PAUL C in the War Room - IXX : Blitzkrieg and Resistance
This is a continuation of the topic PAUL C in the War Room - XVIII : On the Trail of Cochise .
This topic was continued by PAUL C in the War Room - XX : IMPHAL & KOHIMA SAVED INDIA FROM JAPAN .
Talk75 Books Challenge for 2024
Join LibraryThing to post.
1PaulCranswick
In the European theatre, WW2 started 85 years ago today when the German Panzers rolled into Poland
2PaulCranswick
The Opening Words
When one thinks of World War Two it is the characters involved that first spring to mind: Stalin, Hitler, Rommel, Mussolini, FDR, Eisenhower, MacArthur and on the British side overwhelmingly we think of Churchill.
The war leader wrote six volumes of war memoirs during the late forties and early fifties and the third one is The Grand Alliance which covers the momentous events of 1941. The other two I have read are wonderful if not famed for their complete correctness and I am sure that this will be no different.
"Looking back on the unceasing tumult of the war, I cannot recall any period when its stresses and the onset of so many problems all at once or in rapid succession bore more directly on me and my colleagues than the first half of 1941. The scale of events grew larger every year; but the decisions required were not more difficult. Greater military disasters fell upon us in 1942, but by then we were no longer alone and our fortunes were mingled with those of the Grand Alliance."
Interested...................................?
Also qualifies for the BAC this month.
When one thinks of World War Two it is the characters involved that first spring to mind: Stalin, Hitler, Rommel, Mussolini, FDR, Eisenhower, MacArthur and on the British side overwhelmingly we think of Churchill.
The war leader wrote six volumes of war memoirs during the late forties and early fifties and the third one is The Grand Alliance which covers the momentous events of 1941. The other two I have read are wonderful if not famed for their complete correctness and I am sure that this will be no different.
"Looking back on the unceasing tumult of the war, I cannot recall any period when its stresses and the onset of so many problems all at once or in rapid succession bore more directly on me and my colleagues than the first half of 1941. The scale of events grew larger every year; but the decisions required were not more difficult. Greater military disasters fell upon us in 1942, but by then we were no longer alone and our fortunes were mingled with those of the Grand Alliance."
Interested...................................?
Also qualifies for the BAC this month.
3PaulCranswick
Books Read January to June
January
1. Dear Future Boyfriend by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz (2000) 90 pp Poetry / 150Y Challenge 15/150
2. Pax Romana by Adrian Goldsworthy (2016) 420 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 16/150
3. The Lantern Bearers by Rosemary Sutcliff (1959) 306 pp Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 17/150
4. Black Hearts in Battersea by Joan Aiken (1964) 286 pp Fiction / BAC / 150Y Challenge 18/150
5. Carthage Must Be Destroyed by Richard Miles (2010) 373 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 19/150
6. When We Were Warriors by Emma Carroll (2019) 248 pp Fiction / War Room / 150y Challenge 20/150
7. Double Indemnity by James M Cain (1936) 136 pp Thriller / 150Y Challenge 21/150
8. Persian Fire by Tom Holland (2005) 376 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 22/150
February
9. North Woods by Daniel Mason (2023) 369 pp Fiction 150Y Challenge 23/150
10. The African by JMG Le Clezio (2004) 106 pp Non-Fiction / 150Y Challenge 24/150
11. The British are Coming by Rick Atkinson (2019) 564 pp Non-Fiction / War Room
12. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather (1927) 297 pp Fiction 150Y Challenge 25/150
13. Redcoat by Bernard Cornwell (1987) 405 pp Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 26/150
March
14. Fatal Colours by George Goodwin (2011) 239 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 27/150
15. R.S. Thomas : Selected Poems by R.S. Thomas (2003) 343 pp Poetry / BAC / 150Y Challenge 28/150
16. The Maiden by Kate Foster (2023) 370 pp Fiction
17. The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan (2024) 334pp Fiction / Warm Room
18. The Wren, The Wren by Anne Enright (2023) 273 pp Fiction
19. The Brothers York : An English Tragedy by Thomas Penn (2019) 572 pp Non-Fiction / War Room
20. Pet by Catherine Chidgey (2023) 323 pp Fiction
21. Brotherless Night by VV Ganeshanathan (2023) 341 pp Fiction
22. Breakdown by Cathy Sweeney (2024) 217 pp Fiction
23. Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas (1954) 108 pp Drama / BAC / 150 Y Challenge 29/150
24. Bosworth: Psychology of a Battle by Michael Jones (2002) 220 pp Non-Fiction/ War Room / 150Y Challenge 30/150
April
25. The Sweet Science by A.J. Liebling (1956) 232 pp Non-Fiction / AAC / 150Y Challenge 31/150
26. The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith (1955) 249pp Thriller / 150Y Challenge 32/150 / 1001 Books
27. Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad (2023) 319 pp Fiction / War Room
28. Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym (1977) 186 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 33/150 / BAC/ 1001 Books
29. A History of the Crusades I by Steven Runciman (1951) 281 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 34/150
30. Loot by Tania James (2023) 289 pp Fiction
31. Field Work by Seamus Heaney (1979) 56 pp Poetry / 150Y Challenge 35/150
32. A History of the Crusades II by Steven Runciman (1952) 385 pp Non-Fiction / War Room
33. A History of the Crusades III by Steven Runciman (1954) 401 pp Non-Fiction / War Room
34. Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy (2023) 233 pp Fiction
35. The People of Hemso by August Strindberg (1887) 152 pp Fiction / 1001 Books / 150Y Challenge 36/150
36. Five Children and It by E. Nesbit (1902) 237 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 37/150
37. The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope (1875) 766 pp Fiction / BAC / 150Y Challenge 38/150
38. The Details by Ia Genberg (2022) 151 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 39/150
May
39. Napoleon by Alan Forrest (2011) 331 pp Non-Fiction / War Room
40. The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey (2024) 449 pp Fiction
June
41. Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris (2022) 550 pp Thriller / War Room
42. Selling Manhattan by Carol Ann Duffy (1987) 52 pp Poetry
43. A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley (1939) 392 pp Fiction / BAC / 150Y Challenge 40/150
44. The Fox by D.H. Lawrence (1922) 123 pp Fiction / BAC / 1001 Books / 150Y Challenge 41/150
45. Peace by Richard Bausch (2008) 171 pp War Room / 150Y Challenge 42/150
46. The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave (2019) 304 pp Fiction / BAC
47. River East, River West by Aube Rey Lescure (2024) 339 pp Fiction
48. Minor Detail by Adania Shibli (2017) 112 pp Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 43/150
49. The House of Broken Bricks by Fiona Williams (2024) 377 pp Fiction / Alternate Women's Prize
50. Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger (1920) 296 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 1001 Books / Anita Memoriam / 150Y Challenge 44/150
51. A Move in the Weather by Anthony Thwaite (2003) 67 pp Poetry
January
1. Dear Future Boyfriend by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz (2000) 90 pp Poetry / 150Y Challenge 15/150
2. Pax Romana by Adrian Goldsworthy (2016) 420 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 16/150
3. The Lantern Bearers by Rosemary Sutcliff (1959) 306 pp Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 17/150
4. Black Hearts in Battersea by Joan Aiken (1964) 286 pp Fiction / BAC / 150Y Challenge 18/150
5. Carthage Must Be Destroyed by Richard Miles (2010) 373 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 19/150
6. When We Were Warriors by Emma Carroll (2019) 248 pp Fiction / War Room / 150y Challenge 20/150
7. Double Indemnity by James M Cain (1936) 136 pp Thriller / 150Y Challenge 21/150
8. Persian Fire by Tom Holland (2005) 376 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 22/150
February
9. North Woods by Daniel Mason (2023) 369 pp Fiction 150Y Challenge 23/150
10. The African by JMG Le Clezio (2004) 106 pp Non-Fiction / 150Y Challenge 24/150
11. The British are Coming by Rick Atkinson (2019) 564 pp Non-Fiction / War Room
12. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather (1927) 297 pp Fiction 150Y Challenge 25/150
13. Redcoat by Bernard Cornwell (1987) 405 pp Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 26/150
March
14. Fatal Colours by George Goodwin (2011) 239 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 27/150
15. R.S. Thomas : Selected Poems by R.S. Thomas (2003) 343 pp Poetry / BAC / 150Y Challenge 28/150
16. The Maiden by Kate Foster (2023) 370 pp Fiction
17. The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan (2024) 334pp Fiction / Warm Room
18. The Wren, The Wren by Anne Enright (2023) 273 pp Fiction
19. The Brothers York : An English Tragedy by Thomas Penn (2019) 572 pp Non-Fiction / War Room
20. Pet by Catherine Chidgey (2023) 323 pp Fiction
21. Brotherless Night by VV Ganeshanathan (2023) 341 pp Fiction
22. Breakdown by Cathy Sweeney (2024) 217 pp Fiction
23. Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas (1954) 108 pp Drama / BAC / 150 Y Challenge 29/150
24. Bosworth: Psychology of a Battle by Michael Jones (2002) 220 pp Non-Fiction/ War Room / 150Y Challenge 30/150
April
25. The Sweet Science by A.J. Liebling (1956) 232 pp Non-Fiction / AAC / 150Y Challenge 31/150
26. The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith (1955) 249pp Thriller / 150Y Challenge 32/150 / 1001 Books
27. Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad (2023) 319 pp Fiction / War Room
28. Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym (1977) 186 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 33/150 / BAC/ 1001 Books
29. A History of the Crusades I by Steven Runciman (1951) 281 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 34/150
30. Loot by Tania James (2023) 289 pp Fiction
31. Field Work by Seamus Heaney (1979) 56 pp Poetry / 150Y Challenge 35/150
32. A History of the Crusades II by Steven Runciman (1952) 385 pp Non-Fiction / War Room
33. A History of the Crusades III by Steven Runciman (1954) 401 pp Non-Fiction / War Room
34. Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy (2023) 233 pp Fiction
35. The People of Hemso by August Strindberg (1887) 152 pp Fiction / 1001 Books / 150Y Challenge 36/150
36. Five Children and It by E. Nesbit (1902) 237 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 37/150
37. The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope (1875) 766 pp Fiction / BAC / 150Y Challenge 38/150
38. The Details by Ia Genberg (2022) 151 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 39/150
May
39. Napoleon by Alan Forrest (2011) 331 pp Non-Fiction / War Room
40. The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey (2024) 449 pp Fiction
June
41. Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris (2022) 550 pp Thriller / War Room
42. Selling Manhattan by Carol Ann Duffy (1987) 52 pp Poetry
43. A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley (1939) 392 pp Fiction / BAC / 150Y Challenge 40/150
44. The Fox by D.H. Lawrence (1922) 123 pp Fiction / BAC / 1001 Books / 150Y Challenge 41/150
45. Peace by Richard Bausch (2008) 171 pp War Room / 150Y Challenge 42/150
46. The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave (2019) 304 pp Fiction / BAC
47. River East, River West by Aube Rey Lescure (2024) 339 pp Fiction
48. Minor Detail by Adania Shibli (2017) 112 pp Fiction / War Room / 150Y Challenge 43/150
49. The House of Broken Bricks by Fiona Williams (2024) 377 pp Fiction / Alternate Women's Prize
50. Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger (1920) 296 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 1001 Books / Anita Memoriam / 150Y Challenge 44/150
51. A Move in the Weather by Anthony Thwaite (2003) 67 pp Poetry
4PaulCranswick
Books Read July to December
July
52. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (1989) 137 pp Fiction / War Room / 150 Year Challenge 45/150
53. The Middle Daughter by Chika Unigwe (2023) 305 pp Fiction / Women's Alternative Longlist
54. The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon (1961) 255 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 150 Y Challenge 46/150
55. The Kreutzer Sonata by Leon Tolstoy (1891) 76 pp Fiction / 1001 Challenge / 150 Y Challenge 47/150
56. The Way Back by Erich Maria Remarque (1931) 286 pp Fiction/ War Room/ 150Y Challenge 48/150 / Anita Memoriam Read
57. Berlin Cantata by Jeffrey Lewis (2012) 248 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 49/150
58. The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld (2020) 359 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 50/150
August
59. Poems : MacNeice by Louis MacNeice (1935) 37 pp Poetry / 150Y Challenge 51/150
60. Red Dragon by Thomas Harris (1981) 421 pp Thriller / 150Y Challenge 52/150
61. Chess by Stefan Zweig (1941) 83pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 53/150
62. The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang (1997) 230 pp Non-Fiction/ War Room /150 Challenge 54/150
July
52. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (1989) 137 pp Fiction / War Room / 150 Year Challenge 45/150
53. The Middle Daughter by Chika Unigwe (2023) 305 pp Fiction / Women's Alternative Longlist
54. The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon (1961) 255 pp Non-Fiction / War Room / 150 Y Challenge 46/150
55. The Kreutzer Sonata by Leon Tolstoy (1891) 76 pp Fiction / 1001 Challenge / 150 Y Challenge 47/150
56. The Way Back by Erich Maria Remarque (1931) 286 pp Fiction/ War Room/ 150Y Challenge 48/150 / Anita Memoriam Read
57. Berlin Cantata by Jeffrey Lewis (2012) 248 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 49/150
58. The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld (2020) 359 pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 50/150
August
59. Poems : MacNeice by Louis MacNeice (1935) 37 pp Poetry / 150Y Challenge 51/150
60. Red Dragon by Thomas Harris (1981) 421 pp Thriller / 150Y Challenge 52/150
61. Chess by Stefan Zweig (1941) 83pp Fiction / 150Y Challenge 53/150
62. The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang (1997) 230 pp Non-Fiction/ War Room /150 Challenge 54/150
5PaulCranswick
Currently Reading
6PaulCranswick
The War Room
JANUARY - Ancient Wars (Greeks/Romans/Persians/Carthage/Egyptians/Alexander, etc) https://www.librarything.com/topic/356820
1. Pax Romana by Adrian Goldsworthy
2. The Lantern Bearers by Rosemary Sutcliff
3. Carthage Must Be Destroyed by Richard Miles
4. Persian Fire by Tom Holland
FEBRUARY - The American War of Independence : https://www.librarything.com/topic/358097#n8402612
1. The British are Coming by Rick Atkinson
2. Redcoat by Bernard Cornwell
MARCH - The War of the Roses : https://www.librarything.com/topic/358941
1. Fatal Colours by George Goodwin
2. The Brothers York : An English Tragedy by Thomas Penn
APRIL - Wars of Religion https://www.librarything.com/topic/359824#n8524265
1. Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad
2. A History of the Crusades I by Steven Runciman
3. A History of the Crusades II by Steven Runciman
4. A History of the Crusades III by Steven Runciman
5. Minor Detail by Adania Shibli
MAY - Napoleonic Wars : https://www.librarything.com/topic/360466
1. Napoleon by Alan Forrest
JUNE - English Civil War : https://www.librarything.com/topic/361198
1. Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris
JULY - Colonial Wars : https://www.librarything.com/topic/361750#n8568832
1. The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon
AUGUST - WW2
1. When We Were Warriors by Emma Carroll
2. The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan
3. Peace by Richard Bausch
4. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
5. The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang
SEPTEMBER - American Civil War
OCTOBER - American Follies (Korea, Vietnam, Gulf-War, Afghanistan)
NOVEMBER - WW1 :
1. Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger
2. The Road Back by Erich Maria Remarque
DECEMBER - Spanish Civil War
WILDCARD - Pick your own fight
JANUARY - Ancient Wars (Greeks/Romans/Persians/Carthage/Egyptians/Alexander, etc) https://www.librarything.com/topic/356820
1. Pax Romana by Adrian Goldsworthy
2. The Lantern Bearers by Rosemary Sutcliff
3. Carthage Must Be Destroyed by Richard Miles
4. Persian Fire by Tom Holland
FEBRUARY - The American War of Independence : https://www.librarything.com/topic/358097#n8402612
1. The British are Coming by Rick Atkinson
2. Redcoat by Bernard Cornwell
MARCH - The War of the Roses : https://www.librarything.com/topic/358941
1. Fatal Colours by George Goodwin
2. The Brothers York : An English Tragedy by Thomas Penn
APRIL - Wars of Religion https://www.librarything.com/topic/359824#n8524265
1. Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad
2. A History of the Crusades I by Steven Runciman
3. A History of the Crusades II by Steven Runciman
4. A History of the Crusades III by Steven Runciman
5. Minor Detail by Adania Shibli
MAY - Napoleonic Wars : https://www.librarything.com/topic/360466
1. Napoleon by Alan Forrest
JUNE - English Civil War : https://www.librarything.com/topic/361198
1. Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris
JULY - Colonial Wars : https://www.librarything.com/topic/361750#n8568832
1. The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon
AUGUST - WW2
1. When We Were Warriors by Emma Carroll
2. The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan
3. Peace by Richard Bausch
4. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
5. The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang
SEPTEMBER - American Civil War
OCTOBER - American Follies (Korea, Vietnam, Gulf-War, Afghanistan)
NOVEMBER - WW1 :
1. Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger
2. The Road Back by Erich Maria Remarque
DECEMBER - Spanish Civil War
WILDCARD - Pick your own fight
7PaulCranswick
British Author Challenge (Hosted by my friend Amanda)
JANUARY - Joan Aiken & Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle : Black Hearts in Battersea
FEBRUARY - Emma Newman & Ronald Firbank
MARCH - Welsh Writers : Selected Poems R.S. Thomas; Under Milk Wood
APRIL - Barbara Pym & Anthony Trollope - Quartet in Autumn; The Way We Live Now
MAY - Time Portals : A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley
JUNE - Kiran Millwood Hargrave - The Deathless Girls & D.H. Lawrence - The Fox
JULY -
AUGUST -
JANUARY - Joan Aiken & Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle : Black Hearts in Battersea
FEBRUARY - Emma Newman & Ronald Firbank
MARCH - Welsh Writers : Selected Poems R.S. Thomas; Under Milk Wood
APRIL - Barbara Pym & Anthony Trollope - Quartet in Autumn; The Way We Live Now
MAY - Time Portals : A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley
JUNE - Kiran Millwood Hargrave - The Deathless Girls & D.H. Lawrence - The Fox
JULY -
AUGUST -
8PaulCranswick
American Author Challenge (Hosted with occasional assistance this year by my friend Linda)
JANUARY - Mark Twain
FEBRUARY - Susan Sontag
MARCH - Truman Capote
APRIL - Non-Fiction - The Sweet Science by AJ Liebling
MAY - William Maxwell
JUNE - Queer Authors
JANUARY - Mark Twain
FEBRUARY - Susan Sontag
MARCH - Truman Capote
APRIL - Non-Fiction - The Sweet Science by AJ Liebling
MAY - William Maxwell
JUNE - Queer Authors
9PaulCranswick
150 YEARS OF BOOKS
150 years; 150 books; 150 authors; 15 months
Done:
Row 1 : 1874, 1875, 1887
Row 2 : 1889, 1891, 1902
Row 3 : 1904, 1908, 1910, 1915
Row 4 : 1920, 1922, 1923, 1927, 1931
Row 5 : 1935, 1936, 1937, 1939, 1941, 1945
Row 6 : 1951, 1954, 1955 1956, 1958, 1959, 1961
Row 7 : 1964, 1966, 1977
Row 8 : 1979, 1981, 1987, 1989
Row 9 : 1994, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008
Row 10 : 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023
150 years; 150 books; 150 authors; 15 months
Done:
Row 1 : 1874, 1875, 1887
Row 2 : 1889, 1891, 1902
Row 3 : 1904, 1908, 1910, 1915
Row 4 : 1920, 1922, 1923, 1927, 1931
Row 5 : 1935, 1936, 1937, 1939, 1941, 1945
Row 6 : 1951, 1954, 1955 1956, 1958, 1959, 1961
Row 7 : 1964, 1966, 1977
Row 8 : 1979, 1981, 1987, 1989
Row 9 : 1994, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008
Row 10 : 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023
10PaulCranswick
BEST BOOKS OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
NYT made their list so here is mine:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/362027#8586025
NYT made their list so here is mine:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/362027#8586025
11PaulCranswick
Books Added in 2024
January books 1-31
https://www.librarything.com/topic/357215#8360403
February books 32-73
https://www.librarything.com/topic/358698#8432568
March books 74-104
https://www.librarything.com/topic/359405#8476551
April books 105-130
https://www.librarything.com/topic/360210#8513437
May books 131-144
https://www.librarything.com/topic/360952#8540231
June books 145-160
https://www.librarything.com/topic/361445#8558052
July books 161-182
https://www.librarything.com/topic/362027#8578805
183. Seven Steeples by Sara Baume
184. Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens by Shankari Chandran
185. The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
186. Enlightenment by Sarah Perry
187. My Left Foot by Christy Brown
188. Bismark's War by Rachel Chrastil
189. James by Percival Everett
190. The Wild Laughter by Caoilinn Hughes
191. The Restless Republic by Anna Keay
192. My Friends by Hisham Matar
193. Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri
194. The Sun Walks Down by Fiona McFarlane
195. Ordinary Human Failings by Megan Nolan
196. The Maniac by Benjamin Labatut
January books 1-31
https://www.librarything.com/topic/357215#8360403
February books 32-73
https://www.librarything.com/topic/358698#8432568
March books 74-104
https://www.librarything.com/topic/359405#8476551
April books 105-130
https://www.librarything.com/topic/360210#8513437
May books 131-144
https://www.librarything.com/topic/360952#8540231
June books 145-160
https://www.librarything.com/topic/361445#8558052
July books 161-182
https://www.librarything.com/topic/362027#8578805
183. Seven Steeples by Sara Baume
184. Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens by Shankari Chandran
185. The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
186. Enlightenment by Sarah Perry
187. My Left Foot by Christy Brown
188. Bismark's War by Rachel Chrastil
189. James by Percival Everett
190. The Wild Laughter by Caoilinn Hughes
191. The Restless Republic by Anna Keay
192. My Friends by Hisham Matar
193. Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri
194. The Sun Walks Down by Fiona McFarlane
195. Ordinary Human Failings by Megan Nolan
196. The Maniac by Benjamin Labatut
12PaulCranswick
Book Stats
Books Read : 62
Pages Read in completed books : 17,168 pp
Longest book : The Way We Live Now : 766 pp
Shortest book : Poems : Louis MacNeice : 37 pp
Mean book length : 276.90 pp
Books written by men : 33
Books written by women : 29
Non-Fiction : 16
Fiction : 35
Poetry : 6
Thriller : 4
Drama : 1
1870's : 1 book
1880's : 1 book
1890'S : 1 book
1900's : 1 book
1920's : 3 books
1930's : 4 books
1940's : 1 book
1950's : 7 books
1960's : 2 books
1970's : 2 books
1980's : 4 books
1990's : 1 book
2000's : 6 books
2010's : 11 books
2020's : 17 books
UK Authors : 31
US Authors : 15
Ireland Authors : 4
Sweden Authors : 2
France Authors : 2
Malaysia Authors : 1
New Zealand Authors : 1
Palestine Authors : 1
Germany Authors : 2
Nigeria Authors : 1
Russian Authors : 1
Austria Authors : 1
Nobel Winners : 1 (79/120)
Carnegie Medal Winners : 2 (7th overall)
1001 Books : 7
Read : 62 books
Added : 196 books
Change to TBR : +134
Books Read : 62
Pages Read in completed books : 17,168 pp
Longest book : The Way We Live Now : 766 pp
Shortest book : Poems : Louis MacNeice : 37 pp
Mean book length : 276.90 pp
Books written by men : 33
Books written by women : 29
Non-Fiction : 16
Fiction : 35
Poetry : 6
Thriller : 4
Drama : 1
1870's : 1 book
1880's : 1 book
1890'S : 1 book
1900's : 1 book
1920's : 3 books
1930's : 4 books
1940's : 1 book
1950's : 7 books
1960's : 2 books
1970's : 2 books
1980's : 4 books
1990's : 1 book
2000's : 6 books
2010's : 11 books
2020's : 17 books
UK Authors : 31
US Authors : 15
Ireland Authors : 4
Sweden Authors : 2
France Authors : 2
Malaysia Authors : 1
New Zealand Authors : 1
Palestine Authors : 1
Germany Authors : 2
Nigeria Authors : 1
Russian Authors : 1
Austria Authors : 1
Nobel Winners : 1 (79/120)
Carnegie Medal Winners : 2 (7th overall)
1001 Books : 7
Read : 62 books
Added : 196 books
Change to TBR : +134
13PaulCranswick
Welcome to my 19th Thread of 2024
15figsfromthistle
Happy new one!
18Owltherian
Happy New Thread Paul :)
21amanda4242
Happy new thread!
23PaulCranswick
>19 quondame: Thanks Susan. This morning is really hectic at work so I won't get fully set up until later.
>20 Kristelh: Thank you, Kristel.
>20 Kristelh: Thank you, Kristel.
24PaulCranswick
>21 amanda4242: Thanks Amanda. I haven't finished my BAC book this month to my eternal shame. But I will dance back and get to it soon.
25ocgreg34
>1 PaulCranswick: Happy new thread!
28PaulCranswick
Hope I will manage to get set up in about an hour or so, I am guessing work will die down soon.
29Familyhistorian
Happy new thread, Paul!
32Owltherian
>22 PaulCranswick: Your very welcome
33PaulCranswick
>32 Owltherian: Nice to see you back in the group, Lily.
34booksaplenty1949
>1 PaulCranswick: Are you literally jumping the gun? Didn’t invasion of Poland start on September 1, 1939?
35SilverWolf28
Happy New Thread!
36SilverWolf28
Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/362397
37PaulCranswick
>34 booksaplenty1949: Oh gosh you are right! For some reason when I woke up this morning I thought it was September!!!! My goodness I have had a tough week.
Not a great day today as our appeal against an adjudication decision in favour of one of our subcontractors for approximately $10m largely failed today and we have about a week to obtain a stay from the Court of Appeal. We were successful in reducing the sum as we were able to demonstrate that approximately $2 million of what they were claiming for had already been paid to them.
Adjudication is extremely rough justice and we do feel very badly done to but we will almost certainly overturn this in a full arbitration proceeding. How a Judge can favour a party who have several times being caught blatantly misleading the court about the sums due to them is beyond me.
Not a great day today as our appeal against an adjudication decision in favour of one of our subcontractors for approximately $10m largely failed today and we have about a week to obtain a stay from the Court of Appeal. We were successful in reducing the sum as we were able to demonstrate that approximately $2 million of what they were claiming for had already been paid to them.
Adjudication is extremely rough justice and we do feel very badly done to but we will almost certainly overturn this in a full arbitration proceeding. How a Judge can favour a party who have several times being caught blatantly misleading the court about the sums due to them is beyond me.
38PaulCranswick
>35 SilverWolf28: Thank you, Silver.
>36 SilverWolf28: And again. I have a lot of reading planned this month.
>36 SilverWolf28: And again. I have a lot of reading planned this month.
39SirThomas
Happy new thread, Paul.
There is a saying
In court and on the high seas you are in God's hands...
All the best for your court case - and your coming weekend.
There is a saying
In court and on the high seas you are in God's hands...
All the best for your court case - and your coming weekend.
41thornton37814
Happy new-ish thread!
42ChrisG1
Where would Britain have been without the old bulldog? He was truly the right man for the moment.
43alcottacre
>37 PaulCranswick: How a Judge can favour a party who have several times being caught blatantly misleading the court about the sums due to them is beyond me. Wow, just wow.
Happy new thread, brother!
Happy new thread, brother!
44booksaplenty1949
>37 PaulCranswick: Sounds like you were HOPING it was September, and all this legal nightmare was behind you. This too will pass, however. Thinking of you.
45PaulCranswick
>39 SirThomas: Thank you, Thomas.
I was a little bit like a bear with a sore head yesterday and to compound my problems I forgot to bring my power lead for my lap top home with me so I couldn't update my thread properly.
I will do it this morning.
>40 hredwards: Thank you, Harold. Lovely to see you dear fellow.
I was a little bit like a bear with a sore head yesterday and to compound my problems I forgot to bring my power lead for my lap top home with me so I couldn't update my thread properly.
I will do it this morning.
>40 hredwards: Thank you, Harold. Lovely to see you dear fellow.
46PaulCranswick
>41 thornton37814: Less than a day in is pretty new, Lori! Always pleased to have you drop by. x
>42 ChrisG1: Certainly his record was not an unblemished one, Chris, but a great man for sure. His speeches during the war were an obvious inspiration to the nation he successfully was able to rally. In much of 1940 and all of 1941 the British Empire stood alone against the Axis forces and never really looked like capitulating.
>42 ChrisG1: Certainly his record was not an unblemished one, Chris, but a great man for sure. His speeches during the war were an obvious inspiration to the nation he successfully was able to rally. In much of 1940 and all of 1941 the British Empire stood alone against the Axis forces and never really looked like capitulating.
47PaulCranswick
>43 alcottacre: I know, Stasia. I was in a bad mood the whole of yesterday.
To make it worse an adjudication cannot be set aside on its merits in Malaysian courts (it must be finally determined in Arbitration) but can be set aside on either an excess of jurisdiction by the Adjudicator or by a denial of natural justice to the losing party. In this instance the other side did not in reality plead their case but introduced the whole thing through an expert report which they merely adopted.
They made claims for delay which they had never at any time submitted to us and it was obvious that this should not have been allowed and that the Adjudicator exceeded his jurisdiction in considering it. The Judge who is no stranger to nonsensical decisions did not agree with us.
>44 booksaplenty1949: There is that certainly. I don't know why on earth I thought it was September 2nd, especially since that is my birthday!!
To make it worse an adjudication cannot be set aside on its merits in Malaysian courts (it must be finally determined in Arbitration) but can be set aside on either an excess of jurisdiction by the Adjudicator or by a denial of natural justice to the losing party. In this instance the other side did not in reality plead their case but introduced the whole thing through an expert report which they merely adopted.
They made claims for delay which they had never at any time submitted to us and it was obvious that this should not have been allowed and that the Adjudicator exceeded his jurisdiction in considering it. The Judge who is no stranger to nonsensical decisions did not agree with us.
>44 booksaplenty1949: There is that certainly. I don't know why on earth I thought it was September 2nd, especially since that is my birthday!!
48PaulCranswick
My Friday additions:
183. Seven Steeples by Sara Baume
184. Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens by Shankari Chandran
185. The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
186. Enlightenment by Sarah Perry
183. Seven Steeples by Sara Baume
184. Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens by Shankari Chandran
185. The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
186. Enlightenment by Sarah Perry
49justchris
Yet another new thread already! My local revolutionary bookstore still hasn't restocked The Wretched of the Earth, so I guess I'm not getting around to that one anytime soon. Some other year, I guess.
>47 PaulCranswick: Sorry to hear the adjudication was a nightmare. Hopefully, the court wakes up soon.
>47 PaulCranswick: Sorry to hear the adjudication was a nightmare. Hopefully, the court wakes up soon.
50vancouverdeb
Happy New Thread , Paul. Sorry you've had a difficult time this week at work. I have somewhere in my TBR stack Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens and I also have Enlightenment. I hope you enjoy them when you get to them.
51PaulCranswick
>49 justchris: It is funny but there were three different versions or editions of the book when I was last in Kinokuniya, Chris (yesterday)!
The legal system here can be frustrating. There are some excellent practitioners but a bad civil dispute decision can be very tough to overturn.
>50 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deb. It is the weekend at last!
Of course Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens won the Miles Franklin prize in Australia.
The legal system here can be frustrating. There are some excellent practitioners but a bad civil dispute decision can be very tough to overturn.
>50 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deb. It is the weekend at last!
Of course Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens won the Miles Franklin prize in Australia.
52PaulCranswick
More additions this Saturday as I felt in need of some Book therapy with my difficult week.
187. My Left Foot by Christy Brown
188. Bismark's War by Rachel Chrastil
189. James by Percival Everett
190. The Wild Laughter by Caoilinn Hughes
191. The Restless Republic by Anna Keay
192. My Friends by Hisham Matar
187. My Left Foot by Christy Brown
188. Bismark's War by Rachel Chrastil
189. James by Percival Everett
190. The Wild Laughter by Caoilinn Hughes
191. The Restless Republic by Anna Keay
192. My Friends by Hisham Matar
53PaulCranswick
So despite my reservations I now have 6 of the long list for the Booker!
54louisisaloafofbreb
Hiya Paul, how are you?
55booksaplenty1949
>47 PaulCranswick: Important info I will attempt to file away!
56richardderus
>37 PaulCranswick: Judges have a perspective I find really hard to relate to.
New-thread orisons, PC.
New-thread orisons, PC.
57PaulCranswick
>54 louisisaloafofbreb: Lily?
>55 booksaplenty1949: With over a month to go then it will be long forgotten by then!
>55 booksaplenty1949: With over a month to go then it will be long forgotten by then!
58booksaplenty1949
>57 PaulCranswick: Speak for yourself!
59PaulCranswick
>56 richardderus: Especially this one, RD. I attended a seminar where he and I were both in attendance and he was invigilating a discussion on the inadvisability of paying loss & expense claims in adjudication. I remember him nodding in agreement at my position that they were too complex an issue to handle in adjudication and then when he is faced with the most obvious of overreaches he blinks and looks the other way.
60PaulCranswick
>58 booksaplenty1949: Hahaha ok
61EllaTim
Happy New Thread, Paul!
I’m sorry for the judicial hassles, makes me think of Bleak House. I hope it isn’t as bad as that.
I’m sorry for the judicial hassles, makes me think of Bleak House. I hope it isn’t as bad as that.
62PaulCranswick
>61 EllaTim: I am not a very good loser with such things, Ella, and we will appeal this to the Court of Appeals.
63alcottacre
>47 PaulCranswick: I do not think I can blame you for your being in a bad mood, Paul!
>48 PaulCranswick: Hey, I have actually read one of those! I hope you enjoy The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store as much as I did. I posted my recent additions over to the new 'This Just In' thread here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/362402
>53 PaulCranswick: Nice! I am jealous!
>62 PaulCranswick: I hope your appeal goes through for you!
>48 PaulCranswick: Hey, I have actually read one of those! I hope you enjoy The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store as much as I did. I posted my recent additions over to the new 'This Just In' thread here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/362402
>53 PaulCranswick: Nice! I am jealous!
>62 PaulCranswick: I hope your appeal goes through for you!
64PaulCranswick
>63 alcottacre: I don't normally let work bother me too much, Stasia, but the blatant unfairness of a company who were uncooperative from the get go trying to get paid again for something they had already been paid is a bit beyond the pale.
I will go and have a look at your additions of course.
I will go and have a look at your additions of course.
65PaulCranswick
BOOK #59
Poems by Louis MacNeice
Date of Publication : 1935
Origin of Author : UK
Gender of Author : Male
Pages : 37 pp
Challenges : 150Y Challenge 51/150
I cannot find the right touchstone but to be fair I read this - his first collection with Faber - from the Collected Poems editions I have and treasure.
Mixed with some remnant of his younger work, this is where his genius first touches the reader. His prescience and his gift of melding words into memorable patterns that was his hallmark and why he is one of my very favourite poets.
This is the closing part of his poem "Ode" which closes the collection.
I cannot draw up any code
There are too many qualifications
Too many asterisk asides
Too many crosses in the margin
But as others, forgetting the others,
Run after the nostrums
Of science art and religion
So would I mystic and maudlin
Dream of the both real and ideal
Breakers of ocean.
I must put away this drug.
Must become the migrating bird following felt routes
The comet's superficially casual orbit kept
Not self-abandoning to sky-blind chutes
To climb miles and kiss the miles of foam
For nothing is more proud than humbly to accept
And without soaring or swerving win by ignoring
The endlessly curving sea and so come to one's home.
And so come to one's peace while the yellow waves are roaring.
The absence of punctuation is meant to lead you on rushing to the end as the sea. Simply brilliant.
Poems by Louis MacNeice
Date of Publication : 1935
Origin of Author : UK
Gender of Author : Male
Pages : 37 pp
Challenges : 150Y Challenge 51/150
I cannot find the right touchstone but to be fair I read this - his first collection with Faber - from the Collected Poems editions I have and treasure.
Mixed with some remnant of his younger work, this is where his genius first touches the reader. His prescience and his gift of melding words into memorable patterns that was his hallmark and why he is one of my very favourite poets.
This is the closing part of his poem "Ode" which closes the collection.
I cannot draw up any code
There are too many qualifications
Too many asterisk asides
Too many crosses in the margin
But as others, forgetting the others,
Run after the nostrums
Of science art and religion
So would I mystic and maudlin
Dream of the both real and ideal
Breakers of ocean.
I must put away this drug.
Must become the migrating bird following felt routes
The comet's superficially casual orbit kept
Not self-abandoning to sky-blind chutes
To climb miles and kiss the miles of foam
For nothing is more proud than humbly to accept
And without soaring or swerving win by ignoring
The endlessly curving sea and so come to one's home.
And so come to one's peace while the yellow waves are roaring.
The absence of punctuation is meant to lead you on rushing to the end as the sea. Simply brilliant.
66karenmarie
Hi Paul! Happiest new thread.
With no chance of catching up unless I spend all day at it across multiple threads, here I am.
>2 PaulCranswick: I have the first 4 of the 6 volumes of Churchill’s War Memoirs. In fact, I can see them from here. Dust jacketless, but happily together waiting for an appropriate time. At a bare minimum, they were saved from being sold by the pound at our Thrift Shop many years ago.
>37 PaulCranswick: I’m sorry you’ve had a rough time of it with legal matters and hope it gets resolved in your favor eventually. How a Judge… bribery or >47 PaulCranswick: no stranger to nonsensical decisions?
>52 PaulCranswick: I have My Left Foot, which I’ve read, and James, which I just bought in anticipation of reading Huckleberry Finn and James for my RL book club, discussing in October and January respectively.
>57 PaulCranswick: I wondered, too, after looking at the profile.
With no chance of catching up unless I spend all day at it across multiple threads, here I am.
>2 PaulCranswick: I have the first 4 of the 6 volumes of Churchill’s War Memoirs. In fact, I can see them from here. Dust jacketless, but happily together waiting for an appropriate time. At a bare minimum, they were saved from being sold by the pound at our Thrift Shop many years ago.
>37 PaulCranswick: I’m sorry you’ve had a rough time of it with legal matters and hope it gets resolved in your favor eventually. How a Judge… bribery or >47 PaulCranswick: no stranger to nonsensical decisions?
>52 PaulCranswick: I have My Left Foot, which I’ve read, and James, which I just bought in anticipation of reading Huckleberry Finn and James for my RL book club, discussing in October and January respectively.
>57 PaulCranswick: I wondered, too, after looking at the profile.
67Familyhistorian
Best of luck dealing with the judgments of the civil court, Paul. It's hard when you know it will drag out longer by having to go to appeal. Will that affect the timing of any move to the UK?
69PaulCranswick
>66 karenmarie: I only have the first three, Karen - although I used to own all six in the UK.
No reply from Lily / not Lily?
Always a pleasure seeing you over here, dear lady.
>67 Familyhistorian: My aim is to eventually be on retainer with the Koreans whilst I am actually in the UK, Meg, but let's see how that works out.
No reply from Lily / not Lily?
Always a pleasure seeing you over here, dear lady.
>67 Familyhistorian: My aim is to eventually be on retainer with the Koreans whilst I am actually in the UK, Meg, but let's see how that works out.
70PaulCranswick
>68 drneutron: Courts are rarely - if ever - a good thing, DocRoc.
71atozgrl
Happy new thread, Paul! I'm sorry to hear about your difficulties with the court.
>2 PaulCranswick: If you're interested in the characters of WWII, Patton, Montgomery, Rommel : masters of war is a good one for learning about those three generals.
>2 PaulCranswick: If you're interested in the characters of WWII, Patton, Montgomery, Rommel : masters of war is a good one for learning about those three generals.
73PaulCranswick
>71 atozgrl: They were certainly interesting characters, Irene, for sure.
>72 alcottacre: I have calmed down a bit already, Stasia, now planning the strategy of how we stop the money going out and how to best appeal.
>72 alcottacre: I have calmed down a bit already, Stasia, now planning the strategy of how we stop the money going out and how to best appeal.
74Familyhistorian
>69 PaulCranswick: I hope that works out for you, Paul.
75PaulCranswick
>69 PaulCranswick: I hope so, Meg. I am pretty tired at the moment and want to be with my family together and not just little bits at a time.
76booksaplenty1949
>75 PaulCranswick: Apparently Freud once said that love and work are the cornerstones of our humanity. If he did it’s a prime example of my contention that where he’s original he’s wrong, and where he’s not wrong, he’s not original. More important point is that when neither area is satisfactory we are understandably at a very low ebb indeed. Did you mention that you had a trip to the UK planned next month?
77PaulCranswick
>76 booksaplenty1949: I suppose it does depend a little bit on which comes first love or work?!
78booksaplenty1949
>77 PaulCranswick: In importance?
80ArlieS
>77 PaulCranswick: >78 booksaplenty1949:
In a reasonable world, they are interdependent. One works in part to feed etc. those one loves.
In a reasonable world, they are interdependent. One works in part to feed etc. those one loves.
81booksaplenty1949
>80 ArlieS: That is my sense.
82booksaplenty1949
Have begun Sagapò, translated as The Army of Love in my edition, a novel about the invasion of Greece by the Italian army in 1941.
83PaulCranswick
>78 booksaplenty1949: I am an old romantic so does love come before work? In theory yes but in practice it cannot.
>79 humouress: Thank you, neighbour.
>79 humouress: Thank you, neighbour.
84PaulCranswick
>80 ArlieS: Quite right, Arlie. The exigencies of being able to take care of those we love is that we must work but it is also good when you love your work too.
>81 booksaplenty1949: Yes indeed.
>81 booksaplenty1949: Yes indeed.
85PaulCranswick
>82 booksaplenty1949: That is interesting. I have never heard of that one.
86booksaplenty1949
>85 PaulCranswick: Made into a movie, Mediterraneo, which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 1991. One of three novels about the Italian army in WW II collected in The Lost Legions. Bought book about two years ago so happy to have an incentive to read it.
87PaulCranswick
>86 booksaplenty1949: I am intrigued to go and look whether I can find it here at all.
88PaulCranswick
BOOK #60
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
Date of Publication : 1981
Origin of Author : USA
Gender of Author : Male
Pages : 421 pp
Challenges : 150 Book Challenge 52/150
Sometimes when you have been plodding a bit with your reading, a propulsive thriller will help get you moving along briskly again and this was definitely propulsive.
Some of the characters in this have been made famous by the silver screen (I haven't watched them) but no less effective for familiarity.
Very well plotted and with memorable characters. If this is your genre then recommendation is obvious.
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
Date of Publication : 1981
Origin of Author : USA
Gender of Author : Male
Pages : 421 pp
Challenges : 150 Book Challenge 52/150
Sometimes when you have been plodding a bit with your reading, a propulsive thriller will help get you moving along briskly again and this was definitely propulsive.
Some of the characters in this have been made famous by the silver screen (I haven't watched them) but no less effective for familiarity.
Very well plotted and with memorable characters. If this is your genre then recommendation is obvious.
89booksaplenty1949
>88 PaulCranswick: Enjoyed both Red Dragon and The Silence of the Lambs. Just rewatched movie version of the latter, hoping to see political significance Mr Trump found in it. Failed in that attempt, but still entertaining.
90amanda4242
>88 PaulCranswick: I didn't think much of either film version of Red Dragon, but the TV series Hannibal is excellent. And book and film of Silence of the Lambs are both worth the time.
91PaulCranswick
>89 booksaplenty1949: Ah I had almost forgotten Mr. Trump's reputed admiration for the fictional serial killer. I am almost surprised he didn't nominate the guy for Veep but then again some might say he chose the next best thing. (I'm far too polite to do so).
>90 amanda4242: I haven't seen them, Amanda, honestly, but the book works for me.
>90 amanda4242: I haven't seen them, Amanda, honestly, but the book works for me.
92booksaplenty1949
>91 PaulCranswick: Mr Trump keeps referring to “the late, great Hannibal Lecter” so he clearly believes Dr Lecter is dead and hence tragically unavailable for duties with his campaign. Only a source of posthumous inspiration, alas. Some have suggested that Trump thinks that “asylum seekers” are people who have escaped/been released from an insane asylum. I wish I could believe that’s too stupid.
93PaulCranswick
>92 booksaplenty1949: Haha, so that is what he thinks an Asylum seeker is then?!
94booksaplenty1949
>93 PaulCranswick: Would certainly explain the Hannibal Lecter connection, if so. Oh dear.
95ArlieS
>91 PaulCranswick: ;-) Sometimes not quite saying something is better than being more explicit.
96PaulCranswick
>94 booksaplenty1949: I look at politics around the world and "oh dear" springs to mind.
>95 ArlieS: Hahaha I suppose you are right there, Arlie.
>95 ArlieS: Hahaha I suppose you are right there, Arlie.
97richardderus
>88 PaulCranswick: It very much is not my genre, but likely because of this read! It is a story I feel in my bones is horrifically true. We didn't know, back then, about Dahmer...but here's his M.O. Sigh....
98alcottacre
>88 PaulCranswick: Not my thing at all, I do not think. I may give it a try just to see though!
Happy whatever, Paul!
Happy whatever, Paul!
99booksaplenty1949
>97 richardderus: Harris focuses on an ingenious backstory rather than the gory details.
100PaulCranswick
>97 richardderus: I wonder if Dahmer read the book, RD. It is disturbing how Harris gets inside the mind and thinking of the Dragon.
>98 alcottacre: Not really my comfort zone either these days but it was effective as a thriller for sure.
>98 alcottacre: Not really my comfort zone either these days but it was effective as a thriller for sure.
101PaulCranswick
>99 booksaplenty1949: Largely true. He tries to explain where the evil was derived. There are some gory details but it doesn't overwhelm the book.
102vancouverdeb
Blitzed my way through This Strange Eventful History, Paul, and while it does have it's merits, it was a slog. But I won't mind if it is shortlisted or more.
103PaulCranswick
>102 vancouverdeb: Well at least you will only have to read it the once, Deb. RD is most decidedly not a fan of Messud's and I haven't read anything by her so I am hesitating but I will almost certainly take the plunge on adding it eventually.
104booksaplenty1949
>101 PaulCranswick: I guess I’m saying that what I remember of the book was the psychological portrait, not the gory details. Same with The Silence of the Lambs. And I’m a sensitive soul. Don’t read much in the horror genre. Stare into my popcorn when it looks like something nasty’s going to happen on the screen.
105alcottacre
>102 vancouverdeb: >103 PaulCranswick: I started This Strange Eventful History last night and got about 60 pages read. It is a slow starter for sure.
Happy whatever, Paul!
Happy whatever, Paul!
107booksaplenty1949
>106 Kristelh: Isn’t it Friday in Malaysia? Or have I still not got this right?
108Kristelh
>107 booksaplenty1949: Yes,you’re right, Happy Friday Paul. Make it a good one by the time it gets to me.
109PaulCranswick
>104 booksaplenty1949: Yes the books are not really action packed but they pack a punch nonetheless.
>105 alcottacre: I am not sure whether this one is for me, Stasia/Deb. I will buy it but I may wait for the standard paperback release here unless it is shortlisted.
>105 alcottacre: I am not sure whether this one is for me, Stasia/Deb. I will buy it but I may wait for the standard paperback release here unless it is shortlisted.
110PaulCranswick
>106 Kristelh: Thanks Kristel, and the very same to you.
>107 booksaplenty1949: Almost but not quite yet. I am 12 hours ahead of you so it is just still Thursday.
>107 booksaplenty1949: Almost but not quite yet. I am 12 hours ahead of you so it is just still Thursday.
111PaulCranswick
>108 Kristelh: You were just right first time but thanks again, Kristel!
112booksaplenty1949
>110 PaulCranswick: Important that I get this straight before September 2.
113PaulCranswick
>112 booksaplenty1949: Every day is my birthday when you post here!
114witchyrichy
Stopping by to say hello and wish you a happy newish thread!
116alcottacre
>109 PaulCranswick: I cannot blame you for waiting. In my case, it was one of the few books that my local library/Hoopla actually has.
117PaulCranswick
>114 witchyrichy: Thank you, Karen.
>115 booksaplenty1949: Honestly, I have thoroughly enjoyed your company this year.
>115 booksaplenty1949: Honestly, I have thoroughly enjoyed your company this year.
118PaulCranswick
>116 alcottacre: I suppose that she is a well established and reasonably successful author, Stasia, so it is no surprise the local library would stock it quickly.
119booksaplenty1949
>117 PaulCranswick: The feeling is mutual, I assure you. I never explored the “social” aspect of LT until I stumbled on the Africa Novel Challenge last year. It motivated me to broaden my reading, but also introduced me to the privilege of sharing reading experiences with strangers scattered around the globe. Of course this has reminded me that “book lovers” are by no means a homogenous group and can be looking for very different things in the reading experience than I am. But you and I, at least, are often on the same page, as it were.
120PaulCranswick
>119 booksaplenty1949: I am glad I undertook the African Novel Challenge last year both for its reading possibilities and, of course, for introducing new and fast friends.
121SilverWolf28
Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/362545
122PaulCranswick
>121 SilverWolf28: Thank you, Silver.
123PaulCranswick
Friday lunchtime additions
193. Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri
194. The Sun Walks Down by Fiona McFarlane
Italy and Australia today for two very accomplished lady writers.
193. Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri
194. The Sun Walks Down by Fiona McFarlane
Italy and Australia today for two very accomplished lady writers.
124alcottacre
>118 PaulCranswick: Yeah, that would be my guess too. I just wish that the book was not as slow going as it is.
>123 PaulCranswick: Only two? The world is coming to an end!
>123 PaulCranswick: Only two? The world is coming to an end!
125thornton37814
>123 PaulCranswick: I'm with >124 alcottacre: about the size of your purchase.
126PaulCranswick
>124 alcottacre: Nothing really got me excited yesterday plus the airconditioning in the bookstore was a little array and I was sweating as I was shopping. Not a great combination!
Messud's book is not yet calling me!
>125 thornton37814: Hahaha if we are at world's end, Lori, I better get reading!
Messud's book is not yet calling me!
>125 thornton37814: Hahaha if we are at world's end, Lori, I better get reading!
127booksaplenty1949
Finished Sagapò, translated in The Lost Legions as The Army of Love. I do not think it is available in English translation apart from this collection, which is unfortunate. The book, largely autobiographical I believe, is a collection of short stories about Italians stationed in Greece during WW II. The writer was a painter and art critic and the visual descriptions in the stories are intense and memorable. The objectives of the war are of no interest whatsoever to the book’s characters; the Germans tediously intrude themselves from time to time and occasionally attract Allied attention, but this is a book about human survival and its requirements. I’m looking forward to watching the movie based on it—Mediterraneo.
128richardderus
>127 booksaplenty1949: I hope you enjoy Mediterraneo! I've never read the source, but the film's got Silvana in it and she's worth the time spent all by herself.
Ho there PC!
Ho there PC!
129booksaplenty1949
>128 richardderus: Are you perhaps thinking of Teorema?
130PaulCranswick
>127 booksaplenty1949: I will have a look on Open Library to see whether I can locate it.
>128 richardderus: Great to see you dear fellow.
>128 richardderus: Great to see you dear fellow.
131PaulCranswick
>129 booksaplenty1949: RD will have to answer that one - I am lost completely.
132PaulCranswick
Hoping for a productive reading weekend with four or five books I am hoping to get over the line.
Chess by Stefan Zweig
The Noodle Maker by Ma Jian
A Farewell to France by Noel Barber
The Grand Alliance by Winston Churchill & possibly
War Diaries 1939-1945 by Field Marshall Lord Alanbrooke
Chess by Stefan Zweig
The Noodle Maker by Ma Jian
A Farewell to France by Noel Barber
The Grand Alliance by Winston Churchill & possibly
War Diaries 1939-1945 by Field Marshall Lord Alanbrooke
133booksaplenty1949
Have begun Il deserto della Libia or The Deserts of Libya as it is translated in The Lost Legions. Being stationed with the Italian army in Libya is a far cry from the relatively idyllic conditions in Greece. The narrator notes in passing that the adjutant is “very well aware” that “no one is ever really motivated by honour or duty.” Think this will be a darker book than The Army of Love.
134PaulCranswick
>133 booksaplenty1949: You are unearthing plenty of interesting looking books at the moment!
135richardderus
>129 booksaplenty1949: No. Why?
136booksaplenty1949
>135 richardderus: Because there is no actress named Silvana in Mediterraneo.
137booksaplenty1949
I can also recommend Kaputt written by an Italian reporter posted on the Eastern Front in WW II. A complicated but powerful work.
138Familyhistorian
Happy weekend reading, Paul!
139PaulCranswick
>135 richardderus: Italian cinema is not a specialist subject of mine, RD.
>136 booksaplenty1949: Still not.
>136 booksaplenty1949: Still not.
140PaulCranswick
>137 booksaplenty1949: I do intend to try and read Dino Buzzati's The Tartar Steppe at some stage this year.
>138 Familyhistorian: Thanks Meg. I wish that the Olympics was less exciting when it comes to getting the pages turned!
>138 Familyhistorian: Thanks Meg. I wish that the Olympics was less exciting when it comes to getting the pages turned!
141PaulCranswick
An update on the thread posting numbers this year so far.
Top 100 individual threads as of a moment ago:
1 PaulCranswick 5663
2 richardderus 4359
3 msf59 3392
4 katiekrug 2407
5 Alcottacre 2084
6 karenmarie 1724
7 klobrien 1674
8 lauralkeet 1598
9 jnwelch 1437
10 bell7 1388
11 Berly 1331
12 vancouverdeb 1292
13 Familyhistorian 1237
14 FAMeulstee 1225
15 EBT 1200
16 scaifea 1162
17 figsfromthistle 1112
18 BLBera 1001
19 LizzieD 945
20 The_Hibernator 912
21 jessibud 788
22 Curioussquared 779
23 Whisper1 762
24 drneutron 736
25 mahsdad 728
26 streamsong 694
27 RebaRelishesReading 685
28 atozgirl 676
29 kristel 640
30 foggidawn 625
31 quondame 624
32 owltherian 618
33 (Sir)Thomas 604
34 dianeham 574
35 Caroline_McElwee 571
36 norabelle414 570
37 SandDune 555
38 humouress 553
39 storeetller 546
40 weird_o 519
41 mickyfine 504
42 avatiakh 427
43 donna 415
44 copperskye 405
45 John Simpson 385
46 mstrust 377
47 mdoris 368
48 laytonwoman3rd 366
49 ursula 352
50 Banjo 349
51 carmenere 347
52 Tess_W 345
53 AMQS 342
54 Elorin 334
55 thornton37814 332
56 Arlie 311
57 ronireads 296
58 ffortsa 290
59 witchyrichy 277
60 cbl_tn 265
61 EllaTim 251
62 SqueakyChu 240
63 Lovinglit 235
64 ravenwoodwitch 227
65 hredwards 221
66 ChrisG 204
67 WhiteRaven.17 177
68 LyndainOregon 166
69 SuzyQOregon 165
70 fuzzi 159
71 Oberon 150
72 CDVicarage 148
73 sibylline 142
74 lycomayflower 137
75 ctpress 128
76 chelle 124
77 swynn 122
78 catseyegreen 113
79 walklover 110
80 amanda4242 109
81 kac522 107
82 lyzard 106
83 Rbeffa 106
84 lindapanzo 105
85 meanderer 104
86 vivians 103
87 tiffin 102
88 Cecileturtle 96
89 justchris 96
90 PawsForThought 95
91 alsvidur 93
92 lkernagh 90
93 VerixSilvercrow 84
94 torontoc 82
95 magician's nephew 81
96 PlatinumWarlock 81
97 tymfos 76
98 Librarylover23 74
99 paulstalder 74
100 silverwolf 74
Top 100 individual threads as of a moment ago:
1 PaulCranswick 5663
2 richardderus 4359
3 msf59 3392
4 katiekrug 2407
5 Alcottacre 2084
6 karenmarie 1724
7 klobrien 1674
8 lauralkeet 1598
9 jnwelch 1437
10 bell7 1388
11 Berly 1331
12 vancouverdeb 1292
13 Familyhistorian 1237
14 FAMeulstee 1225
15 EBT 1200
16 scaifea 1162
17 figsfromthistle 1112
18 BLBera 1001
19 LizzieD 945
20 The_Hibernator 912
21 jessibud 788
22 Curioussquared 779
23 Whisper1 762
24 drneutron 736
25 mahsdad 728
26 streamsong 694
27 RebaRelishesReading 685
28 atozgirl 676
29 kristel 640
30 foggidawn 625
31 quondame 624
32 owltherian 618
33 (Sir)Thomas 604
34 dianeham 574
35 Caroline_McElwee 571
36 norabelle414 570
37 SandDune 555
38 humouress 553
39 storeetller 546
40 weird_o 519
41 mickyfine 504
42 avatiakh 427
43 donna 415
44 copperskye 405
45 John Simpson 385
46 mstrust 377
47 mdoris 368
48 laytonwoman3rd 366
49 ursula 352
50 Banjo 349
51 carmenere 347
52 Tess_W 345
53 AMQS 342
54 Elorin 334
55 thornton37814 332
56 Arlie 311
57 ronireads 296
58 ffortsa 290
59 witchyrichy 277
60 cbl_tn 265
61 EllaTim 251
62 SqueakyChu 240
63 Lovinglit 235
64 ravenwoodwitch 227
65 hredwards 221
66 ChrisG 204
67 WhiteRaven.17 177
68 LyndainOregon 166
69 SuzyQOregon 165
70 fuzzi 159
71 Oberon 150
72 CDVicarage 148
73 sibylline 142
74 lycomayflower 137
75 ctpress 128
76 chelle 124
77 swynn 122
78 catseyegreen 113
79 walklover 110
80 amanda4242 109
81 kac522 107
82 lyzard 106
83 Rbeffa 106
84 lindapanzo 105
85 meanderer 104
86 vivians 103
87 tiffin 102
88 Cecileturtle 96
89 justchris 96
90 PawsForThought 95
91 alsvidur 93
92 lkernagh 90
93 VerixSilvercrow 84
94 torontoc 82
95 magician's nephew 81
96 PlatinumWarlock 81
97 tymfos 76
98 Librarylover23 74
99 paulstalder 74
100 silverwolf 74
142PaulCranswick
Top six ladies from >141 PaulCranswick:
1. Katie
2. Stasia
3. Karen
4. Karen O
5. Laura
6. Mary
Top Six Guys
1. Paul
2. Richard
3. Mark
4. Joe
5. Jim
6. Jeff
Top Six US Residents
1. Richard
2. Mark
3. Katie
4. Stasia
5. Karen
6. Karen O
Top Six Resident in Canada
1. Deb
2. Meg
3. Anita
4. Shelley
5. Micky
6. Mary
Top Six Resident in UK
1. Caroline
2. Rhian
3. John
4. Kerry
5. Tony
6. Sir F
Top Six Resident in Europe (Non-UK)
1. Anita (our late dear friend)
2. Thomas
3. Ursula
4. Ella
5. Carsten
6. Paws
Top Six Asia Pacific
1. Paul
2. Nina
3. Kerry
4. Megan
5. Liz
6. Adrienne
1. Katie
2. Stasia
3. Karen
4. Karen O
5. Laura
6. Mary
Top Six Guys
1. Paul
2. Richard
3. Mark
4. Joe
5. Jim
6. Jeff
Top Six US Residents
1. Richard
2. Mark
3. Katie
4. Stasia
5. Karen
6. Karen O
Top Six Resident in Canada
1. Deb
2. Meg
3. Anita
4. Shelley
5. Micky
6. Mary
Top Six Resident in UK
1. Caroline
2. Rhian
3. John
4. Kerry
5. Tony
6. Sir F
Top Six Resident in Europe (Non-UK)
1. Anita (our late dear friend)
2. Thomas
3. Ursula
4. Ella
5. Carsten
6. Paws
Top Six Asia Pacific
1. Paul
2. Nina
3. Kerry
4. Megan
5. Liz
6. Adrienne
143PaulCranswick
Favourite novel by Author Location:
England : David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
Wales : Fame is the Spur by Howard Spring
Ireland : The Heather Blazing by Colm Toibin
Scotland : Docherty by William McIlvanney
USA : The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Canada : A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
South America : One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Colombia)
Caribbean : A House for Mr. Biswas by V.S. Naipaul (Trinidad)
France : Germinal by Emile Zola
Belgium : Cheese by Willem Elsschot
Netherlands : The Assault by Harry Mulisch
Iceland : The Atom Station by Halldor Laxness
Sweden : Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell
Norway : Growth of the Soil by Knut Hamsun
Denmark : Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg
Germany : All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
Austria : Chess Story by Stefan Zweig
Czechia : The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
Romania/Hungary : Night by Elie Wiesel
Russia : Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Turkey : Disquiet by Zulfu Livaneli
Italy : If Not Now, When? by Primo Levi
Spain : The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Portugal : The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis by Jose Saramago
North Africa : Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz (Egypt)
West Africa : Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie (Nigeria)
East Africa : The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese (Ethiopia)
South Africa : Rumours of Rain by Andre Brink (South Africa)
Australia : The Year of Living Dangerously by Christopher Koch
New Zealand : Pet by Catherine Chidgey
Japan : Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
South Korea : The Soil by Yi Kwang-Su
Malaysia : The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng
Indonesia : The Rainbow Troops by Andrea Hirata
India : Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh
Sri Lanka : Brotherless Night by V.V Ganeshanathan
I will expand on this 36 locations with more thought. Ashamed to note that only 3 of my 36 selections are by female authors.
England : David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
Wales : Fame is the Spur by Howard Spring
Ireland : The Heather Blazing by Colm Toibin
Scotland : Docherty by William McIlvanney
USA : The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Canada : A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
South America : One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Colombia)
Caribbean : A House for Mr. Biswas by V.S. Naipaul (Trinidad)
France : Germinal by Emile Zola
Belgium : Cheese by Willem Elsschot
Netherlands : The Assault by Harry Mulisch
Iceland : The Atom Station by Halldor Laxness
Sweden : Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell
Norway : Growth of the Soil by Knut Hamsun
Denmark : Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg
Germany : All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
Austria : Chess Story by Stefan Zweig
Czechia : The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
Romania/Hungary : Night by Elie Wiesel
Russia : Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Turkey : Disquiet by Zulfu Livaneli
Italy : If Not Now, When? by Primo Levi
Spain : The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Portugal : The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis by Jose Saramago
North Africa : Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz (Egypt)
West Africa : Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie (Nigeria)
East Africa : The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese (Ethiopia)
South Africa : Rumours of Rain by Andre Brink (South Africa)
Australia : The Year of Living Dangerously by Christopher Koch
New Zealand : Pet by Catherine Chidgey
Japan : Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
South Korea : The Soil by Yi Kwang-Su
Malaysia : The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng
Indonesia : The Rainbow Troops by Andrea Hirata
India : Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh
Sri Lanka : Brotherless Night by V.V Ganeshanathan
I will expand on this 36 locations with more thought. Ashamed to note that only 3 of my 36 selections are by female authors.
144vancouverdeb
I'm surprised to be the top Canadian poster, Paul. I just finished my third book from the Longlist, The Safekeep. I'll ponder on it, and I hope to have a review and a rating sometime tomorrow.
145PaulCranswick
>144 vancouverdeb: Quite a number of the longlist are unavailable here so far, Deb. Only Tommy Orange and Claire Messud are in the shops to add to the six I have already so there are five not available at all.
147PaulCranswick
>146 humouress: A bit of a poignant moment for me when I typed her placing earlier. In 2022 and 2023 her current number would have placed her 24th or 25th at the end of that year so I can safely predict a top 30 posthumous position for my dear friend.
148PaulCranswick
BOOK #61
Chess by Stefan Zweig
Date of Publication : 1941
Origin of Author : Austria
Gender of Author : Male
Pages : 83pp
Challenges : 150Y Challenge 53/150
I remember reading Amok and wondering what all the fuss was about Zweig. Now I get it because I adored this exquisite novella which crammed so much into such a small form of words.
Like Amok we are aboard ship but the characterization here is wonderful and the story memorable. I was able to explain the entire plot at length to Kyran over lunch and he is now reading it - lover of chess that he is.
Highly recommended.
Chess by Stefan Zweig
Date of Publication : 1941
Origin of Author : Austria
Gender of Author : Male
Pages : 83pp
Challenges : 150Y Challenge 53/150
I remember reading Amok and wondering what all the fuss was about Zweig. Now I get it because I adored this exquisite novella which crammed so much into such a small form of words.
Like Amok we are aboard ship but the characterization here is wonderful and the story memorable. I was able to explain the entire plot at length to Kyran over lunch and he is now reading it - lover of chess that he is.
Highly recommended.
149msf59
Hi, Paul. I also loved Chess, along with 2 others I have read by him. I want to read more. I am also a fan of Red Dragon and it's excellent follow-up Silence of the Lambs.
150PaulCranswick
>149 msf59: I do need to get to Silence of the Lambs, Mark. I was surprised how much I liked Chess. I read it in the bath from start to finish and the water was pretty cold when I had done!
151richardderus
>136 booksaplenty1949: Silvana's the donkey.
152PaulCranswick
>151 richardderus: Hi RD. I am going to have to go and see this movie.
153richardderus
>141 PaulCranswick: Looking at the stats, anyone would think my thread was a hive of activity instead of the echoing space of neglect unvisited by others that it is.
The summer dip hasn't been as deep this year, has it? I don't have stats, but it feels less like people didn't take LT on vacation with them this year.
The summer dip hasn't been as deep this year, has it? I don't have stats, but it feels less like people didn't take LT on vacation with them this year.
154PaulCranswick
>153 richardderus: RD your thread is currently the busiest in the group.
There has been a wee dip but we are still up a little bit on last year and on course to turn around the downward trend.
There has been a wee dip but we are still up a little bit on last year and on course to turn around the downward trend.
155Kristelh
Good day Paul. Always happy to just make the list. I am hoping to read Chess Story this month. I will have to see what I can come up with for favorite books by location. I am always a lover of lists.
156PaulCranswick
>155 Kristelh: I really, really loved it, Kristel.
I will expand my favourite novels from locations choices as and when I think more about them.
I will expand my favourite novels from locations choices as and when I think more about them.
157CDVicarage
>141 PaulCranswick: Perhaps the thread from Frank and the tribute thread ought to be included in Anita's total. I've just reached 2 x 75 books and Anita would have the first to congratulate me - she usually noticed the milestones before I did!
158PaulCranswick
>157 CDVicarage: She was certainly quicker than me too with that, too, Kerry. I am not as agile around the threads as I used to be.
It is a good idea to add those threads to her total Kerry and I will look to do that.
It is a good idea to add those threads to her total Kerry and I will look to do that.
159Caroline_McElwee
>126 PaulCranswick: The Messud was a bit underwhelming for me Paul.
160Kristelh
>143 PaulCranswick:, I started my list and it will be slow going and may evolve. You say "author location" so are you defining that as they need to be in that country when they wrote about the country or be from that country by birth, or both?
Stop by if you like to see if it will jog any countries for you. I am only through A and doubt I get any more done today.
Stop by if you like to see if it will jog any countries for you. I am only through A and doubt I get any more done today.
161booksaplenty1949
>151 richardderus: Ah, I see, thank you. Should have read the Wikipedia page instead of IMDB.
162PaulCranswick
>159 Caroline_McElwee: It isn't edging up my wanted list as it is going, Caroline. You and Deb I would normally trust with a recommendation!
>160 Kristelh: I am never so strict, Kristel. It is generally where the Author hailed from as in Elie Wiesel who I don't really think of as an American author.
>160 Kristelh: I am never so strict, Kristel. It is generally where the Author hailed from as in Elie Wiesel who I don't really think of as an American author.
163PaulCranswick
>161 booksaplenty1949: I have asked Kyran to go and find the movies referred to as he is something of a buff.
164richardderus
>161 booksaplenty1949: ...there's a Wikipedia page for Mediterraneo...? Blow me down and call me Shorty! Who spends their time writing this kind of stuff instead of leaving it to IMDb?
165PaulCranswick
>164 richardderus: Hahaha, isn't there a Wikipedia page for pretty much everything!?
166richardderus
>165 PaulCranswick: I suppose there is...I just looked up A Man and a Woman: 20 Years Later to see if an obscure weird French film had an English entry et voilà! It hadn't occurred to me to look there for obscure movie stuff. They really do have huuuge depths. Who's writing these essays?!
167PaulCranswick
>166 richardderus: I do find some of the Wikipedia edits funny though, RD. When there is a controversial figure someone will sneak in something decidedly juicy or opinionated about their past which will elicit a guffaw or three from yours truly.
168booksaplenty1949
>166 richardderus: Anyone who wants to. That’s the point. But if you write your bio—-“World’s Greatest Human”—someone else is free to come along and submit an alternative POV. And the administrators, whoever they are, often post a comment to the effect that an entry contains too many subjective, unsupported statements. The whole model is pretty cool, IMHO.
169booksaplenty1949
>164 richardderus: BTW, I thought the phrase was “Cut me in half and call me Shorty.”
170richardderus
>168 booksaplenty1949:, >167 PaulCranswick: It really is a cool model, and there have certainly been some hilarious things posted...Freddie Mercury straight??!?...to keep us laughing.
171richardderus
>169 booksaplenty1949: Never heard that one before and, honestly, I don't like it.
172booksaplenty1949
>171 richardderus: It’s not a pretty picture, but it makes sense, unlike “Blow me down and call me Shorty.” Horizontal is not the same as short.
173booksaplenty1949
After further research, may go with “Love me tender and call me Elvis.”
174PaulCranswick
>168 booksaplenty1949: I agree it is a great concept in the main well done.
>169 booksaplenty1949: According to what I know isn't is "Cut off my legs and call me Shorty"? But it doesn't matter we all get the point......and this from a genuine shorty!
>169 booksaplenty1949: According to what I know isn't is "Cut off my legs and call me Shorty"? But it doesn't matter we all get the point......and this from a genuine shorty!
175PaulCranswick
>170 richardderus: As straight as a bottle of chips as we would say in the North of England. Doesn't matter a jot of course - fellow was undeniably brilliant and a hero of mine musically for sure. I loved the 70s stuff in particular.
>171 richardderus: As a shorty I used to be quite sensitive about my height but now, after decades of looking upwards to converse, I don't really care anymore!
>171 richardderus: As a shorty I used to be quite sensitive about my height but now, after decades of looking upwards to converse, I don't really care anymore!
176PaulCranswick
>172 booksaplenty1949: Or sit you down and let's get eye level.
>173 booksaplenty1949: Or in the case of Mr. Mercury. Hi Killer Queen...it's Freddy!
>173 booksaplenty1949: Or in the case of Mr. Mercury. Hi Killer Queen...it's Freddy!
177PaulCranswick
Let me add some countries to the list in >143 PaulCranswick: (A&B)
AFGHANISTAN : The Kite Runner by Hosseini
ALBANIA : Broken April by Kadare
ALGERIA : The Dictator's Last Night by Khadra
ANTIGUA : Annie John by Kincaid
ARGENTINA : Santa Evita by Martinez
ARMENIA : The Double Bind by Bohjalian (Armenian father)
BANGLADESH : A Golden Age by Anam
BOLIVIA : Norte by Soldan
BOSNIA : Bridge on the Drina by Andric
BOTSWANA : When Rain Clouds Gather by Head
BRAZIL : Veronika Decides to Die by Coelho
BULGARIA : Time Shelter by Gospodinov
BURKINA FASO : So Distant from My Life by Ilboudo
BURUNDI : Small Country by Faye
AFGHANISTAN : The Kite Runner by Hosseini
ALBANIA : Broken April by Kadare
ALGERIA : The Dictator's Last Night by Khadra
ANTIGUA : Annie John by Kincaid
ARGENTINA : Santa Evita by Martinez
ARMENIA : The Double Bind by Bohjalian (Armenian father)
BANGLADESH : A Golden Age by Anam
BOLIVIA : Norte by Soldan
BOSNIA : Bridge on the Drina by Andric
BOTSWANA : When Rain Clouds Gather by Head
BRAZIL : Veronika Decides to Die by Coelho
BULGARIA : Time Shelter by Gospodinov
BURKINA FASO : So Distant from My Life by Ilboudo
BURUNDI : Small Country by Faye
178vancouverdeb
Well , another Booker Longlist read and a brief review on my thread, The Safekeep. That is 3 down. Stasia finished This Strange Eventful History and has a review - comments on her thread. It's too bad so few of the books are available to you, Paul . I can find the majority at my library, but of course a couple have yet to published and they don't have all of the Booker Long List.
179Familyhistorian
Thanks for the stats, Paul. Interesting how the higher Canadian posters are still close together.
180PaulCranswick
>178 vancouverdeb: I may try and read shortly the Charlotte Wood and the Colin Barrett books that I have on the shelves.
>179 Familyhistorian: It is amazing how the Canadian's congregate! Lovely to see you, Meg.
>179 Familyhistorian: It is amazing how the Canadian's congregate! Lovely to see you, Meg.
181figsfromthistle
>141 PaulCranswick: Interesting stats. I see I have fallen quite behind but that is to be expected with my reduced reading over the summer months.
182PaulCranswick
>181 figsfromthistle: I can feel an autumnal revival coming on, Anita!
183Kristelh
>177 PaulCranswick:, Thanks for that update, Paul. Running back to my list to edit. I love Time Shelter.
184PaulCranswick
>177 PaulCranswick: Some of it passed over my head a little, Kristel, but I agree parts of it were very good.
185PaulCranswick
More countries to the list: C & D
CHILE : The Postman by Skarmeta
CHINA : Half a Lifelong Romance by Chang
DRC : Tram 83 by Mujila
CONGO : Blue White Red by Mabanckou
CROATIA : S. by Drakulic
CUBA : The Kingdom of This World by Carpentier
CYPRUS : The Maidens by Michaelides
DOMINICA : Wide Sargasso Sea by Rhys
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC : Dominicana by Cruz
CHILE : The Postman by Skarmeta
CHINA : Half a Lifelong Romance by Chang
DRC : Tram 83 by Mujila
CONGO : Blue White Red by Mabanckou
CROATIA : S. by Drakulic
CUBA : The Kingdom of This World by Carpentier
CYPRUS : The Maidens by Michaelides
DOMINICA : Wide Sargasso Sea by Rhys
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC : Dominicana by Cruz
186PaulCranswick
My mum would have been 79 today. I miss her every day.
187Kristelh
>186 PaulCranswick:, Wishing you sweet memories Paul.
188PaulCranswick
>187 Kristelh: Kristel, thank you.
189vancouverdeb
I'm glad you have those wonderful memories of your mum, Paul.
190PaulCranswick
>189 vancouverdeb: I loved her dearly, Deb. She was always so perfectly turned out and looked her absolute best until the very end.
191PaulCranswick
I have had a couple of tough days work wise which has kept me largely away from LT.
One set of lawyers to brief and strategize with after another. Has drained me physically and mentally as well as completely destroying my humour!
One set of lawyers to brief and strategize with after another. Has drained me physically and mentally as well as completely destroying my humour!
192booksaplenty1949
>191 PaulCranswick: I will take it as a personal challenge to elicit a hahaha from you. Always a highlight of my day—-someone on the other side of the world laughed at my joke! After my teachers predicted so little for me.
193louisisaloafofbreb
>57 PaulCranswick: Yep, its just me on a different account, i still have the pass to the other one tho
194PaulCranswick
>192 booksaplenty1949: Believe me you elicited a smile if not a guffaw! So you will definitely get a hahaha.
>193 louisisaloafofbreb: Ok Lily nice to see you.
>193 louisisaloafofbreb: Ok Lily nice to see you.
195SilverWolf28
Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/362683
196PaulCranswick
Thank you, Silver. Let's see what I can get finished this weekend.
197PaulCranswick
Friday lunchtime additions
195. Ordinary Human Failings by Megan Nolan
196. The Maniac by Benjamin Labatut
195. Ordinary Human Failings by Megan Nolan
196. The Maniac by Benjamin Labatut
198louisisaloafofbreb
>194 PaulCranswick: im now going to be more active, as i have my school comp
199PaulCranswick
>198 louisisaloafofbreb: That's good. What is a school comp?
201Familyhistorian
>197 PaulCranswick: Hmm, I wonder if the titles reflect your mood after those tough couple of days?
202PaulCranswick
>200 louisisaloafofbreb: I see.
>201 Familyhistorian: Hahaha I hadn't noticed that, Meg, but you may have something there!
>201 Familyhistorian: Hahaha I hadn't noticed that, Meg, but you may have something there!
203PaulCranswick
I am limping towards the weekend with a number of books edging closer to completion.
I am currently reading ten books (which has gotten me into a fix in completing quickly!) which is too many even for me.
The current books being read:
The Grand Alliance by Churchill
The War Diaries 1939-1945 by Alanbrooke
A Farewell to France by Barber
The Light in Hidden Places by Cameron
Jerusalem the Golden by Drabble
Laughter in the Dark by Nabokov
English Journey by Priestley
The Last Green Valley by Sullivan
Close Quarters by Gilbert
The Rape of Nanking by Chang
Let's see how many I get finished.
When all those are done I'll be chalking off 4,303 pages!
I am currently reading ten books (which has gotten me into a fix in completing quickly!) which is too many even for me.
The current books being read:
The Grand Alliance by Churchill
The War Diaries 1939-1945 by Alanbrooke
A Farewell to France by Barber
The Light in Hidden Places by Cameron
Jerusalem the Golden by Drabble
Laughter in the Dark by Nabokov
English Journey by Priestley
The Last Green Valley by Sullivan
Close Quarters by Gilbert
The Rape of Nanking by Chang
Let's see how many I get finished.
When all those are done I'll be chalking off 4,303 pages!
204Kristelh
>203 PaulCranswick:, Good luck with that Paul.
205louisisaloafofbreb
>202 PaulCranswick: yep, sorry ive had a very.....eventful few days
206ArlieS
>203 PaulCranswick: Cheers from a fellow multiple-books-at-once reader. Though I don't generally have more than half a dozen in flight at once. But always at least two: one fiction, one non-fiction.
207booksaplenty1949
>206 ArlieS: Yes, that is often my pattern, sometimes with a mystery story thrown in, in case I need some light relief. Also try to make sure I have something literally lightweight on the go, for reading on public transit or in waiting rooms.
208PaulCranswick
>204 Kristelh: Thanks Kristel
>205 louisisaloafofbreb: I don't expect anything else, Lily. Your happenings are always eventful.
>205 louisisaloafofbreb: I don't expect anything else, Lily. Your happenings are always eventful.
209PaulCranswick
>206 ArlieS: Ten is more than my normal comfort zone to be honest, Arlie. I'm normally at about four.
>207 booksaplenty1949: I'm another who will always take a book with me to snatch a few pages whilst waiting - for meetings, en-route etc.
>207 booksaplenty1949: I'm another who will always take a book with me to snatch a few pages whilst waiting - for meetings, en-route etc.
210Caroline_McElwee
Of course you will always be missing your dear mum Paul. Those of us who were lucky where parents were concerned have to hold that task to our hearts.
212PaulCranswick
>210 Caroline_McElwee: That is so true Caroline. I do remember your love of your dear Father and the tributes you gave him on his passing. Always a blessing to me to have you stop by.
>211 banjo123: Thank you Rhonda. Lovely to see you.
>211 banjo123: Thank you Rhonda. Lovely to see you.
213SirThomas
...and again I have missed a lot.
Thanks for the stats and all the best for your weekend.
My mother died in 1992 and I still miss her, I feel with you, Paul.
Thanks for the stats and all the best for your weekend.
My mother died in 1992 and I still miss her, I feel with you, Paul.
215booksaplenty1949
>209 PaulCranswick: I recall reading The Bostonians years ago in a huge edition of the complete American novels and stories of Henry James. I had got right to the end, where the young heroine has to choose between taking the stage at a Women’s Rights meeting organised by her wealthy lesbian patroness or running off with an attractive but penniless male suitor not sympathetic to Suffragettes. She was dithering in the wings of the Boston Music Hall and I had no idea which path she would take, but I had to leave for work and there was no way I could lug this doorstop on the bus, so I had to go the WHOLE DAY without knowing how the story ended. Now I always have something portable to hand, although in this instance, today, I could look up the ending on my phone. What a world.
216PaulCranswick
>215 booksaplenty1949: I remember reading one of the Scandi thrillers (Henning Mankell), I think and then leaving it in the pub. I was in Johor Bahru at the time and had to wait three days before I could go and buy the book again just to find out what happened.
I haven't read the Bostonians so I will rush to the end to find out!
I haven't read the Bostonians so I will rush to the end to find out!
217booksaplenty1949
>216 PaulCranswick: The Bostonians is a first-rate novel, and unlike many first-rate novels was made into a movie that was worthy of it.
218PaulCranswick
>217 booksaplenty1949: I will put it onto my to do list. I have read (I think) four Henry James books with varying levels of appreciation.
219PaulCranswick
BOOK #62
The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang
Date of Publication : 1997
Origin of Author : USA
Gender of Author : Female
Pages : 230 pp
Challenges : War Room / 150Y Challenge
History is often what is most relevant to us.
The Rape of Nanking is not widely known outside of China even today and despite Chang's excellent book. Is it true that we only truly care about the atrocities against people who look like us? How sad is it that there is not more literature on the Killing Fields, on Congo, on Rwanda, on Zimbabwe, on Burma?
The scale is beyond comprehension
By most conservative estimates the Japanese army murdered in cold blood and often in the most barbaric manner at least 300,000 people over the matter of a few weeks in Nanking in December 1937 / January 1938. They raped possibly 100,000 women. They brutalized, burned and bludgeoned the people of the city and its surrounds and have never really admitted or apologized for having done so. It is estimated that from 1931-1945 the Japanese killed 25 million Chinese during their occupation.
Tragedy throws up unlikely heroes
Iris Chang highlights a number of German, British and American civilians who did their best to protect the native population from rape and murder. Prime amongst these was the leader of the Nazi party in Nanking whom she equates to the Oscar Schindler of Nanking having saved thousands from the Japanese Army. He was disgraced by the Nazi's during the war and treated brutally by the Gestapo. He was beset from both sides in the immediate post war period before being rescued himself by donations of cash and food from the survivors of Nanking.
Thought provoking. Profoundly shocking and very much recommended reading.
The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang
Date of Publication : 1997
Origin of Author : USA
Gender of Author : Female
Pages : 230 pp
Challenges : War Room / 150Y Challenge
History is often what is most relevant to us.
The Rape of Nanking is not widely known outside of China even today and despite Chang's excellent book. Is it true that we only truly care about the atrocities against people who look like us? How sad is it that there is not more literature on the Killing Fields, on Congo, on Rwanda, on Zimbabwe, on Burma?
The scale is beyond comprehension
By most conservative estimates the Japanese army murdered in cold blood and often in the most barbaric manner at least 300,000 people over the matter of a few weeks in Nanking in December 1937 / January 1938. They raped possibly 100,000 women. They brutalized, burned and bludgeoned the people of the city and its surrounds and have never really admitted or apologized for having done so. It is estimated that from 1931-1945 the Japanese killed 25 million Chinese during their occupation.
Tragedy throws up unlikely heroes
Iris Chang highlights a number of German, British and American civilians who did their best to protect the native population from rape and murder. Prime amongst these was the leader of the Nazi party in Nanking whom she equates to the Oscar Schindler of Nanking having saved thousands from the Japanese Army. He was disgraced by the Nazi's during the war and treated brutally by the Gestapo. He was beset from both sides in the immediate post war period before being rescued himself by donations of cash and food from the survivors of Nanking.
Thought provoking. Profoundly shocking and very much recommended reading.
220booksaplenty1949
>218 PaulCranswick: I read The Bostonians for a third time last year for a LT “Club Read” and found it held up very well.
221PaulCranswick
>220 booksaplenty1949: It must be good. I can count only three or four books that I have read more then twice.
222humouress
>216 PaulCranswick: A pub in Johor Bahru?
223PaulCranswick
>216 PaulCranswick: Plenty of those back in the day, Nina.
224booksaplenty1949
>221 PaulCranswick: Including books read in childhood? I think I had Swallows and Amazons pretty much memorised, for example.
225PaulCranswick
Mmm let me think, ? Multiple Reads of more than once:
The Hobbit
Lord of the Rings
Of Mice and Men
Some Eric Ambler / Hammond Innes and Alistair MacLeans.
Probably some Sherlock Holmes and things like Treasure Island, The Riddle of the Sands and The Thirty Nine Steps and Moonfleet.
So more than two in multiples.
The Hobbit
Lord of the Rings
Of Mice and Men
Some Eric Ambler / Hammond Innes and Alistair MacLeans.
Probably some Sherlock Holmes and things like Treasure Island, The Riddle of the Sands and The Thirty Nine Steps and Moonfleet.
So more than two in multiples.
226booksaplenty1949
>225 PaulCranswick: Read l’Etranger for a third time apropos of the Africa Novel Challenge, as a refresher for Meursault, contre-enquête, which is the same story told from the POV of the anonymous Arab victim’s brother. Camus’ novel was a completely different book in this context.
227PaulCranswick
>226 booksaplenty1949: I can see myself re-reading Camus.
228richardderus
>219 PaulCranswick: One does not dare to insult the Japanese with facts about their brutality, exactly as one does not dare to offend them by calling out their racism.
It leads to very ugly personal outcomes. Ask Chang's survivors.
It leads to very ugly personal outcomes. Ask Chang's survivors.
229PaulCranswick
>228 richardderus: Their absolute failure to acknowledge or even face up to what they did and what happened is one of the starkest points of the late authors book. She died tragically young didn't she?
230louisisaloafofbreb
Heyo Paul, its my first day, and i dislike it
231PaulCranswick
>230 louisisaloafofbreb: At school you mean?
232louisisaloafofbreb
>231 PaulCranswick: yep, its my first day of Sophmore year
233PaulCranswick
>232 louisisaloafofbreb: Good luck!
234louisisaloafofbreb
>233 PaulCranswick: Its over, i had a minute to send that message before school ended lol
This topic was continued by PAUL C in the War Room - XX : IMPHAL & KOHIMA SAVED INDIA FROM JAPAN .
