LovingLit || thread the second

A little reminder of the times....an overpass near me is shown here empty, on a wet evening, and with the mandate to stay home. This was three weeks ago, when a nationwide lockdown and state of emergency was in place. We now have a little more freedom of movement and commerce with the announcement yesterday that in two days time we will be back at school, and at the mall (if we choose to- which I wont).

My reading picked up in the second half of the 6-week lockdown, helped by listening to audiobooks on my daily constitutional, and sheer excitement at my latest few reads!

Books so far

-January-
1. Poems for a World Gone to Sh*t
2. How to Fail by Elizabeth Day NF
3. The Gum Thief by Douglas Coupland

-February-
4. The Wall by John Lancaster
5. Three Women by Lisa Tadeo NNF
6. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
7. The White Book by Han Kang NF

-March-
8. Human Acts by Han Kang 224p
9. Politics and the English Language by George Orwell NF (essay) 48p
10. Interpreting our Heritage by Freeman Tilden NF, illustrated

-April-
11. In the Bedroom by Andre Dubus (short stories)
12. Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay
13. The Time Machine by H. G. Wells audio (reread)
14. Stories: The Collected Short Fiction by Helen Garner

-May-
15. Can you Tolerate This? by Ashleigh Young essays NF
16. The Fasting Girls by Joan Jacobs Brumberg NF, illustrated
17. Family by Mark Haddon short stories
18. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett audio
19. What Is It All but Luminous: Notes from an Underground Man by Art Garfunkel NF, illustrated
20. Paul Simon: The Life by Robert Hilburn NF, illustrated

-June-
21. Signs Preceding the end of the World by Yuri Herrera
22. Capitalism: A Ghost Story by Arundhati Roy NF
23. How we Met by Michele A'Court NF
24. The Affairs of the Falcons by Melissa Rivero

-July-
25. Ghost by Jason Reynolds YA
26. Now or Never: A Dunkirk Story by Bali Rai YA
27. The Vivisector by Patrick White audio
28. Man Alone by john Mulgan
29. I am not your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez YA
30. The Lake by Jack Lasenby YA

-August-
31. Piano Rock: A 1950s childhood by Gavin Bishop young YA, illustrated
32. Cleo: How an Uppity Cat Helped Heal a Family By Helen Brown NF
33. Into Thin Air by Job Krakauer NF
34. Left for Dead by Beck Weathers NF
35. The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest by G. Weston DeWalt and Anatoli Boukreev NF

-September-
36. The Boy Behind the Curtain by Tim Winton NF, audio
37. The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld (dnf, read 200/280p)
38. The Riders by Tim Winton audio

-October-
39. The Strange Adventures of H by Sarah Burton audio
40. Aleutian Sparrow by Karen Hesse YA, illustrated
41. Nutshell by Ian McEwan audio

This March marked the ten year anniversary of my Library Thingery! A decade of LT pals, book-talk, BBs and the wonderful shared bookish experiences that make this place so wonderful :) :) :). On my last thread I mused on whether or not to follow the *rules* and get myself a book for each year + 1. (Bearing in mind that if I did that at average NZ book prices I could be spending NZ$350+!!!)

Last thread:
>251 richardderus: Paul C: Great news, Megan. Lenny and Wilby will be glad to get back to their pals I'm sure too.
For sure- and for me...I will finally get some peace and quiet in my own home. Seriously, I have craved it.

>252 LovingLit: lkernagh: That is great news re: easing of restrictions!
Yes, it will mean a return to more-normal life. Not to be contrary, but I feel like I was just getting used to lockdown. The first 2 weeks were definitely hard, as the kids had no school (not even online school, as it was holidays), and we are *so* not used to staying home as a family. But the last two, with kids occupied by school (which they were both very good at being relatively self-sufficient at) and us relaxing their after "school" device time, plus, the daily walk that I insisted I got...it was starting to flow well!

> 253 RD: Eleven books! Hoorah!! Have a great time choosing them.
Yes, it remains to see if I will indulge to that extent!

Currently reading:


What Is It All but Luminous: Notes from an Underground Man by Art Garfunkel

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread, Megan.

Probably drove over that overpass as I was circumnavigating your lovely city a few short years ago, but I don't remember it.

Happy new thread Megan my dear, hope that you and the family are having a good week and we send Yorkshire love and hugs to you all from both of us dear friend.

Happy new one!

Happy new thread!

>2 LovingLit: I'm not really looking forward to easing restrictions - except for pet grooming, those claws are long, because I'm wanted for jury duty and I don't think that is a good health choice for me in this environment. And my experiences as a juror were infuriating - a lot of money to pressure some druggy to plea bargain and a jury foreman who worked for an insurance company blatantly bullying the jury for a minimal settlement when substantial evidence showed real fault.

>3 LovingLit: Wasn't he pretty!

Happy new thread, Megan!

>2 LovingLit: Enjoy the peace and quiet home :-)

Happy new thread, Megan! I am not surprised that you adjusted to the lockdown so well. I must admit that I am loving the "work from home/stay at home" my life has been for the past 6-weeks, so much so I am kind of dreading the prospect of returning to the office. I have gotten used to sleeping in later, for one thing. ;-)

>4 drneutron: Thanks Dr N, only my second of the year, but it's not a race is it.

>5 PaulCranswick: You may have! It is at the SW corner of Hagley Park, and is called by those in the know as the Blenheim Road deviation (according to my lovely other, who is into traffic). Surely it was a lot less bleak when you were here :)

>6 johnsimpson: Hey JS, the week is up and down. I have had too many impromptu Zoom meetings, requiring a quick hairbrush and a change of clothing! I prefer working from home incognito ;)

>7 figsfromthistle: Thank you! My tenth year's second thread, it feels good!

>8 quondame: I admit to - all of a sudden - now feeling that the lowdown was quite a rest in some ways. Not having to think about, decide to/not to go places or see people or do things...that was quite nice! And, being a good introverts, I didn't actually miss anyone...although, I did wonder how they were.

>9 FAMeulstee: the peace and quiet will begin Monday. We are encouraged to keep working from home for another 2 weeks at lest, a rule that I am very pleased to oblige with! I previously hated working from home, but after doing it while sharing one desk with the lovely other, and with constant interruptions with kids etc, working from home *alone* will be lovely.

>10 lkernagh: See above! I reckon I will settle nicely into voluntary working from home recommendations, with the following caveat- that the kids are at school!!!

I have been loving What Is It All but Luminous: Notes from an Underground Man by Art Garfunkel....it is written in a mish-mash of prose, image, vignette, snippet, observation and ode. It is wonderfully evocative, and tantalisingly elusive so far as facts on events go!
Edited to remove image, as 3 x images of the same book cover in so few posts is just overkill.

Hi Megan and happy new Thread.

From your last thread:

Wintertime is certainly on its way here! Autumnal tones abound I personally prefer winter to summer and we’re just heading into summer. Congrats on your reading mojo returning.

Happy 10th Thingaversary. I think you absolutely should get 11 books.

So glad you are going to Alert Level 2. And yay for schools re-opening.

>12 LovingLit: Enjoy your working from home *alone* when the kids are back in school and your Lovely Other is back at the job. My husband is working from home 2 days a week, which puts a serious crimp in my alone time, so to a much smaller degree than you have been experiencing I can relate.

Happy Newish Thread, Megan!
I'm always glad to see your posts around, but I don't get to stay on LT very long when I do get here. I'm gone now!

Happy new thread!

I am such a noob (as my kids would say).
I *needed* a new audio book to listen to on my walk so tried the library app. I started one, then had second thoughts so switched to another. So I was happily 'reading' The Vivisector for 30 minutes when all of a sudden I thought - this doesn't sound right! I must be reading Transcription- as that was the cover image visible on the phone screen when I checked....what? Ah well. I guess Transcription by Kate Atkinson will do after all (my first Atkinson!). Seriously, I know nothing about Kate Atkinson, so for all I know she could have been writing an Australian story.
Anyway, it turns out I actually was reading the one I wanted- The Vivisector by Patrick White. It is so interesting that I feel like I need to know what I am reading and simply cannot enjoy the story til I do!

>14 karenmarie: Hi KM! Great to see you here :) I used to love winter more, but now i like summer more. I wonder if it's because in summer the kids are more outdoorsy active, whereas in winter they are indoorsy active, and thus make my domestic life difficult.

>15 LizzieD: A passing visit is still a visit! Great to see you.

>16 richardderus: Cheers ears. Here's to many more.

Happy New Thread, Megan. I hope you and the family are doing well. Good luck with getting the kids back in school. What are the restrictions? This would make me nervous.

>18 msf59: hey Mark. Schools were open the last two weeks- but only for children (aged 5-13) of essential workers. Apparently very few parents put their kids in though. From Monday anyone can go, and home learning will cease. I think they are re-arranging classrooms to ensure kids generally stay in one area, and staggering play and lunch times to reduce numbers of kids descending on the playgrounds. Cleaning will take place regularly....hands will be washed regularly...they seem pretty well organised.
I am not that worried, as there is barely a skerrick of community transmission here. We have had no new cases in the last three days, and all our cases have been tied to known clusters (in fact, over half our deaths are from one single rest home).

BOOK 19
What Is It All but Luminous: Notes from an Underground Man by Art Garfunkel.

Yes- finally a memoir that is basically a scrapbook of bits and bobs of a person's life. This was a wee gem, pictures dropped in, between poems, vignettes and observations. Some elusive references to the issues between him and Paul Simon, which must have taken some immense self restraint.
I loved his book-keeping..that is, keeping track of the books he reads and noting the most memorable of them. I love that he walked across America, and Europe and the UK- this aspect hinted at psychogeography, although he really was exploring this thoughts and the writers that have gone before him on these journeys, rather than the places, per se.
Now I ask myself, do I read Paul Simon's memoir.....it *is* just sitting there on my shelf, but I fear it might pale in comparison to the quirky style of Art's, which I found so compelling.

>20 LovingLit: If Simon's on your shelf, it's not going anywhere. No sense to risk the lovely experience you just had!

I'm glad I've come back for another visit, Megan. I was quite a Patrick White reader some years ago and would love to reread and finish my PW holdings. The Vivisector is one of the best!

>21 richardderus: too late, dang it. And now *already* I feel torn between the two. Woe is me, why could I not show restraint! Why won't they both just let me love them both!

>22 LizzieD: Oh great! I can continue on the the audio then. In typical wishy washy fashion, I was wondering if I should abandon....partly as I feel that my daily walks may be fewer now that lockdown has lifted. But I shall persist!

>20 LovingLit: Looks well worth hunting down, Megan. The relationship between S & G has always been an interesting one but whatever their differences they made some fantastic music together. Simon is a songwriting genius but his work was so blessed by having Garfunkel to sing the songs with.

Enid Blyton's weird.

>24 PaulCranswick: I think exactly the same thing, Paul. I actually (if I had to, you know, pick) would say that I love Paul Simon, due to his supreme and obvious talent as a songwriter, lyricist, poet, troubadour...I have always loved his words. But, the sound of him and Garfunkel- it simply cannot be matched, it feels like no two voices could ever sound like that. And who could ever say who was worth more, as they could not exist without the other.
Signing off, Megan- ever the troubled inbetweener.

>25 richardderus: in the context of......? My favourite childhood book as The Secret Island, it has all the hallmarks of a child's fantasy- evil steps, escape, autonomy (agency), thriving, surviving, excitement, closure....*aaaahhhh*. Read it! It is so good :)

>26 LovingLit: I enjoyed The Secret Island but it wouldn’t have been my favourite. We’re doing zoom book club once a week and next week we’re each going to talk a little bit about our 3 favourite books from childhood. Mine are going to be The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and (from a slightly younger age A Bear Called Paddington. Mr Sandune’s are Treasure Island, Moonfleet (which I also loved) and something by Henry Treece yet to be decided.

>27 SandDune: I have to say I am in accord with Mr Sandune; Moonfleet and Viking Dawn probably together with The Silver Sword would be my picks.

>26 LovingLit: The Magic Faraway Tree. Moon-face and co. in that waaay trippy hazel/plum/oak multidimensional motorway to who-knows-where disturbed my sleep.

That book wouldn't be allowed in stores today! It promotes a psychedelic drugtaking lifestyle!

>27 SandDune: I hardly read a thing as a child, so The Secret Island may have been *the* book I read in childhood! I read it again as an adult and very much remember why it was so exciting then.

>28 PaulCranswick: Never heard of any of 'em! As I just noted to SandDune, above, I read so little as a kid it was more a case of what I read, over what was a favourite. My brother liked Stig of the Dump, which I was drawn to because we lived near a dump and used to explore there as kids.

>29 richardderus: Yeah, Moon-face and co were pretty out there. I read some of that to Lenny a few years back, but he was only interested in it because his teacher had read some to the class (and he loved his teacher more than life itself at that point).

>30 LovingLit: I'm struggling to find words for "I'm disturbed, unmanned, irrationally affrighted, and you should read it too" but more persuasive.

Today was day 4 of our relaxed Covid-19 restrictions, we are now no longer confined to our 'bubbles', and we have had people over every day,. It has been so nice to see and hang with our friends! People over for dinner 3 of the 4 nights, and the neighbours over this afternoon for the whole afternoon for okonomiyaki (Japanese savoury pancakes) and scones with jam and thickened cream. I have missed cuddles with my favourite nearly 2-year old!!!! (He is *so* gorgeous.)

>30 LovingLit: Moonfleet has more than 1,000 members with it in their catalogues and The Silver Sword almost 2,000 so they are not exactly obscure but maybe it is a regional thing. By contrast Stig of the Dump has only 687 members and The Secret Island a pretty disappointing 264 members.

>31 richardderus: delightfully inexplicable.

>33 PaulCranswick: I guess I am niche that way. :)

Loved Stig of the Dump - read aloud by a teacher. I'm amazed it only has 600+ readers on here. I thought it was everywhere. I think Weirdstone scared me - but then I found the Box of Delights scary on TV, and I think it was just wolf sound effects and actors hamming it up. Great idea for a bookgroup discussion - choosing just three books really challenging!

>32 LovingLit: Sounds lovely to be able to do what you want to do and get together with who you would like to!

>35 charl08: My brother floated the idea of calling his first born Stig. I hope it was a joke.

----//----//----

In other news, I bought a book. In spite of a massive 50% off sale at the University Bookshop, which I love, I only managed one book.
I was also not tempted by any of the books at the two second hand bookshops we visited yesterday (me and the lovely other, on a daytime date!). Too many Dan Browns and Colleen McCullough's and not enough nice editions of the ones I like.

But, I did get a cool 'banned books' coffee mug, which has the titles blacked out- but- when the hot drink is poured into it, the titles magically appear! Cool huh?

The book I got is called Capitalism: A Ghost Story by Arundhati Roy.

>36 LovingLit: At least you got a *good* book!

>37 richardderus: And I started it today. In the bath in the middle of the day! (just one of the perks of working from home while the kids are at school- I was chilly all morning and thought- stuff it, I will bath and read!)
And it is fab.

>38 LovingLit: Sounds perfect! Hope it continues well.

>39 charl08: well I switched to the Paul Simon biography for my in-bed reading. I am really liking the book; initially I was worried as I didn't want to get drawn into the conflict between him and Garfunkel (I can see both their sides, and won't hear a bad word said about either of them!). The book is heavy on details on the writing and recording of songs, which is fascinating.
(edited for spelling)

>40 LovingLit: The conflict played out publicly enough that people of my, and apparently your, generation don't need to know; and younger people who are (for whatever inexplicable reason) interested in the topic can consult the Popular Media.

I'm down with deets on how/when/where songs get made.

>41 richardderus: Yes. And I guess the U.S. media was more interested in the saga than the NZ Media was. And my love of S & G waned in my late teenage years, if I am honest :) I was a child fan (from parental exposure) and now an adult appreciator.

At this time of the end of Ramadan I want to give thanks for your friendship in this wonderful group, Megan.

Hope your weekend has been a good one.

Hi Megan, hope you and the family had a good weekend my dear and have a good week ahead. Sending love and hugs to you all from both of us dear friend.

>43 PaulCranswick: Thanks for the kind thoughts. Wishing you the best too. I have been drooling over Hani's food pics/videos on fb lately (as usual).

>44 johnsimpson: The weekend was lovely actually- a nice 2 our walk in the hills and some lovely food and wine with friends.

Currently reading
Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera
Finally, my pre-lockdown reading plans are coming to fruition.
When the libraries closed I missed my chance to pick up some books off my reading list tagged 'Instead of American Dirt'. I am not saying I won't read that book (although, I probably won't), but I want to read the others more and am glad to finally be started.

>46 LovingLit: I enjoyed Signs Preceding the End of the World, which I read earlier this month. I look forward to your thoughts about it, Megan.

>46 LovingLit: A really thumping good read, that. And so is The Universal Physics of Escape, if you need a good follow-on.

>47 kidzdoc: I am enjoying it so far. It perfectly matches my other current read as well (visually, at least).


>48 richardderus: The Universal Physics of Escape looks like it only has one LT member! Is this the correct link? I will check my library for a copy....but only just over half of those that I have tagged "instead of American Dirt" are in our system, so I wont hold much hope. Thanks for the heads up!

Wishing you a lovely Sunday despite your moving into reading in the horror genre >49 LovingLit: above!

>49 LovingLit: It is the correct link; I'll say I've added it to my library now. The short stories are some lovely pieces of writing.

>50 PaulCranswick: the title certainly tend towards the freaky! The are exactly the same size and thickness, as well as having match covers. Great companion reads too, one is fiction and one is non.
Sunday going fine thanks, a slow one. I have made biscuits (chic chip cookies), and am half way through making gnocchi.

>51 richardderus: and then there were three. I see on the back cover that there is an octopus story amongst them....it all suddenly becomes very clear. ;)

>20 LovingLit: >40 LovingLit: Sounds like a great book. I love their music.

>32 LovingLit: Wow. My county in Portland has not even applied for opening Stage 1 status. Still stuck at home.

I have missed you and hope to be a more regular visitor. If RL cooperates...

: )

>52 LovingLit: Now there's 4 - sounds good to me.

The black cover combo looks pretty minimalist and stylish.

>54 charl08: omg, it's gonna go viral! Haha.

>53 Berly: Opps, I forgot you Berly! 'applied for opening Stage 1 stars'...what does that mean? We only developed our Levels 1-4 two days before we hit the Level 4 lockdown....the lower levels are simply fewer and fewer restrictions, and tbh, people are not strictly keeping to them now. Which is not good, imo. We are already getting complacent.

And in the US I am guessing Covid-19 is of lesser importance given the situation there you guys are facing. It is heartbreaking to see such depths the pres is willing to go to avoid responsibility, blame mindlessly and incite literal riots.

Happy new thread!
Are you out of lockdown fully now? We are still restricted to groups of 5 or less here and still having outbreaks in some communities.

Hi Megan! We're watching NZ with interest and envy here at how admirably you've managed the pandemic. Of course, your geography works in your favor, too, but there's a lack of willingness here to abide by guidelines, or even agree that COVID-19 is a real thing versus a big fuss over nothing designed to make Trump look bad (like he needs help doing that). It is incredibly dispiriting here now.

Happy 10 years on LT! I will reach 12 this month. What a gift!

>57 ChelleBearss: no, we are still under some restrictions. Gatherings of up to 100 are permitted now (as of 29 May at midday), so long as contact tracing is possible (we have an optional app to download that keeps info about where you go logged on your phone, or you sign in places manually). We are encouraged to keep logs of where, when and who we come across when out and about. People are encouraged to work from home if they can, but most people are going back now to their workplaces. (I go back to one of my jobs tomorrow, but for the other one I will be working from home for another 3 weeks at least.)

>58 AMQS: Our small, and not so divided country, has certainly worked in our favour. I think we were given a large degree of trust in our lockdown, there was no curfew, and although police were out and about checking on people's reasons for travel, they operated on an 'education over punishment' system for the first 4 of the 5 and a half weeks of lockdown. People here, of course have major criticism of the way it was handled, but I guess that is to be expected given their livelihoods have been ruined. And we always knew that if it was eliminated, people would claim there was an overreaction, and that narrative is out there too.
Covid being a real thing?? Sheesh. Of course it's a real thing! I cannot believe some people, and their 'leader'...he is making me feel very dispirited now, to say the least. I really feel for you all.

I'm back!!! And it wasn't even a long time between visits. *pats self on the back*

>59 LovingLit: I don't think contact tracing is going to go very well with all the protest marches we have been having in the US lately. And I don't even want to talk about what's his name, the supposed leader of my country. He is the worst.

In order to reopen, we have stages 1-3; they involve tracking new cases and deaths and if the numbers stay below a certain level, then you can apply for the next stage. My county hasn't even applied yet for stage 1 (we are the one that houses the largest city in the state) and now with what I assume will be a new spike in cases due to the marches, who knows!

I am glad to hear that things are going a bit more smoothly where you live. It is going to be a long process here. Stay well!! : )

Ooooh, the rocks at Kura Tawhiti/Castle Hill, a mere 90 minute drive from where I live. I forget how amazing they are, and how I should go there more.

>60 Berly: Hey Berly!
I have been wondering how the protests will impact on infection rates. Some things are just to big to ignore, and I think there is a lot of worldwide support for the BLM movement.

We have had all our restrictions removed now, and we have nonactive cases of Covid-19. It is pretty cool, and I may celebrate by going to the movies asap!

>61 LovingLit: So beautiful!

>63 richardderus: pretty pretty huh? And then the mist and cloud evaporated, and there was blue blue sky!

>61 LovingLit: Wow! Beautiful photos.

>65 charl08: pretty sweet views on our holiday. I felt quite nostalgic for my childhood...I spent a lot of time in similar beech forests landscapes when I was little, and it took me back.

>66 LovingLit: Lovely. I found some pictures of some very windy north Scotland holidays from my childhood recently. Good memories, but I don't anticipate going back!

Currently reading:


The Vivisector by Patrick White.

It is shaping up to be the book of the year, quite frankly. Well, that is, it was, until the second renewal of it was blocked. So now I find myself half way through an utterly compelling and supremely epic saga, and with nowhere to go! I am listening to it on audio and am loathe to transfer to actual book for the second half, but think I will have to. The thing is damn near 30 hours of audio, and given that I only ever listen to it while on a walk (50 minutes, 3-6 times a week) it was always going to take a while.


Zero K by Don DeLillo
(gorgeous cover, you must agree)


How we met: The ways great love begins by Michele A'Court
(Just all-round good, nice love stories, written well)

>67 charl08: I bet North Scotland is windy! And cold! I got as far north as Perth, and Blair Atholl/Pitlochry (maybe?). I had friends working at an accommodation place there a hundred years ago, and visited. It was lovely landscape and I really want to go back!

And, I finished both of these....


Signs Preceding the End of the World and Capitalism: A Ghost Story

Both of which look good bookending my current B&W cover!

>61 LovingLit: This looks like a very cool place!

Hi, Megan. I hope you and the family are doing well. Congrats on your country being able to navigate the Covid-19 crisis, so successfully. Could we trade leaders? Okay-stupid question. Never mind...

I remember enjoying Signs Preceding the End of the World but it has been awhile.

>71 msf59: A very cool place, which I will take you to if/when you visit! (that's a promise)

We have had 21 days straight with no new cases of Covid-19, so will have officially eliminated it in one weeks time. Of course, all that potentially changes with the re-opening of borders, when that occurs. And you are right, I would NEVER exchange leaders, who would? I am sorry for all the good people of the US who suffer under trump. It is strange times, and just absolutely, seriously, no good. As we know, those who resist him now will be 'on the right side of history' *hugs*

Tonight I listen to Courtney Barnett, thankful as always of YOU who introduced me to her!!

Hi Megan!

So nice to hear that one country did things absolutely right. Enjoy your newly-re-found freedoms.

THIRTY HOURS ON AUDIO!

The heat death of the Universe would occur before I finished an ear-read that long, given that it's 15min tops before I am deeply asleep.

I hope you're delighted with The Vivisector (awful title) in tree book form as much as in ear book form.

>73 karenmarie: yeah- it feels good. Lockdown is but a memory now. It is crazy how quick I am to forget that 50-day life!
Sport has started up again too, which is good news for our house-of-boys...they go to bed much more easily after an hour, three times a week, of running about.

>74 richardderus: I know! It's a lot, isn't it. Strictly speaking it is my 4th radio book ever, the first I abandoned as I was listening while recovering from foot surgery and the drugs meant it was impossible to concentrate. Now though I listen while walking, it feels like the only way to stay focussed! (Even then, my mind can wander...). I reckon I might just have to buy the think from Audible and listen away.

Also, the title is awful, isn't it? Especially since that occupation(?) is mentioned in the book only incidentally (so far, at least).

Hoorah!
My audio copy of The Vivisector was re-renewable at the library! I am able to continue on the loooong journey that is Hurtle Duffield's life! Which, as I was going on about in >68 LovingLit:, was potentially not going to be able to happen!!)
#smallvictories

>70 LovingLit: Sometimes reading Don DeLillo you rather wish it was the end of the world.

Have a great weekend.

Hi Megan. I seem to have dropped off the LT bandwagon and am trying to scramble back on.

Here's hoping that your covid-free status continues, despite the latest two imports.

I look forward to your take on The Vivisector, Megan. I bought a copy of it years ago, but haven't read it yet.

Hiya Megan! Happy Sunday to yinz.

>77 PaulCranswick: some can be tough going, but all are rewarding (I hope- things have stalled with that particular read at present actually).

>78 humouress: Get back on the bandwagon lady! The party is pumping. :)

>79 kidzdoc: I am loving it actually Darryl. It is a saga, for sure, and some would call it excessively descriptive, I am sure. But the language is just so beautifully expressive. I am wowed by it.

>80 richardderus: Yinz...y'all in NZ? Regardless, I take your well-wishes and run. I spent the day wandering in what my 6 year-old neighbour calls 'Drisleyland", which means the clouds. We went for a walk in the hills near the city here, and my lot were reluctant so I said 'stuff ya's all, I'm outa here' and went without them. It was fun...listening to nursery rhymes in the car (they also have a nearly 2 year old) and getting an ice cream after...see pic below :)

Currently reading:

The Affairs of the Falcons by Melissa Rivero.
This was one on the list of alternatives to American Dirt, and, although I can't exactly say why, it hasn't really grabbed me yet (and I am 2/3 of the way through!). I do like hearing about the lives of the people in the book, but the plot isn't entirely apparent, and the story isn't told beautifully enough for me to be loving the journey. So- for now, I carry on and see!

>82 LovingLit: and wouldn't you know it- just as I wrote that The Affairs of the Falcons was a tad dry, it heated right up!!! So, I stand corrected :)

Hi Megan, lovely pictures you've posted. I'm intrigued by The Vivisector, particularly as you've said it's shaping up to be the book of the year! I'm struggling with audios right now since I'm not driving anywhere. That said I've listened to some LONG ones in the past few years (Les Miserables, The Count of Monte Cristo) and thank goodness they were available on Hoopla so I could renew as many times as I needed. Glad you could renew yours finally.

>84 AMQS: Hi Anne,
I have just over 6 hours left on it now, and am still really really enjoying it. It really is an expose of humanity.

Several years ago over at Club Read, there was a year long read of Patrick White’s books. I read 5 or 6 of them, really liked The Vivisector, but I think my favorite was Riders in the Chariot. There wasn’t one I didn’t like though.

Patrick White was one of the very few out gay Nobel laureates in history. "Out" is probably overstating the case, but not one soul with two neurons to fire together didn't know or couldn't figure it out. Which, honestly, has always puzzled me a bit since y'all Antipodeans aren't famously tolerant of the QUILTBAG folk amid you.

Anyway, hope the weekend was lurvely!

>86 arubabookwoman: Ooh, that is good news for my future reading.

>87 richardderus: oooh, QUILTBAG- a new to me acronym/wordy thing. I like it. And much easier to remember that LGBTQI+
Aussies are famously blokey/toxically masculine, Kiwis definitely less so nowadays, but yeah. Not a good history there!

BOOK 25
Ghost by Jason Reynolds (YA/middle school)

This is a great read. Castle, nicknamed Ghost, is a kid with a dad in jail and a mum working and studying. He has trouble keeping away from what his principal terms 'altercations'. He wants to be a basketballer but discovers he can run while mooching about the tracks one day after school and deciding to 'smoke' the show-off runner he sees. Ghost is taken under the wing of Coach, who is an all round good sort. The story is great, it takes us along with the main character as he struggles to figure himself out.

>86 arubabookwoman: I must read something of his this year.

>90 PaulCranswick: they are all pretty long from what I can tell!

Half year roundup!

Books: 24

Fiction: 13
Non-fiction: 11

Female author/editor: 13
Male author: 11

Classic: 4
Essays: 3
Short stories: 3

Translated: 4

US author: 7
UK author: 5
NZ author: 2
Australian author: 2
Latinx author: 2
Indian author: 2
South Koren author: 2
Canadian author: 1
European author: 1

RD's new and improved alphabetical (by author) listicle of have-we-read-these books
1 👍 for each time I have read it (total of 48 read)

The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams

Life, the Universe and Everything - Douglas Adams

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish - Douglas Adams

Mostly Harmless - Douglas Adams

👍Watership Down - Richard Adams

👍The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom

Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

👍The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

Emma - Jane Austen

Persuasion - Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice- Jane Austen

👍Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen

👍The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks

👍The Enchanted Wood - Enid Blyton

👍The Magic Faraway Tree - Enid Blyton

The Folk of the Faraway Tree - Enid Blyton

👍Up the Faraway Tree - Enid Blyton

Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

👍Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

👍Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson

👍The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett (this year!)

Possession - A.S. Byatt

👍The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins

👍The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown

Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

👍Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl

The Paradiso - Dante

The Purgatorio - Dante

The Inferno - Dante

Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres

Bleak House - Charles Dickens

👍A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

David Copperfield - Charles Dickens

👍Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens

👍A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas

The Three Musketeers - Aleandre Dumas

Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier

Middlemarch - George Eliot

👍Birdsong - Sebastian Faulkner

👍Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding

👍👍👍The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald

👍Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert

Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel García Márquez

One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel García Márquez

Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons

👍Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden

👍Lord of the Flies - William Golding

The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame

👍The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime - Mark Haddon

Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy

Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy

Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

👍Catch-22 - Joseph Heller

Dune - Frank Herbert

👍The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

👍Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

👍A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving

The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro

Ulysses - James Joyce

👍On The Road - Jack Kerouac

👍To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

👍The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis

Prince Caspian - C.S. Lewis

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - C.S. Lewis

The Silver Chair - C.S. Lewis

The Horse and His Boy - C.S. Lewis

The Magician's Nephew - C.S. Lewis

The Last Battle - C.S. Lewis

Atonement - Ian McEwan

👍Life of Pi - Yann Martel

Moby-Dick - Herman Melville

Winnie the Pooh - A.A. Milne

👍A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry

👍Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

Anne of Green Gables - Lucy Maud Montgomery

Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell

👍Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov

👍The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

👍Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell

👍👍Animal Farm - George Orwell

The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials #1) - Philip Pullman

The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials #2) - Philip Pullman

The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials #3) - Philip Pullman

Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome

👍Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone - J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling

The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafón

👍Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie

👍👍The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

👍Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger

Gaudy Night - Dorothy Sayers

👍The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

👍A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth

👍A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute

Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck

👍Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

Dracula - Bram Stoker

The Secret History - Donna Tartt

Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray

👍The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - J.R.R. Tolkien

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - J.R.R. Tolkien

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - J.R.R. Tolkien

Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy

A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole

The Color Purple - Alice Walker

👍Charlotte's Web - E.B. White

Germinal - Emile Zola

You've read Gatsby three times?! Wow. I liked the book fine, but once was enough. And as a Kiwi, aren't you legally obligated to read the entire ouevre of Le Tolkien?

Spend a happy Saturday!

>94 richardderus: yeah, Gatsby thrice. First time at school (where I was like, what the??), second time I didn't really concentrate, and the third time a charm (which was in advance of the Baz Luhrmann film).
Re: Tolkien, I saw all the films, and the main thing I liked about them was that they were New Zealand-esque ;) (and Frodo)

Saturday? Well, since you asked....it has been grand so far: 2 very happy boys hot off the back of two admirable rugby league matches. Older boy a) did not get pasted to the wall like the team did last week (character building, etc etc.) and, b) scored the first try of the season for his team (last weekends match was 52-0)! Younger boy, formerly known as Little Len, but now referred to as STORMIN' TACKLIN' MACHINE, scored 2 tries, and was awarded tackler of the day. Now that they have had the mud hosed off them, they are settled in for an afternoon of gaming inside, and I am off to visit my ma, who is recovering from hip surgery. :)

>93 LovingLit: I may, eventually, snaffle that.

>94 richardderus: Tolkien wasn't actually from New Zealand. ;0)

>95 LovingLit: Heroes!!

Hope your mum feels better soon. Not a rugby injury, I assume?

>95 LovingLit: Megan, it's great to hear that NZ is pretty much back to normal. My youngest nephew (16) went to the doctor the other day and ended up having a Covid test but it came back negative. I wondered whether the doctors are all trying to find a case just so they can say they've seen one :-) Is STORMIN' TACKLIN' MACHINE going to trademark his new name? :-)

>97 susanj67: Please say he is at least going to get a T-shirt with that on the back...

>96 humouress: No, but ~60% of the Kiwi economy is Tolkien by now.

Hi Megan!

It's good to hear that both your boys did well in rugby. I hope your mom is recovering well from her hip surgery.

>93 LovingLit: I started counting, using your method of counting each time I've read a book, but once I got to the Harry Potters I stopped, since I've read the books twice each and listened to the audiobooks 3 times and am on the 4th.

>99 richardderus: And the sheep are feeling the neglect!

>96 humouress: nope, not a rugby injury :) She had a hip replacement, and recovering really well.

>97 susanj67: STORMIN' TACKLIN' MACHINE might come across little intense for a nickname, I might stick with Little Len for another wee while yet :)

>98 charl08: It would look cool on a T-shirt ;) And it beats his previous nickname, which was of course given to him by his brother, Stinky Len!!!.

>99 richardderus: Ha- not far off actually!

>100 karenmarie: The Harry Potters are a movement aren't they? I feel almost blasphemous not liking them! Fantasy and me are just not a match.

>101 quondame: Well, not for much longer! I think the sheep is up and coming...merino products, as a natural clothing fibre. I like the humble sheep. :)

Richard's listicle! I have 68. With a few re-reads on top.
Fancy RD putting so many Dickens books in a list!

The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams

Life, the Universe and Everything - Douglas Adams

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish - Douglas Adams

Mostly Harmless - Douglas Adams

👍👍Watership Down - Richard Adams

The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom

👍Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

👍 Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

Emma - Jane Austen

Persuasion - Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice- Jane Austen

👍Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen

👍The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks

The Enchanted Wood - Enid Blyton

The Magic Faraway Tree - Enid Blyton

The Folk of the Faraway Tree - Enid Blyton

Up the Faraway Tree - Enid Blyton

👍 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

👍Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

👍Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson

👍The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett (this year!)

👍 Possession- A.S. Byatt

👍The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins

👍The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown

👍Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll

👍 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

👍Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

👍 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl

The Paradiso - Dante

The Purgatorio - Dante

The Inferno - Dante

👍 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres

Bleak House - Charles Dickens

👍A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

👍 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens

👍Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

👍 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens

👍A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

👍 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas

The Three Musketeers - Aleandre Dumas

👍 Rebecca- Daphne Du Maurier

Middlemarch - George Eliot

👍Birdsong - Sebastian Faulkner

👍Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding

👍The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald

👍Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert

Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel García Márquez

👍 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel García Márquez

👍 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons

👍Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden

👍Lord of the Flies - William Golding

👍 Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame

👍The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime - Mark Haddon

👍 From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy

👍 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy

👍 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

👍Catch-22 - Joseph Heller

Dune - Frank Herbert

👍The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

👍Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

👍A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving

The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro

👍 Ulysses - James Joyce

On The Road - Jack Kerouac

👍To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

👍The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis

👍 Prince Caspian - C.S. Lewis

👍 Voyage of the Dawn Treader - C.S. Lewis

👍 Silver Chair - C.S. Lewis

👍 Horse and His Boy - C.S. Lewis

👍 Magician's Nephew - C.S. Lewis

👍 Last Battle - C.S. Lewis

Atonement - Ian McEwan

Life of Pi - Yann Martel

Moby-Dick - Herman Melville

Winnie the Pooh - A.A. Milne

👍A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry

Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

Anne of Green Gables - Lucy Maud Montgomery

Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell

Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov

The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

👍Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell

👍👍Animal Farm - George Orwell

The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials #1) - Philip Pullman

The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials #2) - Philip Pullman

The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials #3) - Philip Pullman

Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone - J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling

👍 Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafón

👍Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie

👍The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

👍Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger

Gaudy Night - Dorothy Sayers

The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth

👍A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute

👍 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck

👍👍 👍 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

👍Dracula - Bram Stoker

👍 Secret History - Donna Tartt

Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray

👍The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien

👍 👍 Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - J.R.R. Tolkien

👍 👍 Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - J.R.R. Tolkien

👍👍Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - J.R.R. Tolkien

👍 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy

A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole

The Color Purple - Alice Walker

Charlotte's Web - E.B. White

👍 Germinal - Emile Zola

Hope you have had a great weekend, Megan.

>102 LovingLit: I'm all for natural fiber. Linen is my top favorite, but wool can be magical and silk is pure magic. Cotton is OK, but after wearing linen I wear it because it behaves better, not for comfort.

>103 PaulCranswick: no Charlotte's Web!!?? Wilbur is so offended (...jokes, of course). Your list is fab, no surprises there. A few from the list that I intend to read are:
- Dune
- A Confederacy of Dunces
- The Color Purple
- Moby Dick

>105 quondame: I have much love for natural fibres but am so drawn to the not-needing-to-iron synthetics!!

Glad to see that it's pretty much back to normal there. I wish it was here as well. Jacinda Ardern for world leader, that's what I say.

Wool makes me itch. Superfine, coarse, any old way...it must be lined and touch no part of my anatomy for me to partake of its smelly itchy too-hotness.

Acrylic fleece, please.

>106 LovingLit: Iron? Ironing is for other people, I wear clothes for my own comfort. Clean is important, neat, not.

>108 richardderus: So sad. I don't wear it against my skin, but I can sew it with no problem and a worsted scarf or pants is fine.

I've been looking at trainers made out of wool / sugar fibres as can't work out how to recycle normal trainers (so where are they all going?) I haven't bit the bullet though, partly because I have a lack of faith that they will fit / be comfortable.

>107 SandDune: We are heading into a national election in September, and the opposition party is full of petty criticism about the govt's handling of the Covid thing. Which is so obviously, to me, insane. I do have some friends who are critical of Ardern in the basis of her popularity, but as I feel her popularity is warranted, I cannot handle them at present.

>108 richardderus: I remember wearing homespun woollen jerseys as a kid- always with e turtle-neck 'skivvy' (as we call them, underneath to stop neck itch!!!

>109 quondame: We don't iron here. On year I pulled one out to iron some curtains (to assist their transition from garage to inside the house) and the kids www like "what is *that*??" lol

>110 charl08: Allbirds sneakers (trainers) come highly recommended by a friend of mine, who wears them as her go-to travel show when leading tour groups (an historic vocation now, in Covid times..) Here is a pic! Eta: they are made from merino wool :)

My book covers so far this year!!! (+ Three Women, which fell off the image :()

>111 LovingLit: Ooh, ok. I'll add them to the list for next month (when I might have to wear something other than slippers!)

Love your cover display. I wonder when the next Han Kang translation will be out.

>111 LovingLit: WOOL SNEAKERS
*frantically scratches feet*
THIS IS HELL ISN'T IT

>111 LovingLit: All I can say is I’ll trade Boris Johnson for Jacinda Ardern for Boris Johnson any day.

>113 charl08: that was a quick conversion- maybe I need to promote them further and then get shares in the company!? Lol.

>114 richardderus: Ha ha, fear not RD, it is merino wool. The non-itchy kind. I am still not into them, as prefer a sturdy shoe, but apparently they are superb.

>115 SandDune: I'll take your Boris, but only to drop him off in the middle of a Fiordland fiord to make his own survival story. Good bleedin' luck to him! *facetiously*

>116 LovingLit: Well, I have been thinking about them for a while, just not heard of anyone who had actual experience with them.
(But yes, I think enviro-shoes are the way forward!) I'd love to know how they make the base bits out of plants, too.

Please take Boris. I still can't believe he's PM.

>117 charl08: I really don't want Boris. I appreciate the compassionate and intelligent leadership NZ has every day, even as the opposition party is pettily protesting and resorting to dirty politicking in a desperate attempt to compete. I have to believe compassion will win!

BOOK 27
The Vivisector by Patrick White audio

Near on 30 hours of audio- started during my daily lockdown walks, and *finally* finished this evening.
The quick review is this: if you like a whole-life saga, read this book. The longer review follows.

Hurtle Duffield is a little kid in turn-of-the-century Australia. He tags along with his ever-pregnant mother to her laundry job at a fancy house and delights the matriarch of that home. So begins the saga that is the life of the man. Although the highlights of the life could be rattled off in 8 bullet points, the point of the story is the details. Hurtle's story is told mostly in third person but there is the odd switch to first, this is odd for about a split second, until you realise how damn cleverly it is done. It just sucks you in for that small section before you get to rejoin the detailed observations that come at you back to back the entire novel. If I described this book to myself I am sure it would sound unappealing, but the flowery descriptions seemed to fit it so well.

Whenever I was away from this story I wanted to be back in it as soon as possible.The man was so terribly human, with all his prejudices and self-centred struggles on display. I will definitely reread this on paper, as to experience this again will be a treat.

Hi Megan!

>102 LovingLit: To each her own, right? You don’t have to like them. *smile*

>106 LovingLit: I’m reading Moby Dick right now and really liking it. It’s just that lighter-weight reads interrupt when I’m feeling stressed or can’t concentrate.

>119 LovingLit: I have two by White, currently ‘tbr’ on my shelves. One of these days…

Your PM needs to clone herself and be available to the rest of the world as with few exceptions the men running things really suck.

>120 karenmarie: I bet Moby Dick will be one to remember. I miss The Vivisector already- thats the problem with a long saga, it becomes a part of you.

>119 LovingLit: Five-star reads always make me happy, no matter whose they are. Happy new week, Megan!

>122 richardderus: Five stars is five stars is five stars, am I right!??! :)
That's two 5-star reads this year, Three Women by Lisa Taddeo and The Vivisector by Patrick White. One written last year, narrative non-fiction, and 50-year old full fiction saga. Nice!

Currently reading:


Man Alone by John Mulgan

This book had escaped my attention for, well, all of my life so far! I was pointed to it by my boss who cited it as an example of a representation in literature of the stereotypical New Zealand male: which is to say, laconic, physically strong and able, and very comfortable in the 'bush'/wilderness/backcountry. (We are co-authoring a book chapter on the history of outdoor recreation in NZ - also - that fact is *super cool* in itself.) Anyway.....
It was written in 1939 and sits alongside A Good Keen Man by Barry Crump as a manly man's story- So, I wanted to read it. Luckily the university library had 2 copies :)

Currently reading:


I am not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez

This book is on my list of books to read instead of American Dirt. (The other two I have read from this list are Signs Preceding the end of the World by Yuri Herrera, and The Affairs of the Falcons by Melissa Rivero.) I am basically going through them as they are available at the library, so when this one was there, I nabbed it. It is targeted at the young adult demographic, and consequently, reads easily.
The not-perfect Mexican daughter is almost 16 years old, and is grieving the loss of her older sister, who, reportedly, was a perfect Mexican daughter. (This is revealed in the very first sentence of the book, so no spoiler alert there!)

I've taken a bullet, a BB. The Vivisector. Guess I gotta get it.

>126 weird_O: yes! *success*
I am pleased for you, as it is certainly an experience.

>124 LovingLit: I read Man alone some years back, it's very good though grim. You might like to look at The Lake by Jack Lasenby, a children's book about a girl roughing it for a couple of years in the bush. Lasenby was another great outdoors person and also went on to be editor of the School Journal.

Still to read something by Patrick White, I have a few older paperbacks lying in wait.

>126 weird_O: Me too. I have it on the shelves and will read it this year for sure.

>128 avatiakh: I read your review of Man Alone, I found it interesting that the book had been misinterpreted as promoting solitude and the lonely life. To me it seemed clear that, for the main character, this life was not his ideal life, it's just that alternatives were limited.
I was listening to the author of Into the Wild yesterday morning on Kim Hill....he was amazing, and it made me think that W might like that book. Even though it is pitched at a much higher age-range than nearly 12, the adventure aspect of that was next level! I will take a look at the Lazenby one- presently I have Piano Rock by Gavin Bishop on my bedside table as next up.

>128 avatiakh: I couldn't make out the cover of The Lake here, so I checked - none of my local libraries has it - or anything by Jack Lasenby - and the hardback at Amazon is over $900, though there is another for a mere $494.99.

>131 quondame: He was a New Zealand author of children's books plus educator. Spent his early years as a bushman before going teaching and working up to school principal then teaching college lecturer.
He wrote lots of outdoors type stories, tall tales and fantasy. I loved his Old Drumble about a cattle dog. I'd recommend any of his books and see them quite often in used bookshops here for much much less than that.

>130 LovingLit: That's one of the few reviews I've done on LT as I prefer just to comment on my thread. Your boys would probably enjoy some of Lasenby's books. I'd recommend his The Travellers series which is about a boy surviving in a scorched earth New Zealand, a dystopian future with zero technology.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/books/116307643/jack-lasenby-the-man-who-g...

>131 quondame: woah- that seems rather a lot! Now you have made me wand to go and look and see what it goes for here!

ETA: well, it seems this one is hard to come by! The library has two copies, one in store, and one that is a 'read only' copy. I have placed a hold on the store one, which, if I am allowed to check it out will be transferred to my local library for pick up (for a $3 transfer fee). It isn't available on any of the online sales places I have looked at here....published in 1987- it might be time for a re-print!

>132 avatiakh: I have added the Traveller series to my library WL- will see how they land if I can get one of my boys to read any! I think I owned Kalik a while back (the last in the series, bought from a library sale), but never read it and possibly offloaded it.

>124 LovingLit: Co-authoring a chapter! That *is* extraordinarily cool news! Go Megan, climb that dratted hill.

>134 richardderus: A chapter! Of a *book*!!
(so excited)

BOOK 29

I am not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez

Julia (not pronounced Jew-lia) is 15 and her sister has died (this is revealed in the first sentence, so fear not about spoiler alerts). Although she and her sister were not incredibly close, this is, of course, a traumatising time for her- and it is amplified by the fact that her sister was the perfect Mexican daughter. Olga stayed home, only leaving home for work and when she had studied; she could cook, and she often helped their mother with her cleaning job. Julia, however, is not drawn to domesticity and dreams of the freedom that has seriously been curtailed since her sister's death and the fear that this has engendered in their mother.

So begins the story of Julia, a first generation American whose undocumented parents fled Mexico before her and her sister were born. She struggles to relate to her parents who, to her, just seem to work work work, and whose lives are joyless and boring. Their strict limits on her movements force Julia to lie and sneak around, as, she has friends, and since finding something in her dead sister's bedroom, is on a mission to find out more.

The story feels so real and human. It really is a coming of age story and it includes the gritty bits. Read it, and don't delay :)

My (stolen from the internet) list of books to read from Latin American authors whose work is said to be top-notch representation of the lives of recent immigrants to the US. The place I got it from suggested these as an alternative, or companion read, to American Dirt.
I am limited by what my library has available, but I feel like I am going strong so far!

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, by Erika L. Sánchez
Signs Preceding The End Of The World, by Yuri Herrera
The Affairs of the Falcóns: A Novel, by Melissa Rivero
Black Dove: Mamá, Mi'jo, and Me, by Ana Castillo
Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya
The Book of Unknown Americans, by Cristina Henríquez
Across a Hundred Mountains: A Novel, by Reyna Grande
Everyone Knows You Go Home, by Natalia Sylvester
Native Country of the Heart: A Memoir, by Cherríe Moraga
A Dream Called Home: A Memoir, by Reyna Grande
Dominicana: A Novel, by Angie Cruz
The House of Broken Angels, by Luis Alberto Urrea
Lost Children Archive: A novel, by Valeria Luiselli
Mean, by Myriam Gurba
The Universal Physics of Escape, by Elizabeth Gonzalez

>136 LovingLit: That one sounds really good, Megan. Weirdly, Amazon UK only has the Kindle version in Spanish, so I might have to wait...:-)

>138 susanj67: so how is your Español? hehe, mine is minimal...so I would wait for the English version too. At the moment my book club buddy has my library copy- based on my recommendation.

Yup, I had a look too - Biblio has copies but it looks like they are either hardback or come from the US.

Very strongly recommend Bless Me, Última and The Universal Physics of Escape.

Happy Sunday!

>141 richardderus: Interesting. Looks like I was lucky that my library had it!

>142 LovingLit: yes, I recall you recommending The Universal Physics of Escape, in fact, i think it was for that reason I added it to the list! Sunday = work (even though i am sick). A teacher only day at school (*thoughtfully* tacked on the the end of what was already a 2 week school holidays) has thrown my week into disarray. Rearranged work days from that and from being ill in the latter half of the week now have to be made up, which means, me in my office (with no heating) on the day of rest! (harumph- but, also glad to be employed at all- conflicted!)

Ooooh, aaaaah, the Booker longlist is up!

Author (country/territory) Title (number of LTers with this book logged)
Diane Cook (USA) The New Wilderness (13)
Tsitsi Dangarembga (Zimbabwe) This Mournable Body (57)
Avni Doshi (USA) Burnt Sugar (1)
Gabriel Krauze (UK) Who They Was (touchstone unavailable)
Hilary Mantel (UK) The Mirror & The Light (905) (Surely not thrice!?)
Colum McCann (Ireland/USA) Apeirogon (240) (Have heard good things about this one)
Maaza Mengiste (Ethiopia/USA) The Shadow King (149)
Kiley Reid (USA) Such a Fun Age (724)
Brandon Taylor (USA) Real Life (121)
Anne Tyler (USA) Redhead by The Side of The Road (331)
Douglas Stuart (Scotland/USA) Shuggie Bain (50)
Sophie Ward (UK) Love and Other Thought Experiments (3)
C Pam Zhang (USA) How Much of These Hills is Gold (125)

>143 LovingLit: I'm looking forward to reading the McCann, Megan. I think it's an interesting range of books the judges have picked.

>144 charl08: Me too :) I bet the queue for it at the library will only get longer with the Booker nomination. In the list above I have put in brackets the number of people who have it listed on LT- I love seeing how dramatically the numbers rise after a Booker nomination.

>143 LovingLit: EIGHT authors from the US. Eight. Okay, two are from Commonwealth countries originally, so six...still more than half.

RIP Bookers. No point in you at all if you're just the NBCCs or the Pulitzers with a poncy accent.

>143 LovingLit: Glad to see this posted. I have read 3 of these, Mantel, Reid & Tyler, but I do not think any are Booker worthy, although the Mantel comes closet. Of course, I want to read the McCann but I have not heard of the rest, which I always find interesting. Hope there are some gems in there.

>146 richardderus: I didn't want to say, but yeah. There's plenty of hype already for US book writers....give the rest of us a chance huh? And, Anne Tyler? Really? I have liked her work before, but am really not impressed by A Spool of Blue Thread (which I am currently reading/listening to). Also, while I am bitching about the Booker....stop nominating authors who have already won! We *know* they're good, and I don't abide by doubling/tripling down on awards...there are other good authors of great books out there and it is the duty of awards like this to find them.

>147 msf59: Just to be facetious I will probably try to read the least popular of them- according to who logged them on LT prior to them being nominated, that would be:
- Avni Doshi (USA) Burnt Sugar
- Sophie Ward (UK) Love and Other Thought Experiments
- Diane Cook (USA) The New Wilderness
- Douglas Stuart (Scotland/USA) Shuggie Bain, and
- Tsitsi Dangarembga (Zimbabwe) This Mournable Body
I still intend to read Mantels' winners, but they feel like a project that must be devoted a decent chunk of time.

>148 LovingLit: I read Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions year and years ago and remember enjoying it so I’m keen to read This Mournable Body.

Hi Megan!

>143 LovingLit: Thanks for posting this list. Love and Other Thought Experiments is intriguing to me. Our Library doesn't have it, and on Amazon it's USD45, so not gonna happen any time soon.

>148 LovingLit: Our book club read A spool of Blue Thread in 2016, but thank goodness I borrowed it from the Library, as I abandoned it quite early on. I loved The Accidental Tourist and have Ladder of Years on my shelves just waiting its turn.

>149 SandDune: Nervous Conditions sounds like it could be very interesting....I say that even in spite of the cover(!!). I wonder if her themes from that one carry through to her recent writing?

>150 karenmarie: Always glad to have my opinion validated :)
USD45 is rather a lot- I am lucky to have several library available to me, not just the 12 municipal ones, but the University one as well, which sometimes comes up with the goods. Love and Other Thought Experiments is on order, with one hold, so I guess interest in it will ramp up as the word gets out about the Booker nomination.

So true- except, I don't usually actually say hello, I just stare and smile.

>152 LovingLit: Ha! I would just stare and smile too. Probably super creepy though lol

>153 ChelleBearss: But when it's about books, it removes the creepy element, imo. Cos, books are pure :)

>148 LovingLit: I am a little irritated by the list to be honest. Your part of the world again does not get a look-in. Nothing from Canada and nothing from India.

The Booker Prize should not be open to US authors period. Let them continue to compete for the Pulitzer and National Book Awards.
The Booker Prize has lost its soul.

>155 PaulCranswick: What do you think the reasoning was behind including the US in? It feels pretty populist now.

Oh goodie! My reading mojo has returned....I fell into a book-funk-shaped hole last week after a few slow reads, and have amped up again now with Cleo Aka-"Cleo: How an Uppity Cat Helped Heal a Family", by Helen Brown.

It is so good :)

>156 LovingLit: I'm not really sure, Megan, but it may have been pressure from the publishers. I think that the lack of opportunities it now provides for Anzac writers as well as Indian and African and Caribbean authors is sad. It has rather perversely made the prize less cosmopolitan than it was before.

One of the arguments to support the Women's Prize was that ladies were being prejudiced against by publishers and that an award needed to be set up for them specifically to demonstrate the excellence of fiction written by female authors. It may seem strange to us but it has worked a treat and the profile of women writers has rightly been elevated.

By the same token the Booker was at the forefront (with the now defunct Commonwealth Writers Prize) of internationalising writers who would have possibly had less profile otherwise.

>157 LovingLit: I'm happy for your reading joy. It's such a downer to lose it.

>157 LovingLit: what >159 quondame: said

>158 PaulCranswick: The Booker is a travesty at this point. Two wins for Mantel, Americans cluttering up the place, what the hell makes it "the Booker" not the Pulitzer or the NBCC or the American Book Award...oh wait...they aren't open to UK writers...and why should I continue to care about it?

>160 richardderus: Exactly, RD.

>158 PaulCranswick: Interesting. The Booker was my go-to book prize for recommendations, an I have more often than not liked winners, and many short-listed one as well. I haven't actually read a winner now since The Luminaries in 2013!!!! (I am only part way through Milkman, which won in 2018.)

>159 quondame: I am back baby :) I love that feeling of wanting to read your book all the time.

>160 richardderus: yes, and yes!

>161 PaulCranswick: (and yes)

Hi, Megan. I completely agree with you guys on the watering down of the Booker. Atwood should have never been on there last year but I think Girl, Woman, Other deserved it's honors. I really liked Milkman. How is it working for you?

I would be really interested to find out more about the writers writing outside the UK who were nominated for the Booker in previous years. I've had a look at the lists on wikipedia, thinking about digging out a few (subject to the library being open for reservations again)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booker_Prize

Glad to see you're reading Milkman. I had a library copy, but when it came out in paperback I splurged on a shiny new copy :-)

>162 LovingLit: Oh yes. Or What You Will is really absorbing for me just now. As much as I've enjoyed some of my recent reads, this is the one I've felt most impelled to jump back into.

>163 msf59: Girl Woman Other is doing the rounds in my RL bookclub- I am next (yay!) as we share the same book (if it is good enough to warrant the circuit). I am really looking forward to it.

>164 charl08: I stalled on Milkman for a few weeks (months!!!) but am prioritising it for after my current read.

>165 quondame: ahhhh, the ebbs and flows of book life huh? Isn't it great?

Currently adjusting to the re-Covidisation of New Zealand- 4 new cases that cannot be traced to a known source have been reported live to the nation last evening at 915pm. Which means our 102-days of being Covid-free is done.

Auckland (our largest city) is in an initial 3 day lockdown (essential workers only may work outside of the home, and schools, cafes public spaces etc are shut), and the rest of the country is on level 2 Covid alert. Although a few things have been cancelled, we are allowed to gather in groups of up to 100, schools remain open and we are all just a bit gutted that our good run has come to an end.

BOOK 33
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer NF

I stumbled upon the tail-end of the 2015 film 'Everest' the other night on tv...and was immediately hooked. Of course, because the expedition leader was a New Zealander, we heard all about this on the news when it happened, and it was as horrifying then as it was reading about it. I have long held the impression that people who seek this level of risk are selfish, particularly if they have children, and, although a little of that remains after reading this book, I feel like I understand a little better how and why people would do this. But- I still cannot fathom a situation in which someone could step over a dying person with no thought of trying to offer some some sort of comfort. The callousness that high altitude, extreme exhaustion and the will to summit seems to engender in climbers leaves me cold.

That said, the account of Krakauer is beautifully, and, I thought, quite sensitively written. The dilemmas, the confusion, the utter awfulness and waste of life that the expedition faced was interlaced with history, and some philosophy as well. Certainly a cracker of a read, but one that leaves you wondering at the waste of life and the spoiling of a majestic mountain.

>168 LovingLit: Sorry to hear about COVID being back (that seems a completely inadequate statement, btw!).

>168 LovingLit: Sounds pretty grim reading. Have you ever climbed? I did a couple of adventure camps as a kid where we had to get up abseiling walls (and down again). I'd get about 10 feet up and everything would just start shaking... I don't know how anyone does it.

>169 charl08: Thanks! Some of the new cases are those that are from NZers arriving back to NZ from overseas and are in mandatory managed isolation- all the community ones are all traced back to on cluster in Auckland. And that city remains in lockdown, while we carry on as near-normal as we can be (no gatherings more than 100 people again, so no big sports events etc).

Re: mountain climbing- I am not a climber. Not at all. A tramper (hiker) maybe, certainly nothing technical or at snow level!

Currently reading:


Imitation of Life by Fannie Hurst, published 1937, but to me, the title is famous for an REM song :)

Continuing on with my high-altitude-climbing-books bender I present you my two latest reads.

BOOK 34
Left for Dead by Beck Weathers NF

BOOK 35
The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest by G. Weston DeWalt and Anatoli Boukreev NF

***In other news, I just grabbed half a red onion and rubbed it on the table, as I thought it was the computer mouse***

Your table will quietly attack you at an unspecified time in the future. Count on it.

Sorry to hear about the country's reCovidity. I hope it's a blip not a signal.

*smooch*

Hi Megan! I'm glad your reading mojo returned and hope it's still running high.

>167 LovingLit: I’m sorry about the new Covid cases. This is a very sneaky virus. Your country is still doing fantastically. In other news, I was also glad to hear that the Christchurch shooter was given a sentence of life without parole.

>172 LovingLit: What a visual… onion as mouse.

>173 richardderus: our kitchen table has long been a 'country-style' table, by which I mean, anything goes. It is basically just a large chopping board covered in papers, bits and bobs, scorch marks from hot pots, and knife grooves. It was alarming though, to feel the cool, slick, only slightly pliable surface of the red onion under my palm. A tad creepy!

>174 karenmarie: My reading mojo was intensified this evening when I secured myself a copy of Girl, Woman, Other at book club. So, once I finish The Boy Behind the Curtain (collected personal essays) by Tim Winton, I will be all over that.

I acquired two new books today- totally out of the blue. One, a gift (84, Charing Cross Road, which I have already read, but this one has a nice new cover), and two, Ar'n't I a Woman?, from a second hand book shop that I stumbled upon.

Being between university contracts is going well for me, I have been gifted 2-3 school days a week to not have to work! I have been using the time to relax, go for long walks, meet friends at cool places, cook, bake, and read!

>172 LovingLit: LOL!!!

WAY behind here. Glad the new schedule is working out well for you!

I have Girl, Woman, Other somewhere around here. I'll try to find it....

>177 Berly: I have heard consistently good things about Girl, Woman, Other, from both RL sources, and trusted LT sources! Are you thinking a tandem read??!?!

>176 LovingLit: Oh, lovely! A gift book is a good thing, especially with a new-to-you cover; and Ar'n't I a Woman? is justly famous as one of the greatest speeches Sojourner Truth ever gave; the author's purpose in using the quote as her title is laudable. I hope her execution is equally good.

>178 LovingLit: Yes!! I can start it in about a week...does that work for you. I have missed having you as my reading buddy!! : )

>179 richardderus: I hope so too! I was thinking to read some context of both Sojourner Truth and the author.

>180 Berly: Ok Ok Ok- that sounds rad. I can start whenever. (Wheeeee!)

New Library book!



The discomfort of evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld (translated from the Dutch), winner of the Booker International.

>182 LovingLit: Ooh, look forward to hearing what you think.

>176 LovingLit: I went looking for the Sojourner Truth speech. Found this performance by an actor online - it's very short, but good imho.

https://youtu.be/eUdxsQ0Qsrc

Hi Megan my dear, glad that you like our morning pots of tea in bed, surprising how many brownie points this gets me, lol. We do both love our pots of tea to be honest and along with Karen's baking it makes a perfect combination.

Hope all is well with you and the family and we send love and hugs to you all dear friend.

>183 charl08: loving it so far. Having been told I have issues with tenses in my writing (and knowing that I do, cos I run on instinct with writing) I am interested in the author's use of present alongside past tense. It is interesting.

Thanks for the link!

>184 johnsimpson: haha, thanks JS. Nothing like a good cuppa in bed! I remember when I was away on a work trip- with 8 or so people- and the proprietor of the rural accommodation brought all the single people a cup of tea in bed in the morning. She reasoned it was one of the things that single people missed out on. I never let on that it was also something I missed out on!
And, while on the topic, I will go on to moan that, as a pregnant staff member whose long day walk with my colleagues was curtailed from tiredness...and whose staff trip away from a toddler was a well-earned rest......I didn't appreciated being called upon to help with the cleaning at the accommodation! Harumph.

>185 LovingLit: The utter unjustness!!! Just criminal. They should have been looking after you for Pete's sake.

I read >185 LovingLit: and thought HOLY GODDESSES BELOW US MEGAN'S PREGNANT AGAIN!!!!!!!

Then re-read it, and calmed right back down.

It did rather strike me as the triumph of hope over experience for a mo....

>186 Berly: I *know*- right!!??!
Just to make it clear, it was me and the owner and the manager cleaning the accommodation, as all my colleagues were still on the walk that I had cut short- due to tiredness! I was actually quite surprised by the whole thing. But, you know, it was years ago now, I will probably bet over it soon :)

>185 LovingLit: Holy mother of goddesses! That would be a surprise. Haha. And very unlikely.

Books in progress

The discomfort of evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld: *extremely disturbing* but compelling
The Riders by Tim Winton: lyrical, wonderful and likely-to-make-me-want-to-read-the-back-catalogue *le sigh*

Just checking in with a quick hello, Megan.

Oh, that Rijneveld book has great possibilities, so I am eager to hear what you end up thinking about it.

Happy Friday! Almost the weekend...plans?

>190 karenmarie: hiya back!

>191 richardderus: I think I will end up thinking that it was extremely disturbing. I definitely have a sense of foreboding about it.

I think I'm going to pass on "extremely disturbing". Plenty of that in RL!

Happy Librarian's Day!

(I know you're not a librarian, per se, but you're an academic and c'mon the gif's adorbs)

You didn't manage to finish The Milkman yet, Megan?

I am disappointed in the Booker shortlist as British and Commonwealth writers have now only one shot at it with 1 Ethiopian and 4 American authors competing for the prize as well. The US has enough of its own prizes.

>193 charl08: well, I am not going to abandon the book- at page 200 or 280 (or so). It is not only disturbing, but it detracting from my wellbeing. So- a rare manoeuvre from me, but there. I did it.

>194 richardderus: Ooh, I like! It is indeed, adorbs....you kids today say the darndest things ;)

>195 PaulCranswick: No, I have not finished Milkman. I do consider it a work in progress though...so will no doubt get back to it. I need to get back to Imitation of Life as it is due back at the library again soon, and I have already renewed it once so cannot again. Talk about pressure!

>196 LovingLit: ...said the under-40 to the over-60...

Imitation of Life!! Megan darling please, I beg you, please chuck it in the return chute now! You will never be entirely happy again if you don't, knowing that English-language writing is able to be wrought into such Cthulhu-level wretchedness!

>197 richardderus: Forewarned is forewarned! But....dare I say it?...I am *liking* it so far! Even if there is a lot happening, some of which I am not sure of the point of.

The Discomfort of Evening oh dear- I had to abandon it. #spoileralert Incest, beastiality, self-harm, depressing dysfunction
It was all just too much.

The Riders by Tim Winton (on audio)- a lovely story, but very much a book of two distinct halves (or, maybe three distinct thirds?!). Discombobulating in that regard, but hey- the journey was pretty well documented with beautiful words.

In other news:

....the book chapter that I am contributing to was well received by the editors, so, all things going as planned, at some point in the near future I WILL BE AN AUTHOR!!!! (I am more than a little excited about that.) I am also working on two articles for publications in academic journals, so am excited at the prospect of being thrice published in journals :)

>199 LovingLit: Congratulations! Hope there will be some celebrations your end.

Catching up here. Happy Friday and congratulations on becoming an author soon!

>199 LovingLit: Congratulations on emergent authorship!

>199 LovingLit: That is outstanding news! Very happy for you, and I'm sure it's only the first of many more writing opportunities to come.

>200 charl08: celebrations if I ever see the book! There still needs to be about a thousand words cut from it yet, so we will see.

>201 figsfromthistle: Thank you! The weekend has now come and gone, and we had a busy one, taking a 4 hour drive to Mt Cook (Aoraki) to stay the night. It rained the *entire* time, and this morning there was the added bonus of a thunderstorm (and lightening) and sleet!

>202 quondame: Exciting huh? I mean a journal is one thing, but an actual book? Pretty cool imo.

>203 richardderus: I am likin' the writin' but hatin' on the casual contracts. OK for now for sure, and if they keep coming, I won't complain.

>199 LovingLit: I suppose that the themes you raised would cause plenty of discomfort in the evening.

>205 PaulCranswick: an apt title, in that regard!!
Actually, my work colleagues reacted as if to say "well- what did you expect with that title!!?" when I told them about it.

Happy birthday almost-yesterday! My alarm clock is set to the date but of course y'all're however-many hours ahead...have I snuck in under the midnight wire?

>207 richardderus: oooh, so close :)
Thank you so much. I had a wonderful day, and this is the first year in about 5 that I can say that about a birthday.
I got to work, I got to exercise, I got to walk to the pub with a good friend and our combined 4 children (+1 of their friends), I got to hang out with my neighbour, and I got to go out for dinner with my lovely other....which again entailed a walk- and a lovely glass of bubbles alongside a *delicious* pork and prawn Vietnamese pancake.


Me (on left) with my bestie, enjoying a pint while the kids play in the sun- what's not to like??!

Hi Megan my dear, a belated happy birthday, looks like you were enjoying your pint with your bestie and i hope the rest of the day was a really good one, sending love and hugs to you and your family dear friend.

>208 LovingLit: Sounds lovely.
But I have to ask: And were there books gifted or gifted to self!?

Sunshine in your pic: every year I am surprised that your seasons are doing opposite things to ours. How does that work?

>209 johnsimpson: Sure did, JS. Thanks for stopping by :)

>210 charl08: Books you say? Well, I received two from the lovely other, How to be Human in the Digital Economy by Nicholas Agar, and R.E.M. Fiction: An Alternative Biography by David Buckley.

Then, today, with my book voucher, I went to Scorpio Books and purchased

(1) Number two in the Wisdom Tree series of linked novellas, Venice by Nick Earls
(2) Number three in the Wisdom Tree series of linked novellas, Vancouver by Nick Earls
(3) The Prince by Machiavelli
(4) The Writing on the Wall by Anslem Jappe (Tagline: 'On the decomposition of capitalism and its critics')
(5) 5x greeting cards
(6) next years Moleskin diary!

In addition, I made a couple of trays of bacon rolls- lovely little bread rolls filled with bacon/onion, AND a focaccia.

Hi Megan!

>199 LovingLit: Congratulations, newly-minted author. And good luck on the two articles you’re working on.

>208 LovingLit: A belated Happy Birthday. Yay for such a great day. And, thanks for sharing the pic of you and your bestie.

>211 LovingLit: New books, cards, and 2021 diary. Fun stuff. And cooking/baking. I’m happy things are going well for you.
.3

>212 karenmarie: re: being a newly-minted author.....the edits are still occurring, and the reference list is proving difficult to cull....not to mention the referencing software's pesky habit of reverting back to previous edits. But I shall persevere!
The lovely Spring days we are having lately are adding to my positivity- this is in *spite* of our upcoming election brining out the worst in people online (myself included), and when I say that I am only too aware that our politicking is so so so so so so so lightweight compared to US politicking. :(

Incredible to hear that donald and his wife have COVID. Will this make it real for him. Unless.....is he faking it to divert the conversation away from his ineptitude?

I've yet to try it, but keep seeing ads from one of the journal publishers promising that they will do the reference style edit for you. I'm not sure I believe it, still seems too good to be true. I still get into a bit of a cold sweat thinking of an editing moment before a deadline where half my references disappeared, and the numbers went bonkers and it was only with a friend's suggestion that it went back to "normal". Phew.

Happy Saturday, Megan Thee Author.

>215 charl08: I am usually OK with EndNote, but when multiple people are editing (and culling!) the document, it seems to have created more problems than it has solved.

>216 richardderus: Why thank you RD. I am working, laboring through what should be a simple section section to write. Which reminds me, I must get off LT ;)

>199 LovingLit: I managed to finish The Discomfort of Evening, Megan, but completely understand abandoning.
Congratulations, author soon to be! :-)

>218 FAMeulstee: Yeah, I guess it's a book of acquired taste. And now I am reminded that i need to return it to the library! Yikes, I hope I don't have a hideous fine!

BOOK 39
The Strange Adventures of H by Sarah Burton

In a desperate act, I downloaded this from my library audiobook selection.....you see, I had finished The Riders by Tim Winton and needed something to listen to on my walk, and my commute (it seems I cannot do these things without a book now). A few that I wanted weren't available, (A Gentleman in Moscow for one) so this one had to do.

It was certainly entertaining, and a lot happened in it to keep me interested. Some plot holes, in spite of vague attempts to patch them with flimsy explanations, left me questioning some of the motivations of the main character, H. However, I was happy to be carried along on her escapades in and around plague-era London. So, get into it if you are into that sort of thing.

>208 LovingLit: You know I love this photo!

Hi, Megan. I hope you and the family are safe and healthy. Ooh, I hope you get to A Gentleman in Moscow. It is soooooooo good.

Hi Megan! Congrats on the soon-to-be authorship!! And on your birthday--sounds like you had a lovely day. : )

>214 LovingLit: Ugh. Now he's saying, "Don't be afraid of COVID. It's no big deal." I want him gone.

On a happier note, love all your recent book acquisitions!

>221 msf59: ugh

>221 msf59: oh yeah, I saw that. Poor old NZ only has 5 mil population of that 124...but happily, we are free from community transmission again with all new cases reported in those in managed isolation (who are usually citizens recently returned to NZ).

>222 msf59: And, the beer was an APA!!! I will make sure to take you there to sample some when you visit :) I have put a hold on A Gentleman in Moscow, so expect to be listening to it gleefully in about 2 weeks.

>223 Berly: Ew ew ew, his boldness and bluster is topping itself at every turn. It is less shocking now, more just scary.

>224 richardderus: Yup. Totes ew.

>221 msf59: I have a soft spot for Bernie. Brave enough to be a socialist in the USA.

>225 LovingLit: Impressed how NZ have managed the pandemic.

>226 PaulCranswick: Bernie is a good sort, alright. I suspect socialists in power would do a great deal less 'socialist' things than people think they would. Unfortunately, its connotations seem to terrify.

>227 LovingLit: I think that the utopian spirit of true socialism and its genuine desire to ease the ills of the downtrodden working classes has lost its voice in this post-industrial age. There is still surely a place for a caring, progressive and redistributive agenda but it has to be one which does not deter entrepreneurship and humankind's innate need to improve its lot.

>228 PaulCranswick: yeah, nicely put. I agree.

Hi Megan!

I hope you like A Gentleman in Moscow. I gave it 5*, and I'm very stingy with 4.5 and 5 stars.

>230 karenmarie: I am really looking forward to my time slot coming up for it....I haven't had an audiobook on the go for over a week now! My exercise is suffering for it....

Argh, ur, uuuum...interface change.
*struggling*
*adjusting expectations*
*panicking* (slightly)

Thought you might enjoy this talk by Amor Towles, discussing the historical inspiration for the story and setting.

https://literary-arts.org/archive/amor-towles-rebroadcast/

>232 LovingLit: Don't Panic!! : )

>233 Berly: great! I will save that for after I have read it, as I love to approach a story cold :)

Well, they seem to have fixed the android posting, so that's a quick win!

>235 charl08: That is god! And, I am getting used to the new interface. Actually, I like the top font change :)

Election night here in NZ- absolutely looking like a Labour Party win, and talk is of a *massive swing to the left* so far as political inclinations go.
YES!
We are not a 'first past the post' electoral system, so parties usually need a smaller party to form a coalition with. This is looking like the first time in a while that a single party will be able to govern alone. I actually voted for the Green Party, in the hopes that they would been needed by Labour, and would pull the Labour Party towards a climate-oriented leadership. but am more than happy for Labour to govern alone.
Happy times in the household this evening!!!

Congrats to Labor and Jacinda Ardern. I envy you living in a country with such a woman at the helm and a clear victory for left/center-left.

>237 LovingLit: what >238 karenmarie: said

Nice week ahead, Megan.

>237 LovingLit: Looking at New Zealand with envious eyes at the moment!

>237 LovingLit: Congrats, on this great news, Megan. I wish our damaged country could swing back in the same direction. We definitely need more left of center Dems, to get that done.

>237 LovingLit: Made me happy too. The way she brought the country together in the wake of the mosque killings and the way her government has handled the covid-19 crisis, it would have been a betrayal of the highest order not to re-elect her.

Surprised she didn't win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Have a great and celebratory Sunday, Megan.

>238 karenmarie: It does feel good. Simply that most people are voting for - consistency, yes, but also for someone whose MO is strength in kindness.

>239 richardderus: Hi RD- the week ahead is divided by my two jobs all the hours the kids are at school, and afternoons of dinner making, general domestic drudgery, and evenings of RL bookclub- Yay! And Quiz Night at the local- YAY. And that just takes me to Tuesday :)

>240 SandDune: It feels pretty good, but, owing to my varied friend base, there is some dissent (or, at least, displeasure) amongst my business oriented, right-leaning friends. I am very happy not just with the outcome, but with the democratic process working as it should.

>241 msf59: I really fear for your country Mark :( Any dramatic changes by any new president will surely face resistance from 45's minions. I just cant imagine them consenting to mask wearing, or any curtailment of any 'freedoms' to slow the spread of Covid.

>242 PaulCranswick: I am kinda glad she didn't win the Nobel- her celebrity threatens to overtake her and is often used against her by her opponents. Our previously popular PM, John Key, was also well though of internationally, but mainly for being charismatic. At least Jacinda Ardern is effective and on to it as well!!

>242 PaulCranswick: There is that, Megan, but she would have had my vote if I was a member of the academy. Well I did drive a Volvo until recently.

>244 PaulCranswick: hopefully there is time for her to be all kinds more awesome in this lifetime!
Now begins the assignation of cabinet posts, and I am hoping that a Green Party co-leader will be given the job of Minister for Climate Change. Even though Labour doesn't 'need' to include him/her. This would ease the job of filling all those roles with what could end up being inexperienced ministers, and, and save some time as the Greens will have plans a-ready!

I am reading Nutshell by Ian McEwan. And I have issues with it - aside from *obvious* issues with the cover design. ;)

One review (here on LT) said its choice of voice presented "...a perspective that could never have been rationally considered and effective without using an unborn child as the narrator."

This cannot be! What about all those books whose characters' actions are presented from the invisible 'third person' perspective. Sheesh. I know its effectiveness can be questioned, but, really???

So yeah, that's my issue. The foetus waxing lyrical on wine varietals, existential guff, and what constitutes 'green'...puh-LEASE. It comes over as pretentious.

And to add insult to injury, 2/3 of my RL bookclub loved it. What am I to do??

^ S'alright- apparently the Financial Times- the sole arbiter of literary truth- said it was "a mishmash of pentameter-ridden sentences and half-baked wordplay".
While that may be a little harsh, it isnt actually far off what I felt about it. In fact, I think my review of Nutshell will be: It was ever so terribly clever.

>246 LovingLit: Not much of a fan of this one at all, although it does have the bonus of being a short book. What did the other members like about it?

>248 charl08: I think they thought it was clever, innovative...I just thought it was pretentious. The author comes across as a classist snob, with the foetus narrator even having the audacity to judge its mother's choice of underwear (probably cotton, not silk).
I guess you can afford to experiment when you are that well established, so good on him. It simply didn't sit well with me, despite all the clever sentence constructions.

>249 LovingLit: I loved Atonement but haven't found another of his to be so compelling. This one I remember as a bit 'ick' (hardly a well-reasoned review!)

ETA found my comments. Ick doesn't feature though.
"For me I was able to suspend belief that the foetus somehow had picked up notions of colour from description and politics from podcasts but weirdly the point where it fell down was the wine drinking. Who drinks multiple glasses of wine when pregnant these days? Irrational, but I just disconnected at that point. Framed around a murder plot, but it was almost incidental to his narrator's discovery of the world. I wouldn't rush to recommend it."

>247 LovingLit: It was ever so terribly clever.

So, peak Ian McEwan. I cannot abide his arch, crooked-pinky crap.

Anyway, not like I have a strong opinion for once. Nay nay nay. Spend a nice Friday, and weekend to come, reading much less irksome bilge!

>250 charl08: I felt like the wine drinking while pregnant was a device to prove her morally redundant, capable of despicable acts, and generally a poor mother. Funny that *that* was what pushed you over though!

>251 richardderus: Peak McEwan! Yes. Exactly. :) Terribly clever is pretty much his mo, imo.
(See what I did there? Wasn't that just terribly clever!)

>250 charl08: Atonement was the movie/book that finally broke any attraction I had to stories that depended on wealthy Brits (or anyone else for that matter) in a big house rather than characters with interesting lives.

>252 LovingLit: Terribly.

Hi Megan.

>246 LovingLit: I’ve never read anything by McEwan, and certainly won’t read this one. I do have Atonement on my shelves but so far haven’t felt the need to read it.

>247 LovingLit: It was ever so terribly clever. Damning with faint praise.