PAUL C WITH A CLEAN SLATE IN '22 - Part 13

SCENES FROM MY PAST

When I was cycling training one of my favourite routes was on the quiet Strines Road in South Yorkshire to the reservoir there - hilly but generally fairly steady climbs and a good workout great countryside vistas too:

The opening words

Bleak House by Charles Dickens

I want to re-assess six of the best of six of the best. Dickens, Maughan, Greene, Hardy, Murdoch and Spark one book each per month each until September. Chuckles' first will be this one which many judges rate as his very best.



London. Michaelmas term lately over, and the Lord Chancellor sitting in Lincoln's Inn Hall. Implacable November weather. As much mud in the streets, as if the waters had but newly retired from the face of the earth, and it would not be wonderful to meet a Megalosaurus, forty feet long or so, waddling like an elephantine lizard up Holborn Hill.

Interested......?

(no RD, I don't mean you!)

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
23. The Wild Iris by Louise Gluck (1992) 63 pp - Poetry
24. A Foolish Virgin by Ida Simons (1959) 216 pp - Fiction
25. Tarka the Otter by Henry Williamson (1928) 329 pp - Fiction / 1001 Books
26. The Elected Member by Bernice Rubens (1969) 224 pp - Fiction / Booker Winner

5,715 pages

FEBRUARY

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

2,063 pages

MARCH

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

2,829 pages

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 : 2 (36 / 57)
The Elected Member by Bernice Rubens
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

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 2 (321)
My Name is Red
Tarka the Otter

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
February - Mo / Renault
March - Between the Wars - Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner

AMERICAN AUTHOR CHALLENGE



January - Graphic Books - The American Dream? A Journey on Route 66 by Khor Shing Yin
February - Tess Gallagher - Portable Kisses

ASIAN BOOK CHALLENGE 2022

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

These will be the monthly jaunts for the ABC challenge.

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

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

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

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
2. Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World
3. Intimacies

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

AROUND THE WORLD IN BOOKS SINCE 2021

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


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


Create Your Own Visited Countries Map

100 NOVELS 100 AUTHORS

1 Things Fall Apart Achebe, Chinua
2 Watership Down Adams, Richard
3 Half of a Yellow Sun Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi
4 Jack Sheppard Ainsworth, William Harrison
5 Northanger Abbey Austen, Jane
6 The Twin Bakker, Gerbrand
7 Another Country Baldwin, James
8 The Black Sheep Balzac, Honore de
9 Silence of the Girls Barker, Pat
10 The Old Wives' Tale by Arnold Bennett
11. Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernieres
12 The Sheltering Sky Bowles, Paul
13 Orenda Boyden, Joseph
14 Rumours of Rain Brink, Andre
15 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
16 Wuthering Heights Bronte, Emily
17 The Good Earth Buck, Pearl
18 The Plague Camus, Albert
19 Jack Maggs Carey, Peter
20 O' Pioneers Cather, Willa
21 The Woman in WhiteCollins, Wilkie
22 To Serve Them All My Days Delderfield, RF
23 David Copperfield Dickens, Charles
24 Crime and Punishment Dostoevsky, Fyodor
25 Justine Durrell, Lawrence
26 Invisible Man Ellison, Ralph
27 The Round house Erdrich, Louise
28 Passage to India Forster, EM
29 The Promise Galgut, Damon
30 Sea of Poppies Ghosh, Amitav
31 I, Claudius Graves, Robert
32 The Quiet American Greene, Graham
33 The Growth of the Soil Hamsun, Knut
34 The Return of the Native Hardy, Thomas
35 The Go-Between Hartley, LP
36 Plainsong Haruf, Kent
37 The Rainbow Troops Hirata, Andrea
38 Les Miserables Hugo, Victor
39 A Prayer for Owen Meany Irving, John
40 The Dig Jones, Cynan
41 Mister Pip Jones, Lloyd
42 The Far Pavilions Kaye, MM
43 Small Things Like These Keegan, Claire
44 The Dictator's Last Night Khadra, Yasmina
45 Darkness at Noon Koestler, Arthur
46 The Unbearable Lightness of Being Kundera, Milan
47 To Kill a Mockingbird Lee, Harper
48 The Grass is Singing Lessing, Doris
49 If Not Now, When? Levi, Primo
50 The Road to Lichfield Lively, Penelope
51 How Green is My Valley Llewellyn, Richard
52 Lovely Green Eyes Lustig, Arnost
53 Palace Walk Mahfouz, Naguib
54 The Fixer Malamud, Bernard
55 A Place of Greater Safety Mantel, Hilary
56 One Hundred Years of Solitude Marquez, Gabriel Garcia
57 The Moon and Sixpence Maugham, W Somerset
58 Bel-Ami Mauppasant, Guy de
59 The North Water McGuire, Ian
60 Docherty McIlvanney, Hugh
61 A Fine Balance Mistry, Rohinton
62 The Redundancy of Courage Mo, Timothy
63 The Colour of Blood Moore, Brian
64 The Bell Murdoch, Iris
65 A House for Mr Biswas Naipaul, VS
66 The Financial Expert Narayan, RK
67 Hamnet O'Farrell, Maggie
68 1984 Orwell, George
69 Jean de Florette Pagnol, Marcel
70 Cry, the Beloved Country Paton, Alan
71 The Sunne in Splendour Penman, Sharon
72 The Memory of the Forest Powers, Charles T
73 The Yellow Birds Powers, Kevin
74 The Shipping News Proulx, Annie
75 The Wedding Queffelec, Yann
76 All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
77 Shame Rushdie, Salman
78 The Girls of Slender Means by Muriel Spark
79 Fame is the Spur Spring, Howard
80 Golden Hill Spufford, Francis
81 The Grapes of Wrath Steinbeck, John
82 This Sporting Life Storey, David
83 Waterland Swift, Graham
84 The Gift of Rain Tan Twan Eng
85 The Heather Blazing Toibin, Colm
86 Lord of the Rings Tolkien, JRR
87 The Road Home Tremain, Rose
88 The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists Tressell, Robert
89 The Children of Dynmouth Trevor, William
90 Breathing Lessons Tyler, Anne
91 Sacred Hunger Unsworth, Barry
92 Rabbit, Run Updike, John
93 The In-Between World of Vikram Lall Vassanji, MG
94 Fingersmith Waters, Sarah
95 Ethan Frome Wharton, Edith
96 The Nickel Boys Whitehead, Colson
97 Night Wiesel, Elie
98 A Picture of Dorian Gray Wilde, Oscar
99 The Shadow of the Wind Zafon, Carlos Ruiz
100 Germinal Zola, Emile

WOMENS PRRIZE LONGLIST 2022

The Women's Prize Longlist has just been announced and as usual I didn't forecast so accurately:

https://www.womensprizeforfiction.co.uk/features/features/news/announcing-the-wo...:

Build Your House Around My Body by Violet Kupersmith OWNED
Careless by Kirsty Capes OWNED
Creatures of Passage by Morowa Yejidé
Flamingo by Rachel Elliott
Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead OWNED & READ
Remote Sympathy by Catherine Chidgey
Salt Lick by Lulu Allison
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki OWNED
The Bread the Devil Knead by Lisa Allen-Agostini OWNED
The Exhibitionist by Charlotte Mendelson
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton OWNED
The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak OWNED
The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller OWNED
The Sentence by Louise Erdrich OWNED
This One Sky Day by Leone Ross OWNED & Reading

READ 1/16

BOOKS OF THE MONTH

January - Small Things Like These
February - If Beale Street Could Talk

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 READ MAR 22
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 READ FEB 22
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
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
38. Liar by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen
39. The Histories by Tacitus
40. Silent House by Orhan Pamuk
41. The Generation Game by Sophie Duffy
42. Wild Grass by Ian Johnson
43. This Living and Immortal Thing by Austin Duffy
44. Until I Find Julian by Patricia Reilly Giff
45. The Boy With the Tiger's Heart by Linda Coggin
46. The Day of Silence and Other Stories by George Gissing
47. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
48. The Body Snatchers by Jack Finney
49. Beast by Paul Kingsnorth
50. The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe
51. Heading Inland by Nicola Barker
52. Rift by Beverley Birch
53. The Cry of the Go-Away Bird by Andrea Eames
54. Modern Gods by Nick Laird
55. Swing Hammer Swing! by Jeff Torrington
56. The Sands of Mars by Arthur C Clarke
57. Coromandel Sea Change by Rumer Godden
58. A Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons by Geoffrey Hindley
59. The Profiteers : Bechtel and the Men Who Built the World by Sally Denton
60. In the Wolf's Mouth by Adam Foulds
61. Daydreams of Angels by Heather O'Neill
62. The Red-Haired Woman by Orhan Pamuk
63. Opium by Salar Abdoh
64. The Nest by Kenneth Oppel READ FEB 22
65. Three Light-Years by Andrea Canobbio
66. Prague : A Novel by Arthur Phillips
67. The Lie of the Land by Amanda Craig
68. The Dark Circle by Linda Grant
69. Portable Kisses by Tess Gallagher READ FEB 22
70. Down Among the Wild Men by John Greenway
71. Fate is the Hunter by Ernest K. Gann
72. The Lover of Horses by Tess Gallagher
73. The End of the Day by Bill Clegg
74. The Last Green Valley by Mark Sullivan
75. The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
76. Mad Boy by Nick Arvin
77. Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World by Fareed Zakaria READ FEB 22
78. Sleeping on Jupiter Anuradha Roy
79. Son of the Century by Antonio Scurati
80. Political Order and Political Decay by Francis Fukuyama
81. The Manningtree Witches by A.D. Blackemore
82. Vertigo by WG Sebald
83. In Memory of Memory by Maria Stepanova
84. Redemption Ground by Lorna Goodison READ FEB 22
85. The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk
86. A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam
87. Night Boat to Tangier by Kevin Barry
88. The Powerful and the Damned by Lionel Barber
89. The Better Half by Sharon Moalem
90. Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam
91. Downsizing by Tom Watson
92. Desert Flower by Waris Dirie
93. Common Ground by Naomi Ishiguro
94. The Blue Between Sky and Water by Susan Abulhawa
95. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari
96. They by Kay Dick
97. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
98. The Silence of Scheherazade by Defne Suman
99. Light Perpetual by Francis Spufford
100. Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa
101. The Tyranny of Merit by Michael J Sandel
102. Surviving Autocracy by Masha Gessen
103. In the Darkroom by Susan Faludi
104. The Inequality Machine by Paul Tough
105. 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson
106. The Fell by Sarah Moss READ MAR 22
107. Beautiful World, Where Are You? by Sally Rooney READ MAR 22
108. Learwife by JR Thorp
109. Matrix by Lauren Groff
110. Ghosted by Jenn Ashworth
111. The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers
112. The Dark Lake by Sarah Bailey
113. I Will Miss You Tomorrow by Heine Bakkeid
114. The Fine Art of Invisible Detection by Robert Goddard
115. All Our Shimmering Skies by Trent Dalton
116. The Late Sun by Christopher Reid
117. A Lie Someone Told You About Yourself by Peter Ho Davies
118. The Interpreters by Wole Soyinka
119. Things in Jars by Jess Kidd
120. A Vicious Circle by Amanda Craig
121. How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue
122. The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy
123. The Collapse of Globalism by John Ralston Saul
124. Land : How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World by Simon Winchester
125. Moonglow by Michael Chabon
126. We Are All Birds of Uganda by Hafsa Zayyan
127. The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
128. Fault Lines by Emily Itami
129. Tenderness by Alison MacLeod
130. The Cold Millions by Jess Walter
131. The Great Level by Stella Tillyard
132. The Pact We Made by Layla Alammar
133. Spring by Ali Smith
134. Build Your House Around My Body by Violet Kupersmith
135. The Bread the Devil Knead by Lisa Allen-Agostini
136. The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
137. The Book of Form & Emptiness Ruth Ozeki
138. This One Sky Day by Leone Ross
139. The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton
140. The Push by Audrey Audrain
141. When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo
142. A Very Nice Girl by Imogen Crimp
143. Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia
144. The Familiars by Stacey Halls
145. Ill Feelings by Alice Hattrick
146. How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu
147. Burntcoat by Sarah Hall
148. We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates
149. Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
150. Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung
151. Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder
152. Assembly by Natasha Brown
153. The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley
154. Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson
155. The Colony by Audrey Magee
156. For the Good Times by David Keenan
157. The Anarchy by William Dalrymple
158. The Lost Girls of Rome by Donato Carrisi
159. Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire
160. The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
161. Imperium by Ryszard Kapuscinski
162. Only Killers and Thieves by Paul Howarth
163. Southernmost by Silas House
164. A Man by Keichiro Hirano
165. Signs for Lost Children by Sarah Moss
166. Songbirds by Christy Lefteri
167. Pandemic by A.G. Riddle
168. The Philosopher Kings by Jo Walton
169. Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
170. Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
171. My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
172. The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
173. Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
174. Male Tears by Benjamin Myers
175. Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
176. The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy
177. The Moon and Sixpence by W Somerset Maugham
178. The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene
179. The Bell by Iris Murdoch
180. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
181. The Sandcastle by Iris Murdoch
182. Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
183. Call it Sleep by Henry Roth
184. The Clocks in this House All Tell Different Times by Xan Brooks
185. The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka
186. O'Pioneers by Willa Cather
187. The Four Winds by Kristin Hann
188. The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy
189. Nostalgia by Mircea Cărtărescu
190. Mansfield Park by Jane Austin
191. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
192. The Kingdom by Emmanuel Carrere
193. Push by Sapphire
194. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
195. Brighton Rock by Graham Greene
196. Dignity by Alys Conran
197. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
198. Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene
199. A Burnt Out Case by Graham Greene
200. The Rack by A.E. Ellis
|201. Autumn by Karl Ove Knausgaard READ MAR 22
202. Winter by Karl Ove Knausgaard
203. Spring by Karl Ove Knausgaard
204. Summer by Karl Ove Knausgaard
205. The Magician by Colm Toibin
206. Cakes and Ale by W. Somerset Maugham
207. Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham
208. Careless by Kirsty Capes
209. Pilgrims Way by Abdulrazak Gurnah
210. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
211. The Angel of History by Rabih Alameddine
212. The President's Gardens by Muhsin Al-Ramli
213. In the Country by Mia Alvar
214. Poetry Will Save Your Life by Jill Bialosky
215. Multitudes by Lucy Caldwell
216. Confession of the Lioness by Mia Couto
217. Transit by Rachel Cusk
218. West by Carys Davies
219. In the Name of the Family by Sarah Dunant
220. The Informers by Bret Easton Ellis
221. The Witches of St. Petersburg by Imogen Edwards-Jones
222. Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan
223. The Turner House by Angela Fournoy
224. A Tall History of Sugar by Curdella Forbes
225. Old Men in Love by Alasdair Gray
226. The Quiet American by Graham Greene
227. The Zig Zag Girl by Elly Griffiths
228. Delicate Edible Birds by Lauren Groff
229. The Evening Road by Laird Hunt
230. Hitman Anders and the Meaning of it All by Jonas Jonasson
231. The Transition by Luke Kennard
232. A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline
233. Under the Net by Iris Murdoch
234. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
235. The Man Without a Shadow by Joyce Carol Oates
236. Running in the Family by Michael Ondaatje
237. Almost Love by Louise O'Neill
238. The Portrait by Willem Jan Otten
239. First Love by Gwendoline Riley
240. Looking for Mr. Goodbar by Judith Rossner
241. The Humbling by Philip Roth
242. The Butt by Will Self
243. The World to Come by Jim Shepard
244. The Gallery of Vanished Husbands by Natasha Solomons
245. The Dictionary of Animal Languages by Heidi Sopinka
246. In the Days of Rain by Rebecca Stott
247. The Neighborhood by Mario Vargas Llosa
248. Remember Me by Fay Weldon
249. Kipps by HG Wells
250. Resolution by A.N. Wilson

ADDED : 250
READ : 13
BALANCE : 237

BOOK STATS

Books read : 52
Books added : 250

Days per book : 1.73
Projected total : 211
LT yearly best : 157

Pages read (completed books) : 10,607
Daily average : 117.86
Projected total : 43,017

Longest Book : 671 pages
Shortest Book : 44 pages
Average Book Length : 203.98

Gender
Male : 28
Female : 22
Various : 2

Genre :
Graphic Books : 1
Poetry : 9
Thriller/Mystery : 4
Non Fiction : 11
Fiction : 26
SF/Fantasy : 1

Origin :
USA : 12
UK : 15
Turkey : 3
Germany : 1
Egypt : 1
Ireland : 4
Norway : 2
Argentina : 1
Canada : 2
Iceland : 1
Netherlands : 1
Jamaica : 1
Israel : 2
Iraq : 1
Syria : 1
Papua New Guinea : 1
Oman : 1
Various : 2

Challenges :
British Author Challenge : 2
American Author Challenge : 2
Non-Fiction Challenge : 1
Asian Book Challenge : 13
1001 Books First Edition : 2
Guardian 1000 Books : 1
Around the World Books : 9
Holocaust Reading : 2
Booker Winners : 2
Pulitzer Winners : 1
Rebecca NYC Reads : 1

Next one is yours.

>15 PaulCranswick: I'll take it and I'm looking forward to your lists

Listmania! Or Lisztmania...

>16 RBeffa: Well done and welcome, Ron. You get the, erm, treasured virtual bookshelf!

>17 richardderus: Lists shall abound no doubt, RD - Brahms & Lizstmania will only drive me to drink.

Happy new thread! I'm so pleased to be here nice and early.

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread!

>20 AnneDC: I am at least as pleased to see you here, Anne!

>21 amanda4242: Thank you dear, Amanda

>22 drneutron: Thanks Doc Roc!

I already visited your old thread today, but am happy to wish you Happy New Thread.

>10 PaulCranswick: I’ve read 14 of them and have a few more on my shelves. Excellent list.

>10 PaulCranswick: Happy new thread - now that you've completed the list, I'm adding it to my spreadsheet of lists. I'm dubbing the list "The Cranswick Awards" & look forward to tackling these. I've only read 11 of these so far & many are by authors who are unfamiliar to me. Fun stuff - thanks for sharing!

>25 karenmarie: Lovely to see you, Karen. What would be your favourites from the 14 you read?

>26 ChrisG1: Thanks Chris. I have to say that I take inordinate pleasure from the fact that my list has been enjoyed by some of my pals. It was great fun to put together and was of course intended to be shared.

I really appreciate and enjoyed your '100 novels'.
Very much looking forward to the mystery/thriller/adventure list!

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread, my friend!

Happy new thread!

Happy New Thread!!
I look forward to the mystery/thriller/adventure list also as those are some of my favorite reads!

Happy new thread. I really enjoyed your 100 novels. So happy to have shared reads and ones to look forward to reading.

The 100 great books has been fun to follow. Happy new thread Paul. I have read 17 but some so long ago, maybe it's time to look at them again.

What I've read of your 100 choices Paul, and other thoughts:

100 NOVELS 100 AUTHORS

(R*) = would be on my list
(R) = read

1 Things Fall Apart Achebe, Chinua ((R) but disappointed me. I think if I'd read it in it's time I'd have been more impressed)
2 Watership Down Adams, Richard (R)
3 Half of a Yellow Sun Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi (R*)
4 Jack Sheppard Ainsworth, William Harrison
5 Northanger Abbey Austen, Jane (R)
6 The Twin Bakker, Gerbrand (R)
7 Another Country Baldwin, James (R*)
8 The Black Sheep Balzac, Honore de
9 Silence of the Girls Barker, Pat
10 The Old Wives' Tale by Arnold Bennett (R)
11. Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernieres
12 The Sheltering Sky Bowles, Paul (R*)
13 Orenda Boyden, Joseph
14 Rumours of Rain Brink, Andre
15 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (R*)
16 Wuthering Heights Bronte, Emily
17 The Good Earth Buck, Pearl
18 The Plague Camus, Albert (R*)
19 Jack Maggs Carey, Peter
20 O' Pioneers Cather, Willa (R)
21 The Woman in WhiteCollins, Wilkie
22 To Serve Them All My Days Delderfield, RF
23 David Copperfield Dickens, Charles (R*)
24 Crime and Punishment Dostoevsky, Fyodor (R*)
25 Justine Durrell, Lawrence
26 Invisible Man Ellison, Ralph
27 The Round house Erdrich, Louise (R)
28 Passage to India Forster, EM (R) - most likely it would be Howards End for me.
29 The Promise Galgut, Damon
30 Sea of Poppies Ghosh, Amitav (R)
31 I, Claudius Graves, Robert
32 The Quiet American Greene, Graham (R)
33 The Growth of the Soil Hamsun, Knut
34 The Return of the Native Hardy, Thomas (R)
35 The Go-Between Hartley, LP
36 Plainsong Haruf, Kent (R*)
37 The Rainbow Troops Hirata, Andrea
38 Les Miserables Hugo, Victor
39 A Prayer for Owen Meany Irving, John
40 The Dig Jones, Cynan (R)
41 Mister Pip Jones, Lloyd
42 The Far Pavilions Kaye, MM
43 Small Things Like These Keegan, Claire
44 The Dictator's Last Night Khadra, Yasmina
45 Darkness at Noon Koestler, Arthur (R*)
46 The Unbearable Lightness of Being Kundera, Milan (R)
47 To Kill a Mockingbird Lee, Harper (R*)
48 The Grass is Singing Lessing, Doris
49 If Not Now, When? Levi, Primo (R*)
50 The Road to Lichfield Lively, Penelope (R)
51 How Green is My Valley Llewellyn, Richard
52 Lovely Green Eyes Lustig, Arnost
53 Palace Walk Mahfouz, Naguib
54 The Fixer Malamud, Bernard (R)
55 A Place of Greater Safety Mantel, Hilary
56 One Hundred Years of Solitude Marquez, Gabriel Garcia
57 The Moon and Sixpence Maugham, W Somerset
58 Bel-Ami Mauppasant, Guy de
59 The North Water McGuire, Ian
60 Docherty McIlvanney, Hugh
61 A Fine Balance Mistry, Rohinton
62 The Redundancy of Courage Mo, Timothy
63 The Colour of Blood Moore, Brian (R)
64 The Bell Murdoch, Iris
65 A House for Mr Biswas Naipaul, VS (Can't stand Naipaul)
66 The Financial Expert Narayan, RK
67 Hamnet O'Farrell, Maggie (R)
68 1984 Orwell, George (R*)
69 Jean de Florette Pagnol, Marcel
70 Cry, the Beloved Country Paton, Alan
71 The Sunne in Splendour Penman, Sharon
72 The Memory of the Forest Powers, Charles T
73 The Yellow Birds Powers, Kevin
74 The Shipping News Proulx, Annie (R*)
75 The Wedding Queffelec, Yann
76 All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
77 Shame Rushdie, Salman
78 The Girls of Slender Means by Muriel Spark (R)
79 Fame is the Spur Spring, Howard (R)
80 Golden Hill Spufford, Francis (R*)
81 The Grapes of Wrath Steinbeck, John
82 This Sporting Life Storey, David
83 Waterland Swift, Graham (R)
84 The Gift of Rain Tan Twan Eng
85 The Heather Blazing Toibin, Colm (R)
86 Lord of the Rings Tolkien, JRR
87 The Road Home Tremain, Rose (R)
88 The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists Tressell, Robert
89 The Children of Dynmouth Trevor, William (R)
90 Breathing Lessons Tyler, Anne
91 Sacred Hunger Unsworth, Barry
92 Rabbit, Run Updike, John
93 The In-Between World of Vikram Lall Vassanji, MG
94 Fingersmith Waters, Sarah
95 Ethan Frome Wharton, Edith (R)
96 The Nickel Boys Whitehead, Colson (R)
97 Night Wiesel, Elie (R*)
98 A Picture of Dorian Gray Wilde, Oscar (R*)
99 The Shadow of the Wind Zafon, Carlos Ruiz (R)
100 Germinal Zola, Emile

So 16 would find themselves on my list. I need to make that list at the weekend.

42 read. Several on my tbr mountain.

Happy new thread!

>1 PaulCranswick: Gorgeous!

Happy new one!

Happy New Thread Paul, mate.

>29 nrmay: Thank you, Nancy. My list is ready to go but was prepared very off the cuff so I am worried that I may have forgotten some!

>30 thornton37814: Lovely to see you Lori.

>31 SirThomas: Thanks, Thomas. Always perks me up seeing you visit!

>32 ArlieS: Thank you, Arlie. x

>33 hredwards: Thank you, Harold. The list will have some pretty well known books and some that couldn't make the 100 novels list. I will also not include any authors that I included in the 100 novels list.

>34 Kristelh: I know that you shared many of those reads, Kristel, just from the number of times that I saw your book reviews skimming through those reviews.

>35 mdoris: 100 Books from everyone is a tall ask, Mary, but I can imagine if we all put our top 20 it would result in one heck of a list to read from.

>36 Caroline_McElwee: 42 read and 16 also on your list is quite something. I, of course, know that our reading tastes often coincide. I am really looking forward to your list and do hope that you'll share it with us as it will provide me with some sure-fire upcoming reading pleasure. x

I also intensely dislike Naipaul and hated pretty much everything else he has written - especially his non-fiction - but I had to admit to adoring Biswas even against my better wishes!

>37 quondame: Thank you Susan. I have very fond memories of that road as I cycled myself to extreme fitness upon it on a couple of occasions. When I return to the UK I will attempt to get pretty fit again in the same manner.

>38 figsfromthistle: Thanks Anita.

>39 johnsimpson: Thanks John. 23 March was our 26th Wedding Anniversary. Hani is COVID positive by the looks of things and for such a gastronome is sadly without any sense of taste!

Slovenly in setting up my new thread for once last night. I'm not so used to starting a new thread at that time and was bone tired quite early so I had to go and sleep. Will get the thread tidied up shortly.

>45 PaulCranswick:, Hi Paul, a Happy 26th Wedding Anniversary mate, sadly you are 7,000 miles apart and then you find Hani is Covid positive, not the best for such a happy occasion. Sending love and hugs to both of you from both of us mate.

>47 johnsimpson: Thanks John. She will be back home soon. Actually she says she does feel slightly better today - probably finding out her test result and then realising it is not good but not terrible either has probably lifted her spirits somewhat.

I hope Parkinson gets his debut tomorrow.

Happy new thread, Paul! I am so sorry that Hani is ill and still away on your special day. Praying for a speedy recovery for her.

Happy Anniversary - bittersweet to be apart and have to cope with Covid, but Still good to celebrate. Ours is coming up next week- 33 years.

>49 cbl_tn: Thanks Carrie. She got an early sleep so hopefully she will be much better today.

>50 Helenoel: Thank you, Helen. Her biggest complaint is the lack of a sense of taste.

>52 PaulCranswick: For the chef you say she is, that is one real complaint! May that fade soon.

Sorry to hear that Hani has Covid and that she has the loss of taste. That may not sound like a big deal but my children really hated that symptom. Hope she feels better soon and that her taste returns. Happy Anniversary, guess you might have to celebrate later.

I hope, Hani gets well soon, I send my good thougts to you all....

PC’s top 100 by author list.
1 Things Fall Apart Achebe Chinua ((R)
2 Watership Down Adams, Richard (R)
3 Half of a Yellow Sun Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi (R)
4 Jack Sheppard Ainsworth, William Harrison
5 Northanger Abbey Austen, Jane (R)
6 The Twin Bakker, Gerbrand
7 Another Country Baldwin, James (tbr)
8 The Black Sheep Balzac, Honore de
9 Silence of the Girls Barker, Pat (TBR)
10 The Old Wives' Tale by Arnold Bennett (R)
11. Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernieres (R)
12 The Sheltering Sky Bowles, Paul
13 Orenda Boyden, Joseph
14 Rumours of Rain Brink, Andre
15 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (R)
16 Wuthering Heights Bronte, Emily (R)
17 The Good Earth Buck, Pearl (R)
18 The Plague Camus, Albert (R)
19 Jack Maggs Carey, Peter (TBR)
20 O' Pioneers Cather, Willa (TBR)
21 The Woman in White Collins, Wilkie (R), I prefer The Moonstone
22 To Serve Them All My Days Delderfield, RF
23 David Copperfield Dickens, Charles (R)
24 Crime and Punishment Dostoevsky, Fyodor (R)
25 Justine Durrell, Lawrence (R)
26 Invisible Man Ellison, Ralph (r)
27 The Round House Erdrich, Louise (R)
28 Passage to India Forster, EM (R) - not sure this would be my favorite
29 The Promise Galgut, Damon
30 Sea of Poppies Ghosh, Amitav
31 I, Claudius Graves, Robert (R)
32 The Quiet American Greene, Graham (R)
33 The Growth of the Soil Hamsun, Knut (R)
34 The Return of the Native Hardy, Thomas (R)
35 The Go-Between Hartley, LP (R)
36 Plainsong Haruf, Kent
37 The Rainbow Troops Hirata, Andrea
38 Les Miserables Hugo, Victor (R)
39 A Prayer for Owen Meany Irving, John (R)
40 The Dig Jones, Cynan
41 Mister Pip Jones, Lloyd
42 The Far Pavilions Kaye, MM (r)
43 Small Things Like These Keegan, Claire
44 The Dictator's Last Night Khadra, Yasmina
45 Darkness at Noon Koestler, Arthur
46 The Unbearable Lightness of Being Kundera, Milan (R)
47 To Kill a Mockingbird Lee, Harper (R)
48 The Grass is Singing Lessing, Doris (R)
49 If Not Now, When? Levi, Primo
50 The Road to Lichfield Lively, Penelope
51 How Green is My Valley Llewellyn, Richard
52 Lovely Green Eyes Lustig, Arnost
53 Palace Walk Mahfouz, Naguib
54 The Fixer Malamud, Bernard (R)
55 A Place of Greater Safety Mantel, Hilary
56 One Hundred Years of Solitude Marquez, Gabriel Garcia (R)
57 The Moon and Sixpence Maugham, W Somerset
58 Bel-Ami Mauppasant, Guy de (r)
59 The North Water McGuire, Ian
60 Docherty McIlvanney, Hugh
61 A Fine Balance Mistry, Rohinton (R)
62 The Redundancy of Courage Mo, Timothy
63 The Colour of Blood Moore, Brian
64 The Bell Murdoch, Iris (R)
65 A House for Mr Biswas Naipaul, VS (I’ve read others but not this one)
66 The Financial Expert Narayan, RK
67 Hamnet O'Farrell, Maggie
68 1984 Orwell, George (R)
69 Jean de Florette Pagnol, Marcel
70 Cry, the Beloved Country Paton, Alan (R)
71 The Sunne in Splendour Penman, Sharon
72 The Memory of the Forest Powers, Charles T
73 The Yellow Birds Powers, Kevin
74 The Shipping News Proulx, Annie (R)
75 The Wedding Queffelec, Yann
76 All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque (r)
77 Shame Rushdie, Salman (wishlist)
78 The Girls of Slender Means by Muriel Spark (R)
79 Fame is the Spur Spring, Howard
80 Golden Hill Spufford, Francis
81 The Grapes of Wrath Steinbeck, John (R)
82 This Sporting Life Storey, David
83 Waterland Swift, Graham (R)
84 The Gift of Rain Tan Twan Eng
85 The Heather Blazing Toibin, Colm (TBR)
86 Lord of the Rings Tolkien, JRR (R)
87 The Road Home Tremain, Rose
88 The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists Tressell, Robert (TBR)
89 The Children of Dynmouth Trevor, William
90 Breathing Lessons Tyler, Anne TBR
91 Sacred Hunger Unsworth, Barry
92 Rabbit, Run Updike, John (R)
93 The In-Between World of Vikram Lall Vassanji, MG
94 Fingersmith Waters, Sarah (R)
95 Ethan Frome Wharton, Edith (R)
96 The Nickel Boys Whitehead, Colson (tbr)
97 Night Wiesel, Elie (R)
98 A Picture of Dorian Gray Wilde, Oscar (R)
99 The Shadow of the Wind Zafon, Carlos Ruiz (TBR)
100 Germinal Zola, Emile (R)

I’ve read 47, several on my TBR (means I actually own them), several on my wishlist (want to read but I don’t actually have it).

>53 quondame: She is feeling very sorry for herself, Susan. For someone who cannery accurately guess all ingredients in particular dishes it must make her cranky to not be able to taste anything at all. Her breathing is fine though which is a comfort to me. She is only double jabbed as she has been in the UK for five months but I'm sure that she will see this through fine.

>54 Kristelh: She didn't really appreciate my comment "26 years - same sentence that they gave Ronnie Biggs and the Great Train Robbers!" Still we will get some celebrations when she is back.

>55 SirThomas: Thank you Thomas.

>56 Kristelh: I'm impressed by that number, Kristel, but not too surprised. I would be hugely interested at a top ten or top twenty of your picks, Kristel, given our similarity of choices.

One thing that upset me a little this weekend was going through all my boxes with my old read books in and I quickly realised that a couple of the boxes Yasmyne mistakenly gave away must have included some of my favourite books. Looks like almost all my Hardy, Maugham and Spark books have disappeared. Of my 100 books listed above, I knew that some of them had been left behind in England or read many years ago but I was very disappointed that many of them seem to have been given away or lost. I had only 59 of them when I totted them all together. Thankfully most of the rarer books are still with me but I will set about replacing the ones I don't retain now.

With that in mind...............

Hani will be back soon and the mouse is running out of time to play while tabby is away. I hot footed it down to the bookstore after work mainly because I wanted to rekindle some of my Spring, Maugham, Greene and Hardy books but the pickings of Spring was a bit thin. It was raining heavily outside so I decided to stay and see out the weather. I stayed too long. This is what happened.

181. The Sandcastle by Iris Murdoch
182. Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
183. Call it Sleep by Henry Roth
184. The Clocks in this House All Tell Different Times by Xan Brooks
185. The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka
186. O'Pioneers by Willa Cather
187. The Four Winds by Kristin Hann
188. The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy
189. Nostalgia by Mircea Cărtărescu
190. Mansfield Park by Jane Austin
191. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
192. The Kingdom by Emmanuel Carrere
193. Push by Sapphire
194. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
195. Brighton Rock by Graham Greene
196. Dignity by Alys Conran
197. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
198. Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene
199. A Burnt Out Case by Graham Greene
200. The Rack by A.E. Ellis
201. Autumn by Karl Ove Knausgaard
202. Winter by Karl Ove Knausgaard
203. Spring by Karl Ove Knausgaard
204. Summer by Karl Ove Knausgaard
205. The Magician by Colm Toibin
206. Cakes and Ale by W. Somerset Maugham
207. Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham
208. Careless by Kirsty Capes
209. Pilgrims Way by Abdulrazak Gurnah
210. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

of the 30 additions today I have already read 13 of them which is something rare for me as I don't often fail to keep books I enjoyed.
The Greenes, Maugham's, Austens, Dostoevsky, Murdoch, Spark, Bronte, Cather, Tess of the Hardys have been read and enjoyed but my collection was dispersed Yasmyne kindly donating them to the school library by mixing up boxes.

Knausgaard's books look very pretty. With Gurnah I am slowly adding his oeuvre to my collection. Toibin's book just won the Rathbone Folio Prize. Capes' book is Women's Prize long listed. I enjoyed Hannah's The Nightingale last year and the rest are novels that caught my eye for one reason or another.

Happy new thread, Paul!

Sorry to hear that Hani has Covid, and sending prayers her way for a speedy recovery. Congrats on your anniversary, and here's hoping you get to celebrate it properly soon.

>60 PaulCranswick: Whew! That's a Cranswickian haul if there ever was one :)

>60 PaulCranswick: The return of the truly Cranswickian haul.

I hope you're promising Hani as much garlic as she can eat...sometimes a little bribe is required to kick-start the tastebuds.

I had that symptom, as well, so I relate to her wretchedness. Anosmia rots! The good part is it seldom lasts beyond the active infection point.

>61 bell7: Well 55 books in a week is pretty decent.

Thanks for the good wishes to Hani. She is feeling a bit sorry for herself. No trips out and no shopping.

>62 richardderus: I enjoyed myself RD but I am getting old because 30 books was a bit heavy for me too! I'll get the garlic ready for her return, dear fellow and hope that she gets her sense of taste back quickly. She could do with Erni's cooking. She made Assam pedas today and it was so spicy that even I (with a high tolerance level) was struggling to swallow the last mouthfuls.

I asked her if she had tasted the food while cooking it and she told me that the problem was that the chilis she was using were 'very spicy'. I suggested that she may have considered using slightly fewer of them!

>2 PaulCranswick: Oooh ooh, I could join you with Bleak House! It's one of the freebies I got from someone moving away, and I've never gotten around to it. This could be the incentive I need to tackle this classic...

>45 PaulCranswick: Oh no! I am so sorry to hear that Hani is sick and lost her sense of taste. At least I didn't have that problem when I got sick. Or maybe I did, and I have so little taste sensitivity to begin with that I didn't notice it. I certainly cannot ascertain an ingredient list just from a spoonful of a dish.

And congratulations on 26 years! To me, that is a monumental achievement. I am so glad you continue happily together (even when temporarily apart).

>64 justchris: Be good if you do join me for Bleak House.

I am planning six authors by six books over six months.

Next month will be :

Dickens : Bleak House
Greene : The Heart of the Matter
Hardy : Far From the Madding Crowd
Maugham : The Moon and Sixpence
Murdoch : The Sandcastle
Spark - The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

The latter five will all be re-reads. Dickens' Bleak House has only been read in abridged form before.

26 Years is a good score! We had eighteen wonderful years then a blip as many marriages possibly do but we are now back to being comfortable with each other again. It is a wondrous thing to know just how much someone cares about you and how unwavering that love is.

Those Knausgaard books are pretty:

>66 PaulCranswick: How beautiful!

>63 PaulCranswick: I think it will be fine before too long if she's able to detect the peppers.

>67 richardderus: I just had to have them, RD.

Sending best wishes to Hani, Paul. Hope she’s feeling better soon.

>69 SandDune: Thanks Rhian. Seems that she caught it in Ealing whilst visiting our friend there.

Sorry to hear Hani is unwell Paul. I'm sure you will have a belated anniversary celebration on her return.

That's some book haul. I read Push many years ago. Back then quite an eye opener.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/340734

Happy New Thread, Paul!

>10 PaulCranswick: is this your favorite book from each of these authors, or is something else going on? Northanger Abbey, among others, would be a surprise favorite. An interesting one, but a surprise.

I'm sorry to hear Hani is under the weather. Pleas give her our best, and I hope she feels better soon.

Happy Anniversary Paul!!
Sorry to hear Hani is feeling bad and has lost her sense of taste.
She obviously had good taste at some point as she married you!! :)

Hi Paul, why oh why has Parkinson not been selected again, so much for a reset. Taking a lad on tour who has so much to offer and once again all he has done is spectate, what the hell is going on.

23 for none to 90 for 8 is back to the bad old days with only Lees seeming to bat properly and doing his job. A few runs from Woakes and Overton and then the highest partnership of the innings from Leach and Mahmood, 114 for 9 and as i type we are 195 for 9, Leach 41 and Mahmood 40, the West Indies are looking bedraggled at the moment.

Paul, Please give Hani my best wishes. I hope she soon can shop and do all those things that bring happiness.

While it is difficult to choose which is the best of the best opening images, thus far this opening image is my favorite..Incredible...

>71 Caroline_McElwee: It looks a very interesting little book I must say, Caroline. Hani's fever has gone down but she still has headache, bone ache, sore throat and no sense of taste.

>72 SilverWolf28: Thank you Silver.

>73 jnwelch: Yep, Joe, my favourite that I have read by each author. I have not read Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion or Emma yet and Northanger Abbey was my favourite from those I had read.
The object was to select my favourite 100 novels but using 100 authors (so no author could appear twice).

Lovely to see you buddy and I will pass your kind words to Hani.

>74 hredwards: Thanks Harold. Hahaha I'm not sure that Hani would have always agreed with you!

>75 johnsimpson: I can only guess that Root doesn't rate Parky for some reason as he gets into squads without Root's involvement but never makes any teams under his captaincy. The tail wagged for us thank goodness and what a shame that Leach and Mahmoud didn't get the 50s they deserved.

>76 Whisper1: Thanks Linda. I have conveyed to her just now all the lovely messages from my friends here (yours included) to her by whatsApp just now and told her to go to sleep!
I like that photo too, the place is dear to me as I have cycled there umpteen times.

Happy New Thread, Paul. I love the South Yorkshire topper. I think I would go with Bleak House as being my favorite Dickens. I see you are reading Autumn. I am finally getting ready to read Spring.

>80 msf59: Thanks Mark. I couldn't include Bleak House as I haven't read the full version of the book yet.

I am finally getting on your new thread, only 80 posts behind, Paul. How does this keep happening? Lol

Sorry to hear that Hani is still not feeling well. I hope she improves soon!

>65 PaulCranswick: Now I know what I'm packing for my trip next week!

>78 PaulCranswick: I prefer Pride and Prejudice over Northanger Abbey, though I might like Persuasion best. But then, I haven't reread Northanger Abbey as often or as recently, so maybe a reread of that is in order...

Dropping in to say hello.

Wishing Hani all the best for a speedy recovery.

>82 alcottacre: She seemed slightly better just now, Stasia, she will benefit from more sleep

>77 PaulCranswick: I'm glad things are improving for Hani, and hope she's fully recovered soon.

Happy new thread, Paul. Congratulations to you and Hani for making it to 26 years! I hope she is feeling better and gets her sense of taste back soon.

>78 PaulCranswick: I really, really like Northanger Abbey. It would certainly be on the list of my favourite Austen, along with Pride and Prejudice and Persausion. Incidentally, I just persuaded Jacob to read it. He was doing a course on satire in the eighteenth century and Northanger Abbey was one of the examples. He didn’t need to read all of it (it’s a history course not a literature course) but I persuaded him to read the whole thing. Pleased to report that he really enjoyed it too.

Best well wishes for Hani, Paul!

I have read Bleak House, but reading that intro you posted, is making me consider a reread.

Wishing you a nice weekend.

>83 justchris: Be great if you could join in on a few of those Chris. Those are two of Austen's I haven't read, Chris so I can't yet put them above Northanger Abbey just yet, although Austen will definitely be on my next list of six authors to reassess after the six I listed.

>84 figsfromthistle: Always a pleasure to see you, Anita. I will pass on your good wishes to She Who Must Be Obeyed who I must say always loves to hear about my friends remembering her!

>86 ArlieS: Thanks Arlie, she has reported in this morning and announced herself "not much better" which in Hani speak means quite a bit better.

>87 Familyhistorian: I was always confident we would make it this far, Meg, but I'm not convinced that Hani was always as sure!

>88 SandDune: I really like it too, Rhian and I am pleased to be in such good company. Nice to see Jacob so happily ensconced at Lancaster Uni and I am thrilled that he is reading history which is, of course, a favourite of mine too. Do give him my best wishes the next time you speak to him and to his dad too. Leeds United's last game of the season at Elland Road (Leeds) is against Brighton and there is an outside chance of my being back in the country by then. If I am back then I would be pleased if you could both join me for the game - hopefully Leeds will be safe by then.

>89 EllaTim: I am looking forward to it, Ella, and you are more than welcome to join me on it.

>92 OliviaBeale: I'm sorry Olivia that makes little or no sense to me at all. If Google pays between $27485 & $29658 how do you get $31547. Advanced mathematics was not my specialist field but I'm sure that 31 is not a number between 27 and 29? Is it me that is stupid or you that is dishonest?

>91 PaulCranswick: I'm glad to hear that Hani is feeling improved.

Glad to hear that Hani is better, Paul.

Have to say that I liked Bleak House quite a bit, but it took me three tries to actually get it read. It was worth it.

>95 quondame: Thanks Susan. Hopefully the weekend will see her mostly recovered.

>96 Fourpawz2: Lovely to see you, Charlotte. I am also at a loss as to why I still haven't read Bleak House as it has been on the shelves for ever.

Wordle 279 5/6

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A reasonable recovery after two unhelpful rounds.

Wordle 280 3/6

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Happy with that one at least.

>91 PaulCranswick: Glad to hear that you can interpret Hani-speak and that she is feeling better!

Happy whatever, Juan!

Now that I'm thinking about it, I can't even remember the last time I read anything by Dickens. Or if I've ever read any outside of coursework. So this will be a new experience for me all around!

>100 alcottacre: It is happy Saturday morning for me, Stasia. Going to have a few hours at work this morning and then the weekend belongs to me!

>102 PaulCranswick: I am out of practice with him too, Chris. I re-read Great Expectations a few years ago but I haven't read any new-to-me Chuckles in an age.

I love Dickens but haven't read Bleak House.
My son had to read it in law school.
I may have seen part of a movie version . .

>104 nrmay: Had to? Is that usual for law schools? A friend who is a lawyer gave us a copy when we hired him to deal with my BIL's legal remains. Sort of a negative estate that we wanted to make sure was tightly fenced. I did eventually read and enjoy it.

>104 nrmay: A class on how not to behave as a lawyer, maybe, Nancy?!

>105 quondame: I know of course the novel centres upon the case of Jarndyce v Jarndyce so it will be interesting to see whether it gives me further insights to those I gained via my Bachelor of Law!

50 THRILLERS, CRIME, FANTASY & ADVENTURE

Genre fiction wasn't included in my list of 100 Novels by 100 Authors
So I need to give them some love too!

This will have the same stipulation of only including 1 book per author (and in the case of series I will normally focus on the season opener) with the added stipulation that I cannot included any author from my 100 (that prevents The Hobbit and The Moonstone being included which otherwise would have been dead certs).

I will also group them into 10 quite arbitrary Sub-Categories for slightly quicker processing compared to the 100 Novels.

SCANDI

All will know my love of Nordic Noir or what I call "Scandi". Difficult for me to choose only five but here we are :

1. Mercy by Jussi ADLER-OLSEN. aka The Keeper of Lost Causes (North America). DENMARK

Published 2007. The first book in the Department Q series. Great plots and chock full of misfits lead by Carl Mork

" I found it to be a very satisfying read and I will continue with the series as I want to see how things progress in Department Q " Lori (lkernagh)

2. The Gingerbread House by Carin GERHARDSEN. SWEDEN

Published 2008. The first book in the Hammarby series. Middle aged people are being murdered and the link emerges that they went to Kindie together. Conny Sjoberg and his team are very well drawn and it is a very immersive story and series.

" The story is briskly plotted, captivating, and often thrilling." Lyle (bkinetic)

3. Jar City by Arnaldur INDRIDASON. ICELAND

Published 2000. The first book in the excellent Inspector Erlendur series. I am not sure who is the most morose among Scandi detectives but Erlendur comes close. Not sure of my favourite in this consistent series but it grows from here.

" The mystery was interesting and the characters, once I understood who was who, were very engaging." Cheli

4. Faceless Killers by Henning MANKELL. SWEDEN

Published 1991. Sjowall & Wahloo were the pioneers of the genre but Mankell was the one whose books really consolidated Nordic Noir. Wallender is a splendid creation and this has all the ingredients associated with Scandi : gritty realism, non-heroic hero, great sense of place.

" Even though I'm not really a big reader of crime fiction, I found this novel of a police investigation of a violent murder of a farmer and his wife a compelling read. " Madeline

5. The Redbreast by Jo NESBO. NORWAY

Published 2000. The third book in the Harry Hole series but the first published in the UK in English. Hole is self-destructive but brilliant but is the most archetypical pusher of self-destruct buttons.

"All in all, excellent." Judy (ffortsa)

>102 PaulCranswick: Yay for having the rest of the weekend to read! That is what you were going to do with it, right?

>107 PaulCranswick: I positively refuse to look at any more of your lists. Do you know how big the BlackHole is already?

>107 PaulCranswick: I'm surprised not to see a Stieg Larsson in that group. But while I've read a few Scandi Crime books, it's been pretty random and none of those authors show up in my list.

50 THRILLERS, CRIME, FANTASY & ADVENTURE

Scandi Ten Alternative Choices:

Denmark : Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg
Sweden : Missing by Karin Alvtegen
Iceland : Snowblind by Ragnar Jonasson
Norway : Don't Look Back by Karin Fossum
Sweden : The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Sweden : Still Waters by Viveca Sten
Norway : Burned by Thomas Enger
Sweden : Unseen by Mari Jungstedt
Sweden : Roseanna by Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo
Norway : Dregs by Jorn Lier Horst

>108 alcottacre: Hahaha I am sure that I will tempt you, Juana!

Yes I am going to be reading. x

>109 quondame:. I like Stieg Larsson's books but I think they got overhyped and he got credited with popularising a genre when IMHO that credit belongs to Sjowall & Wahloo firstly but mainly to Henning Mankell.

It is a large field though, Susan, and there are plenty of great books out there.

>110 PaulCranswick: The only one of those I've read is Snowblind which sort of annoyed me a bit, but was overall pretty decent.

50 THRILLERS, CRIME, FANTASY & ADVENTURE

Genre fiction wasn't included in my list of 100 Novels by 100 Authors
So I need to give them some love too!

This will have the same stipulation of only including 1 book per author (and in the case of series I will normally focus on the season opener) with the added stipulation that I cannot included any author from my 100 (that prevents The Hobbit and The Moonstone being included which otherwise would have been dead certs).

I will also group them into 10 quite arbitrary Sub-Categories for slightly quicker processing compared to the 100 Novels.

FANTASY

6. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke. UK

Published in 2004. Victoriana meets magic with splendid if long-winded consequences.

"An excellent book, deserving of the Hugo it won in 2005." Kristel

7. The Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings. USA

Published in 1982. If I had made this list last year then Feist would have been included by IMHO this start to the Belgariad displaces Pug in my affections.

" I first read this series in the '80s when it had been recently published; the (UK Corgi) cover illustrations with their fanlights and art by Geoff Taylor drew me in and were some of the books that got me really started in fantasy in my teens. I was worried that this book wouldn't live up to my memories but it has and I've really enjoyed re-reading it." Nina

8. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. UK

Published in 2013. What a wonderfully quirky fantasy novel.

" Gaiman is fast becoming one of my favourite authors." Chelle

9. The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner. USA

Published in 2000. This may be YA fiction but boy is it good!

" These novels are great fun and I'm galloping through them! " Lucy

10. Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton. UK/Canada

Published in 2003. Never have dragons been so lovable.

"If the thought of talking dragons in a kind of Victorian England hasn't already alienated you, you might find this tale of a bereaved family, a legal controversy over the father's will, and the romances of the unmarried daughters and son as hard to put down as I did." Carrie

>112 quondame: I wanted to include another Icelandic author and I think Jonasson has slightly more sense of locale than Yrsa Sigurdardottir who I also enjoy.

The genre in >111 PaulCranswick: is more your bag, I know and you are far more knowledgeable on it than I am.

>113 PaulCranswick: >114 PaulCranswick: Tooth and Claw is a hoot, but my top 5 would be entirely different - except of course you'd include Tolkien if you hadn't already put him in the top 100. I have read all of those. The Ocean at the End of the Lane I liked, but it faded quickly and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell annoyed me as much as it entertained. Pawn of Prophesy was a bit of fun when it first came out, but once you've heard someone doing a send up of it, well, that balloon pops easily. The Thief and all the books in that series are great, but somehow not quite as dear to me as:

0. Lord of the Rings
1. The Curse of Chalion
2. The Forgotten Beasts of Eld
3. A Wizard of Earthsea
4. Night Watch
5. The Knight | The Anubis Gates

50 THRILLERS, CRIME, FANTASY & ADVENTURE

Fantasy Ten Alternative Choices:

My reading in this genre is quite limited so please forgive me!

Magician by Raymond E Feist
The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin
The Borrowers by Mary Norton
The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart
The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak

>115 quondame: They are great pointers for me, thank you Susan. I have read A Wizard of Earthsea and liked it but not quite enough for it to make the top five.

You are right that Lord of the Rings and Watership Down would have had to be accommodated had they not made the 100 Novels list.

>116 PaulCranswick: I've filled out my post a bit. Things move ever so quickly here.

>115 quondame: I'm also a fan of Mary Nortan, Mary Stewart, Lewis Carroll, and Kenneth Grahame. Raymond E Feist, not so much and C.S. Lewis is problematical. I have not yet read The Bone Clocks or The Book Thief.

>118 quondame: I can see by going into genre favourites, Susan, I am going to pick up some great BBs.

Patricia McKillip in particular is new to me so I will certainly go and seek her out.

Bello wanted to go to a mall called My Town to meet her friend for a late lunch and she was surprised and pleased that her dad was willing to drive her there. My Town also has the largest discount bookstore in Malaysia! I really have made a pig of myself this month:

211. The Angel of History by Rabih Alameddine
212. The President's Gardens by Muhsin Al-Ramli
213. In the Country by Mia Alvar
214. Poetry Will Save Your Life by Jill Bialosky
215. Multitudes by Lucy Caldwell
216. Confession of the Lioness by Mia Couto
217. Transit by Rachel Cusk
218. West by Carys Davies
219. In the Name of the Family by Sarah Dunant
220. The Informers by Bret Easton Ellis
221. The Witches of St. Petersburg by Imogen Edwards-Jones
222. Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan
223. The Turner House by Angela Fournoy
224. A Tall History of Sugar by Curdella Forbes
225. Old Men in Love by Alasdair Gray
226. The Quiet American by Graham Greene
227. The Zig Zag Girl by Elly Griffiths
228. Delicate Edible Birds by Lauren Groff
229. The Evening Road by Laird Hunt
230. Hitman Anders and the Meaning of it All by Jonas Jonasson
231. The Transition by Luke Kennard
232. A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline
233. Under the Net by Iris Murdoch
234. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
235. The Man Without a Shadow by Joyce Carol Oates
236. Running in the Family by Michael Ondaatje
237. Almost Love by Louise O'Neill
238. The Portrait by Willem Jan Otten
239. First Love by Gwendoline Riley
240. Looking for Mr. Goodbar by Judith Rossner
241. The Humbling by Philip Roth
242. The Butt by Will Self
243. The World to Come by Jim Shepard
244. The Gallery of Vanished Husbands by Natasha Solomons
245. The Dictionary of Animal Languages by Heidi Sopinka
246. In the Days of Rain by Rebecca Stott
247. The Neighborhood by Mario Vargas Llosa
248. Remember Me by Fay Weldon
249. Kipps by HG Wells
250. Resolution by A.N. Wilson

Greene and Murdoch replace books earlier given away by Yasmyne to her school library. There are seven hardbacks among the forty books. I paid less than $3.75 per book all new.

Of the thrillers I’ve read Faceless Killers, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Smilla’s sense of Snow. I liked the latter the best. Faceless Killers did not entice me to continue the series.

Of the fantasy I read and really enjoyed Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. I have Tooth and Claw to read. I’ve read the Neil Gaiman one too. I think I liked Strange and Norrell better as that one has stuck with me but I did like The Ocean at the End of the Lane. I liked it’s message. I read the Eddings books too.

I too may get a bunch of BB from the Fantasy genre.

>121 Kristelh: For the Scandi my absolute essential book is Faceless Killers because that is the one that put me on to the genre.

With Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, I noted and quoted your positive review. I'm sure other friends will suggest other fantasy books that we should consider

50 THRILLERS, CRIME, FANTASY & ADVENTURE

Genre fiction wasn't included in my list of 100 Novels by 100 Authors
So I need to give them some love too!

This will have the same stipulation of only including 1 book per author (and in the case of series I will normally focus on the season opener) with the added stipulation that I cannot included any author from my 100 (that prevents The Hobbit and The Moonstone being included which otherwise would have been dead certs).

I will also group them into 10 quite arbitrary Sub-Categories for slightly quicker processing compared to the 100 Novels.

CLASSIC CRIME

11. The Beast Must Die by Nicholas Blake UK

Published in 1938. Blake was better known as Cecil Day Lewis, later Poet Laureate and father of Daniel Day Lewis. Nigel Strangeways is called in to settle this labyrinthine case.

" I enjoyed the book quite a lot and it will be interesting to follow how the screen adaptation differs from it." Alan

12. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie UK

Published in 1926. I generally preferred Marple to Poirot but this one really does have a plot to die for.

" For the half dozen people who haven't yet read it - do so now!" Vivienne

13. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. UK

Published in 1902. The most atmospheric of the Sherlock Holmes books and possibly the best.

" The atmosphere is a perfect blend of horror, suspense, and intrigue, with just a dash of humor. " Carrie

14. Malice Aforethought by Francis Iles. UK

Published in 1931. Written by Anthony Berkeley as Francis Iles this is a compelling study of the murderous mind. It is revealed on the opening page who the killer is and he then proceeds to inform us of his thought processes.

" This is one of the best mysteries I've ever read," Jennifer

15. The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey. UK

Published in 1951. Resolving the culpability for one of the most historic of crimes while laying in your hospital bed doesn't sound the stuff of great crime fiction but, boy, this works. My Ricardian roots help too.

" Tey's ability to make a book set entirely in a hospital room compelling is a tour de force." Julia

>93 PaulCranswick: If I am back then I would be pleased if you could both join me for the game We would like that very much Paul! I think Mr SandDune seems marginally less despondent about Leeds being relegated now. It was causing him considerable angst a couple of weeks ago!

50 THRILLERS, CRIME, FANTASY & ADVENTURE

Classic Crime Ten Alternative Choices:

These alternative choices will show that I don't totally dismiss American books in the genre.

The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith
The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett
Green for Danger by Christianna Brand
Love Lies Bleeding by Edmund Crispin
The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M Cain
The Drowning Pool by Ross Macdonald
Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy L. Sayers
Death in Ecstasy by Ngaio Marsh
Darker Than Amber by John D. MacDonald

>124 SandDune: It will be great to catch up with both of you again, Rhian. I will keep you updated as to my progress for coming back.

I am also a lot less nervous after two wins that we can survive this season.

>107 PaulCranswick: - Discovered that I already own The Redbreast - guess it must be lurking in the bottom To Be Read Chest. Will have to dig that one out. Love that cover of The Gingerbread House! I’d pick that one off a shelf any day of the week.

>113 PaulCranswick: - The Neil Gaiman book was great, I thought. Read Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell a number of years ago. For me it was one of those books that I both liked and disliked. Have kept it all this time because the bits I liked I really liked.

>123 PaulCranswick: - The Daughter of Time is probably my favorite mystery ever. As soon as it is my turn to choose a book for the RL Book Club I am going to offer it to the other members as one of three possibles for them to choose from. I’ve come to mysteries late in life but after 10 years or so of finally reading them on a fairly regular basis I have found TDoT to be a standout among them.

50 THRILLERS, CRIME, FANTASY & ADVENTURE

Genre fiction wasn't included in my list of 100 Novels by 100 Authors
So I need to give them some love too!

This will have the same stipulation of only including 1 book per author (and in the case of series I will normally focus on the season opener) with the added stipulation that I cannot included any author from my 100 (that prevents The Hobbit and The Moonstone being included which otherwise would have been dead certs).

I will also group them into 10 quite arbitrary Sub-Categories for slightly quicker processing compared to the 100 Novels.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

The setting is important for a novel isn't it? These are some books that take me away from home!

16. Forty Words For Sorrow by Giles Blunt. Canada

Published in 2000. The John Cardinal series is an excellent one of a flawed hero in the "wilds" of Algonquin Bay, Ontario.

" This really shouldn't be marketed as a mystery. We know whodunit and whydunit. It's a chase thriller, and a good one. The violence warned of above is upsetting to me due to its victims being kids. In the end, Blunt's coolly presented, razor-edged prose and his vile, horrible imagination kept me awake and flopping from side to side in agonized suspense until I reached the end of the book. It was harrowing and horrible! I can't wait to read the next one!" Richard

17. Excursion to Tindari by Andrea Camilleri. Italy

Published in 2000. Almost impossible for me to pick my favourite book in the series set of course in Sicily. My absolute favourite detective series. Brilliant characters. Great sense of place. Salivation guaranteed every time.

" A little bit of everything in this one. With all of this going on, who has time to solve a murder or find missing people?" Lori

18. The Dry by Jane Harper. Australia

Published in 2016. This really does give a parched sense of the Outback of small town Australia. Very well done. Her follow up was unbelievably disappointing after this great debut.

" This was a good solid read, with just a tad too many misdirections. As a first novel, very impressive, and worthy of a look at the second in the Aaron Falk series." Linda

19. March Violets by Philip Kerr. UK

Published in 1989. Bernie Gunther is a great creation - I could have placed him in the historical section really but it is the evocation of Berlin that is so impressive here.

" I loved every bit of this private dick story set during a very dramatic period in history. " Ilana

20. Devil's Peak by Deon Meyer. South Africa

Published in 2004. Benny Griessel is a mess but an enduring interesting mess and with wonderful plot lines to move about in. I have Benita to thank for introducing this series to me.

" I am happy to recommend this book to readers and will read more of his books." Benita

>127 Fourpawz2: Lovely to see you, Charlotte. I need to go back to reading more thrillers because I realise just how much I love 'em!

>120 PaulCranswick: Another massive haul Paul. Never done one that size in a store (no car to get them home), though did a couple online a few years back.

50 THRILLERS, CRIME, FANTASY & ADVENTURE

Location, Location, Location Ten Alternative Choices:

Arabesk by Barbara Nadel (Istanbul)
Death From the Woods by Brigitte Aubert (France}
A Sea of Troubles by Donna Leon (Venice)
Death in the Olive Grove by Marco Vichi (Florence)
Crime Story by Maurice Gee (New Zealand)
Jacquot and the Waterman by Martin O'Brien (Southern France)
Ratking by Michael Dibdin (Perugia)
Love in Amsterdam by Nicolas Freeling (Amsterdam)
Pietr the Latvian by Georges Simenon
Open Season by CJ Box (Wyoming)

>130 Caroline_McElwee: I had the car in the Basement Car Park but it was a struggle with three heavy bags, Caroline. Let's see how many volumes of poetry we each buy when I can get back to the UK.

>122 PaulCranswick: Yes, Faceless Killers is one of the books that made the 1001 Books You Must Read before you die for that very reason.

50 THRILLERS, CRIME, FANTASY & ADVENTURE

Genre fiction wasn't included in my list of 100 Novels by 100 Authors
So I need to give them some love too!

This will have the same stipulation of only including 1 book per author (and in the case of series I will normally focus on the season opener) with the added stipulation that I cannot included any author from my 100 (that prevents The Hobbit and The Moonstone being included which otherwise would have been dead certs).

I will also group them into 10 quite arbitrary Sub-Categories for slightly quicker processing compared to the 100 Novels.

SPIES & ESPIONAGE

21. Cause for Alarm by Eric Ambler. UK

Published in 1938. Ambler wrote ten books between 1936 and 1960 and I could have picked any one of them for this list, but this one perhaps just shades it as I have a soft spot for the "hero" Marlowe.

"Cause For Alarm by Eric Ambler is a classic spy thriller that is set in Fascist Italy in 1938. A tale of espionage and counter-espionage, this was an enjoyable read about the political situation that was building up to soon become open warfare. Eric Ambler wrote the book in the late 1930’s and clearly saw the danger in both the Nazi government of Germany and the rise of Fascism in Italy." Judy

22. The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan. UK

Published in 1915. Richard Hannay set the tone for Ambler's out-of-their-depth heroes. Uncovering German spies in the Scottish highlands, I must have read this four or five times and love it each time.

"It’s fun to have read the beginning of a genre." Janet

23. The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers. Ireland

Published in 1903. Very prescient in so many ways and in a doubly tragic one in that WW1 did come about and millions were slaughtered but also that Childers went to the firing squad for running German arms into Ireland.

" Written in 1903. the book is reportedly a first in the line of espionage literature. The story takes place on a yacht and in the waters along the European coat of Netherlands and Germany. Germany and England are working on naval supremacy and the story occurs before WWI." Kristel

24. Night Soldiers by Alan Furst. USA

Published in 1988. A very superior writer Alan Furst and that is what earned him his spot in this list despite several very strong contenders in the genre.

"This is the first of Furst's books to be published and one of his best. It has all of the moodiness,action, atmosphere, and thrills that are characteristic of Furst novels without the murkiness found in some of them." Benita

25. The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John Le Carre. UK

Published in 1963. Undoubtedly a classic of the genre, if not THE classic.

" The Spy Who Came In From The Cold by John Le Carre is a brilliant literary thriller that was originally published in 1963. This book exposes the dirty, messy business of spies on both sides of the Cold War and is totally unlike James Bond with his martini on one side and a beautiful woman on the other. " Judy

>133 Kristelh: I am still only counting the first edition of the 1001 Books, Kristel and it doesn't make that one!

50 THRILLERS, CRIME, FANTASY & ADVENTURE

Spies & Espionage: Ten Alternative Choices:

From Russia With Love by Ian Fleming
The Innocent by Ian McEwan
Charlotte Gray by Sebastian Faulks
The Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett
The Janus Man by Colin Forbes
Funeral in Berlin by Len Deighton
Slow Horses by Mick Herron
The Kill Artist by Daniel Silva
Zoo Station by David Downing
Corpus by Rory Clements

The remaining 25 will be revealed tomorrow!

Wordle 281 4/6

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Back to my average!

>125 PaulCranswick: In a way it's probably a good thing that my memory for mysteries isn't generally very good - I get puzzled all over again. That doesn't work with Sayers though, but it has other rewards as do some of the others. I really love Dick Francis's mysteries, especially some of the mature middle ones. I've probably gone on more than once about loving the stories involving middle class people who are deeply involved in their professions.

I don't recall reading any Highsmith, Brand, or Crispin, and aren't there several Mcdonald's in the field? I'm pretty sure I haven't read that one since the LA setting would have lingered, though I have certainly heard of Lew Archer.

50 THRILLERS, CRIME, FANTASY & ADVENTURE

Genre fiction wasn't included in my list of 100 Novels by 100 Authors
So I need to give them some love too!

This will have the same stipulation of only including 1 book per author (and in the case of series I will normally focus on the season opener) with the added stipulation that I cannot included any author from my 100 (that prevents The Hobbit and The Moonstone being included which otherwise would have been dead certs).

I will also group them into 10 quite arbitrary Sub-Categories for slightly quicker processing compared to the 100 Novels.

GOTHIC FICTION & HORROR

26. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. UK

Published in 1938. Mrs Danvers is one of the creepiest characters in fiction and this book is dominated by a character who never appears because she is dead before the book starts.

"Full of vivid characters, naive hope, thrilling mystery, chilling despair, and descriptions that ring with pure poetry, there is no wonder that this book remains well loved through the generations." Ellie

27. The Woman in Black by Susan Hill. UK

Published in 1983. Gothic horror at its very best. A satisfying novel indeed.

" Beautifully written with spooky, Gothic, eerie overtones, Susan Hill portrays chilling happenings that held my interest." Linda

28. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. USA

Published in 2005. A fetching update on the Dracula legends.

" Well-written especially considering the many jumps in timeline and POV. Lots of fascinating historical detail makes the story come alive." Ursula.

29. Dracula by Bram Stoker. Ireland

Published in 1897. Really has to be included in this list. I cannot go to Whitby and look at the abbey without shuddering.

" Though not the first word in vampire literature and mythology, Stoker's novel is, in a way, the last word - and one very much so worth reading." LsJ

30. The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham. UK

Published in 1951. This has been termed merely as SciFi but this is horror in its pure form.

" REAL horror, not gore: that sense of unspeakable and terrifying things happening on a Wednesday afternoon at four pm, not in some horrible abbatoir at midnight where I the reader/moviegoer know for sure and certain there are not enough wild horses to drag me." RD

>139 quondame: Sayers isn't one of my absolute favourites, Susan and I didn't care for her Detective or Margery Allinghams but she could plot.

50 THRILLERS, CRIME, FANTASY & ADVENTURE

Horror & Gothic Fiction: Ten Alternative Choices:

Turn of the Screw by Henry James
The Devil Rides Out by Dennis Wheatley
Carrie by Stephen King
The Green Man by Kingsley Amis
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
Interview With a Vampire by Anne Rice
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
Requiem by Graham Joyce

>131 PaulCranswick: I have had that Nadal for ages, and can even put my hand on it. Maybe next month Paul.

>113 PaulCranswick: You got me with your #10 here.

>120 PaulCranswick: Oink! ;-)

Hi Paul, happy anniversary, and hope Hani continues to feel better.

>143 Caroline_McElwee: I have a couple of her books unread and really should get back to my series' sometime, Caroline.

>144 ArlieS: It is a genre, I am not supposed to love but that is an extraordinary book. I am on course to add 1,000 books at my present rate of progress although Hani's return will undoubtedly clip my wings!

>145 banjo123: She tested again yesterday and was still positive, Rhonda, but she is definitely improved compared to a couple of days ago. She is climbing the walls a little though at the same time!

50 THRILLERS, CRIME, FANTASY & ADVENTURE

Genre fiction wasn't included in my list of 100 Novels by 100 Authors
So I need to give them some love too!

This will have the same stipulation of only including 1 book per author (and in the case of series I will normally focus on the season opener) with the added stipulation that I cannot included any author from my 100 (that prevents The Hobbit and The Moonstone being included which otherwise would have been dead certs).

I will also group them into 10 quite arbitrary Sub-Categories for slightly quicker processing compared to the 100 Novels.

THRILLS, SPILLS AND DERRING-DO

War and old-time thrillers here, they had to have their own category!

31. The Odessa File by Frederick Forsyth. UK

Published in 1972. The second novel by Forsyth is surely his best as the secret organisation to plan for the return of the Nazi regime is uncovered.

" A really compelling book. Fast-paced, thoroughly researched, fair characterizations and a really good plot." AliceAnna

32. The Eagle Has Landed by Jack Higgins. UK

Published in 1975. Centres on a fictional attempt to kidnap Churchill and take him to the Reich during the war. Great story and great fun.

"You keep reading because Higgins has spun the plot. Yes, you may know the Germans failed to kidnap Churchill but..." SeriousGrace

33. The Strange Land by Hammond Innes. UK

Published in 1954. Innes could have gone into a multitude of genres but I associate him with this group of writers. I could have picked almost any of his books but I have always had a yen for Morocco which is the setting for this one.

"Quintessential 1950s adventure novel. A time when the French still governed in Morocco. A time when the Foreign Legion still exerted its will in France's colonies. A time when explorers, renegades, and those on the run from their past could find seclusion in the barren wilderness bordering the desert. And only a frequently washed out road and unreliable single phone line to connect with civilization. Then, the Berbers rebel." PaulCornelius

34. The Guns of Navarone by Alistair MacLean. UK

Published in 1957. They don't write them like this any more! Again, I could have chosen for several of his work, most of which I have read numerous times.

"The author drew me into the story, immersed me deep within the players, and kept me turning page after page, even though 'technically' I already knew the ending. I got lost, for a time, on a small island, some 70 years ago." Fuzzi

35. Harry's Game by Gerald Seymour. UK

Published in 1975. Great year for thrillers. Seymour's first book and still probably his best set amid the "Troubles" in Northern Ireland.

"You can feel the tension, the hatred, the parochial entrenched attitude of both catholic and protestant inhabitants, as they go about their normal day committing murder and mayhem against their fellow neighbour, all in the name of misguided religious and political beliefs. Highly Recommended". Runner56

50 THRILLERS, CRIME, FANTASY & ADVENTURE

Thrills, Spills and Derring-Do: Ten Alternative Choices:

Gold Mine by Wilbur Smith
A Twist of Sand by Geoffrey Jenkins
Assignment in Brittany by Helen MacInnes
Running Blind by Desmond Bagley
Shapes of Sleep by J.B. Priestley
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
The First Horseman by John Case
Spandau Phoenix by Greg Iles
Plum Island by Nelson DeMille
A Thousand Suns by Alex Scarrow

I must admit that I am getting a little confused as to which author and which book should fit into which sub-genre - so I will do what I usually do and....cheat! There are certain authors and books I want to shoe-horn into the 50 so don't pick me up too much on why a certain book went into a certain category.

50 THRILLERS, CRIME, FANTASY & ADVENTURE

Genre fiction wasn't included in my list of 100 Novels by 100 Authors
So I need to give them some love too!

This will have the same stipulation of only including 1 book per author (and in the case of series I will normally focus on the season opener) with the added stipulation that I cannot included any author from my 100 (that prevents The Hobbit and The Moonstone being included which otherwise would have been dead certs).

I will also group them into 10 quite arbitrary Sub-Categories for slightly quicker processing compared to the 100 Novels.

CLASSIC ADVENTURE

36. Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper. USA

Published in 1826. My final sub-genre will be Historical fiction and Alt History and as with many of these "traditional" classic adventures, it could have found a place there too - I wanted a section for this type of books as they are the books I grew up with. I have always had a fascination with the Native Americans and this is the most traditional of the stories.

"Overall The Last of the Mohicans was a pleasant enough read. There were certain portions of the book that keep me going while other parts rather dragged (after the second rescue and capture, it got rather annoying), and my mind would start wandering" Valerie

37. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. France

Published in 1845. I was a little sheepish about not finding a place for this book in my 100 Novels list and had Dumas trimmed a quarter of the book it would be in my top twenty books never mind top 100. The first sections of hope and then imprisonment and eventual escape are amongst the best fiction ever written.

"Fantasticaly gripping! One of my all time favourites." Fliss

38. Moonfleet by J. Meade Falkner . UK

Published in 1898. In my teens this was my favourite book and I have read it probably more than any other book. Smuggling and secrets and twists abound in this great tale.

"I found it thoroughly entertaining - it obviously appealed to the barely-concealed boy in me!" James

39. Rob Roy by Sir Walter Scott. UK

Published in 1817. Scott takes us back to the Jacobite uprising of circa 1715 based very loosely on the life of Rob Roy McGregor.

" Once you get over the slight self adsorption, it's a tale that's got it all - romance, mystery, disguised identity, trouble, danger, battles, redemption, a beautiful & spirited maiden, and irredeemable baddie, and an honest hero." Helen

40. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. UK

Published in 1883. I think Moonfleet is the better book but this has some absolutely unforgettable characters. I could just as easily taken The Black Arrow or Kidnapped.

" This book is a classic for a reason - filled with great characters and excitement and told by a master at his craft, what's not to like?" Sean

50 THRILLERS, CRIME, FANTASY & ADVENTURE

Classic Adventures: Ten Alternative Choices

Beau Geste by PC Wren
Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
Children of the New Forest by Frederick Marryat
The Four Feathers by AEW Mason
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy
The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope
Call of the Wild by Jack London
The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier
The Railway Children by E. Nesbit

I based the qualification for this genre that the books must have been published before my lifetime and were yarns or adventures. These are largely the books of my childhood as I still came from a generation that were weaned on the classics and it is also why my tastes in the genre are/were overwhelmingly British. I have to say that I feel London's book is a better novel than Cooper's Last of the Mohicans but I included the latter in my list of 50 because the story so grabbed me back in the day.

I'm partial to the romantic adventures by Shellabarger and Sabatini. The Count of Monte Cristo is great and I liked Treasure Island and the other Stevenson books too. There are a few of those I haven read, 1 or 2 for sure.

Georgette Heyer's historical romances are fabulous and Patrick O'Brian's sea stories, oh, I shouldn't leave off C.S. Forester, but my hand's down favorite historical novels are by Dorothy Dunnett.

>153 quondame: I hinted that I would cheat, Susan, and I do have something of a cross over with my last sub-genre being historical adventures and/or alt-history as it enables me to juggle my inclusions to make sure that I get all my favourite included. I haven't read Shellabarger or Sabatini though I do have Captain Blood and Scaramouche on the shelves. I am still, to my shame, to read anything by Georgette Heyer.

>111 PaulCranswick: Nope, I refuse to look. Suzanne just posted her best reads of last year and now I am trying to track those down!

>120 PaulCranswick: Juan! You have gone to town! Nice haul.

I hope Hani continues to improve!

>155 alcottacre: Oh Gosh, like you Suzanne reads a zillion books a year! I'll go and have a peek too.

250 Books already added this year is excessive even by my standards.

50 THRILLERS, CRIME, FANTASY & ADVENTURE

Genre fiction wasn't included in my list of 100 Novels by 100 Authors
So I need to give them some love too!

This will have the same stipulation of only including 1 book per author (and in the case of series I will normally focus on the season opener) with the added stipulation that I cannot included any author from my 100 (that prevents The Hobbit and The Moonstone being included which otherwise would have been dead certs).

I will also group them into 10 quite arbitrary Sub-Categories for slightly quicker processing compared to the 100 Novels.

MODERN MYSTERIES

41. The Sins of the Fathers by Lawrence Block. USA

Published in 1976 - Modern of course being in this case published in my lifetime! I love Matt Scudder, his problems, his ways of solving them. He is a sweet guy but not saccharine sweet and is not afraid to settle things outside the strict confines of the law occasionally. This is the first in the series and my favourite one.

" enjoyed it very much and moved on to Scudder # 2." Cathy

42. The Killing Floor by Lee Child - UK

Published in 1997. So many people count this as a favourite series and I am one of them and it got off to a great start with this one.

"I'll be following Reacher in his next adventure, count on it." Ilana

43. Take No Farewell by Robert Goddard. UK

Published in 1991. It is virtually impossible for me to pick a favourite by Goddard although I do like his early and mid novels more than his very later ones. Here with have an Architect who betrays his love only to come back to try to rescue her when she is accused of murder.

" Set in the first two decades of the twentieth century, Take No Farewell is an exemplar of mystery/thriller writing at its best. Goddard is a descriptive writer who develops characters which results in a rewarding narrative." Neil

44. The Hanging Garden by Ian Rankin. UK

Published in 1998. I couldn't in good faith pick the first instalment of this series featuring Edinburgh's version of Harry Hole. This one is thus far my favourite with war criminals and gangland stuff aplenty.

" Like its predecessor in the series, this showed Rankin and Rebus moving into another gear.. There are several parallel plots, all with their own intricacies and inherent plausibility. " James

45. Lennox by Craig Russell. UK

Published in 2009. This is a great series - Lennox is demobbed from the war and turn his hand to detective work in the mean streets of Glasgow. Hardboiled to perfection and no yolk.

" Lennox is a atmospheric, tartan noir that Craig Russell fills with all the right ingredients. Lead by the tough wise-cracking anti-hero, this is a story filled with violence, hard-boiled characters - both male and female, and the dark, brooding presence of Glasgow with it’s working class environment of shipyards and steel mills. Dark, intense and well plotted, Lennox is a great start to this new series."Judy

50 THRILLERS, CRIME, FANTASY & ADVENTURE

Modern : Ten Alternative Choices

Fear the Worst by Linwood Barclay
Scaredy Cat by Mark Billingham
Talking to the Dead by Harry Bingham
The Chatham School Affair by Thomas H Cook
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
Just When We are Safest by Reg Gadney
The Havana Room by Colin Harrison
The Friends of Eddie Coyle by George V Higgins
Cold Granite by Stuart MacBride
Gallows View by Peter Robinson

50 THRILLERS, CRIME, FANTASY & ADVENTURE

Genre fiction wasn't included in my list of 100 Novels by 100 Authors
So I need to give them some love too!

This will have the same stipulation of only including 1 book per author (and in the case of series I will normally focus on the season opener) with the added stipulation that I cannot included any author from my 100 (that prevents The Hobbit and The Moonstone being included which otherwise would have been dead certs).

I will also group them into 10 quite arbitrary Sub-Categories for slightly quicker processing compared to the 100 Novels.

HISTORICAL & ALT FICTION ADVENTURES

46. The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell. UK

Published in 2004. Series inspired by Cornwell discovering his own ancestry. Uhtred is possibly too immune from battle scars but the books are always a great adventure.

"Another rousing historical fiction tale from Cornwell! " Karen

47. Comanche Moon by Larry McMurtry. USA

Published in 1997. Final book published in the Lonesome Dove series but the second of the four altogether in terms of the events. I have loved all the books but for some reason I haven't yet read Lonesome Dove itself.

"The entire series is among the best I have ever read, and this novel is the jewel in the crown." isaf60

48. True Grit by Charles Portis. USA

Date Published 1968. Love this western which is funny and sad all at once.

" A spanking good read!" Mark

49. Dominion by CJ Sansom. UK

Published in 2012. Fairly controversial for its speculating on what real life characters may have done had Britain capitulated to Hitler. It is nevertheless an excellent page turner. Recommend to me by Rhian's husband who has good taste in his choice of books, his choice of football teams and his choice of a wife.

"I liked the book a whole lot. Not that I'm very familiar with British politics in general and of the '50's in particular, but the plot sounded plausible and it made me think about what could have happened if.... What would have been different, how would things have turned out.
We'll never know, of course, but it was nice to think about it." Brede

50. Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith UK

Published in 2008. Based on the case of the Rostov Ripper this is the first Demidov book and it made the Booker longlist. Perhaps not inappropriate to end this section and the list of my 50 favourite "thrillers" with a book on the derogations of Russia.

"Told with nuance and style, Tom Rob Smith creates a new Russian hero, on par with Martin Cruz Smith's Arkady Renko, while keeping you on the edge of your seat and turning pages well into the night. Tense, gripping drama combined with tenderness and love as Leo and Raisa discover the love for each other that they never knew existed. Top notch!" Bonnie

50 THRILLERS, CRIME, FANTASY & ADVENTURE

Historical & Alt History Adventures : Ten Alternative Choices

How the West Was Won by Louis L'Amour
Centennial by James Michener
London by Edward Rutherfurd
Lieutenant Hornblower by CS Forester
Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brien
Wolf of the Plains by Conn Iggulden
Hannibal by Ross Leckie
Fatherland by Robert Harris
Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser
Early One Morning by Robert Ryan

Hi Paul!

>27 PaulCranswick: These are the ones I’ve read. It turns out that I’ve read 15. I also almost finished Far Pavilions and Crime and Punishment but abandoned both within 50-or-so pages of the end. I cannot remember why. Anyway. My favorites are

Sea of Poppies
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Quiet American
Watership Down
The Return of the Native

The other 10, in a rough order of liking.
Night
Northanger Abbey
The Good Earth
A Prayer for Owen Meany
The Shipping News
Breathing Lessons
Ethan Frome
Jane Eyre
Wuthering Heights
David Copperfield

>45 PaulCranswick: Oh my, I’m sorry to hear this. I hope her symptoms are mild. You must be going crazy not being there with her.

>59 PaulCranswick: Yikes. I’m sorry more are gone than you originally thought.

>60 PaulCranswick: Another Cranswickian haul. Impressive.

>91 PaulCranswick: I’m glad Hani is ‘not much better’ in Hani speak. Please give her my best wishes, and tell her that I hope that she gets over Covid quickly.

>107 PaulCranswick: and etc. Ah, another list. I’ve read Jar City, Faceless Killers, The Redbreast, Smilla’s Sense of Snow, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Bone Clocks, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Malice Aforethought, The Daughter of Time, Love Lies Bleeding, Murder Must Advertise, Forty Words for Sorrow, The Dry, The Thirty Nine Steps, From Russia With Love, Rebecca, The Historian, The Day of the Triffids, Interview With a Vampire, The Thirteenth Tale, The Exorcist, The Da Vinci Code, Spandau Phoenix, Last of the Mohicans, The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Silver Sword, The Killing Floor, Talking to the Dead. Whew. I have many others on my shelves.

>120 PaulCranswick: Another CH!

Edited to add:

>159 PaulCranswick: and >160 PaulCranswick: True Grit, Master and Commander, Fatherland, Fashman.

>161 karenmarie: I did notice Karen, that Joe has been hosting recently a top fives lists of Fiction and Non-Fiction and I of course participated as tough as it is to crystallise to only 5 books. Even doing my thrillers plus lists in groups of five resulted in a lot of tough calls and prompted my alternative lists.

I'm pleased to report that Hani continues to improve and her current plan now involves Yasmyne coming to the UK and changing her passport to a permanent Malaysian one (in lieu of the "emergency" one she has been holding for about eight months!) to go with her UK passport. The UK has no problem with Dual Nationality but Malaysia doesn't allow it so Yasmyne is skating a little bit on thin ice. They will thereafter travel back together to here.

On a less positive note I seem to be coming down with something as my bones are heavy in that way that clearly portends a fever coming. Hopefully, I am wrong.

>159 PaulCranswick: Recommend to me by Rhian's husband who has good taste in his choice of books, his choice of football teams and his choice of a wife. Awhh ... I'm all blushing now!

>163 SandDune: My you got to that one quickly! I was complimenting A by the way!

>131 PaulCranswick: Any one of these could've nucleated a fine list indeed.

>128 PaulCranswick: But this one is *chef's kiss*

>120 PaulCranswick: ...!!!...

It serves Hani right for leaving you alone this long, but WOW

>165 richardderus: It is funny RD but I telling myself earlier in the week when I added 24 books that it was OK because the Mommy Bear will soon be home and I won't be able to sneak anywhere near as many books into the Bear Pit. I reminded myself again yesterday when I added another 40!

Belle did not allow me anywhere near KLCC and Kinokuniya today - it was a non-mall day as we popped out for the nearest thing that we have here to a gastro-pub. I had a fairly decent cottage pie and Belle pigged out on a triple burger.

>162 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul - Stay Well and, maybe, according to the news, learn Chinese.

>167 m.belljackson: Having spent 28 years over in this region and with so many Chinese Malaysian friends and colleagues obviously I've........well no I haven't because they all want to perfect their English.

Forty books at a shot. I don’t know how I would even carry them all to the counter… 😂

>159 PaulCranswick: Oh my, Paul - Lonesome Dove is his Pulitzer Prize winner, so you're practically obligated to read it. And honestly, it's the best of them, easily one of my favorite novels.

Tried to catch up, Paul, but over 200 messages is an undoable amount.
Belated happy new thread, I saw some big Cranswickian hauls! Sorry to read Hani got Covid, I hope she will be better soon. Belated happy 26th anniversary!

>169 drneutron: I have to admit, Jim, that I had a shopping trolley! It is the only bookstore I know that provides them.

>170 ChrisG1: I know Chris, I was almost embarrassed admitting to not having read it yet!

>171 FAMeulstee: It is ok, Anita, it is always a blessing to me when you visit. xx

Wordle 282 3/6

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Strange little game just now with a decent result!

BOOK #46

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Night Haunts by Sukhdev Sandhu
Date of Publication : 2007
Origin of Author : UK
Pages : 144 pp

Inspired by a book written almost a century ago these twelve essays bring forth a cast of characters that is an updating of the Dickensian figures which "haunted" the capital in days lost. We have graffiti artists, mini-cab drivers, sleep technicians and Thames barge operators and with the last the opening scenes of Our Mutual Friend spring to mind.

Nice writing - at once stark yet lyrical but there was little in the way of observational profundity here. Mildly recommended.

>156 PaulCranswick: I have no idea how many I have added this year and I do not want to know. I just ordered a bunch in anticipation of my Thingaversary that is coming up in May - year 16 for me! It does not seem possible!

>175 PaulCranswick: I think I liked this book the best out of those who read it. I am wondering if part of the reason is my complete and utter unfamiliarity with London.

BOOK #47



The Old Boys by William Trevor
Publication Date : 1964
Origin of Author : Ireland
Pages : 170 pp

This, his debut novel, which I am reading for the first time, is ample reminder of what a superb novelist Trevor was.

We peer inside the machinations of a school Old Boys committee wherein the rivalries and alliances from school re-assert themselves.

Very enjoyable.

>177 PaulCranswick: I also enjoy William Trevor, but I am pretty sure that I have not read that one yet. Adding it to the BlackHole just in case.

>176 alcottacre: I did do a count for you a while ago and can easily let you know!

I didn't dislike the book at all, Stasia but it didn't give me any surprised either so you may be right that familiarity with London was not really an advantage in this case.

>178 alcottacre: His very first novel and he was brilliant in bringing out the small amounts of twistedness in most normal people.

>179 PaulCranswick: I know you did and the number of books gained has gone up since then, lol. However, I am also getting rid of books that I doubt I will re-read in future, so I am trying to even out the numbers a little.

I think Caroline was the same - her familiarity with London may have kept her from enjoying the book more than she might otherwise have done.

>180 PaulCranswick: It is too bad my local library does not have a copy of that one. I have a couple of his books, but am pretty sure that I do not already own The Old Boys.

>181 alcottacre: I think that you are right about the London thing as Caroline liked it least and she is obviously the most familiar with the city.

I know that I wont be able to help myself and that I will go and count your book additions again!

>182 alcottacre: It isn't a book I saw many editions of but they did bring out some sort of anniversay collection of his books a few years past.

>58 PaulCranswick: I have such a hard time rating books and feel it is a shifting always. Plus I haven't read enough books to do a fair job.
My favorite A authors/books
Things Fall Apart by Achebe
Half of a Yellow Sun by Adichie
The House of the Spirits by Allende
The Twilight Years by Ariyoshi
A God in Ruins by Atkinson
Blind Assassin by Atwood, though Cat's Eye was close.

>184 Kristelh: Alphabetical favourites is good too, Kristel.

of your six I agree of course with Achebe and Adichie. I haven't read that Allende but what I have read I have enjoyed. I haven't read Ariyoshi. I really like the Jackson Brodie books of Kate Atkinson and my favourite Atwood to date by some distance is Alias Grace.

>184 Kristelh: I have such a hard time rating books and feel it is a shifting always.

I feel exactly the same way!

>185 PaulCranswick: I still need to read Alias Grace. I have not gotten it read yet despite having owned it for some time.

>185 PaulCranswick:, >186 alcottacre:. Alias Grace was my favorite but we did a group read of Blind Assassin which pushed it ahead. My least favorite is The Handmaid’s Tale please don’t shoot me, I know everyone thinks it is her best. I did not include her SFF trilogy in my considerations. I have not read The Testaments or Robber Bride yet.

B authors
I've read two Baldwins and my favorite is Giovanni's Room, I own Another Country which was PC's favorite so I would like to get to that one.
J.G. Ballard, an author that is hard to like, my favorite would be Super-Cannes. I did not like Crash and High Rise was hard to appreciate. I haven't read his Empire of the Sun which I might like. I remember the movie.
I've read two Balzac and liked them both, if I pick a favorite I think it would be Père Goriot.
I really liked Player of Games by Iain M. Banks which is a 1001 book (I am using every edition) but it also qualifies as SF
Banville, John. The Sea.
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. I know this is one people tend not to like but I liked the relationship between the old lady and the young girl.
Pat Barker, Regeneration. I have only read her Another World so this could change.
I like Julian Barnes writing but my favorite is one others don't tend to mention, Arthur & George. I also liked Flaubert's Parrot but Arthur & George better.
I gave 5 stars to Alamut by Vladimir Bartol. I think this book surprised me when I read it. Don't know if it would hold at 5 stars.
Old Wive's Tales by Arnold Bennett
John Boyne, The Hearts Invisible Furies
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
I am unable to like Beckett, I probably like his play best so far but I have a few more to read.
Saul Bellow, which I do like when others don't, my favorite of his would be Humboldt's Gift
The Children's Book would be my favorite Byatt but I haven't read any others, so who knows.

Hi Paul,
I'm throwing Piranesi out for your consideration since you had Strange and Norrell on one of your many lists. I know, that TBR pile grows bigger every day, but that one was is pretty unique. Last year it was one of my top 5 and I think it is going to keep a high ranking for a while on my list.
The Forgotten Beasts of Eld was a good one that I received when I did the library thing book gifting a few Christmases ago but I did not really like The Changeling Sea by the same author, had a hard time relating to it, the main character 12 yrs old and falling in love with the foreign prince, but for scene setting and being lyrically told it was good.
I really liked The Book Thief, The Historian, 13th Tale, the Earthsea series, etc. as well. Daughter of Time really made me think about the subject and had me agreeing with the conclusion.
I used to love Silva's spy stuff but he went off the rails with the latest, The Order, so I recommend skipping that one.
Happy Reading!

Hi Paul! I'm hopelessly behind on your thread, but you wanted me to let you know when I was planning to read Atwood's The Blind Assassin, and I've just decided to start it :) Funnily enough I see that it was mentioned a few posts up above!

>186 alcottacre: I am ok at making my mind up about whether I really like a book or not but I do have trouble compiling lists of favourites as you always seem to have it made and then realise that you have forgotten something that really must be on there!

>187 Kristelh: I haven't yet read The Blind Assassin but I do have plans to!

>187 Kristelh: I have not yet read The Handmaid's Tale as the book has just never interested me. I have not read either The Testaments or Robber Bride.

>188 Kristelh: I loved The Elegance of the Hedgehog when I read it!

>188 Kristelh: Giovanni's Room is one of Baldwin's I haven't yet gotten to, Kristel.
Ballard, I agree but my favourite is Empire of the Sun.
Balzac, I do like Pere Goriot but like the plotting of The Black Sheep more.
Have only read The Wasp Factory by Banks.
I thought The Sea by Banville was ok but didn't make my list.
I haven't read the Barbery but I do own it.
Liked Regeneration by Barker but liked Silence of the Girls more.
Agree on Arthur & George, it is my favourite Barnes book too.
Haven't read Bartol.
I have read a few books by John Boyne and they are always engaging.
Agree with you on Beckett - he is a tough read.
My favourite Bellow is Herzog but there are still a few of his I need to get to.
Bronte and Bennett both made my list with the books you picked.

>189 kaida46: Thanks for that!
Piranesi is on my shelves and I must find time for it soon.
I was not familiar with McKillip and I checked the stores here and they don't stock her books. When I get back to the UK, I will look again.
Silva has a habit of having Allon put him into situations whereby he offers himself up sacrificially but he comes out the other side each time. It stretches the imagination too much sometimes. That said his books are almost always a good read.

>190 curioussquared: Thanks for letting me know Natalie. I will try my best to shoehorn it in too and join you with it.

>192 alcottacre: Yeah, I didn't enjoy The Handmaid's Tale either, Stasia.

Some novels/authors that would be in my top 100 that aren't in yours. (Either they didn't make your cut or you haven't read them!)

Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson
Posession by A. S. Byatt
The Thief of Auschwitz by Jon Clinch
Silence by Shusaku Endo
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
The Fish Can Sing by Halldor Laxness
Christy by Catherine Marshall
The Chosen by Chaim Potok
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
Ivanhoe by Walter Scott
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

>196 cbl_tn: I have read some of them Carrie.

Atkinson's book I thought was a good book but I think that her Jackson Brodie series better and I am still trying to rationalise to myself why it wasn't on the thriller list.
I was put off by the awful poetry in Possession.
I think I read Gatsby at the wrong time as it left me cold - I will try it again soon.
Ivanhoe would be behind Rob Roy in my Scott ranking.
Barchester Towers almost made it to my 100.
Not read the others but have read some of the authors.

>197 PaulCranswick: I love the Jackson Brodie books, too, but I consider them more genre fiction. When Will There Be Good News? is probably my favorite Brodie.

I can see why your reaction to the poetry in Possession would color the whole reading experience for you since it's so central to the book.

I haven't read Rob Roy. I'll have to add it to my TBR list!

I forgot Heinrich Boll. I really liked Safety Net best. I've read 3 books by him.

>198 cbl_tn: I have to admit to unfairly overlooking Jackson Brodie in my genre list and I really should rectify that.

I suppose writing poetry of a sort made me want to insist that Byatt stuck to prose! Better judges than I gave her the Booker but I thought that the poetry itself was execrable.

C authors
The Plague is my favorite Camus
The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay was my favorite Chabon, but I really liked Moonglow but I will stick with The Adventures...
My favorite Chandler is The Long Goodbye
On the Black Hill - Bruce Chatwin
Remarkable Creatures by TracyChevalier
The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin.
I like Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell better than Piranesi but these probably belong on SFF
Elizabeth Costello is my favorite Coetzee (I've read 4)
Moonstone my favorite Wilkie Collins
My favorite Michael Crichton is Jurassic Park but if we take that out as SFF then it is Rising Sun

>199 Kristelh: I have read a couple of his books but not that one yet. I don't get on too well withGerman authors with a few exceptions.

>201 Kristelh: Camus & Clarke I have included in my lists and Moonstone was within a whisker.
I haven't read the Chabon, the Chevalier, or the Chopin. My favourite Coetzee so far is Disgrace. Chatwin's book was close to my list but I don't much care for Crichton.

>202 PaulCranswick:, I am reading Wolfgang Koeppen the Hothouse right now and it is a struggle. Important post WWII literature but I am not enjoying it. I like Thomas Mann's work.

>203 PaulCranswick: The Chopin is a short story, but The Awakening is too. She packs a lot into her short stories.

>204 Kristelh: I did enjoy Look Who's Back by Vermes and The Reader by Schlink. I need to read more of Grass and Sebald. I have only read Death in Venice.

>205 Kristelh: Kristel, I found The Awakening just a little bit too metaphysical for my liking!

I liked The Reader which is also good post WWII German lit. I've read Grass; The Tin Drum and Cat and Mouse. I liked the later best. I've only read Austerlitz by Sebald. Of all these listed, The Reader would be my favorite.

>207 PaulCranswick:, try The Story of an Hour and see what you think. I also was not enamored with The Awakening and I know I've read it at least twice.

>208 Kristelh: Pre-LT The Reader would have made my list, Kristel, but I have read so many good books in the last decade that it didn't quite get there.

>209 Kristelh: I will go and look for it but I am sure that it won't be in the stores here.

>195 PaulCranswick: Yeah, it is probably going to remain an unread book for me. I simply have no interest in it.

>201 Kristelh: So many good books in that list!

>211 alcottacre: I have a challenge to read all the Booker winners and so I will eventually read The Testaments, but it is the only winner I don't own.

Wordle 283 3/6

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Inspired guess gives me another 3

>210 PaulCranswick: It should be free on line.

>214 Kristelh: Maybe, Kristel, but I normally try to buy and read books and what you get on line are something but not really books!

I had a really hard time with Strange & Norrell. I really wanted to like it, but found it hard to follow.
I read it, then a while later listened to the audiobook and then watched the series on Netflix.
I still have mixed feelings about it.
I don't know why.

>215 PaulCranswick: Because it is a short story, you should be able to just find a pdf file that won’t be filled with errors. My granddaughter did some study of the short story for her class. So I read it on line because we wanted to discuss it together.

https://archive.vcu.edu/english/engweb/webtexts/hour/

>212 PaulCranswick: Good luck with that. I get too distracted to have too many challenges and I already have a ton this year. Maybe in future I will get to the Bookers.

Hi Paul! Just checking in to see if you might still be interested in a shared read of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay next month. I'm still up for it, but I can put it off until later if that works better for you.

>216 hredwards: I can understand, Harold, your problem with the book but it did work for me.

>217 Kristelh: Kristel, I will look at it shortly. I wanted to like The Awakening but didn't so hopefully this will be more my thing.

>218 alcottacre: I haven't set any time limits on it, Stasia, so I am certainly not in any hurry to get to it anytime soon.

>219 cbl_tn: I do want to get to it soon, Carrie, but I have an awful lot of books in my tray for April and it would help me if we could push it into May.

>221 PaulCranswick: May works for me!

>222 cbl_tn: Thanks Carrie. That works better for me too!

Wordle 284 5/6

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I don't like it when there are too many options and it becomes an guessing game

Hey, I finished Axiom's End and really enjoyed it. I see you have it in your library - have you read it yet?

>225 drneutron: I haven't read it yet, Jim, but I'll bump it up the pile given your enjoyment of it.

>160 PaulCranswick: If I might suggest another fantasy novella: "The Empress of Salt and Fortune" by Nghi Vo. It's very well-crafted.

>160 PaulCranswick: Not familiar with it, Greg, but I will definitely go and have a look.

Wordle 285 4/6

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Recovered after a dodgy first go!

More new books in-house today, Paul! Come over and see the haul :)

Happy whatever!

>230 alcottacre: I will be there in a moment, Juana!

>227 ocgreg34: >228 PaulCranswick: Definitely worth reading, but not quite enough to compete with major world builds.

>232 quondame: Susan, it is a genre that, when it clicks for me, it really absorbs me, but I need the recommendations to put me onto the good 'uns from those, like you, who are more expert in the subject. Thanks to all of you for helping to expand my reading horizons.

D authors:

Nervous Conditions (Nervous Conditions, #1) Dangarembga, Tsitsi
Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres. I know most people prefer his Birds Without Wings but I loved Corelli's Mandolin.
Moll Flanders by Defoe
Libra by DeLillo, I don't like a lot by DeLillo but like the conspiracy theory stuff in this one. I am going to be reading Underworld as my next quarterly read.
Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Dennis-Benn
In the Distance by Hernan Diaz. My bookclub hated this but I found a lot of it to be clever bit of story telling but a totally different perspective for the immigrant.
Dickens; I think I always liked Tale of Two Cities because I love Les Miserables so much. But I liked Martin Chuzzlewit, Our Mutual Friend, David Copperfield, and Hard Times. I really should reread Bleak House because it probably is his best.
Ragtime by Doctorow
The Brothers Karamazov and The Idiot are my highest ranked Dostoevsky
Sherlock Holms; my favorite is The Hounds of Baskerville though I like The Blue Carbuncle short story.
I read Advise and Consent by Allen Drury last year, winner of the Pulitzer. I have to say it was way too long but I learned a lot and it was really a good story. It has stuck with me.
Rebecca Du Maurier
The Count of Monte Cristo for Dumas

>233 PaulCranswick: I didn't love Nervous Conditions, Kristel but it has stuck with me, for me it was a toss up between those two books for Bernieres. Defoe's novel was brave considering when it was written and you have the same problems as I do when it comes to picking a Dickens. Agree that Libra is DeLillo's work and that he is a tough read. Ragtime ought really to have made my list and I'm hamstrung by not having read more Dostoevsky. Haven't read Dennis-Benn, Diaz, or Drury. Agree on Du Maurier, Dumas and Doyle.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/340905

Hey Paul, Happy Almost Friday, for you.

Hopefully you can see this link, I stumbled upon this guy who did a drone video of going down the Burj Khalifa. Its pretty spectacular.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CU7484VgPJ3/

>236 SilverWolf28: Thanks Silver. A new quarter so I'll be keen to get cracking!

>237 mahsdad: I'm just having my Friday morning coffee, Jeff, and trying my best to snap to! I will go and have a look at the link. Nice to see you, buddy.

ETA Can see it and I'm glad it was only coffee I'm taking for breakfast as that free-fall might regurgitate breakfast cereal!

Happy weekend, Paul! The April BAC thread is up; perhaps it will give the motivation to finally read one of those Clive Barker books on your shelves. ;)

https://www.librarything.com/topic/340803#

Friday orisons, PC.

>239 amanda4242: I have Weaveworld planned, Amanda. I may let Kamila slip into May so that she coincides with the ABC.

>240 richardderus: Thank you dear fellow.

Wow Paul, your threads are moving too fast with all these best books posts. I can never do these as I forget about too many good reads.

>242 avatiakh: I was guilty of one unintentional omission in my list by the non-inclusion of Ragtime by EL Doctorow, but generally I am quite systematic in going back over my reading records.

Lovely to see you here, Kerry

Wordle 286 6/6

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Another of those awful games where you get several options to finish up and keep guessing the wrong one. I went scout and spout before being left at the death with snout

>241 PaulCranswick: I have Weaveworld by my bed so I may join you in reading.

I won't finish anymore books in LT time this month so I'll round up my reading in March and for the first quarter now.

MARCH READING ROUND-UP

Book Read : 15 (first Q - 52)

Pages read : 2,829 (10,607)

Pages per day : 91.26 (117.86)

Male authors : 8
Female authors : 6
Various authors : 1

Poetry : 3
Fiction : 9
Non-Fiction : 3

UK authors : 4
Ireland : 3
USA : 2
Syria, Iraq, Papua New Guinea, Norway, Oman, Various : 1 each

Book of the Month

Tough one in a solid reading month but I am going for, despite great NF from Baldwin and Knausgaard :

Intimacies by Katie Kitamura

>245 amanda4242: It was recommended to me 27 years ago by a chap I was working with on the Changi Airport expansion and I really shouldn't put it off much longer. Will be starting it next week if you can wait for me!

>246 PaulCranswick:, is the book of the month, the favorite book read that month?

E authors
Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan, I really liked this
George Eliot, I've read several and like all them but my favorite is probably The Mill on the Floss followed by Silas Marner, Middlemarch would be third for me.

(not a novel, but Waste Land is probably one of my favorites. I am not a reader of poetry like you are)

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Favorite Louise Erdrich Last Report on the miracles of Little No Horse and Round House

The Marriage Plot, then Middlesex my favorites for Jeffrey Eugenides

>247 PaulCranswick: I *might* have one or two books I could read while I'm waiting.

>248 Kristelh: Yes Kristel. My favourite read of March.

>249 Kristelh: Yes on Ellison and Erdrich. I really need to read George Eliot and I haven't read Eugenides or Egan either. I did The Waste Land in Eng-Lit studies and adore it.

>250 amanda4242: Haha you will doubtless read a Baker's dozen while waiting!

In case you did not see my message on the Belgariad group read thread, Paul, I have added Castle of Wizardry to TiOLI Challenge #17 for April.

Happy whatever!

>253 alcottacre: Thanks Stasia. I need to catch up on the series and quickly!

>254 PaulCranswick: Yep. We are on the penultimate book now :)

>255 alcottacre: As usual I am playing catch up!