Kerry (avatiakh) reads through another year #2

Rangitoto at dawn - Auckland is built on a volcanic field, there are over 50 volcanoes, all extinct. Rangitoto Island was the most recent one, formed 600 years ago.
Currently Reading -
Reading the holocaust by Inga Clendinnen
Frost in May by Antonia White
Revenger by Alastair Reynolds (audio)

...and still my 2021 reads that I need to get back to -
The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt
The Once and Future King by T.H. White - audio - (book 1 complete)
Clarice Lispector: The Complete Stories - 13 stories done

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I've read and enjoyed all four novels by Ronald Hugh Morrieson and they've all been adapted to film. Predicament (2010) was the most recent and stars Jermaine Clement.

My 2022 category challenge.

I'm tying each category to a New Zealand film.
1) The Locals (2003) - reads from New Zealand and Australia.
2) In My Father's Den (2004) - General fiction
3) Sleeping Dogs (1977) - Books I shamefully own but have never read even though everyone else has - they've been sleeping on my book shelves.
4) Predicament (2010) - Completing an ouevre - reading all the fiction works of Amos Oz
5) Footrot Flats (1986) - Cats in Fiction
6) The Fall Guys (2011) - crime, mystery, thrillers
7) Goodbye Pork Pie (1980) - road trip novels
8) The Changeover (2017) - YA
9) Boy (2010) - Children
10) Kombi Nation (2003) - Translated fiction
11) Black Sheep (2007) - Scifi
12) What we do in the shadows (2014) - fantasy
13) Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) - Wolves, boars and other beasts in title
14) My Wedding and other secrets (2011) - Asian fiction
15) The Dark Horse (2014) - Non fiction
16) Vigil (1984) - Films

Goals for 2022 -

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A year long read of Journey to the West. I read Romance of the Three Kingdoms in 2021, so hope to try again with this other epic.

Dr Faustus: The Life of the German Composer Adrian Leverkuhn As Told by a Friend by Thomas Mann - a twitter conversation with a NZ musician convinced me to give this a try

Paul's Asian Reading Challenge - I'm keen to have a go most months, my lockdown addiction to K-dramas has me interested in Korean culture and I already seek out books from most of these countries. Let's hope that my reading coincides with the months.

Carnegie Medal UK -
Decided in 2021 to try and read as many winners of this Children's Book Award as possible. I've read many but still a way to go especially with the older ones.

More Goals for 2022
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Holocaust Literature - so many worthy ones I've still not read -
This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen by Borowski
Lovely Green Eyes and others by Lustig
Brodeck's Report by Philippe Claudel
Memory by Philippe Grimbert
The Last of the Just by Andre Schwarz-Bart
If not now, when? by Primo Levi

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Reading all of Amos Oz's Fiction -
I've read many but still some to go, if I complete early I'll move on to finishing up David Grossman's fiction.
Touch the water, touch the wind / Fima / To know a woman / The Hill of Evil Counsel / Unto Death / Where the jackals howl / Soumchi / Judas

David Grossman
A Horse Walks into a Bar / More Than I Love My Life / Be my knife (1988) / Her body knows / The Smile of the Lamb (1983) / Duel

Some of the series and trilogies that I'm concentrating on -
Crime -
Rebus by Ian Rankin - 23/23
Inspector Montalbano by Andrea Camilleri - 28/28 - COMPLETED 2022
Pepe Carvalho by Manuel Vázquez Montalbán - 4/23 - reading what I can find
Kramer and Zondi by James McClure - 1/8

Scifi
The Crystal Singer by Anne McCaffrey - 1/3
Skyward by Brandon Sanderson - 3/4
Arkship trilogy by Peter F. Hamilton - 2/3
Murderbot by Martha Wells 6/6

Fantasy
Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch 6/9 - need to get back to this one
Scholomance by Naomi Novik - 2/3
Thraxas by Martin Scott (Millar) - 8/12

March Reading Plans look pretty much similar to my February plan-
Ongoing reading of:
Dr Faustus by Thomas Mann
Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'un
I'm really behind on both of these reads, so much that I might start from the beginning again.

Currently Reading:
Inheriting Anne Frank - Jacqueline van Maarsen
To the Land of the Cattails - Aharon Appelfeld - Israeli writer
An Earthly Knight - Janet McNaughton 01 Mar
Reading the Holocaust by Inga Clendinnen
Amrita Sher-Gil: Rebel with a Paintbrush by Anita Vachharajani
Death by Publication by J.J. Fletcher

next off the block:
The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana by Umberto Eco
The Long Voyage by Jorge Semprun
The Pig Plantagenet (1980) by Allen Andrews
Offside by Manuel Vazquez Montalban
Winter Notes on Summer Impressions by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Code: Polonaise by Eva-Lis Wuorio
Foxspell by Gillian Rubenstein
Masters of Silence & Under the Iron Bridge by Kathy Kacer
The Bride Closed the Door by Ronit Matalon
Escape through the Pyrenees by Lisa Fittko
The Seventh Handmaiden by Judith Pransky

shared read -
The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna - still not started

I also need to choose an Arab writer to read - possibly The Bamboo Stalk by Saud Alsanousi (Kuwait) or Cities of Salt by Abdelrahman Munif (Saudi Arabia).

Happy New Thread, Kerry.

Just to let you know the Asian Book Challenge March thread is up.
https://www.librarything.com/topic/340000

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread, Kerry!

>7 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul. I've posted my choices there too.

>8 quondame: >9 FAMeulstee: Thanks. I'm all set up and have finished a book last night.

Library visit:
Two to pick up -
Slow trains around Spain by Tom Chessshyre - had this on request for many weeks
Drones, dams and destruction Robin Hood #4 by Robert Muchamore - fun series for young readers

35) An Earthly Knight by Janet McNaughton (2003)
historical fantasy

A Tam Lin story that also touches on another ballad, 'Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight'. I enjoyed this as it is set in 12th Century Scotland in the time of King Malcolm IV about 100 years after Macbeth who I'm reading about in King Hereafter.

Such wonderful reading going on and ahead of you. I look forward to your thoughts on the six Holocaust books and The Long Voyage (the touchstone of which goes to Eugene O'Neil plays-weird). My own reading has slowed to a crawl given all that's going on in the world right now. I'm taking refuge in k-dramas, even though I'm not loving any of them at the moment.

Good Thursday, Kerry. Happy new thread wishes.

Happy new thread! Your topper pic is beautiful.

36) Girl in Dior by Anniie Goetzinger (2015)
YA graphic novel
Winner: YALSA 2016 Great Graphic Novels for Teens. I saw this when scrolling through the list of graphic novels available through my library's Libby app.
Follows the fortunes of the Dior fashion house from the 1947 first collection through to the sudden death of Dior in 1957. Clara (fictional) is a fresh faced young woman there at the start as a newby journalist and then as a model for Dior. While the story is really just a vehicle to look at the behind the scenes of the fashion house and a sympathetic look at Dior himself, it's his collections that transform the pages. Beautiful beautiful feminine dresses and evening gowns that showed that the war years and austerity was over.

_

37) Under the Iron Bridge by Kathy Kacer (2021)
YA
Uninspiring cover art. This is one of Kacer's many books set during World War 2, my first time reading her.
Set in the lead up to Kristallnacht in 1938 Dusseldorf, it's about a teenage German boy who rejects the Hitler propaganda, though still must join Hitler Youth due to peer pressure and his teacher's zeal. He also joins the Edelweis Pirates and the book is about the local group's activities.
Quite a good read, not outstanding, my first about the Edelweis Pirates though I have a couple more on my radar.

'In 1988, the Edelweiss Pirates were recognized as ”Righteous among the Nations” by Jerusalem’s Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial, but it was not until 2005, at the continued urging of Julich and Pirate Gertrud Koch that the group was ”politically rehabilitated,” the criminal status deemed them by the Gestapo was dropped and they were officially recognized as ”resistance fighters” and heroes.' from https://www.raoulwallenberg.net/saviors/others/edelweiss-pirates-story/

>16 avatiakh: Looks like the book beats the cover!

Have a lovely weekend, Kerry.

38) Code: Polonaise by Eva-Lis Wuorio (1971)
children's
I read this with interest as it was mentioned in Eric Kimmel's 1977 essay, 'Confronting the Ovens: The Holocaust and Juvenile Fiction'. Kimmel was not happy that Wuorio wrote about the Polish children of Warsaw without mention of Jewish suffering or the well known Polish Anti-Semitism,

If the Jews are marked by passivity, their rescuers often seem unable to grasp Nazi intentions. Vague references are made to concentration camps, but what goes on in such places is never really specified. To an extent this is excusable. The existence of the death camps was on the whole a fairly well-kept secret. How­ever, in one book, Eva-Lis Wuorio's Code: Polonaise (Holt), the vagueness of the fate of the Jews is especially glaring. Code: Polonaise is set in Poland, yet it never mentions the Warsaw ghetto, the murder factories as distinguished from ordinary labor camps, or the virulent anti-Semitism of the Polish population — especially of the right-wing underground groups, were not above betraying fugitive Jews to the Germans or killing them themselves.
On the whole, however, there may be a reason for the blurred focus on the Jews in the Resistance novels. These book are above all optimistic: stories of young people struggling against great and terrible odds to win in the end. Besides, the outcome is hardly ever in doubt; Germany, after all, did lose the war. But so, to a considerable extent, did the Jews. And to face this unflinchingly is to inject an extremely somber tone into any work — far darker, perhaps, than anything these authors wish to convey.

Here is Wuorio writing in the book's epilogue -



I enjoyed this book even with the Kimmel reservations in mind. For young readers it shows how children also did their part in resisting the occupation. I especially enjoyed the second part of the book when Jan and Wanda must leave Poland and with the permission of the resistance travel through Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Yugoslavia meeting freedom fighters along the way. Wuorio weaves in stories of the folklore heroes of Poland, giving the children inspiration for their fight. Chopin's Polonaise was a rallying call for the Polish people.
From wiki:
'During the September 1939 German invasion of Poland at the outset of World War II, Polskie Radio broadcast this piece daily as nationalistic protest, and to rally the Polish people.'
King Boleslas: 'often known as Bolesław the Great, was Duke of Poland from 992 to 1025, and the first King of Poland in 1025.'
Wanda: 'Princess Wanda (reputedly lived in 8th century Poland) was the daughter of Krakus, legendary founder of Kraków. Upon her father's death, she became queen of the Poles, but committed suicide to avoid an unwanted marriage to a German.'
Jan Kilinski: 'was a Polish soldier and one of the commanders of the Kościuszko Uprising. A shoemaker by trade, he commanded the Warsaw Uprising of 1794 against the Russian garrison stationed in Warsaw. He also became a member of Polish provisional government.'

>17 PaulCranswick: Doing some much needed gardening and taking a few breaks to read.

I've found a new band to listen to, just a chance catch on the radio. It's a New Zealand reggae band, L.A.B. Their hits are 'In the Air' & 'Why Oh Why', 'Mr Reggae' is currently the most popular song in NZ. I'm enjoying listening to them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-l2dfrPbwE0

>16 avatiakh: Enjoyed going off and learning more about the Edelweiss Pirates. I look forward to your reviews of other books on the topic.

>18 avatiakh: While what happened to the Poles was appalling, their antisemitism and homophobia have muted my empathy for their outrage in general.

>21 labfs39: I think my son, Yaron, was the one who alerted me to their existence. He did several German history & politics papers at uni. There's a 2004 German film, Edelweisspiraten that he pressed me to watch (still haven't).
I knew about Sophie Scholl and the White Rose group but not this one. I watched Sophie Scholl: The Final Days the 2005 German film some years ago.
The books I've noted are YA, 2 or 3 have come out lately. The Pirates were teens so to be expected.

I've started Kacer's Masters of Silence which focuses on Marcel Marceau's resistance work. It's one from her 'Heroes Quartet' about the Holocaust.
Her junior novels are great for young readers but aren't so enticing for an adult reader.

>22 richardderus: Yes, I find the Polish anti-semitism debate constantly confusing. The Polish government was making great progress a couple of years back with Israel regarding the Holocaust remembrance and then stuffed it up badly.
When I visited Auschwitz I remember there was a lot of display info on the fate of the Poles under the Nazis, the statistics were horrifying. Doesn't hide the fact that many Poles hated Jews, but then again many did help them.

In Code: Polanaise the Polish teenagers were aware that the Nazis were denying them an education as they wanted to use them as slaves. So they went to underground schools and also taught the younger ones to read and write and that was also their impetus for producing a patriotic newspaper for children.

>21 labfs39: These are the ones that have come to my attention. There must be a few memoirs around as well from earlier times.
Operation Einstein (Edelweiss Pirates #1) by Mark A. Cooper (2011)
Flowers in the Gutter: The True Story of the Edelweiss Pirates, Teenagers Who Resisted the Nazis by K.R. Gaddy (2020)
The Edelweiss Pirates by Dirk Reinhardt (2021)

>24 avatiakh: Thanks for this. I'll see what I can find

P.S. This website has some interesting stories and photos.

39) Inheriting Anne Frank by Jaqueline van Maarsen (2004 Dutch) (2009 English)
memoir

This was an interesting read at times. She was a friend of Anne, probably her best friend, and was referred to as Jopie in Frank's diary. The book covers the post war years and focuses on van Maarsen's at first preference to be a background figure while Otto Frank was alive. Later she steps forward, even writes a book, when she sees that Otto Frank's second wife Fritzi's daughter, Eva Schloss has fabricated stories of her friendship with Anne when van Maarsen remembers very little interaction between Anne and Eva.
Eva talks of a friendship between Anne's older sister, Margot, and her brother, based on the fact they were both at the same Lyceum. Yet when van Maarsen talks with Margot's friends, she establishes that none of them knew of Heinz's existence.
The Anne Frank Foundation was too reliant by then on Fritzi Frank and her daughter Eva Schloss and refused to investigate van Maarsen's claims.
That Ann Frank became an industry and her story overshadowed that of many other survivor stories, causing some resentment is well known.

The book also covers other parts of van Maarsen's life including her time as an internationally esteemed bookbinder. Her earlier memoir was a response to Eva Schloss's 1988 Eva's Story.

van Maarsen also states that Alison Gold plagiarised some parts of her as yet untranslated (to English) first memoir when writing Memories of Anne Frank: Reflections of a Childhood Friend which is based on Hannah Elizabeth Pick-Goslar's story. Gold 'romanticised' her story.

40) Masters of Silence by Kathy Kacer (2019)
children's
This is one of Kacer's The Hero Quartet books. Written for middle grade readers this is a brief introduction into Marcel Marceau's resistance work where he guided hundreds of Jewish children through French countryside to safety in Switzerland during WW2. The story is quite good though set at a juvenile level. My only annoyance was with Kacer continually referring to Marceau as the clown as often as she called him Marcel through the book.
Two Jewish children are brought to a French convent by their mother, but after some months the situation becomes unsafe and the resistance must take all the Jewish children in small groups of 3 or 4 to safety in Switzerland. The younger brother, a selective mute, has formed a bond with Marceau during his visits to entertain the children when he performs as a mime.

>27 avatiakh: That looks a very interesting book, Kerry, and I must admit to being unaware of Marcel Marceau's role in the war.

On Poland and Polish people I think that we do need to distinguish and not fall into the same generalisations that helped establish a "basis" for prejudices that breed hatreds. I know literally thousands of Brits and Malaysians and hundreds of Americans, Canadians, Koreans and French but I would struggle to find a consensus of views in absolute terms within never mind between these groupings. There does seem outwardly an abnormally high incidence of intolerance amongst the Polish population right now looking from the outside in but I know several lovely Polish people who are certainly not like that.

Wishing you a lovely Sunday, Kerry.

>28 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul. I need to do an update on my lacklustre March reading. The 2020 film Resistance is based on Marcel Marceau and I'm keen to watch it.
I've only read this children's book and a picturebook about Marceau's resistance work, not come across any adult books.

>29 PaulCranswick: Monday morning here and just picked up coffee machine from repair only to find that problem hasn't been fixed. Annoyed.

>30 avatiakh: Oh no! I would be scuppered without coffee!

>30 avatiakh: I hope you found a satisfactory alternate source of caffeine.

>31 PaulCranswick: >32 quondame: After making 4 cups of coffee I put it in the car to take back. Then thought maybe I should try it again, so another four cups later the machine started to behave itself again.

The Memory Coat by Elvira Woodruff (1999)
picturebook
Simple story about a Russian Jewish family's immigration to the US. The scruffy coat is the last possession of the young cousin that ties him to his late mother, but he might not get accepted through Eliis Island. His quick thinking cousin turns it inside out and the family is able to pass into their new life.

41) The Midwinter Violins by Sally Bicknell (1976)
childrens

I've had this old paperback on my to read pile for a long while and it was a good enough story though a tad dated. A violin virtuoso lives in a flat adjoining the home of a blended family just off Chelsea Road in London. These a lot of mysterious comings and goings and in the end a murder or two, amid a haul of drugs that arrive in a shipment of violins from Japan. With parents away for a month, the children get to help find Misha, the violinist who has mysteriously disappeared on the night of the murder.

42) Dark Horse by Gregg Hurwitz (2022)
crime
Orphan X #7. Another good Orphan X novel, this one features Mexican cartels and the rescue of a kidnapped 18 year old girl, it gets complicated. I love these escapist reads, and you have to feel for Evan, a boy raised to be a killing machine and now trying do some good deeds to make up for his past.

43) Drones, Dams & Destruction by Robert Muchamore (2022)
children's
Robin Hood #4. This children's series is so full of action and fun characters. I really enjoy this writer and have read all his books. Anyway 13 year old Robin lives in a dystopian near future England that suffers from floods and refugee influx. They discover that some of the flooding is deliberate and that the failing gambling resort, Sherwood Castle, is about to be turned into a high security prison. What to do? His friend Marion Maid along with her biker gang father have some ideas.

44) Unto Death by Amos Oz (1969)
novellas

This was two novellas, Crusade & Last Love and I found both quite hard reads. The cover art above is far more interesting than the cover of my paperback.
Crusade is about a doomed expedition to the Holyland by religious zealots led by their Lord. On the journey they seek out Jews and show them no mercy, they suspect there is a Jew hidden in their midst and several able men come under suspicion. Overall quite depressing.
Last Love is about an old man, a Russian Jew and communist now living in Tel Aviv. This reads like a meditation and took me forever to get through. Even when I had only two pages left to read I took a break.

45) King Hereafter by Dorothy Dunnett (1982)
historical fiction / audio

A hefty wonderful read about the life of Thorfinn / Macbeth, King of Scotland (1040 – 57).
I did the 36 hour audio listen and have been stuck in this book for several months. It is a well written, beautifully detailed account of Macbeth's life. I had never appreciated the Viking aspect of his heritage and the role of the Orkney Islands in his life. Well worth seeking out.
I'm hoping to re-read Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles via audio later this year.

https://www.dorothydunnett.co.uk/articles-real-macbeth.php

46) Understanding China through Comics, Volume 1 by Jing Liu (2011)
graphic novel
Brief trip through China's ancient history (The Yellow Emperor through the Han Dynasty ca. 2697 BC - 220 AD), simply told and with lots of illustration.
My library only has this & vol 3 Barbarians and the Birth of Chinese Identity: The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms to the Yuan Dynasty 907 - 1368 so I'll have to jump over a few hundred years.

>33 avatiakh: Probably cranky at being left in the store before!

>41 PaulCranswick: I don't make great coffee with it but the caffeine hit is pretty impressive.

>27 avatiakh: >28 PaulCranswick: MASTERS OF SILENCE brings yet another World War Ii history alive, as does TORN LILACS.

France and Germany refusing to allow Ukraine to enter NATO in 2008 does "breed hatreds," as well as the present horror.

>43 m.belljackson: I don't quite see the link between your comment on Ukraine and NATO, Marianne, and Masters of Silence or my comments in >28 PaulCranswick:.

The non-admission of Ukraine to NATO was something that was an almost universally held position in Western Governments at the time and Ukraine's neutrality was the basis of their disposal of nuclear arms. The climate in 2008 has nothing to do with the climate today and Putin was reacting to a different set of circumstances - circumstances in which he will say he felt threatened by Ukraine encouraging and being encouraged to give up that neutrality and move towards the West, by him being emboldened by perceived Western weaknesses and simply by him being a despicable character. The third element of those is a constant, it is the first two that have changed and caused this conflict.

>39 avatiakh: I love that book, all of it, but I have been known to read only up to the point when Macbeth returns from Rome. Thorfinn and Macbeth were probably, maybe even certainly, not the same man, though when it was written that was not at all sure. But, the norse aspects are great. It's one of the best novels for getting a sense of the politics and values of the northwestern Medieval period.

>45 quondame: I cried at the end. I was slow moving through the last part of the book because the ending is inevitable. Can understand reading only up to that point in the book. I'll probably revisit this one in a few years time.
For now, I'll have to read some more Nigel Tranter just to revisit Scotland.

>43 m.belljackson: Thanks for visiting my thread. I've taken note of Torn Lilacs though I already have a hefty list of Holocaust reads to accomplish.

>43 m.belljackson: >44 PaulCranswick: I'm not really too informed on the Ukraine / NATO issues.
I've been following the update posts from a New Zealander living in Poland on an independent local news site. He's doing a great job of finding his way through disinformation on both sides and there's a few ex-military commenting on the viral pictures and video clips that are questionable.

My daughter and I are currently doing a movie marathon and are halfway through Seven Samurai and really enjoying it. It's a re-watch for me. This follows two nights of The Sound of Music and we have Man of La Mancha and Fiddler on the Roof to follow as she's a fan of musicals.

I've started a few new books with varying success.
Asadora vol 2 - manga from Naoko Urasawa
Hakim's Odyssey - graphic novel
The Beauty of the Wolf - Beauty and the Beast retelling, with roles swapped and a male beauty called Beau.
The Poetry of Secrets is a YA set in 1481 Trujillo, Spain.

>39 avatiakh: I am very interested in that one. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!

>44 PaulCranswick: MASTERS OF SILENCE & TORN LILACS connect to France and Germany in World War II which bred hatred,
as did their refusal to allow Ukraine to enter NATO.

47) Hakim's OdysseyBook 1: From Syria to Turkey by Fabien Toulmé (2018 French) (2021 English)
graphic novel
Toulmé's graphic novel is based on interviews with Hakim, a Syrian refugee. This first part describes Hakim's life growing up in an outer suburb of Damascus, the protests of 2011 which began in his neighbourhood just as Hakim was moving to the next stage of his life with a successful business, a new apartment ready for a possible marriage. The story follows him through his arrest and then leaving for Lebanon. Life is hard for Syrians in Beirut with work opportunities very scarce, Hakim flies to Jordan to live with his aunt's family. With the huge influx of refugees, Syrians are exploited and looked down on, so with the last of his savings Hakim decides to join a friend in Turkey.
Hakim is typical of many refugees, their ordinary lives and aspirations taken from them by the turmoil in Syria during this period.
Toulmé writes a preface to readers about his responsibility for depicting Hakim's story. The many interviews over several months are part of the GN and show that this project was a sensitive one.
I've requested book 2 from my library which has it on order.

>49 avatiakh: That looks really interesting, Kerry.

>38 avatiakh: I had pulled Unto Death into my reader-sooner-rather-than-later pile, but given your review, I'm going to reshelve it. My cover is much more boring than this one as well.

>40 avatiakh: and >49 avatiakh: go onto my graphic novels wish list.

>50 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul - there will be at least three volumes. It's quite interesting as Hakim is just an ordinary Syrian and must undertake his odyssey due to the circumstances he endures where ever he goes.

>51 labfs39: I was going to read all my 'lesser' Amos Oz paperbacks this year but really after this one I'm rethinking my project. It effects all my other reading and I become more disenchanted with books. I've enjoyed the other books I've read by him in the past, some have been challenging. I'm giving him a miss this month. Better to adapt and move on I think.

Currently reading vol. 3 of Asadora, manga and listening to the second installment of Peter F. Hamilton's Arkship trilogy. This trilogy comes out on Audible first, I'm not sure if it's available in book form as yet. I have a couple of real books on the go as well though not that far in to them.

Nicky & Vera: A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued by Peter Sis (2021)
picturebook
Tells the story of kindertransport hero Nicholas Winton alongside that of Vera Diamantova Gissing who wrote a memoir, Pearls of Childhood based on her childhood diaries. Vera was one of the 669 kindertransport children.
Any book by Peter Sis is well worth looking out , he is a remarkable artist.

48) The Legend of Brightblade by Ethan Aldridge (2022)
graphic novel / children
Delightful. I follow Aldridge on twitter and enjoy his work. This is a story of a young prince who wants to be a bard and runs away from home. His mother is a legendary bard and in this world the music is combined with magic to be a fairly potent weapon.

_
49) Asadora! vol. 2 by Naoki Urusawa (2019 Japanese) (2021 English)
50) Asadora! vol. 3 by Naoki Urusawa (2020 Japanese) (2021 English)
manga

These continue the story of Asa, a young girl who lost family members in a typhoon that hit Tokyo. Now she is around 17 and is a pilot of her own small airplane. It's 1964 and the Tokyo Olympics are around the corner. In the background is the mysterious yokai (monster) which appeared briefly during the typhoon, it just cannot appear during the Olympics, Japans first big international event since WW2.
This series doesn't totally hold my attention but I have vol. 4 waiting for me at the library.

51) Yoshi no Zuikara vol. 2: The frog in the wall does not know the ocean by Satsuki Yoshino (2019 Japanese) (2020 English)
manga
Continues the story of Naruhiko, a manga artist/writer who lives on an isolated island. This time he travels to Tokyo for his first signing event at a big bookstore. He gets to meet his new editor etc etc.
Took me a while to sort out the characters on the island as it's been a while since i read vol. 1. Overall a fun read.

52) Victory by Carla Jablonski (2012)
YA graphic novel

Resistance #3. My library doesn't have book 2 so I jumped to the last volume in the trilogy. The siblings must work together one final time to deliver vital information to the resistance in Paris. Illustrations are by Leland Purvis.

Daughter and I have continued our movie nights -
Big Business, 9 to 5 & Ruthless People - all fun but so dated now
Fiddler on the Roof - eternally brilliant
Roman Holiday - enchanting
Batteries not included - fun
Sabrina (1954) - stopped about 40mins in as the age difference between Bogart and Hepburn (30 years) is unbearable, both of us cringed, we might go back and finish watching.. We'll also look out the Harrison Ford remake but even then the age difference is 22 years.
Last night we started on The Godfather.

Mostly we're watching films she hasn't seen before.

>49 avatiakh: Not one I've heard of, will have a look for it as it sounds good.
My library seems to be improving access to GNs over the past five years when I've been looking for them more actively, I don't know if you've found the same? I've not read so many translated from French but recently enjoyed Esther's Notebooks, a collection originally published serially in a newspaper, based on interviews with a young girl about her life in modern Paris.

>53 avatiakh: I should look for some more books by Sis. I've loved the ones I've read. I agree about his artwork... wonderful.

>59 charl08: Our library has always had a good selection of GNs and manga. Almost everything I want to read is available and they have also returned the 'suggestions to purchase' form back onto the website. I get about a 95% success rate with my suggestions.

>60 labfs39: I think I started with his GN memoir, The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain.

Some more films to add to the list of what I've watched with daughter. We are surprised at how well this is working out for us. I generally get to choose the film as I'm looking for good oldies that she hasn't seen & also musicals -
Ran (1985) - Kurosawa's King Lear adaption, quite spectacular
Sabrina (1954) - went back and finished this after reading about the film, the scriptwriter was writing all morning for the afternoon scenes.
Sabrina (1995) - Harrison Ford remake, just to compare
West Side Story (1961) - daughter loved this, I was more lukewarm
Priscilla of the Desert (1994) - great soundtrack, costumes, desert locations and wonderful cast.
Take the Lead (2006) - a long time favourite for both of us
Funny Face (1957) - another Audrey Hepburn, this time she's paired with the much older Fred Astaire. The songs are forgettable. Kay Thompson also stars, she's the author of the Eloise books.
The Three Musketeers (1973) & The Four Musketeers (1974) - very fun, much more entertaining than the more recent outings. Michael York is great here. Daughter loved this and is wanting to pick up the book.
My Fair Lady - another favourite for both of us, we hadn't clicked that Hepburn was in this one, lots of great songs. I saw the musical when I lived in London. We've decided to also watch the other two films of Hepburn in our collection - Paris when it sizzles & Breakfast at Tiffanys.

Oh and I finished a couple of books.

From your recent posts I particularly loved:
Fiddler on the Roof
Roman Holiday; and
My Fair Lady.

Wasn't Audrey Hepburn a stunningly beautiful woman?

Another shoutout for Priscilla of the Desert.

49) Asadora! vol. 4 by Naoki Urusawa (2019 Japanese) (2021 English)
This series got a little more exciting and I'll definitely read vol. 5 as this one ended on a cliffhanger.

Hope you are doing well.

>65 labfs39: Yes, back into reading finally. I've been busy culling my book collection, being fairly ruthless and have several boxes in my garage ready to donate. There is a big book fair in November that I can already drop off to.
Current reads:
The Beauty of the Wolf by Wray Delaney (Sally Gardner) - not my thing but I love Gardner's YA books.
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison - finally ready to finish this one after putting to one side last year.
Tunnels by Ruti Modan - GN

I had an extremely slow month in April for reading.


50) Passport by Sophie Glock (2021)
YA graphic novel
A graphic memoir telling of Glock's high school days spent somewhere in Central America. She discovers her parents are actually undercover CIA which should make the memoir more memorable than it is.

51) Wolf's Lair by Brian Falkner (2022)
YA
Katipo Joe #3. Continues the adventures of Joseph St George, a New Zealand boy who is an undercover agent in the Hitler Youth. This one is set at Wolf's Lair during Operation Barbarossa and Joe is in the position to make an assassination attempt on Hitler.
Sounds farfetched but Falkner bases his story on factual history so it makes for interesting reading, he has a lengthy resource list at the end of the book. The other 3 members of the Hitler Youth (they are being groomed as Hitler's heirs) are all coming to terms in various ways to the Nazi war effort.
There's probably one more in this series as Hitler wants to send Joe to the USA to spy.
This one took me an age to read, as i was at peak of my book funk.

A Hero and the Holocaust: The Story of Janusz Korczak and His Children by David A. Adler (2002)
picturebook
I found this while going through some boxes of books. A good intro to the life of Korczak, his childhood, his change of name etc etc.
The illustrator, Bill Farnsworth, has donated several of his works to the Florida Holocaust Museum.
https://www.thefhm.org/exhibits/collections-bill-farnsworth/

52) The Captains Daughter by Peter F. Hamilton (2022)
audio/scifi
Arkship Trilogy #2. I have to wait till early 2023 for the final book. This series is an audible exclusive so can't be found as yet in print form.
Hazel and her friends discover a whole lot more about the history of the Daedalus's 500 year journey and the uprising. They continue their fight against the alien Yi takeover of the ship.
Always a sucker for entertaining scifi and this fits the bill very nicely.
Will pick up #3 in Brandon Sanderson's Skyward trilogy next.

53) A Man and His Cat, Vol. 1 by Umi Sakurai (2020)
manga
Thought I'd enjoy this one but it didn't grab me much. An unwanted kitten languishes for almost a year in a pet shop, his price drops every few days but this doesn't help. He's shocked when finally he's picked by an older gentleman looking for companionship. How will they get on with each other?

Perhaps only the David Adler/ Bill Farnsworth book caught my eye there, Kerry.

Have a lovely Sunday.

54) Death by Publication by Jean-Jacques Fiechter (1993 French) (1995 English)
crime
I renewed my e-loan of this one several times, another book where the reader has no sympathy for any character. The plot is clever though it fizzles out at the end. A publisher takes revenge on his friend, a writer, in a dastardly fashion. Childhood friends, he's always been jealous of his friend's effortless talent at succeeding in life.

Just looked through all the old Georgette Heyer books from my mother's collection that I will be culling - over 50 books, many double-ups. Anyway have pulled about 12 or 13 off the stack to read before disposing of. I read & reread a heap of Heyer back in 2020 during the first lockdown.
Next I'll have to go through all her cookbooks. I donated several boxes before I brought these last ones to my house. She had a shelf the length of her kitchen filled with cookbooks. I also have too many cookbooks and need to cull from my own collection as well.
She celebrated her 94th birthday last week and is now living in a resthome. She's been attending day sessions there for several years so already knew the staff etc quite well.

_
Auckland Eats: vol 1
Auckland Eats: the prequel vol. 2
These two books offer a glimpse of Auckland's foodie restaurants, volume 2 covers the older ones, many of which are no longer there. I think it was originally a Facebook group that set these up.
A little bit of nostalgia in the prequel book - several were old favourites from when we lived in the city centre. Yumcha at Pearl Gardens in Newmarket, pizza at Pregos on Ponsonby Road (a short walk from our old home).
I tried a pho recipe from the first book and it turned out quite well. Didn't recognise many of the food places mentioned in vol. 1 as we don't go to the central city that much, especially for a feed.

My oldest son is shouting us Indian takeout for dinner tonight. It's Mother's Day so a treat for me, though I already had a spicy beef dish cooking in my slow cooker and just made a Spanish chorizo soup as well. Anyway that will all be for tomorrow night.

Good luck with your culling, Kerry. Sounds like you have found a few interesting things while doing so. I think I liked Passport more than you. I think she was constrained by having to have it vetted by the CIA and by limiting herself to one year of her life. I want to read more about Korczak.

>76 labfs39: Hi Lisa - Continuing to cull, more slowly now.
I've read so many GN contemporary memoirs, so now I'm hard to impress. The vetting would have made it difficult to construct a good story.

Have picked up Ballad for Sophie to read, so far I love the artwork and the story is pretty good too.

55) The Beauty of the Wolf by Wray Delaney (2019)
fantasy
Sally Gardner has written a couple of adult books under the name, Wray Delaney. I'm a big fan of her YA and children's books and have followed her since picking up The Fairy Catalogue: : everything you need to make a fairy tale back in 2000.
The Beauty of the Wolf is a dark retelling of Beauty and the Beast, with a small amount of erotic content. Gardner has switched the gender roles, making Beauty into Beau a young man growing up under a curse. The Beast has been born half Beast, half human, belongs in the faerie world but instead is locked up in the cellar in her father's home.
Set during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, Beau ends up working as an actor, his beauty makes him ideal to take on the female roles.
I ended up enjoying this more than I initially thought I would. I'm a fan of these fairy tale retellings and this one was a deliciously dark encounter.
I'll be looking out for her other adult book, An Almond for a Parrot.

...and a film update. Since gloating about how well we've been doing, we hit a speed bump when I tried to foist Thoroughly Modern Millie on my unsuspecting daughter. It's not a good film / musical but anyway she walked out on me. I watched from nostalgia and yep, it's fairly bad with forgettable songs. The Chinese are depicted terribly, was barely acceptable back in 1967 so definitely not now.

Currently we're watching the tv musical show, 'Gallivant' (2015), a couple of episodes a night. It's fun and the song lyrics can be hilarious.

>78 avatiakh: So far that author has one pass and one fail for me, but The Beauty of the Wolf sounds more like the one I liked.

>61 avatiakh: If you haven't seen it yet, I recommend Kurosawa's "Rashomon" (1950).

>62 PaulCranswick: Oops Paul, I was meaning to reply to you and then forgot. I'm with you on those choices of films. Hepburn certainly had style though she seemed to be paired off with really older men in some of these films.

>72 PaulCranswick: I haven't been picking up any great reads of late. Now have some library books that need my attention.

>80 quondame: This book gets panned regularly over on GR and she hasn't published anything since then. Those that like it write thoughtful reviews.

>81 ocgreg34: Thanks for this recommendation which I'll add to the list. I have seen it once before though in the distant past.

We've decided to relaunch with 'Man of La Mancha' (1972) once we're done with Gallivant. I remember singing 'The Impossible Dream' at school assembly back in the day - 2000 girls, always made these songs sound quite wonderful. We had a great music teacher, though didn't appreciate his talents at the time.

I'm still watching k-dramas. I finally finished 'Memories of the Alhambra' which was better than I expected. I had stalled because I thought it would have too much violence, but that element was kept in check enough.

Currently reading:
The Goblin Emperor - getting there
Frost in May by Antonia May - my culling turned up two copies of this and also a copy of #2 The Lost Traveller so I thought I'd finally read them.
Tunnels by Ruti Modan - GN, not sure if I'm going to love this one as yet
Ballad for Sophie - GN, enjoying this
Youngbloods by Scott Westerfeld - Imposters #4, I've enjoyed this series which is set in the same world as his Uglies one. Library book that is approaching its due date.

>82 avatiakh: My dad loved Man of La Mancha and took us to several productions when I was young. I can still sing along with the soundtrack.

I liked Memories of the Alhambra more than I thought I would. The ending was ambiguous if I remember correctly.

>83 labfs39: Yeah, I don't think I ever had the chance to see the theatre production. We watched 'Man from La Mancha' a few years back and enjoyed it so are both looking forward to it.

Regarding 'Memories of Alhambra', I was a bit miffed that Hyun Bin's character didn't appear in the last episode though I did like the last scene.
I finally finished 'Hotel Del Luna' and that had an appropriate though unsatisfactory ending.
My husband just watched 'Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha' with the English dubbing which really sounded awful. He finds the subtitles move too fast so will only watch the dubbed shows, a shame as there are only a few.

56) Ballad for Sophie by Filipe Melo (2021)
GN
I was quite entertained by this one though the story itself is a tad unoriginal. Young woman goes to secluded house to interview a reclusive pianist for his last interview. He was once renown around the world but retired to his family home in France.
He decides to open up and over a period of a few days tells his story, a story that starts in 1933 when he was a young boy and a local music contest competing with his rival who played like he was possessed.
The artwork by Argentinian Juan Cavia is delightful.
Filipe Melo is Portuguese and according to wikipedia started out as a teenage computer hacker then turned jazz musician.
The book has the music for the ballad n the final pages and you can hear it played on Melo's soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/filipemelo/balada-para-sophie

Love, love, loved "Man of La Mancha" for so many reasons. Not least was Sophia Loren shouting "I'm just Aldonza! The Whore!" and the entire theatre (full of musical-obsessed queens) gasping audibly at the heresy!

>85 avatiakh: The art makes me feel diabetic! I was reading a GN recently where everything was red, black, or pink, and couldn't get the taste of licorice out of my mouth all day.

I think I have mild synesthesia.

57) Tunnels by Rutu Modan (2021 Eng)
GN
Modan's latest GN wasn't a hit for me like her The Property was. Another read where none of the characters appealed and the storyline was a bit of a balagan (disordered or chaotic) to borrow Hebrew slang. Though to be fair, life in Israel can be a bit of a balagan at the best of times and Modan tries to portray this through a story about a search by tunnels for the Ark of the Covenant.
There's an afterword where Modan explains how complex the novel had been for her to work on, especially during this last couple of years of Covid.

>86 richardderus: Hi Richard, lovely of you to visit my thread. We still haven't watched it, will be this coming week some night. Daughter has to be in correct frame of mind to sit on sofa for extended period.

That colour palette wasn't typical for most of the GN, though he did a lot of two colour spreads most effectively. I note that Cavia has worked on production & set design in the cinema and worked on The Secret in their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos) one of my favourite Argentinian movies (the book was a good read too).

Films update - forgot that a couple of weeks ago we went to see 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' at the local boutique cinema. Fairly mind bending movie with Jamie Lee Curtis unrecognisable as an IRS inspector.
Also have watched 'Northman' with son, a gory tale about Prince Amleth, the original Hamlet. Not for the fainthearted, lots of blood.

>89 avatiakh: You make me realise, Kerry, how much I used to enjoy the cinema and reminds that I haven't been to a movie theatre since 2019!

Have a great weekend.

>90 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul, also been a few years since I'd been to the cinema. We only bother to go if the film is worthy of the big screen such as a good scifi or whatever.
Weekend has been bleak weather-wise. I at least finished a book which at present is a bit of a milestone for me. Australian elections are done and seems there will be a change of leadership which will make for interesting times.
Many NZers have been fleeing Ardern's disastrous rule for the bright lights and higher salaries in Australia. The cost of living has become quite scary here, the official inflation rate is 6.9% but when out buying food or petrol it feels more like 20-30%.

58) The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (2014)
fantasy
I started this last year and then put it aside for several months. My son read it then insisted that I go back and finish it. An enjoyable fantasy read set in the politics of an Elven court. Maia is half-Goblin as his late Goblin mother was the fourth wife of the Emperor. He becomes Emperor as he is the sole surviving son when an airship crash kills his father and his three half brothers. Since his mother's death Maia has been living in a secluded backwater with a brutal guardian. He is thrust into the centre of a hostile Court and must learn quickly how to survive.
I have The Witness for the Dead which is a sort of sequel though not sure if I want to read more fantasy just now.
Will make mention, again, of the great goblin vs elf YA, The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge by M.T. Anderson.

I started reading Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer and so far the story does not feel familiar. I also opened up April Lady but immediately knew I'd already read it.
I'll focus on Frost in May as my main read for the next few days.

>91 avatiakh: A Search for the World's Safest Countries lists both Australia and New Zealand.

>91 avatiakh: The inflation rate in the US is a scary 8.3%, and I agree it feels like more, especially gas and food. The US is a decidedly not safe country to live in...

>93 m.belljackson: Probably, though crime has increased dramatically here in the past few years as our present government under Ardern has decided to decrease the jail population, has gone extremely soft on gangs and youth crime. These past school holidays we've had a rash of ramraids in shopping malls and liquor shops, mostly by groups of teens.
New Zealand has had many hardened gang criminals deported from Australia due to their 501 deportation policy. Many of these people have lived in Australia since they were young children and have no family here. These crims have brought new gangs such as the Comancheros to the country and their ties to Mexican drug cartels.

>94 labfs39: Not many countries are that safe anymore. I don't understand why politicians think that going soft on criminals will make everything better. Just lately we get many court decisions that are too soft.
Inflation is scary alright. I think twice about driving across the city and budget the grocery shopping much more than in the past.

59) Black Sheep by Geogette Heyer (1966)
fiction
I enjoyed this, my first Heyer read in a couple of years. I don't think I've read this one before. Fairly typical romance with a happy ending.
I've now picked up The Black Moth which Heyer wrote when she was 19, her first published work.

>96 avatiakh: Oh, what a good read that was! I loved the recurring talking-to-eels gag she had between the leads.

Hoping you're well, Kerry.

>97 richardderus: Agree there was a lot to like.


60) The Black Moth by Georgette Heyer (1921)
fiction
First published 101 years ago, this was Heyer's first novel, written as a 19 yr old. Overall it was a dashing plot, adorable hero and heroine. I'm reading the library digital editions of Heyer as my mother's copies aren't in great shape and smell a little musty.
I have The Quiet Gentleman up next.

61) The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer (1940)
fiction
I found this one to be quite delightful and don't have any recollection of having read it before. Back to The Quiet Gentleman.

62) The Quiet Gentleman by Georgette Heyer (1951)
fiction
Another entertaining Heyer that I don't think I've read before. I'm enjoying reading these and that's helping me get over my reading block so all to the good. I'll also have less pangs about letting my mother's Heyer collection go in a couple of month's time. I've about ten or so unfamiliar ones left to read.
Next up is The Foundling.

63) The Foundling by Georgette Heyer (1948)
fiction
Highly amusing read. An over-protected young Duke goes into the countryside incognito and falls into numerous escapades.

I have a couple more Heyers out on e-loan but will focus on Antonia White's Frost in May at present as I want it read before the end of the month.
I also have Mathias Malzieu's memoir, Diary of a Vampire in Pyjamas needing attention.

Your Georgette Heyer project sounds very soothing. I'm glad it's getting you through your reading dry spell.

>4 avatiakh: Kerri, the books listed regarding the Holocaust are ones I would like to read. I'll see if I can find them at Thirftbooks.com.

All good wishes to you. I am trying to be more active on the threads. I'll visit here more often! All good wishes to you.

>34 avatiakh: I recently read The Memory Coat . It was a small book packed with a lot of a wonderful story.

>102 labfs39: Yes, I'm ready to tackle other reading now, though more Heyers keep coming available on my library digital account.

>103 Whisper1: Hi Linda - thanks for visiting. I've been quiet here this year, not sue why, probably just all the lockdowns etc have worn me down.
We started a Holocaust literature group which you are welcome to visit to get some reading ideas from. Most of us have listed previous reading.
https://www.librarything.com/ngroups/23593/Holocaust-Literature

62) Charity Girl by Georgette Heyer (1970)
fiction
Not quite as entertaining as the others I've read. I see that it is one of her later ones.


63) Pistols for Two by Georgette Heyer (1960)
short stories
I was mightily entertained by most of these stories. I didn't realise when I picked it up that it was a collection, just as well as I might have put it down again.

Yes, I am reading Frost in May but won't finish by the end of the month. Nanda's boarding school education by these convent nuns is tough reading.

64) The Talisman Ring by Georgette Heyer (1936)
fiction
I enjoyed this one too. Heyer just makes everything work in these romances.
This was about an heir who has lived in hiding due to being accused of murder. Heyer injects this thriller romance with great comedic moments.

65) Sprig Muslin by Georgette Heyer (1956)
fiction
The hero here has a hard time keeping up with the young runaway. He was on his way to half heartedly propose marriage to an old friend when he realises he must protect this young girl from her own impulses and that means taking her along to his proposal. Madcap but enjoyable, not a favourite Heyer.

66) Revenger by Alastair Reynolds (2016)
scifi
Revenger #1. Finished my audiobook and very enjoyable escape into scifi. Two sisters run away from their world to join a space crew who salvage old artifacts in 'baubles'. They have the ability to 'read bone' which enables them to listen in and communicate with other space crews. They are separated when their ship is taken by legendary space pirate, Bosa Sennen.
Adventure, action and a great story sucked me in and I dived right into the second book.

67) The Nonesuch by Georgette Heyer (1962)
fiction
Another enjoyable romantic read. Heyer is quite brutal with her treatment of the young, arrogant beauty though it needed to be done.

68) The Toll Gate by Georgette Heyer (1954)
fiction
Another romance/thriller. Captain John stays on at an isolated toll gate when the young lad manning it says that his father has disappeared and he's frightened. Enjoyed this one.

69) Amrita Sher-Gil: Rebel with a Paintbrush by Anita Vachharajani (2020)
YA, biography
While the target audience is for the younger reader, I was wanting an easy read to discover more about the short life of painter Amrita Sher-Gil and this met my expectations. The text is accompanied by lovely watercolour illustrations, photos and also her stunning paintings.
Sher-Gil had an Indian Sikh father and Hungarian mother. She was born in Budapest in 1913 and raised in India. Her family travelled back to Europe a few times for their daughters' education. After study in Paris, Sher-Gil moved back to India to capture the colours of her homeland.
Sadly she died at age 28 years from a sudden illness.
_

70) Sylvester by Georgette Heyer (1957)
fiction
My last Heyer read for the year hopefully. This was quite madcap towards the end. Not a favourite. Sylvester's godmother suggests he considers marriage to her grand daughter whose late mother was his mother's best friend. However Phoebe is unimpressed and has other plans.

71) Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson (2021)
scifi, YA
Skyward $3. The first 200 pages is a bit slow but the pace of the last 300 pages makes up for that. I really enjoyed this installment and now must wait till 2023 to pick up book #4. Can't wait.
Spensa is now in the Nowhere and must learn the secrets of the Delvers if she is ever to help her people stuck in endless combat back on her home planet.

72) Diary of a Vampire in Pyjamas by Mathias Malzieu (2016 French) (2018 Eng)
memoir
This is about Malzieu's year long battle for life after being diagnosed with acute anemia. Malzieu is frontman songwriter/singer for Dionysos, a French band 'known for their surrealism and eccentricity.' He wrote the book The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart and worked hard for several years for the film of the book to be made. Just as the band wraps a final music video for the film, Malzieu realises there is something really wrong with his energy levels and almost collapses. He goes from skateboarding everywhere and jumping into lots of creative projects to living in an isolated sterile hospital room hoping to survive on the many blood transfusions he needs.
After months of treatment he needs a bone marrow transplant but with no compatible donor is told he'll have to try a new treatment of stem cells. After initial setbacks the procedure starts to work and he's back on the road to a healthy existence, soon he'll even be able to skateboard again.

I read the book The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart years ago, loved the title song and my daughter and I had just watched the film when I found out about this book. It's from his diary entries from his time in hospital and is an interesting read. His creative mind & soaring imagination just wants to do things but his body can't do anything at all. The slightest cut could be lethal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IuQRrPYzIw

73) Shadow Captain by Alastair Reynolds (2019)
scifi
Revenger #2. Reunited the two sisters, Fura and Adrana Ness, need to get their ship, Revenger, to a port to save the life of a crew member.
Really enjoying this scifi adventure series. Bone Silence just became available on audible so my timing is just right.

74) Youngbloods by Scott Westerfeld (2022)
scifi, YA
Imposters #4, Uglies #8. Concluding book for both series. Tally is back for this final action packed adventure. I was more than happy to reach the end of the series, this final outing was full of action but I was a tad worn out and found it hard to remember who was who.

So I seem to have slipped from Heyer to scifi. I have a few books on the go:

Frost in May by Antonia White - thought I'd whip through this one, but the Catholic nuns are creepy so it's a slow read
Remote Sympathy by Catherine Chidgey - just setting out on this one
Hakim's Odyssey Book 2: from Turkey to Greece by Fabien Toulme - graphic novel
No pretty pictures: a child of war by Anita Lobel - Holocaust memoir
Love and Longing in Bombay by Vikram Chandra - short stories
Thraxas and the Dance of Death by Martin Scott - Thraxas #6, my go-to fun fantasy series
Bone Silence by Alastair Reynolds, Revenger #3, audiobook, scifi

75) Hakim's Odyssey Book 2: from Turkey to Greece by Fabien Toulmé(2022)
graphic novel
This continues Hakim's journey with his move from Istanbul to Athens. Hakim is now married and his new family is struggling once again for work and survival in Istanbul. His father-in-law eventually takes his family to France, including Hakim's wife. They are able to get visas as family is already living there and it's hoped that Hakim and his baby son will be able to soon follow once documents are obtained. Nothing runs easily, there is no marriage or birth certificate and Hakim can't work while looking after his toddler baby.
Eventually when France closes the door on his documents due to a wrong date, he is advised to pay smugglers to take him and son to Greece. This trip is not without mishap.
This focus on one person's struggle humanises all the news reports we saw back in 2014/15.
The artwork continues to be fabulous. The portrayal of the interviews between Toulmé and Hakim lessen in this second book.

Congratulations on reaching 75 already, Kerry.

>117 avatiakh: I shall be interested in particular to see how you rate Remote Sympathy about which I have heard good things and it is one I want to get to soon.

Congrats!

76) Frost in May by Antonia White (1933)
fiction
Frost in May Quartet #1. Frost in May was the title chosen to launch Virago Modern Classics back in 1978 and i've had the paperback on my shelves for some years. This is an elegant novel, beautifully written about a young girl's four or five years spent in a Catholic convent boarding school. It's based on White's own experiences of a pre-WWI convent school education.
Nanda's parents have converted to Catholicism and so young Nanda is always suspect by the nuns as her family does not have the generations of Catholic life preceding her entry to the school. What an education these girls have, what a repressive life.
From a Guardian article about the book - 'With its twisted ethic and casual cruelty, this 1933 classic about convent school life reads as dystopian fantasy today' https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jun/09/growing-pains-antonia-white-frost-...

I have the next book in the quartet and will eventually read that too, as we leave Nanda here at age fourteen.

>119 PaulCranswick: I've started several books including Remote Sympathy, so far it's a good read. I seem to have thrown most of this year's reading goals out the window, mostly because everything I had to pick up seemed to be depressing reads.
I mentioned om your thread that I'm enjoying Love and Longing in Bombay which crosses off two challenges - your Asian one and also for the Rebeccanyc thread over on Club Reads.

>120 drneutron: Thankyou Jim.

>122 avatiakh: My own reading goals keep changing, Kerry! But I do fancy Remote Sympathy and Sacred Games and want to get to both of them as soon as possible.

>114 avatiakh: Diary of a Vampire in Pyjamas sounds interesting, and I enjoyed the clip of Tais toi mon coeur. I liked both the music and the animation.

>117 avatiakh: I have No Pretty Pictures on my shelves. I should shoehorn it in soon.

>118 avatiakh: Added Hakim's Odyssey to my list.

>121 avatiakh: Frost in May sounds fascinating. Added that one too.

Edited to fix post number

>123 PaulCranswick: I've been sorting through some boxes of books that I've owned for too long, can't let many go as I want to read everything. I'm finding a lot of contemporary crime novels not my thing at all at present.

>124 labfs39: The film animation is different but quite visually pleasing, though the characters themselves take some getting used to. My daughter and I both really enjoyed discussing the film afterwards which is probably how I ended up on Malzieu's wikipedia page and saw his memoir. I believe that Luc Besson was a producer.
Malzieu has since completed a second film, Mermaid in Paris. It's currently showing at our local French Film Festival so we might just go see it.
I hope you enjoy Frost in May, I must look out the second book.

I've been laid up with a foot injury. I decided to start daily walks in a local park a couple of weeks ago. A few steps from my car and I don't notice a slight step and twisted my foot and then put all my weight on it. I continued walking for about 3km but was limping towards the end. From severe bruising and swelling it is now a minor discomfort but still painful at times. So I've had days and days of sitting on the sofa with my leg elevated and mild depression from having to be so inactive.

>118 avatiakh: Congratulations on reaching 75, Kerry!

>125 avatiakh: Sorry about your foot injury.

75 book congratulations!

>126 FAMeulstee: >127 quondame: Thanks, I feel like I'm finally getting over my reading block.

I'd say that my foot is at about 95% now. This was the first morning that I almost forgot about it. Will be really happy to have this behind me and can easily have my walks again.

77) Love and Longing in Bombay by Vikram Chandra (1997)
short stories
I read this collection of five stories for Paul's Asian Reading Challenge and it was also one of my picks for the Club Read's tribute to Rebeccanyc thread.
I loved Chandra's Sacred Games and so was delighted that one story features the character of Inspector Sartaj Singh. Each story brought the diverse society and streets of 20th century Bombay to life in different ways.

78) That wolf-boy is mine! vol.1 by Yoko Nogiri (2016 Eng)
manga
scaifea gave Nogiri's Love in Focus a high rating so when I was searching my library catalogue for that title, it brought up this one as well and so I requested it. There's only four volumes in this series so I'll continue reading as my library has the next two. It's a cute, funny story about a city girl relocating to the countryside and discovering that the boy she sits beside in class is actually a wolf.
This is shojo manga - manga for a female audience (12-18 years).


79) Asadora vol: 5 by Naoki Ursawa (2022)
manga
I've enjoyed this series but will stop here. Vol 4 ended on a bit of a cliffhanger but this one resolves that and ties up enough that I'm happy to let go.
The story switches back and forth between story threads, in one Asa and a young researcher are flying at night over the sea trying to turn the mysterious ocean monster away from land. It's the day before the 1964 Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony and the last thing the country needs is a monster rampaging through the streets of Tokyo.

So my current reading includes dipping into all of these:

on my phone -
Remote Sympathy by Catherine Chidgey - just setting out on this one
Thraxas and the Dance of Death by Martin Scott - Thraxas #6, my go-to fun fantasy series
Real Books:
No pretty pictures: a child of war by Anita Lobel - Holocaust memoir
Bright Candles by Nathaniel Benchley - about WW2 Danish resistance
The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo - library book that I've had out for almost 3 months
The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill - children's fantasy
My friend Maigret by Georges Simenon - slow read
When I grow up: the lost autobiographies of six Yiddish teenagers by Ken Krimstein - graphic nonfiction

iPod audio -
Bone Silence by Alastair Reynolds, Revenger #3, audiobook, scifi - about 14hrs left

>129 avatiakh:. What a great cover!

I am finishing off a couple of books and then I want to concentrate on Sacred Games to the end of the month.

Have a lovely weekend and I hope that the foot is now fully healed.

>130 avatiakh: Yay for Nogiri! I have this one on my list to try, too.

>118 avatiakh: Congrats on passing the goal in June!

Lots of good Heyering, I see...I wasn't a big supporter of Sprig Muslin either, and Sylvester's ending made me impatient.

Enjoy the week ahead, Kerry.

>132 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul - that book made me realise how much I enjoy novels set in India. I must have over indulged at some point and stopped going there. I want to read The Calcutta Chromosome since coming across it on a booklist somewhere on the net.

>133 scaifea: I have Love in Focus on request, seems to be a demand for it so I'm waiting. I also requested some more yokai manga as I do like the mix of Japanese folklore/monsters in my reading.
I looked at josei manga (manga for young women) and Honey and Clover seems to be the one everyone likes, my library doesn't have this so it's a bit annoying.

>134 richardderus: Hi Richard - I loved my dip back into the Heyer romances. I'll be seeing my mum this week so will be able to talk about the various ones with her.
Yes, Sylvester was quite strange, I was not at all taken with the idea of the heroine writing that book.

I did a little reading yesterday so have managed to finish another book. Today my daughter and I are headed for the city to watch a French Film Festival movie, quite serendipitous that Mathias Malzieu has his latest movie, 'Mermaid in Paris', showing when I just finished reading his memoir.

80) The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo (1973 Japanese) (2019 Eng)
crime
Kosuke Kindaichi #1. Part of the Pushkin Press Vertigo series which publishes classic crime novels from around the world.
I loved this one, a locked room mystery set in 1930s Japan. It introduces Kosuke Kindaichi who arrives on the scene and uses his masterful skills of logical thinking to solve the crime.
I'm looking forward to reading the other 3 Kosuke Kindaichi novels in the near future.

Manga can be a tad hit or miss as there are so many types. I grabbed a few vol #1s from the library. Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid by Coolkyousinnja did nothing for me. I did will finish The girl from the other side and What''s Michael?, which is more comic than manga. I finished My neighbor Seki.


81) My Neighbor Seki vol: 1 by Takuma Morishige (2015 Eng)
manga
Schoolgirl Rumi Yokoi sits beside Seki in class. He's always playing with some sort of game or toy, hardly ever takes notes. Yokoi is so distracted she's the one who ends up getting in trouble with the teachers. Fun, going nowhere but amusing to read this first volume. The art is great and Seki's play is quite imaginative.

In the mail today was The Battle: a novel by Patrick Rambaud and also a pickup from the library Not everybody lives the same way by Jean-Paul Dubois - both novels won the Prix Goncourt, one in 1997 and the other in 2019.

82) Thraxas and the Dance of Death by Martin Scott (2002)
fantasy
#6 in the Thraxas series. Written by Martin Millar under his pseudonym. This is a comic fantasy series about a failed sorceror/investigator that I enjoy dipping into from time to time. There's 12 books in total so I have a way to go. In this one Thraxas is hired to find a magical emerald that has gone missing.

_
82 & 83) That Wolf Boy is Mine! vols 2 &3 by Yoko Nogiri (2015 & 2017)
manga
My library doesn't have vol. 4, the final one so I'm leaving this one a little up in the air. Not really that enthralling but features four cute guys who happen to actually be animals that transform. One is half human, half wolf, the others are a two tailed cat, a fox and a tanuki (raccoon). There's also their mentor who is a three legged crow (Japanese folklore creature). Girl, love interest is the sympathetic Komugi who they're unable to hypnotise to forget that she's seen them transform.

Gave up on the children's manga-like Bibi & Miyu by German writer Olivia Vieweg. Just too juvenile for me.

So my current July reading includes dipping into all of these:

on my phone -
Remote Sympathy by Catherine Chidgey - still setting out on this one
Thraxas at War by Martin Scott - Thraxas #7, my go-to fun fantasy series

Real Books:
No pretty pictures: a child of war by Anita Lobel - Holocaust memoir
Bright Candles by Nathaniel Benchley - almost done, about WW2 Danish resistance
The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill - children's fantasy
My friend Maigret by Georges Simenon - slow read
When I grow up: the lost autobiographies of six Yiddish teenagers by Ken Krimstein - graphic nonfiction

iPod audio -
Bone Silence by Alastair Reynolds, Revenger #3, audiobook, scifi - about 4hrs left

84) That Wolf Boy is Mine! vol 4by Yoko Nogiri (2015 & 2017)
manga
I found vol. 4 online on a website - mangatoto.com. So I've been able to read the concluding volume. This goes back into the past when Yu & Komugi met when they were children and clears up their feelings, hypnotism by the mentor etc. Now they can enjoy their love for each other.
The bonus story about the cat is also very heartfelt.

_
85) Kamisama Kiss vol. 1 by Julietta Suzuki
86) Kamisama Kiss vol. 2 by Julietta Suzuki
shoju manga
Cutely drawn story about a high school girl who has become homeless. She helps an old man and he offers her to live in his home which turns out to be a shrine. She becomes a deity and must get on with his ex- familiar, a fox yokai, Tomoe who at first rejects her. Quite fun, an interesting plot but obvious that Nanami and Tomae will fall for each other.
Thrown into the mix is Kurama, a popular goth pop idol, who has transferred to Nanami's highschool. To complicate things, he's also not human.
This is also an anime series.

87) Love in Focus: Complete Collection by Yoko Nogiri (2021)
manga
Cute manga about a girl whose first love is photography. She moves into a boarding hostel with other photography students who attend her new school.

88) Bone Silence by Alastair Reynolds (2020)
scifi / audio
Revenger #3. Exciting last book in the trilogy. Those Ness sisters have a lot of pluck. Very happy to have stumbled across this trilogy. I've already listened to a ton of Reynolds' books and there are a few more to go.

89) Thraxas at War by Martin Scott (2003)
fantasy
Thraxas #7. I immediately dived into #8 on finishing this one. Thraxas is hired to investigate the poisoning of a senator by the wife of the alleged guilty party. Meanwhile there are reports that the city will soon be attacked by an army of Orcs, there are only the winter months to prepare and train an army drawn from the citizens and mercenaries.

>136 avatiakh: I've enjoyed these, although not sure how the translators picked just four, as I think the author wrote many about the same sleuth. The design of the covers is so striking.

Looking forward to your thoughts on When I Grow Up. Glad your ankle has recovered

Just checking in, Kerry, as it has been a while. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

>148 charl08: Yes, those covers are compelling. I've read a couple of French crime ones from the publisher series.

>149 labfs39: Hi Lisa - getting on to finishing it today. I got sidetracked reading manga.

>150 alcottacre: Hi, I've been fairly quiet this year.

___
90) Kamisama Kiss vol. 3 by Julietta Suzuki
91) Kamisama Kiss vol. 4 by Julietta Suzuki
92) Kamisama Kiss vol. 5 by Julietta Suzuki
93) Kamisama Kiss vol. 6 by Julietta Suzuki
shoju manga
Kept reading this but will stop here for a while. There are about 26 volumes in the series.

In other news, my daughter and I are watching the first season of Sailor Moon. Just a couple of episodes at a time. She's comparing it to later anime series and knows much more about it all than I do, she's interested in voice artists, translation etc etc. Love how silly Usagi (Sailor Moon) is. I've requested vol. 1 of the manga from the library.
I'm also watching one episode each evening of 'The Boys' with one of my sons, fairly over the top gruesome.

94) Bright Candles by Nathaniel Benchley (1974)
YA fiction
16 year old Jens wants to resist when the Germans occupy Denmark and he goes on to being a member of the Danish resistance. While the book is mainly about Jens and his activities, the author also includes much historical background about the occupation and how Danes resisted. Well worth reading if you can find a copy.
Benchley spent two years researching the background for this novel, including many interviews in Denmark with those who lived through the occupation. He also wrote The Off-Islanders which was made into the 1966 film, The Russians are coming The Russians are coming. Can't find a copy of the book but have requested the film from the library.

>152 avatiakh: I have the first three Sailor Moon books. I saved them from when my adult daughter was younger and in school. I saved them because those were the first manga she ever owned and probably what started her into drawing manga (which she no longer does, but now her nine-year-old nephew does). I should go back and read them soon.

>154 SqueakyChu: Hi Madeline. I remember Sailor Moon from those early days on tv though I can't say I watched much at the time. I'll be picking up the manga this week. One thing we like from the tv series is the music.

I'm discarding my read of The Honeybee Emeralds after about 30 pages. The writer inserts awkward moments into the text such as an art historian bring her 5 year old son to a meeting who immediately points out that Alice, one of the main characters is not white or blond. We already know this as the long serving magazine secretary has also pondered for a few paragraphs on this 'Englishwoman with Middle Eastern complexion.'

95) When I grow up: the lost autobiographies of six Yiddish teenagers by Ken Krimstein (2021)
graphic biography
Quite a story behind this graphic adaption, easier just to link to a Forward article about the background to publication.
https://forward.com/culture/479973/holocaust-lost-autobiography-ken-krimstein-yi...
I enjoyed his The Three Escapes of Hannah Arendt so looked forward to this one. Krimstein has chosen six stories from many written by Yiddish teenagers in the early 1930s. They had entered a competition by writing about their lives and aspirations, almost all lost their lives in the Holocaust. Their entries were found in 2017 hidden in the basement of a Lithuanian church.
Each story is poignant to read knowing the fate of these teens. One is known to have survived and Krimstein was able to meet her family. That teen, Beba Epstein, had been part of the Paper Brigade and is mentioned in The Book Smugglers: Partisans, Poets, and the Race to Save Jewish Treasures from the Nazis.

96) Thraxas under siege by Martin Scott (2005)
fantasy
Thraxas #8. Still enjoying this series. Thraxas and fellow citizens are surviving winter while beyond the city walls is an Orc army. Orc sorcerers seem to be infiltrating the city and then there is the virus affecting most who enter the premises of The Avenging Axe, the small tavern that Thraxas and Makri call home.
I'll leave the series here and come back to the last four books when I need some light entertainment.

97) Literary Lunch by Vintage Books (2015)
nonfiction / cookbook
The intro is by Jay Rayner. This slim volume quotes a brief food related passage from numerous novels followed by a recipe or two. It starts with the messy 'blue' chicken soup from Bridget Jones's Diary and finishes with a James Bond vinagrette from Solo.
I'd read several of the books featured and it was nice to briefly revisit them, but none of the recipes caught my interest, maybe the Bengali Rice Pudding from The Lives of Others by Neel Mukherjee.
For the past couple of weeks I'd seen the due date at the library creeping up and had no idea where I'd put this book, so was relieved to find it this afternoon in a pile of my own books that I'd tidied into a corner. Sat down and read it through in one sitting.

>153 avatiakh: I will have to see if I can track down a copy of that one. Thanks for the recommendation, Kerry.

>156 avatiakh: I already have that one in the BlackHole or I would be adding it again.

Have a wonderful day!

>159 alcottacre: Hi Stasia. I've neglected my thread for these past weeks an indication that my reading is suffering as well.

98) The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún: Vol. 1 by Nagabe (2017)
manga
I chose to read this as it includes a fantastical character. A young girl is being cared for by a mysterious being, there is one rule - that she can not ever touch him. This has a fairy tale feel to it but the story just did not engage me, a little too much gloom.
I believe it is quite popular and that there is an anime based on the manga series. The title comes from an Irish folksong.

99) The Ogress and the orphans by Kelly Barnhill (2022)
children
I enjoyed this fantasy story though felt it was overlong for young readers. An ogress settles outside a town that has seen better days, nothing good ever happens for the dwindling number of inhabitants, but they are 'blessed' with a sparkling mayor who is always happy and has a secret. The orphans are truly suffering with not enough food for all the little mouths.

The Upside-Down Boy and the Israeli Prime Minister by Sherri Lederman Mandell (2021)
picturebook
Rather wordy picturebook that features a famous photograph of Israel's first Prime Minister, Ben Gurion doing a yoga headstand on the Tel Aviv beach.
A young boy who hardly keeps still and is always doing cartwheels and headstands at inappropriate times goes on a class trip to the office of the current Prime Minister.


The Lighthouse Princess by Susan Wardell (2022)
picturebook
Rose Northey won the 2021 Gavin Bishop Award and her prize was to illustrate a picturebook. This was a quite lovely story about a girl lighthousekeeper / princess who rescues a boy from a storm. The illustrations are delightful.

100) Things That Matter: Stories of Life Death by David Galler (2016)
memoir
Galler is an Intensive Care specialist and tells the stories of various patients he's treated over the years, interspersed with stories from his childhood.
This book created quite a buzz at the time of publication and I've always meant to read it after hearing him read an excerpt at Auckland Writers Festival back when it first came out.
Each chapter is about a different organ of the body beginning with the heart.
The book opens with his father's death from a heart attack and Galler's regret that his father's mistrust of hospitals meant that he hadn't followed up on treatment that could have added a few more years to his life. The book ends with his mother's death from cancer some years later and he describes her last weeks when he and his brother made time to care for her.
Galler's mother was a child survivor of Auschwitz and The Long March. Growing up, he didn't know and she never told her story until her later years.
A good read.
Zofia Galler's obit: http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/editors-picks/7111583/Zofia-survived-the-te...

101) Sailor Moon vol. 1 by Naoko Takeuchi
manga
The manga and anime were very popular back in the 1990s. My daughter and I recently watched the first season of the anime. Anyway I thought it would be good to follow up by reading some of the manga. The illustration style is delightful and the story has a few differences from the anime that make it worth the read.

102) My friend Maigret by Georges Simenon (2006)
crime
Inspector Maigret #31. My first Maigret, I picked this up a few weeks back and started reading. Don't know why I started with one of the later books.
This didn't really hold my interest and I should have read it in a couple of sittings instead of dragging it out.
Maigret, along with a visiting Scotland Yard Inspector, travels to a small Mediterranean island to solve a murder. Sort of a locked room mystery.

103) It's a Good Life, If You Don't Weaken: A Picture Novella by Seth (1998)
graphic memoir
I loved the illustration style though the story itself wasn't riveting. It tells of Seth's interest in long forgotten cartoonists from the 1950s and his particular obsession to find out more about an obscure cartoonist called Kalo, whose work featured in the New Yorker just once.

104) what's Michael?: fatcat collection vol. 1 by Makoto Kobayashi (2020)
manga
These comic strips came out in the 1980s and were very popular in Japan, sort of considered the Japanese Garfield. It covers various cats named Michael, all identically drawn but with different owners. I enjoyed most of them though it's probably best to take your time reading through as there are so many. Kobayashi really gets cat behaviour, one strip is just about Michael walking around with his tongue out - something that one of my ginger cats is always doing.
Fun.

105) The Pull of the Ocean by Jean-Claude Murlevat (2006)
children
This won the 2007 Batchelder Award for a book not originally written in English. A retelling of Perrault's Tom Thumb. Yann is the youngest, tiny and mute, he has six older brothers, 3 sets of twins. He wakes them up one night and informs them that their lives are in danger and they must leave their home. They begin a journey to the ocean.
It reads really well, each segment is told by a different person starting with the social worker who brings Yann home from school and meets the unfriendly, suspicious mother and the family's guard dog.

Not many books to show for a few weeks.
I'm continuing to read:
Remote Sympathy by Catherine Chidgey
Before the coffee gets cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
The Exiled and the Redeemed by Yitzhak Ben-Zvi
Write to Kill by Daniel Pennac
The Hanged Man of Conakry by Jean-Christophe Rufin
and others
The tobacconist by Robert Seethaler
This year in Jerusalem by Mordechai Richler
No pretty pictures: a child of war by Anita Lobel

I started but decided not to continue the graphic novel that features Patricia Highsmith, Flung out of space: Inspired by the Indecent Adventures of Patricia Highsmith by Grace Ellis. I have the graphic memoir, Leonard Cohen on a wire by Philippe Girard to try, looks more my thing.
I've returned a lot of books to the library unread, mostly because I should be reading my own books.

Nice to see you back, Kerry. Zofia Galler's obit gave me goosebumps.

Looks like you are into a lot of graphic novels lately! I was lent one from my bookclub friend, and am *just* about to hit my bed, which is in full sun now, to read it :)

>172 LovingLit: Yeah, I saw someone tweeting about the Patricia Highsmith & Leonard Cohen GNs. I already read a bio of PH so wasn't taken in by that GN, it cameoed Stan Lee but still couldn't catch my interest. The Leonard Cohen one so far shows him as a nerdy young man.
Which GN are you reading? There's so many good ones out there.

>171 labfs39: Hi Lisa - The final chapter in Galler's book is a tribute to his mother and how as teenagers they had no idea about what their Mum had experienced until she broke down when they were watching a tv series on the Holocaust. She always suffered from nightmares and that was part of their family life.

106) Those Not-so Sweet Boys vol. 1 by Yoko Nogiri (2019)
manga
Nogiri wrote Love in Focus and That wolf boy is mine and I had to wait a few weeks to try this other series of hers. A lightweight read as is typical of most shojo manga. Due to her circumstances, Midori is asked to intervene with a tightknit group of three rather cute boys who have stopped attending highschool.

I recently took four bags of culled books to Jason Books, a used books shop in the CBD. I'm careful to only take worthwhile reads and good nonfiction and Maud gives me credit - this time I'm up $300 there. I've been a customer for about 30 years now.

>176 avatiakh: That is a good scheme, Kerry. It won't wash in Kuala Lumpur unfortunately but when I go back to Yorkshire..............

Have a lovely weekend.

106) Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (2015)
fiction
I enjoyed this and will be getting to the sequel eventually. A basement cafe hidden up a side alley in Tokyo has been around for about 100 years. Rumour has it that by sitting in a certain chair one can time travel to the past. There's a set of rules to follow, the most important is hinted at in the book's title.
This was originally written as a play and morphed into this delightful little book.

_
107) The Apothecary Diaries Vol. 3 by Natsu Hyuuga (2018)
108) The Apothecary Diaries Vol. 4 by Natsu Hyuuga (2019)
manga
My library finally decided to continue getting this series with vol. 5 just arriving on the shelves and I'm well placed in the queue to get it soon.
Charming series set in an Imperial Palace. Maomao, a young girl who has a good knowledge of the art of apothecary, ends up being sold into service. She is a lowly servant for one of the Emperor's concubines, becomes a food taster and helps solve cases of attempted murder/murder using her skills and knowledge of poisons.

>177 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul - helps my book buying budget and I'm more into culling my book collection than I've been in the past.
I have several bags of books ready to donate to the local Rotary book fair, just waiting to find out where this year's drop off places are as I haven't donated since the venue changed.

Decided not to read Sailor Moon vol. 2 as I'm not that into it. I like to read vol. 1 of a variety of manga & decide from there.

>178 avatiakh: I ordered Before the Coffee Gets Cold from the library. Thanks for the prompt.

>181 labfs39: Good move Lisa.

I've been requesting a lot of shojo manga from the library recently. This is manga aimed at girls of all ages and seems to be mostly romance with a sprinkling of fantasy.
My Little Monster vol. 1 by Robico - gave up after a few pages.


109) Vampire Dormitory, Vol. 1 by Ema Tōyama (2019)
manga
Not continuing with this one and don't have much to say about it. My daughter suggested that I try Vampire Knights if i'm that keen on manga vampires.


110) Love me, love me notvol. 1 by Io Sakisaka (2015)
manga
This was ok and I'll read the next 1 or 2. Sakisaka wrote the popular Ao Haru Ride, #1 which I'm still waiting for, so thought I'd read their other works.


111) Dreamin' Sun vol. 1 by Ichigo Takano (2008)
manga
Really enjoyed this. About an unhappy girl who runs away from home and ends up living in a house with 3 guys. There is lots of humour, responsible adult decisions on her welfare etc etc. I'm requesting a couple more volumes to see where this goes.


112) Strobe Edge vol. 1 by Io Sakisaka (2007)
manga
I found the art style a bit over the top and that detracted from what story there was. Too much romance and too little of anything else, though I liked that lots of the interaction was on the subway coming home from school.

>173 avatiakh:
I am reading Fight the Power! : A Visual History of Protest Amongst the English Speaking Peoples.


You couldn't call it comprehensive, but it would be a good start for those new to those types of historical events.

That looks interesting. I've read a few non-fiction GNs like that, it's a good way to introduce a topic.

>104 avatiakh: Many thanks for the link to the group regarding Holocaust literature. I read the list of books you recommended. What a trove of information.

>185 Whisper1: Hi Linda - thanks for joining the new group on Holocaust Literature.
I haven't managed to hit any of my reading goals so far this year. I think I tried too many bleak books in the early months and that has stopped me picking up some of the Holocaust memoirs I'd like to read.

113) Manga Dogs vol. 1 by Ema Toyama (2011 Japanese) (2014 Eng)
manga
Picked this up from someone's favourite manga list. I'll continue but only because there's only two more to read. Will also mention that this seems to be free of romance.
Kanna Tezuka is a published manga writer/artist, she's serialised in a magazine though hers is the least popular story. She goes to a high school that has recently established a manga course and finds herself in a classroom with three fairly stupid manga wannabees (boys) who don't have a clue how to be a manga artist. With no specific manga teacher as yet they look upon her as their sensei. Just as you wonder how far such a storyline can continue, a new student appears.
Learnt some manga terminology at least and the characters are all named after well known manga artists. Their school is Tokiwa High, named after the Tokiwa-sou apartment building that Osamu Tezuka worked out of. Tezuka is considered to be a 'God of Manga', and his studio in the 1950s and 60s was a magnet for aspiring manga artists.

Toyama is fairly prolific with many series including Vampire Dormitory which I read earlier in the week.

114) Yona of the Dawn vol. 1 by Mizuho Kusanagi (2010)
manga
Fantasy manga about a princess who must escape with her bodyguard when her father, the King, is killed by the youth she thought she loved. A lot of back story in this first one to establish the storyline. This is quite popular and one I could continue reading.

My daughter finished vol. 3 of Sailor Moon and we both read Witch Hat Atelier vol. 1 which has lovely artwork.

115) Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 1: A Touch of Magic by Kamome Shirahama (2017)
manga
Another popular series. This has a good magical storyline and compelling reasons to read on past volume 1. It's about Coco, a girl that becomes a witch apprentice despite not being from a magical family.

Gave up on Komi can't communicate vol. 1 by Tomohito Oda.

116) The Waiting by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim (2021)
graphic novel
The author has taken her mother's story and added in those of two others to make a fictionalised account of the now elderly generation of Koreans who left loved ones behind when they escaped to the south during the Korean War in the early 1950s. The story does read like a graphic memoir, with Gendry-Kim interacting with her mother who is always hoping that she'll be one of those called up to meet family members at one of the North-South family reunion sessions.
In the fiction story her mother is hoping to meet with her son, a toddler who was with her husband when they became separated while trekking to the south. She makes it to the south with their baby daughter but never knows what happened to the rest of her family. Eventually she makes a new life with a good man and his young son who lost their wife & mother and other children on the journey south.
In fact it is a sister that Gendry-Kim's mother wants to reunite with, but this became a fiction story to protect the vulnerable who shared their testimonies with her. Gundry-Kim tells her mother's story briefly at the back of the GN. She also writes about the family reunion sessions and the statistics of the separated and how these people have spent their lifetime waiting for news of their loved ones and are now dying of old age without ever finding out.

>190 avatiakh: That one definitely goes on the wait list.

Edit: I mean wish list.

>191 labfs39: She's written a couple more on Korean history. I've requested Grass from the library.

117) Leonard Cohen on a wire by Philippe Girard (2021)
graphic biography
This was originally published in French. Is a slight portrayal of Cohen's life, glosses over everything and doesn't really get to the heart of Cohen's life in any particular depth. The artwork is quite standard, the lettering is well done but it is all rather boring.
I discovered that he naively signed away the rights to his first hit, Suzanne and was always being recognised by strangers as the guy who covered other famous singers' recordings of Hallelujah which was actually not the case, they covered his Hallelujah. Interesting if not riveting.

Took some novels that I wasn't making progress on back to the library. I need to get back to reading what I have on my shelves. So then started reading a library book, The Wrong Woman, J.P. Pomare's latest crime novel. My library had catalogued it as 'The Wrong Man' so I got to the front of the queue fairly quickly, that mistake has now been fixed.
I'm also reading Once More with Chutzpah, a YA about a bunch of US Jewish highschoolers in Israel for two weeks. I'd give up on it except that I like to read books set in Israel. I like the cover art with the backdrop of Jaffa, which is one of the reasons I picked up on it, and then thought it was a graphic novel when I eventually got it from the library after a couple of months wait.

>192 avatiakh: I've read Grass but not this one, it looks good. I found Grass pretty harrowing, unsurprisingly given the subject matter.

Thanks for mentioning Dreamin' Sun: I picked up the first couple after your comments here.

>190 avatiakh: Adding that one to the BlackHole. Thanks for the recommendation, Kerry!

>195 charl08: I have just picked up Grass from the library, looks to be an interesting read. Manga is hit or miss, this series entertained me at least, some is just too juvenile. I read them alongside my daughter who comments on the art styles and/or character types.

>196 alcottacre: Hi Stasia - that one was a really good read.

I am reading, just not posting my finished books as yet.

>195 charl08: I borrowed both Grass and The Waiting through interlibrary loan and started the former tonight. Harrowing is right. I had to take a break. At first glance the thick brush artwork seemed too heavy, but now seems appropriate.

I'll update a few books, mostly the manga I've read of late. I need to get this out of the way to clear my mind from it all.
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118-126) Dreamin' Sun, Vols. 2-10 by Ichigo Takano
manga
I read all this series in a couple of goes, mainly went with it because it is only 10 volumes and I liked some of the characters, especially Zen. The main romance is a little off at first as the girl is a high schooler and Taiga is about 5 or 7 years older, though their relationship is not at all intense, more like a friendship through most of the series. Overall enjoyable with lots of fun scenes.

127) Skip and Loafer vol. 1 by Misaki Takamatsu
manga
Country girl comes to Tokyo for high school, she's smart but awkward and plain. She becomes friends with the school heart throb when he helps her navigate to school on the first day. She also makes friends with another shy girl.
Won't continue with this as I'm not wanting to increase my time spent on manga but it was an enjoyable read.

128) Toilet-bound Hanako-kun, Vol. 1 by AidaIro
manga
This is a popular series featuring a spirit who is bound to the toilet block in an old high school, sort of like Moaning Myrtle from Harry Potter. Anyway this is more based on folklore than ghosts, he is able to grant a wish though there can be consequences which Nene discovers when she ventures in. This was quite a fun read though the artwork was a bit busy at times.

129) Once More with Chutzpah by Haley Neil (2022)
YA
I was taken with the cover art, the background image of Yafo continues to the back cover. The story was a typical YA angsty sort of one, Tally and her twin brother on the cusp of college go on a short group trip to Israel with other Jewish teens. The book touches on Israeli and gender politics in ways that feel forced in.
Meanwhile Tally is still grappling with grief, expressed at first through her need to have her brother be like he was before the accident while Max is needing to finally make a break with his twin and lead his own life. The accident is at first described as Max being in a car and the driver, a teenage girl, who had been drinking, died. The identity of the girl becomes clear later in the book.
Tally comes out as demisexual after some confusing encounters.
I read the book as it was set in Israel but really it didn't hit any high notes for me.

130) The Wrong Woman by JP Pomare (2022)
crime
I think the title is a misnomer, it should be 'girl' not 'woman', and this made me fairly annoyed as I finished up the book. Pomare has usually set his books in either New Zealand or Australia, here he goes to the US.
A college professor has died in a car accident, his wife is in a coma. Reid is sent in to do a quick investigation for insurance purposes. He slowly uncovers a more complicated story around the accident.

Lion guards the cake by Ruth Paul (2021)
picturebook
Delightful, engaging picturebook about a lion guarding an important cake for a family. By morning there isn't much of the original cake left.

131) Kiki's Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono (1985)
children's
I hadn't realised that the Studio Ghibli film was based on a book until someone mentioned reading it during last month's Asian reading challenge.
This is a delightful little story about a young witch setting up house in a new town and deciding to start a courier service as well as making friends in the process.
Now to finally watch the film.

I'm taking a lot of unread books to the library as I should read from my shelves for a while.
Resistance: the underground war in Europe 1939 -1945 by Halik Kochanski - looked forward to getting to this but it is an immense tome that I immediately knew was beyond my current ability to get through
Europe against the Jews 1880-1945 by Götz Aly - saw this on the library shelves, Aly is a german journalist so would be an interesting read
The Man who sold air in the Holy Land by Omer Friedlander (2022) - short story collection, didn't much love the start of story #1, so will get it out again at a future date
Around the corners, out to the edges by Jonathan Besser - a memior that looked like an interesting read
The Fire Cats of London by Anna Fargher - children's book about the Great Fire of London
Buddha vol. 2 by Osamu Tezuka - due back to library, I'll get back to this series eventually

132) orange: the complete collection: vol. 1 by Ichigo Takano
manga
This was the series that came recommended and I read Takano's Dreamin' Sun while waiting for this. A teen girl, just starting 11th grade receives a letter from her future self that implores her to change her interactions with a new student in order to save him and save her future self from the regret that she could have done more. It's quite an interesting premise and I'll probably read more as it is available from the library.
There's an anime series too.

___
132-135) Witch Hat Atelier vols 2-5 by Kamome Shirahama
manga
Lovely magic series. I can leave it here after vol. 5. About a world where magic use is limited and strictly policed by the Knights Moralis.

Quite a reading surge over here, Kerry!

Nice to see you so actively clearing your shelves.

Hi Paul - I'll do an update in a few days. We are currently plagued by a terrible connection to our wifi/fibre optic whatever which means my laptop can hardly ever connect to the internet this past week or so.

My own news while the world gears up for the Royal Funeral. My Mum passed away a day before the Queen on Sept 08 and we had her funeral on Friday. She was 94 yrs old, was mobile and had her wits about her to the end. She was in a rest home only for a few months.
My eldest daughter, Yasmin, was able to come out from London via Los Angeles so very long flights. We've had some lovely days with her. Haven't seen her for a few years due to the lockdowns, last time she came was also for a funeral, her partner's best friend was killed in a car accident. She went back yesterday evening and arrives at Heathrow 15 minutes before the flight landing ban starts while the Queen's funeral takes place.
In tribute to my Mum we had a Margarita evening on Saturday night - a good de-stress event and a homage to a Margarita evening she and I had done many years ago.
_
With my Dad on the day they announced their engagement / with my youngest, Dana

So sorry for your loss. Your parents look lovely on that photograph!

>213 Dilara86: Thanks. That's a favourite photo for me. I got it made into a jigsaw for Mum for last Christmas, which she loved.

>214 avatiakh: That's a great idea!

>212 avatiakh: My condolences, Kerry.
Lovely pictures, her looks didn't change much through the years.

>212 avatiakh: Condolences on your loss. She looks to have had a good grip on living. And a great smile.

I'm so sorry, Kerry. Lovely photos. It's wonderful that she was able to be independent and herself for so long. Take care of yourself in the weeks ahead.

So sorry for your loss, but glad to hear your daughter was able to fly and join the family after such a long time.
Lovely photos too.

>212 avatiakh: Sadness and sorrow; mourning and the celebration of a life well lived all intertwined.

My sincere condolences on the passing of your dear Mum, Kerry. I feared that your comment about not reading held a reason for sadness.

I am sure that your Mum would have been contented at the reunited of family to treasure and share in her memory. Thank you for sharing the photos. xx

Hope that you are coping ok, Kerry. Just stopped by to let you know I was thinking about you.

Me again, Kerry.

((((Hugs))))

Saw your name pop up on another thread and thought of you. Hope you are hanging in there.

Thanks everyone, I've started reading again and will begin a fresh thread in the next couple of days.