PawsforThought reads in 2021

Hi all.

Like many others, I didn't manage to get much reading done in 2020. Not immediately because of the pandemic, but because there were others things calling for my attention. I managed to get back into knitting and sewing (I'm a member of the Needleworks group here on LT) which has been a great distraction from the world and also spent a lot of time doing jigsaw puzzles.

I always try to fit my books into one of the TIOLI challenges, and even when my reading isn't going quite so well I at least check in and see what challenges are posted. The TIOLI is one of my favourite things about LT.

One of the things that complete fell away last year was my poetry reading. I hope that will go better in 2021.
Other than that I'm going to keep reading my beloved Golden Age mystery novels, mixed with various children's books, classics and whatever else strikes my fancy.

Currently reading:

Books read in 2020:

#1. Passenger to Frankfurt - Agatha Christie. 1970. 207 pages.
#2. The Nine Tailors - Dorothy L. Sayers. 1934. 397 pages.
#3. Equal Rites - Terry Pratchett. 1987. 285 pages.
#4. Gaudy Night - Dorothy L. Sayers. 1940. 352 pages.
#5. If Only They Could Talk - James Herriot. 1970. 123 pages.
#6. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - Susanna Clarke. 2004. 772 pages.
#7. Death Comes as the End - Agatha Christie. 1945. 191 pages.
#8. It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet - James Herriot. 1972. 131 pages.
#9. Diaboliad and Other Stories - Mikhail Bulgakov. 1924-ish. 151 pages.
#10. The Secret History - Donna Tartt. 1992. 559 pages.
#11. Five Go to Smuggler’s Top - Enid Blyton. 1945. 202 pages.
#12. Busman’s Honeymoon - Dorothy L. Sayers. 1937. 329 pages.
#13. The Borrowers Afield - Mary Norton. 1955. 232 pages.
#14. Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Bradbury. 1962. 221 pages.
#15. The Sundial - Shirley Jackson. 1958. 192 pages.

The year's reading in covers.

Poetry read in 2021:

Best wishes for a better 2021!

Thanks, Diana, and welcome to my thread!

Starred you Paws!

Thanks, Rhian! Hopefully there'll be something interesting for you to read here. I'll try to find your thread, too.

Happy New Year, Paws!

And getting back into needlework. That's nice. I used to do some, but it's so long ago. Will have a look in the group you mention.

Hi Ella, good to see you here.

I've always like needlework, and come form a very crafty family so it's second-nature, really, but I've been lazy/interested in other things in the past few years so not much done. I'm really looking forward to doing more with my hands and as it's mostly utility knitting/sewing, it'll also have a direct impact o m wardrobe and home.

Welcome back, Paws.

Welcome back!

Happy New Year Paws. Just dropping off a star.

Happy reading in 2021, Paws!

>13 drneutron:, >14 Caroline_McElwee: and >15 FAMeulstee: Thank you for stopping by my thread, and a happy new year to you!

Ever since 1896 it's been tradition for Tennyson's "Ring Out, Wild Bells" to be read on stage at Skansen (an outdoors museum and zoo in Stockholm) just before the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve. Since 1977 it's been televised and as such, it a major part of most Swede's New Year's celebrations (it's followed by a countdown, also on the Skansen stage). This was done this year too, albeit without an audience. I've always liked that poem and felt it was extra apt this year (particularly the penultimate stanza) so thought I'd post it here. This is the English original - the Swedish translation is what's read onstage/TV. I put the last stanza in brackets, because it's never read in Sweden.

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes
But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.

(Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.)

Wow, that's amazing, and amazingly fitting.

Happy New Year, Paws. I love the poem and the tradition behind it. Thank you for sharing it.

And keep up with my friends here, Paws. Have a great 2021.

Good old Tennyson!

Happy new year!

>18 drneutron: Hi Jim, and welcome! Yeah, I really like that poem and listening to it every year always fills me with hope for the new year, even this year.

>19 lauralkeet: Hi Laura! Nice to see you here!

>20 PaulCranswick: Thanks for the well wishes, Paul - al things I very much hope for in 2021. And Tennyson is a good'un.

>21 quondame: Thank you, Susan!

Happy New Year, Paws!

>23 karenmarie: Hi Karen, good to see you here!

>25 Berly: Hi Kim, thanks for stopping by!

Enjoy your 2021 reading!

Dropping off my and wishing you the best of new years in 2021!

>28 ronincats: Thank you Roni, it's nice to see you here.

Happy new year!

Hi Carrie! Nice to see you here.

Happy new year!

...and of course by the same logic I should have been here before. :)

Hi, Paws! - Happy New Year and Thread.

>33 lyzard: Hi Liz! It’s good to have you here.

Hey Cousin Paws! Happy 2021!

I love jigsaw puzzles and needlework, too. Must be in our imaginary genes! I've not done any needlework in a while, but want to get a project started this year. You know - something like a pillow, so that Jane will have something new to lick into oblivion. (She's one of those cats who is addicted to licking wool.)

Looking forward to seeing what you are reading.

>35 Fourpawz2: A pillow sounds like a good project. I have several pillow ideas I want to set into motion (though none are for cat licking purposes) at some point in time.

Jane is so weird - but discriminating when it comes to fabric. She only likes natural fibers and wool is her favorite. Strangely she is also very fond of plastic bags - both as toys and for licking. Apparently there is something really delicious on the inside of grocery store bags.

>37 Fourpawz2: Jane clearly has great taste. I prefer natural fibers (and wool in particular) 10 times out of 10.
My kitty loves laundry, preferably dirty laundry. If he finds a dirty towel you have to wrestle it away from him. Weirdo.

>35 Fourpawz2: >37 Fourpawz2: Our dogs seem to love minky, which otherwise I would not have around the house. My daughter was given a bolster years ago which became a dog magnet and prompted me to cover a few old pillows with minky. It has spread to a number of dog beds and blankets so that the wee monsters can be comfortable where ever the go - but only Zette gets her down comforter upon which no other dog can trespass.

>39 quondame: Her own down comforter? Very nice.
Kitty is a stereotypical cat in that he usually doesn't care for things that are bought for made for him, but prefers to take over things that were intended for us humans. So we just let him have them for a while and when he tires and gos to find another blanket/pillow/whatever we'll de-fur or wash it.

>40 PawsforThought: Zette is blind and mostly deaf, and usually spends at least 22 hours a day in her dog bed under her comforter, which was my daughter's until she got her first weighted blanket.

>40 PawsforThought: Aw. That must make her feel so safe and secure.

My kitty nearly died of medication-induced diabetes two years ago and that aged him a lot very quickly. He's doing well now, but he is definitely and old cat now. He is spoiled rotten now, because we're just so happy to still have him. There's nothing like a beloved pet.

SO true Cousin Paws. Don't know what I would do without Jane. I feel very lucky that she chose me at the shelter. Thought *I* was going there to pick out at a cat, but it turned out I was there to be chosen.

>43 Fourpawz2: Yeah. Kitty was the greatest Christmas present of my life.

Dropping my star here. Happy new year. :)

Hi Stephen! Thanks for coming by, and happy new year!

I've spent the day preparing for a possible electricity outage due to some rather bad winter weather. Nothing's happened yet, despite harsh winds and quite a bit of snow. Tomorrow will probably be the worst of it - they're forecasting 59 mm of snow (that's 59 mm water, which will make for about 59 cm of actual snow, so around 2 feet for my American friends) for Tuesday. I'm not looking forward to it, but it's not the worst thing ever. We have nowhere we need to be so we can just hunker down, take turns shovelling snow and ride it out.
We've done some shopping to make sure we have the essentials, we've charged all devices and got new batteries for the radio, we've got blankets galore, and we've filled up bottles and buckets with water should we need it.
At least I have books (and boardgames, so many boardgames!) to entertain me should I need it.

Oh my goodness, Cousin Paws! Two feet! That's a really major snowstorm in my neck of the woods. Never dreamed that your part of the world had that kind of snow. Stay safe and I hope your weather people turn out to be wrong.

>48 Fourpawz2: We've had worse. I do live in the northern part of the country, so fairly large amount of snow aren't unusual. This is obviously more than a regular snowstorm, though.

Two (I think) years ago a town an hour from here had a combined snow depth of 170 cm.

And the worst in my lifetime was in the winter of 1998, when there was so much snow that the trees never recovered from the weight - the trees that were young then are still bent over. My grandma lost electricity for over a week that time, and had to sleep in outerwear next to the fireplace and cook food on a camping stove.
That was the same year I walked home from school in -37 C. It was a horrendous winter. (Although people say 1976 was also terrible, but I wasn't born then so can't comment.)

>49 PawsforThought: It sounds like an awful lot of snow. Hope it isn't as bad as predicted! Stay warm and safe.

>50 EllaTim: It is a lot of snow, at least for a single day. The problem isn’t the snow levels themselves though, but the winds and the fact that it’s fairly warm so it’s wet snow.

We still have power, but there’s no power in our summer house and at my aunt’s place. They’re always affected by these things- it’s a rural place with old wirings. And a ton of trees that can fall over the wires. I don’t understand why they don’t put the wires in the ground instead.

Thanks for your concern! The worst that’s happened to us so far is that we can’t get TV reception and the snow is getting packed against the door so it’s tricky to get outside to shovel.

The snowstorm is over. We never lost power, and the power outage at our summer house was fixed fairly quickly. We've had around 50 cms of snow in the past 24 hours - and because it's been close to 0°C it's incredibly heavy and wet snow. A nightmare to shovel. I got rid of the wall that was left when the road plow went past and I haven't been so tired in years - it was like running a race, and I'm not a runner.
I'm glad it's over and that I had no reason to venture outside other than the shovelling.

>52 PawsforThought: No TV reception! Could have been worse I guess.
Snow shovelling is hard work. I'm now very curious about what your place looked like after the snow. And I'm reminded of a Moomin book, where there's a door in the roof, for when there's a lot of snow;-)

>53 EllaTim: Yeah, snow shovelling really takes it out of you.

Right now it looks like the whole place has had a ton of meringue dumped on it. I'll see if I can get a decent picture.
I think that Moomin book might be Moominvalley Midwinter. I only have vague and scattered memories of the story in that one, but I know one of my favourite Moominvalley characters - Too-ticky - is introduced there. Luckily we've haven't had to climb out through a roof window to get out. Phew.

A couple of photos of the snow.

First a view from the bedroom window, of the neighbours' house. You can just about make out the dog-proof fence at the bottom of the photo. That fence is about a metre high.
In the second photo is the front balcony, which looks like it's covered in meringue or whipped cream. Again, that railing is over a metre high.

Wow! Just look at all that snow! (I admit that I'm jealous.)

>55 PawsforThought: Looks magical to someone who doesn't have to deal with it Paws.

So much snow - beautiful pictures!

You like Moomins, too? Wonderful!

>55 PawsforThought: Ooo! The snow on the railing is tall enough to crenelate!

>57 scaifea: Completely understandable feeling. I feel really lucky to have this around me, even if I didn't like the way it arrived.

>58 Caroline_McElwee: It looks magical to me too, even though I have to deal with it. I much prefer having snowy winters (even the massive amounts) than a snowless one. Snowless winters are awful - dark and dreary (the difference in light with and without snow is unbelievable if you haven't experienced it) and slippery.

>59 PersephonesLibrary: I love the Moomins! And every time I think about them, the theme song to the animated Moomin show that aired when I was a kid starts playing in my head.

>60 quondame: I had to look up "crenelate" - thanks for letting me learn a new word!

To my great joy I discovered that one of my favourite TV shows from a couple of years ago, where artists put music to poems by famous poets, has returned for another season/series. I really loved the first series and it spurred me to start reading more poetry, and now that's I've fallen behind on that, this is a great reminder to get back to reading poetry.

One of the poets covered today was Emily Dickinson, who I'm of course already familiar with but she wrote so many poems that I could do a deep dive and still only scratch the surface. Maybe she could be my next poet to read?

>55 PawsforThought: Nice! Whipped cream, right. It is lighter when it has snowed, lots better than the rainy, dark days when the temperature is just above 0 Celsius. I would have loved some snow here as well.

>62 PawsforThought: That sounds like it could be interesting.

>63 EllaTim: I hope you get at least a little bit of snow this winter, Ella. Just enough to make it lighter.

It is a really interesting show. I was certain it wasn't going to come back because it's a fairly niche thing but the host is one of the most popular in the country and nearly everything he does gets good viewing figures.

Glad you got through the storm with no loss of power. I am not often so lucky. Your snow is pretty - but am glad it is not outside my window.

>65 Fourpawz2: There were quite a lot of people who did lose power (I think around 6000 at the most) but most of it was fixed pretty quickly. We live in a suburb of sorts to the power lines are pretty stabile and new-ish - that helps. And because we're so "urban" if something did happen it would be a priority to get fixed fast.
Different story at our summer house, which is in a very rural and fairly remote place with ancient power lines that are constantly threatened by all that Mother Nature has.

I do love the snow and am really looking forward to going for a really long walk tomorrow and hearing the squeaky crunch under my feet.

>64 PawsforThought: Snow predicted for tomorrow! Just one day, but I will enjoy it.

Glad you didn't have a power outage.

>55 PawsforThought: Gosh that looks as cold as it looks lovely, Paws.

Have a splendid weekend and stay warm!

>67 EllaTim: Hooray for a little bit of snow!

>68 PaulCranswick: It's not as cold today, only around -14°C . Perfectly nice January weather, and the sun is shining so I'm going to go outside a bit today.

>69 PawsforThought: Minus 14! Positively toastie!

>66 PawsforThought: - I love the squeaky crunch of snow. So much better than having to clamber over the frozen boulders of ice-snow that we get here all too often.

>71 Fourpawz2: Definitely better. When we have mild winters, it goes from being a few degrees cold with a little hint of snow to just hitting the melting point and everything turning to slush. Which then freezes as soon as the temperatures dip slightly again. It's really dangerous - all that ice everywhere.
It's another cold day here, we just hit -23°C tonight.

It has gone quiet over here Paws. At -23 it must be too cold to type! After 27 years in Malaysia, I cannot imagine getting used to cold like that.

>73 PaulCranswick: It's quiet because I haven't been reading much.

It was only that cold for a few days (maybe a week?) and then it got a bit warmer, even above freezing one day - which is dreadful because the snow starts to melt and gets very heavy and difficult to shovel.
The coldest I've experienced is -37°C, in the late 90's. I hope I never have to go through that again.
I can't imagine getting used to warm temperatures - during the extreme summer of 2018 when we had hot temperatures (and drought and wildfires) for months on end, I felt sick nearly every single day. At least you can dress for the cold - just put on another layer.

>74 PawsforThought: The heat is not too bad but the humidity is awful. I still can't stand the 90% plus humidity every day - energy sapped and clothes sticking to you after a few minutes walking in the light of day.

>74 PawsforThought: That's right. -23 seems awfully cold to me though.

>75 PaulCranswick: Yuck. And humid heat lingers much longer as well.

Have a nice weekend Paws!

>74 PawsforThought: "Just put on another layer." If it were -37, I think I might put on enough other layers that I would look like the Michelin Man! :)

>76 EllaTim: It's cold, but not very unusual or extreme for January (the coldest month). The rest of winter is usually around -10°C, which is pretty comfortable. And I hope you have a nice weekend too, Ella.

>77 sirfurboy: You definitely look like the Michelin man - big down coats are the best against extreme cold and they have that look down. See below, the Fjällräven Expidition coat (Fjällräven is the company that makes the Kånken backpacks, that have been really trendy lately - their HQ is around the corner from here). I had one of these on when I was stargazing in -32°C a few years ago - didn't even feel the cold. I could have worn just a t-shirt underneath and been fine.

>74 PawsforThought: In the heat you can wrap yourself in linen. It does help. Not as much as down and wool in winter, but every little bit can be important. I find it so much easier to sleep in the cold under a think pile of comforters.

How's the weather currently? I think the coldest I experienced was around -20°C. I feel there is a point where you can't feel any colder anymore (like in heat waves where I stop feeling a difference between 40°C or 45°C.)

Winter is the time where every little drop of vanity leaves my body and I can run around like a Yeti just to keep warm. :)

>80 PersephonesLibrary: We've gone into another bout of slightly colder weather, so it's -18°C today and is supposed to stay around there for about a week.
And I would literally die if it was 40°C. I get heat stroke when it creeps close to 30°C and actually pass out. Thankfully, it's rare that we get those kinds of temperatures (nowadays we get about a week or maybe two at the end of summer when it's around 30°C).

And vanity is a waste. My sheepskin slippers and oversized cardigans are my best friends in winter.

Not a fan of summer weather, either. I usually begin whining about the heat and humidity around the end of June and most years I don't let up until early October. We've got the so-called Polar Vortex sitting on us right now and when it lets up we're supposed to get a horrible combination snow and rain storm. Every shovel weighs a ton, but you have to shovel in case the temps plunge. Fluffy snow - that's the ticket! Alas, we do not get much of that so close to the ocean.

Like that coat a lot.

>82 Fourpawz2: I love summer weather, *Swedish* summer weather. So, mostly sunny and around 20-25°C. No more, thanks.

Sorry to hear you're about to get slammed with the dreaded snow-rain combination. We had that horror show last week.

>78 PawsforThought: That coat looks great. I need a real winter coat, but the shops are closed. I could order over the internet, but I want to be able to try a coat on, and feel what it's like. We had some frost here as well, -5 for one night. Not enough really, would love some real winter weather, but it's not likely.

>83 PawsforThought: - oh to be in Sweden in the summer!!! In my perfect New England summer - assuming I was in charge - I would allow nothing over 75 degrees (but 73 degrees would be the optimum) with absolutely no sweat inducing humidity allowed.

>84 EllaTim: Winter coats are important. And trying those kinds of clothes on are very important - few things worse than being stuck with something that doesn't work. I'm fortunate that we live close to a big store that sells outdoors-y things and clothes, and they're very spacious so it's easy to keep plenty of distance to others.
-5°C is really nice winter temperature. That's what we usually have in late February-early march, just before it starts to get close to spring.

>85 Fourpawz2: You should come visit some time, cousin! Mild temperatures and the light summer nights!

>86 PawsforThought: Wish we could all travel again. Sweden seems a nice destination.
We finally had some frost, and some ice-skating has been possible in the north and the east, but not where I live. But the tail of the winter tends to be coldest the last years, the end of February can surprise us still.

We saw the first snowdrops starting today.

>87 EllaTim: Yeah, I miss travel. I was planning on going to Estonia/Latvia and Italy last year, but that obviously never happened. I'm going as soon as it's deemed safe/okay.
I'm obviously very biased but I think Sweden would make a good holiday destination for a lot of people, there's a lot of variety here. And about 95% of adults speak English (and often at least one more foreign language) so no issues making yourself understood.

Ice skating is fun. At the beginning of the month, when a lot of people were still off work/school, there were tons of people ice skating on the lake and pond near us (the ice rinks are closed). We counted at least a hundred one day.

Snow drops are so pretty! We rarely see them here, even though I know they grow here too. We tend to have to wait for April (or at least late March) before any flowers pop up.

Hi Paws!

>52 PawsforThought: Wow. 50 cms of snow, wet and heavy snow at that.

>55 PawsforThought: I love the pictures. Thanks for sharing.

>66 PawsforThought: All bundled up and that squeaky crunch underfoot – hope you had a good walk.

>88 PawsforThought: I loved Estonia & Latvia when we went a couple of years ago, particularly Estonia (the food was wonderful). Have you been before? One of our post retirement holiday plans (when such things are possible, is to spend several weeks travelling around Sweden. We had a great holiday the one time we have been. I’m trying to cut down on flying and I understand that in 2022 they are introducing a night train from Malmö to Brussels, so perhaps that would be the time to do it.

>90 SandDune: No, I've never been to the Baltics before. We have a lot of shared history and culture (the area used to be part of the Swedish empire, for one) but there's are big differences too. I'm very much interested in the history and the crafts - they're famous for wool and linen, both favourites of mine.
I didn't know they're planning a night train from Malmö to Brussels, that sounds nice. I always take the train if I'm going to Stockholm, but longer trips are a bit too much for me to not take a plane.
You might have told me this before, but where did you go when you where in Sweden last time?

>91 PawsforThought: We had a few nights in Helsingborg, a few nights in Varberg, and then a week in a cottage just outside Ystad. We didn’t do very long distances as Jacob was pretty young then (five, I think), so I’ve never been to Stockholm. We got the overnight ferry from the U.K. to Denmark (which doesn’t go any more) and then drove across the bridge. You used to be able to get ferries from the U.K. to both Denmark and Norway, but both have now stopped, which I think is a great shame.
We thought that Estonia in particular had much more of a Scandinavian feel that we were expecting.

>92 SandDune: Oh, you didn't make it out of the old Danish region, then. Well, there's plenty left of the country for you to discover on your next trip! My SIL is from Helsingborg, but I'm sad to say I've never been there more than driving through on a trip to Denmark. Some day. I know there used to be a ferry from Göteborg (Gothenburg) to Newcastle or something, but it's possible they've stopped too. I agree it's sad they've stopped the other ferries.

I'm not surprised you felt a Scandinavian vibe in Estonia - there are actually still a few Swedish-speakers left there! Though they are a dying breed.

>90 SandDune: I've never been to Sweden, but Marc, my husband has been, always by train, a long journey but in good trains, and not uncomfortable, according to him.

>93 PawsforThought: It is a pity when there are less ferries. We went to Scotland by boat, a couple of years ago. It was the first part of a long cruise. We had just booked the trip from Flushing to Aberdeen. We loved it. But there are still options. We took the ferry back from Newcastle to IJmuiden.

Estonia seems interesting, Lithuania is supposed to be beautiful as well. I'd love a trip to the Baltic countries.

>94 EllaTim: Most of the trains (except some of the city trains in Stockholm) are new and thus comfortable and with plenty of space. The night trains are probably some of the oldest, but my experience with them has still been good.
I like boats, and ferries, but I've not taken a ferry for about 25 years - to Finland. Ferries have a bit of a reputation here, since most of the ferry lines are Sweden-Finland and a lot of the passengers get on them to party and get drunk. Not my kind of thing.

I'd love to visit Lithuania someday, too. Seems like a very interesting country. Won't be this time, though, because I'm not planning a long trip and three countries is too much for 1 week/10days. And there's a quick and easy train trip between Tallinn and Riga, apparently.

>95 PawsforThought: Party and get drunk, no I wouldn't like that either. Newcastle-IJmuiden had a big disco and all kind of entertainment, but we avoided that. The ship was big enough.

Three countries in 1 week, no that is too much.

Fascinating discussion on the Baltic states which I know far too little of in all honesty. I have a twin brother and he loved clubs and discos when we were younger whereas I couldn't stand the places.

>96 EllaTim: I've done two countries in one week, and that's doable if you have a plan, but it's bordering on stressful so I'd prefer 10 days, and as we've said, not three countries.

>97 PaulCranswick: I like going out dancing but drinking isn't my thing so I tend to steer clear of places where I know people will be over-imbibing.
What are your areas of knowledge when it comes to countries/holidays in Europe, Paul?

>96 EllaTim: Back in the day (a very long time ago) we took the ferry from Newcastle to Bergen, and it was lovely. We had booked a reasonable cabin, but got upgraded as well, so it was like a mini-cruise. And you got all the lovely coastal scenery going into Bergen.

>97 PaulCranswick: When we went to Tallinn and Riga there were clearly quite a few stag and hen parties (more in Riga I would say) but it wasn’t a problem at all.

>98 PawsforThought: We had two weeks in Estonia/ Latvia, but we travelled around quite a bit. 10 days would work well I would think.

Baltic countries are on my travel list, too. I still hope for 2023 to make travelling possible again...

>98 PawsforThought: Apart from the UK the places I know reasonably well are from my time cycling. France, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Paws, I am trying to update my reading league and cannot figure out your reading. Any books to count?

>102 PaulCranswick: I'm sad to say I haven't finished any books yet this year. I've made some headway with Passenger to Frankfurt but I still have about 50 pages left.

We had a really lovely weekend, weather-wise. Just a few degrees below freezing and the sun was shining. Went for a really long walk both Saturday and Sunday and it felt so good. I got a bit of a hankering for skating or even skiing, and I don't like skiing!
You can really tell that the sun is returning now - I don't have to light the lamps in the window in the morning and it's still not-dark out at five in the afternoon. Feels good.
I really should have worn sunglasses on the walks because with sun that strong and so much snow there's a risk of hurting your retina (and snow blindness if you're in a more rural place, but there are too many houses and things here). Alas, I'm terminally bad at remembering to take them with me.

>104 PawsforThought: Isn't it nice to have more light? I feel it too, we had a week of snow and frost and sun. But at your place it must be even clearer.
We walked and we've done some ice-skating. And now it's back to rain and more rain, but I almost feel like we had a holiday.

>103 PawsforThought: I will be rooting for you, Paws. I have lost my own reading mojo so many times and it is usually managing to get one finished and then they all come in a splurge. A bit like waiting around for London buses as they say!

>105 EllaTim: Yeah, it absolutely feels like having had a holiday. We're still having blue skies and sunshine but the temperatures have dropped again. Still nice, though.

>106 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul.

>104 PawsforThought: I am so relieved days are getting longer again and that there are sunnier and warmer days now. Those past weeks got to me. Hope you will have some nice walks (including sunglasses) and reads this weekend!

>108 PersephonesLibrary: I am not used to those shortening and lengthening days nowadays since I am living in the tropics and without seasons. I do miss it actually.

>109 PaulCranswick: But I am sure your stable situation is healthier - and your body thanks you for that. :)

>108 PersephonesLibrary: Thank you. I have been terrible about getting out lately, because things keep popping up and occupying my mind (this weekend it was a fuse that kept blowing).

>109 PaulCranswick: I've been thinking about that a lot this weekend - how strange it must be for people who aren't used to these kinds of shifts in light. I remember how odd it was watching American movies when I was a kid/teenager and the story was set in summer but it was pitch black outside. It didn't click until I was an adult.

>108 PersephonesLibrary: I would really miss the long summer evenings if I lived elsewhere, to be honest.

>112 SandDune: Long summer evenings (and long summer nights) are the best.

It "only" took me almost three months but I've finally finished my first read of 2021! I've had the book (it's a library book) since autumn and could easily have finished it in January but never got around to it. Partly because of everything in life, and partly because the book is, well, meh.

#1.



Passenger to Frankfurt by Agatha Christie

Sir Stafford Nye meets a young woman at Frankfurt airport who asks for his help. Someone is trying to kill her and he agrees to let her use his passport to get into the UK. This is the beginning of a very complicated story involving international espionage, murder attempts, Hitler and a youth revolution.

I didn't like this book much, which is a great shame because I love Agatha Christie and I was pleasantly surprised by the other non-murder mystery of hers I've read (Destination Unknown). This isn't a bad book, but I wasn't particularly interested in any of the characters - of which there are to many to keep up - and the events were confusing. It obviously didn't help that I stopped a started this and read it over a long period of time; it would have been much easier to follow along if I'd read it in one go.

Hey Cousin! Glad you have conquered that first book mountain. And by your description of it I am most definitely not looking forward to Passenger to Frankfurt as I am very much not a fan of espionage novels. I'm reading Christie's books in the order she published them, but I am only at 1939 so I've got another 31 years to get through before I get to it. With luck I will be dead before then.

Hey cousin, good to see you here.
I normally like espionage novels, if they’re well written and you know what you’re getting into. This just felt messy and a bit unfinished.

>114 PawsforThought: Congratulations on at least finishing it!

I have read this one, but I think I didn't like it much. Can't compare to her really good ones. It's a pity.

>117 EllaTim: I had to finish it - the library sent a threatening (not really) letter that I needed to return it. The library where I used to work. Oops.

Yeah, it really doesn't compare to her really great novels. Oh well, at least I've read it.

>112 SandDune: If you can profit from them, it's nice of course. :)

>114 PawsforThought: Congrats on your first read!

>114 PawsforThought: Thanks. It was a long time coming, but fairly easy once I got around to it. I'm going to try and read a bit of my other current read every day this week - see if I can make some good headway (and get into a good habit).

Still not reading much, but the past week has been so much better than the rest of 2021 (to say nothing of 2020).
Spring is finally really here, and while there still snow aplenty, the roads and bigger paths are thawed up so I've been going out for walks every day. And it's been sunny most days - how amazing it is to feel the warmth of the spring sun!

A few days ago when we were walking around the lake we spotted a pair of cranes dancing and singing on the lake. I've never seen cranes on this lake before. They pop up on the meadow beside it in the summer sometimes, but I've never seen them dancing. And two days ago there were six cranes dancing there! It was incredible to see (and hear! you could hear them over a kilometre away).

And the best thing of all: my dad got his first covid vaccination shot today, after weeks of vaccine delay. And mum has an appointment for her first shot on Monday. I feel like I can breathe again. I'm too young and healthy to be able to book yet (only 65+ so far) but I hope they set up a stand by-list system for the doses that remain at the end of the day and let anyone who want to get those shots. I'd walk into town at three in the morning if they asked me to, if it meant I could get a vaccine shot.

>122 PawsforThought: How wonderful to see the cranes, Paws. I have never seen cranes in the wild.
Yay for your fathers first vaccination, and an appointment for your mother. I felt very relieved when my father got his vaccinations.

>122 PawsforThought: We see cranes every year, both at home and near our summer house, but it's always later in the year and they're generally on a meadow or in a barley field eating frogs and insects. Never ever seen them dancing and singing before. It was quite something. I knew they were loud but not THAT loud.

Must be amazing to hear and see those cranes. Sounds as if they have a little bit of show biz in their veins!

And congrats to your parents for being almost vaccinated. Hope your turn comes very soon.

How wonderful to see cranes dancing! A memorable thing.

And I'm glad for your parents. Yes, for a stand-by list for you. Good idea.

Had a job interview in Friday which went very well even though I'm woefully unqualified for the position. We'll see what happens, but I'll be shocked if none of the other candidates are better than me. I have another position I'm hoping for and am waiting to hear about an interview. I think that would be a much better fit. But I'll take the job that's offered to me.

We went to our summer house yesterday to clear away the winter and check on everything. All the plants indoors have survived, and most things outdoors seem good - except for the firewood storage, which seems to have got the bad end of one of the winter storms. The roof had blown off and the support structure want only half there. Not a big deal, the firewood was still standing in nice stacks and they won't be harmed.
Went down to the water to check on the boathouse and saw 17 grey seals sleeping on the out in the bay. I have only seen one or two seals there before, and never in winter. Not sure what this means, but I'm hoping it's because of less pollution and more fish. It'd be great if that was it.

Today we've trimmed the hedge around the patio at home, and saw a flock of 35-40 cranes flying around above the house. It was an amazing sight. They kept going in circles like some sort of bird-carousel. Great sight.

If anyone is interested in the animals and nature around my parts I highly recommend watching the live streamed slow-TV show called "Den stora älgvandringen" (The great elk/moose trek). There are cameras set up in the woods at a famous elk crossing point on the Ångermanland River in anticipation of the yearly crossing of the river by the elks. It's become something of a smash hit both in Sweden and in places around the world. The crossing point is about two hours from where I live so you can see what kind of natural environment I'm used to. So far the only animals I've seen are reindeer and Canadian geese but I'm sure there'll be plenty more. Last year they caught a wolverine and this year they're hoping for black grouse courting.

The live stream is ongoing 24/7 and can be viewed in all countries.
The live stream can be found here: https://www.svtplay.se/den-stora-algvandringen

>127 PawsforThought: Keeping my fingers crossed for the other job, Paws.
Seals and cranes, wow!

Another of your friends here sending positive job vibes.

>128 PawsforThought: Thank you for that feed, Paws. I have to say that it makes a wonderfully tranquil backdrop to accompany reading. I had it on in the background and since I am reading a book called Figures in a Landscape it was sort of appropriate. Looks chilly though!

Have a great weekend.

>131 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul, nice to see you here.
Glad to hear you're enjoying the feed. The first few elks arrived yesterday - which was very exciting - but none have crossed the river yet. They're waiting for the others to arrive and then they'll cross together. There have been other fun things too, like a pair of swans mating and a flock of cranes wandering around. And the reindeer - tons of them.
It is a bit chilly, it's been cold (only a few degrees above freezing) today and yesterday. Before than we had a week of sunshine and ≈10°C which was very nice. The animals don't care much, though.

>132 PawsforThought: I do find it a very relaxing accompaniment, Paws.

>128 PawsforThought: I did have that on for a day or so though mostly is was all darkness for me. I'm not really a noise in the background person, so it's off for now.

>134 quondame: Well, time differences are an issue, I guess. I'd say the most activity is in the morning to early afternoon, Swedish time (CET). You could just turn the sounds off if you want to have it on but not be bothered by extra sounds - I do that most of the time.

Hi Paws!

>114 PawsforThought: I don’t remember being particularly fond of this one and have probably never re-read it.

>115 Fourpawz2: When I saw Paws review, I thought that perhaps I might try an Agatha read/re-read, but then I remembered that I dislike Tommy and Tuppence and some of her stand alones. I may try for an Hercule Poirot/Miss Marple read next year, as I’m finishing up a Nero Wolfe read/re-read this year.

>122 PawsforThought: And congrats on your parents starting the vaccination process. I hope you can get scheduled soon, too.

>127 PawsforThought: Good luck on your job search. Nice to see 17 seals and a huge flock of cranes.

>136 karenmarie: Hi Karen - thanks for the visit.

Passenger to Frankfurt is not the kind of Christie I'd re-read (like I do Poirot and Marple). I do like the Tommy & Tuppence books I've read so far (the first one is the best one) and a few of the other stand alones I've read but this one just wasn't very good.

Thanks for the well-wishes, unfortunately the vaccination process is taking a longer than planned and I'd be surprised if I get vaccinated before the end of summer. And my region (healthcare is run by the regions) is terribly badly run. And now we have the highest spread in the whole of Europe because people are being stupid and not wearing masks and hanging out with people outside their family. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Good things are happening!

As you may know, I was let go from my job in December, and I have been looking for a new one since then (and long before, to be honest). I decided from the start that I was going to take the opportunity to do something different and not look for another librarian job (I wasn't happy in that position) and also to take the chance to get out of this town and move away.
Well, I did it. I have a new job, which is in my old hometown (where i have been wanting to go back to). I will be working as an administrator at the university, working with scientists who are doing research on AI and society. It's a completely new world for me and I'm equal parts excited and terrified.
Now I just need to find a place to live and get some furniture and other living necessities. I have never lived completely on my own in a place that wasn't already furnished so there are a lot of things I don't have. Like a kitchen table. Chairs. A sofa (though that might be fixed already). A vacuum cleaner. Cooking pots. You know, the small things.

>138 PawsforThought: Oh wow, that all sounds amazing. Good going after what you wanted, I know that takes courage and resolution. Best luck with your new place and I wish you fun shopping.

>139 quondame: Thank you. I don't know if this is what I want in terms of a job/career but I know it's something new and different and I'll have a fresh start. The job is only guaranteed until the new year, but even if it doesn't get renewed I'll still have a foot in the door at the university and lots more experience than I do now.

My brother's family are also moving to the same town this summer so I'll be minutes away from them.

>140 PawsforThought: It is nice having agreeable family members close enough by to visit. I should probably call that subset soon.

Congratulations, Paws! It sounds like a great position and I'm happy for you.

>141 quondame: I’m fortunate enough to pretty much only have agreeable relatives, and several of them live in the town in moving to. But my brother’s family being there is just the best. He and I have always been close.

>142 lauralkeet: Thanks Laura!

>138 PawsforThought: What a wonderful adventure ahead Paws.

Well done on the new job Paws! That sounds great.

>144 Caroline_McElwee: Yes, Caroline, it really is an adventure. Job aside, the town I'm moving to is - in all honesty - superior in every way to the place I currently live. And while I admit to being biased (I was born there) it's the truth.

And I realised something as I was getting ready this morning - I'll have to sign up for a new library card at both the central library and the university library. I used to have cards at both places but it was so long ago now that they're no longer valid. Fun times ahead!

>145 SandDune: Thank you, Rhian!

Congrats on the new job!

>148 drneutron: Thank you!

After a very cold and windy April, that bled into May we've finally had absolutely lovely weather with warm temperatures and sunshine both yesterday and today. It's been glorious (aside from the fact that the mosquitoes are already awake and active).
We went down to the summer house today to check up. Good news: there are white wagtails in one of the bird boxes.
Fun, very unexpected news: The goldenberry plant that we didn't think could survive the winter (though we had it indoors) was bearing fruit.
Bad news: The April storms had caused the big pile of firewood to partially collapse along with its support structure so we spent most of the day building a new support structure and re-piling half of the firewood in a different spot.

I started reading Silent Spring in the car, which was very interesting but I was too tired to read more then a few pages.
The reason I was tired? I managed to get myself an ear infection so am now on day two on antibiotics. No improvement yet, hopefully will be better tomorrow or I'll have to go to the doctor's again.

>150 PawsforThought: - I had to go look up what a wagtail was as we don't have them in the US apparently. Cute little bird.

>150 PawsforThought: They're very cute. We have tons of them, and they're always nice to see.

Hi there Cousin Paws!

I am very late with this, but- Congratulations on the great new job! And it's in a town you love. Double-yay!! Sounds really interesting. I'm sure that the terror will pass away quickly.

Hope you are recovering from that nasty ear infection. Haven't had one of those for a long, long time, but I wouldn't want another.

Have to go check on wagtails.....

>150 PawsforThought: We have pied wagtails and grey wagtails and yellow wagtails. The pied wagtails are funny in that they can always be found walking up and down the pavement in the middle of town. I read something on Twitter that said pied wagtails could always be seen outside Greggs (chain of bakers known for sausage rolls and pasties and similar stuff). Sure enough, next time I saw one it was right outside Greggs looking for crumbs.

>153 Fourpawz2: Hi cousin, nice to see you. And thanks for the congratulations. I'm very excited, and have spend more time than I'd like to admit looking at outdoor furniture for a balcony on a flat I don't even have yet.
I am feeling much better today. The antibiotics are doing their thing, it seems. Much as I dislike being on antibiotics, they do their job well.

>154 SandDune: According to Wikipedia, white wagtail is the same as pied wagtail so we have the same one! They're very pretty birds, and one of a fairly small number of birds I can tell immediately what they are. I usually see them by the farmer's fields near our summer house.

I remember Gregg's from when I lived in London (I remember walking past them - I never actually set foot in one). I'm not surprised birds have figured out that they mean food - but I would have bet on pigeons or seagulls rather than wagtails.

Congratulations on your new job, Paws! Well done. And moving to a new place. Nice to have some of your family there.

Wishing you luck on finding a place to live. When will you be starting your new job?

>156 EllaTim: Thanks Ella. I start on the first on June, so will take the train up there for the day. I need to get my work laptop and do the introductory stuff. Don't know if one day will be enough - otherwise I'll go up another few days. And then work from home until the autumn.

I've been in the garden today and yesterday, working on removing roots and weeds. Our very kind neighbour saw us (dad was working on the potato patch) and came over to ask if we we wanted to borrow the tiller he'd rented to turn his own potato patch. Yes, please. So kind of him to offer (we've been blessed with excellent neighbours). It took a while to figure out how it worked, but we got there in the end. And I think I've done my weight training for today, or possibly the week.
Because of this, I turned over twice as big a patch as I had last year so there'll be more space to move around now, aside from just more space to plant. We found a couple of carrots and potatoes that hadn't been pulled up last year - all still in good condition. We also found a plush dog that we suspect the previous owner's real dog buried. My parents bought this house 30 years ago and we've used the veggie patch quite a lot but never seen it before.
I've bought some seeds: carrots, parsnips, yellow and red onions, sugar snap peas, regular peas, wax beans and Japanese squash. I'm thinking of getting some spinach and another type of pumpkin/squash. I've been daydreaming about sweetcorn (which I can't even eat) but I don't think it's feasible. We'll see what I end up doing.
I also have a tiny little extra patch where I had poppies last year. I'm going to repeat that this year as well as adding sunflowers (and maybe some marigold?) - it'll be my "useful flower" bed. As I was weeding this I discovered that the amaryllis I rescued from the garden waste dump last year was still alive and about to come out of the ground. Good surprises today.

>138 PawsforThought: Paws, that is very exciting news! I’m so happy for you. Back in your hometown, doing something new, out of “this” town. Good luck getting a great place to live and the things you need to make it a home.

>140 PawsforThought: And family moving there, too, wonderful to hear.

>150 PawsforThought: Yuck to an ear infection. I hope you’re 100% recovered now.

>159 karenmarie: Hi Karen, thanks for stopping by, and for the excitement about my news.
My ear infection is gone now, thankfully. I really hate having to go on a course of antibiotics - always make me feel rotten.

>158 PawsforThought: Have fun planting and sowing. Your plans sound good. I need to get going as well. You did eat the carrots you turned up, I hope? Nothing tastes better than carrots so fresh from the soil.

>161 EllaTim: Hi Ella. The carrots were so small (just a few centimetres long, probably why we didn’t find them last year) so it didn’t occur to me to eat them. I was so into what I was doing with the weeding that I’m afraid the carrots went the same way as the mouse-ear cress, couch grass and other weeds - the garden waste dump.
But I agree that carrots fresh from the patch is one of the greatest things you can ever eat.

>162 PawsforThought: Those small ones taste just as nice. But I understand, when you are weeding couch grass, it really is the pits, so your mind is on get rid of it fast!
(I'm weeding a patch of couch grass in my herbaceous border, at least there should be herbs, but i'm taking everything out to finally get rid of the couch grass).

>163 EllaTim: Couch grass is the worst. I don't know how many bucket fulls of couch grass roots I pulled from the veggie patch. And it's not the biggest garden in the world, but the roots are seemingly never-ending. And if you leave any part of them they'll come back. It's not a matter of getting all of them but a matter of how much you can pull up before you collapse from exhaustion.

I've made my peace with most weeds and try to see the good they bring (dandelions and wild mint are good for bees and other pollinators, chickweed can be eaten as lettuce, nettles can be made into tea or pesto, etc.) but I can find no redeeming factors for couch grass.

I had my first day at my new job today. Slightly traumatised at the amount of new information and things I need to learn, but isn't that always the case? It's a new position for me so I have to learn everything from scratch. Which I will, eventually.
Seems like a really good place to work. I was somewhat shocked at the difference between working at the university and my old job (the municipality). I'm used to having to bring my own teabags because you don't get anything for free at the municipality and you have to beg for the smallest thing, even if it's necessary for work. At the university, not only do you get free coffee/tea and fruit, but they also more or less throw tech and things at you.
Everyone I met (most people are still working from home so not everyone was there) seemed really nice, and I get my own office, which looked good. I can't quite get it.

Since I haven't moved yet, going to work meant getting on the train, for the first time since "the before times". Felt good, if a bit strange. I brought Silent Spring with me on the train, but ended up not reading and just listened to podcasts instead.

The pumpkins I started in pots inside have started to grow - and they grow fast! The first one came up on Saturday and it's already on it's second set of leaves. Two others came up yesterday.
I haven't looked in the veggie garden yet, but I doubt there's anything there yet.

>165 PawsforThought: Your new job sounds good, Paws. Glad to read it went well on your first day.

>165 PawsforThought: Sounds like a number of positives and few negative, hopefully transitory. A good start. Best luck!

>165 PawsforThought: Congratulations on the new job, even if it is overwhelming at first. But... free fruit? I want to work for that university!

Thank you all for the congratulations. Part of the systematic shock of everything I need to learn is that I’d forgotten the way people talk at universities (and had made a conscious effort to forget because I was so tired of it when I finished my studies). I’ll get into it again. I doubt I’ll be very useful the first month or so, and I doubt anyone will expect me to be.
We have the day off tomorrow (compensation for the loss of a day off on Swedish Independence Day) so my first week will be a short one. I’m grateful.

>168 sirfurboy: That was one of my favourite things about working here! I’m going to gorge when I’m in the physical office.
I wouldn’t be surprised if most/all universities in Sweden are the same. Generally speaking, you get more perks being a government employee (universities are government run) than a lot of other places.
And Umeå university is very international so you could definitely work here!

>169 PawsforThought: I have a friend on faculty at Uppsala University. I shall have to ask him if he gets free fruit too. If so, I will have to ask him if they have any vacancies in Computer Science. :)

>170 sirfurboy: Do that! I’d like to know if this is nation-wide.

I'm glad the new job is going well so far, Paws. Free fruit and coffee/tea are nice perks. I'm sure you'll master the learning curve, although it's undoubtedly daunting and tiring. We have a phrase here to describe that phenomenon: "drinking from a fire hose". Does that translate?

I'm sure you'll have the hang of things in no time.

>172 lauralkeet: Thank, Laura! We don't have the same phrase here but I get the meaning of "drinking from a firehose" - it's very apt.
Today I managed to read almost an entire document without getting the "it's all Greek to me" feeling. Getting there.

>165 PawsforThought: Great to hear of some of the benefits of the new job Paws. And your own office. Envy. When I'm in the office it is a noisy hot-desking environment. Fortunately, when we do return to the office I should only need to do a couple of days a week there.

Yes, it's natural to feel out of your depth for a while.

Glad your plants are doing well.

>174 Caroline_McElwee: Thank you, Caroline. My colleagues apologised for how boring my office was (plain white-ish walls and some light wood shelves) and how ugly the extra armchair was (it was ugly) but I was so excited. In my old job, the newest piece of furniture was 20 years old.
I'll check with in house services if there are nicer looking armchairs available, and put some posters up on the walls. It'll be good.
Sorry to hear about your office. I hate hot desking and open plan offices with a passion. And they're proven to be bad for productivity and employee health. Glad you'll only need to be in a little.

Ooh, I forgot I have a photo of my office!

As you can see, it is plain, but it's nice plain.
The genuinely ugly armchair is just out of view (if you look closely you can see the edge of it on the right side). The other chairs are nice enough.

My favourite thing about it is that it's quiet. I'm worked in very noisy environments for a decade and a half and I'm so grateful to get some peace.

>176 PawsforThought: Having your own office these days seems quite unusual. That looks like you even have room to turn about in.
Noise isn't something I deal with too well - what with all the coming and going today - Mike hired the neighbors housekeepers to clean up for us and with them working in the kitchen went upstairs with the guy who was installing the blinds and talked non-stop, which in our split level house echos quite annoyingly. I'm pretty much done for the day.

Congrats on your first days on the job, Paws. Exciting to have a real office - and a window!

I hope the job works out well for you.

My employer just opened a new building next my current one, and its offices are all cubicle spaces with chest high divider walls. I get that some folks work well in that environment, but man, I would have serious problems concentrating there. I love that I still have an office to myself. I'm glad yours works for you too!

>177 quondame: Ouch, sorry you've had to deal with that.

>178 karenmarie: Thanks Karen!

>179 drneutron: Oof! That is a nightmare scenario for me - I could never do well in an environment like that. I did work in a cubicle-type place for a short while but it was just eight people all in all so not too noisy (and as I said, I was only there for a short while).

>176 PawsforThought: I look forward to seeing how you personalise it Paws.

>181 Caroline_McElwee: So do I, though I doubt I'll do much before the end of summer since it's primarily WFH for now. I've only been in my office for half a day so far. Will probably be there about once a week until early July when I go on annual leave for a month. So sometime in August, maybe. When I have time and energy.

I started reading Discworld last week. I've been meaning to since I joined LT and did start on The Colour of Magic a few years ago but never really got into it and put it aside.
I've heard several people say that reading Discworld in straight publication order isn't necessarily the best way to do it so I looked into other places to dive in it.
And last week I went to visit my old job (the library) and borrowed some summer reading, including Equal Rites. I'm halfway through it and I really like it. It kept me company in the blazing sun this weekend (when I wasn't listening to podcasts) and while waiting for my covid vaccination yesterday.

(Yes, I finally got my first covid shot. I've been waiting for this since December and was giddy with excitement at the curling club yesterday (our local vaccination centre).)

>183 PawsforThought: Congratulations on your first vaccination, Paws!

>184 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita! I was the last (adult) person in my immediate family to get the vaccine, so we've all been jabbed at least once now.

>183 PawsforThought: I’d done the same with The Colour of Magic when I read it years and years ago. I just didn’t see what all the fuss was about. But a few years ago I tried Discworld again with Mort, carried on with the whole Death series and am now halfway through the Night Watch series. I loved all of those so I thought I would go back and try The Colour of Magic again, just in case it was my tastes that had changed. But it was still only OK at best.

>186 SandDune: I really couldn't get into The Colour of Magic, but if I like the other Discworld books as much as I'm currently enjoying Equal Rites then I'll definitely want to read it at some point later on - just to have read everything. I'm not fanatical about completeness, but I do prefer to read what there is rather than leaving it.

>186 SandDune: >187 PawsforThought: I'd read several Discworld books before Reaper Man hit my funny bone and moved Terry Prachett from the read as they come into the library author to a read everything and buy new as they come out author.

Another book finally finished.

#2.



The Nine Tailors by a Dorothy L. Sayers

This book took me a while to finish, not because I didn’t like it (though it took me much longer to get into and really enjoy than most of the Sayers/Wimsey books I’ve read) but because I’ve had a had time focusing on reading lately. Stress, I suppose.
In this murder mystery, Lord Peter and Bunter find themselves in the village of Fenchurch St. Paul over New Years after they get caught in snowy weather. Months later, a body is found and it is determined that the unidentified man was killed during New Years, so Lord Peter joins the investigation.
Not enough Bunter, but there never is, and he does make appearances.

I really love these covers, and wish they were available in hardcovers. If they were, I’d buy the entire series immediately.

>189 PawsforThought: It took me some time to finish this book as well, Paws. It requires concentration I guess. I wouldn’t manage at the moment, I seem to be unable to concentrate for any length of time.
Sorry to read you’ve been stressed!
But glad for your first vaccination.

>189 PawsforThought: As you know, I'm new to the Lord Peter series, but looking forward to the journey. I like those covers, too. On Amazon US the Kindle editions use that cover design. Did you read on Kindle or paperback?

>190 EllaTim: I think it was largely the bell ringing lingo that slowed it down for me.

>191 lauralkeet: I read it on archive.org. Didn’t know it was a Kindle cover, just assumed it was paperback since no hardcovers have that cover. I don’t have Kindle and don’t really enjoy reading e-versions of books but sometimes it’s the only way to get hold of something and then I go to archive.org

I'm also a fan of those covers, Cousin, and I would snap up the entire group as well. I'm not sure why, exactly, it is that I like them so much. I just do.

I am not a fan of e-books, either. Mostly I go there for book club when the books are too recently published for me to get them quickly from the library and kindle is the the cheapest option. I just prefer having actual pages to turn and smell and no matter how many versions of kindle they come up with they will never be able to replicate those things that I like.

Congrats on your vaccine. You must be closing in on shot number 2?

>193 Fourpawz2: I think they’re generally very well put together in terms of layout, and you can tell that the person who designed them is familiar with the books and knows the storylines since the clothes on the covers correspond to something that happens in the books.

I’ve noticed that I tire more easily when I read ebooks than physical books, and my eyes get dry quickly (I already have a problem with dry eyes). And as you mentioned, there’s nothing like holding a real book in your hands. And having a good looking collection on your shelves isn’t bad either.

My second shot is in mid-August, seven weeks (I think) after the first. So about half way there.

Congrats on getting your first dose of vaccine, Paws, yay for second dose mid-August.

#3.



Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett

The first time I tried reading a Discworld novel was quite a few years ago now, when I was fairly new to LT and had seen people going on and on about how much they loved the books. So I tried reading The Colour of Magic, because I figured I should start with the first book, and couldn’t get into it. So I put it aside and didn’t pick up any other of Pratchett’s books. But people on LT kept talking about Discworld, and how reading the first published book first wasn’t necessarily a good idea, and also Pratchett had written Good Omens with Neil Gaiman - who I love - so surely Discworld must have something for me. So I tried again, but this time didn’t start at the beginning of it, but instead the beginning of the Witches series - and I’m so glad I did.

I loved this book. It’s nutty and lovely in a similar way to how Douglas Adams books are, but in the fantasy realm rather than science fiction. The majority of the action happens in the last fifty pages or so (maybe even the last thirty pages), but even when not much is happening it doesn’t feel slow, because the language and the word play is so full of life.

>196 PawsforThought: Oh, I’m glad you liked this one, Paws! It really is true, the first two books in the discworld series are not the best. But when you enjoyed Equal Rites there will be others to like. (I like any of the witches, and the books with the City Guards)

>197 EllaTim: I’m really looking forward to reading more Discworld books (I think I’ll read the rest of the Witches books next), but it’ll have to wait a little since I have summer library loans to finish first.

>196 PawsforThought: For some reason it wasn't until the shopping carts in Reaper Man that I fell in love with Discworld. I then went and re-read all the other books and waited for each new one eagerly.

>199 quondame: That sounds intriguing. I guess I’ll have to read the Death books when I’m done with Witches so I can read about the shopping carts.

#3.



Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers
TIOLI Challenge: Read a book with a word in the title that implies a measurement of time

I really like this book, I’d say it’s one of my favourite Wimseys, though I have to say there are parts of it that haven’t aged perfectly. Just a few days ago, I happened upon a Twitter thread where people were wishing for a new TV series to be made from the Wimsey stories, and this book in particular. I wholeheartedly agree with the general idea, but the script would definitely take some work or people in the story would all end up seeming nutty to modern viewers.

Still, I love all Wimseys, and Harriet Vane is such a wonderful (and wonderfully different) female character. No Bunter (just a mention of him), but you can’t have everything. I’m ridiculously fond of crime novels that take place in Oxford so having that element just made it even better.
Peter has a line about Harriet’s throat being good for strangulation, which made me actually laugh out loud. That exchange was so typically them.

#5.



If Only They Could Talk by James Herriot
TIOLI Challenge: Read a book published between 1930 and 2021

This is the first of James Herriot’s autobiographical novels about his time as a young vet in rural Yorkshire. I’m the US, this was published together with the second book (It Shouldn’t Happend to a Vet) under the title All Creatures Great and Small - which is also the name of the two TV series that have been made. I watched the most recent series earlier this year and loved it. Unsurprising, really, it’s veterinarians, mid-century and the UK, you couldn’t find a better combination for me if you tried.

And the book is lovely. It’s funny and endearing and a little bit sad (it’s always sad when animals die) and exactly the kind of book I needed right now. I’ll definitely keep reading the other books in the series, and I hope to be able to find some physical copies with nice covers. I saw some of the American editions had really great covers, but getting an American edition of something so quintessentially British feels very, very wrong.
The Kindle edition also had a good cover, but a) it’s and ebook and I don’t buy ebooks, and b) I’m never giving Amazon a single penny of my money.

>202 PawsforThought: Hurray for James Herriot. The books are fun, and the TV series as well.

I agree with you about Amazon.

>203 EllaTim: Yeah, I’m really looking forward to reading the rest of the books. And watching the next seasons of the TV show (I’m assuming there will be another season).

Hi Paws!

>201 PawsforThought: It would be wonderful to get a new TV series of all the Wimsey novels. I hated the BBC’s Ian Carmichael versions of non-Harriet books, but loved the BBC’s take on the first three of the Wimsey-Vane books although I wish they’d also done Busman’s Honeymoon. They would need to get someone who looked like Peter and Harriet. I think they got it right with Edward Petherbridge and Harriet Walter.

>205 karenmarie: Hi Karen!

Since I haven’t seen the TV series I can’t really have an opinion on how they are as the characters, but based on that picture, I can’t say that I think they look much like how I imagine Peter and Harriet looking. I know Peter in the novels is generally in his 40’s, but I imagine his a bit younger. And Harriet is definitely younger. But that’s just how I imagine them.

>206 PawsforThought: The still doesn't do the actors justice. In motion they are really a good fit. I got DVDs of the series as a gift, but they aren't subtitled and even knowing the plot I gave up a couple of episodes in.

>207 quondame: I guess I’ll see when/if I watch it. Sorry to hear the dvds didn’t work out for you.

Just catching up, Paws and wishing you a lovely weekend.

>209 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul. I had a good, and busy, weekend. Brother and nephew came for a quick visit and we all went mushroom picking, which is one of my favourite things to do this time of year - although nephew was most excited about the frog, larva and slugs he found.

I've been a bit absent from my own thread, but I have been reading. More than I have for quite a long time now, so that's good. I've decided I need to finish two of the books I'm currently reading before the end of the month, when the library loans expire. I do have two other books from the library too, but I won't be able to finish all of them. I figure returning two thirds of my loans (I've already finished two books) is good enough.
So now I'm reading every spare minute I have, because while one of the books is short (Death Comes as the End is just short of 200 pages), the other is massive (Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell) so I have to read more a day than I normally do.

>210 PawsforThought: Sounds like fun Paws. The mushroom picking and the little nephew. How old is he? And did you make a meal with the mushrooms?

>211 PawsforThought: I was planning to read your second book. Hope you like it enough to finish it.

>212 EllaTim: My nephew just turned five. He absorbs information like a sponge so listening to him is like listening to a very short professor.
We didn't make a meal - we dried them for future use. We pick mushrooms in quantities most people would be shocked by and the best ways to store long term is drying (dehumidifying, really) or parboiling and freezing. This was porcini mushrooms and we always dry them.
We're actually having some difficulty storing the mushrooms because there's so much of it (and mushroom season has only just started, and it's a good mushroom year, so it'll only get worse). We're running out of things to keep them in.

I'm really enjoying Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - I'm about 1/3 through so will definitely finish it. I just want to finish it without having to renew my loan.

It's strange how suddenly things that you don't think should be related suddenly are. Like a massive fantasy novel about magicians in a 19th century alternative history and a biography about a country veterinarian.

I've put all other books on hold for the moment so that I can try to finish Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell before it's due back at the library at the end of the month. It's going okay and I think I'll manage it if I stop checking my phone or getting distracted by other things - but there are so many other things I need to do.
Anyway. I just read a passage than mentioned Thirsk in Yorkshire, the village made semi-famous by its most famous inhabitant - James Herriot, whose book (It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet) I've put aside to read this. And adding to that, the short mention of Thirsk happens to be about a farm animal - fitting considering Herriot's profession.
I never would have notised that little detail if it wasn't for the fact that I just started reading Herriot's books this summer. I like it when things get connected.

#6.



Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
TIOLI Challenge: Read a book where the author's name contains at least two common nouns

Phew. This book really is a brick of a book. I don’t remember the last time I read a book that was over seven hundred pages long. And I read most of it in the past week! That was mainly because I really wanted to return it to the library on time instead of renewing the loan, but I wouldn’t have been able to do it if it hadn’t been such an amazing read. It didn’t feel like I was reading hundred of pages - they just flew past! I’m definitely putting the author’s new(ish) book (Piranesi) on my TBR list.

>213 PawsforThought: Five, that’s a fun age. Kids are interested in so many things at that age, and they often have their own way of looking at them.

So many mushrooms that you don’t know what to do with them. Wonderful, can i visit?

>215 PawsforThought: That sounds great, on the TBR with it! I never read it, but people seem to like Piranesi a lot. Did you notice how many books on LT have the same title? Who is this Piranesi?
I’m having a bit of a reading slump, but I’m finding that a good fantasy gets me reading.

>216 EllaTim: Yeah, five is good. When I worked in childcare I worked a lot with five-year-olds and it was tons of fun. The one thing I really miss about that job was the kids that age. Old enough to be reasoned with but still young enough that they believe in dragons and fairies. Wonderful age.

My mum was very excited yesterday after talking to my aunt. She can’t get out and pick things easily now so mum offered to pick mushrooms for her and got an enthusiastic yes. So now she can pick without worrying about storage.

I noticed when I tried to touchstone that’s lot of other titles popped up - I wouldn’t have guessed otherwise.

#7.



Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie
TIOLI Challenge: Read a book published between 1930 and 2021

Unlike every other Christie I’ve read (maybe every other mystery Christie ever wrote?) this isn’t set during her own lifetime, but in Ancient Egypt. I’m as interested in the ancient world as the next person, but somehow a mystery set then and there just feels a bit off.
It’s not a bad book, in fact it’s as good as I think such a good book can be, and in the hands of someone less skilled than Christie, it would have been bad. The main character is quite interesting, and is given a fair amount of personality and sense of self considering the time and place, and the story takes a few twists and turns.
But for me it’s a bit meh, because I know how good Christie can be.

>215 PawsforThought: I haven't yet read this one Paws, though saw the series dramatisation of it. I did enjoy Piranesi.

>219 Caroline_McElwee: I knew they were making a series based on it but not that it was finished. I’m looking forward to watching it. Glad I read the book first, though - I prefer it that way round when it’s fantasy, otherwise I’m not very bothered.
Glad to hear you liked Piranesi.

>220 PawsforThought: I think it was a BBC series broadcast in 2015. Definitely an engaging watch. I hope you can find it being streamed somewhere in Sweden.

ETA: It's on Amazon Prime at the moment in the UK, maybe where you are?

>221 Caroline_McElwee: That long ago? Well, I knew my pop culture knowledge was getting worse.
I can get Amazon Prime here, but refuse to support anything Amazon. I can probably find it via “alternative channels”, though. Thanks for looking it up!

#8.



It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet by James Herriot
TIOLI Challenge: Read a book where the authors last name has 7 characters or less

Another delightful book about Herriot's days as a country vet in Yorkshire. This volume introduces us to the lovely Helen, who makes James tongue-tied and prone to various mishaps.
You can really tell how much Herriot loved the place he was in and how much he respected the people he met through his work - no matter their circumstances.

#9.



Diaboliad and Other Stories by Mikhail Bulgakov

Bulgakov is one of my all-time favourite authors, but I don't think that these short stories really make his authorship justice. His novels (the one's I've read, anyway) are all fantastic, and at least some of these stories could be just as amazing, but I think they could do with some more room (more words) to allow the madness of Bulgakov's writing to flesh out. As it is, there's so much happening so fast that you can't quite take it in. Not that you can really take in all the madness in the novels, either but there's space to breathe.
One of the "other stories", "A Chinese Tale" is difficult to read because it is full of words and stereotypes that are, in a word, racist.

My favourite story in this collection is the last one, "The Adventures of Chichikov" which is a reference to Gogol's Dead Souls. This is despite the fact that I haven't actually read Dead Souls (though I really should). If I like it as much without prior knowledge, I can only guess how much fun it'd be to read for someone who's more acquainted with the story.

Neil Gaiman and Susanna Clarke had a webinar yesterday where they talked about Clarke's latest book Piranesi. And it's on Youtube now! One of my absolute favourite authors ever talking to one of my newest find - guess what I'll be watching this weekend?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8I3ZKteVOE

#10.



The Secret History by Donna Tartt
TIOLI Challenge: Read a book with school, or equivalent in the title or which starts or has significant action in an educational establishment

Years ago, a friend of mine recommended me Tartt's then new novel The Goldfinch, since he knows how much I love art. For some reason, this led me to believe I should first read this earlier novel by Tartt, and I wish I hadn't.
I really don't like this book. While a fairly easy read despite it's length, it's too drawn out and the strange pacing annoyed me. But that had been okay if it was just that. But this is a story about a group of people who seem to have no redeeming qualities whatsoever committing a crime and the way they try to handle the aftermath. I can't think of a single character in the whole book that I even remotely liked.

#11.



Five Go to Smuggler’s Top by Enid Blyton
TIOLI Challenge: Read a book where the title implies a journey of some kind

I’m continuing my read through of childhood favourites with this Famous Five novel that I don’t believe I ever did read when I was young(er). It’s a quick and easy read (with rather a dramatic start) that I quite liked, but the fact that they couldn’t figure out that someone who was “sleeping in their bed” was in fact just rolled up bedding made me roll my eyes a bit. I don’t know if the age of the book or the age group of the intended readers is to blame for that.

>226 PawsforThought: Roughly agree with you, Paws, no likable characters.
I haven't written my review yet, but have finished The Secret History. I found the first half not so bad, but the detoriating of everyone in the second half didn't convince me at al.

>228 FAMeulstee: I’m both glad and sad that I’m not the only one who felt like that about it. As I was reading, I kept thinking something was going to happen that would make at least one of the characters a bit more likeable, but no.

>226 PawsforThought: - I haven't read this yet although it's been on my TBR pile for a while and now I may skip it altogether. Your thoughts plus I wasn't that big a fan of The Goldfinch.

>230 dudes22: I still haven’t read The Goldfinch and am a bit unsure about it now. Two people I know IRL and who I normally trust with books like it. I might still read it, but not right now.
You could read a couple of chapters from The Secret History, I guess. If you don’t like it by then I don’t think you’ll like it further along.

>231 PawsforThought: - I know many people who liked The Goldfinch and said it was good. I had finally read it when the movie came out and that also convinced me not to see the movie.

I agree with you on The Secret History, Paws. It’s really a sad story, unfortunate, a hopeful start, and then the story keeps deteriorating.

>232 dudes22: This might be just the thing for me right now.

>231 PawsforThought: & >233 EllaTim: Insightful on The Secret History and exactly my impression too.

>234 PaulCranswick: I'd heard so many people raving about Tartt (and The Goldfinch in particular) that I thought disliking this book was going to be like swearing in church, but apparently there's a fair few of us non-Tartt fans around.

>235 PawsforThought: She seems a writer who doesn't know when to stop, if you know what I mean.

#12.



Busman’s Honeymoon by Dorothy L. Sayers
TIOLI Challenge #13: Read a book that is on an LT List

This was a fantastic read and I’m sad that there are no more Wimsey novels for me to dive into. I still have some short stories left, but after that it’s re-reads.
The murder in this book is probably one of the least interesting ones (to me) of the Wimsey mysteries, but the writing in general is so great that the crime is less important. Bunter, who has been a favourite of mine since day one, really gets to shine and Harriet and Peter are really an amazing duo.

I really hope some publishing company puts out a nice looking hardcover edition of these books, because if there ever was a series of books I want to have close by at all times, it this.

#13.



The Borrowers Afield by Mary Norton
TIOLI Challenge #11: Read a book that features a character who has paws

This book is such a delight to read. I’ve always been a sucker for stories about small people or creatures living a similar life to humans and the first book in the Borrowers series had a huge impact on me as a child. I was so glad to realise it’s still a good read and that the the rest of the series seems to hold up, too.

I don’t think I ever read this book as a child - I only recall reading the first book in the series. I probably didn’t even know it was a series back then. I remember Spiller from the TV series, though.

>238 PawsforThought: Hi Paws. I loved the borrowers as well, had the first book. But I also never knew it was a series. Maybe only the first was translated? Into dutch and Swedish! Quite a success.
Good to hear there is a second book.

>239 EllaTim: There are five (!) Borrower-books! And they’ve all been translated into Swedish. But 99% of my childhood reading was books from flea markets and libraries and I grew up in a small town and while they did their very best (and I adore them), the local libraries simply couldn’t stock everything.

>240 PawsforThought: Flea markets and local libraries are great. I loved ours as well, but it was small. I did a lot of rereading. This one must have been a birthday present for me.

#14.



Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
TIOLI Challenge #5: Read a book in which at least one of the title words begins with an “S”

I loved a lot of things about this book. I loved the storyline, the characters, the creepiness, the ending. I had trouble with the language, though, but I’m not sure if it was a translation issue - I suspect it might be at least partly that. I’ve only read one other Bradbury work before (Fahrenheit 451) and that was a long time ago so I can’t really compare but I don’t remember having any issues with the word usage in that one. This was decidedly clunky in a lot of places. I wish I could have read this in the original English but that wasn’t available to me so a Swedish translation from the seventies was my only option.
As I said, I still liked it though, and since I’ve been binge-watching Midnight Mass this week I couldn’t stop thinking about what an amazing mini-series this book could be adapted into. The visuals of the carnival and the people who run it (especially the illustrated man!) and the sounds of the carousel - it could be fantastic!

>242 PawsforThought: Ob, that’s a good one! Haven’t tried Midnight Mass yet ‘cause Mrsdrneutron doesn’t do scary. 😀

>243 drneutron: I didn’t think Midnight Mass was very scary. Good, but not very scary. But I’m never particularly affected by that sub-genre of horror (vampires). The religious fanaticism was terrifying, though.

#15.



The Sundial by Shirley Jackson
TIOLI Challenge #7: Read a book for the Trick or Treat challenge

I was expecting this to be more in line with the other Jackson books I’ve read, the more well-known The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, it this isn’t really a horror novel, I think. It’s a strange book filled with people who aren’t particularly nice about out I did quite enjoy reading it anyway. Even though the characters aren’t ones you like, they’re written in such a way that you still sort of do like them (as opposed to every single character in The Secret History).

Some interesting and pretty diverse reading recently Paws.

>242 PawsforThought: What a great cover! I don't think I have seen that one before.

>246 PaulCranswick: You think I'm reading diversely? I was thinking I've been reading very typical Paws-books.

I like the Bradbury cover, too, but I wish the publishers could get over themselves and do a cohesive print of his novels instead of having them all look different. (This cover isn't the same as the one on the book I borrowed from the library, by the way, just the one I liked the best.)

I figured it was time to set up a part two before getting too close to the new year. Join me over there.

>242 PawsforThought: I loved that book. Read it in English and I expect it was a translation issue you found as I find Bradbury's prose to be excellent.