reviewing year for me so I'm not surprised I've got a slot up top.

Weather's warm and yeccchhhy today so I'm gonna slynx off like a Tolstaya novel.

>210 PaulCranswick: Good morning, Paul, and congratulations all around!

I was here yesterday but had to leave to do something and didn't speak, I don't think. One result was my ordering a used Enderby omnibus. I look forward to being able to read it sometime!

Ha! I see that I am still at the same spot ;)

>198 PaulCranswick: What does "woke" have to do with throwing out good old books at a library?

It seems "wokers" would do just the opposite.

^^^^^^^

Woke or Not, it would be good to see the end of that old Racist Stand-by GONE WITH THE WIND -

It could sit at the start of its own shelf titled: "Books to Make You Think Racist Thoughts."

Hiya, Paul. How about handing out a yellow card when a football player histrionically fakes an injury? I find the amateur dramatics so annoying and so contrary to the spirit of sport.

IN the NBA now a player who fakes being fouled, e.g. by "flopping', is assessed a technical foul (and likely a fine by the league after video review). It's had a major impact, taking the amount of faking down near zero. It's deemed "unsportsmanlike", which seems exactly right to me.

>214 drneutron: Nah, Jim, you are always steady in the threads. 1,467 posts to date is not shabby by any means.

>215 richardderus: It has been great to see you so active this year, RD, and your wonderful reviews certainly draws many to your digs.

>216 LizzieD: I added it too in the last week, Peggy, as you probably noticed. I do occasionally enjoy Burgess although some of his work can be best described as scatterbrained.

>217 figsfromthistle: You have had a great year, Anita. You have already passed 2,000 posts (2,021 to date) and are 2nd amongst Canadians.

>218 m.belljackson: Woke Fascism a la McWhorter and others is at least a milder form of the thing compared to the Nazis. The Wokers as you call them tend to cancel people or things rather than gas or burn them.

I wouldn't cancel Gone with the Wind for example, a Pulitzer Prize winner and one I haven't read, as it surely helps documents where America came from and helps political scientists and sociologists chart the progress subsequently made. We cannot hold works written in the past to ultimate account against the consensus morality of the present although we can certainly criticize that which now offends and quite certainly should have offended previously.

>219 jnwelch: Technically they are supposed to do that, Joe. "Simulation" is subject to a yellow card but it is up to the referees to be brave and apply the rules. I hate to see such blatant lack of sporting ethics too.

Wordle 537 5/6

🟨🟨⬜⬜⬜
⬜⬜⬜🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟨⬜⬜
🟩🟩⬜🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

I thought I had it in four!

>222 PaulCranswick: Didn't say to cancel the book, just to give it its own shelf.

You might want to read it since it's not really used as "documentation" - more as memories of the good old days.

Pulitzers are no guarantee of quality: "...Tomorrow is another day."

(No idea who McWhorters are - when I first read about "woke," it was BLM anti-racism,
which I hope extended to "Ye" and his horrific pronouncements.)

>224 m.belljackson: I am in no hurry to read it, Marianne, and I am sure that its reported racism would grate upon me. I also agree that literary awards are no guarantee of quality as well all view such things subjectively.

Woke doesn't mean the same thing to all people. It is certainly not intended to be a pejorative. Unfortunately for me it has become associated with an illiberal cancel culture which I will always rail against. I can disagree with people as I sometimes do with your lovely self but I will always defend your right to your opinion.

Jeebers, as Cecil would say, what IS "illiberal cancel culture?" Who comes up with this stuff?

>226 m.belljackson: You seriously believe that there aren't attempts to stifle free speech and public debate? Jeebers indeed.

>225 PaulCranswick:
Gone With the Wind is racist, but for me its major problem is that the history is just wrong. Wrong. It perpetuates the myth of the "Lost Cause" and that is code for States Rights good ole' South in its great Antebellum heyday when everybody was happy. That is just not true. What was States Rights all about? States Rights = legalized slavery. All of that adds up to racism.

Maybe it should be shelved with the Dystopian Fantasy books? Like my vote for one of the worst books of all time - Hunger Games.

>228 benitastrnad: >225 PaulCranswick:

I've never read Hunger Games and so shall avoid it.

Unfortunately with all the Confederate flag mentality, good old GONE is not a fantasy,
any more than Italy's recent Mussolini demonstrations and ready-to-resurface Nazis in too many countries.

Ah yes, Paul, back to books...I'm reading The Complete Poems of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,

re-reading THE TIME OF OUR SINGING, at the end of a scientific Buddhist book, THE JOY OF LIVING,

(with my daughter) Who Will Cry When You Die,
a relaxing Wendy Wax Mermaid Point,
The 2023 Old Farmer's Almanac,
and, for 53 hours on Audible, THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISCO...read by genuine French people!

>210 PaulCranswick: Thanks for the stats, Paul. I'm surprised to see I'm still up there especially considering I was just off the grid for 12 days.

>228 benitastrnad: I don't have too much urge to read either that one or Hunger Games any time soon, Benita. Racism is abhorrent to me in all its guises and the history of the American Civil War whilst interesting I'm sure, is not of particular interest to me. Obviously the role of the conflict in helping to end slavery in your country was helpful.

>229 m.belljackson: As I said up top fascism in all its guises is bad, Marianne, and I will condemn all of it without exception.

>230 m.belljackson: Marianne, that is a great mix of reading although you are brave to attempt The Count in the vernacular. My French is no longer good enough to contemplate doing so. I do like Longfellow even though he could just as easily have been called Longwinded.

>231 Familyhistorian: Again the leading Canadian, Meg. Impressive for sure.

>230 m.belljackson: I love the Count, but I don't think I could manage it in audio; I do much better in print with super long books.

>234 amanda4242: I read it last year and, good as it was, there was a LOT of it. My French is nowhere near enough to get through it even just in terms of listening to it.

>209 FAMeulstee: >210 PaulCranswick: And where would we be without Wordle?

>236 quondame: Indeed Susan. It has become part of my daily routine. I blame Natalie (I think it was) - it was her thread I first saw it on and pulled me in to try.

>233 PaulCranswick: >234 amanda4242:

The Audible COUNT is read by French people, but not IN French - all the names and locations
are beautiful.

My daughter got a Free Audible for a Month from Amazon so I started the book and now pay $8.00 a month
to finish it - I totally prefer Books in Print, but am entranced by the sounds.

Just hard to find time to get to all 53 hours when so many other books are calling -
David Strom has been told that Germany just invaded Poland Time of Our Singing.

>226 m.belljackson: >227 PaulCranswick: Humans regularly take the short cut of trying to "win" debates by shutting up those they disagree with. In my youth, I was regularly required to pretend to be Christian, and Christians regularly made falsifiable - and commonly already falsified statements - I was required to "respect", often by repeating them. I encountered far less of that from people on the left side of my local political spectrum, and to this day I'm more surprised and shocked when required to solemnly repeat left-oriented false and/or non-falsifiable shibboleths, than when the shibboleths are right-oriented. A Russian of my age would presumably have had the experience of being required to pretend to be communist, and perhaps have the opposite expectation.

But the behaviour shows up anywhere that a group of people has enough power to treat some people better than others, including any ability to punish others. Sometimes it's blatant - the law requires you to attend a public school, which requires you to participate in religious assemblies - and sometimes it's a bit quieter - that person just wouldn't fit in, so we shouldn't hire/promote them, or they are obviously undeserving as an object of charity.

My ex-workplace was becoming very committed to performative wokism. AFAIK, it was all of the implicit variety - you couldn't get fired for not agreeing that you were racist, or not giving lip service to the perennial goal of hiring and promoting more members of certain designated minorities, using methods that had already been used long enough to demonstrate that they didn't work. But you could get quietly branded "difficult," aka "poor soft skills" on the one hand - or on the other hand, collect suitability-for-promotion points by showing "leadership" in that area. I'm happy that I was able to retire.

To be fair, that same workplace was big on performativity in general. You were also expected to fervently believe in their claimed mission, as declared in ads and mission statements, rather than their actual mission (make tons of money) as displayed by their actual behaviour. Hypocrisy was part of their DNA, so to speak. So their behaviour with regard to wokism was predictable. But unfortunately hypocrisy is also standard operating procedure for many other corporations.

>238 m.belljackson: Oh I see, Marianne, so it is French accented so to speak - I could manage that!

>239 ArlieS: Thank you, Arlie, for that very interesting post. My opinions on a lot of these issues are pretty well documented here and I certainly wouldn't be accepting of a workplace that was expecting me to accept responsibility for the ills of my ancestors and that I benefit from white privilege. I came up from a Northern England mining town, I was the first in my family to go to University and I have worked pretty damn hard to achieve what I have been able to achieve without a great deal of help from anybody. There was no white privilege for the English working classes.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/346358

>240 PaulCranswick:, Paul we share in this. I grew up in Northern Mesabi Range and my family were miners. I was the first in my family to go to college. I grew up in what I would call poor to low middle class roots and they're a part of who I am even after working hard to achieve what I have achieved (without help).

>241 SilverWolf28: Thank you, Silver.

>242 Kristelh: Having lived in Malaysia for 28 years where racism is literally institutionalized in favour of the majority Malay community, I get thoroughly annoyed when everything is seen through the prism of race. That is not to downplay the scourge of racism and I will always condemn it, it is just that there is too much looking backwards when there is an obvious need to move forward.

>243 PaulCranswick:. I agree, Paul, we need to quit looking at everything through the prism of race and start looking ahead.

>244 Kristelh: I think so. I think that there is a difference between calling out racism and living one's life on the basis that people are people and should be all treated with respect and equally and on the other hand seeing everything in terms of race.

Wordle 538 5/6

🟨🟨⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟩🟩⬜⬜
⬜🟩🟩🟩⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

I should have made it in four because I pressed the wrong last letter having already used it before.

>245 PaulCranswick: >244 Kristelh:

Umm...maybe try that Moccasin Thing ? ,,, where you walk out your front door and

are automatically judged for your color until (if) you make it safely back home.

>247 m.belljackson: I'm glad I don't live where you do, if that is how it is in your part of Wisconsin, Marianne. Please stay safe.

We have little to no gun crime in West Yorkshire where I was brought up and class is still a more determining factor on outcomes than is race there. There is zero gun crime in Kuala Lumpur and I can freely walk through its city streets at night without fear of being accosted or attacked.

We do not have the same lived experiences for sure but I would have hoped that Wisconsin wasn't quite the hell hole you sometimes believe it to be - come and live here!

You may get a chuckle out of this, my poetry loving friend.

https://www.librarything.com/topic/346353#7995874

>249 amanda4242: Smileworthy certainly, Amanda. Thanks for that!

I've had a busy few days but I'm still amazed to be over 60 posts behind on your thread, Paul!

>251 CDVicarage: But I am always thrilled when you do drop by, Kerry. Lovely to see you. x

Well it is Friday and my lunch time was in the alternative Japanese Bookstore that opened earlier in the year and where they give free tote bags for every $50 spent.

1001. Easy Kill by Lin Anderson
1002. Complicity by Iain Banks
1003. Ravelstein by Saul Bellow
1004. BUtterfield 8 by John O'Hara
1005. Things : A Story of the Sixties by Georges Perec
1006. A Man Asleep by Georges Perec
1007. El Filibusterismo by Jose Rizal
1008. Fury by Salman Rushdie
1009. Mohawk by Richard Russo
1010. Kartography by Kamila Shamsie

Three more additions to the 1001 booklist.
Another in the Anderson series
Bellow because it is Bellow and his books are not that easy to get here.
I like John O'Hara (perhaps one for the American Author Challenge).
A book by Rizal that I have never seen before.
Richard Russo's book caught my fancy.
Shamsie is a good writer.

Just finished reading Fury, not his best yet …its Rushdie.

>254 Kristelh: Shame and Midnight's Children are two of the best novels of the eighties for sure, Kristel.

>218 m.belljackson: I was the one who used the word "woke" I believe. Not Paul.

And I do not want to get into a political argument, but you answered your own question with your comment about Gone With The Wind.
Just because you don't agree or approve you want to get rid of it and erase history.

Paul, I owe you an apology.

>245 PaulCranswick: This! I'm too steeped in individualism to feel that a gain for some random person in the same category as me counts as a gain for me, except perhaps if they are the first to break some previously impenetrable glass ceiling. I understand that there are people - and cultures - where the group is enough more important than the individual that this makes emotional sense - but that's not me. And even then, I'd expect the group to be a bit more specific than "race" - Tutsi rather than black; Han Chinese rather than Asian; etc. etc.

>248 PaulCranswick: Paul - it's NOT Wisconsin - it's any state, city, or country where race/color divides and categorizes people as Different.

LT has near zero Diversity so you will not get reactions to a color/race blind perspective.

>256 hredwards: Nice to see you Harold. To be fair dear fellow I also used the word and I have used it severally. The intention of the word is a positive one, I believe, but unfortunately it is becoming a by-word for the very intolerance it really should be railing against.

>257 hredwards: No apology necessary, my friend. Your views are always welcome here as are Marianne's.

>258 ArlieS: Yes, I am not in favour either of categories of people - we are all people.

>259 m.belljackson: I'm sorry, Marianne, but that is just wrong on so many levels. Firstly to say that LT has zero diversity is poppycock. It is open to everyone and we have a group with people from all around the world. There are more left leaning voices here than those of the right but open and courteous debate is always welcomed. Personal abuse is not and is generally called out by other group members. I have no idea of the skin colour of group members unless they put up a photograph and/or they mention it and I don't much care as it would have no bearing on my attitude towards them or the hand of friendship I will unreservedly extend to all.

I make no distinctions based on race and want a world where the tone of one's skin colour is completely incidental. I recognize that that hasn't come to fruition yet but we will not get there by seeing every issue through the prism of race or by reintroducing the segregation that your civil rights activists fought to overcome via things like "black only dorms" in Universities and so on.

I repeat I don't know about Wisconsin or other states of the USA and you obviously can't speak to other places in the world just the same as me. I am not threatened in Malaysia or West Yorkshire. I have never seen any violence whatsoever against anyone in Malaysia on the basis of skin colour although the racism here is of a different nature to the one you have perhaps experienced.

Wordle 539 3/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
🟨⬜🟩⬜🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

I was a bit inspired this morning!

>253 PaulCranswick: I must check with my son if he would be interested in reading Rizal. He studied politics at uni and enjoyed the time he spent on the history of the Philipines.

>263 avatiakh: I would be very interested in his views, Kerry. The Philippines is certainly not an area of expertise for me. I have not been to the place despite its relative proximity.

I will not have many more splurges before the end of the year but I do have some books on order and......

1011. The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
1012. Between the Acts by Virginia Woolf
1013. Looking for Trouble by Virginia Cowles
1014. Fresh Water for Flowers by Valerie Perrin
1015. Lost Kingdom by Serhii Plokhy
1016. Tarry Flynn by Patrick Kavanagh
1017. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
1018. Intimacy by Hanif Kureishi
1019. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
1020. In the First Circle by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

3 more 1001 books
Plus in particular Kingsolver's much talked about new novel.

>265 PaulCranswick:. I will be reading First Circle in the second quarter next year.

>266 Kristelh: I will join you all being well, Kristel, if I may.

Just popping in to say hi and thank you for your Thanksgiving message on my thread.
Good of you to stop by. It reminded me to get my book list up to date. I saw your nice comment about Appaloosa and I'm glad you liked it. I'm quite impressed you remembered where it came from, when you regularly acquire books by the score! I have that one on my list to read too.

>268 nrmay: Nancy, I was struck by the thoughtfulness of your choices last Christmas and I have a pretty reliable memory on all things to do with my books!

Nice to see you here and posting again. xx

>259 m.belljackson: It's interesting how the meaning of the word diversity has changed. When I started college, diversity - which was an explicit goal of the admissions bureaucracy - meant lots of people from lots of backgrounds. I may well have gotten in to the university in part because I was both foreign and poor. Now Diversity means having lots of people from a small number of historically oppressed groups - sometimes as small as one such group, sometimes a bit larger.

LT seems quite diverse in the old sense. We have people from many countries, many age groups, and quite a few careers. I don't know of any statistics on how many of those people are black, but you are certainly free to believe that anyone who was black would either declare this prominently or act in such a way that you could easily distinguish them from non-blacks. Ditto for whatever other categories you consider to contribute to Diversity.

Love how you keep adding books with unabashed conviction. :)
I have a lot of books, and then I see how many you have!
I have 800+ tagged 'to read' and then I note how many you have and gain some confidence.
Enduring some mild guilt that I can't stop buying more; I try for used/bargain books only.
I love my books . .

>270 ArlieS: I repeat what I said earlier, Arlie and which you have, I think, largely endorsed - I believe this group is pretty diverse in any reasonable interpretation of the word. Diversity of age groups, diversity of nationalities, diversity of sexuality, diversity in gender, diversity in political and religious beliefs, and yes there is some diversity in race and as far as I know most everyone are friends and those few who don't get along with each other don't get along for none of the differences noted above but usually over a specific issue. As a group as with society generally we are not perfect but I do think that, mostly, our ability to discuss differences of views in a sensible and non-inflammatory way sets a good model for our discourse in RL.

>271 nrmay: I do get abashed sometimes and I would simply get bashed if the boss wasn't safely in the UK. She too is having something of a reading renaissance this year having particularly enjoyed the books of Richard Osman, Ruth Ware and Lisa Jewell.

my mottos -

Celebrate Diversity!
Live and let live
Teach tolerance

I wouldn't like to live in a homogenized neighborhood or society

I don't know about diversity on LT, but I would agree that most people here are left leaning. I think that is because the people on LT are readers. Reading opens the world to its readers. It is also empathetic - when you read a book, you stay with it because you like the characters and you learn and grow with them. It is that capacity for empathy that tends to make readers more open-minded.

The other thing that reading can do is persuade. That is why learning to read is so important. Readers can be impressed and educated by what they read. They can become open to what the author says. This capacity is dangerous. It means that all of us can be persuaded by what we read. That is a good thing or a bad thing. It can lead to intolerance as well as tolerance.

In general, I find that readers don't care so much about the contents of reading material because they figure that the reader will make up their own mind. Readers aren't so much concerned with censorship because they want to read it all, and make their own decisions after looking at many sides of the same idea. All of this is a very liberal, or humanist, way of thinking and it is because we are readers. That doesn't make us diverse in the sense of the word as described by >270 ArlieS:. It is this description (the one in >270 ArlieS:) that is what the majority of people think is the meaning of the word diversity.

For myself I prefer the more open ended definition of diversity, but I do understand that for many people it is the narrower definition, which indicates a sense of privilege that makes them angry. Diversity should be the wider definition, but that is not generally the case in our day and time.

>274 nrmay: Nice! I like those and a celebration of differences makes the world a fuller and more enjoyable place doesn't it?

>275 benitastrnad: Benita, we don't see eye to eye on every topic I know, but I have to say that I agree wholeheartedly with everything you so eloquently expressed.

Nice to have you drop by. xx

>273 PaulCranswick:
Very funny!
And I too like Richard Osman and Lisa Jewell.
Only read one by Ware; it was only fair to middlin'. Perhaps I should try another . .

>277 nrmay: She does speak highly of Osman and Ware for sure, Nancy. I hope she isn't reading up on murder mysteries to get herself some useful ideas!

I think it’s necessary to look at diversity in a wide perspective. In the recent Liz Truss government in the U.K. for instance, much was made of the promotion of non-white people to the major offices of State. For the first time, non of the major offices of state (Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary) was held by a white man. But looked at another way, this was the most elite cabinet in decades, with 70% of the cabinet drawn from fee paying schools, including that most elite of all schools, Eton, which her chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng attended.

>279 SandDune: Race is a determinant unfortunately in one's life chances still but it isn't the only one obviously and your appraisal of the British cabinet is a testament to that, Rhian.

Wordle 540 4/6

⬜🟩⬜🟨⬜
⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩
⬜🟩🟨⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Worked that one out steadily.

>165 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul. Christina Rosetti was an amazing women. As you may know, her brother was one of the well-known Pre-Raphaelite painters. You might be interested in these books:

>282 Whisper1: Both look wonderful books, Linda. Rossetti and Elizabeth Barrett Browning are both favourites of mine and Goblin Market was Christina Rossetti's most famous work, I would hazard. Her beautifully constructed verse is more amazing as her parents were both technically Italian and the family grew up speaking Italian as a joint first language at home.

I have just ordered the major works of Rossetti and hope it will be delivered before the year end.

>283 jerrymaymr3: Hello to you whoever you are and whatever you're selling.

Wordle 541 2/6

🟨🟨🟨⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

I could hardly do much better than that!

>285 PaulCranswick: Congratulations on a Wordle in two, Paul!
I doubt I can do so well in a few hours :-)

>286 FAMeulstee: So often depends on your opening word, Anita, and mine gave me a great chance of a two.

>285 PaulCranswick: That's a rare one!

Enjoy the week-ahead's reads, PC.

>288 richardderus: Indeed and very welcome. About one in 25, I think, for me.

Nice to see you dear fellow

>264 PaulCranswick: My son and his brother spent a few days in Manila, just before Covid hit us. They flew Philippine Airlines to Seoul and back home from Tokyo with a stopover in Manila. He said they went to the monument where Rizal was executed and visited the Rizal museum which was a former barracks where Rizal was imprisoned.
He's currently reading scifi and in the middle of a trilogy so not ready to read anything else. I downloaded the first Rizal from Project Gutenberg.

>290 avatiakh: I understand Rizal is something of a hero to most Filipinos.

I hope to read his book sometime next year.

I have been reading The Nation's Favourite Poems of Journeys and came across Rupert Brooke's famous poem "The Soldier" which of course, as a Brit of my age I am quite familiar with. Had been discussing his relative merits on VioletCrown's thread so I wanted to share it again here:

If I should die, think only this of me:
That there’s some corner of a foreign field
That is for ever England. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam;
A body of England’s, breathing English air,
Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.

And think, this heart, all evil shed away,
A pulse in the eternal mind, no less
Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;
Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;
And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,
In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.

>292 PaulCranswick: The discussion had centred around his romantic view of the war and that of Owen who looked into the abyss and saw its pity. The point was made that had Brooke lived he would have most likely have changed his own stance.
It also prompted me to jot down: "Blame the Mosquito that Poisoned the Blood"

Blame the mosquito that poisoned the blood
Of the poet en route to the Dardanelles
And gained him prematurely the brotherhood
Of all those others who subsequently fell -
Before he could inspect with a more jaundiced view
All that lay piteously ahead for his retinue.

Could his words have retained their romantic flow
Amid the mortars and shells that scarred land
The howitzers with human flesh did sow?
Would it have steadied his patriotic hand
To have the reality of slaughter full revealed
On that corner of that foreign field?

There was a great discussion of the Wilfred Owen's work on BBC radio program "In Our Time" with Melvern Bragg. In that discussion all of the experts agreed that Owen was not against the war. He saw and understood the waste of war, but that he was, by all accounts a fine soldier, who also found war to exhilarating, exciting, and fond great beauty in many aspects of war. They all pointed out that there is no doubt that he also saw the irony but he never once spoke against The Great War, unlike several of his friends and fellow poets.

It caught my attention because I thought of him as being very anti-war. If you can do so listen to the program. It gave me some real things to think about regarding Owen and his poetry.

>294 benitastrnad: I think it is an absolutely fascinating subject, Benita. There is no doubt that of all the major conflicts in the last 200 years the so called Great War spawned the greatest outpouring of poetic marvels.

>292 PaulCranswick: You got me to pull a book off my shelves Brooke: The Collected Poems with a Memoir by Edward Marsh. It has that poem in it. I hadn't looked at it closely since I inherited it. It was a present from my father to my mother in 1950 and obviously used because of the items placed between the leaves which date from much later. Thank you for that.

>296 Familyhistorian: You are most welcome, Meg. Reading it again also prompted my humble effort in >293 PaulCranswick:.

Wordle 543 5/6

⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜
🟨🟨⬜⬜⬜
⬜⬜⬜🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Work was so crazy that I forgot to play yesterday. First time I missed playing the game in months.

>298 PaulCranswick: Isn't that irritating, losing your streak over something so mundane as work?! Well, better luck next streak.

>299 richardderus: Careless too, RD. Got back from work at 8 pm last night and had dinner with the girls. Chit chat for a while and then lay down on my bed to read. A few pages in and it was morning (early morning) already!

Will start possibly my last thread of the year shortly