LovingLit | numero uno

Me on a beach on the west coast of New Zealand; either thinking about reading or about eating the leftovers in that pot I'm cradling ;) AND me on that same beach this winter :) My happy place.

In 2022 I read 56 books, and the proportion of those that were on audio grew as the year progressed. The number of fiction books I am reading appears to be dwindling too!
Here are the stats:


Here are the books
1. Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction by Jonathan D. Culler
2. Gotta get Theroux This by Louis Theroux (audio)
3. Still being Punished by Rachael Selby
4. The Gathering by Anne Enright (audio) (fiction)
5. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (fiction)
6. On Earth we are Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong (audio)
7. Exit West by Mohshin Hamid (fiction)
8. Tainted Love: Take a Trip Through the Dark Underbelly of the 60's by Stewart Home
9. A Life in Parts by Bryan Cranston
10. Theroux the Keyhole by Louis Theroux (audio)
11. Apple, Tree: Writers on Their Parents edited by Lise Funderburg (audio)
12. ❤️ My Father's Island by Adam Dudding
13. This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor by Adam Kay
14. The Nazi Officer's Wife by Edith Hahn Beer
15. The Sellout by Paul Beatty (DNF) (audio) (fiction)
16. ❤️ The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst (audio) (fiction)
17. The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson (audio)
18. Untamed by Glennon Doyle (audio)
19. Forty Autumns by Nina Willner (audio)
20. Hot Milk by Deborah Levy (fiction)
21. French Braid by Anne Tyler (fiction)
22. The Great Questions of Tomorrow by David Rothkoph
23. Last Orders by Graham Swift (audio) (fiction)
24. ❤️ In the Distance by Hernan Diaz (fiction)
25. A Short History of Russia: How the World's Largest Country Invented Itself, from the Pagans to Putin by Mark Galeotti (audio)
26. ❤️ Lampedusa by Steven Price (audio) (fiction)
27. After the Earthquake by Margaret Hall (fiction)
28. We are all Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler (fiction)
29. Ordinary People by Diana Evans (audio) (fiction)
30. Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel (audio) (fiction)
31. After the Tampa by Abbas Nazari
32. ❤️ Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry (audio) (fiction)
33. Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout (audio) (fiction)
34. The Night Watch by Sarah Waters (audio) (fiction)
35. Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart (fiction)
36. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier (audio) (fiction)
37. An Island by Karen Jennings (audio) (fiction)
38. Warlight by Michael Ondaatje (audio) (fiction)
39. The Plague Letters by V. L. Valentine (audio) (fiction)
40. The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray (audio) (fiction)
41. 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak (audio) (fiction)
42. Tomorrow's People: The Future of Humanity in Ten Numbers by Paul Morland (audio)
43. Wellbeing Economics by Paul Dalziel and Caroline Saunders
44. ❤️ Eventide by Kent Haruf (audio) (fiction)
45. Benediction by Kent Haruf (audio) (fiction)
46. Disability Visibility edited by Alice Wong (audio)
47. Fat Like Me by Tania Roxborough
48. The Authority Gap by Mary Ann Sieghart (audio)
49. Miracle and Wonder: Conversations with Paul Simon by Malcolm Gladwell (audio)
50. ❤️ The Netanyahus by Joshua Cohen (audio) (fiction)
51. Specimen Days by Michael Cunningham (audio) (fiction)
51.5 Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister by Jung Chang (DNF) (audio)
52. In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin (audio) (reread)
53. In my Room by Jim Lucey (audio)
54. Managing Expectations by Minnie Driver (audio)
55. ❤️ Everybody by Olivia Laing (audio)
56. The Unusual Suspect by Ben Machell (audio)

2023 books
January
1. Broken by Karin Fossum (translated fiction)
2. L.A. Weather by Maria Amparo Escandon (fiction)(audio)
3. The Big Door Prize by M. O. Walsh (fiction)(audio)
4. The Bookseller at the End of the World by Ruth Shaw

February
5. ❤️ Euphoria by Lily King (fiction)(audio)
6. Out of the Mist and Steam by Alan Duff
7. Five Little Indians by Michelle Good (fiction)(audio)
8. The Hunter by Julia Leigh (fiction)
9. A Modern Family by Helga Flatland (translated fiction)(audio)

March
10. ❤️ Rest and be Thankful by Emma Glass (audio)
11. The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner (fiction)(audio)
12. Chances Are by Richard Russo (fiction)(audio)

April
13. A Passage North by Anuk Arudpragasam (fiction)(audio) DNF
14. Straight Up by Ruby Tui
15. England, England by Julian Barnes (fiction)(audio)

May
16. ❤️ Readme.txt by Chelsea Manning (audio)
17. New York by Lily Brett
18. Small Things like These by Claire Keegan (fiction)(audio)
19. Foster by Claire Keegan (fiction)(audio)
20. The Town by Shaun Prescott (fiction)(audio)
21. Did I Ever Tell you This by Sam Neill (audio)

June
22. ❤️ The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis (fiction)(audio)
23. ❤️ All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy (fiction)(audio)
24. ❤️ House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III (fiction)(audio)

July
25. Last Night in Montreal by Emily St John Mandel (fiction)(audio)
26. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (fiction)(audio)
27. Right After the Weather by Carol Anshaw (fiction)(audio)

August
28. The Snow Tiger by Desmond Bagley (fiction)
29. Anam by Andre Dao (fiction)(audio)
30. Excavations by Hannah Mitchell (fiction)(audio)
31. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exuperey (fiction)(audio)

September
32. ❤️ Not Set in Stone by David Vass
33. Perfect Little World by Kevin Wilson (fiction)(audio)
34. Exit Management by Naomi Booth (fiction)(audio)

October
35. Leonard and Hungry Paul by Ronan Hession (fiction)(audio)
36. The Magpie Wing by Max Easton (fiction)(audio)
37. Natural Causes by Barbara Ehrenreich

Currently reading

L.A. Weather: A Novel by María Amparo Escandón and The Hunter by Julia Leigh

Happy New Year!

Happy new reading year, Megan.

Love the sky on your topper. How are the boys?

So, how was the Fossum read?

Happy to see you, Megan!

>5 avatiakh: Thanks!! You are my lucky first person! :) :) :)

>6 PaulCranswick: Boys are great. Still loud and fast. And IN LOVE WITH fishing. These school holidays it's been nothing but fishing talk, fishing wishes, and fishing-related aspirational purchases. Oh, and some catching too.

>7 richardderus: The Fossum read was meh all the way through, and then was pretty exciting and clever at the end. I wasn't impressed that the vehicle for storytelling was the main character conversing with the author in some sort of made-up-land where the author counselled and justified her choices for him to his face. Weird. Maybe Fossum was sick of writing books at that point and wanted to see her own experience reflected in the work.

Happy new year Megan!

ed again!!

Wouldn't miss following your book reads; they are always so good!! Happy New Year my friend. : )

Happy new thread for the new year Megan!

Welcome back, Megan!

>9 quondame: Thank you!

>10 Berly: Looking forward to see what you are reading as well. I can't believe another year has rolled by.

>11 WhiteRaven.17: Thank you! And thanks for dropping by :)

>12 drneutron: Thanks Doc!

Hello! This year, I'm trying to remember to post when I read people's threads (at least some of the time). As my Nonna would have said, "they can't hear the rocks in your head rattle" as I nod and pass through.

Happy New Year and happy new thread Megan!



I'm currently just next door, in Sydney.

Happy New Year, Megan. I love the photo!

Happy new year! What a great photo of you (and the sky!) up top.

Happy new year, Megan!

Happy New Year, Megan! Love the topper.

>14 ursula: I try to drop a wee comment here and there too....it seems a terrible waste to read heaps of posts, take it all in, and then move on without commenting!

>15 humouress: Sydney huh? I hope that rain has eased up...you probably had your fair share in 2022!

>16 BLBera: >17 katiekrug: >19 Crazymamie: Thanks, thanks, and ...thanks! My brother took that. He is a photographer so can usually get a good angle. The photo was taken the week before Christmas...the weather was hot hot hot, and the kids were full on activities all week. That was a nice sit down on the warm beach in the evening after dinner.

>18 curioussquared: Thanks! I dare say people are wary of wishing for too much given the last few years disruptions, but I continue to hope for peace both in my own home and in the world.

Welcome back and happy reads in 2023!

>20 LovingLit: *grump* No; it rained the whole day today. The sky showed some clear patches just after sunset - so NZ is probably getting all the good weather ;0)

Happy weekend, Megan! Anything fun to read lined up?

>21 figsfromthistle: Thanks :)

>22 humouress: Well we had a doozy yesterday - a 28C/83F day (ex-HAUS-ting) and then a half-hearted thunderstorm, and then hot again all evening...only to wake up today to rain. Confusing.

>23 richardderus: I know it's only Jan 7, but I am a little stalled on my audio.....which is L.A. Weather by Maria Amparo Escandon. I keep nodding off and then having to rewind to find out where I was up to!

Hi Megan my dear, just dropping my star off and will be visiting throughout the year dear friend.

Happy New Year, Megan. Happy New Year. Looking forward to sharing another year of books and banter with you. Love the topper. What was in that pot? I have really enjoyed watching your boys grow up over the years.

Hi Megan, a visit over here was long overdue! >2 LovingLit: Love looking at your list of books read in 2022 with the ❤️s. I'll check them out! Wishing you a wonderful year of reading in 2023.

Just found your thread Megan. Here’s hoping you have a great year of reading ahead.

Hi Megan. Your thread is starred and your reads of last year perused. I've read and enjoyed more than a few of them, especially the Kent Haruf books. I'll try and keep up with you so I can hear those stories about your fabulous boys/young men.

>25 johnsimpson: Hey John, lovely to see you! Thanks for dropping by

>26 msf59: Hi Mark! W finally overtook me in height last year and has now a good two inches over me. He is very pleased with himself :) He wants to learn to drive (is only 14 and a quarter!), can't wait to turn 18 to get a credit card and become a crypto-currency millionaire.
*sigh*
Which is exactly why you can't get a credit card before you are older, right!?!?

>27 mdoris: I love looking back over my reads too. Each and every love heart evokes a memory of the time I read that book, and the intensity of feeling that I had for it!

>28 SandDune: Fantastic- I look forward to finding your thread soon and starring you again:)

>29 Donna828: Aw, so kind :)
My boys/young men are trucking along OK. The younger (previously known as "Little Len") is fishing mad lately, he is shameless in arranging for his friends' parents to take then out to his favourite spot. Today he caught 4 kahawai- large white-flesh fish that (to me) only taste good smoked. We are 2 and have 2 refrigerated for smoking later.

Happy 2023! Hope this year brings you happiness and lots of great books!

>30 LovingLit: In Canada kids can have a credit card with their parents name on it too. Use it for small purchases here and there and pay it off right away and by the time they are 18 they have pre-established good credit. My mom did that for me when I travelled to Australia as an exchange student at age 17.

>31 ChelleBearss: that is clever. I wonder if that is a thing here too? I was thinking to get a debit card that can be used as a credit card is, only you have to have it pre-loaded with money.

Currently STILL reading

L.A. Weather: A Novel by María Amparo Escandón, The Hunter by Julia Leigh, and Out of the Mist and Steam a memoir by Alan Duff (author of Once Were Warriors). I would like to acknowledge that the cover of this last book that I am reading is absolutely hideous, and point out that it was published in the 1990s!

Book acquisitions


The Bookseller at the end of the World by Ruth Shaw, Three Summers by Margarita Liberaki, and Astonishing the Gods by Ben Okri (which I now realise since getting home that I have read before...)

The books came my way from a friend who has recently opened a small second hand bookshop in a small New Zealand town called Lawrence. I have been feeding her books to help her get a good stash for her shop opening last month, and when I went around to help her price some, I couldn't help but also want some :)

Happy reading in 2023, Megan!

>30 LovingLit: >26 msf59: Very similar to my now-14 year old *double sigh* It's not helped by the fact that his brother is five years older than him and my younger one seems to think he can do everything that a 19 year old can.

ETA: >32 LovingLit: I get various e-mails from NSW because the kids were in the education system for a bit, a while ago; there's something I've been considering that's called a Flexicard(?) (will go and look it up) that allows kids to buy food in school and so on (as in, not just their school) ... hang on. Back in a mo'.

...okay. It's FLX by Flexischools. www.flexischools.com.au Might be worth looking into?

>34 LovingLit: I like the sound of the bookshop, Megan. With the price of books in NZ a used bookstore is an absolute must. I remember the shop we went into in the Container Mall back in the day and the cost of new books there made my hair curl.

Have a great weekend.

>35 FAMeulstee: I certainly intend to! Thanks for dropping by :)

>36 humouress: Food in school as in at a school-based canteen or 'tuck shop' as we call them? I've never heard of that scheme!

>37 PaulCranswick: Yes, brand new books are still mostly NZ$30+ around here. But the second hand market is booming. A second hand book at a bookshop will cost $8 - $12, while at an op-shop (Goodwill)type shop, around $2 - $4.

>38 LovingLit: One way to slow up my book buying would be to move to South Island, Megan. My goodness that is expensive for new books!

>39 PaulCranswick: just as well then! We couldn't have PC doing anything less than a Cranswickian book haul!

Book 2
L.A. Weather by Maria Amparo Escandon (audio)

This book is a nice tale of a family living in LA, their trials, tribulations, the patriarch's obsessive worries about climate change, the relationship issues of the adult daughters, health problems, affairs, conceptions, financial worries...etc etc etc.

It was a perfectly good read, and one that I enjoyed loping along with. The writing, however, did now wow me. There were a few metaphors that grated, and some implausible actions and dialogue that threw me a bit. I didn't really care at the time, but upon reflection etc etc ;)

*Kinda recommended*

>40 LovingLit: Ha! I am trying to rein those in a little this year. I don't even believe it myself.

>38 LovingLit: I’ve never looked into it as we’re no longer based in Aus.

Hi!!

>42 PaulCranswick: You only live once!

>43 humouress: All good.

>44 Berly: Well hi there yourself.

The Wordle today was ace! And created a great pattern.

Wordle 581 3/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Happy new year, Megan - I LOVE that photo of you up top!

That is a strange one.

I somehow managed to get that one in one I was listening to The Suburbs by Arcade Fire and somehow "blurb" got stuck in my brain

>46 AMQS: Hi Anne! I like it too; my brother took it. He's a photographer, like our dad, so gets a good one every now and then ;)

>47 PaulCranswick: That has got to be the most random first choice word! O was lucky to get todays at all....although ended up getting in six the end. I have started varying my first choice word which feels fraught somehow...but, living life on the edge is the life of a book reader and Wordler, right?

BOOK 3
The Big Door Prize by M. O. Walsh

I liked this story. Small town America. Characters' lives coexist, converge, collide.

The story hangs on a $2 machine that takes a DNA swab and spits out a chit that reveals your lifes destiny; the town inhabitants are very keen on this and there are lines of people using it most days. The plot device is a shortcut to the characters' inner lives and we end up with townspeople excitedly asking others what their 'test' revealed, and others desperately figuring out how to action their test result so that they can fulfil their potential. It's a little bit meh...this aspect of the book as the actual storylines for each character are already quite good and interesting. And this is what carries the book in the end.
*recommended*

Still reading...in order of that which is of most to least interest to me at present :)

BOOK 4
The Bookseller at the end of the World by Ruth Shaw

A lively and lovely story of a women's life told between charming anecdotes about her tiny bookshop.
An aside: My friend has just started a small second hand bookshop in a rural town in the middle of nowhere in NZ, and she gave me this copy in exchange for the many books I have donated to her enterprise (which I am thrilled to report is currently thriving). I love that books seem to not only not have died, but are coming back with a vengeance.

Anyhow, this one is an easy and pleasurable read. The author experienced much adventure, excitement and trauma in her life, and she tells it well.
*highly recommended*

Ooh dang, two BBs. Keep them coming, I say!

I'm happy that I chose to spend my free few minutes with you, Megan! Love your topper, the fact that your boys are thriving, and that your friend's bookstore is doing well. I also love that you are reading! Persevere!

>51 LovingLit: Book sounds great and so does your friend's bookshop!! : )

>53 LizzieD: I am glad you did too, Peggy :) I started off the year with a reading lag, (#1 was mostly read last year) but have caught up again. It just takes a couple of good ones!

>54 Berly: I have already given it to a(nother) friend to read. Good ones gar far, and quickly!

>48 LovingLit: What can I say? I am not normally very lucky when it comes to such things.

>51 LovingLit: I love books about books! This one goes on my WL.

Hi Megan! Yikes. I thought I'd posted on your new year's thread. Belated Happy New Year and belated happy new thread.

Congrats on good reads so far this year, and I'm glad your boys are doing well.

>46 AMQS: that's the thing with luck, isn't it. If it were all the time it would just feel like life.

>47 PaulCranswick: Books about books is a whole genre of its own really.

>48 LovingLit: I thought you had too!! Maybe it was over on yours....

Life catch-up!

Summer school holidays are coming to an end and this year the boys will both be at the same school again with Lenny moving to the intermediate (middle school) section of Wilbur's high school.

Last week was awesome, as I got to work full time AND I biked to and from work- thus getting more exercise in one week than I got in the previous 6! I feel so much better for it too. I can see why it would have been great to be a 1950s husband....my lovely other was off work while I was working and dutifully cooked, cleaned, did the washing, and some yard work as well.

Counterintuitively, I feel so well rested after that week (which was a one-off, I might add as am back to part time work now). It's the lack of child drama, child and household admin, and all that drudgery that is cooking, tidying, managing emotions etc.

Reading wise, I've had trouble latching on to an audiobook lately, trying and abandoning a couple and have settled on Five Little indians now, which is...alright.

>59 LovingLit: It's amazing how going to work and coming home to the house stuff already taken care of can be so restful! Nate is doing daddy duty right now and I love not having to cook after work!

>51 LovingLit: Sounds good. I shall add it to the list

>60 ChelleBearss: seriously huh!? So good arriving home and asking (with a slight cheeky tone) "what's for dinner dear?" :)
I would like to say that I had gotten ahead of all the kids school needs already though, so had ordered all the stationery, sorted school uniforms etc. But still, the week was still fun. I actually enjoyed being able to be "all over" the projects we were working on at work...I never had to ask what was happening, or what needed working on as I was there every day and just knew.

>61 figsfromthistle: Excellent! I am spreading the good work of a good book far and wide :)

OUT WITH


IN WITH


I have back-seated Five Little Indians by Michelle Good and have front-seated Euphoria by Lily King (both on audio).

Five Little Indians is not bad, but the sentences in Euphoria are just so drool-worthy. I cannot resist a well constructed and surprising sentence structure. Needless to say, the sentences build upon each other (I hope!) to make something pretty special. So. I am prioritising this one for now.

>63 LovingLit: I will look out for that book by Lily King, Megan.

Have a great weekend.

>64 PaulCranswick: It was so good, Paul! Loosely based upon Margaret Mead, the renowned cultural anthropologist. I can heartily recommend it.

I enjoyed Euphoria, Megan. I'll watch for your comments.

I got confused with the new book with the same title loosely based on the life of Plath. They even have similar covers!

BOOK 5
Euphoria by Lily King (audio)

I want to read this book again. It is gorgeous.
*highly recommended*


BOOK 6
Out of the Mist and Steam by Alan Duff

This memoir is 23 years old and chronicles the childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood of the author of the book Once Were Warriors (amongst others). Alan grew up with his siblings in an unusual and dysfunctional family where their Maori mother, addicted to alcohol, was eventually excluded from their lives, and their Pakeha father was tasked with working full time and raising the children. Alan and his siblings, particularly the eldest brother, wrestled with the consequences of having had an unwell and then absent mother, and each struggled to reconcile their mixed heritage with Alan stating he never felt he fit into either the Maori or the Pakeha world. In 1960s New Zealand the young Alan got into trouble at school, rejected authority, and was lost. He ended up in borstal for a few stints, and eventually realised his dream of becoming a writer.
*very, if not highly, recommended*

Hi Megan!

>59 LovingLit: Not being primarily responsible for the emotional content of the home, as I put it, is almost impossible for many (not going to say all) women to achieve. Child stuff, admin, and the physical maintenance of home/feeding people are necessary and usually are the responsibility of one person. Good for you for getting away from it a bit, and good for your lovely other to take on the roles as needed.

>63 LovingLit: I’m glad you’re finding goodness in Euphoria. I read it in April of 2018 and gave it 4.5 stars. I’m very stingy with stars, and it was absolutely stunning as I recall.

BOOK 7
Five Little Indians by Michelle Good (audio)

This was a slow burner. I left it for a bit to concentrate on Euphoria by Lily King and then when I came back to it was pulled in all of a sudden! Sometimes it happens for me that I need to read a precis of a book to be able to place it properly. Prior to getting the summary it had felt scattered.

Anyway, the story picked up, the characters became distinct and known to me, and I looked forward to seeing where the author would take them.
*recommended*

>69 karenmarie: It was funny that when my lovely other was in charge, he all of a sudden started realising how much we were spending at the supermarket....he ended up instigating some domestic austerity measures on his week 'on'! And he now gets it when I get cross at him for popping to the shops for milk and coming back with $90 worth of groceries. :)

>71 LovingLit: I'm pretty sure the US economy depends on trips for milk cost $90 in impulse purchases.

>71 LovingLit: Gads! I go to the grocery store with a list of 4-5 items and also come home with $90 of groceries. However, my husband leaves it all in my hands, so what he doesn't know doesn't hurt him.

Hi, Megan. How are you and the family doing? I sure miss seeing you around. I hope the books are treating you well. I also really enjoyed Euphoria and have become a King fan.

>51 LovingLit: What a lovely story to tell and it sounds like it was well-told. I'm sure the predictions of doom for books are wrong because the book hasn't changed in over 500 years because it doesn't need to. Even Kindles and the like are as much like books as they can be made because the technology works...as well it might after half a millennium.

*smooch*

>72 quondame: Now we know that their ploy worked! By which I mean, the placement on milk and other pop-in-an-grab items being at the far end of the supermarket so that you have to walk past everything to get to them!

>73 karenmarie: Our grocery items have really felt the recent inflation hikes....what was $5 is now $7.50, and there's no getting around it! (apart from domestic - as in home - austerity measures)

>74 msf59: I need to get my kids to stand still long enough to capture a photo of them!
We are heading off to a rugby league game today- you may recall last year and the year before we all headed to Auckland to see the same team...well, they are playing in our home town for the first time in 4 years, so off we go :)

And NZ being NZ (i.e., small), Lenny's friend is ball boy for the match, and his friend's twin brothers are playing in the kids half time match :)

>75 richardderus: Books rule. And that's a fact :) Nice to see you RD!!!

Two good books in a row! And the fall schedule begins. : ) Enjoy your bike rides to work and the rugby game today -- I played rugby in college -- love that game.

Hope you all had fun at the match.

I just finished Euphoria - loved it. Thank you for posting the review. I thought it reminded me of Return to Laughter and sure enough King cited it in her acknowledgments. I'd like to read the Margaret Mead bio she mentions - will see if it's still available here.

>77 Berly: A US citizen, and a woman to boot, playing rugby??! I am in awe. It feels like rugby might be as unusual to Americans as American Football is to us Kiwis :)
The game we follow is actually rugby league though, which is a different game entirely, with slightly different rules to rugby and a whole lot of social connotations that make it the younger, 'poorer' cousin of the rugby that most people think of.

>78 charl08: I am so glad you read it and that you loved it! I looked up Margaret Mead's book online and decided it was too expensive for me for now. But I am sure I will get to it one day :)

OOOooo!! I have a copy of Euphoria, and you remind me of my reason for buying it. Thanks for the nudge!!!

I'm glad that you got your break from Mommydom. I'm sure that it was refreshing for all of you! May you have more! And blessings on your lovely other! I'll hope to get back for pictures of the boys.

>80 LizzieD: I was just over on your thread talking Wordle strategies (again) :) :) :)

BOOK 8
The Hunter by Julia Leigh

Not really sure where this was headed while reading it, and once finished it, I was none the wiser. There were some great passages in there, and some nice descriptions, but it didn't do it for me.
*not really recommended*


BOOK 9
A Modern Family by Helga Flatland (audio, translated)

The everyday lives and the relationships between ageing parents and their three adult children are laid bare in this Norwegian tale. I loved the lilt of the Norwegian-accented English narrator (on audio) and could have listened forever. However, the story plateaued and lost me in the final third. There was much to like about the story as well though, especially the telling of events through different sets of eyes. And, now that I am thinking about it, there were some nice sentences which added up to an OK story.

I really should have loved this as I tend towards books about the mundane human's life.
*sort of recommended*

>81 LovingLit: I purposely avoid strategy other than to pick an entirely random word from the cover of whatever book is on my reading table or is suggested by that book. I am on quite a winning run with the game anyhow - must be nearly 400 games with only 2 losses.

Rest and be Thankful- I love this book.
*sigh*

>83 PaulCranswick: That is quite a feat!! Maybe I need to try random. I feel trapped sometimes by my routine lol (first world problems).

>79 LovingLit: Rugby and Rugby League are different?!? Man, it's like football (Euro) and football (US) being different. Can't keep up or keep it straight! LOL

>84 LovingLit: Rest and Be Thankful. Well, I am doing a lot of resting, whether I want to or not (long Covid), but I could work on being more thankful. It always lifts my mood to look at all that's going right. : )

Happy upcoming weekend!

>86 Berly: I know right!? Rugby (union) is the more popular sport here while rugby league is more popular in Australia (than union..although there I believe Aussie Rules football is more popular than both). Anyway, it's complicated.

The weekend (just gone) was lovely. A Chinese meal out for lunch, a sleep in Sunday, and some chilling and hanging out with the neighbours in there as well.

Got lucky with Wordle 634 :)

⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

>82 LovingLit: I read The Hunter some years ago. There's a fairly good film version starring William Dafoe & Sam Neill you might like to seek out at a later date.

>89 avatiakh: I will seek that out! I had a tiny amount of trouble figuring out the significance of the plot of the book...I feel I might have missed something.

Stopping by to wish you a lovely weekend, Megan.

>91 PaulCranswick: thank you kindly, Paul. And happy anniversary to you good sir :)

We started the weekend with a bang, inviting some people over to help us eat our large quantities of venison. A second trip to the bottle store was required so that we could adequately celebrate my pay rise (any excuse, really). Then today I watched mu friend's son play his last cricket game of the season and then watched Lenny play his first rugby league game of the season. (Lenny did very well, got heaps of tackles, two tries, and the team won.)

Now I am about to go out to a 50th birthday event...where I hope to look fine in my all-dressed-up dress :)

ommigosh

It's been so long since i have visited my own thread! UPTADE- the 50th was fine (held on the platform of a historic park's train station), the weekends have been fine and full-on Autumnal conditions (I have yet to carry out my annual event of catching an autumn leaf straight from the tree), work has been good, kids have been....kids (favourable reports at parent teacher meeting is all I can ask), and reading has been on audio mainly.

>93 LovingLit: Longing for Autumnal conditions, Megan! It was this time of year that we visited South Island and I remember the lovely colours in Arrowtown.

*smooch* just because

>94 PaulCranswick: Yes! And I still recall the huge chocolate rabbit you bought for each of my kids! It was their dream come true. And this year, now that I have a bit more disposable income, I have bought chocolate rabbits for my neighbours' kids, and I hope they love them.

>95 richardderus: chur, RD :)

BOOK NUMBER




Straight Up by Ruby Tui

NZ rugby player and all-round local hero, Ruby Tui has written a fantastic memoir of tough times growing up and a work ethic that I can only dream of.

Welcome back and congrats on the pay raise! And yay for rugby -- I played in college. Love that game. : )

>98 Berly: hey, thanks for the welcome back! And as luck would have it, I need a new welcome back as I have just been away for 3 nights on a wee getaway. It is school holidays so I took the kids to the coast to my dads (as usual). He was tidying it up for the big sell, so we camped out there (again), caught fish (again), got sandfly bitten (again), had fires on the beach (again) and LOVED it (again).
:)

I have a high school reunion this weekend- just our year. I have been finding photos for it and loved this one of our leavers ball, 1993 :) :) :)
Guess which one is me! (PS I am still good friends with everyone else in the image, I love that)


Also, here is one of the West Coast- lovely calm Autumn weather, so so so beautiful. *sigh*
The kids fishing at the boat shed by the lagoon.

>100 LovingLit: Lovely lovely lovely...and great fun to be together with your old school chums!
*smooch*

>101 richardderus: It was great fun RD. Time flew and everyone caught up so fast considering that we'd not seen each other for 20+ years.

Sadly though, my dad had a brain bleed that very night and has been in hospital since. He's looking and feeling much better after a week and a bit and is now in a rehabilitation unit where he will spend 2 weeks practising getting better with balance so he can go home. What a week! I was so worried for him but luckily he has made great ground with recovery and looks to continue to improve.

BOOK 16
Readme.txt: A memoir by Chelsea Manning (audio)

A fantastic in-depth look at the whole situation. I had heard tid-bits here and there, and now I have a much better handle on what happened. It is laid out in a linear fashion, and takes a procedural look at the court-marshall and legal stuff.
*highly recommended*

Hi Megan!

>100 LovingLit: Great pics, thanks for sharing. And yay for your HS reunion

>102 LovingLit: I’m so sorry to hear about your dad, glad he is doing better. I hope the two weeks go by quickly for him so that he can go home.

>102 LovingLit: That's awful news, Megan. I'm so sorry that he is experiencing this awful brain trouble. My own recent trouble there makes me extra concerned. I hope his recovery is swift and complete.

*smooch*

Megan, I am so sorry to hear about your father. Any brain injury is scary. I'm glad he's doing well in rehab and will be home soon so he can do some more of his amazing photography. Hugs to you and your whole family...

>100 LovingLit: Cute pictures, Megan. I am quite sure I know which person is you.

So sorry to read about your dad. What a scary week indeed. I'm glad to read he is on the mend. May his recovery be quick and complete.

Hello Megan, Thank you for your recent visit. I am so sorry about your dad and his recent big challenges. Wishing for a big recovery in rehab.

>100 LovingLit: Great pics!

>104 karenmarie: thanks Karen :) I was very touched to see visitors had visited to wish me and my dad good will. I think the 2 weeks in a rehabilitation unit will be good for him as he will be able to rest and concentrate on getting better.

>105 richardderus: of course (((hugs))). It is so scary in the initial stages when you aren't sure what the hell is going on. I am able to rest a little easier now that he is out of imminent danger. (All those wires and beeping machines!)

>106 Donna828: Thanks Donna! One of his hospital goals was to get out on his boat again to take photos. He is not one to take it easy (by any stretch), so enforced relaxation is good.

>107 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deb. The signs looked good from the start as he was making quick progress then, and that has translated to a head start (so to speak) for a good outcome!

>108 mdoris: thanks for returning the visit :) And for the well wishes. I am looking forward to seeing him tomorrow.

>100 LovingLit: Lovely pictures, Megan.

>102 LovingLit: Sorry to read about your father, I hope his improvement keeps going smoothly.

Oof, just saw this about your dad. Glad he’s improving!

Books so far this year.
My fb friends (bar LT friends) would call me a hard-out, crazy book lady if I posted that there, but I know that here I am in a safe book space :):):)

>110 FAMeulstee: Thanks. I got to pop out to see him today for a brief visit which was nice. I want to go and spend more time just being there like I was when he was first in hospital ...the short visits don't seem to accomplish much other that just a "look in".

>111 drneutron: Thanks Doc. He has another 12 days in the facility so I hope to see continued improvement too!

I'm sorry to read about your father's brain hemorrhage, Megan. I pray that he makes a full recovery!

>112 LovingLit: Lovely gallery of concupiscence, Megan. You are a piker compared to some I could name... including myself... but I do love that you can post them here without fear of social opprobrium.

*smooch*

Also sending best wishes and healing vibes to your ultra talented Dad, Megan.

His beautiful book still has pride of place on my coffee table.

>112 LovingLit: Post away, Meg. What a great collection.

>114 kidzdoc: and your mother too, Darryl. I was pleased to see on fb that she was able to come home yesterday :)

>115 richardderus: LT is my bookish safe space :) And I have barely a book to speak of compared to almost everyone else in the group!

>116 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul. It was quite a shock, as you'd expect I guess, to see him so incapacitated in the early days after the event. He is able to walk with just a walking stick now, 12 days later. And, although still tired and in need of more rehab, is doing OK.

>117 BLBera: I do love a good collection of covers! They are so inviting.

>118 LovingLit: Thanks, Megan. My mother was physically and mentally weaker than normal, after spending 5 days in a hospital bed, but she has improved significantly since I brought her home on Wednesday.

All caught up!

>100 LovingLit: I hope you had a great reunion. I have to confess that I haven't been to one yet.

Sending speedy healing vibes to your dad!

>119 kidzdoc: I hope she continues to settle in well at home with you, Darryl.

>120 figsfromthistle: Thanks. Our reunion was just our class year, so everyone was 'known' to us all. It went so fast, and I barely felt like I got the chance to talk to everyone!

Today it's raining= light the fire + drink coffee + pay about a hundred bills + work from home for a little bit + drink coffee.

>122 LovingLit: Sounds excellent to me!

>123 richardderus: It was!
To be honest, I was a little disappointed when the sun came out in the afternoon. I was very well rested, either way, and I needed that.

Hi Megan!

Looks like it's about time for your dad to come home... I hope that his rehab has gotten him strong again and walking with ease.

>125 karenmarie: yes! He was sent home a few days ago, and after a minor blip involving a fever and cold-like symptoms necessitating antibiotics and an inhaler for breathing (!!?), he has enjoyed being home. If I don't come down with anything, I will visit again this weekend.

Well, I came down with something! I have been out with a cold these last few days. But not before I carried out some father-care duties, many work hours, and the rest of my normal day-to-day life.

Currently I am in the finishing stages of a writing project for my old university (from time to time I undertake contracted research and writing work there), and at my other job we are doing some interesting projects, including a meta-analysis (which is always nice, I guess?) and some as-usual public engagement write-ups.

But. I finished Sam Neill's autobiography last week, and The Queen's Gambit this morning. I am pleased to report that I loved both, the latter so much that I am not I meant NOW embarking on the Netflix version.

I'm glad your father was able to come home. I'm very sorry you came down with a cold, and I hope that you can have some do-nothing-at-all time to recover.

Still busy with your significant other, your boys, your work, AND your reading. Brava.

I watched the Netflix version and then bought the book, which I haven't read yet.

I usually cant bear to read the book after having seen others' depictions of characters. I like to imagine them for myself first.

Hi there! Glad you had such a fun time with your Dad before his brain issue happened (scary!), and I am ever so glad he is mending. Man. Now you have to get over your cold, too. : ) Sending best wishes.

*LE SIGH*
I finished All the Pretty Horses. So good. So nice to reread, and so timely with Cormac McCarthy's death just days ago.

I am reading No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy - I thought it opportune, albeit sadly so.

>112 LovingLit: Some very good books here, Crazy Book Lady!! You are one of us!

Hi, Megan. I hope you are feeling better and getting some prime reading in. How are those boys?

Hi, Megan. I loved that adaptation of The Queen's Gambit. I'm a newly minted fan of Anya Taylor-Joy because of it.

The streaming services are so hungry for content that I think we're going to be seeing a lot more book adaptations than we have in the past, including some I thought unfilmable, like Neil Gaiman's Sandman (I loved that adaptation, too).

I hope all is well with your dad and the rest of the family, and that you're getting over your cold.

Hi Megan, I am sorry to hear about your dad's health woes. I hope he continues to improve. Happy winter! We're starting the hottest part of our summer and I am very glad to be on summer break.

Hello Megan, I'm visiting your thread too and hoping all is well with you and your family. I froze all my library books for the summer and going to start a slow read of Robert Macfarlane The Old Ways. I do like his writing!

>132 PaulCranswick: I followed up All the Pretty Horses with another absolute doozey- House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III. Wow. It's been on my radar for an age, and I finally got to it.

>133 msf59: Hi Mark- the boys are good. W is taller than me, and Little Len turns 12 in a couple of weeks :) They are still my babies though.

>134 jnwelch: I had not made the connection between book adaptations and hungry streaming services! It can only mean good things though, I reckon. Particularly if they have the money to do them well.
We have COVID in the house now, as it happens. It's only our second time each (first was May last year), and none of us has it too badly so that is something. W is still considered to have long covid, so, sadly he gets every little bug going around.

>135 AMQS: Hi Anne, dad is improving, but remains compromised when push comes to shove. He can't drive just yet- partly due to wait lists in assessments, and partly as he needs to do more coordination exercises! But he is highly functional apart from that.

>136 mdoris: I have been off for a while! Naughty me :)
My laptop is on its last legs, I reckon, it does not cooperate sometimes, and as a consequence I have lost faith in it. Also, the whole two jobs, two kids thing! lol

How's this for a great June's reading!!??

June
Book 22. ❤️ The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis (fiction)(audio)
Book 23. ❤️ All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy (fiction)(audio)
book 24. ❤️ House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III (fiction)(audio)

It doesn't get a love heart if I didn't love it!!!

Currently reading:


The Snow Tiger (Written in 1975!!! Set in New Zealand!!!) by Desmond Bagley and Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel

Currently reading:


Anam by Andre Dao (audio), and The Snow Tiger by Desmond Bagley (paper book)

Just finished:


Last Night in Montreal by Emily St John Mandel, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, and Right After the Weather by Carol Anshaw (all on audio)

Also, yes! I am still around :)

Currently working to a deadline (*ahem*, procrastinating and using this as my first opportunity in one month to update LT), staying at my mother's to help her after an operation, and regretting not having exercised in a while (aside from a cycling brewery tour in the weekend just gone...that counts, right?).

>141 LovingLit: Happy to see you're still in the midst of life, Megan. Happy August's reads!

Hi Megan!

>137 LovingLit: Sorry you all had COVID again and that W’s long Covid opens him up to bugs. I am glad your dad is highly functional and do hope he’s now driving again.

>141 LovingLit: Glad you’re still around! I hope you make your deadline and your mother’s coming along after surgery.

My 32nd book gets a big fat ❤️



Not Set in Stone by David Vass. Review and MONTH-LONG catch up to come...

>142 richardderus: Ah, life. Yes, that old chestnut. I am still in the middle of that to be sure!

>143 karenmarie: Hi Karen- my mother's recovery from surgery was good in the end. One wee spell back in hospital after a reaction to something, and a spell of being 'stopped up', and then a spell of being the opposite (ahem), and now we are all fine.

********//********//********

In the mean time...bookish news. I managed to see a talk at our Readers and Writers festival here in Christchurch last week (WORD FEST); and, I just went ahead and bought the book afterwards. Couldn't help it :).

It was the book mentioned above, >144 LovingLit:. The speaker/author wrote all about his mountaineering experiences from the late 1970s, until the mid 2010s when he was severely injured. I had a tiny obsession with Everest memoirs a few years back, and what I was trying to find out then was what made people do it. Well, this memoir gives a beautiful account of why the risks are worth it. The fact that the descriptions are all of New Zealand Landscapes, with which I am familiar, makes it all the more special for me.

Yay- a wonderful read! I am glad I forked out the cost of it and helped a local writer and publisher.

>145 LovingLit: ...and bought at a local event! You hit the trifecta, Megan.

Hoping September's reads will make the spring lovelier for you.

Just wanted to say hi, Megan. xx

>146 richardderus: Hi RD! Spring has, thank goodness, arrived. Although I am in love with our fire (me and the cat scrap for pole position *directly in front*), I am very much enjoying the warmer and lighter mornings. And the ability to dry our washing in one day instead of 2-3-4.

>147 PaulCranswick: Morning Paul- hi back. I was hoping my return to LT after a month or more off and the almost immediately occurring cyber attack was just a coincidence... it wasn't me, I don't think!?

Today I work from home on my current university research project- interviewing hunters about the ways in which their recreational hunting contributes to their household food. A promising number of people have volunteered to be involved, so now I am in a scheduling nightmare trying to fit everyone in on Wednesdays or Fridays (9-2). Haha, yeah right, weekends and evenings, here I come!

Finished reading Perfect Little World by Kevin Wilson, which I though wasn't all that great to honest, but was a nice jaunt anyways.

Book 35
Leonard and Hungry Paul by Ronan Hession (on audio)

What a strange and lovely little book! Leonard and his friend Paul are the men that kind of got left behind; although adults, they still live in the respective family homes and live their quiet lives. But then Leonard meets a nice lady, and the dynamic of the friendship changes. They remain their geeky and cool selves, but adjust to the newness of it all.
*recommended*

>150 LovingLit: An interesting starting premise. You're getting good reading done, Megan! Happy for you at the duds being largely absent.

And, taking me to book #37...it is
Book 35: Leonard and Hungry Paul by Ronan Hession (fiction)(audio)
Book 36: The Magpie Wing by Max Easton (fiction)(audio), and
Book 37: Natural Causes by Barbara Ehrenreich (non fiction, paperback)

It's true. I have not fallen off the face of the earth, merely survived the school holidays (and work), and a general election in which the right-leaning parties dominated. *sad face* But at least our national rugby team won a game, I guess....(grasping at straws here).

Meanwhile, I read!

>151 richardderus: a pleasing lack of duds, indeed, RD. I do tend to give the benefit of the doubt when it comes to authors, but when you read Book 37, and then straight after start Book 38 and see a massive difference in the quality of the word and the plot...you realise that Book 38 is AMAZEBALLS (and probably this explains why The Bell in the Lake was Donna's Book of the Year, 2020!- according to my records).

>152 LovingLit: Glad to see you, and to know that I am not the only one who falls off the face of the earth every now and then. Sorry about your elections. Seems to be a trend unfortunately. Encouraged by Poland. How's W doing with long covid?

>153 LovingLit: Oooo

I'm intrigued to know what you end up thinking about the book!

*smooch*

hissbooo on y'all's lurch politically

>150 LovingLit: I abandoned #35, so glad to find someone here keen on it. (The author popped up at an online book group I was at and I felt sad I couldn't enthuse about his book!)

Hi, Megan. Just checking in. Glad to hear that you have "not fallen off the face of the earth" and I am glad that the boys are doing good. I can't believe Lenny is going to be twelve. Wow!

Sorry to hear about your election. Ugh!! Good luck!