Deborah ( vancouverdeb) reads in 2023 Part 4

My best walking buddy and all sorts of other things. Poppy. She was born to rescue dog who came up from California, so we do not know what breed mix she is for certain. I did a DNA my dog shortly after we got her and it came back 75% or more poodle, and much lower down, Great White Pyrenes and Brittany Spaniel. But I just say she is poodle- Maltese cross if any one asks, because that what I think she looks like. Poppy will be 10 years old later this September.

January
1 Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver 4.5 stars F, American
2 The Fallout by Yrsa Sigurdardottir 4 stars F, Icelandic

February
3 Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan 3 stars F, Ireland
4The Magdalen Girls by V.S. Alexander 4 stars , Ireland
5Mrs England by Stacey Halls 4 stars, UK , F

March
6 Weyward by Emilia Hart 4.5 stars
7Trespasses by Louise Kennedy 4.5 stars, Ireland , F
8 The Bandit Queens byParini Shroff 4 stars , India, F

April

9)All The Broken Places byJohn Boyne 5 Stars, Ireland, M
10)Foster byClaire Keegan 3 stars, Ireland, F
11) The White Lady byJacqueline Winspear 4 stars , UK ,F
12)Wandering Souls by Cecile Pin 3 stars , F
13)The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke 4 stars , UK, F

May
14) The Midnight News by Jo Baker 5 stars, UK, F
15) Looking For Jane by Heather Marshall 3 stars , Canada, F
16) V For Victory by Lissa Evans 4.5 stars, UK, F

June
17)Murder of Mr Wickham by Claudia Gray USA, F 3.75 stars
18)Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris UK, F, 4 stars
19 Strange Flowers by Donal Ryan Ireland, M, 3.75 stars
20) The Butterfly House byKatrine Engberg , F , Denmark, 4 stars

July
21) Old God's Time by Sebastian Barry, M, Ireland, 4.5stars
22) Our Hideous Progeny by C.E. McGill, N/B , UK/ USA 4 stars
23)Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe N/B USA 4 stars

August
24) The Librarianist by Patrick deWitt M, Canada DNF page 200
25) The East Indian by Brinda Charry F, India/ USA 4 stars
26 )A Spell of Good Things by Ayobami Adebayo F, Nigeria 4 stars
27) The 4:50 From Paddington by Agatha Christie F, Britain , 3.5 stars

September
28)The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves F, Britain, 4 stars
29)Prophet Song by Paul Lynch, M, Ireland, 4.5 stars
30) Western Lane by Chetna Maroo , F, UK, 4 stars
31) This Other Edenby Paul Harding , M, USA , 4 stars
32)Gin, Turpentine, Pennyroyal, Rue byChristine Higdon , F, Canada, 5 stars

October
33) The Bee Sting by Paul Murray M, Ireland, 5 stars
34Chop Suey Nation by Ann Hui , F, Canada, 3 stars

Prize Winners and Nominees Q1 and Q2

Q 1

Demon Copperhead Womens Prize for Literature Winner , 2023, Pulitzer Prize Winner, 2023
Small Things Like These Booker Prize Shortlist 2022, International Impac Longlist 2022,
Mrs England Walter Scott Prize Longlist 2022, Portico Prize Longlist, 2022
Trespasses Women's Prize for Literature Shortlist , 2023, Irish Book Award Novel Prize, 2022
The Bandit Queens Women's Prize Shortlist, 2023
Wandering Souls Women's Prize Longlist , 2023
The Lighthouse Witches Edgar Award Nominee , 2022

Q 2
Black Butterflies Women's Prize for Literature Longlist 2023
Strange Flowers Irish Book Award Novel Award 2020, International Dublin Impac Longlist, 2022

Prize Winners and Nominees Q3 and Q4

Q 3
Gender Queer Alex Award (2020), Stonewall Award Honorable Mention (2020)
Old God's Time Booker Longlist 2023
A Spell of Good Things Booker Longlist 2023
Prophet Song Booker Short List2023
Western Lane Booker Short List 2023
This Other Eden Booker Short List 2023

Q4
The Bee Sting Booker Short List 2023

Currently reading The Witching Tide by Margaret Meyer

Welcome, everyone , to my thread! Please drop by and say hi, drop a star, whatever suits you!

Happy new thread, Deborah!

Happy new thread Deborah!

Poppy's a darling, but of course you know.

>10 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita! Great to see you!

>11 quondame: Hi Susan! I do think that Poppy is darling, yes. Sometimes I feel like I am surrounded by cuteness, between my two grandchildren ( pictures last thread ) and dear Poppy :-)

Happy new thread, Deb.

I will start Prophet Song this evening too.

>12 vancouverdeb: I came in early, Deborah, and missed Poppy at the top.
She always looks so sweet, can't believe she is almost ten now!

Happy new thread, Deb. Poppy looks like a movie star! Just missing the sunglasses! ;-)

Happy new thread!

>1 vancouverdeb: Poppy is one adorable pooch!

>1 vancouverdeb: Yay, Poppy! You are a beauty.

>8 vancouverdeb: I will be starting that one today too! Looking forward to reading it.

Happy new thread!

>13 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul! I managed to read 80 pages of the Prophet Song and I plan to get another 30 pages read later today. I won't always read at that pace, but just so you know for today.

>14 FAMeulstee: I am a bit surprised to realize that Poppy will be 10 this September, too, Anita! Fortunately she is a small dog, 18 lbs so we hope to have her for 5 more years or so, as long as she does not come up a sudden illness. She is cute! :-)

>15 jessibud2: She can look like a model too, Shelley! :-) She was a very challenging dog as a puppy and continues to have a few challenging behaviours, so we've always said it's a good thing she is cute!

>16 figsfromthistle: Thanks Anita! I'm afraid Poppy may be getting to big for her britches, with this praise!

>17 alcottacre: Poppy is a beauty. I do tell that pretty much every day. 80 pages into Prophet Song and it is very good, Stasia!

Happy new thread!

Connections
Puzzle #93
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Just made it.

>20 drneutron: Thanks, Jim! And thanks for updating the threadbook! I look for threads via the threadbook nearly every day.

If anyone is on the fence about reading Prophet Song by Paul Lynch, I am loving it! It's on the Booker Longlist. It's dark and dystopian, but I'm really loving it.

>1 vancouverdeb: Loki sends her compliments to Poppy. What a cute puppy you are! Happy new thread Deborah.

>24 mdoris: Thanks Mary! Poppy says hi to Loki! I often meet up with Standard Poodles when I am walking Poppy and I always think of you , P, and Loki. I'm not looking forward to walking Poppy in the rain, but I know the days are coming, Mary.

>23 vancouverdeb: It is not really easily available in the U.S.A - release date being Dec. 12, 2023.

Happy new thread, Deborah. Your grandchildren (from the previous thread) are adorable. They grow up so fast! Your dog is adorable.

>26 quondame: It's somewhat similar here in Canada, Susan. I could order it easily from Amazon ca, but when I looked at the release date at Canada's big box book Chain, Indigo/Chapters, the release date is Dec 22 2023, I think it was. My public library has Prophet Song on order, and I assume that they will get it in December. I can see that Prophet Song is not available on amazon com ( USA ) until Oct sometime if you order it now and they ship it from the UK. Likewise, you can order it from Blackwell's Books , here, https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/home?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7q2mxcaogQMVdCqzAB15nAr... as Stasia has done. Free shipping. I'm not sure why the difference. I'm sure loving it!

>27 BLBera: Thanks Beth! I've not seen a recent picture of Scout, but I bet she is adorable too! They do grow up fast. I'm soon out for a walk with good old Poppy. She is cute, yes, but temperamental at times.

Deb my progress stalled a little but not because of the book - which I am enjoying - but because I had to have dinner with my opposite number in the Client's office to try and settle a few points of dispute on the Project. Dinner was a success but my reading suffered.

Hangover wearing off so I shall look to catch up later!

Wordle 816 2/6

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crane, clear

A lucky day with Wordle

Well done with >31 vancouverdeb: - it took me four.

>30 PaulCranswick: I am glad you are enjoying Prophet Song like me , Paul . Glad that hangover is wearing off . The things that we must do for the sake of our work ! I’m you’ll have no trouble keeping up with Stasia and me .

Happy new thread, Deb! :)

Happy new thread, Deborah! Poppy looks sweet.

>34 PlatinumWarlock: Thanks, Lavinia!

>35 atozgrl: Thanks Irene! Poppy is very sweet, thank you!

I am continuing on with my booker Long List reading and hope to finish up Prophet Song on Saturday, I think. I just picked up Western Lane by Chetna Maroo from the library, so I think that will be my next read. It's quite short at 160 pages , which is nice.

>37 vancouverdeb: I managed to find How to Build a Boat by Elaine Feeney today, Deb, so I have already gotten six of the longlist.

New 🧵 orisons, Deb!

>38 PaulCranswick: I am scheduled to read that one this month, Paul.

Have a fantastic Friday, Deb!

Happy New Thread, since I posted on your old one.

Six for me today on Wordle. And then I clicked the "Did you beat the bot?" analysis and learned I played a very poor game. Oh well, six, while not a happy dance, is better than a crash.

I've also been playing Connections since you mentioned it on your last thread

Just dropping by to let you know that I finished Prophet Song this afternoon. Thank you for spurring me to get it read!

Deborah, high praise for Madagascar LIndt chocolate. Very, very yummy! Thanks for the hot tip.

>38 PaulCranswick: You are fortunate Paul , to have How to Build a Boat. A lot of books aren't available in North America yet, unless I order from Blackwell's as Stasia did. I'll probably wait until the short list is announced to order a book from Blackwell's , though which one I am not sure yet.

I've read A Spell of Good Things, Old God's Time, and nearly finished Prophet Song. Then I plan to read Western Lane. After that we'll see .

>39 richardderus: Thanks Richard! So far, so good! :-)

>40 alcottacre: I had productive day, Stasia. Laundry, walked the dog,made dinner etc. I have about 10 pages left to read in Prophet Song, which I'll do after I catch up on my thread.

>42 alcottacre: I think we all spurred each other on, Stasia. The three of us did well! :-)

>41 streamsong: I did not have a particularly great day with Wordle either, Janet. It took me 5 . I enjoy Connections but it can be tricky! I really love checking the Wordle Bot analysis too. One of the day's highlights!

>42 alcottacre: I'm glad you enjoyed the Madagascar Lindt Chocolate, Mary! Always happy to pass along a hot tip to a fellow chocolate lover. I love chocolate a bit too much.

>45 vancouverdeb: I agree. We did spur each other on and did well!

>47 alcottacre: Indeed, we did, Stasia! Thanks!

Prophet Song by Paul Lynch 4.5 stars

I'll be very surprised if Prophet Song does not get shortlisted for the Booker Shortlist, and I think it is a front - runner for the Booker Prize.

An Emergency Powers Act in Ireland has enabled the Garda National Services Bureau ( GNSB) to have sweeping and tyrannical powers. A knock on door, in the night, at Eilish and Larry Stack's door brings the GNSB to interrogate Larry, a trade unionist and teacher. Soon afterwards, Larry disappears, taken by the GNSB. Eilish is left to care for her four children, Mark, Molly, Bailey and Ben, as well as her father, who is suffering from dementia. The Stack children range in age from 17 to an infant. Eilish struggles to keep her children safe in what becomes a violent civil war. Food become scarce, electricity fails,and travelling within the city become a terrifying ordeal as rebel forces and the Irish government clash. Roadblocks are everywhere.

The power of this novel is that this nightmarish scenario could happen anywhere, and is likely how people in countries like Syria, Afghanistan ,and many others have already experienced. A dark, propulsive , engaging read.

Right now , Prophet Song and Old God's Time are tied for first place, for me, with the three Longlist bookers that I have read so far. Next would comeA Spell of Good Things.

>49 vancouverdeb: Nicely reviewed and yes the three of us did spur each other on well. My own review will be last, but is coming soon and will also be a positive one.

I'm not as confident as you are that it will get the ultimate blessing of the Booker Prize judges, but it is certainly at least on a par with the better of the recent winners.

>51 PaulCranswick: I’m looking forward to your review , Paul . I’m not at all sure that Prophet Song will win the Booker, but I think it is a strong contender. In part , I am going by what I have heard on popular book tubers videos, and also Good Reads Dynamic Ranking of the Booker Long List . But I genuinely think it is a very strong contender. But the judges surprised us with the Booker Long List, so who know?

Wordle 819 2/6

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Hi Deb. Nice job on today's Wordle!

I love the pic of sweet Poppy at the top of your new thread.

I brought Prophet Song home from Ireland and I'm excited to read it. This year's Booker longlist seems to be a good one.

Happy new thread, Deborah. Congrats on your Wordles in two!

Penny says "Woof!" to Poppy. Such a cute picture.

>49 vancouverdeb: Sold! You make Prophet Song sound irresistible, Deborah. I will have to check to see if my library system has it. So many of the new Booker titles are unavailable right now.

>52 vancouverdeb: Just to let you know that my review of Prophet Song is up. I had a sleep to think about it before putting it up. I liked it that much that I followed you by also putting the review in the work page of the book to encourage others outside the group to go and look it up.

I will promote Old God's Time too now since you rate it as highly as that one. Thank God for Irish Literature!

>49 vancouverdeb: Very good review of Prophet Song, Deb.
I just double checked my Library and it still is not in their catalog.
I'm currently listening to Old God's Time and finding it quite good.. I especially found Tom's thoughts about widowerhood so relatable.

>49 vancouverdeb: Great comments, Deborah. It goes on my WL.

Hiya Deb! Happy-Sunday *smooch*

>54 EBT1002: I am you will like Prophet Song, Ellen! Good choice. Initially I was not sure about this year's Booker List, but now I am quite positive about it.

>55 Familyhistorian: Thanks Meg! Some days are lucky and I get Wordle in two.

>57 PaulCranswick: I'll check out your review shortly, Paul. I'm glad you put your review on the main page since we do want to get the word out there. I did really love Old God's Time. I can't decide if Prophet Song or Old God's Time is the better book, and probably never will. Very different novels, but both excellent!

>56 Donna828: I missed you up there for a moment , Donna! Sorry. Poppy says " woof " right back to Penny , which is also my mom's name :-) I'm sure you will find Prophet Song to be a good read. Unfortunately, I doubt if it is readily available in the USA. I was fortunate to find it on Amazon ca, but it's not at the libraries here , nor is it available at our main Canadian Book Store , Indigo/ Chapters. As you say , so many Booker Long List titles are not available in North America yet.

>58 Carmenere: Thanks Lynda. Our library system does not have Prophet Song either, and I think the release date in Canada is December 22 2023. Old God's Time is very good , and very touching. I am both glad and sad that you found Old God's Time so relatable.

>59 BLBera: When you can get your hands on it, I am sure you enjoy Prophet Song , Beth.

>60 richardderus: Sunday smooch right back atcha, Richard!

I ended up having a busier day than I anticipated yesterday as my only aunt and uncle were in town from Winnipeg for a couple of days. I didn't expect to see them, as they were here for their son's wedding and I knew they would be busy. But I got a call at around 7 pm last night and hurried over to visit with them and some of my cousins who were also in town. It was great to see them/

I've started Western Lane, my next book from the Booker List and though I am only about 12 pages in, it seems very promising.

>64 vancouverdeb: I am hoping to get to both that one and Old God's Time soon-ish, whenever that is :)

>65 alcottacre: You read so fast, Stasia. Good for you! I know you are busy, and off on holiday soon. I finished Western Lane just now, and I loved it. I need to think about it over night , I think, until I think of a review. I'm very impressed by the Booker Longlist so far, though I have only read 4 so far, Western Lane, A Spell of Good Things, Prophet Song , and Old God's Time.

>65 alcottacre: I have read Prophet Song, If I Survive You, A Spell of Good Things, and How to Build a Boat thus far and if I were voting on the Booker now, hands down my vote would be for Prophet Song. I will start Pearl tomorrow and see where it fits in for me.

Western Lane by Chetna Maroo 4 stars

A beautifully told story of a family struggling to come to terms with the grief of the loss of their wife and mother.

Gopi is eleven when her Ma dies, her sisters, Khush, thirteen and Mona, fifteen. Their father is uncertain of how to grieve the loss of his wife,and how to parent his children. Uncle Parvan and Aunt Ranjan visit , and offer to take one of the children. Their father decides that squash will be a way for the family to cope, and Gopi excels at this. Pa ( who remains unnamed throughout the book) becomes withdrawn, doesn't work and begins a relationship with a white woman, Linda.

This is a quiet, subtle , and very moving story.

Page 101 " I didn't know , then, that it was to the limping creature behind Pa's eyes that I should have been paying attention. Instead, I was thinking of the presence whose hold on Pa was slipping away, and the feeling that if it did, then our living room and our house and Western Lane and everything we knew would go with it."

Hey Deb, just back from Victoria. Can't say I love that city anymore, but many good hikes in North Saanich and the Cordova Bay area made up for the ugly suburban sprawl. And no wild fire smoke!

You've earned a gold star for all the wide topics you've been reading *and* Booker long list titles.

Happy New Thread, Deb! Hooray for Poppy! Best walking buddy ever! I am back and slowly catching up on some threads. I am also going through Jackson withdrawal. I plan on seeing him on Thursday and Friday and possibly Saturday. 😁❤️

>67 alcottacre: Great reading, Stasia! I think my rating so far for the Booker Longlist would be Old God's Time and Prophet Song tied for first place, and A Spell of Good Things and Western Lane tied for 2 nd place. I hope to start This Other Eden this evening sometime. I was considering ordering Pearl, but it was on presale at amazon ca, but on the date it was due to be ordered, it had changed to being shipped from the UK . So I 'll just wait until the short list is announced before I decide what else I might order. Prophet Song is definitely a front runner, I think too, and I won't be surprised at to see it win the Booker Prize.

>69 SandyAMcPherson: Great to see you, Sandy! I'm sorry that Victoria disappointed you. I have not been there in while but I have some cousins visiting there right now, and they used to live there and seem to be very happy to visit. Is there a Canadian City worth it's salt that does not have some sort of urban sprawl? Sign of a successful city, I think. I absolutely love it here in Richmond and Vancouver and Lower Mainland, and I'm sure some would say we have urban sprawl.

Thanks for your kind words re my reading a good variety of books and from the Booker Longlist. I do like to read different genres, though you won't find me reading Sci - Fi or Romance, or horror. Nothing wrong with those genres, but not my thing. I'm a little obsessed by the Booker Long list at the moment, it seems .

>70 msf59: Poppy is a darling, and yes, my best walking buddy, Mark!I'll bet Juno is a fabulous walking buddy as well. I'm glad you will see Jackson soon. Three days in row! Glad your back, buddy!

>71 vancouverdeb: Western Lane intrigues me, Deb but unfortunately it is not in Malaysia yet. Blackwells will deliver but they price in for the delivery cost.

Wordle 823 2/6

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crane, snare,

Finally a day I did not bomb out in Connections .

Connections
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>75 vancouverdeb: good going! I could have gotten it in 3 but. If course, out of two words I thought of using I chose the incorrect one.
>76 vancouverdeb: Yay! I also do Connections. It's a good challenge.

>68 vancouverdeb: Yeah, I may be packing that one for my October trip.

>71 vancouverdeb: Pearl is good - I reached the halfway point last night and will finish it today - but I do not see it making the Short List. More on that once I actually finish the book.

>75 vancouverdeb: Wordle in two, and a perfect Connections! Great puzzling, you!

Karen O

I love all your Booker readings. There are a few copies of Prophet Song currently on Amazon.com and I am sitting on my hands to not purchase one. I just have way tooo many books home from the library right now, including half a dozen that I won't be able to renew due to their wait lists.

Wordle in 3 for me today. I've been trying Connections, and though I blazed through the first three or four puzzles, I have been striking out lately. Today I am halfway done with it and letting it cook in my brain for a while. Sometimes I do my best thinking when I'm not actively thinking about it.

Wow! I got the Wordle in 3. I'm not sure I've ever gotten it in 2.

>74 PaulCranswick: Luckily, Western Lane was available for me at the library, Paul, so price was not an issue for me. But I looked at the price of Western Lane on amazon ca and our Canadian bookstore, and it is the same price there as on Western Lane. But of course not many of us can afford to purchase them all.

>77 Carmenere: Thanks Lynda! They are fun games! I managed to connections today ! Didn't get skunked, as is often the case!

>78 alcottacre: Well, Stasia, now that Western Lane has made the shortlist , I'll bet you will be packing it. And it's nice and short. I really enjoyed it. I would like to read Pearl, but so far my library does not have it. We'll see as time goes on. I've heard good things about it.

>79 klobrien2: Thanks Karen! A rare day that I get Connections perfect and Wordle in two!

Hello Deborah. It is another gorgeous day for us here on the west coast. I have been out in the garden. Hope you are having a good day too. Happy fall to you! So our much valued book Old God's Time did not make the short list. Pity!

>82 vancouverdeb: Well Deb Prophet Song made it onto the shortlist as did Western Lane. Surprisingly Sebastian Barry and Tan Twan Eng both did not. Your one Canadian author is there and the two Americans also.

Great night for Pauls. Is it the first time when three authors with the first given names made the shorlist (Harding, Murray and Lynch).

>80 streamsong: Thanks Janet! I am loving all my Booker Readings, and I am very excited that the Booker Shortlist has been revealed, and I am going to post it when I finish responding to posts on my thread. Have you ordered Prophet Song now that it has made the short list ? I just ordered The Bee Sting , and I have been sitting on my hands about that one as well. It will take a couple of weeks to arrive, so I won't be reading it for a while. I had to order from amazon com to get the the fastest shipping, as it is not available on amazon ca, except to be shipped from the UK, and likewise it is a two week wait to order from Chapters/ Indigo , our Canadian store. I'm glad you are doing well on Connections lately!

>81 The_Hibernator: I've gotten Wordle in 1 just once, and I since I am not going to change my start word, I'll just do that once, Rachel. Getting it in one is pure luck and even getting it in two takes a fair bit of luck. A good starting word.

>85 PaulCranswick: Yes, I'm just going to post the Booker Long list, Paul. I watched a reaction video to it, and found it quite humourous. I am not at all surprised to that Prophet Song made the list, and I'm happy that Western Lane did too. I'm half way through This Other Eden and enjoying it. I am surprised that Old God's Time didn't make it, as I really thought that was a great read, but oh well!

It's a good year to be named Paul! :-)

Booker Short List

Prophet Song by Paul Lynch
Western Lane by Chetna Maroo
Bee Sting by Paul Murray
This Other Eden by Paul Harding
Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein
If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery

I'm really quite happy with the Booker Short List. I've read Prophet Song, Western Lane and I am half way through This Other Eden , which I am enjoying.

I was hoping to see Old God's Time, but that is no problem. I just ordered Bee Sting and it will take about two weeks to get here. I'm on the hold list for If I Survive You at the library, and I am not sure about Study For Obedience. It's not at the library as yet, and I'm not going to purchase it. The only only Booker I plan/ hope to read for read for certain is Bee Sting , since I have heard good things about it.

>89 vancouverdeb: I have The Bee Sting on the shelf already and will try to read it next month. If you are up for revisiting our shared read on that one too then I will happily do so.

>90 PaulCranswick: I'll have a think on that, Paul. I probably will do so. It's on the long side, so it's is a bit intimidating. And of course I have not yet seen a page of the book. But yes, pencil me in. It arrives on Oct the 5th I think, for me. Thanks Paul!

Sweet Thursday, Deb. Thanks for sharing the Book short list. I have not read any of them. This Other Eden has been on my TBR since it was published. I have recently added Prophet Song, after all the warbling going on around here. I also want to read Bee Sting but I want to read his novel Skippy Dies first. We are doing a shared read of it in October.

Not surprising, I had a fine time with Jack today. I even took him on the trails with me. We will have him again on Saturday. Yah!

>88 vancouverdeb: Wow, will you look at all those swingin' dicks? And only ONE Brit! *sigh* Very mixed feelings about this kind of globalization. *heavier sigh*

Have a lovely weekend-ahead's reads.

>93 richardderus: Well RD, I don't think I am a Little Englander in anything other than vertical stature but the UK did produce some good fiction this year by all accounts :

Here is a Booker Dozen (13) that have garnered some praise and will certainly be on my reading desk in the next two years.

Wandering Souls by Cecile Pin is one I can confirm was a good 'un.
Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson (owned)
The New Life by Tom Crewe
Caret by Adam Mars-Jones
Cuddy by Benjamin Myers (owned)
Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh (owned)
To Battersea Park by Philip Hensher
The Fraud by Zadie Smith
Someday, Maybe by Onyi Nwabineli
Penance by Eliza Clark (owned)
In Memoriam by Alice Winn
Victory City by Salman Rushdie
and
Yellowface by RF Kuang

>92 msf59: Thanks Mark. I have made good progress today with This Other Eden. I hope to finish it tomorrow evening. I'm quite sure you would like it. Stasia and Paul and I are going to do shared read of The Bee Sting in October. Prophet Song is definitely worth the read. I'm glad you have had a Jackson day! I need to text with my son and DIL and find out when I might see my own grandkids. Melissa is now in full day kindergarten, and then she has ice skating lesson, piano lessons and Mandarin lesson. I'm going to have to make an appointment to see her.

>93 richardderus: Yes, 4 guys and just 2 women. Well, the Booker jury is 3 women and 3 men. Maybe a woman will win the prize, but I'd say odd are on Paul Lynch of Prophet Song. Thanks for the good wishes re this weekends reading! * smooch* Richard.

>94 PaulCranswick: Of that list, I have only read Wandering Souls, which was also on the Women's Prize list earlier this year. I do own In Memoriam and The New Life. I'll have to have a look at the rest of the list. Several I am familiar with.

>96 vancouverdeb: Same here Deb only Wandering Souls for me too. I did manage to add two more of the books on my list in >94 PaulCranswick: and I aim to read one a month for a Best of Current British Challenge.

Good luck with gathering all the potential Bookers, Deborah. Enjoy what’s predicted to be our last day of sunshine for a while.

>99 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Meg! I think I gathered all of the potential Booker Shortlist now. I've read Prophet Song and Western Lane and I should finish off This Other Eden this evening. I have holds on A Study for Obedience and If I Survive You at my library . I've ordered Bee Sting. The only Short Listed Booker that I will read for certain, besides the almost three I have almost read , is Bee Sting. I'll see what the others look like when the holds come in from the library .

Ugh! I know we need rain, Meg, but I'm not looking forward to it. I'll have to dig up my rain pants. sigh.

Happy weekend-ahead's reads, Deb!

Ugh to the rain coming but yes we need it! Exhausted from gardening today, sort of a last ditch attempt. A to B, B to C. kind of gardening. Things are needing the rain but not me. Hope Poppy likes the rain coat!

>100 richardderus: Thanks Richard! *Smooch*

>101 mdoris: Ugh indeed, Mary! It's hard to believe that we are getting rain tomorrow. No, Poppy does not like her rain coat at all. But she is used to it, over the years. It will be a bit of shock to her, as it will me. I still have yet to dig up my rain pants. Hard to believe after a beautiful day today, that we are in for a long period of rain. I'm glad you got you gardening, even though you are exhausted. I headed out on along walk with Poppy, in my shorts, soaking up the rays while I can.

A bit of a book haul today. There was a book I wanted that the library did not have, so off I went to Indigo/ Chapters .

The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods . I wanted something fun to read after so many Booker Reads - the reason I went to the bookstore.
Learned by Heart by Emma Donoghue I've had my eye on it for a while
The HouseKeepers by Alex Hay. I've been looking it for a while, and it seemed a like good fun read.
Gin, Turpentine, Pennyroyal, Rue by Christine Higdon saw it on the shelf and it looked good. Canadian author and takes place in Vancouver, 1922.

Nice haul, Deborah.

So good to have a book haul and success tracking down books that you want to read. I think I have the new E. Donoghue book on reserve at the library. I really like her writing. I got flooded with non fiction books and I read those more slowly.

>103 vancouverdeb: Interesting that the lasr book's title is a list of effective, unbannable abortifacients...

Good Sunday's reads, Deb!

>1 vancouverdeb: Aw, Poppy is adorable! Isn't it nice to have a good walking buddy!? I don't know what I'd do without mine (except not walk as much).

My library doesn't have Prophet Song yet, which is kind of surprising - they are usually very good about being on top of new books. Oh, well, it's not like I don't have enough books to keep me busy! :)

>104 BLBera: Thanks Beth, I look forward to starting one of them but which one I am not sure.

>105 mdoris: It is fun to get some new books, and especially the ones that you want to read. Mary. I don't read much non-fiction, though I have a brother who is always trying to loan me non- fiction books. He really likes historical non- fiction. I'm glad you have Learned by Heart on hold at the library. I hope it comes in for you soon.

>106 richardderus: You are much more knowledgeable than me, Richard. I had no idea that the title of Gin, Turpentine, Pennyroyal, Rue was a list of unbannable abortifacients. I just looked at the title and looked at the blurb on the back and thought , good , historical fiction and it takes place in Vancouver. But, someone in the book does want an illegal abortion according to the blurb. I hope to have good Sunday reads. Today has been busy walking the dog, dealing with a dead landline and calling my service provider and doing some grocery shopping. Fortunately when Dave got home, he was able to sort out the problem - a dead call display, because me and the agent on the phone were unable to sort things out . They are supposed to call back as of 20 minutes ago, but no dice so far. But, problem solved thanks to my husband.

>107 Copperskye: Thanks for your kinds words about Poppy, Joanne. She is indeed a good walking buddy, though she is not keen on the rain. Today we managed to get out during a break in the rain. I think I would walk just as much with or without Poppy, but they keep you out , rain or shine, everyday. I hope you library will soon get Prophet Song in soon. I don't think my library has it either, or at least they did not when I purchased the book on amazon ca. It's not due out in Canada until December 22, 2023. I got lucky with amazon ca.

>103 vancouverdeb: What an excellent book haul!

Happy Sunday, Deb. Of course, we are enjoying our time with Jack. I read him a story before bed last night and he actually stayed put. He is so darn smart. I can't imagine how he will be at 3. My library system also does not have Prophet Song. WTH? I am definitely not buying many books these days.

Hi Deb. I'm about a third into Prophet Song and it is really good. I bought it in Ireland - a signed copy! The narrative style took me a minute to get used to but oh, so lovely. Re others on the short list, I've read This Other Eden and If I Survive You. I'll need to get my paws on the other three. I brought How to Build a Boat and A Spell of Good Things home from Ireland but they didn't make the cut.

Gin, Turpentine, Pennyroyal, Rue looks interesting. Oh how I wish my town had a good bookstore!

>111 figsfromthistle: Thanks Anita! I was happy with it. I know you enjoyed Learned by Heart not long ago, and I had that in mind. I have enjoyed most of Emma Donoghue's books, so I expect I will enjoy this too. I think my favourites by her are Pull of The Stars and The Wonder. She is a very good author.

>112 msf59: I managed to get my dog walking in before the rain fell, Mark, so it's a good day! :-) Welcome to club of those of us with the smartest and cutest grandchildren! It's great that you are encouraging him to read. I was back at the bookstore again, getting Melissa and Miles a Halloween themed book for each of them. I love to give them little gifts. ( and big, if I can afford it :-) . Sorry that you library does not have Prophet Song. Neither does mine. It's now on order though.

>113 EBT1002: I really loved Prophet Song too, Ellen. I couldn't put it down either. How lucky you are to have signed copy of Prophet Song! I won't be surprised if it wins the Booker, and then you practically be famous with your signed copy. Sorry your town doesn't have a decent bookstore. The Indigo / Chapter's here in Richmond is relatively small, but I did manage to get some good books. If I really want a good browse, I head into Vancouver and they have a much bigger Chapters/ Indigo.

It was pure browsing luck that I found Gin, Turpentine , Pennyroyal , Rue. I hope it is as good as it looks.

>115 vancouverdeb: I remember you telling Stasia and I that you were worried about reading place and was it ok to do 30 pages a day......and suddenly you were 100 pages in and flying!

>103 vancouverdeb: Isn't it great how reading from book awards when it hits the spot pushes you to visit a bookstore?!

Hani was out buying books for me on Saturday!!! Maybe she has had too much sun in the UK! Or perhaps she is just missing me. She had ordered the next book in the Lin Anderson series I have been reading and couldn't get here and which she was going to the bookshop to collect for me. She asked me to give her a list of books to get for me. Not wishing to push my luck I mentioned two titles and she bought me one of those - In Memoriam by Alice Winn. I felt really guilty when she told me it was only available in hardback and had cost her GBP24!

Did okay with this game.🐎 Animal #56 🐆
I figured it out in 3 guesses!
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https://metazooa.com/
#metazooa

Wordle 828 3/6

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>83 vancouverdeb: Pearl only rated 3.75 stars from me, unfortunately. I was really hoping that I would like it more than I did. Obviously I am in the minority since it made the Booker Longlist! I have already set Western Lane aside to get to in October.

>88 vancouverdeb: I cannot tell you how disappointed I am to see the Escoffery book on the shortlist.

>103 vancouverdeb: Nice haul!

>116 PaulCranswick: Prophet Song was a very excellent read, Paul, and hard to put down. One hundred pages a day is definitely not my normal reading pace. I usually shoot for 50 pages a day when reading with a group on LT, but sometimes that is a slog.

Wonderful that Hani was out purchasing you books yesterday, Paul . I'll bet she is missing you , Paul . And why should she not ? I must admit you might have to grab the smelling salts to bring me out of a faint if Dave purchased me a book or books, so shocked would I be. He never buys me a books, perhaps because I am rather good at myself, as are you. He"ll pick up a hold from the library, or wait patiently while shop in a bookstore ( sometimes) but he has never purchased me a book. I'm happy for you Paul, and I hope you enjoy In Memoriam. I hope you are soon able to get to the UK to see Hani and little Pip.

>119 alcottacre: Stasia, I am sorry that Pearl did not work out for you. I have yet to read it, I think I have a hold for it on the library, where it is still on order. Western Lane was good read for me, and I think my second favourite of the 3 shortlisted Booker reads that I have read. I also have the Jonathan Escoffery book on hold at the library, but whether I will get to read it, I am not sure. I guess I will look it over when it comes in from it's hold. Thanks re my haul .

This Other Eden by Paul Harding 4 stars

A sad story inspired by historical events that took place on a small island in the USA called Malaga .

In 1792, a formerly enslaved black man, and his caucasian wife, Patience Rafferty, arrive on " Apple Island". Over the years, they have descendants, and other people arrive. It is a mixed race island, where people live in poverty, but in relative peace. These include Theo and Candace Lark, likely brother and sister, and their children. The McDermott sisters, Violet and Iris, survive by taking in laundry and fostering children, orphans of a Native American woman. Zachary Hand to God is a civil war veteran.

A missionary, Matthew Diamond, arrives to assist the Islanders with the education of the children. P. 93 " he is sickened by his incurable aversion to help these people he truly believes he is ordained to help."

Soon after, a committee from the Governor's Council arrive to inspect the settlement and the residents of the Island. Afterwards, an announcement appears in the Foxden Newspaper." Homeless Apple Island Residents made wards of the State: Queer Squatters deemed degenerate, in need of assistance."

A dark and disturbing read.

I've now read 3 of the 6 books from the Booker Long List.

In top spot for me, is Prophet Song, next Western Lane and then This Other Eden.

>123 vancouverdeb: I sense that Prophet Song is a stellar read, but for me, too dystopian.
The Guardian had a good review, https://tinyurl.com/376pfktu

I especially found it reflective of Canadian politics' move to this prediction (quoting from the Guardian's book quote), ... Civil liberties erode and civil war breaks out. Like a lobster in a boiling pot, people don’t realise their freedoms have been obliterated until it’s too late.

Edited to add, the Guardian quote from Paul Lynch's book (using his boiling lobster analogy) is rather strange. Out of context, so maybe in the book it was more sensible. But really? By the time the lobster's in boiling water, it's dead. So following the analogy, dead people won't realise anything.

Since you've read the book, Deb, does the complete quote (via the review) mean anything to you? I mean, if its on a Booker shortlist... let's be picky.

>123 vancouverdeb: 3 from 6 of the shortlist is good going - will you finish the shortlist in time for the announcement of the winner. There are two Harding and Maroo which are not yet available here, but hopefully soon.

>124 SandyAMcPherson: Sandy, Prophet Song was great read, indeed, and yes, dystopian. I don't usually enjoy or read dystopian novels, but this was really good. It seemed so realistic, unlike some dystopian novels I have read. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you whether the quote from the Guardian was more sensible , as I have finished the book and it is not a quote that stood out to me. It was very quotable book, as Paul, Stasia and I found, as we read it together, but that was a not quote that stood out to me ( and no one else mentioned in our little group mentioned it either ) .

>125 PaulCranswick: Yes,Paul, I am happy to have read three from the Booker Shortlist . I feel in abetter position to make a judgement when the Booker Winner is announced. I'm not planning to read the entire Booker Shortlist, though you never know, as I have Study for Obedience and If I Survive You on a hold at the library, but I'm not sure if I will read them. I only plan to read Bee Sting with you and Stasia.

I hope the rest of the Booker Short list are soon available to you, Paul.

Hi, Deb. I just requested This Other Eden from the library. Looking forward to your thoughts on The Bee Sting.

I saw your comments about Dave and retirement over on Stasia's thread. I am glad that Dave has hobbies or interests. I think that is so important. I have started my fourth year and I don't think I have been bored even once. I am even starting a part time job soon but just 2 days a week.

>127 msf59: I'm quite sure you enjoy This Other Eden, Mark. Yes, Dave does have a number of hobbies and interests. Reading, flying stunt kites with his buddies, walking the dog , of course. And we have our two grandkids. Dave does enjoy woodwork and things like that, but in a townhouse without a garage there is not much room for woodwork. I don't think he'll have any trouble with boredom when he retires. He rarely watches tv, since he works shift work that keeps him busy in the evening, so perhaps he finally have a little time to watch TV.

What sort of part time job are you starting ?

Connections
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A rare enough day when I get Connctions without errors .

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Thursday orisons, Deb. Having fun with Ruby?

*smooch*

>130 vancouverdeb: Wow! Some good puzzling there! Definitely more fun when it goes well!

Karen O

>129 vancouverdeb: I've never heard of Connections. How do I get to it?

>131 richardderus: Uh oh, RD! I'm not sure who you mean by Ruby ? If you mean my dog, Poppy, yes we are always having fun together! Some days I feel a little weary of walking in the rain together though, but today Poppy is off with her dog walker - and it's not raining either! If you mean my current read Gin, Turpentine, Pennyroyal, Rue, it is excellent, and surpassing my expectations. I did not really know what to expect , other than what the publisher said, but it's hard to put the book down!*smooch*

>132 klobrien2: Thanks Karen! Some day the puzzling does well, some day with Connections it is challenging and sometimes I blow it entirely!

>133 The_Hibernator: Connections is part of the NYT Times games group, like Wordle. Here is a link, Rachel.

https://www.nytimes.com/games/connections

Best of luck! It can be challenging!

>134 vancouverdeb: POPPY! POPPY! I MEANT POPPY THE POOPY!

Reba has a new cae called Ruby and my brain short-circuited!

>136 richardderus: No worries,Richard! Easy enough to do, and I seem to have interpreted what you meant, no problem.

Wishing you a lovely and productive weekend, Deb.

September Wrap Up ( with apologies to Sandy McPherson who tried hard to show me how to resize my images, but I cannot figure it out)

Favourite book for September Gin, Turpentine, Pennyroyal,Rue and honourable mention to Prophet Song.

>138 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul! Onto the next read!

>140 vancouverdeb: Wow! I didn't expect you to find one so quickly to top Prophet Song, although I did so myself with The Covenant of Water.

>139 vancouverdeb: Nice wrap up, and I think your images look just fine!

I'm intrigued by Gin, Pennyroyal etc. especially since it topped Prophet Song for you.

Happy Saturday, Deb. We spent some time with Jack & family yesterday. Sue is joining them this morning to go to the zoo. I picked up my copy of This Other Eden from the library. It will be my next read.

You asked about my part-time job. I will be driving kids to school in a mini-van, twice a day, just twice a week. Easy job, working for a very small company. I don't officially start for another 2 weeks.

HI Deborah, I have got so behind on your thread, apologies. It's very dark this morning and it feels like a reminder that winter is on the way.

Like you, I've read 3 of the 6 shortlisted. Of those I hope Prophet Song will be acknowledged.

>139 vancouverdeb: A very good month's reading, Deb. Always a lovely sight. *smooch*

>139 vancouverdeb: That looks like a good month of reading, Deborah!

>138 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul! Finished a book and finished a jigsaw puzzle and started another puzzle.

>142 PaulCranswick:

>143 lauralkeet: I didn't expect to find a book that would top Prophet Song either, but Gin, Turpentine, Pennyroyal,Rue did just that. I'll come up with a review/ some comments soon, Laura and Paul. It was an unputdownable piece of historical fiction, that takes place here in Vancouver BC, in the 1920's. I highly recommend it ! And it's available in the US as well as at Blackwell's in the UK>

>144 msf59: Happy Tuesday to you, Mark! Thanks for letting me know about your new part time job. Sounds like fun. I am sure you are enjoying This Other Eden, though it is a hard read.

>145 charl08: No problem, Charlotte. Yesterday and the day before were lovely and sunny outside, but today it rained all day. Fall is here, yes. I think Prophet Song is the book to beat for the Booker Prize.

>146 richardderus: It really was a good month of reading for me, Richard. I hope this month will be similar. Off to the Toothgrinder tomorrow! Just one cavity to fill, but I'll be glad when that is done . For a really spooky Halloween, I'm booked to go back to get my teeth cleaned on Halloween. Ugh!

>147 alcottacre: Stasia, my good month of reading was helped in no small part by you and Paul and our joint read of Prophet Song.

>150 vancouverdeb: I think that if each of us only read Prophet Song last month, it would still qualify as a very good month of reading :)

Greetings, Deb...hoping you're well and contented.

>152Thanks RD. The fang grinder was actually fine - not painful, three small cavities fixed at once. But , I took a taxi there and back, and part way home I found I had lost my keys. The taxi driver was helpful and called the Taxi company, and yes they had the keys. But once I got home, it took 1hour and 10 minutes for the taxi company to ferry the keys over to me. So I sat outside my townhouse door, for that long, - I had not taken a book with me, just a crossword book. After about 6 calls to the taxi company at last my keys came home.

It was a long day! * smooch*

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crane , pious, while

Connections
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Happy Wednesday, Deb. Last warm day here before a cold front with rain moves in tomorrow. I will meet a birding buddy this morning. I just dipped into This Other Eden yesterday but plan on spending more time with it today.

>150 vancouverdeb: I just hate going to the dentist. Hate it. But of course, when it's done there's great relief.

Good to catch up with some prize books here, Deborah. I need an idea or two for a short novel to read with a book club in October.

Hi, Deb! What a not-very-fun day you had yesterday! I’m glad that things finally worked out.

Have an extra-great day today, to make up for yesterday!

Karen O

>153 vancouverdeb: I bet you were relieved when you finally got in the door, Deborah. I hope that you are having a better day.

>153 vancouverdeb: So irritating! Thank goodness you didn't have the experience of that Texas Uber passenger who lost his cat on a ride and then Uber wanted $20 to return it to him.

That's some next-level nasty on Uber's part.

>156 msf59: Hi There Mark! It is overcast here, but my dog walk today should be free of rain. It is still fairly warm here - around ??? 60 F - which is not bad at all. I will wear a light jacket , but often I find once Poppy and are on the move, I only short sleeves and jeans. I hope you are enjoying This Other Eden.

>157 ctpress: So fabulous to see you, Carsten!! I don't like going to the dentist at all. I can't say hate because the dentist is such a nice person. But I take a tranquilizer to go, so you know I am very anxious, yes. I totally understand.

I'm sure you can figure out a good novel for you book group, but Prophet Song is relatively short, or at least I got through in 3 days.Western Lane was nice and short at 150 pages, but not as much to discuss, perhaps? My most recent read, Gin, Turpentine, Pennyroyal, Rue would definitely make a great book for a book club discussion.

>158 klobrien2: Your not kidding, Karen! It was not fun at all. I had walked the dog briefly ( 15 - 20 minutes before I left) and then after waiting outside the door for 70 minutes, she was eager to get out for another walk. It was a long day. I'm glad today I'm just heading to walk Poppy. Thanks for the good wishes for today.

>159 charl08: I was very relieved that to get in my door , indeed, Charlotte. So far, so good! No taxis planned today and I hope I don't lose my keys! :-)

>160 richardderus: Oh, it was irritating all right, Richard. The waiting 70 minutes for my keys was aggravating. The Taxi Company did charge me $20 to get the keys refunded to me, plus a tip. The tip part I thought was a bit much. But I just paid it, and got my darn key back. Thanks for your commiserations, Richard.

Ugh, so sorry to read about your lost keys adventure, Deb. I'm glad it all worked out but it sounds very aggravating indeed.

Hi Deborah. Line in the sand, apologies.

I hope you have a lovely day.

>163 vancouverdeb: Ugh. A tip plus the $20. It's getting rather ridiculous out there, isn't it?

Deb, are you saying that the taxi company decided the tip, as well? I would not have tipped at all if it took so long and 6 calls to get your keys back!

Sweet Thursday, Deb. I am 80 pages into This Other Eden and locked in now. Such an artful narrative, but a sense of doom hovers over every page. This novel reminds me of Geraldine Brooks and Emma Donaghue's work.

>163 vancouverdeb: I think I would have been beyond irritated myself.

I am going to start The Bee Sting today. I will keep you and Paul posted :)

>164 lauralkeet: Thanks Laura. It wasn't fun. I'm going to get a key made and give it to my neighbour. I had already done that, but we'd since changed our locks. I hope there isn't a next time for lost keys.

>165 karenmarie: It was a nice day, thanks Karen. Sunny, about 65 F, and Poppy and enjoyed our walk . I was able to just wear jean and short sleeves and enjoy the sunshine.

>166 jessibud2: Shelley, I was paying by debit card, and the taxi driver handed me me the machine with no option but to add a tip. I know it can be done differently because the Taxi driver who drove me home , and I discovered I had lost my keys, didn't offer me a tip option when I paid. I guess the taxi driver who drove me home had some mercy as he knew I would have a the $20.00 fee for the return of my lost keys.

>167 msf59: This Other Eden is difficult but compelling read, Mark. I actually felt a bit sick to my stomach reading it one night.

>168 alcottacre: Oh, I was irritated alright, Stasia. But at least it's behind me know. Let me know how you are doing with The Bee Sting. I'm on page 150 , I think.

Gin, Turpentine, Pennyroyal, Rue by Christine Higdon 5 stars

This is an excellent read that pulled me in on the first page and never let go. It's the story of four working class sisters, in Vancouver Canada, shortly after WW1.

Morag is happily married to Llewellyn, and is pregnant. Georgina is unhappy in her marriage, and hoping to get an education. Isla is also pregnant, unmarried, and is in love with one of her sister's husbands. Isla seeks out a back alley abortion and nearly dies. Meanwhile, the youngest sister , Harriet, finds herself in love with another woman. Harriet and Isla still live at home with their mom, Ahmie, who is addicted to opium, prescribed by her doctor to treat her grief.

Such a fascinating story, with well drawn characters and several elements of tension that kept me turning the pages. This book would be great for a book club discussion : abortion, same -sex attraction, love, family and addiction. I hope Gin, Turpentine , Pennyroyal Rue will be up for Can-Lit awards in 2024.

Highly recommended.

>171 vancouverdeb: Luckily you'd already smacked me with that book-bullet, so I don't need to run add it to my list...but well-sold indeed, Deb. You make it sound irresistible.

>170 vancouverdeb: As I posted on Paul's and my threads, I read a little over 70 pages yesterday and that is probably going to be my pace as I have a lot of books to read before I go out of town on the 14th.

>171 vancouverdeb: Adding that one to the BlackHole. Unfortunately my local library does not have it, so I am going to have to look further afield.

Happy Thanksgiving, Canadian friends.

I'm hoping my local library acquires a copy of Gin, Turpentine, Pennyroyal, Rue.

I am up to page 150 in The Bee Sting and still enjoying it, but it still does not top Prophet Song for me.

>172 richardderus: Thanks , Richard. I hope you enjoy Gin, Turpentine, Pennyroyal, Rue when you are able to get to it. It really was an excellent read.

>173 alcottacre: That is plenty fast with you reading, Stasia! I know you are also reading Skippy Dies and I'm not sure what else at the same time. Gin, Turpentine, Pennyroyal, Rue is a great read. I know it is available on amazon com and I think Barnes Bookstores in the US.

>174 richardderus: I love it, RD! Thanks for the well wishes. *smooch*

>175 EBT1002: I hope so too, Ellen. It's well worth the read.

>176 alcottacre: I'm actually really enjoying The Bee Sting, Stasia. I'm not sure whether it will be the equal of Prophet Song, but I'll wait until I've finished the book to decide. Excellent progress with the book. I'm in the portion that is narrated by Imelda and I'm finding her point of view and life story very fascinating.

>177 vancouverdeb: I am not starting Skippy Dies until tomorrow, Deborah, and it is going to take me a while to read as it is 600+ pages with fairly small type (small for me, that is!)

>178 vancouverdeb: I am at about the 250-page mark - into Imelda's section - but I am not enjoying that part as much as it sounds like you are. Thus far, my favorite section is PJ's.

>179 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! Skippy Dies is another chunkster! I’m really loving The Bee Sting. I’m on page 432. It’s the section from Dickie’s point of view. My family is celebrating Thanksgiving today, so I don’t expect to get much reading done today, nor be online much .

Hi Deb. Happy Thanksgiving weekend to you.

I'm glad to hear that you're loving The Bee Sting. It's one that I decided not to purchase in Ireland because it is so hefty, but I think it sounds really good. I'm still ambivalent about Skippy Dies 65 pages in, but I'm going to give it 100 pages before deciding whether it's a DNF for me.

>171 vancouverdeb: This sounds really good, Deborah. I'll add it to my WL.

>171 vancouverdeb:. That sounds really interesting. I will have to look for it.

>179 alcottacre: You are making great progress, Deb, and leaving me well behind.

Hope that your Thanksgiving weekend has been wonderful thus far.

Hi, Deb. I hope you had a good weekend. Glad to hear you are enjoying The Bee Sting. I am also enjoying Skippy Dies but clearly it is not for all tastes. Have you read it?

>181 EBT1002: I am loving The Bee Sting, Ellen. Yesterday my family celebrated Thanksgiving, so not much reading was done at all . Just got finished a 50 minute brisk walk on the treadmill and will start reading again soon. I hope Skippy Dies works out for you.

>182 BLBera: Gin, Turpentine, Pennyroyal, Rue is really excellent, Beth, I hope you can find it somewhere.

>183 banjo123: Great to see you, Rhonda. I hope you can also find Gin, Turpentine, Pennyroyal, Rue . I think you will enjoy it!

>184 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul! I'm on page 483 and hope to make more headway today. I'd like to finish it by Tuesday, I hope, as I have another book to read for the Library Book Club. I'm really finding Dickie view point fascinating, as I did with Imelda's viewpoint.

Yes, Thanksgiving has been lovely this year. We celebrated with family yesterday and are just recovering and taking it easy today,

>185 msf59: Mark, no I have not read Skippy Dies. This is my first encounter with Paul Murray. But The Bee Sting is very good . I hope your group read is going well.

A rather too large picture of me and my siblings in birth order. I'm the one with the curly hair, and the eldest of the 5 of us. It's rare that we are all in one city one that same day, so it was great to get a picture. I'm not sure why my brothers got all the height in the family.

>189 vancouverdeb: Nice picture, Deborah.
I don't know either why your brothers got so long.
It was the same with my siblings, also three sisters and two brothers who both had all the length.

>189 vancouverdeb: Indeed your brothers are tall, Deb. Great photo.

>189 vancouverdeb: Short women are far more ordinarily found in families with tall men...I'm 1.88m/6ft2.5 tall and neither of my elder sisters is over 1.6m/5ft2. Our mother was the same height as they are. It just goes that way. Genetics made it up to you with curly hair, though.

>189 vancouverdeb: Wonderful photo, Deborah. So good to celebrate family. Very special.

>189 vancouverdeb: Nice picture! I had no brothers, but I still got to be the shortest in my immediate family (both parents and my sister are taller than me) and then when I married and had children, my husband and my daughters are all taller than me too. *sigh*

I reached page 493 in tonight's reading. I believe I can finish the book at the latest by Friday. I suspect you will finish before I do :)

Well I follow by being the shortest of my siblings. My twin brother has me beat by about 5 inches and my sister is slightly taller than me too.

In my own family Kyran is comfortably the tallest, Belle and I can look down on Hani and Yasmyne.

>190 FAMeulstee: Like you, Anita, I'm not sure why brothers got the height. But they did. My siblings are certainly among my best friends, so I am very blessed that way.

>191 PaulCranswick: Paul, my brothers are 6'4 and 6'2. In order from left to right , I am 5'3, next sister, 5'5'', then 5'5 1/2 , then 6'4 and then 6'2''.

>192 richardderus: Interesting theory, Richard. My mom is 5'6 and my dad was 5'9. You are tall and certainly not your sisters. My mom's sister is 5'9 and her husband 6 ' and they have 4 children, the 3 sons are 6'4, 6'3 and 6'2 and the one daughter managed to be 5'11". As for genetics making it up to me with curly hair, I have often wished for straight hair, but it is a " gift " from my dad and paternal grandmother. My feet are size 8.5 or 9 and my sister's have smaller feet, and I have always felt the height I don't have is in my feet! :-)

>193 ctpress: Thanks Carsten, and good to " see you." We did have a very nice dinner and evening and yes, it is good to celebrate family. I think there were 16 of us in total. Was a lovely evening.

>194 alcottacre: Thanks Stasia. Ah well! In my family own family, I am the shortest , both in my birth family and my own family. Dave is 6' 1/2 and me 5'3 and our sons ended up being 5'8 and 6'1/2 . What about the mid parental height being a height predictor https://www.pediatriconcall.com/calculators/mid-parental-target-height-calculato....

>195 alcottacre: I finished The Bee Sting just a 15 minutes ago, Stasia. I think it is a 5 star read for me. I really loved it , but the ending was ambiguous, my only quibble, I think.

>196 PaulCranswick: Like you Paul, I am the shortest of my siblings. At least you can look down on Hani and Yasmyne. But , I've never felt too short. I am happy at 5'3.

>49 vancouverdeb: This sounds like an excellent book. I'll see if I can obtain it via Thriftbooks.com. Thank you for your excellent review.

>200 vancouverdeb: You and Hani both are at 5'3, Deb.

Do you put The Bee Sting higher than Prophet Song?

>189 vancouverdeb: What a great picture! Nice to have all siblings in one photo and together.

>189 vancouverdeb: Such a nice looking family. Great photo too. I was 5'10, now I am 5'9. I wish I would have got the height from my father's side. He was 6 ft and the shortest of his brothers and my Mom was 5'7 too. Funny, my son is nearly 6'1 and my daughter is tall too.

Happy Wednesday, Deb!

I just finished The Bee Sting, Deborah, and am posting my thoughts on my thread.

>198 vancouverdeb: Your 5'11" cousin is definitely an outlier! That's really tall in females. I never wished for straight hair though I have often, in the last 20 years, wished for more of it. *sigh* Thank goodness for ball-caps.

*smooch*

>201 Whisper1: Prophet Song is definitely an excellent read, Linda! I hope you enjoy it when you find it.

>202 PaulCranswick: A fine height for a female, 5'3", I have always maintained, Paul.

>203 PaulCranswick: As for The Bee Sting, I'm quite sure I am going to give The Bee Sting 5 stars, whereas I gave Prophet Song 4. 5 stars. I'm not sure that I can put one book as better than the other though. They are such different stories. Prophet Song was such an inventive and propulsive read. The Bee Sting was such a wonderful story, in that it showed the very human foibles of so many of us, and created such sympathetic and well drawn characters. It too was very hard to put down for me. I'll be pleased if either book wins the Booker Prize. Perhaps Prophet Song feels more "Bookerish" - whatever that is. But I did love both books. Very glad I have read both.

>204 figsfromthistle: Thanks Anita! The best part is that we all like each other a lot. I'd seek out advice or help from any of my siblings. They are among my best friends.

>205 msf59: Mark, 5'10 and 5'9 are perfectly respectable heights, really, what height is not just perfect? I may have well lost a 1/2 inch myself, because I used to think I was 5'3 1/2 inches. It's a lovely sunny day here , Mark, so , yes a happy Wednesday.

>206 alcottacre: I was over at your thread, Stasia, and you wrote an excellent review / thoughts on you thread. Great job! I hope to come up with a review/ thoughts later today.

>207 richardderus: My cousin Julie is definitely very tall for a female, yes, Richard. Her husband is somewhat shorter than her, but I don't think either one is at all bothered by that. Many days I wish I could hide my crazy hair beneath a ball cap, RD, but they don't suit my face, I don't think . It's the nature of humans to wish for what they don't have, I guess. * smooch*

Honestly, I have no problem with my height but I would have preferred to be 6- 6'1. I just like that height. Being slimmer would have been nice too. 😁

>211 msf59: Slimmer for myself too, Mark! The only time my height really bothers me is sitting in the cinema behind a really tall couple.

>211 msf59:
>212 PaulCranswick: Well, Mark and Paul, I too would very much like to be slimmer as well!

The Bee Sting by Paul Murray 5 stars

The Bee Sting is a wonderful novel that has certainly earned its place on the 2023 Booker Shortlist.

The 650 pages flew past for me. The Barnes family is composed of four people, husband Dickie, his wife Imelda, daughter Cass, and twelve year old younger brother PJ. Dickie has taken over his father's car dealership and finds himself in financial trouble. His wife Imelda, is the town beauty. Cass is struggling with teen angst and is soon to be off to Dublin to university, if the family can afford it. Meanwhile young PJ finds himself threatened by the town bully, and rather than tell his cash strapped parents that his shoes are too small, he continues to wear them even as his feet bleed. Gradually we learn the back story of each of the main characters. Imelda grew up in poverty, with an abusive father. Dickie has secrets from his past, which he fears will be revealed.

The characters are richly and empathically drawn, despite their many foibles. My only quibble is with the rather ambiguous ending.

Highly recommended.

>214 vancouverdeb: You and I flip flopped on Prophet Song and The Bee Sting, Deborah, which only goes to show that we have excellent taste :)

Yeah, that ending. . .

> 215 We did flip flop on The Bee Sting and Prophet Song , Stasia . But what was the better book? I would have a very hard deciding that . There are both excellent reads, and I would be happy for either to take the Booker Prize.

>214 vancouverdeb: This one has been popping up everywhere. Wow! 5* rating! On my list it goes.

Happy weekend ahead.

>217 figsfromthistle: The Bee Sting is an excellent read, Anita! So much more to it then in my review. I did not want to post any spoilers. I think you will like it.

My stepson says Connections is easy, but I am skeptical that he's doing the official version...and I've chickened out so far.

>219 The_Hibernator: I find Connections quite challenging, most of the time , Rachel. Maybe you watch M as he plays Connections , and see if he is cheating or not. You should give it a try , Rachel . What can go wrong? You could bomb out, I certainly have , but that’s okay.

Ugh! I ordered Prophet Song thru a third party vendor on Amazon because Amy was out of stock. The third party shipped it on 9/27 and I've yet to receive it. At this point I just may request a refund.
I'm off to a good start with The Bee Sting but I've heard comments about the conclusion. Were you satisfied?
I sometimes give Connections a try. It's quite clever but very challenging.

>189 vancouverdeb: Nice photo, Deb!

I'm looking forward to The Bee Sting when my turn in the queue comes up. I think I'll want to wait a while as Skippy Dies, at 660 pages, is eating up a lot of my October reading time.

>221 Carmenere: Oh , that's too bad, Lynda. I hope you get Prophet Song soon, or else get a refund . I have purchased quite a few things from amazon from a third party and just once it went wrong, and the third party sent me a refund after I contacted them. ( It was tea, and I purchased 6 packages, and they sent 1 squashed up package, for over $10.00 per pack of 18 tea bags). I'm glad you are off to a good start with The Bee Sting. I found The Bee Sting read really quickly. I think I read over 100 pages per day, whereas my usual pace might 50 pages a day . I was satisfied with the conclusion, yes. It is definitely ambiguous though. I watched a really interesting take on the ending yesterday by Erik Karl Erickson. I don't want to link it just yet as it has spoilers. He had a few takes on the ending, but one which is he felt was most likely. I agree, Connections is challenging a lot of times!

>222 EBT1002: Thanks Ellen. Yes, I can understand wanting a break between chunksters , like The Bee Sting and Skippy Dies. I'm doing the same thing with having just read The Bee Sting and now wanting to read The Covenant of Water. Maybe in the New Year I'll feel ready to tackle The Covenant of Water

Chop Suey Nation by Ann Hui 3 stars

I'm so glad to be finished this book. I read it for a Library Book Club gathering on Monday. It really was not very interesting to me , perhaps because I have read much better books that covered similar topics. It's a memoir written by a woman who works for The Globe and Mail, a Canadian Newspaper. She writes about travelling across Canada, to small towns that have Canadianized or Americanized Chinese food Restaurants, and how often the only jobs that a Chinese immigrant could find were in small towns, running the restaurants. She intersperses this with the story of her grandparents, and parents immigrating to Canada, as well as her present day challenges as her father is dying of cancer. I never felt engaged with the characters, or the story.

For a much better book on this topic, I suggest Midnight At The Dragon Cafe by Judy Fong Bates which was excellent, and covers Chinese immigration and living life atop a Chinese restaurant in a small town. Other excellent books that that cover the Chinese immigration to Canada experience are Jade Peony and All That Matters by Wayson Choy

Disappointing.

>224 vancouverdeb: Oh drat! This sounded like a very good one to me. I'll se if the Judy Fong Bates one is available through my library (frequently has Canadian stuff for some reason).

Happy week-ahead's reads.

Happy Sunday, Deb. I finally finished Skippy Dies which I enjoyed very much. I started a story collection. I needed something lighter. Not much planned for the day but books and football.

>223 vancouverdeb: as it turns out, the third party vendor is no longer associated with Amazon. However the lively folks at Amazon issued a refund thru their A-Z policy! Yes!! Hoping the book still finds it's way to me.

>225 richardderus: Well, you might enjoy Chop Suey Nation, Richard. If you can find Midnight the Dragon Cafe, it's a much better book. But It may be hard to find, I know my library has culled it, as it is too old. It's been a nice enough weekend, indeed.

>226 msf59: I'm glad you enjoyed Skippy Dies, Mark. I'm sure you'll enjoy The Bee Sting when you get to it. I understand the need for something lighter. I had planned that with The Witching Tide but it's a darker read than I might have guessed, but still very interesting so far. I hope you had nice, easy day.

>227 Carmenere: Well, at least you got the refund, Lynda. Good old amazon! I sure hope Prophet Song finds it's way to you soon. It's a fascinating read.

>224 vancouverdeb: Oh no! Sorry to hear that was a disappointing read. The title made it sound like a cool read. Hopefully your next book is better.

Happy rest of the week.

>230 figsfromthistle: Personally, I didn't think it was a great read, but the other 6 people at the library book club seemed to get a lot out of the book, Anita. I let on that I found the book meaningful as well. So, you and others may love it, whereas I was quite lukewarm about Chop Suey Nation. Certainly the hour long discussion of the book was easily filled. I think because I had read Midnight at the Dragon Cafe and Jade Peony and All That Matters that made the book a bit of well trodden ground for me. You may well really enjoy it, Anita.

My current read is very good . The Witching Tide. I kind of chose it now because it's Spooktober, but really, it's not really " spooky". It's the story of a witch hunt back in a small town in England, in the 1600's. Horrific in it's own way.