PAUL C WITH A CLEAN SLATE IN '22 - Part 5

PLACES FROM MY PAST

In 1989 I worked at Aldermaston AWRE (Atomic Weapons Research Establishment) and lived for over a year in Newbury in Berkshire. At the weekend I would often go off into the countryside to read and walk and think and forget about the tough place I was working. The other side of Reading is the Ridgeway from Goring to Wiltshire for a length of 87 miles of footpaths, open fields, hedgerows and woodland. Gorgeous place.

THE OPENING WORDS

I am going to read a novel by Belgian/Dutch author and concert pianist Ida Simons called A Foolish Virgin published in the 50s about a Jewish family in The Hague on the eve of the Holocaust.



"From a young age I was used to hearing my father say, almost daily, that he had done his fellow man a serious disservice by not becoming a funeral director. He was firmly convinced that from that moment the population of our planet would have consisted exclusively of immortals."

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

BOOKS READ

JANUARY

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

CURRENTLY READING

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

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

BOOKERS READ BY DEC 31 2021 : 34 / 57
BOOKERS IN 2022

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

NOBEL LAUREATES READ BY DEC 31 2021 : 74 / 118
NOBEL WINNERS IN 2022

1001 BOOKS FIRST ED READ BY DEC 2021 : 319
1001 BOOKS IN 2022 1 (320)
My Name is Red

GUARDIAN 100 BOOKS READ BY DEC 2021 : 349
GUARDIAN BOOKS IN 2022 1 (350)
My Name is Red

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

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE



January - YA - The Children Who Stayed Behind by Bruce Carter

AMERICAN AUTHOR CHALLENGE



January - Graphic Books - The American Dream? A Journey on Route 66 by Khor Shing Yin

ASIAN BOOK CHALLENGE 2022

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

These will be the monthly jaunts for the ABC challenge.

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

FEBRUARY - The Holy Land - Israeli & Palestinian Authors
Link to thread : https://www.librarything.com/topic/339017

MARCH - The Arab World - Writers from the Arab world
APRIL - Persia - Iranian writers
MAY - The Stans - There are 7 states all in the same region all ending in "Stan"
JUNE - The Indian Sub-Continent - Essentially authors from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
JULY - The Asian Superpower - Chinese Authors
AUGUST - Nippon - Japanese Authors
SEPTEMBER - Kimchi - Korean Authors
OCTOBER - INDO CHINA PLUS - Authors from Indo-China and other countries neighbouring China
NOVEMBER - The Malay Archipelago - Malaysian, Singaporean and Indonesian Authors
DECEMBER - The Asian Diaspora - Ethnic Asian writers from elsewhere
1. Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar

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

AROUND THE WORLD IN BOOKS SINCE 2021

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


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


Create Your Own Visited Countries Map

BOUGHT AND READ IN 2022

1. Appaloosa by Robert Parker
2. The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare.
3. Without a Claim by Grace Schulman
4. Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots
5. Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller
6. There, There by Tommy Orange
7. Intimacies by Katie Kitamura
8. Last Train to Istanbul by Ayse Kulin READ JAN 22
9. Another Now by Yanis Varoufakis
10. A Separation by Katie Kitamura
11. Travelling in a Strange Land by David Park
12. Free Food for Millionaires by Lee Min Jee
13. Norwegian by Night by Derek B. Miller
14. The Lady from Tel Aviv by Rabai Al-Madhoun
15. Run Me to Earth by Paul Yoon
16. Manchester Happened by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
17. The Others by Sarah Blau
18. The Order of the Day by Eric Vuillard
19. Bessie Smith by Jackie Kay
20. King Cnut by W.B. Bartlett
21. Dear Future Boyfriend by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz
22. Ottoman Odyssey by Alev Scott
23. Has the West Lost It? by Kishore Mahbubani
24. A Kind of Intimacy by Jenn Ashworth
25. A Children's Bible by Lydia Millet
26. Blanche on the Lam by Barbara Neely
27. Days in the History of Silence by Merethe Lindstrom Open Library Loan READ JAN 22
28. My Two Worlds by Sergio Chejfec (Open Library Loan) READ JAN 22
29. Hana's Suitcase by Karen Levine (Open Library Loan) READ JAN 22
30. Benjamin's Crossing by Jay Parini
31. Outlawed by Anna North

ADDED : 31
READ : 4
BALANCE : 27

BOOKS BOUGHT IN 2021 365
READ IN 2021 : 35
READ IN 2022 : 8
BALANCE OF 2021 ADDITIONS : 322

BOOKS BOUGHT IN 2020 BALANCE AT 1/1/22 = 212
READ IN 2022 : 1
BALANCE IS : 211

BOOK STATS

Books read : 22
Books added : 40

Days per book : 1.32
Projected total : 276
LT yearly best : 157

Pages read (completed books) : 4,883
Daily average : 168.38
Projected total : 61,459

Longest Book : 671 pages
Shortest Book : 88 pages
Average Book Length : 221.95

Gender
Male : 12
Female : 9
Various : 1

Genre :
Graphic Books : 1
Poetry : 2
Thriller/Mystery : 2
Non Fiction : 5
Fiction : 9
SF/Fantasy : 1

Origin :
USA : 4
UK : 7
Turkey : 3
Germany : 1
Egypt : 1
Ireland : 1
Norway : 1
Argentina : 1
Canada : 1
Iceland : 1
Various : 1

Challenges :
British Author Challenge : 1
American Author Challenge : 1
Non-Fiction Challenge : 1
Asian Book Challenge : 5
1001 Books First Edition : 1
Guardian 1000 Books : 1
Around the World Books : 3
Holocaust Reading : 2
Pulitzer Winners : 1
Rebecca NYC Reads : 1

Next is yours

Happy new thread!

>13 amanda4242: Dear Amanda; your are first! xx

Hi Paul, and happy new thread! Again!

From your last thread, I’m only a mega-poster when I get seriously behind. Which I’d prefer to not do, but I had some serious arthritic pain last week. Let’s see… excluding your threads, I’m 1,779 posts behind.

>2 PaulCranswick: Congrats on 17 books read so far this month/year!

And it looks like I’m second!

>15 karenmarie: Lovely silver for Karen.

I hope that the arthritis doesn't plague you Karen as my mum struggled with that on occasions and it wasn't fun at all.

Happy new thread, Paul!

>1 PaulCranswick: Beautiful topper, make me want to make a walk there.

>16 PaulCranswick: Thanks Anita. It is indeed a lovely place. Not my favourite place to work but I did learn so much there that made me what I am today.

You are zipping along, my friend! happy new one!
And that topper is stunning! Very inviting

Happy 5th thread, Paul!
>1 PaulCranswick: And that's how I imagined enchanted forests in England to look like. Now, I see they do actually exist!

>19 jessibud2: Thanks Shelley. I am struggling to keep awake actually because I couldn't sleep yesterday and am suffering for it today.

>20 Carmenere: Thank you Lynda. They do exist and we have some very nice ones too in Yorkshire where I hail from.

HI Paul, Happy new thread! That walk in the woods in >1 PaulCranswick: looks dreamy. My kind of place!

Had some sad news earlier. My mum's old friends were always called "Auntie" and revered as real Aunties when we were children. When she worked in the kitchen of a Private School straight from her own school, my mum made the acquaintance of a lady who later became to us children - Auntie Marion.

She was chalk to my mum's cheese not in the least glamorous but had the loveliest husband - our Uncle Frank who all three of Peter, Julie and I loved dearly and long since departed. She could bake for the angels and we used to often go to her home of a Sunday a drive away in Ossett. They had one daughter Caron an awkward girl of our age (Peter and I) who became a close friend of Julie's and was always treated as a cousin in our family.

Auntie Marion passed away peacefully this morning. Her and mum will improve the quality of rations up there.

>22 mdoris: Thank you Mary. It would be lonely in the middle of the week but fairly well peopled at the weekends.

Happy new thread, Paul! And I'm so sorry for your loss.

Thank you Carrie. Julie, my sister told me that Auntie Marion did not have too much quality of life the last few years but I get to remember the full of life lady who made the world's greatest cup cakes. Hani will attend the funeral.

So sorry about Auntie Marion. Memories are what get us through life. Hold on to them.

.>27 drneutron: Thanks Jim. I have great memories of being in their house from pre-school into my teens.

New thread? So soon after posting the league tables? Huh. Well, never mind, I'm still surprised I'm so far out of the gate.

Happy new thread, Paul. I am very sorry to hear the news about your Auntie Marion.

Paul. Tossing aside the Invisibility Cloak to greet you at the beginning of your newest thread. Condolences on the passing of Auntie Marion.

Happy new thread, Paul and gorgeous topper. So sorry to hear about your aunt.

Sorry to read about your "aunt." I noticed on those stats that I'm "slipping" a bit already. I really should finish three books between today and tomorrow though so that will help improve the stats a bit.

>23 PaulCranswick: {{hugs}}

>23 PaulCranswick: I am sorry for your loss. These times seem overwhelmed with loss.

Happy new one!

I'm sorry for your loss. Sending * hugs* your way.

Happy New One! Love your opening picture.

Lovely topper Paul.

>23 PaulCranswick: Sorry to hear of the passing of your auntie. The chosen family can be as dear as the blood ones when we are young. Yes, feasts in the multiverse...

Paul I’m sorry for your loss. Family friends who are close As relatives are a real treasure. It sounds like Auntie Marion was one.

>23 PaulCranswick: So sorry about your Auntie. You are fortunate to have your good memories of her.

Karen O

Hi Paul, happy new thread mate and congrats on the weight loss so far. I am sorry for your loss of Auntie Marion, i wonder if it's a Yorkshire thing as like you, i had lots of Aunties who were of no relation to me.

We are both well mate and Walton is doing fine.

Sorry for your loss, Paul.

>29 richardderus: Not surprised at all RD.....just like old times - well almost.

>30 AMQS: Thank you, Anne. It was not a surprise actually, Anne. I sent a message to her daughter, Caron, yesterday who seemed a little relieved. x

>31 weird_O: Thank you, Bill - always a pleasure to see you venturing over here.

>32 banjo123: Thanks Rhonda. I miss places like that while I am over here. Undergrowth here is to be avoided at all costs because you never know what might be lurking there.

>33 thornton37814: Thank you Lori. I haven't finished anything this weekend either.

>34 amanda4242: Hugs right back, Amanda. x

>35 quondame: It does seem rather one thing on top of another at the moment, Susan. Thank you. x

>36 figsfromthistle: Thanks Anita. Hugs are always welcome. x

>37 Kristelh: Thank you, Kristel. I think it is easy to determine that I am missing the UK.

>38 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks, Caroline. Great cooks both, mum and Aunt Marion; my mum on savouries and Aunt M on sweets.
Have you been on the Ridgeway, yourself?

>39 Helenoel: They are indeed, Helen. Lovely to see you here by the way.

I was very close growing up to her husband, Uncle Frank, as was my brother. I think he missed never having sons of his own. He loved sports as did we - especially Rugby League (he supported the very unfashionable Batley) and our beloved Leeds United. He died several years ago and the last time I was with Aunt Marion was at my sister's house a few Christmases ago when we were playing a game of "Who am I?" whereby you put on a hat that someone has written a name of a famous or infamous personage and you have so many guesses to see if you can guess who are meant to be. I remember the fun she had and despite ill health she was always cheerful.

>40 klobrien2: Thank you Karen. Yes memories are something we all need as succour in dark times as a reminder of gentler days.

>41 johnsimpson: I don't know whether it is something peculiar to either our locale or our generation, John.
I cringe today when I hear young people call their elders by their first name - it is something people of my generation would have never thought of doing. My friends mums are still Mrs Jones or Mrs Rowland to me and I would never be comfortable calling them Wendy or Anne.

They were the close, close friends that our parents had when we were small children. Auntie Heather, Auntie Dot, Auntie Ivy, Auntie Marion (only the former still with us) whilst the later known friends when we were already in High School would become Mrs McFaul or Mrs Sweeting. Cultural etiquette is a funny thing isn't it?

>42 jessibud2: Thanks Shelley.

A minor disaster this morning getting out of the car in the car park at work in that I dropped my mobile phone and smashed the screen. Now it can make a noise but I cannot see anything. Currently charging an old spare but I will have to get the screen fixed.

Not an auspicious start to the week with the new lunar year approaching.

Ouch! That’s a pain!

>51 drneutron: I know, Jim. Just plain clumsiness as well, but quite disruptive especially early in the morning when I hadn't yet communicated with SWMBO. One of her spies and acolytes in my office was able to message her on my behalf.

>23 PaulCranswick: My mom's friends were Aunts or Aunties as well. Auntie Eileen, Aunt Elizabeth, Aunt Barbara ... even tho they were former school chums of hers or buddies. I'm sorry you lost one. Mine are all gone now.

Thank you for sharing those memories of your Auntie, Marion, Paul. I am sorry for your loss. And I agree with you on the lapse in cultural etiquette today. I only have one niece on my side of the family and she has dropped the Aunt part of my name. I miss it.

Big oops on the dropped cell phone. At least you have a backup...and a "spy" in your office who could get in touch with Hani for you. :-)

>53 RBeffa: Just one left. My mum's oldest school friend - they sat together in class from first day to last and she was with mum the day before she passed away. Hani went to see her last week.

>54 Donna828: I may be old fashioned, Donna (in fact I most definitely am) but my children have been brought up in the same way and I am proud of the respect they show to the people senior to them in age and experience. I still am of the ilk that insists on ladies preceding me through doorways which I hold open for them, I am still of the ilk that always walks on the outside when I am in female copy, I am still of the ilk that stands on public transport if someone older than me or a lady of any age would be deprived of a seat otherwise.

Some feminists I'm sure take offence at such behaviour nowadays but, for me, it is second nature and just basic good manners.

Happy New Thread, Paul. Hope the work week goes smoothly. Sorry to hear about your Auntie Marion.

>56 msf59: Thanks Mark. The work is light, the heart a little heavy.

Oh Paul what a sorry mess for you right now. My sympathies.

You are not the only one with computer problems. My monitor stopped working this afternoon and after a goodly amount of time getting frustrated and yelling expletives, I finally got the desktop and the laptop to a state of uneasy workability. Then I went to put it all through the switch again and it stopped!!!! I have again unplugged everything from the switch and gotten things plugged in so I can use either the desktop or the laptop. And there it will sit. My brain is fried and it derailed one of my other projects. Downloading the diagram will help and I am beginning to suspect I need a new switch which will have to wait until Friday. At least I can limp along through the work week.

{hugs}

>58 AuntieClio: It is funny because the crazy keyboard has declared a truce at the moment and decided to work normally for a while.

I can sympathise with your own travails, Stephanie, having just faced the exact same. Try to not let the bloody machines get you down too much!

(((((HUGS)))) right back. x

>23 PaulCranswick: >50 PaulCranswick: My sympathies on both the death of your Auntie Marion, and the accident to your mobile phone - not comparable, but still probably feels like a one-two punch.

>49 PaulCranswick: My parents were very progressive, and encouraged us to call them and every other adult by their first name. This was in the 1960s. But we still had one of those courtesy Aunties - Auntie Flo, a long time friend of our grandmother's. (Grandma didn't have any use for this first name thing; we'd never have addressed her by name.)

>60 ArlieS: You know Arlie my morning would normally have been expletive filled had I started it in such a clumsy manner but I just sort of shrugged my shoulders as if to acknowledge that crap does happen to me fairly often lately!

I do wonder how many kids of today have similar "inhibitions" referring to their seniors? I will admit to feeling a little awkward when the youngish children of my friends refer to me blithely as "Paul". I don't think I'm so status conscious but something about it just doesn't seem quite on point. Malaysia is very often pretty formal in its modes of address as a matter of course. My younger sister in law for example will never call me "Paul" or "Karim" but "Abang Paul" or "Abang Karim" ("abang" means "big brother"). Malay culture often goes to fairly ridiculous length as the uncles/brothers/aunties/sisters are ranked in seniority - the eldest being "sulong" and the youngest "bongsu". I honestly don't know the given names of my wives four maternal Aunties only their titles -
Mak Long (sulong)
Mak Ngah (number two)
Mak Cik (number three)
and
Mak Su (bongsu)

I am 60+ posts behind on your new thread already, Paul, and not even trying to catch up.

Have a wonderful week! BTW - I started Madonna in a Fur Coat today, getting about halfway through the book, and am enjoying it.

>62 alcottacre: It's ok Stasia - you had better just read from here as none of it was particularly jolly.

Glad to see that "Madonna" is well received. I must get cracking. I had a really hopeless weekend reading wise.

Happy new thread, Paul!
And another thank you for sharing your wonderful picture - I relieve stress just from looking at it.
I am sorry for your loss.

>64 SirThomas: That is nice to know, Thomas. I didn't often consider myself much of a stress reliever.

Thank you for the kind wishes.

Sorry to hear about your loss Paul - hugs to you and the family.

Interestingly the 'brevet' aunt terminology seems to have skipped a generation for me. My parents friends were never 'Auntie' etc, whereas I've always referred to my friends as such with my kids. Language is a funny old thing.

Anyway, I should go do some work. Hoping your week gets better.

Happy new thread Paul. Sorry to hear about Auntie

Re: expressions of respect - of course here there are more than I'm used to in the US. One is the use of the formal vs. informal "you". Of course as a foreigner I get a pass when I screw it up, but you are meant to use it with older people, people you don't know at all, people with whom you have a business relationship, etc. Also "hoca" is omnipresent for teachers and the like. It's kind of funny because it just felt too strange for me with our Turkish teacher to call him Zeki Hoca, so I just never have. He said he's not terribly interested in the formality of it either.

Using "miss" or "mister" equivalents is very formal (although even if you're using those, they are paired with the first name, not the last). More often people address someone they don't know on the street with "abi" or "abla" (older brother or older sister) if they're not really old. If you're talking to an elderly person you'd use "amca" or "teyze" (uncle or aunt).

As for myself, I grew up being taught to say "Aunt ___" and "Uncle ___" for family members but I haven't used that since I was a child (to be fair, most of them are dead now so it doesn't come up), and I didn't teach my children to use it either. Their dad did though, and I still hear my son say things about "Aunt Carol" for example.

I expect everyone to call me by my first name. It weirds me out when one of the students in my class will use the formal you, or call me Ursula Hanım.

>1 PaulCranswick: Our last-but-one vicarage - a huge, cold, Victorian building - came with nearly three acres of land. Fortunately most of it was woodland - so didn't need mowing! - and we had our own bluebell wood.

>50 PaulCranswick: oops, no not the best start Paul. Hope your week improves.

>66 BekkaJo: Well at least my phone screen is already repaired, Bekka and I am in touch with the wider world (South Yorkshire in particular). I do wonder if the forms of address in this instance is a francophone familiarity issue?!

>67 fairywings: Thank you, Adrienne.

>68 ursula: That is interesting, Ursula and, of course, Turkey adopts very formalised structures in its address where status is important. The position of being a teacher is a particularly fascinating one and doesn't it depend a little on the age group being taught?

That said when I was at school my teachers were always "Mr", "Miss" or "Mrs".
Mrs Chant, Old Mrs Turner, New Mrs Turner, Mr. Hudson, Mrs Jennison, Mr. Naylor, Miss Nuttall and Mr. Rich were my form teachers throughout school and, honestly I had little idea of what any of their Christian names were.

>69 CDVicarage: Bluebells are a particular favourite of mine, Kerry and my village had a small glade that I spent hours in and called it optimistically Bluebell Wood. They really are beautiful in bloom providing a lavender blue / violet carpet interspersed with the greens and browns of the wooded glade.

>70 Caroline_McElwee: It is sort of taking a step forward and half a one backwards plus a couple sideways, Caroline.

Phone smashed - phone fixed - work day fine but heavy rain - rain stopped in time for home but wet underfoot - arrive home and water heater in master bedroom (for my bath specifically) fixed (hurrah!) but double door fridge/freezer in dry kitchen making a funny noise and apparently wants around $250 of my book money to shut up again.

Just another day in Malaysia.

>72 PaulCranswick: When I started work at the secondary school my children attended I found it difficult to use the Christian names of their teachers, having only heard them referred to as Miss, Mrs, Ms or Mr. And my children were desperate to know what the teachers' Christian names were!

>72 PaulCranswick: The position of being a teacher is a particularly fascinating one and doesn't it depend a little on the age group being taught?

No, it doesn't depend at all. Morgan's university students call him Hoca or Morgan Hoca (and it drives him kind of crazy, haha.) Teachers refer to each other as "Hoca" as well. If you talk to or say something about a fellow teacher named Mustafa, you call him Mustafa Hoca. So the other students in my class all call the teacher Hoca usually, Zeki Hoca if they feel like it. I just call him Zeki. :)

Also, teachers are pretty revered here, it's considered a sacred profession. One of the most famous photos of Atatürk is one where he is teaching the new Latin alphabet to students. Teacher's Day is a thing here - although it's not a national holiday that you get off from work (or school!), it's considered important and you see a lot of banners and things celebrating it, and people definitely do things for their teachers on that day.

When I was in school, teachers were definitely Mr./Mrs. etc. At university they were just first names.

>74 CDVicarage: I didn't have that unease at addressing the children's teachers but in Malaysia the mode of teacher's address was changed by all being referred to by their given names but with the prefix Miss, Mrs or Mr. The kids had teachers named Miss Stella, Dr Hussain, Mr. Gary, Mr. Raj etc.

>75 ursula: I'm thinking back to university and I think it depended a little on the lecturer or "fellow". My personal tutors were Jack Lively (husband of the writer Penelope) who despite often being referred to as Professor Lively often said "call me Jack" but my other tutor was Dr. Jones and I cannot remember his given name as he didn't seem to have one!

Just a suggestion for your phone- I bought a transparent " skin" for my phone- some sort of plastic that protects the phone and I have dropped it with no problems!

Sending love and peace as you mourn Auntie.

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread, Paul! Another lovely topper, it's making me wish for lovely warm spring days and flowers instead of the snow we have here now.

I'm sorry to hear about your Aunt Marion.

And sorry too about the phone. I dropped mine so bad last year that the screen didn't crack but went entirely black, and I had to replace it. Here's hoping your technology starts cooperating with you soon!

Interesting talk about addressing adults. There were some adults growing up that I called "Mr." or "Mrs." and others that I was less formal with and called by their first named. I started working when I was 16 and everyone I worked with, though many were my parents' age, told me to call them by their first names. But there are still older patrons that I'll refer to as "Mr." or "Mrs." My own friends' children tend to call me "Miss Mary" which is adorable.

>77 torontoc: It is a jolly good idea too, Cyrel, and I had one on the last incarnation of the phone. Replaced the screen and put a protective screen on too.

>78 witchyrichy: Thank you Karen. I am so blessed by my friends in the group.

>79 bell7: Technology will never be old hat to me, Miss Mary!

I wish for freshness just as you pray for warmth!

I do find it fascinating how modes of address differ and even how we treat different people in different ways depending upon the time of life we meet them or at what "station" in life both we and they were at at the time.

The Malays have an honorific Dato or Datuk (literally Grandpa) which is awarded either by the individual state/sultan or Agong or King. I have, without, name dropping, numerous Dato friends - some of whom are my own age or younger. The ones I knew before they got their titles I will always refer to them by their name unless we are together in company I'm not familiar with. Those older than I am or whom I don't know well I would refer to by their Honorific.

Tun Dr. Mahathir the long time Prime Minister of the country (and currently ill) is someone I worked for on a couple of occasions / projects when he was not in office. I would never have dreamt of calling him by name he was always merely "Tun". (I suppose Tun would equate to something like Duke). Stories for another day.

FOR MY FRIENDS WHO ARE INTERESTED THE FEBRUARY ASIAN BOOK CHALLENGE THREAD IS UP:

FEBRUARY IN THE HOLY LAND

https://www.librarything.com/topic/339017

A weird thing Europeans do that irks me is use "christian name" for "first name." "Given name" is weird too, all names are given, but doesn't trigger my jeebus-hatin' atheism in near the same way.

I wonder why that piece of hatefulness has clung like a blood stain in language.

>83 richardderus: Yes, RD, "Christian" name is obviously not appropriate in many instances and increasingly so as the so called Christendom is everyday more secular. Is the trait peculiarly European, though?

>84 PaulCranswick: Is the trait peculiarly European, though?

I don't think I've ever encountered it in my neck of the woods, and this is the bible-thumping part of California, so I'm thinking it may not be common in US English.

>85 amanda4242: RD could be right then, I grew up with it and, honestly, it was a hard habit to shake not to call first names or given names in that way.

I do think though that "given" name is right. Not all names are given. Surnames are inherited and Chinese and Koreans, for example, the given name rather than the inherited names are actually not placed first.

>84 PaulCranswick: Despite my background, I don't usually always asuume first name and Christian are interchangeable but in my examples above they were!

>87 CDVicarage: It is obviously not a bad-intentioned action to think of given or first names as Christian names because that appears to be how we Brits were largely brought up. Equally it is obviously incompatible with a more secular setting or for those of other faiths who also choose names for their children!

>83 richardderus: - Yeah. What if you're not Christian?

Your thread is growing in leaps and bounds, Paul. Sorry for your loss. Growing up the only Aunts I had were the ones that were really related. Grown ups were Mrs., Mr., or Miss.

After seeing the stats on your last thread it reminds me not to get behind on posting my reads.

>89 jessibud2: We have the same sort of thing here in Malaysia really, Shelley. When I converted I took the name Karim (not on my passport) because of the person who I rented my house from in Egypt, the then Interior Minister, Karim Darwish.

Most Malay people when they meet me will ask me "what is your Malay name?" rather than "islamic name" or "assumed name".

>90 Familyhistorian: Always lovely to see you here, Meg. xx

I will go and regularly update the reading stats - it will catch up. x

>49 PaulCranswick:, growing up in Old Sharlston, most folk knew me because of my dad, i was always Fred's lad and was polite with folk my dad talked to. Mr Albert Shaw was one in particular, he liked growing veg and was regularly in his garden if i passed, i always called him Mr Shaw but when i started work things changed. I had been working a few weeks and hadn't seen him to talk to but the first time i did i said hello Mr Shaw and he stopped me and said, you're working now John lad, it's time you called me Albert, i think i said Ok Mr Shaw. It took me awhile to get used to calling him Albert, it didn't seem right somehow but eventually i started calling him Albert to stop him admonishing me.

When i took Robert to the Test Matches at Headingley, we would always have a wander around the ground and we spotted Ian Botham, Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar. I always spoke to them as Mr and if i sent Rob off to get autographs i would always say to him, make sure you call them Mr when you ask for a signature and he did, bless him. He first did this when we spotted Jeff Thompson and Richie Benaud and i sent him off as he was rather fast and Richie said to him that he was a polite young man and his father must be proud of him, he raced back to tell me this whilst holding the autograph book with the prized signatures. Sadly those days seem to have gone.

>93 johnsimpson: Very illustrative anecdotes both, John.

Of course and as you know my own father grew up in Old Sharlston so we really do have very similar backgrounds and upbringings.

Hello Paul! Like you, I grew up calling adults Mr. or Mrs. Last Name and made sure my kids did, too. Our close friends from college invariably became Aunt or Uncle First Name. Even when writing book reviews I like to call authors Mr. or Ms. Last Name. Just seems respectful.

It's odd being a teacher (and I sometimes this was weird when I was addressing teachers). It's a little (searching for the right word... dissonant?) when parents I don't know address me by my first name, but even more weird when parents I've known for ages and consider friends still call me Mrs. Stylianou. But I think if you err, better to err on the side of respect.

>95 AMQS: Nice observations, Anne. Would Colorado be more conservative when it came to modes of address than say LA or Chicago or New York? I suspect so but I think I would probably prefer to stay in Colorado than those big bustling metropoles. You do after all have good bookshops to go with plenty of fresh mountain air.

I think to err on the side of perceived respect is a good policy.

>96 PaulCranswick: I doubt Colorado is more conservative with modes of address than anywhere else. But I have heard and experienced that Coloradans are friendlier (and genuinely friendlier) than many places. Maybe it's being geographically in the middle of two friendly (but different friendly) areas: California, and the American midwest. So add that to your list of Reasons To Come along with the Tattered Cover and fresh mountain air:) And while Denver is no Chicago or NYC, it is a good sized city.

>97 AMQS: I have plenty of reasons to do just that, Anne.

Denver and Leeds are almost identical in size - both area and population.

Speaking about respectful forms of address President Biden promised a return to unity and decency.

He was caught on camera/mic calling Peter Doocy a "stupid son of a bitch." Very Presidential, I must say in answer to a question on inflation which is at a 40 year high. He promised last year to fire anyone in his administration that treated others without respect. Perhaps he should resign before his obvious cognitive decline becomes even more pronounced?

I really am fed up with him. His administration offered such a hope to unify the world's superpower after four horrible years of division but he seems hell bent on making things worse. What a disappointment he has been.

>99 PaulCranswick: In Biden's defense, it was not intended to be "on mic". He's definitely frustrated - lots of things are going badly, seemingly spinning out of his control. I don't blame all this so much on him, but on the "behind the scenes" power brokers, who, almost two years ago, decided that a man way past his prime should be the party standard bearer as the "safe bet" to beat Trump. He's just not up to the job.

>100 ChrisG1: I agree with that Chris. Trump had to be shifted and I think it was thought, wrongly as it turned out, that he was a calm and safe pair of hands. The Presidency came a decade at least too late for him.
I think to blame him for COVID is preposterous and some of the inflation is clearly a direct result of the impact the pandemic has riven to the supply chain but it is also due to poorly targeted spending.

His foreign policy though - as a non-American seems particularly inept. To let slip in his press conference that "a minor Russian incursion" may be ok is diplomacy that Chamberlain would have been proud of.

In the interests of fairness and further clarification, I am pleased to report that apparently >99 PaulCranswick: President Biden called Pete Doocy to "clear the air" over his on mic "expletive gaffe".

Kudos to him for being big enough to do so and kudos to Doocy for fairly reporting the exchange and answering the frankly obnoxious Mr Sean Hannity's question over whether he got an apology with the point that there were much more serious issues pressing on the Commander-in-Chief's time but that he was grateful that he took time to call him.

(As reported in the New York Times)

I am hugely disappointed that so far we have failed to pass Biden's Build Back Better Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.
What a blow to social justice in the U.S. . .

All I am going to say is that I disagree with you. It doesn't take long to kick the sand castle down (which is what Trump did) but it takes a long time to build it back up (which is what Biden is trying to do). As for the U. S. foreign policy - it has never been in sync with Europe's. Our interests are different than Europe's and the U. S. is essentially an isolationist country.

>101 PaulCranswick:
>104 benitastrnad:

'Age of America First' is an interesting article in recent issue of FOREIGN AFFAIRS.
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/2021-09-29/biden-trump-age...

>104 benitastrnad: I completely agree, Benita.

Hi Paul, I am sorry for your loss.

It sounds so nice, calling people auntie and uncle. Here in Amsterdam this was customary in lower class neighborhoods. And used for everybody that people were friendly with, good neighbors, friends, and everybody. Times have changed.

>103 nrmay: The only thing I would say Nancy is that social justice is obviously a good thing but his domestic agenda is tame by European standards but considered quite radical by many by American ones.

>104 benitastrnad: And I disagree with you too, Benita, where it comes to foreign policy. His comments on "minor incursions" being acceptable has made the world a much more dangerous place and put Ukrainian lives at risk. That is not isolationist, which incidentally he promised not to be, but plain stupid.

My original point was that someone who stood on a platform to reintroduce decency and unity in American public life and then calls a reporter asking a perfectly valid question "a stupid son of a bitch" is not beyond reproach and he should be called out for it. How polarised you all are becoming in the USA you won't even do that.

>105 nrmay: That is an interesting article, Nancy. Thank you for sharing it.

>106 weird_O: Lovely to see you here as always, Bill.

>107 EllaTim: Great to see you, Ella. The decline in respect in modes of address is regrettable I think, Ella. Nice to see that in the Netherlands attitudes were similar to that of Northern England!

BOOK #18



Hotel Bosphorus by Esmahan Aykol
Date of Publication : 2002
Origin of Author : Germany (born in Turkey)
Pages : 246 pp

Read for Asian Book Challenge

Fitted this one in as I promised it as a shared read for TIOLI with Liz and I almost wished I had not bothered.

Probably the most inane book I will read this year. The narrator aimed for glib and came up glum and dumb. Unbelievable characters and silly storyline. Most egregious was the complete lack of care to the main character's occupation as a bookseller. She was never in the bookstore!

Not recommended.

>108 PaulCranswick:
I don't know if you can listen to this where you are but it is a segment that aired on NPR this afternoon about the American foreign policy and at the end of it the commentator says that American's are tired of being the world's policeman and that is leaving a vacuum in the world stage. Here is the link https://www.npr.org/2022/01/25/1075624785/how-the-ukraine-crisis-could-reset-the...
It is an interesting point-of-view from a different part of the world.

Just dropping in to say Hi! Too many things to comment on here, especially with a keyboard that isn't working right...

>112 benitastrnad: Thanks for that, Benita. I am able to hear it! Interesting perspective but of course it isn't so much about will as about capacity. We will see a fragmentation of the Western Alliance as things stand, the UK, Australia and a number of other key European allies felt betrayed by the USA over Afghanistan and the muddled messaging towards Russia is very concerning.

The West is reaping from the seeds it sowed twenty five years ago to take advantage of cheap labour and open up the Chinese economy. Now Western manufacturing capacity is diminished and the pandemic has caught them flat-footed not able to get goods to market and being clearly now a dependent economy. Yes America's relative position has declined and this is why it needs to work in closer concert with its allies both in recovery and to set-off the weakened position.

Russia understands power. It is what brought the communist regime to heel at the end of the 1980s and the first thing the new administration did was remove the bi-partisan sanctions from the mooted Russian Gas pipeline. Wrong signal to an emboldened Putin. The fiasco in Afghanistan further demonstrated to him that America is hobbled and has weak leadership. The "minor incursion" rhetoric may have opened the door to an extremely dangerous situation. You can tell how worried his handlers were by the terrible gaffe by the efforts made to walk those comments back immediately afterwards. Barack Obama famously said that we should not underestimate Biden's ability to f@&! things up. He wasn't kidding.

>113 Berly: I completely sympathise and understand, Kimmers as I have had exactly the same problems myself these last couple of weeks and it does slow us down. xx

BOOK #19



The List of Books by Frederic Raphael
Date of Publication : 1981
Origin of Author : UK
Pages : 154 pp

Since there was a TIOLI Challenge this month on lists what better way than for me to re-integrate myself with the challenge, as I have been known to like the odd list of two.

This is a book listers little secret joy. Spread over 47 sections the author, with some help from an advisory board, prepares an imaginary personal library of 3,000 over books. Needless to say some of it is contentious, but all of it is great fun to this inveterate bibliophile.

I will select a book, I don't have or haven't read from each of the sections for my wishlist.

Books of the Decade (70s) - The Great Explorers by S. Morrison
Editor's Choice - The Grammar of Motives by Kenneth Burke
Getting to Grips with the 20th C - The Bald Prima Donna by Eugene Ionesco
Reference Books - Chronology of the Modern World by Neville Williams
Anthropology - Down Among the Wild Men by John Greenway
Archaeology - The Land of Shinar by Leonard Cottrell
Architecture - Towards an Architecture by Le Corbusier
Art & Design - The Pre-Raphaelite Tragedy by William Gaunt
Autobiography/Memoirs - Memoirs of a Revolutionist by Peter Kropotkin
Biography - William Morris : From Romantic to Revolutionary by EP Thompson
Children's Books - The Changes by Peter Dickinson
Diaries & Letters - Letters to His Son by Lord Chesterfield
Drama - Savages by Christopher Hampton
Economics - Economic Philosophy by Joan Robinson
Feminism - Lives of Girls and Women by Alice Munro
Fiction /Crime & Thrillers - Sleep No More by George Sims
Fiction / Novels - Academic Year by DJ Enright
Fiction / Sci/Fi - The Voyage of the Space Beagle by AE Van Vogt
Fiction / Short Story - The Hat on the Bed by John O'Hara
Film - The Shattered Silents by Alexander Walker
Food - Food in England by Dorothy Hartley
Geography - The Home of Man by Barbara Ward
History; American - Across the Wide Missouri by Bernard DeVoto
History; Ancient - History of the Jewish War by Josephus
History; Asian/African - The Washing of the Spears by Donald R Morris
History; British - The First Four Georges by JH Plumb
History; European - Fourteen Byzantine Rulers by Michael Psellus
History; Latin America - From Cortes to Castro by Simon Collier
History; World - Cities of Destiny by AJ Toynbee
Home & Garden - The Small Garden by CE Lucas Phillips
Humour - Reuben Reuben by Peter De Vries
Lit Criticism - Classics and Commercials by Edmund Wilson
Maths & Science - The Earth We Live On by Ruth E Moore
Media - A Seamless Robe by Charles Curran
Medicine - Breakdown by Stuart Sutherland
Music - The Classical Style by Charles Rosen
Mythology - The Greek Myths by Robert Graves
Natural History - Before Nature Dies by Jean Dorst
Occult - The Roots of Coincidence by Arthur Koestler
Philosophy - Revolt of the Masses by Jose Ortega y Gasset
Poetry - Poems and Ballads by Algernon Swinburne
Politics - Capitalism, Socialism & Democracy by Joseph A Schumpeter
Psychology - The Social Animal by Elliot Aronson
Religion - The Heretics by Barrows Dunham
Sex - The Perfumed Garden by Sheik Nefzawi
Sociology - Suicide by Emile Durkheim
Travel - An Affair of the Heart by Dilys Powell

>99 PaulCranswick: Wil Wheaton with an opposing point of view, Paul.

A Fox propagandist failed to trip up the president with a bad faith question designed for the sole purpose of extracting a sound bite President Biden’s opponents could use against him.

President Biden correctly identified this as a stupid question, from a stupid person who was being stupid. He did nothing wrong.

And now the same people who had nothing at all to say, ever, during the obscene, abusive, vulgar Trump presidency, are rending their garments over Biden’s incivility. Biden did nothing wrong, was candid in a moment where it was entirely justified, and HE STILL APOLOGIZED to the son of a bitch.

This is why Democrats are seen as weak. Joe Biden should have said something like, “Well he’s either a dumb son of a bitch or just a son of a bitch. Of course he knows the answer to that question. You all know the answer to that question. It was a stupid set up and I gave it the appropriate respect. Maybe you could care about climate change the way you care about my tone.”

>117 weird_O: I am going to say something I rarely say: Wil Wheaton is right.

>117 weird_O: & >118 ursula: Yes it is indeed an opposing point of view, Bill.

There is nothing wrong about asking a question about the impact of inflation on the midterms and it certainly isn't stupid. It isn't stupid to ask a question on a problem that obviously hurts the livelihoods of the poorer Americans more than the well-off. It is ok for Biden and his privileged liberal elite; the inflation isn't hurting them. But it will in November when they get swept away unless they wake up and smell the coffee and I say that as someone who wants them to get their act together.

Anyone who doesn't agree with this administration about education, crime, the border, foreign policy and inflation are labelled either as racists or bigots or just plain stupid. That isn't the way to persuade people to your argument. The muddled old man doesn't often have exchanges with the press and it is obvious to see why.

To be fair the polarisation of political debate in America is the biggest thing wrong at the minute. You have a mainstream media who rightly were on Trump's case for his un-presidential lack of civility or rational discourse and a President elected on a platform for a return to decency. But they are signally unprepared to criticise obvious wrongs in the current administration and it does them absolutely no credit. Stalin was better than Hitler but he was still a tyrant. Biden is better than Trump but he is still behaving poorly and frankly not doing his job. Don't give him a free pass for heaven's sake just because you believe Trump was worse.

Democrats and Republicans alike are not prepared to stand up and call out unacceptable behaviour and as a result exacerbating the division. America desperately needs a statesman who will come and occupy the political centre as the extremes on both sides are forcing the debate and it is to the detriment of all of you. Will Wheaten knows nothing about Pete Doocy's mother and has no call or right to be paid to make remarks like that. My mother died last year and I didn't get to be with her when she passed. If Biden had called my mother a bitch, the Secret Service would have had to drag me off him.

If that is truly the quality of political commentary and discourse, I will shut up and happily continue working my way through my mountain of books. They are at least not causing me any offence.

>119 PaulCranswick:, Just want to say thank you for your insights

>116 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul! I can see why you loved this book! Lists, and lists of good books, what’s not to love. And another list of books to read… of your list I have only read The Social Animal, very interesting and easy to read, if I remember correctly.

>120 Kristelh: Thank you, Kristel.
The trouble is that nowadays politics and partisanship are unhinging people's sense of decency.
My original comments were not couched in politics but a call for good manners and propriety.
Do we really want our politicians to be foul mouthed? Wasn't Nixon as much excoriated for his expletive ridden tapes almost as much as for his double dealing? We are surely supposed to hold our leaders to a higher standard than we would any John Doe.

I am a Labour Party member and worked for a short time as a student in the office of Tony Benn - he was a hero of my youth (and still). I am far to the left in politics than most people who post in the group but - party affiliations or not - I am quite able to excoriate my leadership when it is involved in anti-semitism or other wrong-headedness or applaud the other side when they, very occasionally, get things right.

>121 EllaTim: Only 154 pages of lists! Ella, I spent more time on this bloody book than My Name is Red which had more than four times the number of pages and none of them lists.

Great source of information by a very erudite author in his right. I will try to slowly work my way through the list and will probably extend that list to a hundred or so.

>119 PaulCranswick:
This paragraph reminded me of something that I strongly agree with. Why are most curse words always aimed at Women? There are very few curse words that refer to men's anatomy or ancestry and a myriad of them that refer to women's. It seems most unfair to me. Why all this male angst over women's anatomy and sexual practices. It doesn't make sense unless the men are thinking that using these words gives them power? If that is the case what are they so afraid of? Over Christmas my sisters and I finally came up with a curse that we think is worthy of the Bard aimed at men. We believe that it is accurate and will pass censorship. It is a very civilized way of calling men out for what they are. Feckless dick.

I live in Alabama and I can say that your statement sounds exactly, and I mean almost word for word, what the current advertisements for the office of Governor for the state are saying. Almost WORD-for-WORD! You sound like a Republican. I agree with you - that isn't the way to get me to vote for your party. Your argument makes Joe Biden look like a saint compared to the previous feckless dick who was in the office of President.

And of course, Joe Biden wouldn't be the first senile president of the U. S. I recall the years of the late Great Satin - Ronald Regan. And of course, the Brits had better not say a word about senile leaders, as there are quite a few of those in their closet. And some of them fairly recent. But I am getting into a pissing contest here and men always win those due to women being anatomically challenged in that respect.

>124 benitastrnad: I really enjoyed your post, Benita, as always.

I am neither Republican nor Democrat as we thankfully don't get those two pretty poor choices in the UK - we get our own poor ones. If I sounded like a Republican then some of them at least must be speaking a modicum of sense because my point is merely that people should start and treat each other with more respect in their discourse. If that is a political statement or in the least bit controversial then we should all give up.

The Brits have certainly had their share of bungling incompetents as Prime Minister although I am trying to remember when was the last one in power with obviously declining cognitive powers. The current Prime Minister is a terrible example to his own people and a pretty sorry excuse for a human being.

As to the genitalia of either sex being the suitable subject for epithets it is hard to exclude one and justify the other!

>122 PaulCranswick: ...wait...the Right has gotten something right? When?! What was it? Where was I when the Angelic Hosts blew their trumpets and announced the Second Coming?

Paul, you are of course neither a republican nor a democrat, nor could you be one if you wanted. I could be either a republican or democrat but I have chosen for a long time to be neither. I fully understand the sense of Benita's statement however, and perhaps it might be said that it sounds like you have been fed right wing propaganda. There are several worlds of difference between Trump and Biden. I voted for neither of them by the way.

Hi Paul - the website "Five Books" has a feature on "Islam and the State."

>126 richardderus: Hahaha, Right is oftentimes wrong but left is more often right which of course makes some sort of jumbled sense.

>127 RBeffa: I'm not entirely sure what right wing propaganda I'm imbibing by reading the New York Times, Ron. I don't think that I am cognitively callow or shallow enough to believe the first thing I read or hear and form my own views. Not being a partisan in an American sense allows removal from the heat of rhetoric and vituperation that seems to descend if there is even an attempt at being even handed and let's move on from this equating Biden and Trump nonsense. I have never said a good word about Trump on my threads and if Americans fail to move on from him and stop seeing everything in such an adversarial manner then he really has lowered the tone of public discourse.

I repeat though nobody seems to be paying much attention I was making a comment on manners not politics.

>128 m.belljackson: Thank you, Marianne. I will go and look that up.

>125 PaulCranswick:
For your listening pleasure (I hope you can view these in the wilds of South Asia.)
https://yellowhammernews.com/gov-kay-iveys-reelection-campaign-releases-tv-ad-ta...
https://yellowhammernews.com/ivey-campaign-to-launch-first-tv-ad-during-sec-cham...
https://yellowhammernews.com/tim-james-campaign-drops-tv-ad-they-think-there-are...

I wish that the Repulsicans would just stop with the Big Lie. Nobody election was stolen. And all of their public agenda is about culture not the real problems. As for civility - what could be more civil than Grandma MeMaw (the nickname for Kay Ivey) to say that the last election in Alabama was not secure? Idiots. Joe Biden was right to call the stupid. Only he should have used this term - sons of feckless dicks.

>129 PaulCranswick: I know you were talking about manners Paul. They've been gone in the Presidential realm since Obama left office. I will state my opinion for a moment on something but I don't want to get into a political discussion since they rarely end well. I think Biden and Harris was a poor choice for the democrats here, but I also think the party felt forced to make that choice to defeat Trump. In other words I believe we have Biden because of Trump. I think Trump has every intention to run for President again and way too many politicians have aligned themselves with his cause. The more sensible Republicans have left or been forced out. Where I live at least two or three of our state politicians I can vote for switched their affiliation from R to D and got elected.

I do not think you are callow or lacking in common sense.

>131 benitastrnad: Wow that Kay Ivey lady has one heck of a deep voice!

The ads are extremely OTT: "killing our babies?" !! dear me.

I think those who make baseless allegations of election fraud because you didn't like the result often reap what they sow and it appears both sides are now outdoing each other in claims and counter claims about threats to the electoral system.

In your post >124 benitastrnad: you said
"statement sounds exactly, and I mean almost word for word, what the current advertisements for the office of Governor for the state are saying. Almost WORD-for-WORD! You sound like a Republican."

Other than making the point that your political discourse in America has descended to such a level that all critics of the administration are branded as racists, bigots or stupid - which I have seen with my own eyes watching your President and his acolytes speak and by watching daily highlights from your congress and senate - what is recognisable in my call to decency and decorum with the content of those videos?

That such a remark could be alleged rather proves my point about polarisation and decency or the absence thereof.

Back to books, I think.

>132 RBeffa: Thank you for that, Ron.
You are certainly right that Trump begat Biden as a necessity quite probably for his removal as there just didn't seem to be anyone else. I only hope that Biden does not in turn beget Trump.
I don't know where the quality of politicians are worldwide in a time when able people are needed to get everything moving again.

Why exactly should we treat anyone with respect who wants us dead because we are not white supreme believers?

Paul, you are making the assumption that the set-up by Paul Doocy to trip President Biden up is worthy of respect or decorum. Biden's only fault here is that he didn't wait to make sure his mic was turned off before expressing his opinion. Frankly, if the lack of manners in this case is what bothers you, you're not paying attention. We have congress women in their home states calling other congress women jihadist or terrorist. They refuse to abide by the rules of not taking guns to work and use them in their propaganda to threaten those of us who wish for better. Marjorie Taylor Greene is far worse than anything President Biden has done or said. And while we're complaining about America not getting enough done, let's watch the Senate whose leader, Mitch McConnell (rather Kevin McCarthy) who has said repeatedly the sole goal is making sure any democrat in office only gets one term. That's more worrisome than some "slip of the tongue" that was supposed to go unheard.

Hi Paul - skimming through to attempt to catch up with you. Happy new thread!

>99 PaulCranswick:
Just to clarify - Stating that Biden is a disappointment is not political? I think it is. Of course, the question becomes a disappointment to who? and then for what reasons? So far he is not a disappointment to me. What is a disappointment is the U. S. Congress and the state governments. I pointed out the problems in Alabama, but Kansas (another red state) has the same problems.

I was much amused when I was in Kansas for Christmas that the state legislature in that state is wrestling with how to pay a 2 million dollar legal fee bill. Back when that no good Sam Brownback was governor and Kris Kobach was Secretary of State the state legislature passed a bill to tighten up the election laws in Kansas. The bill was written by Kobach and it became the model for many of the other Republican states that were trying to restrict voting. The Kansas law was taken to court and the Kansas Supreme Court declared the law unconstitutional because it could not be proven that there was election fraud in the first place. Because the state lost the case, it has to pay the legal fees. The bill was 20 million dollars. The current Secretary of State, a Republican, negotiated the bill down to 2 million, but now the state legislature has to allocate the money. The Speaker of the Kansas House got riled up and made a speech about passing ridiculous legislation for non-existent problems and those who voted for the bill should have to ante up with part of the money to pay it. It was pointed out to him that he had voted for this bill and it was passed on partisan party lines. (Republicans are a majority in Kansas). I left before the issue was resolved, but imagine that there was lots of spluttering and choking but my guess is that the state legislature will quietly pay the bill, and I hope they won't pass a stupid law like that again. My fear, is that they will wise up and write better ones that will pass judicial scrutiny.

ps. Biden's off the mic comment indicates he is not that senile after all...

>122 PaulCranswick:, and I applaud you for you well thought out comments and totally agree that we should expect our leaders to have good manners and to be able to conduct themselves with wisdom.

>140 Kristelh: Agree Kristel. What chance is there for the country to heal when there is such vehemence and intolerance expressed for the "other side". I worry where this is leading.

Hi Paul - sad to hear about your aunt.
Regarding all the political talk, it is the same throughout the Western world and I lay a lot of blame on the media. True journalism seems a thing of the past.

>135 m.belljackson: Since I have never wanted anyone dead for whatever reason I don't understand the comment, Marianne and cannot really respond.

>136 AuntieClio: Wow Stephanie the reporter even gets my name now so I must be bad. His name is Pete Doocy not Paul Doocy. Of course I am assuming that the reporter deserves respect. If I start off from the perspective that everyone does then that seems to put me at odds. It has gotten to the point that the one side only sees his/her own side as in any way meritorious or deserving or respect. He campaigned as the great unifier but cannot even be civil to reporters.

>135 m.belljackson: >143 PaulCranswick: I'm sure Marianne can speak for herself, but I can confirm that I strongly feel that many white supremacists want me dead, and I'm not overly concerned about being polite to those who do wish me and my fellow believers, gone from this planet. I'm pretty sure you were not being accused of wishing anyone dead.

>137 humouress: Thanks for coming by, Nina. x

>138 benitastrnad: Yes, Benita I made remarks about his foreign policy being shambolic in response to other comments but my original remarks were solely on decorum and manners. I note that you and others have seen nothing at all wrong in having politicians behave like that and instead likened me to some ultra right wing Gubernatorial candidate talking about stealing elections and killing babies.
Again my point was that we no longer treat those with a different perspective with due respect and I think some of the comments sent my way rather demonstrate my point.

>139 m.belljackson: That is a valid observation, Marianne, but not a wholly consoling one.

>140 Kristelh: Thank you, Kristel. I didn't actually think that my comment putting out a little bit long windedly what you said so succinctly was in the least bit controversial.

>141 mdoris: Thanks Mary. Perhaps I am not close enough to some of the issues to fully appreciate the level of bitterness that is obvious from some of the vehement remarks by my peers and contemporaries here.

If even civility is impossible then a country I have always deeply admired is lost.

>142 avatiakh: Thank you, Kerry.
Yes, I agree with you Kerry. A constant theme of my threads has been that journalists long ago abrogated the news in favour of opinion and often downright incitement.

>144 quondame: Noted Susan and I guess we cannot tell others how they are supposed to feel. Not being a White or Black supremacist and not knowing any I am unable to really comprehend a society that would engender people to think in such ways. I would be interested as a matter of empiricism to know how many white supremacists or black supremacists the USA currently housed.

>143 PaulCranswick: My sincerest apologies for getting the reporters name wrong. I was definitely not trying to impugn your character.

>148 PaulCranswick: Are you sure you haven't interacted with anyone who habitually uses racial "shortnames" for non-whites, or non-Chinese or non-Malay or non-whatever group is in power in any of the regions you've lived and worked? White supremacists are just the ordinary us who define the us-ness of being as superior in important ways to those others and are prone to push violently when roused up and frightened. And right wing media as been rousing and frightening for decades now.

>149 AuntieClio: No problem, Stephanie, I didn't think for a moment you were trying to do that. xx

>150 quondame: Not really, Susan, no. There is a problem in Malaysia which is government mandated Malay supremacy - which is a stated public policy but there are not any white supremacists of my acquaintance. My beloved Malaysia on the other hand organises its parties on race and does not allow any non-Malay to hold the highest political office either federally or state wide. Brown Supremacy is alive and well here and it is often not a pretty sight either.

Mainstream media in the West is not overwhelmingly right-wing although there are obviously quite egregious exceptions to that but I would add that some of the rhetoric I have heard on MSNBC and CNN is almost as bad in its way (the other way).

>125 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul, for emphasizing that a modicum of civility should be expected from political actors, and while those who fail at this may be the current standard model, they are nonetheless defective.

Obviously civility is not enough. And I'm not all that good at it myself, when something annoys me. But a return to civility would be an improvement on what the US has now.

>152 ArlieS: Thank you, Arlie, you do encapsulate the point I was trying and seemingly failing to make. xx

>148 PaulCranswick: Paul = when you locate The 1619 Project book, not the $499 Collector Magazine!
you will find, not the precise number of supremacists,
but the motives which have propelled them...and can then make a guess on numbers.

Mitch McConnell likely precipitated many more black ones when he recently separated "Blacks" from "Americans."
Looks like we're back in the 1800's.

>143 PaulCranswick: Paul - How much respect is owed to someone who wants you dead? = that was the question.

>154 m.belljackson: I didn't raise the issue of race, Marianne, but it always seems to come back to it, doesn't it?

I don't understand why anyone would want to separate "Black" or "White" or "Yellow" or "Red" from "American".

>155 m.belljackson: No respect is owed to someone wishing you dead but that was not and never has been my point as I think anyone looking reasonably at what I have said would understand.
I also don't think it is helpful to justify the rudeness to a reporter as ok because he wished someone dead when you or I know nothing of the sort.

If we start off from the premise that those with a different perspective are fundamentally evil we will never bridge differences.

>156 PaulCranswick: "If we start off from the premise that those with a different perspective are fundamentally evil we will never bridge differences."

There you go mate.

>157 RBeffa: Thanks Ron. I certainly don't start from that premise.

>151 PaulCranswick: I don't see a qualitative difference between brown supremacy in Malaysia and white supremacy in the USA and Europe. Surely the anti-immigrant nastiness of Europe is much the same thing. Our us-ness is more important than your humanity.

>159 quondame: I am against prejudice of all kinds, Susan, so I would certainly agree with you.
On a pure terminology point of view and without resorting to semantics, anti-immigration sentiments are not often in Europe driven by a white supremacist narrative in my view but oftentimes a racist one nevertheless. It is more akin to xenophobia really as they don't want foreigners period irrespective of the colour of those foreigners. Some of the Brexit sentiment in the North and East of England was fuelled by anger at Poles and Slovaks and Romanians coming into the UK and taking (as they perceived) what was left of the Employment opportunities or working briefly and then living off the rather overly generous British welfare system. Xenophobic yes, racist in part though the vast majority of immigrants were white and not discernibly different from the "native" population other than in language, religion and a willingness to work hard.

I take the point that the European experience is not the British experience and the British experience is not the American one and racism unfortunately exists everywhere in various guises still throughout the world.

Perhaps this is the sort of courtesy and decorum that should be looked for.

It comes from the UK House of Lords (a chamber in respect of which I am long an advocate of needful democratic reforms) - the Government's spokesperson is taking responsibility for a discourtesy and see how it is responded to by my side. If only elsewhere..................

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

>140 Kristelh: … and serve tea

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&amp...

BJ before he became PM

What are my reading plans for February 2022?

Asian Book Challenge (obviously)
It is the Holy Land so Israeli writers (and some Palestinians too) will be to the fore in February.
I haven't fully decided yet but:
Yoram Kaniuk, SY Agnon, Susan Abulhawa, Edward W Said, AB Yehoshua and David Grossman are strong possibilities.

British Author Challenge
I will try to read something by both Timothy Mo and Mary Renault nominated by Amanda for February.

American Author Challenge
I note that Tess Gallagher's short story collection The Lover of Horses is available on Open Library so I will read that one.

Around the World in Books
Europe, the Americas and Africa will fit in with my reading plans somehow.

List of Books Challenge
I plan to read Down Among the Wild Men and Academic Year both of which are on Open Library. I think that the first book here also fits the NF Challenge.

1001 / Holocaust Reading
I will read Fateless by Imre Kertesz

Booker & Pulitzer
I will read Lincoln in the Bardo for the former and something undecided as yet for the latter.

Shared Reads
Queen of Sorcery is up next for the Belgariad and I have committed to Fuzzi to read Black Tide by Hammond Innes.

Hope to Read - For RebeccaNYC
I hope to read Danube by Claudio Magris to help clear the TBR of our dear and very esteemed late friend.

I will of course read some poetry and other books to try and fit in to whatever the TIOLI challenges are. Target a long shot of 28 books.

>163 PaulCranswick: Some good titles here. I took Danube with me when we travelled through Europe in 2008 I got about a third through it but I was more into fiction and so I left it in a hotel room in Budapest.
I'll have to read Amos Oz for the Israel challenge as I want to finish all my Oz books this year.

>162 humouress: I am pleased to offer tea:



and I can always promise to respond to questions / posts but I cannot promise the loud shorts!

>164 avatiakh: I would have definitely have been looking out for your reading this coming month, Kerry, considering where the Asian Book Challenge is visiting.

Amos Oz is a possibility and I have a few of his books on the shelves but Kaniuk and Grossman and Agnon are calling to me too.

>165 PaulCranswick: Phew! I thought for a sec, until I scrolled down, that you were aspiring to be Boris Johnson.

>167 humouress: Hahaha I don't think that even Boris Johnson aspires to be Boris Johnson. He has the most appropriate initials of any politician I know!

>164 avatiakh: I really want to read more of Aharon Apelfeld and I still haven't read The Blue Mountain.

Yes, please, I’ll take a cup of tea.

Catching up with you, Paul. I enjoyed perusing your February plans - I just started working on those. Not sure what I will read for you Asian Reading Challenge next month - I don't have any authors in my personal library that fit, so I need to make a decision. DO you have one that you have previously read that stands out?

>169 avatiakh: That looks a good one, Kerry. I haven't read anything by Aharon Apelfeld.

>170 Kristelh: I have just got home and am drinking some of Erni's finest Sumatran blend of coffee but just a second I will go and rustle amongst the tea leave, Kristel.

>171 Crazymamie: The most lauded probably, Mamie, of Israeli writers is possibly Amos Oz. The best people to advise us really are Kerry and Madeline but this may be helpful as it is from a site I really like called five books (yep lists of books will always drag me in!) and the person choosing the 5 Israeli books is a very good writer in her own right.

I have three of the five mentioned in the article and her explanations are very helpful, I think.

>170 Kristelh: Since it is you, Kristel, I will share with you my favourite smoky lapsang shouchong tea.

Some end of the month additions:

32. Bestiary by K-Ming Chang
33. The Ruin of Kasch by Roberto Calasso
34. Roundabout of Death by Faysal Khartash
35. The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans
36. Salt : A World History by Mark Kurlansky
37. The Greek Myths : The Complete and Definitive Edition by Robert Graves

First one I bought for the TIOLI
I have long heard about the second one.
The third one will be for March's Asian Book Challenge
I have seen enthusiasm for Danielle Evans' book
I bought "Salt" for Jeff for his Santa gift so I ought to read it too
The last one was in the List of books read and I love Graves.

>173 PaulCranswick: Was there supposed to be a link to the article? I goggled five books, and I found what you are talking about, I think. I have requested the David Grossman title from the library - To The End of the Land. Thanks, Paul!

>176 Crazymamie: Gosh Mamie, I am sorry that was pretty careless of me.

The link to the Five books Israel selection is here belatedly:
https://fivebooks.com/best-books/israeli-novels-ayelet-gundar-goshen/

No worries, Paul. I had found what you were talking about, and it was very helpful. I had not heard of that site before - very interesting idea, and most helpful for something like your Asian Reading Challenge.

I do my best to steer clear of fivebooks dot com because it induces the most rampageous exacerbations of my clinically severe tsundoku. But it absolutely makes a great, great starting point for investigating some fascinating cranny of the literary world!

>179 Crazymamie: A usual resource to skim through before a trip to the bookstore, certainly. :D

>180 richardderus: So in essence, RD, you hate the site whilst loving it just a little bit too?! Surfing the web looking for book sites that I might like landed me in this particular bibliographical Arcadia.

>156 PaulCranswick: Paul - it's not simply a "different perspective" - it is an expression of evil, as anti-Semitism rises again,
here - in Germany - and most everywhere -
as Asian people are attacked on the streets, as kids are spit on by anti-vaxers, as violence against black
and brown people goes unpunished...

Joe does not want us dead; donald would like all white liberals, asians, browns, blacks, native people, multiculturals...to "disappear."

>182 m.belljackson: Marianne, I don't live in a place where children are spit on in the streets, where people of any colour are routinely attacked in those same streets. I live in a society where people have their differences but largely respect those differences and which has no place in it for hatred of any form. I live in Malaysia and it seems I should cherish that.

I am sorry but, whilst there are exceptions to every rule, I don't believe that every Republican is a hate fuelled racist that wants fellow Americans dead. I don't believe that every young black man living in an urban community is in a gang, takes drugs and wields a gun. I don't believe that American society is irredeemable despite many problems. I do believe in the basic goodness of most people and I won't go along with the doomsday messaging however hyperbolic it is put across.
The labelling of the multitude for the wrongs of the few is the sort of stance that allowed Hitler and his ilk to persuade a gullible and careless people that it was fine and dandy to seek restitution through extermination. Making all Republicans (or Democrats) out to be pernicious or evil creates or at least perpetuates the very division and hatreds that you are complaining about.

We shouldn't be emphasising "expressions of evil" but rather trying to build a coalition of decency. Every little bit helps - our polite interactions here, for example - to make the world just a little bit nicer. I don't want to give up and let the small minority of bad people succeed.

On a brighter note and without even a tinge of political comment I am pleased to announce ten straight days of wins in the Wordle game. Thank you Natalie for making me addicted to this boody game and have me counting down the clock until my daily dose can satiate.

>183 PaulCranswick: Paul, I come from a decent family of MODERATE Republicans - I never said "every Republican" - I wrote "donald."

>3 PaulCranswick: I'm going to have to find a copy of "The Thief and the Dogs". I'm a fan of Mahfouz, so thanks for the tip.

And 19 books already?! I'm barely through 9...

Hurray for new books, plans for February reading, teas and Wordle!!

No political commentary, eh? Well, that spirals my brain cells back to Diana Gabaldon's latest,
and most mellow, Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone.

Also 3/4 through (and can't wait til the end = geez, enough with the blood and gore) OVID'S METAMORPHOSES.

and finishing I Am Malala,
starting Defending the Rock,
the sequel to David Rhodes' DRIFTLESS =Jewelweed,
ENDANGERED SPECIES by artist Dierdre Luzwick,
LIGHT ON THE PATH (a tiny tract with no Touchstones),
THE BUDDHIST CATECHISM (maybe the only organized religion which, militant Buddists aside, would rule with peace and love),
and THE 1619 PROJECT.

All for various Challenges.

>183 PaulCranswick: Agreed, and better stated than I could have managed.

>185 m.belljackson: If you mean Trump, I don't think he cares about anyone, and would happily sacrifice anyone and everyone to his own ambition and desire for self-gratification - including whites, males, Christians, etc.

IMO, his current targets are merely chosen for instrumental reasons. And to him his supporters are just currently useful marks.

>185 m.belljackson: My response wasn't a direct response against you, Marianne, but against the America you described particularly in your opening words. I will maintain my tradition/position of never saying anything positive about Chump and I wouldn't really want to hazard what truly goes on that man's mind.

>186 ocgreg34: Hi Greg! It is pretty standard fayre for Mahfouz and if you like his other stuff you will be happy to read this one.

>187 Berly: Tea can settle most things, books can soothe the heart and mind, Wordle can perplex and Kimmers' visits can delight!

>188 m.belljackson: Oh dear, Marianne - Ovid; make no wonder you are pessimistic as to the future! How is Driftless as I have plans to read that one sometime soon?

>189 ArlieS: Thank you, Arlie. I think that we must keep that cup at least half-full. x

>190 ArlieS: Yes, I agree. One of the most worrying things for me about the difficulties faced by the current administration - some inevitable by the pandemic and some possibly self-inflicted - is that it allows him to envisage a situation whereby he can run again. I really hope that doesn't happen and someone will emerge who is able to help most Americans find some common ground.

Speed reading thru the thread to catch up. Happy Friday to ya!

>175 PaulCranswick: and I'm very happy you got me Salt, amongst others. I'm not sure when I'll read it tho, I have so many fun things on my TBR stack. And I, unlike you, go into my reading schedule with complete abandon. I have no idea what to read next until I'm done with the current read. LOL

>192 PaulCranswick: Awww! Thank you. : )

>175 PaulCranswick: I read Salt: A World History a few years ago and I remember it being pretty interesting. The same author did one about milk as well, I read it, but it was not half as good as Salt.

>192 PaulCranswick: With the exception of Ovid, I highly recommend all the books I listed,
DRiFTLESS being a third time re-read. Mark likes it a lot too,
and is or was doing a group read of Jewelweed.

> 178 Thanks for the link, I think I've spent a fair few minutes on this 5 books site before. I'm pleased she includes Assaf Gavron, I really enjoyed both his books I've read. Dorit Rabinyan's book was controversial when it was published as it featured a romance between an Arab and a Jew and really there was not much more to the book than that.
I've read two of Ayelet Gundar-Goshen's novels and liked both.
There are several good crime and thriller writers from Israel that are worth seeking out if you like that sort of thing.

>194 mahsdad: My reading may appear extremely organised Jeff but in reality it is utterly chaotic. I start off with a rigorous plan and it always gets muddled and amended. Ten of the twenty books finished to date were not on my original reading plan.

As is my wont, I read a couple of paragraphs of Salt before deciding to buy it and I expect to really enjoy it.

>195 Berly: Always a joy to my day to have you drop by, Kimmers and especially with a return to full health and vigour!

>196 kaida46: I didn't realise that Deb. Maybe he could do a book about eggs and then things would really get scrambled!

>197 m.belljackson: Third time re-read?! My word it must be worth a try then, Marianne. I will try to get to it soon.

>198 avatiakh: I have one of Ayelet Gundar-Goshen's books on the shelves and may add another shortly. I would guess that the sorts of mixed marriages described in Dorit Rabinyan's book are both controversial as well as hazardous to the participants.

I am a Yorkshireman because my great-grandparents (one a Roman Catholic and the other a Protestant) escaped from County Galway and settled upon the Yorkshire coalfields as a safer place for them than the more usual Liverpool or Glasgow where they feared 'repercussions'. Following that tradition somewhat but with far less drama and hazard I of course married a Malay lady and have had the honour of three wonderfully disputatious children as the fruit of this rambunctious but loving relationship.

>199 PaulCranswick: Well I give you kudos for at least making the attempt at planning. LOL.

>177 PaulCranswick: I added salt recently as well. Not sure when I will get to it though.

>202 mahsdad: I love the planning part, Jeff and it is part of having so many books to choose from, but oftentimes those same books will make unscheduled calls upon my time!

>203 figsfromthistle: I will look and see whether I can fit it into, Suz's Non-Fiction challenge at all this year, Anita.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/339118

>206 SilverWolf28: Thanks Silver - it will be almost the last chance to catch up my reading in January.

>201 PaulCranswick: Well, you know there's a song about a Galway Girl. I like Steve Earle's original but this one is fun https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3V-oXwCWL4

>208 RBeffa: I love the original Ron by Steve Earle and that version does like that a fantastic thing to experience - they had the house rocking for sure.

BOOK # 20



Disquiet by Zulfu Livanelli
Date of Publication : 2017
Origin of Author : Turkey
Pages : 163 pp

Read for the Asian Book Challenge

I have another contender for book of the month. Fascinating, thoughtful and provoking visit to the part of Turkey on the Syrian border that used to be Mesopotamia. The writer's friend has died and had upset his family by breaking an engagement for a relationship with a Yezidi lady who had escaped the horrid clutches of ISIS.

Realistic, sad and mordant, I believe that this shortish novel will live with me a long, long time and opened up a torrid part of the world normally shielded from Western sensibilities.

Highly recommended.

Had a couple of hours on my hands this afternoon and I simply had to spend it in the bookstore. Told myself I was merely browsing but, like a Gurkha being unable to draw his knife without drawing blood, I simply couldn't leave empty-handed.

38. Liar by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen
39. The Histories by Tacitus
40. Silent House by Orhan Pamuk

I might choose between the two books I have of Gundar-Goshen for the upcoming challenge but February is not a long month!

I have read Herodotus but not Tacitus' Histories. Will put it right in 2022, I hope.

I want to collect all of Pamuk's work after loving My Name is Red.

>174 PaulCranswick: Thank you so much for the tea, it looks wonderful.

>212 Kristelh: Always wanted to visit Minnesota, Kristel so maybe Hani and I can share a cup of tea with you in person one of these fine days.

These are today's additions

>210 PaulCranswick: I have that Kindled already, thank goodness. I am not looking, nope nope nope, NOT LOOKING at your latest additions! NOT. LOOKING.

Blink and you could miss a whole thread, Paul!

I'm impressed with how many Turkish books you've managed to squeeze in for the Asian Books Challenge. A strong start for sure.

I had an unbroken Wordle streak (17 days) that ended today with my first failure.

I loved Salt, and also Kurlansky's book Cod, which overlapped as salt cod played a critical role in both histories.

Hi Paul!

>23 PaulCranswick: Auntie Marion passed away peacefully this morning. Her and mum will improve the quality of rations up there. What a lovely way to put it. I’m so sorry for your loss.

>50 PaulCranswick: As I’ve gone further down in your thread, I’m seeing that this was the beginning of quite a week of woes for you. Sorry about your phone.

>55 PaulCranswick: I’m glad your children show respect to seniors, my daughter does, too. And here in the US, at least here in our part of the South, ‘ma’am’ and ‘sir’ are very much appreciated. Jenna shows that respect, too.

>61 PaulCranswick: My mother nipped using Auntie for a non-blood-related person early in my childhood. We had a neighbor who wanted all the kids to call her Auntie Pattie, but my mom wouldn’t allow it. I don’t know if she didn’t like Pattie or didn’t like giving that respected term to a neighbor. *shrugs*

>73 PaulCranswick: We replaced two hot water heaters last year. Yay for mb hot water heater being fixed, sorry about the fridge/freezer making a funny noise.

>80 PaulCranswick: My phone fell upside down today and made a loud smack, but fortunately I have a protective screen and a silicone case, so no harm no foul. We do have insurance with a $50 deductible, but still. It’s a lifeline I don’t want to be without.

>85 amanda4242: Christian name is a big deal here in central NC, alas.

>116 PaulCranswick: Ah, another challenge. You do love them. Good luck.

>117 weird_O: Ditto. Wil Wheaton is right.

>163 PaulCranswick: I will be very interested in what you think of Lincoln in the Bardo as it is such a love it or hate it book.

>175 PaulCranswick: I’ve got Salt by Mark Kurlansky on my shelves, but with my current low-sodium regimen I fear I might have left interest in it for too late!

>215 richardderus: Hahaha - don't believe ya!

>216 AnneDC: I'm still hoping to get another couple of Turkish books across the line for the challenge, Anne, as I targeted six per month.
I am now on an 11 winning streak with Wordle.
I won't resist not reading Kurlansky's book for very long, I think.

>217 karenmarie: Thanks for the kind words, Karen and it is always an absolute pleasure to have you visit. x

I daren't complain but now the water heater is far TOO effective as the stuff is coming out of the pipes almost boiling!

I guess a low sodium diet is reason enough to avoid reading Kurlansky for now. :D

WEEKLY WEIGH IN

Weight at Start of Year : 273 lbs (124 kgs)

Weight at End of Last Week : 257 lbs (117 kgs)

Weight at end of Week Two : 254 lbs (115.5 kgs)

Weight loss in week/year : 3 lbs (1.5 kgs)

Weight loss this year : 19 lbs (8.5 kgs)

My weight loss continues steadily as my intermittent fasting has continued unbroken. Tried on one or two of my shirts on 1 January and they were really uncomfortably tight. I wore a shirt to work for the first time this year yesterday proudly (normally I wear collared t-shirts). I think I could still get to my end of month target of a 10kg weight loss.

How am I doing on my avoidance list.

1. No cakes STILL
2. No cookies STILL
3. No sugared drinks / carbonated drinks STILL
4. No potato / corn chips STILL
5. Only one spoonful of rice with Korean soup STILL
6. No alcohol - I have only had one night "off" this month
7. No processed foods - STILL
8. No ice cream - STILL

Intermittent fasting started after booster doing 16/8 diet (since 4/1/22). Another successful week.
Reduced carb trying to eat "good" food.

Goal for upcoming week.

113 kg

All in all though having lost 19 lbs in four weeks and I will not go back to my end of 2021 weight - ever!

Just popping in to wish you a happy weekend and to let you know the February BAC thread is up.

https://www.librarything.com/topic/339137#

>221 amanda4242: Great news, Amanda!

I have my February BAC reads already off the shelves and on my reading table ready to go.

You're doing a good job with the weight loss, Paul. Is an increase in physical activity also a part of the plan?

Just popping in to say hello. Congrats on the weight loss.

>223 Familyhistorian: Thanks Meg. It is part of the plan but one that hasn't quite panned out yet. I must say though that I have more puff being nearly a stone and a half lighter and increased exercise is definitely on the radar.

>224 thornton37814: Nice to see you as always, Lori and thanks for the support on the lifestyle change.

THE MUSIC OF 1972

THIRD WEEKEND

I am going to have a fairly mixed bag this week.

Blue Oyster Cult - Blue Oyster Cult (a debut from a group I have rarely listened to)
Jackie Lomax - Three (singer and guitarist championed by George Harrison)
Thin Lizzy - Shades of a Blue Orphanage (Anglo Irish Rock and Blues band)
Johnny Cash - A Thing Called Love (I have more music by the Man in Black than anything else)
Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway - Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway (no intro needed)
Big Star - Number One Record (Considered one of the great "lost" albums)

BOOK #21



Turkey : A Short History by Norman Stone
Date Published : 2010 (updated 2017)
Origin of Author : UK
Pages : 185 pp

Norman Stone was a controversial and often very divisive historian. Of the right very certainly and he used to be a speechwriter for the Iron Lady, Mrs. Thatcher, herself. All this should set me by instinct totally against him but I have always found him a scrupulous and persuasive writer of the past and all its complicated machinations.

He also condenses history very well into its essentials which is obviously important in tackling a task of this nature in less than 200 readable pages. I always liked his ability at a turn of phrase, sometimes cruel, sometimes displaying his colours, almost always acerbic and colourful. Here he is on the involvement of Byron in the Greek war of independence :

"Byron appeared at Missolonghi, in the Gulf of Corinth, and fell in love with a boy, one Loukas, who screeched and screamed until he was given a coat of gold in which to sit upon his donkey, while his relatives politely removed Byron's money. Our romantic poet then turned his face to the wall and died, the first martyr of Greek independence."

Stone has been greatly criticised for denying the Armenian genocide. That seems to me on reading what is actually written to be rather an unfair statement. He certainly doesn't deny or gloss over the atrocities and massacres as he severally terms them. He does raise the issue of whether, in an unnecessary exercise in semantics, Bernard Lewis, wasn't right in his view that these were technically uncoordinated massacres and atrocities rather than a coordinated genocide. He does however acknowledge the forced removal of many Armenians and in fairness give it cursory condemnation.

What does come out of this short history is the clear love and affection Norman Stone had for a place in which he was to spend much of the Autumn of his years. I do feel that it tends to sway him into excusing certain aspects of the Turkish history - certainly post the Crimean War - and that can be criticised. I would want from my vantage point of political oppositeness to state that I believe that prejudice was rooted in this instance in affection rather than badness.

I am not going to try and catch up, Paul, but I wanted to say "Thank you" for dropping by my thread while I have been sick. I am still not well, but I am on the upswing now.

Congratulations on your healthy goals and sticking with them.

Congratulations on your weight loss Paul.

I have bookmarked the five-books site, very interesting!

>200 PaulCranswick: Happy SaturnDay, Paul -

DRIFTLESS is to Wisconsin Lovers what Yorkshire is to You!

And, let's hope that no one makes a Graphic Novel of Ovid's infamous book.

Happy weekend and congrats on the weight loss!

Congratulations on your weight loss, Paul. VERY impressive!

>220 PaulCranswick: Great news Paul. I'm losing about a pound a week now (7 so far this year), so slow but sure.

>228 alcottacre: I'm a regular when you are at full throttle, dear Stasia, I must double my attentions when you are not! I am so pleased to hear that you are on the mend. I have some family news of my own of a similar nature which I will share shortly.

>229 Kristelh: Thank you, Kristel. I am surprised that I have taken to it so well to be honest as I have basically treated my body with disrespect for the last couple of decades and unless I do something about it now I won't get another couple of decades.
I feel much better than I felt four weeks ago and all the words of encouragement and the group that Stasia thought to set up have been a wonderful boost.

>230 EllaTim: Thanks Ella. As you know I am a complete sucker for lists and statistics so sites such as that will always call to me.

>231 m.belljackson: Happy Saturday dear Marianne.

I will read Driftless in March.

A graphic novel of Ovid? The mind boggles!

>232 banjo123: Thank you Rhonda. I am in a good place just now and hope it continues.

>233 jessibud2: The fact that I am thinking of it as a mere beginning, Shelley, gives me even more encouragement. I actually finished eating at 6.30 pm so I will have 17 hours of fasting to come in this stretch (12 hours down).

>234 Caroline_McElwee: Steady is the way to do it, I think, Caroline. My results have come about because of a clear lifestyle change. I'm not saying I'm never going to treat myself to cake or candy or cookies or ice cream in the future but the amount of rubbish that I was eating would make a bald man's hair curl.

>213 PaulCranswick: That would be wonderful. I am also in Florida for the winter currently and it is very cold here at the moment. Predictions for 34 tonight and the highs in 50s. I do live in the tropic area of Florida but it is not feeling very tropical.

A little bit of personal news is that my eldest Yasmyne has COVID. She is currently in Denmark celebrating the graduation of her boyfriend. I was a little upset yesterday because I haven't seen her in more than three years because of this confounded virus.
She told me she is on the mend as she contracted it (or tested positive) on Monday but didn't tell us because she didn't want to worry us.

Book list, what book list.

Did I miss an important topic with my skimming *sigh*. That will teach me for letting your thread get too far ahead of me.

On a different note, Ash Barty won the Australian Open, first Australian woman to win in 44 years.

>239 Kristelh: Florida is my only real experience of the States thus far, Kristel as I was discussing a job offer with a company out of Jacksonville to run their Malaysia operations (commercially at least) and I spent almost a week in Jacksonville. I almost took on the role but was pestered to join Samsung at the time and my longer term Korean ties (and more immediate money) won out.

>241 fairywings: I think that the reference is to fivebooks.com Adrienne.
Skimming is fine, dear lady, just happy to see you here. xx

My haphazard strategy of a random word start almost let me down today on Wordle it took me three rounds to get a letter in the right place and I pulled it off with a guess to spare. Now 12/12.

Paul, sorry to hear about Yasmyne but maybe her strategy isn't a bad one. If she is on the mend, she did save you the worry!

Paul, what is your strategy for your intermittent fasting?

>245 jessibud2: I know Shelley and you are right, but she was so blase about it that it was almost irritating. She had spoken to her sister a little earlier and "forgot to mention it!" - I mean, really?

I found out from her mother and called her myself and she said as she always does: "Dad, I was about to call you." Mmmm.

With the intermittent fasting my absolute limits are that I can eat between 12.00pm and 20.00 pm. but only twice and then sensibly. I haven't cut out carbs completely but reduced them. Rice is the staple here and where rice is called for, Erni has replaced this with quinoa, I'm not taking rice presently. I have had pasta maybe once a week, bread as part of a sandwich similarly and potatoes maybe once a week too.

No fast food and much less in the way of fried foods. Erni's fried rice which is to die for was a weekly and sometimes twice weekly treat and that is off the menu. No processed foods, no cookies, no cakes, no carbonated drinks, no ice cream, less alcohol (only been out for a drink once this year) and more salads and whole foods.

It is a huge change for me, Shelley, but I am coping with it to the extent that I am actually enjoying myself.

I think my biggest enemy is my lack of self-discipline. I suppose it helps tremendously to have others in the house not only to cook for you but to keep you accountable. You are doing a terrific job, Paul! And won't the best surprise be when Hani, Yasmyne and Kyran see you next!

Do you eat breakfast? I must eat breakfast or a migraine is imminent from lack of eating overnight.

>247 jessibud2: That was always my enemy too, Shelley and I could never resist the goodies that Hani brought into the home. Erni has been tremendous in trying to think up healthy recipes and I have caught her in quiet moments going through some of Hani's cookbooks for ideas - she is a great kid and we couldn't have managed without her help to be here for Belle whilst I am work and Hani was looking after me mum.

I have to tell you that there are no more breakfasts for me which was quite a change. To correct, my breakfast is black coffee, unsweetened.

Yikes, Paul - I remember asking you long ago if Yasmyne could get shots in Norway, but don't remember your response...

Quinoa. *shudder*

Clearly you believe in reincarnation. Your last three lives'-worth of sins are going to be burnt off from *voluntarily* eating that dreadful, dirt-tasting grit.

>249 m.belljackson: She has been double jabbed, Marianne - I think she had Moderna. She seems fine but had had fever and chills and is on the road to recovery quite clearly.

>250 richardderus: Hahaha RD, I'm surprised to see you so ambivalent about the stuff!
For me, it doesn't taste of anything much until it soaks up the sauce then it tastes of the sauce - same as rice and pasta surely?
Hani says if there was such a thing as reincarnation I would return as a bookworm - again!

Sorry to hear Yasmyne caught the plague, but glad to hear she's recovering.

And since you clearly don't have enough books planned for February, there's a site-wide group read of Art Spiegleman's Maus coming up.

https://www.librarything.com/topic/339164#

>252 amanda4242:
I read the reports of the banning of Maus by a particular school board in Tennessee apparently on the grounds of profanity. They were debating whether to redact some of the "offending" words and keep the book but the board narrowly voted to ban the book.

I'm sorry to say that the decision is ridiculous. I have long been an advocate for the importance of ensuring that futures generations never be allowed to forget the Holocaust and Spiegelman's book is the singular most effective tool to achieve that with children of a certain age. I am sure that we are not talking here about under tens.

Profanity? What the Nazi's did went a little further than profanity. The school board should hang its head in shame.

I read both the books a couple of years ago and am not sure that with my scheduled reading I will have time but the books are recent enough in my mind that I can contribute to the group read surely.

How upsetting to find out that Yasmyne had Covid while you thought she was fine. I hope she will be fine very soon.

Good going with the weight loss.

>253 PaulCranswick: Agree Paul, Maus is such an incredibly wonderful book. What fools!

SIL was greatly sick with Covid recently and has recovered. Wishing the same for Yasmyne , a full recovery. It is hard when they are so far away.

>254 quondame: She was actually shielding her mother, Susan, to be fair as Hani would have panicked for certain.
I always imagined that Sunday morning without my breakfast of either croissants, fried rice or a cooked "English" breakfast (chicken sausage and beef bacon) would be impossible but I am coping fine.

>255 mdoris: Maus is such an effective book for teaching - what a shame. I have a feeling that they might reverse the decision as apparently it was quite a close call to ban it in the first place. I don't recall the book being littered with profanities as the message was so all-encompassing, but children today know far more 'swear' words than we adults do anyhow.

Books that are overtly racist and especially books that contain sexual violence and/or abuse to children or are likely to spread religious hatred then fine (but they shouldn't be published anymore any how), but a book with such an important theme and message? My goodness that is so wrong headed.

I hadn't planned it but it is probably wise to set up my new thread just this side of February which I am hoping will be book laden.

>240 PaulCranswick: Glad to hear she's on the mend, but I fear you'll worry all the more, knowing that she won't tell you immediately if something else happens. (My father was like that - avoided "worrying" people, and they worried all the more.)

>259 ArlieS: Oh yikes, Arlie, that logic is overwhelming and had escaped me! I do worry about her quite a lot in truth.
Thank you for the kind words. x

>240 PaulCranswick: Sorry to hear about Yasmyne's covid, but glad she is on the mend Paul.

Thank you, Caroline.