Charlotte (Charl08) swims with the penguins

I'm Charlotte, I'm dipping my toe into the Category Challenge for the first time this year after a couple of years in the 75ers.
I enjoy reading a wide range of books, from romance and crime fiction to literary fiction, not to mention non-fiction (although less of that). I try to read fiction from different places, and in 2020 joined an online book group that just reads translated fiction.

I am keen on penguins, both of the publishing and bird kind. Inspired by a recent documentary I'm organising my categories by penguin type - but advance warning, it gets pretty tangential.


Photo by Long Ma on Unsplash

Galapagos penguin (fiction ETA and NF in translation) 6
African penguin (books by authors with links to the African continent, loosely defined)
Yellow-eyed penguin (Keeping things interesting i.e. first time authors)
Chinstrap penguin (Graphic novels and memoirs) 4
Little penguin (Familiar faces - authors I've read before) 2
King penguin (books with links to feminism) 1
Great auk (histories) 1
Southern Rockhopper penguin (new-to-me authors) 3
Adelie penguin (prize nominees) 2
Macaroni penguin (genre fiction) 11
Emperor penguin (catch all category - everything else) 2
Total: 32

Jan 24
All images via wikipedia unless otherwise stated.

Galapagos penguin (fiction and NF in translation)



1. The Inspector of Strange and Unexplained Deaths (France)
2. Sidewalks (Translated from the Spanish, although author now writes in English and is based in the US)
3. London under snow (Catalan)
4. The Eighth Life (German)
5. Zero (Norwegian)
6. House on Endless Waters (Hebrew)

Currently reading:
A Girl Called Eel

Planned reading for this category from the Borderless Book Club:

January 14th - Fum d’Estampa Press | London Under Snow by Jordi Llavina

January 28th - Nordisk Books | Zero by Gine Cornelia Pedersen

February 11th - Tilted Axis Press | Strange Beasts of China by Yan Ge

February 25th - V&Q Books | Paula by Sandra Hoffmann

March 11th - Comma Press | The Book of Jakarta

March 25th- Bitter Lemon Press |Crocodile Tears by Mercedes Rosende

https://www.peirenepress.com/borderless-book-club/

Books from the shelves

The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree (Iran)
All Men are Liars
In the Twilight: stories (Russia)
Ankomst

Books from the library
If I had your face (South Korea)
Velvet (Palestine)
Abigail (Hungary

Found you! Happy New Year, Charlotte.

African penguin (books by authors with links to the African continent, loosely defined)

Photo by Lizel Snyman De Gouveia on Unsplash

Possible reads from my shelves:
To Hell with Cronje
Kicking Tongues (African Writers Series)
Segu
Occasion for Loving (VMC)
Dust
Homegoing
The Loss Library
This Mournable Body
Orchestra of Minorities
Speak No Evil

>3 BLBera: Thanks Beth!

Yellow-eyed penguin (Keeping things interesting i.e. first time authors)


Had never come across these penguins before until I saw the BBC documentary last week.

Possible reads from my shelves:

Possible reads from library requests:

Chinstrap penguin (Graphic novels and memoirs)



(Photo by Eamonn Maguire on Unsplash)
Because these penguins seem to appreciate graphic design...
1. Strong Female Protagonist
2. Britten and Brülightly
3. The Golden Age: Book 1
4. Ms Marvel : Stormranger

Possible reads from my shelves:
On Ajayi Crowther Street

Library requests:
Moms

Little penguin (Familiar faces - authors I've read before)


Saw some of these guys at Phillip Island, about a million years ago now (it feels like).
1. The Haw Lantern
2. More than a Woman

Possible reads from the shelves: Divisadero
Summer
Rodham
Underground Railroad

King penguin (books with links to feminism and gender)


King penguin creche
1. Hag: forgotten folktales retold

On the shelves
Invisible Women
Voyaging Out

Great auk (histories)


1. The Berlin shadow : living with the ghosts of the Kindertransport

Currently reading:
Burning the Books

From the shelves to read
Last Witnesses
Endeavour
Black and British
A Handful of Shells
The Bad Ass Librarians of Timbuktu

From the library to read:
Mutual Admiration Society

Southern Rockhopper penguin (new-to-me authors)


1. Interior Chinatown
2. Akhmatova: Poems
3. Blue in Chicago and other stories

Possible reads from the shelves:
How Beautiful We Were
The one hundred years of Lenni and Margot
If I had your face

Adelie penguin (prize nominees)


1. The Bells of Old Tokyo (shortisted for Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year)
2. The Historians (winner of the Costa Prize poetry category)

Possible Prize winners to read:

Costa Prize category winners announced (Jan) -
Winner of the 2020 First Novel Award Love After Love by Ingrid Persaud (Faber)
(read in 2020)

Winner of the 2020 Novel Award: The Mermaid of Black Conch: A Love Story by Monique Roffey (Peepal Tree)

Winner of the 2020 Biography Award The Louder I Will Sing by Lee Lawrence (Sphere)

Winner of the 2020 Poetry Award The Historians by Eavan Boland (Carcanet)

Winner of the 2020 Children's Book Award: Voyage of the Sparrowhawk by Natasha Farrant (Faber)

Macaroni penguin - genre fiction

Macaroni penguins are the most numerous penguin (according to wikipedia!)

1. Wild Seduction (romance)
2. Whispering Death (crime)
3. Good time girl (r)
4. Tempting the best man (r)
5. Smoke and Whispers (c)
6. Angel in the Glass (c)
7. Truly Beloved (r)
8. The Sacrament (c)
9. The Ex-Talk (r)
10. Enjoy the View (r)
11. The Searcher (c)

Emperor penguin - ruling over everything else



1. A Rustle of Silk (audio)
2. From Crime to Crime (Law, Memoir)

>1 charl08: Hi, and good luck with your reading in 2021!

I also adore penguins. If you find the ultimate penguin book then please let me know as I keep asking for recs. :-)

I am shocked - shocked, I say! - to find penguins in this thread.

(Welcome to the Challenge!)

Hurrah! Lots of lovely penguins. Dropping my star (or is that my bucket of fish) so that I find you again.

Love your theme! I will always remember seeing the little penguins on the beach in New Zealand.

Hello, Charlotte! I love your theme, and like Amber, I was shocked to find penguins here. *blinks*

So many adorable penguins! Welcome and enjoy the challenge! :)

Best wishes for a better 2021!

Great penguin pictures! Enjoy your 2021 reading!

Love all your penguin pics. Happy reading for 2021!

Hi Charlotte, happy new year and happy reading 2021. I hope you don't mind if I look in here now and then. I have often found interesting books with you. I admire all people who are organized enough to know what kinds of books they will read. I'm more of the kind who just grab a book I feel like reading.

>15 spiralsheep: I've posted a couple of suggestions on your thread. I think someone else had already recommended Death and the Penguin, I'd totally endorse that. In fact, I think I might want to reread it.

>16 scaifea: I know, right? Such an unanticipated step...

>17 Helenliz: A bucket of fish with chips, and you'll be talking, Helen.

>18 NinieB: It was a very long bus trip from Melbourne for me, but I enjoyed it a lot. We were told to be very quiet as they came out of the sea at the end of the days fishing. Some people struggled with this instruction, so the little penguins came out of the sea, and then all went back again, and then repeated the process a couple of times. They were a bit sheep-like, to be honest, but very cute.

>19 Crazymamie: Some of us are just born unpredictable, Mamie, what can I say...

>20 rabbitprincess: Thank you. I'll be trying to pick up some pointers this year, as I'm not entirely convinced my plans will work.

What a great theme! Good luck with your 2021 reading!

>21 DianaNL: Thank you - and to you.

>22 thornton37814: Thanks Lori, I was inspired by watching a documentary this week. I'm guessing it will be available internationally? It was beautifully shot if it is accessible.

https://youtu.be/eW95xyobY7U

>23 mdoris: Thanks Mary

>24 Ameise1: Hi Barbara - yes, of course, I shall make sure I star threads on the 75ers so I don't miss anyone.

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

Does that mean the 75ers has lost you this year, Charlotte? No thread there?

>29 PaulCranswick: >30 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul. I thought I'd have a go with the category challenge for a thread this year, and see how I get on! I don't think I can do more than one (although I am very tempted by the ROOTs as I've already outbooked the new bookshelves, which is not ideal!) I will be sticking (in? on?) the stars as usual though.

>27 Tess_W: Sorry Tess! I missed you. Thank you for the kind comment. I also studied history, your teaching (from your profile) sounds fascinating.

>25 charl08: Thank you for the penguin recs! I've noted them and located them all in my local library system, but I'm saving grimmer books such as Death and the Penguin until after we see how the beginning of 2021 rolls out. Until then I'm favouring either more cheerful or shorter books.

First translated fiction of the year: The Inspector of Strange and Unexplained Deaths although a historical crime fiction novel, so potentially right in my wheelhouse (I have read quite a few) but by the last 100 pages I was only reading because I'd already invested 200+ pages worth of my time. Set in corrupt pre-revolutionary Paris, the central figure (our eponymous Inspector) is apparently the only moral man working for the state. He's asked to investigate when a young woman is found dead in the street with her face removed. Our hero has a strange monk assisting him in the mortuary, a romantic interest who may or may not be a spy for the King's mistress, and just to add to the intrigue, Casanova is also involved, agitating for his own interests.

For me, it was all far too convoluted, lots of telling about stuff (eg poverty) without much depth to the setting (at least, for me), and the main character was so stuffy I never really cared much what happened to him. By the time the Freemasons turned up I was practically rolling my eyes out of my head. That's without the 'male gazeyness' of it all in terms of the descriptions of Casanova's 'romances' and the King's fetishes, accompanied by a plot that denied the female characters any depth at all.

So all in all, not really a winner for me.

>33 spiralsheep: I do love a picturebook with a sense of humour.

Re Death and the Penguin - I know what you mean. I have avoided some of my own shelves recently for similar reasons.

So, no then. Hoping your next read is better, Charlotte.

Ah, here you are, Charlotte! Happy new year of reading!

Welcome to the Category Challenge, I am placing a star here and look forward to following along more closely that I have been able to in the past.

>26 charl08: The only rule for the category challenge is that there are no rules, so don't feel locked into your plans if they don't end up working. Change them up at any time :)

Adorable pictures of these cute penguins!!!

>35 charl08: For people who like funny books with pictures I have a penguin recommendation (translated):
Some Folk Think the South Pole's Hot by Elke Heidenreich. It uncovers the reason why penguins are always dressed up so elegantly: They are waiting for the Three Tenors who once in a while visit the South Pole on an opera ship.
"Funny books" are not really my thing, but it's quite hilarious!

Hi Charlotte! Lovely to see your thread here in the Category Challenge group! I will probably have an easier chance of keeping up with your thread here than I did over in the 75 group. ;-) Yay, PENGUINS!

>34 charl08: - Great review, and a book I will not be racing out to find a copy.

>26 charl08: They nest on a beach near Dunedin, at least they did 20 years ago. I was reminded of a little worker, trudging home from the bus stop, when the penguin came up on the beach.

>40 MissBrangwen: Thanks for the penguin book rec. :-)

We are a penguin loving family! I used to go to Phillip Island when I was a kid - in the days where locals just knew where the penguins came up, no tourist centre, no grandstand. Now I live near Warrnambool and we have often run across the 'penguin dogs' heading over to the island. Have you seen the movie Oddball? t was filmed near us and is about the Maremma dogs that are used to protect the penguin population. Oddball is no longer with us, but other dogs have taken her place.
I am even knitting some penguin mittens and socks soon - my son requested them but I think I need some too!

>36 Crazymamie: That would have been a more succinct review! Perfectly summarised there Mamie.

>37 katiekrug: Thanks Katie. I thought I'd try out a move.

>38 DeltaQueen50: Thank you! I will try and get round more cat challenge threads too. Looking forward to lots of new book recommendations.

Found you and your penguin theme was not a surprise! One of my goals this year is to finish reading Professor Penguin: discovery and adventure with penguins. I've enjoyed what I've read so far.

Glad no visa's were required for entry Charlotte.

>39 rabbitprincess: Thanks for the reassurances! I'm sure I'll have a few readjustments to make.

>40 MissBrangwen: That sounds like a fun read. Our library's gone back to door to door pickup, but they're still doing reservations: I'll check out if they can help with this one.

>41 lkernagh: Hi Lori - lovely to see the familiar names here too.

>42 NinieB: That's such a great description. I'd love to see them again.

>43 spiralsheep: And from me too.

>44 JayneCM: That sounds wonderful!

Finally found and starred, Charlotte, happy reading in 2021!

Charlotte, I had sent you a PM but don't worry about answering it as I see the answer upthread. Hoping that Pre-Tuesday has been kind to you.

I love how you've linked penguins to your categories, Charlotte.

>34 charl08: Sorry this didn't work for you. My goal is to read more translated fiction this year. You are my role model. No pressure.

Hi Charlotte! I've starred you, but I've come without fish. I love your categories :-)

Happy reading Charlotte. I hope all the cute penguins make good reading company this year.

I must come back with some penguin images...we have a hundred of them knocking about town as part of an art project, big old penguins all over the place, painted up in crazy fun ways.
I'll be back.


OK I'm back :)

How wonderful to find you here, Charlotte! I promise that we're (reasonably) nice.

Happy New Year, Charlotte, and happy new thread! (I'm making my way around rather slowly I'm afraid.)

I got most of your category icons - the chinstrap penguin and the great auk, for example - so it's not too tangential.

I may have mentioned before that these are my favourite penguins:

Ha, ha - love your penguin categories., Charlotte. A great way of motivating yourself :)

Let's see which penguin will win with most books.

>54 LovingLit: Megan: Ooooh, what, is that a photo of penguins in the nude?! Scandalous.

Hi, Charlotte!

Welcome!I had no idea there were so many kinds of penguins in the world. I'm happy to learn more!

>46 avatiakh: I've not heard of that one, Kerry. Look forward to hearing what you make of it: it sounds interesting.

>47 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks Caroline. I have heard the new announcements about working in the EU and got (even more?) (rather) hacked off about Brexit all over again. Grump grump.

>49 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita. Caroline has confirmed that no visas are required, despite our new political status.

>50 Crazymamie: Thanks for being so nice about the slowness, Mamie. Return to work appears to have overtaxed my few remaining (non-pickled) post-lockdown brain cells.

>51 BLBera: Beth, you've given me an excuse to mention (again!) the fabulous folk at Peirene, and their current crowdfunder. They're so close to 50%!!
https://ko-fi.com/borderlessbookclub
(I should probably start reading London Under Snow...

>53 This-n-That: Thank you. I do like your LT name, catchy.

>54 LovingLit: I'm intrigued now, what were the penguins up to?

>55 RidgewayGirl: Thanks for the reassurance there :-D

>52 susanj67: I just realised I've managed to lose my 'fascinating' anecdote to you about how I really want fish and chips from the 'chippy' now after x months of lockdown oven chips. You may think you've had a lucky escape there, though!

>56 humouress: Thanks for finding me! Do you have any cheesy jokes from the wrappers? I just remember them being terrible.

>57 ctpress: I'd put my money on the macaroni, Carsten...

>58 scaifea: Ha! Thanks for the giggle Amber.

>59 MissWatson: Me either, frankly. The BBC can tick the box marked mission to educate as far as I'm concerned (this week).

Charlotte, I just saw these for the first time today, and I immediately thought of you. Mamie want.


Penguin Vitae Series. Beautiful hardbacks. I mean, look:



Aren't they gorgeous?!

Ooooh, I remember I saw these a while ago on a blog somewhere. So so pretty!

>64 Crazymamie: Those are gorgeous!

Dropping a star, Charlotte. Love those penguins!

Hi Charlotte! Welcome to the group. I love the way you connected the different peguins to your categories. Have a fun year reading!

>64 Crazymamie: Those do look lovely!

>65 MissBrangwen: >66 christina_reads: And we're not alone in admiring them, clearly.

>67 jessibud2: Thanks Shelley. >68 Chrischi_HH: Thank you - all visitors much appreciated.

I'm reading Valeria Luiselli at the moment - an early book Sidewalks. It's a very short book but it's taking a bit of time (first week back at work after a break is proving a bit of a strain on the remaining brain cells). Most of the book is based around living in a city, but it also has some lovely quotes about books.

Going back to a book is like returning to the cities we believe to be our own, but which, in reality, we've forgotten and been forgotten by. In a city - in a book - we vainly revisit passages, looking for nostalgias that no longer belong to us. Impossible to return to a place and find it as you left it - impossible to discover in a book exactly what you first read between its lines. We find, at best, fragments of objects among the debris, incomprehensible marginal notes that we have to decipher to make our own again.

I love that quote, Charlotte. Adding that one to The List.

Great quote, Charlotte. It's like going back to the house you grew up in. It all seems smaller and, of course, because someone else lives there, it isn't quite the house you grew up in.

>70 charl08: How true. Although lately I must confess I reread and have NO recollecton of details! But sometimes, if i dont wait too long, the rereading seriously deepens the story, and i am even more at home.

>70 charl08: That quote is so beautiful!

>71 Crazymamie: She does write really beautifully. I can't quite get my head around how young she was when she wrote this. I am also kicking myself for not being more interested in architecture when I went to some of the places she describes.

>72 jessibud2: Yes, it is such a relatable idea.

>73 ffortsa: I don't remember much either. I've read a couple of kindle books that tell me on the system that I read them a couple of years ago, but beyond a vague memory of plot points, no idea.

>74 Tess_W: I also love her later essay Tell Me How It Ends - she worked with refugee children translating their memories of crossing borderz to get to the US. It's incredibly moving: a book I recommend all the time and that I wish more people read.

Now 'in' Australia, reading Whispering Death.

>33 spiralsheep: Re Death and the Penguin, I admit I have a terrible memory for what I've read, and it's not just middle age, I was no better in my long ago teens, but I remember there being sad bits but that it wasn't at all grim, despite the title. I remember it as being quirkily and darkly humorous and a great read.

I think we all have different triggers and different ideas of what might be escapist or comfort reading. I recently tried to think of books to suggest for someone on another online discussion as escapist reading and really couldn't think of anything that wasn't crime fiction. One of my most escapist reads of the autumn was The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths.

>77 elkiedee: I agree, it's so time specific as well as personal. I was a long term ER fan, but I remember distinctly being unable to watch it after I'd had an operation, despite it being on in the day room as I was waiting to get the pass to go home. It was suddenly unbearable to me to see doctors and nurses being "distracted" from their work by having budgets and personal lives...

New books arrived from the British Library sale. This photo doesn't show quite as much dust (I hope) as my first attempt...

My (senior citizen by some measure) dad has just been offered a vaccine appointment. I didn't realise how much I was worrying about it until just now.

>79 charl08: Strong rec from me for Rose Macaulay's Dangerous Ages, which I think is one of her best.

>77 elkiedee: Thank you. I put Death and the Penguin (for which I've now had five recs!) on my library list but not at the top.

>80 charl08: Good to see it's being rolled out. And hopefully that will ease some of your worry.

>80 charl08: Funny how that worry-that-you-can't-do-anything-about-so-I'm-not-worrying takes up so much energy & space. Glad to hear your dad is getting vaccinated.

Gotta call mine tonight and find out whether he got a dose this week.

Hooray for the vaccine appointment for your dad!

>79 charl08: What a gorgeous stack! I have not read any of those.

Oooh, pretty books....

Glad for your dad!

>79 charl08: Nice haul.

>80 charl08: Good to hear Charlotte.

>81 spiralsheep: That's a brilliant recommendation rate!

>82 Helenliz: Also, hopefully he will stop pointing out the "vaccination parking " signs every time we drive past the local clinic...(it's been a long year for all of us!)

>83 markon: Fingers crossed yours is all sorted.

>84 Crazymamie: They were on sale. And I do wonder (self-justifyingly) how much of "tourist destination" libraries' funds come from their shops. Which presumably haven't done so well recently.

>85 katiekrug: Yes, they're rather nice looking. Although shelf space is at a premium again, so not sure where they'll go.

>86 Caroline_McElwee: A nice end to a very brain draining week. I don't feel like I've done very much, but the stuff I have ticked off has felt like trying to move something against some super claggy mud. Hoping next week is better.

Whispering Death
Not, it turns out, what happens to me when some people find out I read this, book 6, in this series first. But the book takes its name from a WW2 era plane. Challis is a very ordinary kind of police officer who has had some extreme things happen to him. I liked the team he worked with: it reminded me of Dalziel and Pascoe, a mix of 'real' people. Alongside the story of the police was that of the criminals, an intriguing glimpse into Australia's (fictional?) criminal art-fencing fraternity, police corruption and sex crimes.

Gorgeous book photo! Now I have a hankering for some British Library Crime Classics...

Glad you liked Whispering Death. Garry Disher is my favourite Australian crime writer. Another favourite I see in your book pile is Rose Macaulay. Enjoy.

Endorsing the recommendations for Death and the Penguin.

Happy new year, Charlotte, and glad to hear your dad will be getting his vaccination soon. I'm a little later on the list and am not really expecting it 'til late spring or summer.

>79 charl08: I love the photo - colors are vivid. No apparent dust.

>80 charl08: Happy to hear about the vaccine for your dad.

>90 rabbitprincess: I may have picked up two of those too!

>91 pamelad: Thanks. I'm looking forward to reading these.

>92 bell7: I'm not expecting it any time soon either, Mary.

>93 BLBera: That's what I'm going going for Beth: no apparent dust!

Just a quick stop to wish you a wonderful weekend.

I've never heard of Garry Disher before, but that series is going straight to my list now!

I'm a school teacher and I think I'm in the fourth of five groups to be vaccinated (the first being vaccinated right now, people older than 85, intensive and covid care workers, people working in care homes etc., and the fifth being the last and largest category of everyone not in a specific group). I'm not sure when it's my turn, I expect it to be in May or so, but definitely not sure.

>78 charl08: So true! For me, what I am able to "bear" when reading or watching a show has also changed over time. When I was younger I was much harder than now when it came to personal loss, grief, war etc., but I could't read crime because I found it too cruel and I was scared easily. Now crime is one my favorite genres but I have a hard time reading stories with very sad topics. I think I've become more soft since I met my husband and found love, as cheesy as it sounds.
And, as many have written here in several threads, the pandemic has made reach more for feel good reads and familiar settings instead of complicated topics or problematic questions.

>95 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara.

>96 MissBrangwen: I went on a website that said it could work out when I would get the jab. It suggested months and months away, so I decided not to think about it! I am hoping that works...

Now reading A Girl Called Eel which is by a writer from the Comoros (now living in France).

...as we grew, it became easier to tell us apart, time began to make its mark on us as it does on everything that crosses its path, that's the way life is, things are constantly made and remade, but it all happens in silence, you go to sleep young and smartly dressed and wake up a broken-down stranger clad in threadbare rags, another unsolved mystery, it's all part of the show...

>58 scaifea: >62 charl08: oh no! My penguin pics were banned!
I'll be back.

Eta: Christchurch's very own 'pop-up penguin' city art!

>99 LovingLit: Love it, Megan.

>63 charl08: There are jokes in the penguin wrappers? Must be after my time. I just ate the biscuits :0) But I can find some cheesy jokes from the Christmas crackers if you're desperate.

>64 Crazymamie: Ooooh, nice.

>70 charl08: So true :0/

>80 charl08: Happy to hear your dad has a date for his vaccination. (Though I hate needles - what a thing to have to look forward to.)

>101 humouress: There are....

>102 charl08: Corny penguin jokes - love it!

And I forgot to mention that Warrnambool have penguin statues around town too. Sometimes people dress them for winter!

>102 charl08: *groan*

>103 JayneCM: How cute!

>99 LovingLit: and >103 JayneCM: the penguins are great. Are these permanent or temporary. On our last visit to Manchester (2019 I think but possibly earlier) we walked round trying to see as many of the bees as we could and it was fun, but I feel sad that a lot of these programmes are quite temporary.

>102 charl08: I recently bought some Penguin biscuits and thought the jokes were the same as when I used to buy the biscuits for my children (now in their 30s)!

>103 JayneCM: Those are lovely. Thank you for posting the photo.

>104 humouress: Yes!

>105 elkiedee: I love that one of the pubs in Edinburgh had (at least, until a couple of years ago) kept the cow that appeared to be flying out of the side of the wall, as part of Edinburgh's series. And there are quite a few "Lamb Bananas" still around Liverpool - several on the docks.

>106 CDVicarage: I'm not really surprised: timeless jokes (!)

The Bells of Old Tokyo
This is a lovely, gentle travel book about Tokyo by a westerner. The author lived in Tokyo for years and shares her encounters with the city and the many ways it has changed. She uses time as a key frame, reflecting onto the way that before contact with the west temple bells (rather than clocks) were used to mark time. Many of the bells have been lost, which enables her to discuss the violent history of Tokyo, from religious reform to WW2. Like all good travel books, it made me want to go visit.

Thank you for visiting my thread, Charlotte! The pictures up above of penguin statues reminded me that Dundee has penguin statues too: https://www.seedundee.com/news/the-tale-of-dundees-much-loved-penguin-pals/

>108 charl08: A direct hit, Charlotte - I love travel books. Adding this to The List.

>109 Jackie_K: Those are super cute. I am hoping to visit Dundee and check out the V&A. One day!

>110 Crazymamie: It's a lovely book. The pretty cover doesn't hurt either.

>108 charl08: >110 Crazymamie: Same for me!

>103 JayneCM: cool! Our ones are called 'pop-up penguins' and are for a short time only. There are dozens of them and they're fun to spot around town! My childrens' school decorated one, and we have dutifully gone to visit it and bask in its glory :)
There are some really cool designs.

Eta: >108 charl08: that one does sound good! I was fascinated by Tokyo when I went in 1998...srsly a huge city!

>99 LovingLit: Love it! We have geese here. I should take pictures!

>102 charl08: Groan.

>99 LovingLit: They were certainly worth waiting for.

>102 charl08: that, alas, was not.

>103 JayneCM: awww. Please tell me they get sun hats in summer.

Toronto had cows, some years back. A friend of mine got to paint/decorate 2 of them. It was quite the sight, when they delivered the cows to her front yard!

>112 MissBrangwen: Hope you enjoy it if you pick it up.

>113 LovingLit: I love that idea. A penguin seems like a reasonable size for a design project.

>114 BLBera: Photos welcome, Beth!

>115 Helenliz: What are you saying about the penguin jokes, Helen? Careful now...

>116 jessibud2: I can imagine, that. I tried to find my photo of the two ended cow affixed to the pub in Edinburgh, but without much luck...

Now reading London Under Snow which so far, is Odd... I am keen to avoid last minute book group reading in 2021. Not sure how long that keenness is going to last though...

I returned The Invisible Life of Addie la rue to the library, only half way through as it was due back. Hopefully the digital copy will turn up sooner than the March date that it currently says, otherwise I am unlikely to remember much about it.

>116 jessibud2:, >118 charl08: - Oops, I misspoke. Toronto didn't have cows, we had MOOSE!

Moose in the City

Moose, penguins, cows, geese! And a few years ago we had giraffes, one of which - painted gold - still sits outside our casino. Looks like painted art animals are a global project :)

>89 charl08: I'm a Garry Disher fan, have read all his crime novels and some of his children's ones. Now I need to read his literary stuff.

>121 LovingLit: And bees in Manchester, England when we were visiting my sister in Stockport. And Paddington Bears in London, a few years ago now. Sadly I only realised that was on right at the end and didn't get it together to get into central London.

>120 jessibud2: Great moose collection there!

>121 LovingLit: I like the sound of giraffes.

>122 avatiakh: He seems extraordinarily prolific, Kerry in so many different fields. I wonder how he does it.

>123 elkiedee: I remember the Paddingtons. There were also from Gromits around Bristol a while back.

I still secretly prefer the lamb bananas.


From: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_Superlambananas!

New book alert! This came in the post today looking v pretty.


Nordic Fauna

>125 charl08: I've had mine a little while now. Not yet read it, but that's a separate issue entirely...

Adding elephants in Norwich. Nope, not sure why.

>123 elkiedee: And Snoopy statues in St. Paul, MN in 2000 as a tribute to the late Charles Schultz!

https://www.johnweeks.com/tour/peanuts/snoopy.html

>126 Helenliz: I'm in a glasshouse full of unread books, Helen, so no comments (stone throwing?) here.

>127 ELiz_M: Maybe an idea for a challenge thread next year? Different cities decorated animals / cartoon characters....

I'm still reading London Under Snow. Lots to think about from the book group coordinator: (has anyone read the short stories recommended here?)

Here is some extra material you may find interesting, suggested by Douglas Suttle:
A review of London Under Snow by Alice Banks
Jordi Llavina's poetry with English translation and reading by the poet
Douglas reading from London Under Snow on Translators Aloud
The short story The Hartleys by John Cheever
Alice Munro's short story collection Dear Life
Seamus Heaney's collection The Haw Lantern
What are you doing the rest of your life? by Bill Evans

Here are the discussion questions for the breakout rooms:
Which story stood out the most to you, and why?
What role does regret play in each story?
What is the relationship between the weather and the characters' emotions in each story?
To what extent does compassion play a role in the stories?
How does Llavina compare and contrast urban and rural life in Catalonia?

A couple of summers ago, across the whole of Scotland, we had a lot of painted Oor Wullies in a big country-wide trail: https://www.oorwullie.com/

>123 elkiedee: Paddington Bears! Cool (and the bees, too)
I love pop-up art projects. They auctioned off the giraffes, so it is cool to still see the rare one about.

>129 charl08: I have not read any of those collections!

>125 charl08: Nice. I should be getting mine soon. I was just looking at my pile of Pereines, thinking I should get a start on reading in translation.

>131 Jackie_K: People really have got enthusiastic about this, haven't they!

>132 LovingLit: Random giraffes sound like fun. Thanks for the comment re the stories. I am not so good at following up on the extra reading for this book group.

>133 BLBera: One of the reasons I like them is the length, Beth. I do find I can usually sit down and read one in an evening. That said, I have yet to (want to) pick up Ankomst which is still sitting on my shelf unread, as well as this new one.

My new years (kind of) mini resolution to finish book group books ahead of time, has failed at the first hurdle, as I got distracted by Landscape Artist of the Year on tv. So many talented artists. I will be finishing on time though (just 10 pages to go of London under snow). I'm looking forward to hearing what everyone else makes of the book as for me it seems pretty white male navel-gazing. Hopefully there are hidden depths that will be revealed to me tonight.

Hello, Charlotte! I am really wanting to read Ankomst - Helen liked that one, but the cost on Kindle to come down. It's currently $17.99. For less than 200 pages.

>135 Crazymamie: Sorry to hear that Mamie. The people at Peirene are really nice. Maybe email them and explain you need an e book, and you never know they might be able to send you a pdf (assuming that would work?)

A few publishers offer their own ebook editions via the website, though formats and affordability vary.

>137 elkiedee: Yes, sadly not Peirene as far as I can see.

Strong Female Protagonist
I was looking for the Cheevor story on my library's digital collection, and instead of finding that (back issues of The New Yorker only go back half a year) found this. Not so great reading on my phone, but definitely better than the alternative (paying for it/ waiting for a hard copy). That whole mutant dilemma, but with a female lead.

I've ordered some new books:

The Haw Lantern
The Boundless Sea: A Human History of the Oceans
The Broken Leg of Doom
House on Endless Waters

I only went to buy the Heaney! It is in a beautiful new 20 year anniversary edition (or at least, the copy on the website is like that).

I've ordered some new books:

The Haw Lantern
The Boundless Sea: A Human History of the Oceans
The Broken Leg of Doom
House on Endless Waters

I only went to buy the Heaney! It is in a beautiful new 20 year anniversary edition (or at least, the copy on the website is like that).

Smoke and Whispers
Argh. Mick Herron manages to wrong foot me Every Single Time.

In related news, the Slough House books are being turned into a TV series with Gary Oldman.

>141 charl08: Well, this is delightful news! Um...not that Mick Herron wrong foots you, but that the Slough House books are getting a tv series!! And I love Gary Oldman, so there's that, too.

Hit by a book bullet - House on endless waters sounds fascinating. And my library owns it, so onto the TBR mountain it goes.

>140 charl08: So, um, the no-buy 2021 thing...isn't a thing any more?

I'm waiting for snow here, although the weather forecast will only commit to sleet. How are things with you?

>142 Crazymamie: I'm struggling a bit with the Oldman thing. I am a bit in love with his mournful persona from Tinker Tailor. I fear that is gone as soon as he does anything in character as Jackson Lamb. The Guardian article interviewing Herron says he must have used the years working an office job 9-5 and writing PT as material for his writing. Surely no one is as awful as JL in real life office habits... Makes me want to reach for the hand sanitiser just thinking about it.

>143 markon: I'm looking forward to them arriving!

>144 susanj67: Yeah, that's so last week, Susan (!) I'm still not convinced the central heating is working, and am looking at down duvets longingly on a well known retailer's website. But no complaints(!), as the sun is shining.

Looking at my Kindle wishlist, which I use to see if anything is on offer, I just noticed that Margaret Busby's huge New Daughters of Africa anthology, over 1100 pages, is on sale at £2.59 (Amazon UK). I just wish they'd reprint her earlier one from 1992, as secondhand prices are really high.

>146 elkiedee: That's a lot of book for a small price!

Still reading Eighth Life (now on Book 4)

He wanted to forget that anything existed beyond the daily certainty of death. Things like grief, happiness, disppointment, hope, and, above all, intimacy. Happiness had been a sip of schnapps and a piece of black bread smeared with fat; happiness was the sacks of flour and tins of food they smuggled into Leningrad for months on end; happiness was ships unscathed; happiness was mere survival. And everything that had existed beyond this no longer mattered. It didn't exist any more, and Kostya felt the hope of its return as a hindrance - dangerous, even, in certain circumstances.

Memories make the heart soft and transparent. You can't shoot well with a transparent heart, Brilka: you miss your target, and soon become a target yourself.

>145 charl08: I totally get that, Charlotte, because I also love Oldman in Tinker Tailor. But he is brilliant in anything he plays, so I am excited about him as Jackson Lamb. I wonder if they will tone him down a bit with the awful.

"Yeah, that's so last week, Susan (!)" This made me laugh! I came over here to begin with to tell you that I was so excited when I checked out today Kindle deals - I picked up The Honjin Murders for $1.99!!

>149 charl08: That's a great quote.

Chiming in to join the Oldman Fan Club - like Mamie, I love him in every role he plays. So talented.

>149 charl08: I loved that book, Charlotte, I hope you do so too.

>145 charl08: I haven't read the Slow Horses series but from what I have read *about* it, I share your uncertainty about Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb. He was brilliant in Tinker Tailor. I saw it three times in theatres (various friends wanted to see it, but had to read the book first, and they weren't coordinating their reading very effectively, haha) and that probably helped me savour it more than I might have done otherwise.

>150 Crazymamie: That's a good kindle deal too Mamie. Although you don't get to admire the beautiful cover in quite the same way...

I suppose at least there isn't the risk of smellovision with the Oldman version.

>151 scaifea: I am trying to think what else I've seen him in, Amber (beyond HP).
Hello Imdb.
Ah, Batman.

JL is a pretty terrible character but I suspect a rather meaty part to play.

>152 FAMeulstee: I am enjoying it but I wish they had been a bit more creative publishing it. They could have made 7 slim paperbacks and given you a gift box to go with.

>140 charl08: That is a beautiful book, Charlotte.

>153 rabbitprincess: I only saw it once at the cinema, but have managed a few go rounds since. It doesn't hurt that Colin Firth is in it as well. And of course Toby Jones is brilliant.

>155 BLBera: I am looking forward to it. I have lots of poetry in the TBR pile.

The Historians

This won the Costa poetry category, and really, it's a lovely lovely thing. Beautiful poems about memory and family and history. All my favourites. I think I'm going to go digging for her back catalogue now.

The book includes a poem commissioned for the anniversary of Irish women getting to vote.

Imagine these women
Gathering one by one in Irish cities
Late in 1918. In a cold winter.
Each of them ready to enter
History: called to their duties
As citizens to exercise
This hard-won right: this franchise.
They vote in the shadow of their past.
They vote in the light of what will be
Their new nation whose quest
For freedom speaks to their own.
If we could only summon
Or see them these women,
Foremothers of the nurture
And dignity that will come
To all of us from this day
We could say across the century
To each one—give me your hand:
It has written our future.

Our future will become
The past of other women

The full poem is here: https://www.irishtimes.com/vote100/eavan-boland-poem

love your penguin theme

>158 charl08: Wonderful poem! Thank you for sharing. I'm putting the book on my poetry wishlist.

>159 Nickelini: Thanks Joyce, I am enjoying seeing the different types each time I add a book. I think I might try and find new photos for the next quarter.

>160 MissBrangwen: Thanks Mirjam. I love that the Irish government commissioned this poem, its translations and the art to go with it.

I had the idea that lockdown would mean more reading time so I subscribed to the TLS (again). Super politely expressed, still Ouch of the week from the letters page:

In reply to (author of new book).... new evidence may indeed be able to overturn an official version of history, but I am afraid his book comes nowhere near to delivering it....

Also nice to see a full page article on the "rather eclectic" British Library women writers series.
https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/tales-of-hopeless-husbands/
As usual there are plenty I want to check out including Unfinished Business: notes of a chronic rereader. There's also a short review of The Fig Tree which I've already read (Thanks to book club).

There you are! I have been combing the 75 Challenge threads nearly every day, to see if I missed someone and finally discovered you over here. Duh! Sorry, for the delay.

Happy New Thread, Charlotte. I hope you have a safe & healthy 2021.

Great poem, Charlotte. I will look for a copy of The Historians.

>162 charl08: As a rereader, I liked the Gornick book Charlotte

>163 msf59: Glad you found the thread, Mark!

>164 BLBera: I think you might like it, Beth. It will be interesting to compare the Heaney when that arrives.

>165 Caroline_McElwee: Ah, I should have realised you are ahead of me, Caroline. My dad's requested "The Whisky book" they reviewed so we're supporting the LRB bookshop this week.

Now reading The Berlin Shadow which is billed as NF but reads more like fiction.

Happy Tuesday, Charlotte! Your thread is a very dangerous place for me - adding two to The List this time. You got me with The Historians: Poems and Unfinished Business: notes of a chronic rereader.

Just passing through, Charlotte. Hope your Tuesday is a good one...

>168 Crazymamie: I hope you like The Historians Mamie. I read today that Joe has also read her work, I do feel much "safer" when I am not the only person flagging up a book!

>169 katiekrug: Hey Katie. All the food discussions on your thread have been making me hungry. Pine nuts and ricotta on the shopping list.

The Berlin Shadow
I think this was a case of the wrong reader. Lichtenstein writes beautifully (he's a playwright and drama prof). The book centres on a trip he took with his dad to Berlin from his home in Wales, his first visit back since the 1950s.

We start following the map to Urnenfeld I. We walk through the graveyard, which is empty of people and chock-a-block with the dead. It is full of thousands and thousands of graves that no one visits. There is no one left alive to do the visiting. The dead have been deserted by the murdered.

I felt the book was one long moan about his terrible childhood, alternating with increasingly bizarre chapters about his adult life where he cast himself as some kind of damaged failure (see note above re his career...). His dad survived the holocaust via the kindertransport, arriving in England, going to boarding school, studying to be a doctor, joining the SAS and then working as a country GP in rural Wales. His son leaks out his achievements on a miserly basis so that terrible dad is front and centre (but it's not really clear if he was a terrible dad or just a terrible dad for this one son). I wanted more of his dad and less of him, but his dad didn't really have any interest in a big reveal. Instead their trip to Berlin is monosyllabic for the most part and it felt like there was a lot of "filler" re their petty arguments.and the woo woo stuff about death at the end. Don't get me started!

>171 charl08: In this case I am probably lucky, Charlotte, can't find a Dutch translation ;-)
So I won't get you started at all.

No worries, Anita.

Finished listening to the next in the series about the ex-sailor rural doctor in the reign of James I - Angel in the Glass.

>158 charl08: Thanks for sharing this poem. I also like the illustration by Paula McGloin that accompanied the poem.

>174 mathgirl40: Yes, I agree they are lovely. I was tempted to buy the special edition of that poem because of the illustrations but (?fortunately) the website says that it is sold out.

>171 charl08: "kindertransport, arriving in England, going to boarding school, studying to be a doctor, joining the SAS and then working as a country GP in rural Wales"

One of those entirely real life arcs that would probably attract accusations of being unrealistic in fiction. Fascinating trajectory.

I’m here for the BBS, Charlotte. Carry on.

>176 spiralsheep: Right at the end he mentions that his father was awarded an MBE by the Queen. She asked him if he knew what it was for, and he said he didn't! It sounds bonkers, but then it's also revealed that he took transports of medical supplies across Europe during the break up of Yugoslavia, ran marathons into his 80s, set up a cancer centre with his wife....

>177 Familyhistorian: Thanks Meg!

Just wanted to let you know that I did indeed purchase 365 Penguins and Shackleton's Journey by William Grill and they were both delightful. I'm going to pass them on to my granddaughters.

>179 Tess_W: Ooh, that's lovely. I hope they like them too.


(Via Innocent Drinks Twitter)

>180 charl08: :)

>180 charl08: I'm aware. Job done. >:-)

>181 BLBera: >182 Helenliz: :-)

I'm still reading The Eighth Life (for Brilka) and have reached Book 6, Daria. I am enjoying it but wow, what a long book.

The name Daria always makes me think:

>183 charl08: I LOVE the TV show Daria. I remember watching it when it originally aired, and it still holds up!

>180 charl08: Kept my eyes peeled all day and never saw a single penguin!

>184 christina_reads: They showed them again fairly recently and I managed to watch far more than I ever did as a kid. I'd like to know what happened to the writers, it was good.

>185 mdoris: Not one? Not even...

Thanks to Susan I am reading From Crime to Crime. The author seems to have been involved in a lot of English high profile cases, interesting to hear the insider viewpoint. I was glad to get to the end of the Bulger (child murder) case chapter though.

The Haw Lantern
I bought this because one of the poems was quoted in an earlier read. There are some lovely ones here and some that I think I need to come back to. A slim volume (a very pretty one celebrating 90 years of Faber) that touches on so much, from the Troubles to an extract of his Beowulf translation, to deeply personal writing. Glad I picked it up.

>188 charl08: As you may remember I am a huge devotee of Seamus Heaney so I am pleased to see that he managed to touch you with his words. I don't think The Haw Lantern is quite his best work but it certainly isn't half bad!

>189 PaulCranswick: Always good to hear enthusiasm for poetry, Paul. I read his Beowulf as part of a poetry book group. Which of his other collections would you recommend I pick up next?

Interior Chinatown

I thought this was a really clever (and funny) way of making a powerful point about stereotypes. Written (mostly) in the style of a screenplay, it doesn't outstay its welcome either. Willis, caught in his aspirations to reach the pinnacle of roles available to Asian characters (Kung Fu guy) reflects on the cliches of the detective drama, his parents' "backstory" interspersed with quotes from US law segregating Asian migrants to the US and studies of the creation of "Chinatown"(s). And a sweet love story too:

At coffee you ask her questions. What are her hopes, her fears? Where does she see herself in five years? She says those are bad questions. Those are questions if she were interviewing for a position at a law firm, not questions to ask on a date. You say right, right, as if you knew that, and then it is quiet for a second and she starts laughing and your face goes flush and you feel like you might have to run out of the coffee place but instead you start laughing at yourself and it feels so good. To have no idea what you are supposed to do or say and to be sitting across from this person who has just taken your hand and squeezed it then let go...

>187 charl08: I'm glad you're enjoying it, Charlotte (if that's the right word). I was also glad to get to the end of the Bulger chapter. There was information in there that I hadn't previously known, and wish I still didn't. The Shipman chapter was so interesting that I've started reading the report of the public inquiry. Well, the first volume of FIVE. Eek.

>191 charl08: Great review, Charlotte. Adding that one to The List - which is going to be completely out of control by the time we get to February.

How is Saturday treating you?

>180 charl08: Ooh, missed that one. But I'm fairly sure there weren't any penguins.

>186 charl08: Sadly, also no Penguins.

In Singapore, quite a few years ago, we had elephants. You may have seen Elephant Parade elephants, which raise funds to rescue elephants in Thailand, so these were large ones scattered around the city. I have some small ones, myself; one that sits on my table and a set of three mini ones, dressed as fruits which I thought were quite clever.


Here's a photo I snagged from the internet. Durian, dragonfruit and mangosteen.

And there have been cows around a few times, most recently to advertise a company called Moove media, I believe.

Happy Saturday, Charlotte. I have Interior Chinatown on my TBR. Glad to hear you liked it.

I'm looking forward to Interior Chinatown, Charlotte. The Haw Lantern sounds good as well.

>192 susanj67: I like reading about how court cases are run. Do you think all the lawyers he mentions are glad to be mentioned? I wondered if it was just his age that they were overwhelmingly male, or if that's still the case?

>193 Crazymamie: So many books, Mamie. I have done my pilates video for the day. I am increasingly convinced it is aimed at people who have a legit reason to be as unfit as I am, but hey ho, I am hoping it will avoid further back injury. Although there is an instruction to imagine having a tray of marbles balanced on your belly, which makes me laugh each time she says it as if it is completely logical... not in this lifetime.

>195 msf59: I've yet to come across anyone who didn't like it, Mark. Seems like a good sign!

>196 BLBera: I'll look forward to your review, Beth. I was so glad my library got a copy for me (smugly*, I note that they got a copy *because I requested it* and the rest of the library system is now waiting for an additional six copies. I was ahead of the curve! )

*Ridiculously, admittedly.

>197 charl08: Don't knock laughing as a form of exercise: core muscles and lungs! :D

>197 charl08: >198 spiralsheep: Oh, I was going to say: don't laugh because you'll spill the marbles! But it's always good to laugh.

Yeah, be smug. Take the small victories.

>197 charl08: Charlotte, I'm sure the lawyers on the other side to the author would have their own views about how the cases went :-) He is definitely from a time when senior barristers were mostly all male, but that is changing. We're not at 50:50 yet but there are lot of female Queen's Counsel and quite a few judges.

We have snow in London! OMG! It's the first snow of winter, at least where I am. "London" sometimes includes places on the outskirts that may count by some definition, but don't really.

>200 susanj67: Yes, snow in London, though BBC weather is calling it sleet. Not set to last me thinks Susan.

>200 susanj67: So where is 'in London'? My aunt, who's on the border of Greater London (but they still have a Tube station), WhatsApped a photo of the trees in their back garden covered in snow.

>198 spiralsheep: I like that idea. Laughter as exercise.

>199 humouress: The marbles (and heck, the whole tray) were long gone, Nina.

>200 susanj67: I wonder about his editors. He comments about a female junior who went on to be a QC "and had four children". What? For me the door is on the snick (or sometimes sneck or snib), I've never heard anyone say "on the snip" about a door, so wondering about that too. And someone missed Tameside (Manchester) spelled "Thameside". It's a v long way away from the Thames!

No snow with us >200 susanj67: >201 Caroline_McElwee: >202 humouress: but could see it on the hills when out for a (suitably local) walk earlier.

Eighth life

For Daria and me, the Soviet Union meant: constant funeral marches and processions as aged gentlemen of the Communist Party were carried to their graves; carnations everywhere, macabre spectacles broadcast on all the television channels. For us, the Soviet Union meant: endless summer camps, Pioneer neckerchiefs. Tea plantations, apiaries, and kolkhozes. White knee-socks from China, tapestries of hunting scenes on the walls, Mishka Na Severe chocolates, and Lagidze's tarragon lemonade. Our grandfather's GAZ-13, the brightly coloured blocks of Plasticine with the frog on them, yellow Krya-Krya chil dren's shampoo, Grandfather's Start shaving cream, the talcum powder in the bathroom cabinet with the cat's head on the pot, which we weren't allowed to use. Hygiene body lotion, and Stasia's Red Moscow perfume, which smelled of old people and was enough to give you a headache. The odourless brown bath-soap that was actually called 'Bath Soap'.

It was the brown school uniforms from Moscow - a symbol of prosperity -- and the identical, but more coarsely cut, uniforms made in Tbilisi and worn by everyone whose parents were not company directors, professors, or commissars. It was the fat, white-aproned women sitting in canteens, grocery stores, cafés, hotel corridors, and beside the malt-beer tanks. The Cao Sao Vang Golden Star Aromatic Balm, also known as 'Vietnam ointment': tiger which smelled appalling...

As you may have gathered from earlier posts, I found this a long read. It was even longer than the one about trees that I moaned about a couple of years ago (and that got swabbed for drugs at SD airport*). I would love to see it published in three volumes, like an old fashioned copy of Jane Austen. But it does cover an awful lot of ground, so the length seems proportionate. We follow many members of one family from wealth in independent Georgia, to uncertain fortunes in revolutionary Russia, communist intrigues, Stalinist purges, WW2, more communist intrigues, defection, collapse of the USSR, Georgian self-implosion and uncertain reach for independent stability in the 21st century. The level of detail (and imagination) is astonishing sometimes, from trying to barter for basic goods in Moscow after the revolution to standing in a protest in 1990s Ukraine waiting for the soldiers to start shooting. No character escapes the impact of Soviet corruption completely, even though some do very well from it too. I thought the accounts of homesickness in the book were particularly compelling, a recurring theme but perhaps most strongly for the characters forced into exile and unable to return.

*It and I were clean.

I feel the need to inform you that Northamptonshire has snow. That's not London either. This has been a public service announcement.

>206 Helenliz: I've just spoken to my mum and dad in Northamptonshire, definitely snow there today! None here in Stirling though, just heavy frost.

>205 charl08: Glad you finished The Eighth Life (for Brilka), Charlotte.
Yes, it rather is long, but I thought it was worthwile. You are not sure yet, I think ;-)
And now I want to know, was the book about trees Barkskins?

>206 Helenliz: >207 Jackie_K: Still nothing here.

>208 FAMeulstee: Yes, Barkskins was long. But I had that on kindle so was a bit less bothered by the weight. The Overstory was the one I meant. I am glad I read The Eighth Life, but I'm definitely happier with shorter reads.

I was going to post an audio listen here, The Lives of Christopher Chant, beautifully performed by Samuel West. Christopher's parents don't get along, but that's ok as he explores a fabulous dream world filled with friendly locals at night. His uncle realises that his nephew can "help" him with experiments there. Christopher is happy to help, but would rather be at school. His parents have very different ideas about what kind of school though. Some fun stuff about boarding school books here too, as one of Christopher's new friends is in love with "the Milly books".

Checking the title I realised this version was Abridged. So no then.

>209 charl08: I'd listen to Sam West reading almost anything, even a shopping list.

>210 spiralsheep: Me too! He, Timothy West and Prunella Scales are some of my favourite readers - it must run in the family!

>210 spiralsheep: >211 CDVicarage: I really love their canal programme, they seem like a lovely family.

Now reading too many books, and have added another from the library Blue in Chicago.

Hannah (Hangerg) over on the 75 books thread is an artist. She has recommended a new series of books about women artists, including this one I am tempted by about 23771448::Laura Knight.


https://www.eiderdownbooks.com/

>202 humouress: I would say somewhere with a London postcode, which are essentially the W, E, SW, SE and N postcodes. Some of the Tube lines go way out into the country (well, what was the country :-) ). Central London has its own little micro-climate due to the density of buildings, so very rarely gets snow. But places on the outskirts, where it is much less dense, get snow more often. So when the papers say "London" and "snow" in the same sentence they often mean the outskirts, and I am frequently disappointed.

>203 charl08: Charlotte, I didn't notice those copy editing issues. Poor. But the QC with four children issue is still difficult for women, and one of the objections to the "Nightingale courts" which are supposed to sit all hours was that they would discriminate against female counsel who had family responsibilities. Super-Fit Friend's husband is a criminal QC and he has trials all over the place, which means a lot of travelling and often staying away from home. If a household expects women to do the bulk of childcare that's not really tenable. You'd need a househusband or a very good nanny/housekeeper set-up to make it work with four children. And you wouldn't get much maternity leave because you're self-employed as a barrister, so you either have very little time at home with your baby or you risk your instructing solicitors moving on and finding someone else.

>205 charl08: I have this! I bought it in a moment of...wait, I'm among friends. I *will* get to it...

>215 susanj67: I can appreciate the challenges of childcare in that situation. I think it was the context, Susan, that bugged me. He never mentioned any other colleagues' family, or even why 4 children is worth commenting on.

Did I mention how long it is? (!)

The Eighth Life sounds good. I'll put it on my chunkster list - books I save for breaks. :)

>217 BLBera: I love the cover on my book, but definitely one for which kindle is a godsend.

Zero
First person account of a young woman's descent into madness. Minimal punctuation, set as a long list, so a relatively speedy read. Our narrator moves away from home and loses the plot, ending up in psychiatric treatment. The drugs don't work (or rather they do, but then she stops taking them) and a more extreme downward spiral begins again. In places comic, but also blurred: it's not clear in the last section if she is tripping or genuinely on a wild travel trip in some kind of manic phase. Major contrast to The Eighth Life and especially the gentle romance I read immediately before it!

She tells me she has a lot on her plate and I'll need to spit it out
I tell her a bit about my life, about everything that's gone wrong up until now
She tells me she's sorry to hear it
That she's glad I'm out of psychiatric care, that it's the very essence of madness itself
Eva tells me that she was once mad as a hatter herself
She gazes at me long and hard
I wish that I could disappear in a puff of smoke, I feel tiny and delicate
I look down and start to cry
She tells me I look as if I'm feeling a bit too sorry for myself, if she's frank
I'm a beautiful young woman, she says, but it's no good if I refuse to take responsibility for my actions and the fact I've got the wrong attitude

>217 BLBera: I love the cover on my book, but definitely one for which kindle is a godsend.

Zero
First person account of a young woman's descent into madness. Minimal punctuation, set as a long list, so a relatively speedy read. Our narrator moves away from home and loses the plot, ending up in psychiatric treatment. The drugs don't work (or rather they do, but then she stops taking them) and a more extreme downward spiral begins again. In places comic, but also blurred: it's not clear in the last section if she is tripping or genuinely on a wild travel trip in some kind of manic phase. Major contrast to The Eighth Life and especially the gentle romance I read immediately before it!

She tells me she has a lot on her plate and I'll need to spit it out
I tell her a bit about my life, about everything that's gone wrong up until now
She tells me she's sorry to hear it
That she's glad I'm out of psychiatric care, that it's the very essence of madness itself
Eva tells me that she was once mad as a hatter herself
She gazes at me long and hard
I wish that I could disappear in a puff of smoke, I feel tiny and delicate
I look down and start to cry
She tells me I look as if I'm feeling a bit too sorry for myself, if she's frank
I'm a beautiful young woman, she says, but it's no good if I refuse to take responsibility for my actions and the fact I've got the wrong attitude

>219 charl08: - Beautiful cover, but I think I'll pass on that one.

>220 katiekrug: Fair enough!

>216 charl08: My copy of The Eighth Life is huge, not only many pages (thick book), but it's tall!

>222 ELiz_M: I think you could weightlift with those!

I read The Sacrament yesterday, after it was recommended by Anne over on the 75ers thread. Sister Johanna is a nun approaching retirement age, called to return to Iceland by a senior cleric. Decades ago she investigated an abuse accusation against one of the priests. The investigation did not go well, but one of the children, now grown up, has asked to meet with her. Alongside the present the narrative gradually reconstructs the original investigation, and the story of her choice to become a nun.

I loved this - thanks Anne!

>223 charl08: is on my wishlist--perhaps I need to move it to the top!

>224 Tess_W: It was a super quick read for me, so maybe that's a vote in its favour too?



I love Esther Freud and her new book is on Netgalley at the moment. Fingers crossed they approve me. Pretty cover, too.

>225 charl08: There's a new Esther Freud book? Awesome! I'll have to add that to my to-read list.

>225 charl08: They approved me for that one, so you're certain to get a copy!

>225 charl08: Adding to my wishlist too Charlotte.

>226 rabbitprincess: Yes, she's an auto buy for me (although I'd probably wait for the paperback usually).

>227 RidgewayGirl: From your lips to their intern's mouse...
(Or as my autocorrect wanted, moustache)

>228 Caroline_McElwee: I am in good company, I see.

The discussion last night (of Zero) was lovely, not least because the translator had a lovely Scottish accent that reminded me of friends I miss. There was an interesting bit of chat about the power of autofiction in Norway just now, and then a discussion about some other writers who the publisher and the translator recommend. I may have gone off and ordered one (A Modern Family). I think I was most interested by the discussion of an "untranslatable" reference in the book, and the publisher's decision to cut it altogether. I hadn't realised they did that! Apparently it's quite common, and the publisher even referenced a short story collection where the author had agreed with the translator to lose a story altogether as it didn't work in English.
Oh, and another Norwegian anecdote. Apparently if you publish your original book in Norway, and your book is deemed of sufficient literary merit, the government will buy 1000 copies. The publisher was sad this does not apply to translators of Norwegian fiction...

Britten and Brülightly

This is a very odd GN but rather charming. Britten seeks to investigate a murder, accompanied by his talking tea bag. The illustrations are dark, almost (but not quite) monochrome. This matches the narrative, the narrator's suicidal thoughts and the despair he encounters around him.
I've only just got the pun in the title.

>230 charl08: That sounds like a satisfying event. I hadn't really thought about those occasions where languages are incompatible, especially where there are no shared words for things, Charlotte. Very interesting.

>232 Caroline_McElwee: Some weeks are better than others for sure, Caroline, but the three in our group talked about how much we get from discussing them. Especially at the moment when we can't get on a plane or even go to a gallery.

>230 charl08: "Apparently if you publish your original book in Norway, and your book is deemed of sufficient literary merit, the government will buy 1000 copies. The publisher was sad this does not apply to translators of Norwegian fiction..."

The Norwegian translation I've just read (and the previous one iirc) says: "This translation has been published with the financial support of NORLA" (Norwegian Literature Abroad). And the last Polish translation I read was gifted to my local library by the Polish Embassy with a couple of Polish cultural orgs. I've been reading many translations over the last year so I've become accustomed to seeing "English PEN Award" or another grant's details printed somewhere on them.

>230 charl08: That sounds so cool, Charlotte. I love the discussion of translation.

>234 spiralsheep: That's interesting to hear. I guess what I missed out from my comment re Norwegian support for their own writers, is that the "artistic merit" criteria is pretty widely interpreted, so it effectively means that Norwegian publishers are guaranteed a substantial subsidy, rather than having to rely on a grant maker's decision.
I do wonder at the govts funding translations of their lit: it all smacks a bit to me of the soft power arms race of the USA/USSR approach back in the 60s.

>235 BLBera: It was a good meeting. The next one is a Chinese author (Strange Beasts of China) and it's Chinese New Year, so I'm going to plan to make a dinner to go with my reading.

>236 charl08: Oil-rich nations such as Norway are going to spend their money on something. Better soft-power through literature than most of the alternatives. And literature that isn't commercially viable has always been subject to patronage, whether from religious institutions, political powers, academic foundations, or arts orgs: the church, the king (or plutocrat), the university, the ladies who lunch and sit on committees. Even Shakespeare wouldn't have got far without patronage.

>237 spiralsheep: I think it's a really interesting area: what gets translated and what doesn't (and why). The publisher (Nordisk) who was speaking Thursday night, has said that he was looking to publish books outside of the Scandi-crime boom. He thought it was a shame that crime fiction was dominating what was being translated from Scandinavia.

I finished two books today.

More than a woman fits the category of authors I've read before. This was a follow up to her earlier memoirs, but this one felt thinner to me. I found it was overwhelmingly about her experience parenting and working-while-parenting and I just wasn't particularly interested. However, the chapter about her daughter's illness I did find compelling, so I wondered if it wasn't me as reader for the rest of the book, but rather the level of originality. I have very high expectations for her as a writer, expecting her to make me laugh as well as think. Instead I found some of her generalisations about the differences between men and women irritating and sometimes a bit cliched.

Ever since I got so drunk I twerked on my brother Eddie on Christmas Eve, and therefore spent Christmas Day in some manner of Shame Booth, going to bed at 9pm and reading a book has seemed like some blessed reward for giving up wine. No one ever woke up regretful that they'd had ten hours sleep, and read six chapters of The Language of Trees.

The Ex Talk
Another win for the SBTB romance fiction reviews. I enjoyed this romcom set in a local public radio station in Seattle (although major caveat: I know nothing about RL radio production or Seattle...)

I felt similarly about the Moran. I still was glad I read it, but I was expecting more.

I'll have to keep an eye out for The Ex Talk...

>239 katiekrug: I think I wasn't the audience, Katie.
There's a proper review of The Ex Talk here: https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/reviews/the-ex-talk-by-rachel-solomon/

House on Endless Waters

Two thousand five hundred. According to the documents Yoel has studied, that was the number of Jewish children hidden by Christian families during the war. Two thousand five hundred Jewish children, most of them from Amsterdam. According to Dutch law only those children with a surviving parent were eventually returned, while according to reality only those children whose surviving parent managed to find where they had been hidden were returned.

This Israeli novel centres on a chance discovery by a (fictional) Israeli novelist that he was not his mother's child. The novel explores fictionally one of the legacies of the Holocaust in many European countries, that many children who were hidden were never reunited with their families. Some never knew this part of their history (as they were too small to remember). Elon deals with the difficulties in knowing what 'really' happened by creating a story within a story. The fictional novelist, Yoel, moves to Amsterdam to try and write his family's story, so his fictionalisation of WW2 runs alongside his present day attempts to discover historical Amsterdam.

Realistic writing to describe things exactly as they look. Surrealistic writing describe things not the way they look but the way they actually are.

I previously read a Polish author who explores the attempts of adults to uncover their stories as hidden children - it made me want to go back to Hanna Krall again.

>241 charl08: This one sounds really good, Charlotte. Another one for my WL. I hope you're enjoying your Sunday.

>241 charl08: Another to my WL!

>242 BLBera: I enjoyed it Beth. Although I checked my library catalogue and it looks like the Krall isn't available any more, so I think I'm going to order my own copy.

>243 Tess_W: The hazards of LT - an ever growing wishlist!

The Golden Age: Book 1
Beautifully illustrated GN, although I hadn't realised it was going to end on a cliffhanger. A princess is usurped by her brother, the peasants are rebelling, and a mysterious text claims to describe a "Golden Age" when everyone was equal. The noses reminded me of Asterix.

Still reading Blue in Chicago

These were the new books, stacked on a table in the back room in tall neat rows. On top of each pile a note: "Do Not Disturb, J. Speer." Mrs. Speer was cataloging these books, and whenever she got the chance she would shut herself up with them. Books on the shelves were marked-down merchandise-spoiled, soiled, grubby, touched by too many hands. Here they confronted her in their original splendor. New books don't smell as good as they used to it must be the glue-but the bindings were still stiff and the pages fresh. Each and every one that came into Borglum Branch headed straight for the back. And it stayed there. When the table couldn't hold any more, stacks sprouted under the legs; then on filing cabinets, chairs. You didn't dare to move them. They were like that For A Reason. If things ever got mixed up, Mrs. Speer would have to Start All Over Again.

The thing was, the cataloging had already been done at the down town library....

>246 charl08: *hating on Mrs Speer for hoarding joy away from other people*

>247 spiralsheep: The short story it's taken from is set in a small branch library in Chicago - recommended.

Akhmatova: poems
I read this small collection of translated poems because I have an ongoing thing about wanting to learn more about Russian literature. I needed a lot more notes than were provided in this edition though! Akhmatova wrote deliberately opaquely in places, and in others refers to events and literature connections that I don't know much about. I plan to get hold of a biography of this poet which I think will help. Glad to add it to my poetry shelf.

Thinking about a "feature" wall (to cover up the mess of several different picture hanging attempts)

Thought I liked 1930s style patterns, but now I'm not convinced.



Not shown: the pastel green leaf pattern that I will probably go for in the end...

Hag: forgotten folktales retold

This is a fascinating collection of short stories, reimagining folktales from across the UK. A wide ranging collection of authors, some new to me (eg Liv Little, Natasha Carthew, Naomi Booth) and others more familiar (eg Imogen Hermes Gowar and Daisy Johnson). The original stories are gathered from very different contexts (they are reproduced at the back) and forms, from poems to oral accounts transcribed. A couple stood out for me: I was most struck by Rosheen, a story reimagining a migrant worker in Norfolk, which was properly creepy. Between Sea and Sky reimagines the encounter with a Selkie in modern Scotland. As the introduction notes, the question with the original stories "have very familiar plots" so as reader I guessed where things were going but it was more about the journey to reach that point. I wouldn't say I was a fan of folk tales: reading the intro I wondered of that was because I remember being introduced to them via Victorian bowdlerised versions: no wonder they made little sense with all the juicy parts squeezed out.

(Ed to try and fix spelling!)

From the introduction:

The modern world still holds on to its magic, its weirdnesses, and spookiness, if we can attune ourselves to the enchantments that lurk in the quotidian. So these new stories aim to make listeners and readers take their normal daily environment just a little less for granted, urging you to notice, even seek out, the strange and quirky, keeping an eye open for those flashes of the ancient and the otherworldly as you go about your business.

The new Tana French came in at the library.
Bookish dance party starts now...
ETA I have tomorrow off! Hurrah!

Oooh, double win!

>253 charl08: Fabulous timing then.

>253 charl08: So I assume you are going to enjoy both, Charlotte? :-)

>253 charl08: Excellent! I should really just buy that one...

>250 charl08: Like the green one in the picture.

The One on the left reminds me slightly of Escher and Piranesi.

>254 katiekrug: >255 Helenliz: >256 FAMeulstee: >257 rabbitprincess: It is very good. Highly recommended. Didn't get to be as reading a day as planned but still lovely and lazy compared to the alternative.

>258 Caroline_McElwee: I just ordered a roll of plain orange instead. I shall see if I hate it when it arrives (it was a bargain price). Thinking about covering most of it with pictures, so it seemed silly to buy a really fancy one I wouldn't see.

Ms Marvel Stormranger
I do enjoy this series, although I find the shifts in artists from book to book means significant differences in the way the characters are depicted. Ironman and Dr Strange turn up to help when Kamala's dad is hospitalised. Plus some other familiar faces with less helpful intentions.

Hoping the TV series isn't delayed too much by COVID.
https://www.cnet.com/news/disney-plus-casts-ms-marvel-character-kamala-khan/

I've got three bookclub books to.read, and in keeping with my usual pattern I don't want to read any of them right now.

In a bid to get on with it though, have started Strange Beasts of China

The City of the Dead was a place that, accord ing to legend, lay beneath Yong'an City. Humans and beasts, cars and roads, rock bands and their followers, all living forever. Every mother scared her child with this horror story: 'Don't spend too long reading in the toilet, because while you're distracted, a soul might rise up through the pipes and possess your body. This gave us all a healthy fear of lingering in the toilet, and it was only when we grew up that we realised we'd been tricked.

>261 charl08: I'm having that feeling with the library ebooks I have out right now. The ones due imminently I have to push myself to read.

>260 charl08: Iron Man and Doctor Strange are two of my favourite Marvel superheroes, at least going by the movie versions ;) I will probably check out Ms. Marvel when it comes out.

I can think of may reasons for not lingering in the toilet, but that's never been one of them...
Good luck with the bookclub books. Nose to the grindstone time.

>262 rabbitprincess: I am really bad at reading books I "have" to read. It's one of the reasons I am really glad I have always resisted people who've asked me why I don't work in publishing. (Because as soon as it became work, I would spend my time fighting myself.) Also I am rubbish being nice about books that I don't like: the thought of having to fib to the writers of those books makes me want to go live down in a darkened room.

>263 Helenliz: I have previously been in places where I was told to check wildlife things out before I sat down. Tbh nothing about those facilities made you want to linger though.

Is the new thread thing working yet? I am not sure what to do about starting a second one.

>261 charl08: I have Strange Beasts of China on my wishlist so I'll be interested to see what you make of it. I was considering reading it back-to-back with the Japanese short story collection Where the Wild Ladies Are.

>250 charl08: I like the one on the right, but that's because I like botanicals.

I once saw a tip about hanging pictures; use a roll of plain paper, mark out your arrangement and then transfer that to the wall. You can rip the paper off once you've got your nails in the right places.

>261 charl08: never heard the one about the toilet before! Sometimes, as a child, was the only place for peace and quiet!

Hi Charlotte--I finally found your thread (was looking in the 75 group). I love the penguin theme. I spotted the quote you have from the earlier Luiselli work and it is interesting to see how it connects to the book I just read--similar reflections about efforts to document the past.

in 2003 I went to a crime fiction convention, where readers and writers were hanging out. At one point someone went off and came back to the group of people I was sitting/standing with with a man who he introduced to us as the author of the first of a novel I'd read and really not liked, the first in what has been a very successful series. One issue is that the book is a historical novel said in the years just after the WWI and some of the details just didn't seem right or convincing to me.

>265 spiralsheep: I've not got very far in Beasts, which is worrying given how much I have to read this week. Had a great discussion about Where the Wild Ladies Are at bookgroup last year: the translator played a big role in the structure of the book, so had a lot to say.

>266 humouress: That sounds like good advice, Nina. I have recently used tags which use strong velcro and then just pull off the wall when you're done. They don't leave a mark, either, which is good.

>267 Tess_W: That makes sense!

>268 AnneDC: Interesting. There is a lot to unpick. For me I mostly noticed the link to her NF work about the wall and migrants and feeling out of place. I'm sure if I reread though I would say something else.

>269 elkiedee: Ack. I think I would have to go find something urgently in the other room...

Out in the garden this morning planting out primroses and picking up beech leaves. Joined by a robin checking out what I'd uncovered (I really hope slugs). Have also put in some sweet pea seeds (on the window ledge) in the hope that I will do better than last year (I think a measly 4 flowers). Then it started hailing!

The Searcher
I had been waiting for this to come in at the library (we can still pick up reservations at the door). Cal is a retired Chicago policeman who has bought a house in rural Ireland. Initial appearances of quiet, unchanging rural life prove to be deceptive when Trey, a thirteen year old kid from the local "no good" family turns up on his doorstep asking for his help. I really enjoyed how twisty the plot was, and how French uses Cal's outsider status to show the reader the many layers of his new home.

'I voted for that. Mart informs him. "The priest in town was bulling at mass, swearing he'd excommunicate anyone that voted yes, but I didn't pay him any heed. I wanted to see what would happen.'
'Right.'Cal says, easing his voice. 'What did happen?".....
'Not lot,' Mart admits, with some regret. 'Not around here, anyway. Maybe up in Dublin the gays are all marrying the bejayus out of each other, but I haven't heard of any in these parts.'
'Well look at that', Cal says. He's only half-hearing Mart. 'You went and pissed off the priest for nothing.'
'Fuck him. He's only an aul' blow; too used to getting his own way. I never liked him, big Jabba the Hutt head on him. It's healthier for men to live with men, anyway. They don't be wrecking each other's heads. They might as well get married while they're at it, have a day out.'

Blue in Chicago
I loved this too! Short stories (and a novella) originally published back in the 70s and then out of print for years.* Howlans resisted categorisation but it's tempting to point towards autofiction. Like Howland, most of her protagonists are divorced Jewish women from Chicago. Her stories seem small- going to a family wedding, going for a holiday in a run down holiday home. But the voice is distinctive and feels truthful. Unlike Moran's book, I didn't feel excluded by not having the same experience, but rather what you hope for in a read (and to borrow someone else's phrase), to travel without leaving home.
*And never in print in the UK.

>272 charl08: Looks lovely, Charlotte.
Each winter we have a robin in the garden, he is also curious what the human is doing in "his" garden.

Hi Charlotte - I'm envious that you are working in your garden! It's in the below zero temp range here, so no gardening anytime soon.

I'm still waiting for my turn with The Searcher; I think I'm # 30 on the list. Lucky I have other things to read.

>241 charl08: House on Endless Waters sounds really good! I'll keep an eye out for it.

>273 charl08: Nice quote :0) The word 'bejaysus' switched Mart's voice to full Irish in my head. Love that last sentence.

>275 FAMeulstee: I've been out this morning to crack the ice in the water bowl twice, so hope the tidying helps them spot some dinner.

>276 BLBera: I wondered what on earth I was thinking as the hail came down, Beth. Hoping the primroses survive the predicted cool temps.

>277 pammab: It was a lovely novel, hope you like it.

>278 humouress: I thought she recreated the village community very well. In places (like this quote) reminded me of Roddy Doyle.

>279 charl08: Obviously there are differing varieties, but I've had primroses and closely related primulas flowering under ice and persistent minus temps here, although mine are bedded in not recently planted. Good luck!

>280 spiralsheep: Well, that's reassuring, thank you! I like gardening but I can't say I have a great success rate, so I'll keep my fingers crossed.

>272 charl08: Lovely to see your little helper Charlotte.

>282 Caroline_McElwee: >272 charl08: Oh, now I see him.