PAUL C'S SECOND HOME - PART 25 & LAST

SCENES FROM MY BOOKS

The Parable of the Sower by Octavia E Butler. This is a bit more metaphoric to end the year.

POETRY

My alphabetical trawl through some of my favourite 20th Century British Poets ends with Hugo Williams whose direct conversational style appeals always.

Here is a poem of his called "Timer"

BOOKS 1ST HALF
JANUARY

1. Plague 99 by Jean Ure (1989) 218 pp
2. Tom Brown's Schooldays by Thomas Hughes (1857) 309 pp
3. A Lear of the Steppes by Ivan Turgenev (1870) 117 pp
4. A Fall from the Sky by Ian Serraillier (1966) 78 pp
5. The Overnight Kidnapper by Andrea Camilleri (2015) 262 pp
6. Dove on the Waters by Maurice Shadbolt (1996) 198 pp
7. A Portable Paradise by Roger Robinson (2019) 81 pp
8. The Other End of the Line by Andrea Camilleri (2016) 293 pp
9. The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead (2019) 208 pp
10. Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome (1930) 501 pp
11. Carrie's War by Nina Bawden (1973) 211 pp
12. Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart (2020) 430 pp
13. Judge Savage by Tim Parks (2003) 442 pp
14. The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side by Agatha Christie (1962) 280 pp
15. Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Farmer (1969) 227 pp
16. Jazz by Toni Morrison (1992) 229 pp
17. A Question of Upbringing by Anthony Powell (1951) 230 pp

4,313 pages.

FEBRUARY

18. Junk by Melvyn Burgess (1996) 278 pp
19. The Great Fire by Monica Dickens (1970) 64 pp
20. At Bertram's Hotel by Agatha Christie (1965) 265 pp
21. A Room of Own's Own by Virginia Woolf (1929) 153 pp
22. Bury the Dead by Peter Carter (1987) 374 pp
23. Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch (2011) 390 pp
24. Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne (1873) 242 pp
25. Woods, etc. by Alice Oswald (2005) 56 pp
26. Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg (2015) 293 pp
27. A Burning by Megha Majumdar (2020) 289 pp
28. Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch (2011) 373 pp
29. What is History? by Edward Hallett Carr (1961) 156 pp
30. A Buyer's Market by Anthony Powell (1951) 278 pp

3,211 pages

MARCH

31. The Return : Fathers, Sons and the Land in Between by Hisham Matar (2016) 239 pp
32. The Hammer of the Scots by Jean Plaidy (1978) 417 pp
33. Bright Dead Things by Ada Limon (2015) 101 pp
34. Some Experiences of an Irish RM by Somerville & Ross (1899) 223 pp
35. The Age of Improvement 1783-1867 by Asa Briggs (1959) 523 pp
36. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell (1853) 203 pp

1,706 pages

APRIL

37. Love Story, With Murders by Harry Bingham (2013) 439 pp
38. Moth Smoke by Mohsin Hamid (2000) 270 pp
39. Diary of a Murderer by Kim Young-Ha (2013) 200 pp
40. Life of Pi by Yann Martel (2001) 428 pp
41. Blue Horses by Mary Oliver (2014) 79 pp
42. Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky (1864) 160 pp
43. The Curious Case of Dassoukine's Trousers by Fouad Laroui (2012) 134 pp
44. The Strange Death of Fiona Griffiths by Harry Bingham (2014) 457 pp
45. Arid Dreams by Duanwad Pimwana (2019) 244 pp
46. Figures in a Landscape by Barry England (1968) 208 pp
47. Echoland by Per Petterson (1989) 132 pp
48. Year of the Monkey by Patti Smith (2019) 205 pp

2,956 pages

MAY

49. The Camomile Lawn by Mary Wesley (1984) 330 pp
50. I Choose to Live by Sabine Dardenne (2004) 210 pp
51. Three Poems by Hannah Sullivan (2018) 71 pp

611 pages (maybe my worst ever performance!)

JUNE

52. Still Waters by Viveca Sten (2008) 434 pp
53. Half a Life by VS Naipaul (2001) 211 pp
54. Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih (1969) 169 pp
55. A Bell for Adano by John Hersey (1944) 269 pp
56. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell (2020) 370 pp
57. Springtime in a Broken Mirror by Mario Benedetti (1982) 181 pp
58. My Country : A Syrian Memoir by Kassim Eid (2018) 194 pp
59. Vita Nova by Louise Gluck (1999) 51 pp
60. The God Child by Nana Oforiatta Ayim (2019) 241 pp
61. Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl (1946) 154 pp
62. Mr Norris Changes Trains by Christopher Isherwood (1935) 230 pp
63. Mr Rosenblum Dreams in English by Natasha Solomons (2010) 355 pp
64. Injury Time by Beryl Bainbridge (1977) 212 pp
65. In Paradise by Peter Matthiessen (2014) 244 pp
66. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (2015) 438 pp
67. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (1851) 1,179 pp
68. Cat and Mouse by Gunter Grass (1961) 191 pp
69. No Turning Back by Beverley Naidoo (1995) 191 pp
70. Look at Me by Anita Brookner (1983) 192 pp
71. Vice Versa by F. Anstey (1882) 219 pp
72. The Age of Revolution by Eric Hobsbawm (1975) 308 pp
73. Mrs Warren's Profession by George Bernard Shaw (1893) 98 pp

6,131 pages (best for a while)

BOOKS 2ND HALF

JULY

74. Bernard Hinault and the Fall and Rise of French Cycling by William Fotheringham (2015) 345 pp
75. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling (1997) 332 pp
76. Rendang by Will Harris (2020) 85 pp
77. Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys (2016) 383 pp
78. Corridors of Power by C.P. Snow (1964) 352 pp
79. Arab Jazz by Karim Miske (2012) 242 pp
80. The Kingdom of This World by Alejo Carpentier (1949) 136 pp
81. The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner (2000) 395 pp
82. The Quality of Madness by Tim Rich (2020) 417 pp
83. The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner (2006) 404 pp
84. The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket by Edgar Allan Poe (1838) 162 pp
85. The Devil's Pool by George Sand (1846) 119 pp

3,372 pages

AUGUST

86. Poetry Please! edited by Charles Causley (1985) 113 pp
87. The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich (2020) 448 pp
88. Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World by Edward Shepherd Creasy (1851) 380 pp
89. Death of Kings by Bernard Cornwell (2011) 380 pp
90. Notes on Grief by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2021) 85 pp
91. The Pagan Lord by Bernard Cornwell (2013) 345 pp
92. The Return by Dulce Maria Cardoso (2011) 267 pp
93. Here and Now by Stephen Dunn (2011) 103 pp
94. I am, I am, I am by Maggie O'Farrell (2017) 285 pp
95. Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids by Kenzaburo Oe (1958) 189 pp
96. The Flint Anchor by Sylvia Townsend Warner (1954) 322 pp
97. At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop (2018) 145 pp
98. A Kind of Loving by Stan Barstow (1960) 345 pp
99. The Hiding Place by Trezza Azzopardi (2000) 282 pp

3,689 pages

SEPTEMBER

100. Pew by Catherine Lacey (2020) 207 pp
101. Northlight by Douglas Dunn (1988) 81 pp
102. A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende (2019) 349 pp
103. The First Century After Beatrice by Amin Maalouf (1992) 192 pp
104. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard (1967) 118 pp
105. Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz (2020) 107 pp

1,054 pages

OCTOBER

106. Everyman's Poetry : Alfred, Lord Tennyson by Alfred Lord Tennyson 1996 103 pp
107. The Watcher in the Shadows by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (1995) 247 pp
108. The Face of Battle by John Keegan (1976) 336 pp
109. Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead (2021) 589 pp
110. The Wreck of the Mary Deare by Hammond Innes (1956) 272 pp
111. The Fortune Men by Nadifa Mohamed (2021) 372 pp
112. Corpus by Rory Clements (2017) 464 pp
113. The Promise by Damon Galgut (2021) 293 pp

2,676 pages

NOVEMBER

114. Strangers on a Pier by Tash Aw (2016) 91 pp
115. A Time to Dance by Melvyn Bragg (1990) 220 pp
116. Nucleus by Rory Clements (2018) 366 pp
117. And Furthermore by Judy Dench (2010) 292 pp
118. Sudden Death by Alvaro Enrique (2013) 262 pp
119. The Boy from the Chemist is Here to See You by Paul Farley (1998) 49 pp
120. The Most Precious of Cargoes by Jean-Claude Grumberg (2019) 104 pp
121. Nocturnes by Kazuo Ishiguro (2009) 221 pp
122. Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor (1971) 206 pp

1,811 pages

DECEMBER

123. The Hedgehog and the Fox by Isaiah Berlin (1953) 115 pp
124. Absent Friends by Alan Ayckbourn (1974) 68 pp
125. The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale (2008) 314 pp
126. Last Poems by Roy Fuller (1993) 104 pp
127. Nutshell by Ian McEwan (2016) 199 pp
128. Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver (2004) 233 pp
129. The Black Cloud by Fred Hoyle (1957) 209 pp
130. The Lover by Harold Pinter (1963) 39 pp
131. Married Love by Tessa Hadley (2012) 231 pp
132. Horse Latitudes by Paul Muldoon (2006) 106 pp
133. Shadow Tag by Louise Erdrich (2010) 253 pp
134. The Viceroy of Ouidah by Bruce Chatwin (1980) 101 pp
135. Sea Glass by Anita Shreve (2002) 354 pp
136. Dock Leaves by Hugo Williams (1994) 50 pp
137. The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett (1986) 277 pp
138. At Freddie's by Penelope Fitzgerald (1982) 230 pp
139. The Housing Lark by Sam Selvon (1965) 125 pp
140. The Ghost Orchid by Michael Longley (1995) 46 pp
141. Lying in Bed by Polly Samson (1999) 213 pp
142. Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler (1993) 311 pp
143. The Taxi Queue by Janet Davey (2007) 202 pp
144. Time's Arrow by Martin Amis (1991) 176 pp
145. Church Poems by John Betjeman (1981) 66 pp
146. Earthlight by Arthur C Clarke (1955) 177 pp
147. The Nerve by Glyn Maxwell (2002) 58 pp
148. Hideous Kinky by Esther Freud (1992) 186 pp
149. Remains of Elmet by Ted Hughes (1979) 41 pp
150. The Greengage Summer by Rumer Godden (1958) 187 pp
151. Terminal Moraine by James Fenton (1972) 77 pp

4,748 pages

CURRENTLY READING

BAC



January: Children's Classics https://www.librarything.com/topic/326122#7317610 10 READ

February: LGBT+ History Month https://www.librarything.com/topic/326122#7317871 2 READ

March: Vaseem Khan & Eleanor Hibbert https://www.librarything.com/topic/326122#7318561 1 READ

April: Love is in the Air https://www.librarything.com/topic/326122#7319432 2 READ

May: V. S. Naipaul & Na'ima B. Robert https://www.librarything.com/topic/326122#7320231 1 READ

June: The Victorian Era (1837-1901) https://www.librarything.com/topic/326122#7320541 3 READ

July: Don't judge a book by its movie https://www.librarything.com/topic/326122#7321220 12 READ

August: Bernard Cornwell & Helen Oyeyemi https://www.librarything.com/topic/326122#7321374 2 READ

September: She Blinded Me with Science https://www.librarything.com/topic/326122#7321899 1 read

October: Narrative Poetry https://www.librarything.com/topic/326122#7322840 4 read

November: Tade Thompson & Elizabeth Taylor https://www.librarything.com/topic/326122#7323772 1 READ

December: Awards & Honors https://www.librarything.com/topic/326122#7325017 2 READ

Wildcard: Books off your shelves https://www.librarything.com/topic/326122#7325595 40 READ

82 BOOKS READ TO DATE

AMERICAN AUTHOR CHALLENGE



Please see:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/327669#7354831

January : Keep it in the Family :
February : Ethan Canin
March : Roxane Gay
April : Makers of Music : Year of the Monkey by Patti Smith
May : Mary McCarthy
June : Ken Kesey
July : Native American Themes : The Night Watchman & Shadow Tag by Louise Erdrich
August : Connie Willis
September : Howard Norman
October : Attica Locke
November : Albert Murray
December : YA Fiction

AROUND THE WORLD CHALLENGE

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

From 1 October 2020

1. United Kingdom - The Ways of the World by Robert Goddard EUROPE
2. Ireland - The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde EUROPE
3. Lithuania - Selected and Last Poems by Czeslaw Milosz EUROPE
4. Netherlands - The Ditch by Herman Koch EUROPE
5. Armenia - The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian ASIA PACIFIC
6. Zimbabwe - This Mournable Body by Tsitsi Dangarembga AFRICA
7. United States - Averno by Louise Gluck AMERICA
8. Australia - Taller When Prone by Les Murray ASIA PACIFIC
9. France - Class Trip by Emmanuel Carrere EUROPE
10. Russia - The Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov EUROPE
11. Denmark - Fear and Trembling by Soren Kierkegaard EUROPE
12. Democratic Republic of Congo - Tram 83 by Fiston Mwanze Mujila AFRICA
13. Canada - I Heard the Owl Call My Name by Margaret Craven AMERICA
14. Italy - The Overnight Kidnapper by Andrea Camilleri EUROPE
15. New Zealand - Dove on the Waters by Maurice Shadbolt ASIA PACIFIC
16. India - A Burning by Megha Majumdar ASIA PACIFIC
17. Libya - The Return by Hisham Matar AFRICA
18. Pakistan - Moth Smoke by Mohsin Hamid ASIA PACIFIC
19. South Korea - Diary of a Murderer by Kim Young-Ha ASIA PACIFIC
20. Morocco - The Curious Case of Dassoukine's Trousers by Fouad Laroui AFRICA
21. Thailand - Arid Dreams by Duanwad Pimwana ASIA PACIFIC
22. Norway - Echoland by Per Petterson EUROPE
23. Belgium - I Choose to Live by Sabine Dardenne EUROPE
24. Sweden - Still Waters by Viveca Sten EUROPE
25. Trinidad - Half a Life by VS Naipaul AMERICAS
26. Sudan - Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih AFRICA
27. Uruguay - Springtime in a Broken Mirror by Mario Benedetti AMERICAS
28. Syria - My Country : A Syrian Memoir by Kassem Eid ASIA PACIFIC
29. Ghana - The God Child by Nana Oforiatta Ayim AFRICA
30. Austria - Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E Frankl EUROPE
31. Germany - Cat and Mouse by Gunter Grass EUROPE
32. South Africa - No Turning Back by Beverley Naidoo AFRICA
33. Mauritania - Arab Jazz by Karim Miske AFRICA
34. Cuba - The Kingdom of This World by Alejo Carpentier AMERICAS
35. Nigeria - Notes on Grief by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie AFRICA
36. Portugal - The Return by Dulce Maria Cardoso EUROPE
37. Japan - Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids by Kenzaburo Oe ASIA PACIFIC
38. Senegal - At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop AFRICA
39. Malta - The Hiding Place by Trezza Azzopardi EUROPE
40. Chile - A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende AMERICAS
41. Lebanon - The First Century After Beatrice by Amin Maalouf ASIA PACIFIC
42. Spain - The Watcher in the Shadows by Carlos Ruiz Zafon EUROPE
43. Somalia - The Fortune Men by Nadifa Mohamed AFRICA
44. Malaysia - Strangers on a Pier by Tash Aw ASIA PACIFIC
45. Mexico - Sudden Death by Alvaro Enrigue AMERICAS
46. Latvia - The Hedgehog and the Fox by Isaian Berlin EUROPE
47. Malawi - Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver AFRICA


Create Your Own Visited Countries Map

QUEEN BETTY CHALLENGE

From December 2020 70 Years 70 Books 70 Different British Authors

1952 A Buyer's Market by Anthony Powell
1953 The Hedgehog and the Fox by Isaiah Berlin
1954 The Flint Anchor by Sylvia Townsend Warner
1955 Earthlight by Arthur C Clarke
1956 The Wreck of the Mary Deare by Hammond Innes
1957 The Black Cloud by Fred Hoyle
1958 The Greengage Summer by Rumer Godden
1959 The Age of Improvement by Asa Briggs
1960 A Kind of Loving by Stan Barstow
1961 What is History? by EH Carr
1962 The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side by Agatha Christie
1963 The Lover by Harold Pinter
1964 Corridors of Power by CP Snow
1965 The Housing Lark by Sam Selvon
1966 A Fall from the Sky by Ian Serraillier
1967 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard
1968 Figures in a Landscape by Barry England
1969 Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Framer
1970 The Great Fire by Monica Dickens
1971 Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor
1972 Terminal Moraine by James Fenton
1973 Carrie's War by Nina Bawden
1974 Absent Friends by Alan Ayckbourn
1975 The Age of Capital by Eric Hobsbawm
1976 The Face of Battle by John Keegan
1977 Injury Time by Beryl Bainbridge
1978 The Hammer of the Scots by Jean Plaidy
1979 Remains of Elmet by Ted Hughes
1980 The Viceroy of Ouidah by Bruce Chatwin
1981 Church Poems by John Betjeman
1982 At Freddie's by Penelope Fitzgerald
1983 Look at Me by Anita Brookner
1984 The Camomile Lawn by Mary Wesley
1985 Poetry Please! edited by Charles Causley
1986 The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett
1987 Bury the Dead by Peter Carter
1988 Northlight by Douglas Dunn
1989 Plague 99 by Jean Ure
1990 A Time to Dance by Melvyn Bragg
1991 Time's Arrow by Martin Amis
1992 Hideous Kinky by Esther Freud
1993 Last Poems by Roy Fuller
1994 Dock Leaves by Hugo Williams
1995 The Ghost Orchid by Michael Longley
1996 Junk by Melvyn Burgess
1997 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling
1998 The Boy from the Chemist is Here to See You by Paul Farley
1999 Lying in Bed by Polly Samson
2000 The Hiding Place by Trezza Azzopardi
2001 Half a Life by VS Naipaul
2002 The Nerve : Poems by Glyn Maxwell
2003 Judge Savage by Tim Parks
2004 Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver
2005 Woods, etc. by Alice Oswald
2006 Horse Latitudes by Paul Muldoon
2007 The Taxi Queue by Janet Daley
2008 The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale
2009 Nocturnes by Kazuo Ishiguro
2010 Mr Rosenblum Dreams in English by Natasha Solomons
2011 Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
2012 Married Love by Tessa Hadley
2013 A Delicate Truth by John Le Carre
2014 The Strange Death of Fiona Griffiths by Harry Bingham
2015 Bernard Hinault and the Fall and Rise of French Cycling by William Fotheringham
2016 Nutshell by Ian McEwan
2017 I am, I am, I am by Maggie O'Farrell
2018 Three Poems by Hannah Sullivan
2019 A Portable Paradise by Roger Robinson
2020 Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
2021 The Fortune Men by Nadifa Mohamed

70/70
COMPLETED

52 BOOK CLUB CHALLENGE

Based on this challenge suggested by Katie & Chelle

https://www.the52book.club/challenges/2021-reading-challenge/

January
Week 1 : Set in a school : Tom Brown's Schooldays by Hughes Read 2 Jan 2021
Week 2 : Legal profession : Judge Savage by Tim Parks Read 28 Jan 2021
Week 3 : Dual timeline : Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Farmer Read 29 Jan 2021
Week 4 : Deceased author : Jazz by Toni Morrison READ 30 Jan 2021
Week 5 : Published by Penguin : Junk by Melvyn Burgess READ 3 Feb 2021
Week 6 : Male Family Member : Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch READ 12 Feb 2021
Week 7 : 1 Published Work : A Burning by Megha Majumdar READ 19 Feb 2021
Week 8 : Dewey 900 Class : What is History? by EH Carr READ 28 February
Week 9 : Set in a Mediterranean Country : The Return by Hisham Matar READ 5 MAR 2021
Week 10 : Book with discussion questions : Love Story, With Murders by Harry Bingham READ 2 APR
Week 11 : Relating to fire : Moth Smoke by Mohsin Hamid READ 4 APR
Week 12 : Title Starting with D : Diary of a Murderer by Kim Young-Ha READ 6 APR
Week 13 : Includes an Exotic Animal : Life of Pi by Yann Martel READ 11 April
Week 14 : Written by an author over 65 : Blue Horses by Mary Oliver READ 14 April
Week 15 : Book Mentioned in a book : Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky READ 15 April
Week 16 : Set before 17th Century : Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell READ 5 June
Week 17 : Character on the run : Figures in a Landscape by Barry England READ 26 April
Week 18 : Author with 9 letter surname : Springtime in a Broken Mirror by Mario Benedetti READ 6 JUNE
Week 19 : Book with a deckled edge : In Paradise by Peter Matthiessen READ 21 JUNE
Week 20 : Became a TV series : Corridors of Power by CP Snow READ 12 JUL
Week 21 : Book by Kristin Hannah : The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah READ 22 JUNE
Week 22 : A Family Saga : Mr Rosenblum Dreams in English by Natasha Solomons READ 14 JUN
Week 23 : Surprising Ending : Still Waters by Viveca Sten READ 2 JUN
Week 24 : Book to be read in schools : Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E Frankl READ
Week 25 : Multiple POVs : Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys READ 11 JUL
Week 26 : Author of Colour : The God Child by Nana Oforiatta Ayim READ 8 JUN
Week 27 : 1st Chapter Odd Page : The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner READ 25 JUL
Week 28 : Little known historical event : The Kingdom of This World by Alejo Carpentier READ 20 JUL
Week 29 : The Environment : The First Century After Beatrice by Amin Maalouf READ 16 SEP
Week 30 : Dragons : Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling READ 8 JUL
Week 31 : Similar Title : The Return by Dulce Maria Cardoso READ 9 AUG
Week 32 : Selfish Character : The Flint Anchor by Sylvia Townsend Warner READ 24 AUG
Week 33 : Adoption : The Hiding Place by Trezza Azzopardi READ 31 AUG
Week 34 : Five Star Read : Poetry Please! by Charles Causley READ 1 AUG
Week 35 : Country Starting with S :
Week 36 : Nameless Narrator : Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids by Kenzaburo Oe READ 22 AUG
Week 37 : An educational read : The Most Precious of Cargoes by Jean-Claude Grumberg READ 25 NOV
Week 38 : Book Bub : Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver READ 4 DEC
Week 39 : Alternate History : Corpus by Rory Clements READ 30 OCT
Week 40 : On #Bookstagram : Sea Glass by Anita Shreve READ 19 DEC
Week 41 : Endorsement by Author : At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop READ 28 AUG
Week 42 : An epistolary : A Time to Dance by Melvyn Bragg READ 13 NOV
Week 43 : Includes a pet cat : The Viceroy of Ouidah by Bruce Chatwin READ 14 DEC
Week 44 : Includes a garden :
Week 45 : A Coming of Age :
Week 46 : National Book Award winner :
Week 47 : A character with disability :
Week 48 : Woman Facing Away : A Kind of Loving by Stan Barstow READ 30 AUG
Week 49 : Flavour in the title : Nutshell by Ian McEwan READ 4 DEC
Week 50 : A shoe on the cover :
Week 51 : Published in 2021 : Notes on Grief by Adichie READ 7 AUG
Week 52 : Repeat Category : The Promise by Damon Galgut READ 31 OCT

46/52

BOOKERS

PULITZERS

NOBELS

THIS YEAR'S ACQUISITIONS

1. Some Experiences of an Irish R.M. by Somerville & Ross READ MAR 21
2. Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome READ JAN 21
3. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
4. The French Revolution by Thomas Carlyle
5. The Black Corsair by Emilio Salgari
6. The Prime Ministers : Reflections on Leadership from Wilson to Johnson by Steve Richards
7. The God Child by Nana Oforiatta Ayim READ JUN 21
8. Arturo's Island by Elsa Morante
9. Coningsby by Benjamin Disraeli
10. The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott
11. The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron
12. Death's Mistress by Terry Goodkind
13. The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey
14. Small Days and Nights by Tishani Doshi
15. Clear Light of Day by Anita Desai
16. Desert by JMG Le Clezio
17. For the Record by David Cameron
18. The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
19. The Guardians of the West by David Eddings
20. Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi
21. The Council of Egypt by Leonardo Sciascia
22. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
23. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by NK Jemisin
24. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
25. Rupture by Ragnar Jonasson
26. White Out by Ragnar Jonasson
27. The Age of Capital by Eric Hobsbawm READ JUN 21
28. The World Turned Upside Down by Christopher Hill
29. The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon
30. Modern Times by Paul Johnson
31. The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers by Paul Kennedy
32. The Warehouse by Rob Hart
33. On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
34. Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings READ 2022
35. Queen of Sorcery by David Eddings
36. Magician's Gambit by David Eddings
37. Midnight Never Come by Marie Brennan
38. In Ashes Lie by Marie Brennan
39. The Broken Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
40. The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian
41. Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
42. At Lady Molly's by Anthony Powell
43. Casanova's Chinese Restaurant by Anthony Powell
44. The Kindly Ones by Anthony Powell
45. The Financier by Theodore Dreiser
46. Still Waters by Viveca Sten READ JUN 21
47. Toilers of the Sea by Victor Hugo
48. The Europeans by Henry James
49. Vice Versa by F. Anstey READ JUN 21
50. A Thousand Moons by Sebastian Barry
51. The Scarred Woman by Jussi Adler Olsen
52. Closed for Winter Jorn Lier Horst
53. News of the World by Juliette Jiles
54. Bright Dead Things by Ada Limon READ MAR 21
55. A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea by Dina Nayeri
56. Death in the Tuscan Hills by Marco Vichi
57. American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
58. Good Morning Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton
59. Love After Love by Ingrid Persaud
60. The Enchanted by Rene Denefeld
61. The Friend by Sigrid Nunez
62. The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas by Machado de Assis
63. The Innocents by Michael Crummey
64. Night Waking by Sarah Moss
65. Idaho by Emily Ruskovich
66. Throw me to the Wolves by Patrick McGuinness
67. Consent by Annabel Lyon
68. Selling Manhattan by Carole Ann Duffy
69. Rendang by Will Harris READ JUL 21
70. The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty
71. No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood
72. Amnesty by Aravind Adiga
73. The Awkward Squad by Sophie Henaff
74. The Perplexing Theft of the Jewel in the Crown by Vaseem Khan
75. Afternoon Raag by Amit Chaudhuri
76. The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut
77. The Gap of Time by Jeanette Winterson
78. The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher
79. Bricks and Mortar by Clemens Meyer
80. The Eastern Shore by Ward Just
81. The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson
82. The Wild Iris by Louise Gluck READ 2022
83. Vertigo& Ghost by Fiona Benson
84. Salt Slow by Julia Armfield
85. Soot by Dan Vyleta
86. Deacon King Kong by James McBride
87. Abigail by Magda Szabo
88. Baba Yaga Laid an Egg by Dubravka Ugresic
89. Coming Up for Air by Sarah Leipciger
90. Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
91. Selection Day by Aravind Adiga
92. The Voyage by Murray Bail
93. Peace : A Novel by Richard Bausch
94. The Third Reich by Roberto Bolano
95. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
96. The Kingdom of this World by Alejo Carpentier READ JUL 21
97. My Life as a Russian Novel by Emmanuel Carrere
98. Texaco by Patrick Chamoiseau
99. Man V. Nature by Diane Cook
100. The Melody by Jim Crace
101. SS-GB by Len Deighton
102. Human Voices by Penelope Fitzgerald
103. Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
104. The Beautiful Indifference by Sarah Hall
105. Munich by Robert Harris
106. Bodies Electric by Colin Harrison
107. The Punch by Noah Hawley
108. Spook Street by Mick Herron
109. London Rules by Mick Herron
110. The Sparsholt Affair by Alan Hollinghurst
111. The Land of Green Ginger by Winifred Holtby
112. The Wreck of the Mary Deare by Hammond Innes READ OCT 21
113. The Cider House Rules by John Irving
114. Exiles in the Garden by Ward Just
115. Duffy by Dan Kavanagh
116. The Good People by Hannah Kent
117. The Life to Come by Michelle de Krester
118. The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula Le Guin
119. 10:04 by Ben Lerner
120. Home is the Hunter by Helen MacInnes
121. Paris 1919 by Margaret MacMillan
122. The Blood Miracles by Lisa McInerney
123. The Girl in Green by Derek B. Miller
124. Arab Jazz by Karim Miske READ JUL 21
125. Bodies of Light by Sarah Moss
126. Carthage by Joyce Carol Oates
127. The Changeling by Kenzaburo Oe
128. The Horseman by Tim Pears
129. Echoland by Per Petterson READ APR 21
130. Last Stand by Michael Punke
131. The Waiting Time by Gerald Seymour
132. Home Run by Gerald Seymour
133. Eisenhower in War and Peace by Jean Edward Smith
134. To the Back of Beyond by Peter Stamm
135. They Know Not What They Do by Jussi Valtonen
136. The Tulip Eaters by Antoinette Van Heugten
137. Smoke by Dan Vyleta
138. Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh
139. That Eye, The Sky by Tim Winton
140. Fear : Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward
141. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell READ JUN 21
142. Gerta by Katerina Tuckova
143. My Country: A Syrian Memoir by Kassem Eid READ JUN 21
144. Tyll by Daniel Kehlmann
145. The Hotel Tito by Ivana Bodrozic
146. Strange Hotel by Eimear McBride
147. Blame by Paul Read
148. House of Lords and Commons by Ishion Hutchinson
149. To Calais, In Ordinary Time by James Meek
150. Your Story, My Story by Connie Palmen
151. Wake Up : Why the World Has Gone Nuts by Piers Morgan
152. Death of a Coast Watcher by Anthony English
153. Limitless by Ala Glynn
154. Toddler Hunting and Other Stories by Taeko Kono
155. Daughter of the Tigris by Muhsin al-Ramli
156. Don't Call Us Dead by Danez Smith
157. Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers
158. Incomparable World by S.L. Martin
159. The Dancing Face by Mike Phillips
160. Mirror, Shoulder, Signal by Dorthe Nors
161. Sharks in the Time of Saviours by Kawai Strong Washburn
162. The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell
163. Rest and Be Thankful by Emma Glass
164. Minty Alley by CLR James
165. The Fat Lady Sings by Jacqueline Roy
166. Actress by Anne Enright
167. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
168. The Living Sea of Waking Dreams by Richard Flanagan
169. Damascus by Christos Tsiolkas
170. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov *Replacement*
171. Summer by Ali Smith
172. If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things by Jon McGregor *Replacement*
173. Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin READ 2022
174. The Temple of Dawn by Yukio Mishima
175. The Girls by Emma Cline
176. The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich READ AUG 21
177. The Flint Anchor by Sylvia Townsend Warner READ AUG 21
178. The Unconsoled by Kazuo Ishiguro
179. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
180. The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi
181. Just Like You by Nick Hornby
182. Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell
183. Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih READ JUNE 21
184. The Book of Chameleons by Jose Eduardo Agualusa
185. The Dig by Roger Preston
186. The Historians by Eavan Boland
187. Selected Poems by Elizabeth Jennings
188. The Deemster by Hall Caine
189. When Rainclouds Gather by Bessie Head
190. Maru by Bessie Head
191. Derek Mahon: New Selected Poems by Derek Mahon
192. A Move in the Weather by Anthony Thwaite
193. Door into the Dark by Seamus Heaney READ 2022
194. Driftless by David Rhodes
195. Independence Square by AD Miller
196. Our Lady of the Nile by Scholastique Mukasonga
197. Lot by Bryan Washington
198. A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende READ SEP 21
199. The Wandering by Intan Paramaditha
200. Fire and Ice by Dana Stabenow
201. Aria by Nazanine Hozar
202. Waking Lions by Ayelet Gudar-Goshen
203. Victim 2117 by Jussi Adler-Olsen
204. The Pagan Lord by Bernard Cornwell READ AUG 21
205. The Quality of Madness by Tim Rich READ JULY 21
206. Ghosts of the Past by Marco Vichi
207. The Madness of Crowds by Douglas Murray
208. Notes on Grief by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie READ AUG 21
209. Here We Are by Graham Swift
210. Deaths of the Poets by Paul Farley and Michael Symmons Roberts
211. I am, I am, I am by Maggie O'Farrell READ AUG 21
212. The Whale at the End of the World by John Iremonger
213. Precious Bane by Mary Webb
214. Bina by Anakana Schofield
215. Little Siberia by Antti Tuomainen
216. At Night the Blood is Black by David Diop READ AUG 21
217. Muscle by Alan Trotter
218. The Mountains Sing by Nguyen Phan Que Mai
219. Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
220. Missionaries by Phil Klay
221. Pew by Catherine Lacey READ SEP 21
222. Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld
223. Selected Poems by Anna Akhmatova
224. The Safety Net by Andrea Camilleri
225. Corpus by Rory Clements READ OCT 21
226. Nucleus by Rory Clements READ NOV 21
227. The Rain in Portugal by Billy Collins
228. The Hill Station by JG Farrell
229. Arctic Summer by Damon Galgut
230. The Abstainer by Ian McGuire
231. The Strange Death of Europe by Douglas Murray
232. Mating by Norman Rush
233. One by One by Ruth Ware
234. The Yield by Tara June Winch
235. The Sicilian Method by Andrea Camilleri
236. Rotten Days in Late Summer by Ralf Webb
237. Tracks by Louise Erdrich
238. The First Century After Beatrice by Amin Maalouf READ SEP 21
239. Dances With Wolves by Michael Blake
240. The Holy Road by Michael Blake
241. Afternoons with the Blinds Drawn by Brett Anderson
242. A Passage North by Anuk Arudpragasam
243. A Room Made of Leaves by Kate Grenville
244. Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy
245. The Fortune Men by Nadifa Mohamed READ OCT 21
246. The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld
247. E.E.G. by Dasa Drndic
248. English Monsters by James Scudamore
249. The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker
250. The Matter of Desire by Edmundo Paz Soldan
251. The Ox-Bow Incident by Walter Van Tilburg Clark
252. A Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay
253. Monogamy by Sue Miller
254. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
255. Bewilderment by Richard Powers
256. Evangeline and Other Poems by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
257. Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara
258. Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck
259. The Watcher in the Shadows by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. READ OCT 21
260. Cavalleria Rusticana by Giovanni Strega
261. A Girl's Story by Annie Ernaux
262. Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead READ OCT 21
263. The Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia
264. Tribes by David Lammy
265. Crossing the Mangrove by Maryse Conde
266. Hot Stew by Fiona Mozley
267. Girl A by Abigail Dean
268. The Promise by Damon Galgut READ OCT 21
269. The Crime Writer by Jill Dawson
270. The Cook of the Halcyon by Andrea Camilleri
271. The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall
272. How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones
273. Strangers on a Pier by Tash Aw READ NOV 21
274. The Drowned City by K.J. Maitland
275. Remaking One Nation by Nick Timothy
276. How to Run a Government by Michael Barber
277. Those Bones Are Not My Child by Toni Cade Bambara
278. The Salt Eaters by Toni Cade Bambara
279. Nemesis by Rory Clements
280. Uncle Tom's Children by Richard Wright
281. The Power of Geography by Tim Marshall
282. Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree
283. Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa
284. The Corpse Washer by Sinan Antoon
285. The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar
286. The Colonel by Mahmood Dowlatabadi
287. Disquiet by Zulfu Livaneli READ 2022
288. The Italian by Shukri Mabkhout
289. The Tunnel by AB Yehoshua
290. The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr
291. Hell of a Book by Jason Mott
292. Madonna in a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali
293. The Story of a Brief Marriage by Anuk Arudpragasam
294. Mehmed, my Hawk by Yasar Kemal
295. Endgame by Ahmet Altan
296. What to Read Next by Stig Abell
297. The Startup Wife by Tahmima Anam
298. The Runaways by Fatima Bhutto
299. The Most Precious of Cargoes by Jean-Claude Grumberg READ NOV 21
300. Sunlight On a Broken Column by Attia Hosain
301. Heaven by Mieko Kawakami
302. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan READ 2022
303. The Plotters by Kim Un Su
304. Lemon by Kwon Yeo Sun
305. Endless Blue Sky by Lee Hyoseok
306. The Noodle Maker by Ma Jian
307. Earthlings by Sayaka Murata
308. The Rosewater Insurrection by Tade Thompson
309. There's No Such Thing as An Easy Job by Kikuko Tsumura
310. Asleep by Banana Yoshimoto
311. Rosewater by Tade Thompson
312. Rise Like Lions edited by Ben Okri READ 2022
313. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
314. The Housing Lark by Sam Selvon READ DEC 21
315. Nuns and Soldiers by Iris Murdoch
316. O' Caledonia by Elspeth Barker
317. Mr. Rinyo-Clacton's Offer by Russell Hoban
318. The Mandibles by Lionel Shriver
319. Palace of the Peacock by Wilson Harris
320. Khaki Town by Judy Nunn
321. The Forward Book of Poetry 2022 by Various Poets READ 2022
322. Sisters by Daisy Johnson
323. Earthlight by Arthur C. Clarke READ DEC 21
324. Afterlives by Abdulrazak Gurnah
325. Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar READ 2022
326. The Poems of Dorothy Molloy by Dorothy Molly
as well as numerous unpublished poems this tome also included her three collections in full:
327. Hare Soup
328. Gethsemane Day
329. Long Distance Swimmer
330. Cheryl's Destinies by Stephen Sexton
331. Girls are Coming out of the Woods by Tishani Doshi
332. Red Clocks by Leni Zumas
333. More Than I Love My Life : A Novel by David Grossman
334. The Yellow Wind by David Grossman READ 2022
335. Strangers in Their Own Land by Arlie Russell Hochschild
336. The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue
337. Somewhere Towards the End by Diana Athill READ 2022
338. Intimations by Zadie Smith
339. The Blue Sky by Galsang Tschinag
340. Cinderella Goes to the Morgue by Nancy Spain
341. The Clay Marble by Minfong Ho
342. 2020 by Kenneth Steven
343. The Registrar's Manual for Detecting Forced Marriages by Sophie Hardach
344. The Secrets Between Us by Thrity Umrigar
345. The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
346. Stalingrad by Vasily Grossman
347. Three Apples Fell From the Sky by Narine Abgaryan
348. Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy
349. IQ by Joe Ide
350. The Dawn of Eurasia by Bruno Macaes
351. If All the World and Love Were Young by Stephen Sexton
352. The Wild Silence by Raynor Winn
353. The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
354. In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin
355. Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan
356. We Always Treat Women Too Well by Raymond Queneau
357. Greenwood by Michael Christie
358. Cold Boy's Wood by Carol Birch
359. Mayumi and the Sea of Happiness by Jennifer Tseng
360. Gravel Heart by Abdulrazak Gurnah
361. Fatal Isles by Maria Adolfsson
362. The Otterbury Incident by Cecil Day-Lewis
363. The Victorians : Twelve Titans Who Forged Britain by Jacob Rees-Mogg
364. East of Hounslow by Khurrum Rahman
365. The American Dream? : A Journey on Route 66 by Shing Yin Khor READ 2022

365 added
35 read
314 nett additions

ASIAN BOOK CHALLENGE

BOOKS OF THE MONTH

BOOK RECOMMENDATION AWARD

BOOK STATS :

Books Read : 151
Books Added : 365
Nett TBR Addition : 214

Number of Pages in completed books : 36,298
Average per day : 99.45

Number of days per book : 2.41
LT Best : 157

Longest Book read : 1,179 pages
Shortest Book read : 39 pages
Mean Average Book Length : 240.38 pages

Male Authors : 93
Female Authors : 58

UK Authors : 83
USA : 22
France : 4
Italy, Russia, South Africa, Trinidad : 2
NZ, India, Libya, Pakistan, South Korea, Canada, Morocco, Thailand, Norway, Belgium, Sweden, Sudan, Uruguay, Syria, Ghana, Austria, Germany, Mauritania, Cuba, Nigeria, Portugal, Japan, Senegal, Malta, Chile, Lebanon, Spain, Somalia, Malaysia, Mexico : 1

1001 Books First Edition : 15 (319)
New Nobel Winners : 1 (73)
Pulitzer Fiction Winners : 3 (19)
Booker Winners : 3 (34)
Around the World Challenge : New countries : 34 (47)
BAC Books : 82
AAC Books : 3
Queen Vic Books : 16/64
Queen Betty Books : 70/70 COMPLETED
52 Book Challenge : 46/52
British Historians : 5/12
Series Pairs : 14/24

TBR STATS

Next is yours

Checking in on the new thread!

>21 alcottacre: Lovely to see you and first!

As you can see from the topper The Parable of the Sower is on my reading stand!

Hi PC. I am unable to believe it's the top THIRTY this time.

Hi Paul - I hope you get a reading boost over the last days of the year.

Happy New Thread!

Happy new thread!

>23 richardderus: I have made it easier by wiping a few of my interminable set up posts, RD! Lovely to see you dear fellow.

>24 avatiakh: I need it, Kerry! I will be taking a few days off which will help me for sure.

>25 SilverWolf28: Thank you Silver. It has been really great to have you along with us this year (and long may it continue) and for you taking over the readathons.

>26 amanda4242: Thank you dear Amanda. So often my reading inspiration.

>28 PaulCranswick: You're welcome! I'll continue to host the readathons as long as people want me to.

Happy new one!

Happy new thread!

Hey, happy new thread!!

Happy new thread!

This is what happens when I take time from interneting to read - I'm way down past the early greeters.

>29 SilverWolf28: It is a great spur to the weekends, Silver, and has definitely helped my numbers this year. x

>30 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita.

>31 bell7: Thanks Mary. I just got pulled away for a breakfast meeting with Samsung's country manager (my boss) at which he was very complimentary at how we have managed to settle a lot of tough issues this year.

>32 ronincats: Thank you Roni. This will be your first Christmas in your new home. I am sure it will be a good one.

>33 quondame: It is always a pleasure to see you here although it is usually the case that you would have a place on the podium in terms of first greeters. xxx

Happy new thread, Paul! Looks like your reading numbers are getting up there. Are you close to meeting your personal goal of books read?

>37 Familyhistorian: Thanks Meg. I revised to 150 books and I am still looking to run that number close.

>22 PaulCranswick: Yay! I am anxious to see how our notes compare on The Parable.

Lovely topper and happy new thread Paul.

>39 alcottacre: I will have a good session with it this evening, Stasia and update.

>40 mdoris: Thank you Mary. I thought going a little bit spiritual was a nice way of closing the year out. It has been great to have you along with me on our respective journies through the threads in 2021. x

>1 PaulCranswick: Parable of the Sower -- one of my Butler favorites. I took a Literary Arts class discussing it. I'll have to see what you and Stasia say. : )

From your last thread--Sorry about Kyran being mugged. But soooo glad he is okay.

On the brighter side -- Happy new thread!

Happy new thread, Paul, on the shortest day of the year :-)

Happy last thread, Paul. Who is the artist of your topper? It has a rather Van Gogh feel to it, somehow... I've not read that particular Butler yet.

Happy new thread Paul!

Happy new thread, Paul!
I read Time's Arrow a few years ago. It's one of the few, I'd reread, if I had the chance.
Yay! for Samsung's complimentary remarks! I like how you use "we" in your sentence. There's no "I" in teamwork, right?

Happy New Thread, Paul. I love the topper! I think I have The Parable of the Sower in the stacks. I will watch for your thoughts.

Happy new thread, Paul! I love the topper.

>42 Berly: I'm sure that it will be a good one, Kimmers.

Kyran has a number of his old friends descending upon London to keep him company and make him feel safer. I hope it teaches him a good lesson without detracting from the person he is.

Nice to see you here as always. x

>43 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita. I hadn't realised because every day is pretty much the same here!

>44 jessibud2: It is a slight close up of Van Gogh's 1888 painting "The Sower", Shelley well spotted. His work was so distinctive wasn't it?

>45 humouress: Thank you, dear neighbour.

>46 Carmenere: So far I am enjoying it, Lynda, but I am also loving At Freddie's by Penelope Fitzgerald, The Parable of the Sower is also good but not usually my genre and I am also reading one of Michael Longley's collections which is in his Collected Poems that Caroline kindly bought me a couple of years ago.

I am taking my Contract team out for a Xmas / end of year lunch tomorrow to say thanks personally for their efforts and for making things easy for me.

>47 msf59: Thanks Mark. Look out for Stasia's comments too as she is reading it along with me.

>48 karenmarie: Thanks Karen. I thought a colourful end to the year was in order!

Happy new thread! I'm another who has The Parable of the Sower on the shelves. I meant to read it - or at least something by her, this year and didn't manage it.

>53 BekkaJo: Always great to see you here, Bekka. So many books I promised myself to read this year but never quite made it.

I love Parable of the Sower but have been meaning to read Parable of the Talents for the Talents for ever and not getting to it. Perhaps next year. I also recommend Kindred, especially if you're normally more into historical fiction than dystopia/post apocalypse etc science fiction It's a time slip novel but it's more historical fiction through the eyes of a young Afrjcan American woman in the 1970s.

>54 PaulCranswick: So many books I promised myself to read this year but never quite made it. The Biblioholic's Lament, that.

I want Hermione's Time Turner, and am prepared to forgive Jo Rowling her vile transphobia if I get it.

>55 elkiedee: I read and enjoyed Kindred, Luci, a couple of years ago.

>56 richardderus: True isn't it, RD? I would forgive much for anything to do with Ms. Granger - Emma Watson is a cutey!

>41 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul, me too! x

Happy new one!

I hope 2022 is a year with special moments Paul.

Happy New Thread mate.

>56 richardderus: "vile transphobia" hmmm, don't agree.

Here's a bit from a good article today in Unherd. What books have we been denied?
Publishers now operate in a state of fear
BY PHILIP HENSHER

https://unherd.com/2021/12/what-books-have-we-been-denied/

"J.K. Rowling’s books — she has committed the crime, among other things, of defending lesbians who have said that they don’t want to have sex with anyone with a penis."

Sounds reasonable to me.

>5 PaulCranswick: "Parable of the Sower" was a great book. I have the sequel in my TBR stack.

>58 mdoris: :D xx

>59 drneutron: Thank you, Jim.

>60 Caroline_McElwee: That makes you first this end of year, Caroline. xx

Thank you dear lady.

>61 johnsimpson: Thanks John. It does rather irritate me, mate, that having failed severally our reserve batting options are Crawley, Lawrence and Bairstow. Silverwood is hopeless. What about Livingstone, Critchley, Carlsen, Bohannan, Haines, Libby? Tom Abell in as captain.

I've read Kindred, Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents. I enjoyed them all! Slight quibble with the ending of Kindred, but I got over it. ; ) I also have Patternmaster, but apparently it is book 4 or 5 in the series, so I have to get my hands on #1 which is Wild Seed. Wishlist!!

>62 mdoris: Mary, these are murky waters for a middle aged heterosexual male but, whilst I can understand some of the ire some transgender people may feel towards her, I'm not so sure either that her comments were so off the mainstream either. As I understand it (and it is not a specialist subject) she voiced concern for the safety of women and girls over biological males identifying as female and using female public toilets as she felt it was open to abuse. This is clearly lent credence with the poorly covered up cases in the Virginia schools. She also supported a person who was denigrated and, I think lost their job, for insisting that there are biologically two genders. Is that a belief, if held, justifies the taking away of your livelihood?

Rowling is a feminist and often a pretty strident one and I don't know enough about the issues to take a strong position on it but I think she is entitled to her views on the promotion of women's rights without some of the death threats and cancelling that has gone on. And I am not saying that I necessarily agree with her entirely. I hope I am not "phobic" anything other than snakes and rats.

>63 ocgreg34: So far so good, Greg.

>66 Berly: Yep I was slightly disappointed with the ending too.

>66 Berly: Patternmaster is the fifth book in chronological order, but it was actually the first published. I read the series in publication order and really liked going back in time to see the origins of the world shown in Patternmaster; the only drawback was that I ended with Clay's Ark, which in my opinion is the weakest in the series.

>69 amanda4242: She will never be an absolute favourite author because it simply isn't really my genre but I do appreciate her books thus far.

>67 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul, Not to sidetrack away from books as that is why we are all here, I have followed these concerns for a long time particularly as they relate to women and children. To be honest I am just so tired of the name calling, the pigeon holing, the canceling, the stereotyping, the bullying and the horrible threats. I have read many things by J.K. Rowling and I think she has some very reasonable concerns. Now back to the books!

https://www.jkrowling.com/opinions/j-k-rowling-writes-about-her-reasons-for-spea...

>71 mdoris: As I said Mary, I have not followed these issues as closely as you and it is something of a non-issue here in Malaysia, but I do not like free speech and debate being stifled and the threats against people for holding to their viewpoints is reprehensible in so many ways. It does seem to me that there is a considered discussion to be had between biological gender and identity without some of the hysteria I have seen on You Tube and elsewhere.

I wouldn't necessarily boycott someone's fiction or creative writing just because I don't agree with their world view elsewhere. For me there are certain things beyond the pale absolutely :
- The spreading of hatred;
- Support of or denial of events like The Holocaust;
- Support or the condoning of sexual abuse especially of children
- Support or condoning of rabble such as "the Klan".

But I can read and even sometimes enjoy the poetry of Ezra Pound even though he was a unadulterated fascist.

I generally believe and aspire to a world where people are not judged in terms of race, gender, sexuality, age, class, creed etc, but I also recognise that there are times when in the expression of their own interest, the interests of others can be prejudiced or subjugated. The example of the person now identifying as a girl and beating the biological girls by over 30 seconds in swimming events is a clear case in point. I do have concerns that in some respects trans rights and women's rights do not sit easily together and it would be better to discuss these openly and without rancour than jump to condemnation.

There appeared to be some element of tongue in cheek about RD's comment, but I do feel we do also have to recognise and acknowledge the very difficult situation many transgender people have found themselves in, especially historically. Often when deciding to embrace their identified sexuality they face being ostracised by many who they felt were their friends. As you know my sport was cycling and one of my heroes growing up was the very introverted Scottish climber Robert Millar - at the time the first British cyclist to win a Jersey (the Polka-Dot climbers jersey) at the end of a Tour in 1984. Largely inspired by him I took to the sport and had the honour to go on several training rides with him. He disappeared for a while after his retirement and re-emerged as Philippa York about six or seven years ago. I am pleased that UK television appointed her to co-commentate on cycling and that the person is still there for all of us to see whether a he or a she.

>63 ocgreg34: There is a sequel? I never knew that! I guess I should read Parable of the Sower first to see if I like it before I seek out the sequel.

Happy whatever, Paul!

>73 alcottacre: Same to you, Stasia x

Happy new thread, Paul!
>72 PaulCranswick: these are wonderful words, Paul.
>1 PaulCranswick: And again an author I have to read - thank you for introducing her to me.
All the best for you and yours.

>75 SirThomas: I am but a poor student when it comes to dystopian fiction or science fiction, Thomas, but this group has a good number - Lucy, Nina, Rhian, Roni, Susan are a few who immediately come to my mind as real reading experts in the field.

It is a pleasure as always to have you stop by, Thomas. You are a blessing.

Hello, Paul! I cannot keep up this year, but I am hoping to do better in 2022. I need to finish catching up with your previous thread, but I thought I'd snag a seat here first.

I have not read anything by Octavia Butler, but I do have both Kindred and Parable of the Sower in the stacks.

Here's hoping that Wednesday has been kind to you - mine is just beginning.

Just spreading the news on some of the more active threads...

There's this new thing I made... https://www.librarything.com/ngroups/23588/75-Books-Challenge-for-2022

Happy holidays!

>73 alcottacre: If you do enjoy it, the sequel is "Parable of the Talents".

>77 Crazymamie: Lovely to see you, Mamie. We all keep up as we can and your visits are always a pleasure. You have always spread your own unique brand of fabulous across the threads and have made the Pecan Paradisio one of the most loved places in the group. x

>78 drneutron: Ha Hah! Jim we could not do without you and in your case it is not mere hyperbole!

>79 ocgreg34: I will add it to my shelves, Greg.

>79 ocgreg34: Thanks! I will check it out if I like Parable of the Sower.

Happy New Thread. I got a bit behind in keeping up with your thread. Best wishes.

>72 PaulCranswick: I totally get and support what you are saying Paul. And you always say it so well!

I am pleased that Philippa York found a place to shine post retirement and to be an authority with her amazing background cycling but as you refer to the recent swimmer beating women by 30 seconds it would have been unfair of York with a lifetime of testosterone to compete with women had this happened pre retirement. This is what is happening and I urge anyone interested to read the book by Linda Blade, Unsporting: How Trans Activism and Science Denial are Destroying Sport.

>82 alcottacre: Part way in and I am not sure yet. Why does dystopia always have to be so gloomy? I have kids who will hopefully have kids and they will have kids who, according to almost every forward looking book are going to be bloody miserable.

>83 Kristelh: Kristel don't worry about not keeping up. You are always welcome. x

>85 PaulCranswick: Yeah, I know. I have no idea why dystopian books are, for the most part, gloomy. Is it a complete lack of hope for humanity? I cannot believe that.

ETA: I guess we should have expected it from the title. In the Biblical telling of the parable, almost all of the seeds being sown fell on hard or rocky ground. Not exactly hopeful.

>84 mdoris: I fully agree Mary. Sport is the obvious place where Trans rights and Women's Rights clearly come into conflict. There should be another category somehow but in reality the numbers would be so low that competition would be a farce. It isn't fair to the girls without the genetic advantages and muscle mass that they are expected to compete against people who have inherent sporting physical advantages.

86 You are right, Stasia. I hadn't thought of it like that!

>88 PaulCranswick: Which is why shared reads are always so fun!

>85 PaulCranswick: >86 alcottacre: Oh my. Not really, dystopian is well, dystopian, so yes gloom and dooms and nasty baddies and shaded endings. But then there's space opera and and utopian. The problem of course is that all dystopias come with built in fight the x plots so much less work to conjure up a story than for a (real) utopian setting, unless one pulls from the fire that old chestnit, "not my utopia."

With hope our grandchildren, should we be so blessed, will get to read about dystopias for their great-grandchildren.

>89 alcottacre: Right again!

>90 quondame: It is of course in the name, I know, Susan - I was being a little bit tongue in cheek.

BOOK #138



At Freddie's by Penelope Fitzgerald
Date of Publication : 1982
Origin of Author : UK
Pages : 230 pp

I first read her Booker winner Offshore and didn't much care for it. I appreciated The Bookshop especially with its piquant little twists but this one was a real joy to read.

Freddie's is a stage school "run" by the indomitable Freddie together with her devoted acolyte Bluebell and two newly appointed and seemingly incompatible teachers both from Northern Ireland (because they are cheaper).

Funny sometimes in a tragi-comedic way with characterisation and descriptive depictions of the very top drawer. Recommended.

>92 PaulCranswick: I didn't know this when I read it but apparently Penelope Fitzgerald worked at a school rather like Freddie's for a while.

>92 PaulCranswick: Adding that one to the BlackHole. I have read a few of Fitzgerald's books, but not that one. Thanks for the recommendation, Paul.

>93 elkiedee: That doesn't surprise me, Luci, because her observations appeared to be so on point. She is brilliant in those types of situations.
Fitzgerald, Spark, Taylor, Brookner and Lively all did/do that type of novel so admirably.

>94 alcottacre: I lapped it up to be honest, Stasia. Loved some of the characters in it.

Arrived by mail today:

346. Stalingrad by Vasily Grossman

Monster epic by the worst-kept secret of Stalin-era Soviet Literature. Have read his books on Armenia and Treblinka and it is time to read his blockbusters. I have Life and Fate already but apparently this should be read first.

Here's the Christmas readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/337733

>98 trevorrampling7: If I was making such good money, I would keep it largely to my ownsome.

>99 SilverWolf28: Thank you, Silver, it will be a God send.

Or in other words: Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!

Hi Paul, i also have Life and Fate by Grossman and after reading that Stalingrad should be read first, i waited until it came out in paperback and then purchased it, and like you need to read them.

It was lovely to see your lovely Hani yesterday when she paid us a visit, she was very taken with Elliott and after an initial wary look at her, he was very pleased to be on her knee being cuddled.

https://pics.cdn.librarything.com//picsizes/d5/a2/d5a2ada47f63cf66369376c7a674368422f7345_v5.jpg 3x">

>101 SandDune: Thank you, Rhian. Selamat hari Christmas dan selamat tahun baru!

>102 johnsimpson: She was very touched, John, that Karen invited her to come and join you on Christmas Day. I am sad that Belle and I cannot make it over to the UK with this Omicron making travel to the UK a bit precarious.

>103 johnsimpson: Thank you, John. Much love to you and Karen.

Merry Christmas to you and yours, Paul. May it be jolly and filled with good cheer!!

>85 PaulCranswick: Why does dystopia always have to be so gloomy?

Because otherwise it wouldn't be a dystopia!

As a counterbalance, I'd recommend Tales of Nevèrÿon by Samuel R. Delany. Where dystopian stories look at late stage/corrupted civilizations, Nevèrÿon looks at the dawn of a civilization; it isn't all sunshine and roses, but it's a very thought-provoking work.

Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays, Paul. Have a great time with the family.

>106 Carmenere: Thank you, Lynda. x

>107 amanda4242: Yes, I know that silly! My attempt at a funny remark fell completely flat.
Merry Christmas my dear pal.

>108 msf59: Thanks Mark. Unfortunately we are a bit dislocated. Hani and Kyran in England. Belle and I in Malaysia and Yasmyne in Norway. We will try to get together by a zoom type call.

All the best to you and family Paul! Happy Zooming!

Dear Friend Paul, I send all good wishes for a holiday filled with love and laughter.

>66 Berly: I read them out of order, and was kind of glad I did. For some reason, I like some of them a lot, and hate others. It's probably better that I read one I liked first. (I'm not sure which one it was now though.)

>111 mdoris: Thank you, dear Mary. I cannot think of a construction material better than books; grows the intellect!

>112 Whisper1: A lovely scene Linda! I trust that Santa delivers a completely pain free festive season for you my friend.

>113 ArlieS: I think she is an author you need to be in the mood for and to concentrate in order to appreciate the full extent of what she is trying to convey. x

January Planning

Will 2022 be the first year on LT I manage to read 200 books and the first since my book-ridden college days.

I won't keep it up but I have some days off in January and the chance to really make a dent in the year. My record reading month is 27 books and I am aiming for 30 with some chunky ones too. Here is my plan

Group Reads :
1. Red Clocks by Leni Zumas (Kim's In-dispensable Books)
2. Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings (Belgariad 1 - with Nina and Stasia)
3. Redemption Ground by Lorna Goodison (Group read with Caroline & Stasia - if it comes)

Long Term Projects
4. War by JMG Le Clezio (NOBEL WINNER)
5. Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre (BOOKER WINNER)
6. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (PULITZER WINNER)

Poetry
7. The Wild Iris by Louise Gluck
8. The Historians by Eavan Boland
9. The Forward Book of Poetry 2022 by Various

British Author Challenge (YA)
10. The Children Who Stayed Behind by Bruce Carter
11. Flamingo Boy by Michael Morpurgo
12. Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian

Thrillers
13. Absolution by Murder by Peter Tremayne (New Series)
14. The Sicilian Method by Andrea Camilleri (Existing Series)
15. Blackwater by Kerstin Ekman (Scandi)

Special Reads
16. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (1001 Books)
17. Malice Aforethought by Francis Iles (Reread)
18. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (Recent Addition)

Asian Book Challenge (1)
19. Farewell by Ayse Kulin
20. My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk
21. The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak

Asian Book Challenge (2)
22. Disquiet by Zulfu Livanelli
23. Madonna in a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali
24. Mehmed, My Hawk by Yasar Kemal

Non-Fiction
25. Tribes by David Lammy (Politics & Current Affairs)
26. Afternoons With the Blinds Drawn by Brett Anderson (Biography / Memoir)
27. SPQR by Mary Beard (History)

Around the World Book Challenge
28. Crossing by Pajtim Statovci (Europe - Kosovo)
29. Black Moses by Alain Mabanckou (Africa - Republic of Congo)
30. Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon by Jorge Amado (Americas - Brazil)

I'm sure that I will get side-tracked but only after January please!!

I hope you make your goal of 30 books in January, Paul! I think in summers while I was a student I probably managed 30 titles in a month, but since then 20 is the most I've ever read.

That is some reading goal for January, Paul. Just whoa. I might join you for Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon - that is one I am really wanting to get to in 2022.

Hi Paul!

>116 PaulCranswick: My, my. Wonderful, ambitious plans. Good luck.

>117 bell7: I could regularly do it as a student, Mary, but I need to get back to those days in order to make some headway into reducing my TBR mountain next year.

>118 Crazymamie: That would be great Mamie. I have a couple of his books and I also really want to read this one soon.

>119 karenmarie: Thank you, dear lady. x

May all your surprises be good ones this Holiday season.

Best wishes to you and yours for now and the new year!

>122 richardderus: Thank you RD. I'm sure it will turn out peachy!

>123 witchyrichy: Thanks Karen. That is lovely and what a wonderful name for a home. x

>124 ronincats: Thank you, dear Roni.

30 books in a month is quite a goal!! I don't believe I've ever done more than 15 - and that's during my business' (CPA) is out of season & I'm reading several hours a day.

>127 ChrisG1: On LT, Chris, I have beaten 20 a number of times but I haven't yet made 30.

>116 PaulCranswick: I love The Master and Margarita! Which translation did you get?

>129 amanda4242: I have two versions of the book, Amanda. My Russian colleague bought me the book as a present when she was travelling back to St Petersburg and that is translated by Diana Burgin and Katherine Tiernan O'Connor whilst I already had a version translated by Michael Glenny.

Olga, my friend, rates The Master and Margarita as her favourite novel. These are my two versions.



"One hot spring evening, just as the sun was going down, two men appeared at Patriarch's Ponds."

or

"At the sunset hour of one warm spring day two men were to be seen at Patriarch's Ponds."

>130 mahsdad: Thank you, Jeff!

Trying to catch up a bit. I like how thoughts turn to what will be read next year. I've been pondering that very question as I look at a box of about 25 books a friend dropped off for me today.

I am sorry to read about Kyran's encounter but I'm glad he is safe.

Warm wishes for this holiday season to you and your family.

>132 RBeffa: A box of 25 books, Ron! I don't think I could have gotten any sleep!

Happy Holidays Paul!

I guess you're way ahead of us who are mostly still planning tomorrow and this isn't one of yours these days anyhow, still -

>134 quondame: Malaysia is a wonderful place, Susan, we celebrate each other's holidays and festivals and, of course, I grew up Christian so I will especially remember my mum today,

Thank you for being a constant companion this year. I so much value and appreciate your perspective and insights even when they occasionally don't tally with my own - particularly as I am more often than not, wrong!

>136 cyderry: Thank you, Cheli. xx

"Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain."
Zig Ziglar

With you and the group life is like a dance class - thank you.
I wish you and yours all the best in theese days and Merry Christmas!

Best wishes during this holiday season and a blessed and happy New Year of reading.

>138 SirThomas: Why thank you, Thomas. I do try not to tread on toes!

>139 Kristelh: Thank you, Kristlel.

After a wonderful Xmas brunch at my favourite Italian restaurant with Belle and too much prosecco, we went to the KLCC mall to buy her Apple tablet (IPad Pro?)

I also got myself:

347. Three Apples Fell From the Sky by Narine Abgaryan
348. Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy

The first caught my eye in the store
The second caught my eye across the reviews here.

Have a good holiday season! And let's hope that 2022 will be a better year for us all.

>143 torontoc: Amen and Amin to that, Cyrel. x

Merry Christmas Paul !!! Sending Best Wishes for the New Year to you and your family!!! ☃️☃️

I know it is not the same as having Hani and your family near, but your LT family will help you celebrate the holiday, right?




I hope you have a wonderful day!

>145 tjblue: Thank you, Tammy, and lovely to have you drop by. x

>146 alcottacre: It does indeed help, Stasia, to have this wonderful group of people and to know that you are in the thoughts of people whom you esteem and who like each other starting from a shared passion for books but now meaning a whole lot more. x

Merry Christmas!

>148 SilverWolf28: Thank you, Silver. It has been great to have you in the group this year.

Hoping you are having a wonderful holiday seasion.

Happy Holidays, Paul!

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas Paul! Thanks for being such a frequent visitor to my thread, even though I hardly ever return the compliment! Nonetheless, I appreciate your contributions and all you do on LT very much!

>150 BBGirl55: Thanks Bryony. Lovely to see you here.

>151 jayde1599: Thanks Jess. x

>152 HanGerg: That is so nice of you to say so, Hannah. x

Hi Paul - Hope The New Year brings your Family closer together!

(If you have time, I listed the 5 books I got for Christmas and Kwanzaa on Joe's thread.)

Have a lovely whatever, Paul!

BTW - Are you making any progress on Parable?

Merry Christmas, Paul!

Happy Boxing Day, Paul!

Hi Paul, we both hope that you and Belle had a good Christmas Day and Boxing Day and we hope that Hani was not on her own. Karen and I would have welcomed Hani with open arms, Karen always makes sure that there is plenty of food on the table, we joke that she was Jewish in another life, this is not a flippant comment, before the kids left they were given some of the leftovers, Andy had a plated meal for work and we finished off the vegetables with the meat, sausages, Bacon rolls although there was still some meat left which will be made into a Hydrabadi curry later in the week.

Once again i listened to the start of the Test match and turned it off when Root came in at 13 for 2, when i came down this morning to make us a pot of tea to enjoy in bed, i checked my phone and as expected England had made a complete bollocks of it, 185 all out and the Aussie's 61 for 1. I am unsure that Root will fall on his sword if they lose this one but if not i think he only has the remaining two tests as Captain.

Another failure by Kohli to get a ton, his drought continues but i doubt it will be for much longer, if only Root could break his Australian hoodoo on their soil.

Have a good rest of the week mate.

Hi Paul. I am peeking into LT. Wishing you a joyous holiday season and best wishes for 2022!

Hope that you and your family are enjoying the festive season as best you can when not all in the same place. Congratulations on a fabulous year of reading this year! Your January plans make it look as though you will be starting next year with real intent. Good luck with those!

>155 m.belljackson: Happy festive season, my dear Marianne and thank you so much for your regular and always thought provoking visits this year. xx

I will indeed go over to Joe's pad for a peep.

>156 alcottacre: Happy Sunday/Monday Stasia.

Just wrapping up Parable. Thoughts up soon. x

>157 AMQS: I hope that Christmas has been kind to you and Stelios and Marina and Callia. I hope that Callia was with you all at this time too.

>158 banjo123: Boxing Day was lovely and long and relaxing. A few friends called me and we had long conversations ranging on a range of topics but of course especially the pandemic.

>159 johnsimpson: Thanks John. Knowing that you and Karen had welcomed her to be with you guys was touching and shows exactly what wonderful friendships have been engendered by this group. She spent Boxing Day with my nieces and nephew.

The test match was predictable. Crawley has had more lives than next door's moggy and I really don't see how he justified touring. I always felt that Hameed would struggle on Australian pitches. Buttler was particularly shocking and really cannot keep Foakes out any longer. If we get buried at Melbourne, the ECB need to step in and sack Silverwood and relieve Root of the captaincy. I would look to the Big bash there. Organise a couple of games over there for some of the non-playing guys and get them in to save face.
Two new openers.
Malan and Root are OK but we need to blood a number 5
Stokes stays but comes in at 6
Foakes plays as wicket keeper
We get a balanced attack. Pace with Wood and line and lift with Robinson. Get a left armer in if at all possible (David Payne or George Garton - Garton would be dangerous on fast pitches) and a spinner. For me the potential is Matt Parkinson - Leach will never bowl the Aussies out.

I would go

Haines, Libby, Malan, Root, Abell (Captain), Stokes, Foakes, Wood, Garton, Robinson, Parkinson

>160 lkernagh: Lovely to see you, Lori. You have been missed in the group. xx

>161Thank you. It has been great to have you in the group this year.

Sorry to be late to the game for holiday wishes but I will say an early Happy New Year to you, Paul. May it be the last one where you are separated from your family!

Where is my holiday post?!?!?! It disappeared. Okay take two...



These were our family ornaments this year and, despite COVID, a merry time was had by all. I hope the same is true for your holiday and here's to next year!! BTW--Your January list is impressive and I am glad Red Clocks made the cut!! : )

>166 jessibud2: Thank you, Shelley and I certainly hope that is true. xx

>167 Berly: I didn't forget our shared read, Kimmers. Let me know when you want to crack on with it because I am ready. I have all 30 books (and optimistically a few reserves) lined up and ready to go with the exception of Redemption Ground which still hasn't been delivered.

>168 PaulCranswick: I know you didn't, LOL. I am thinking next weekend - ish I'll start in. I mean it is #1! : )

>169 Berly: It will be among the first books I start then, Kimmers.

I plan to put up my thread in the 2022 on Monday LT time.

I will try - though I do struggle - to keep the number of posts kicking off my threads to a manageable level.

>171 PaulCranswick: I am not planning to put up my 2022 post until Friday, lol. The new year does not start until Saturday, after all.

>172 alcottacre: I will never keep up if I leave it until Friday, Stasia. The threads are just too hectic at the beginning of the year.

>173 PaulCranswick: Oh, I know. I am just being a stickler since the year does not technically end until Friday :)

>174 alcottacre: I will stay here largely until then though, Stasia, same as you. xx

Another Friday 2022 poster here. : )

>176 Berly: I hope it is going to be bedlam. I love the turn of the year.

Absolutely!!

>164 PaulCranswick: The whole series has been predictable and Silverwood needs to go. Root hasn’t become a good captain and so needs to step down from this role (Cook was weak as a captain as well, what is going wrong with finding competent individuals for this role?). The openers need replacing, Malan has done better than I expected, whilst Buttler isn’t good enough to be the wicket keeper.

Anderson is the one world class player who keeps on delivering. He can play as long as he wants to. Aside from his wickets, his economy rate is fantastic helping his bowing partner take wickets. I’m not sure you are serious about an England team without him (unless you expect him to retire after the gutless performance of the batters again!)

>179 DMulvee: On Jimmy Anderson, I expected him to be rested after two tests on the bounce given his age and the proximity of the games. It is obvious he is our best bowler but we are also going to need to look at the future too.

The openers definitely aren't up to it. Malan got a pretty unplayable ball first delivery and we are depending again on Root the batsman. I wouldn't have sent out Malan to be honest so quickly as he and Root were so necessary tomorrow. I would have sent out either Bairstow or Buttler first down and Robinson as nightwatchman.

Root is no captain and we need to find a leader and tactician quickly.

Hi Paul, Delurking to say Thanks for dropping by. Best wishes for a healthy, bookish year to come.

>141 PaulCranswick: Your welcome Sandy. Your place will always be on my list of must visit spots in the group. x

>159 johnsimpson: I think making sure there's plenty of food available at big meals is common to a lot of cultures!

Paul, I hope Belle is enjoying her new toy.

>174 alcottacre: I happily set up my thread the day the new group went up. Impatience FTW ;-)

>183 elkiedee:, Hi elkiedee, Karen always has the fear that she will not have provided enough food for guests, even if on this occasion they are family. She would rather have some leftover for us and give the kids some to take home. We weren't sure until a week before whether or not Andy's mum and dad were joining us and then Hani visited us last Wednesday and we invited her as we did not want her to be on her own on Christmas Day.

We can always provide for an extra seat or two at the last minute.

>164 PaulCranswick:, Hi Paul, the alarm went off this morning and the Test was still going, i quickly made us a pot of tea and then listened to the last three overs, eventually the commentator gave the score and i just groaned and Karen said turn it off,19 for 2 and then it quickly became 31 for 4, oh my God. I either go off to sleep with us in the shit or wake up to us in the shit.

They should not have let the Lions squad go home for God's sake, the ECB have got some serious work to do to stop us becoming a laughing stock.

>179 DMulvee:, we are never going to find a good captain whilst contracted players are not playing county cricket and being given the chance to captain their respective counties on a regular basis. If things do not change they will have all the contracted players names written on pieces of paper and get some poor bugger to draw a name out of the hat.

>183 elkiedee: Enjoying large amounts of good food is certainly a part of my culture, Luci!

Belle can only pick up her IPad on Friday. They had no stock when we went to the store on Christmas Day but we tracked some down.

>184 ArlieS: Hahaha Arlie. I get impatient for the off myself but we shouldn't wish away the last week in December as reading goals can get squandered (mainly note to self!).

>185 johnsimpson: As Luci can attest, being one of us, Yorkies are often falsely deemed dour and stingy and you and Karen help to prove that that is never the case with your hospitality and warm heartedness.

>186 johnsimpson: The whole contracted players thing is a farce, John, and it is completely jobs for the boys. Spread that money around make the best players play in the county game. Improve the pitches and have first class cricket played throughout the summer not just bookending the year. The one day stuff is lucrative and I guess that a Sunday league format for 20/20 would be adored. A knock out competition as always and play that hundred rubbish (if you must) as the end of the season and over a concentrated period.

>184 ArlieS: i think that in my case it is more laziness than anything else, Arlie :)

Paul, my thoughts on Parable of the Sower have been posted to my thread if you want to take a look.

Happy whatever!

>189 alcottacre: I am about to put my own thoughts, Stasia, so I will be interested in yours for sure.

Happy Monday/Tuesday. x

And now for some reviews...........

BOOK #139



The Housing Lark by Sam Selvon
Date of Publication : 1965
Origin of Author : Trinidad / UK
Pages : 125 pp

This is a humorous look at the Afro-Caribbean immigrant experience in London in the early 1960s. Bat is from Trinidad and can't make his rent regularly on pain of being evicted he agrees to take a Jamaican roommate and a plot is hatched by the household to buy their own home.

Shows up the petty and the not so petty prejudices of his time very adroitly with a wit and incisiveness that is splendid and just as effective today. The use of ethnic patois is still understandable and adds a sheen of realism that aids rather than frustrates understanding.

A fun read with an underbelly. Recommended.

BOOK # 140



The Ghost Orchid by Michael Longley
Date of Publication : 1995
Origin of Author : UK
Pages : 46 pp

This is contained in the wonderful collected poems that Caroline bought for me a few years ago and which I am enjoying a slow meander through.

By this collection Longley was more visceral, more explicit. Some of his sexual imagery is pretty graphic and certainly wouldn't be for most. His updates on myth are a joy and he has a sure touch whether he is writing about Buchenwald or Japanese stone gardens.

Whilst not my favourite of his collections there is plenty here to mull over and to read aloud in awe and approbation.

BOOK #141



Lying in Bed by Polly Samson
Date of Publication : 1999
Origin of Author : UK
Pages : 217 pp

This is my first encounter with Polly Samson but it won't be my last.

A collection of short stories all of which work on a number of levels but mainly in its incidental observations. This is what makes good short stories and the opening story about a young girl with warring parents is really tremendous.

In some quarters she may be more famous for being the wife of Pink Floyd guitarist Dave Gilmour and for having written the lyrics to a number of their later songs but she deserves acknowledgement in her own right.

Recommended.

>192 PaulCranswick: >194 PaulCranswick: Those two interest me. I will have to see if I can find copies.

BOOK #142



The Parable of the Sower by Octavia E Butler
Date of Publication : 1993
Origin of Author : USA
Pages : 311 pp

I really wanted to love this more than I did. I didn't hate it; I mean you couldn't, but it didn't get my juices flowing as I had hoped it would.

There was one extremely effective scene early in the book where they all went out for shooting practice and were faced with dogs seemingly hunting down humans in packs that set up the story so well but then Ms. Butler took so long setting up our heroine, Lauren's, enforced voyage of discovery that its force had long dissipated.

I guess I am just too much of an optimist about the human condition and its ability to socialise to the common good to get swept away by an innately sombre unfolding of civilisation. Without wanting to spoil anything I found the wish to found a new religion a bit out of sync and would have been the least of concerns with everything else going on.

Will I read the sequel? Maybe.
Would I recommend this book? To lovers of the genre, certainly. To the rest of us only very guardedly.

>196 PaulCranswick: I do not think I will be reading the sequel, although I am interested in reading more of Butler. I have Kindred on my shelves and definitely want to give that one a try.

>197 alcottacre: I preferred it to Parable, Stasia but, even then, I wasn't quite as blown away as some others were because the premise was a little too contrived.

>198 PaulCranswick: I will keep that in mind, Paul.

I'm still at my brother's until about Thursday. The internet here has not been reliable. It cuts in and out a lot. They switched ISPs. I'm trying to visit a few threads tonight.

>199 alcottacre: Don't let me put you off it, though, as I am glad I read it.

>200 thornton37814: Lovely to see you, Lori. It is difficult when the internet is unreliable as we get so used to it.

>200 thornton37814: I understand this problem completely, Lori, which is why I warn everyone when I am heading to my mother's house.

>201 PaulCranswick: Oh, I will get around to reading it at some point, I am sure, Paul.

>202 alcottacre: If we hadn't been doing a shared read with it, Stasia, I might have come back to it another time.

Found my copy of My Name is Red!!

Another Christmas done and once again your family is scattered. Hopefully you'll all be together next year. Your reading plans for the new year are very ambitious, Paul. Best of luck!

And the final book pays for it all, at least in terms of packaging. Just got Severance/Intercourse. Love the cover images, and the fact that its a flip book, two books in one. Thanks, Santa Paul!

>204 Berly: Great! Kimmers, I am ready to go with both My Name is Red and The Red Clocks starting New Year's Day.

>205 Familyhistorian: I am optimistic about 2022 (then again I always am, Meg!); let's hope that 2022 is a year of connections not dislocations.

>206 mahsdad: You had four in total, Jeff, including that one as one (even though it is two books in one) so I suppose you got 5 in total. Didn't see that your final book was in house yet?
Enjoy them mate.

I hope you can laugh with me, Paul.

>209 avatiakh: Hahaha Kerry. I think they came a close second, actually, but that is splitting hairs! xx

It is Linda's fault.

I saw that she has kept the American Author Challenge going for another year (yippee!) but she chose Graphic Novels/Non-Fiction for January and I haven't got any. Caused me to go to the bookstore to remedy that which was tough as it isn't my genre and I am not used to browsing through the 'comic books' or making informed choices. Of course while there I made the decision to bring my books acquired in 2021 up to 365 or a book a day average. This is what I added today in a bit of a Cranswickian end of year splurge. By the way I have taken three days off to the end of the year so I am relaxed and not working.

349. IQ by Joe Ide
350. The Dawn of Eurasia by Bruno Macaes
351. If All the World and Love Were Young by Stephen Sexton
352. The Wild Silence by Raynor Winn
353. The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
354. In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin
355. Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan
356. We Always Treat Women Too Well by Raymond Queneau
357. Greenwood by Michael Christie
358. Cold Boy's Wood by Carol Birch
359. Mayumi and the Sea of Happiness by Jennifer Tseng
360. Gravel Heart by Abdulrazak Gurnah
361. Fatal Isles by Maria Adolfsson
362. The Otterbury Incident by Cecil Day-Lewis
363. The Victorians : Twelve Titans Who Forged Britain by Jacob Rees-Mogg
364. East of Hounslow by Khurrum Rahman
and........Linda....
365. The American Dream? : A Journey on Route 66 by Shing Yin Khor

So I got my graphic book.
Got several that will fit the Asian Book Challenge too.

>211 PaulCranswick: I does help to cast the blame elsewhere Paul, snicker. I'm sure the bookstore love to see you coming.

I hit 269 purchases, which has to be considerably less next year (50 or under is the challenge), otherwise the floor will give way in the old Victorian flat I live in. I've actually got to let go of books this year on a more than casual scale too (I think 20 went this year). I keep reminding myself that buying more means I won't be reading many of the glorious treasures I already own.

>213 Caroline_McElwee: Books become the nicest source of blame, Caroline and the friendliest type as well!

Next year is 2022 and I want 22 to be my go to number.

0 I want to lose 22 kilos
0 I want to read at least 22 books per month
0 I want to read more than I buy by 2.2 times (for every 22 books read I can buy 10)

BOOK #143



The Taxi Queue by Janet Davey
Date of Publication : 2007
Origin of Author : UK
Pages : 202 pp

Should you share a cab with a stranger?

This novel doesn't really answer the question one way or another but it ought to provide pause. A chance encounter in the taxi queue sets the characters on a path to question their futures by being reminded of their past.

A very competent if unexceptional piece of writing and mildly recomended.

>211 PaulCranswick: Riiight… Linda’s fault. 😂

>216 drneutron: I mean Jim..........it can't be my fault!

Nice haul! I have only read The Glass Castle, but I thought it was well done. I am wanting to read The Wild Silence, as I loved the first book.

Craig has also taken some days off to start the New year - he is off starting tomorrow and goes back on Tuesday (the 3rd). I'm looking forward to seeing more of him and Rae for those few days.

Hoping today has been full of fabulous for you!

I think your New Year's resolutions should be to

- take responsibility for your own book acquisition decisions
- keep building your collection
- read a wide variety of really good books

>218 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie; it has been a decent day not thinking about work.

I also have The Salt Path and will read it in the first quarter of the new year.

All my best to you always and Craig and all the gang at the Pecan Paradisio.

>219 elkiedee: The second two cheer me, Luci, but the taking responsibility bit sounds a tad ominous!

>76 PaulCranswick: I wouldn't call myself an expert, Paul, though I do tend to stick to reading fantasy but thanks for including me in such exalted company.

I see you've been discussing cricket; I didn't watch the Ashes especially since my husband was keeping me advised of the scores. I'll just retain the 20-20 world cup in my memory instead.

I would like to wish you and your family the very best of the season and good health and happiness for 2022.

>209 avatiakh: Oh dear. I read that with my mouth full, and I'm proud of myself for not spraying my computer. Immense willpower.

>221 humouress: You have certainly a much better understanding of the genre than I do, Nina.
Thanks for the good wishes. I will do my rounds tomorrow or the next day.

>222 ArlieS: I chuckled too albeit through gritted teeth. :D

Still hoping to hit 150 books this year and make my Queen Betty challenge. Eight books in less than 3 days but I had reserved 3 poetry collections for the run in and five other books of slightly under 200 pages each. Over 1,200 pages but I have a chance.

>214 PaulCranswick: I like you 2022 way of thinking. Good luck with those goals and finishing up the 21 reads. Go, Paul, Go!!

>222 ArlieS: No, not quite seeing that. 🧐

(Oh, alright. It's amusing. Vaguely *sob*)

Paul,
Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and that you have a wonderful New Year!!
Your reading lists look so formidable. You sure cover all kinds of books. I don't see how you can read so fast and furious!
I find it interesting seeing what others are reading.
Take care.

>207 PaulCranswick: Me too, me too!

>211 PaulCranswick: Wow, what a haul!

Happy whatever, Paul!

>225 Berly: Thanks Kimmers. About to start a fairly concentrated day of reading.

>226 humouress: Being an England cricket fan I am learning to smile and wince in the same movement!

>227 hredwards: That is praise indeed Harold coming from one of the group's most impressive readers.

>228 alcottacre: I was pleased with the haul and I took my time with it for a change. Had my notebook and I had jotted down what sort of books I was looking for in order to spread my reading tastes along.

BOOK #144



Time's Arrow by Martin Amis
Date of Publication : 1991
Origin of Author : UK
Pages : 176 pp

Unusual and disturbing novel from Martin Amis which imagines the life of a Nazi war criminal backwards from his death on an operating table to his birth in the same village as Eichmann.

We go through a number of aliases until he is a medical orderly at Auschwitz, we see the disgust of his wife become adoration (time going backwards) we see scenes where the Jews are unstacked, rise from the floors of the gas-chambers, are reclothed and sent back in their cattle trucks to the ghettos they were relocated from. The backwards journey is clever but it is chilling and it is extremely disconcerting in its detail.

We do see the nature of the beast with its sexual proclivities and bouts of frustrated impotence, we see a sort of remorse in the uncomfortable revulsion of the abortionist and the shunning of children, but overall we are left with the feeling that it was largely the evil in the ordinary and the commonplace that is so difficult to explain nearly 70 years on.

>231 PaulCranswick: I read that one for the very first BAC and remember it being a very odd, very memorable story.

>232 amanda4242: It is indeed an odd book and - though I don't much like Amis and find much of his prose irritatingly smug and flippant - I do understand why the inventiveness of this one got him a Booker shortlisting and a place in the 1001 First Edition.

I paired it with something familiarly comforting and a re-read. See next.

BOOK #145



Church Poems by John Betjeman
Date of Publication : 1981 (updated version)
Origin of Author : UK
Pages : 66 pp

Maybe surprisingly John Betjeman was my first love in poetry terms. Though I have grown out of him largely, there remains something quintessentially English and decent (I'm not saying that the two are inextricable) about him and his writing that comforts, consoles and delights me still.

Beautifully accompanied by church sketches by John Piper, there is a little bit of a overkill of primroses and cassocks and burnishings here but there is also a splendidly suburban wordplay also that was peculiarly Betjeman.

Some of my childhood favourites are here with the Diary of a Churchmouse, Wantage Bells and Christmas but also some unfamiliar lines that could only really be from the man himself.

These lines are extracted from"Diary of a Church Mouse"

But how annoying when one finds
That other mice with pagan minds
Come into church my food to share
Who have no proper business there.
Two field mice who have no desire
To be baptized, invade the choir.
A large and most unfriendly rat
Comes in to see what we are at.
He says he thinks there is no God
And yet he comes.....it's rather odd.

RD would probably hate it but, lost in those lines I long for ye Olde England.

>231 PaulCranswick: Years since I read it Paul.

>235 Caroline_McElwee: It is clever and effective but not too likeable, Caroline.

I have read Times Arrow--it was very chilling

I like odd books, so Times Arrow sounds right in my ball park. I think I have another Amis on the shelf that I stole (I mean borrowed) from my MIL, never read his stuff before

>231 PaulCranswick: I have not yet read that one although I believe I own a copy. I am going to have to look for it.

Happy whatever, Paul!

Here's the New Years readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/338012

>237 torontoc: It was a chilling book, Cyrel.

>238 mahsdad: It was probably my favourite of his, Jeff, but then again I didn't like the others I read by him.

>239 alcottacre: I'm now able to say happy New Year's Eve, Stasia.

>240 SilverWolf28: Thank you, Silver!

>224 PaulCranswick: Still hoping to hit 150 books this year
Best get cracking then!

I have to redo my cover graphic, as I have failed to finish the three I was hoping to, and read We Need New Names instead, as well as starting another one. Sheesh.

Happy New Year Paul!

>231 PaulCranswick: I've only read his The Rachel Papers which I disliked but still want to read some of his other work.
My end of year reading fizzled out as I had a couple of days not picking up a book at all, so I hope you're still inspired to achieve targets.

>244 avatiakh: Too more almost done, Megan, leaving three on the last day! I can just about still do it as I work on LT time - not Malaysia time and thus have an extra 12 hours.

Happy new year, my friend.
x

>244 avatiakh: I didn't like Money and I detested Lionel Asbo but this was much better. I am in a concentrated reading mode so let's see whether I can pass my revised target and finish my Queen Betty Challenge.

BOOK #146



Earthlight by Arthur C Clarke
Date of Publication : 1955
Origin of Author : UK
Pages : 177 pp

I will let you into a secret. I enjoyed this one and it is pretty unadulterated science fiction!

Sadler travels to the moon a few hundred years into the future, he is an accountant apparently on an audit, but really he is a Security agent trying to uncover who is the agent giving secrets to the Federation. The planets Mars, Saturn and others have been colonized and the colonies need the metal resources of Earth to survive. Earth has missed its agreed quotas and apparently has discovered huge mineral wealth on the moon. The Federation is looking for its share in this needful wealth and a war is looming.

Tells a very human story amid some pretty ropey science (to be fair it is 71 years old now). Particularly comical was the fact that they were still developing photographs. It was also smileworthy to me living in an obviously rising Asia that the Moon colony was populated exclusively by Anglo-Saxons and largely, although unstated, by Brits!

For all that I really enjoyed the story and I guessed the spy!

BOOK #147



The Nerve : Poems by Glyn Maxwell
Date of Publication : 2002
Origin of Author : UK
Pages : 58 pp

I didn't like the first collection of Maxwell's I read (a more recent Pluto). It just failed to resonate and all memorable poetry collections must resonate. And I was sorely disappointed because I had heard such good things of him. I greatly admired Derek Walcott and Maxwell was a student of his.

This earlier collection has a more transatlantic voice, possibly because Maxwell was living and working in Massachusetts at the time and is all the more enticing for all that. He walks the lanes and combs the beaches of New England and ponders upon the purpose of poets and poetry. Yup much more my thing.

Here is his poem "The Only Work"

When a poet leaves to see to all that matters,
nothing has changed. In treasured places still
he clears his head and writes.

None of his joie-de-vivre or books or friends
or ecstasies go with him to the piece
he waits for and begins,

nor is he here in this. The only work
that bonds us separates us for all time.
We feel it in a handshake,

a hug that isn't ours to end. When a verse
has done its work, it tells us there'll be one day
nothing but the verse,

and it tells us this the way a mother might
inform her son so gently of a matter
he goes his way delighted.

Recommended

Good luck finishing those last three, Paul!

>248 FAMeulstee: I have done it Anita and managed 4 of them!!!
My best monthly return on LT in terms of books finished with 29 and I passed 150 finishing up with 151.
I helped myself by including 8 poetry collections this month but it is fair to include them because I do read them at least twice (always aloud and always once reflectively).

>249 PaulCranswick: YAY! Congratulations on reaching 2 x 75, Paul!!

I am finishing my last 2021 book right now, the one I started at January 1st.

>250 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita. It isn't like you to read so steadily!

>251 PaulCranswick: It is the second book of three containing the complete Arabian Nights in Dutch translation. The first one I have read in 2020. Tomorrow I will start the third and last book, planning to finish on the last day of 2022.
All three are over 1000 pages, and best read in small parts.

>252 FAMeulstee: I figured it would be no ordinary book, Anita!

>253 PaulCranswick: I thought it was appropriate to read in a little over 1001 days, as it is also called The Tales of 1001 Nights ;-)

>254 FAMeulstee: That is dedication, Anita!

Hi Paul! Happy New Year's Eve. Glad you've got a bit of time off to relax.

Congrats on 75 x 2!

See you tomorrow in the 2022 group...

Thanks Karen!

It is 2022 here. Going off to bed and when I arise it will be time to start wishing my European friends and then across the Atlantic.

Happy New Year from the dislocated Cranswick clan. This was from a few years ago. Spoke to her today but I haven't see Yasmyne for 30 months! Damned Damned Damned pandemic.

https://pics.cdn.librarything.com//picsizes/5d/02/5d029540654e5a9636b45767a774368422f7345_v5.jpg 3x">

Happy new year, Paul!
May 2022 bring your family together.

>249 PaulCranswick: Congratulations on your double!

Congrats Paul on 2 X 75 mate.

Happy new year and congratulations on slipping past 150!

>259 johnsimpson: Thanks John. I saw Karen was in the hospital. I hope all is well mate.

>260 FAMeulstee: Thank you dear Anita. Slept late (after three) and just woke up (it is after 8 am here).

>261 quondame: Thanks Susan. I pulled it out of the hat rather.

>262 johnsimpson: Thanks John and on you reaching 75 on much longer books than most of us.

>263 amanda4242: Thank you my dear friend.

>264 PaulCranswick: Good morning, Paul!
I am heading to bed, the fireworks are nearly done, so I guess I can go to sleep soon.

Congratulations on reaching 150!

>268 SilverWolf28: Thank you, Silver. xx

Congratulations!!

Thanks Kimmers. That number looks great!

Congrats on making it to 150, Paul! It's looking like I'll end up with 138 😊

>272 bell7: Both respectable totals, Mary. You have sneaked beyond your best thread posting figures with a day to spare!

Excellent work, Paul. I'm almost two full months behind you.

Congratulations Paul, 150 read!

Wishing you a happy new year, and hoping for a family reunion!

>274 weird_O: Thanks Bill. I'm sure we'll catch up with each other, dear fellow.

>275 EllaTim: Thank you, Ella. x

Book #148


Hideous Kinky by Esther Freud
Date of Publication : 1992
Origin of Author : UK
Pages : 186 pp

This apparently semi-autobiographical novel surprised me somewhat. Told from the perspective of a young girl who, together with her sister, joins her carefree also young mother travelling to Morocco to basically enjoy life and childhood.

What surprised me was the deft handling of the familial relationships and the insight the little girl brings to the tale in a way that doesn't jar. I really liked the genuine affection between the sisters and the fact that the men of Morocco are treated warmly and respectfully. Freud clearly loved the society there even though her mum chose a chaotic lifestyle.

Of its time perhaps but I very much enjoyed it.

Book #149



Remains of Elmet by Ted Hughes
Date of Publication : 1979
Origin of Author : UK
Pages : 41 pp

If I had to choose one influence on me growing up as a stumbling versifier it has to be Ted Hughes. I adored his work, tasting every word and line, took spirit from the fact that he was a fellow West Yorkshireman and realised I couldn't write like him and never would.

I re-read this from my Collected Poems of his and was struck as I always am by the bestial and visceral anti-poetry that he hews at the reader. I particularly like the poems about the decay of the mills and its almost animalistic nature. Very effecting.

"Mill Ruins" is one of my favourite poems:

One morning
The shuttle's spirit failed to come back
(Japan had trapped it
In a reconstructed loom
Cribbed from smiling fools in Todmorden).

Cloth rotted, in spite of the nursing,
Its great humming abbeys became tombs.

And the children
Of rock and water and a draughty absence
Of everything else
Roaming for leftovers

Smashed all that would smash
What would not smash they burned
What would not burn

They levered loose and toppled down hillsides.

Then trailed away homeward aimlessly
Like the earliest
Homeless Norsemen.

Of course recommended.

BOOK #150



The Greengage Summer by Rumer Godden
Date of Publication : 1958
Origin of Author : UK
Pages : 187 pp

My final novel of the year and like the one that preceded it is told from the perspective of a youngish child. With a father on an expedition in Nepal and the mother hospitalised the children are shunted onto the banks of the River Marne to the faded elegance of a provincial French hotel - Les Oeillets.

Left partly to their own devices the children have their innocence tested as they discover a little more about life than they had expected.

It is the first thing I have read by Rumer Godden, but it won't be the last. This is an exceptionally well written novel that delivers more than it promises to.

Book #151



Terminal Moraine
Date of Publication : 1972
Origin of Author : UK
Pages : 77 pp

My final read of the year was actually a re-read; a re-read of a book I have had with me for years and one which I remember influenced me greatly when I first read it. I remember particularly being extremely disappointed that he wasn't made Poet Laureate when the job went to Andrew Motion.

Reading the first third of this I was a bit non-plussed as to what the heck I remembered liking. I found it very formulaic and forced. And then I came to the section on Commodore Perry and Japan and I remembered.

Patchy certainly but worth it for that wonderful cycle of poems from Japanese and American perspectives.

>279 PaulCranswick: I still need to read that one by her, although I have it on my shelves. My favorite Godden book remains In This House of Brede, which I absolutely love.

Congratulations on 150, Paul!

>281 alcottacre: I will look for that one, Stasia.

>282 humouress: Thanks Nina.

>279 PaulCranswick: I keep thinking I have read all Rumer Godden's novels but then find another - I'm planning to read Black Narcissus for the Virago Group challenge in January, Although I have seen the film and the recent TV adaptation I don't think I have ever read the book!

>284 CDVicarage: I think that I have that on the shelves too, Kerry. I am already a bit overwhelmed in January but if I do get a chance to join in, I just may do.

Happy New Year Paul

Thank you, Kristel. x