LovingLit hits the books ~ thread 1

Megan here, in proud possession of the LT 10-year badge, and long time member of the 75 group. This year, 2021, I plan to downsize my university work hours, and upsize my reading, exercise and my making of delicious meals (all things that went out the window while working two jobs and looking after my two not-so-little boys).

2020 books

January
1. Plague 99 by Jean Ure YA
2. Radicalized by Cory Doctrow 4x novellas
3. The Spy who came in from the Cold by John le Carre audiobook
4. Sliver by Ira Levin
5. The End of the End of the Earth by Jonathan Franzen NF, essays

February
6. The Glass House by Eva Chase audiobook
7. Down all the Days by Christy Brown
8. Lowborn: Growing up, getting away and returning to Britain's Poorest Towns by Kerry Hudson NF
9. The South by Colm Tóibín audiobook (DNF)
10 Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton

Welcome back!

Last year I read 52 books, all the ones you see below (although, I do need to swap out Don DeLillo's Zero K for Mean Girl: Ayn Rand and the Culture of Greed by Lisa Duggan), and, as you may have guessed, am almost as drawn to the cover art as I am the contents.



I read literary fiction, narrative non-fiction, and non-fiction about lives, societies, political issues or something academic that tickles my fancy, and prefer books from the latter half of the 20th C.

Currently reading:

Radicalized by Cory Doctrow, and Mean Girl: Ayn Rand and the Culture of Greed by Lisa Duggan (which I will finish before the end of the week).

>2 drneutron: Hey Doc! Thanks for the (implied) invitation :)

*smooch*

>6 richardderus: that's my third smooch today!
First: the lovely other, second: my lovely 2-year-old neighbour (rather forcibly, but sweet nonetheless), third: you!

>3 LovingLit: I love the cover display!

Hi Megan! Starring your thread. I like your plans to downsize work and upsize reading. I'm afraid I may be involuntarily downsized next year - enrollment is down all over as people homeschool or try private school, and our district's budget is going to take a $75 million hit. Scary times. I think I would be willing to cut my hours if I can stay at my school and sometimes I think that change might be welcome.

Oh HERE you are! I'm looking forward to keeping track of you in 2021.

Hello! Happy new thread!

>8 cbl_tn: me too, I love when I have an even amount of books to compile into an appealing image :)

>9 AMQS: Involuntary downsizing is never as good as voluntary downsizing, even if I am sort of kind of maybe regretting my hasty statement of "it'll either have to be of exceptional interest to me or exceptionally well paid if I am to consider it" comment....but, I have been wanting some more down time since I submitted my thesis over two years ago.

>10 London_StJ: I can hardly keep track of myself, so good luck! From one LT-name-changer to another, we make it hard, don't we?

>11 quondame: he back, and thanks...I plan to finish my book about Ayn Rand tomorrow and have lots to say about it!

Hello, Megan! Dropping a star. I can't wait to read your thoughts on the book about Ayn Rand. Your other current read also sounds good.

Welcome back, Megan

Dropping off a star, Megan. Good for you for downsizing work and upsizing reading. I've been thinking about doing something similar...

Hope you have a great year of reading in 2021!

>13 Crazymamie: I am fascinated by Ayn Rand's enduring legacy....there are groups around specifically pushing her philosophy today, and the parallels with her brand of selfish capitalism and the trump period are pretty clear.

>14 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul! Great to see you, and I have to say, it's been fun so far cruising the threads like I used to in times gone by (summer holidays = free time!).

>15 katiekrug: Hi Katie- I have been thinking about doing something similar for years too...yet, your comment catches me not just a few minutes ago thinking about who I might reach out to at uni for some small contracts! *speaks to self* Sheesh lady! Take a break already!

>16 thornton37814: Thanks! I certainly plan to, and wish the same for you.

Pinched from Amber, who possibly pinched it from elsewhere ;)
From my 2020 books we have.....

Describe yourself: Can you Tolerate This?

Describe how you feel: The Discomfort of Evening

Describe where you currently live: Nutshell

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Picnic at Hanging Rock

Your favourite form of transportation is: The Riders

Your favourite food is: The Fasting Girls

Your favourite time of day is: In the Bedroom

Your best friend is: Three Women

You and your friends are: Girl, Woman, Other

What’s the weather like: The Metamorphosis

You fear: Mean Girl: Ayn Rand and the Culture of Greed

What is the best advice you have to give: The Gifts of Reading

Thought for the day: What Is It All but Luminous?

What is life for you: Capitalism: A Ghost Story

How you would like to die: Into Thin Air

Your soul’s present condition: Cautionary Tales

What was 2020 like for you? Signs Preceding the end of the World

What do you want from 2021? Tiny Beautiful Things

Hope you have a great 2021!

Hi Megan! How's the Cory Doctorow book coming along. There have been a few times I thought about reading one of his books, but I haven't gotten around to it.

2020 Top Reads!



Fiction
1) The Vivisector (sprawling, adventurous, existentialist...the live of a 'normal' man)
2) Girl, Woman, Other (I love these women, I feel like I 'get' these women)
3) Three Women (a window into the lives of people I might never get to know)

Non-Fiction
1) The Fasting Girls (learned heaps, was fascinated and so well written)
2) Mean Girl: Ayn Rand and the Culture of Greed (beautifully succinct and fascinating)
3) Into Thin Air (just. so. gripping.)
4) Tiny Beautiful Things (no-holds-barred insights)
5) Dark Summit (gripping, and answered my questions about why mountaineers take those sorts of risks)

Merit badge: Can you Tolerate This? by Ashleigh Young *and* The political Years by Marilyn Waring *and* How we Met by Michele A'Court. (I read 20 non fiction books last year, including memoirs, and had heaps of good ones amongst them!)

Clangers
1) Tomorrow (dying of boredom)
2) The Discomfort of Evening (make it stop)

>19 ChelleBearss: Hi Chelle! Gearing up for New Years Eve here....by going on a walk, doing some baking (orange choc chip muffins), and tidying away the Christmas decorations!

>20 The_Hibernator: The first (of four) stories was great, the second is shaping up OK, but a sneak peek at a review suggests that the stories get worse as the book goes on, so we shall see.

You fear: Mean Girl: Ayn Rand and the Culture of Greed

LOLOLOLOL

me too, Maudie, me too

>23 richardderus: you should, RD. We ALL should.

I also loved Girl, Woman, Other. I'm adding Mean Girl: Ayn Rand and the Culture of Greed to The List, so thanks for that.

>23 richardderus: This was also my favorite answer!

>25 Crazymamie: I also liked
What was 2020 like for you? Signs Preceding the end of the World
:)
Mean Girl is a quick 90-page read, but is so beautifully succinct that you don't feel you need more.

>23 richardderus:, >24 LovingLit: me, too.

Best wishes for a better 2021!

Great answers! And oh, I pinched it from Katie, but it's just perpetually pinched, yeah? I mean, we all do it every year.

I wish you a Happy New Year. May it be better than the old one.

Since you're in 2021 already: “Let us think the unthinkable, let us do the undoable, let us prepare to grapple with the ineffable itself, and see if we may not eff it after all.”
— Douglas Adams, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, 1987

Happy reading in 2021, Megan!

Hi Megan and Happy New Year! I get my 10-year badge on January 20, the same day we inaugurate a new president in the U.S. It will be an auspicious day on many levels.

New Years Eve 2020, approximately 1148pm :)


The party atmosphere hides the secret truth about my NYE....I had leisurely drinks in the late afternoon with friends, a snack plate at home with the lovely other and our lovely little-ets, then popped over the road for a three-hour Darcy marathon with my friend and neighbour (pictured above- it was BBCs Pride and Prejudice, episodes 4, 5 and 6)---with platter and a wine. Then at 1130pm we walked to the local restaurant/bar to catch the end of the new year party there. I would like to highlight the 3-hour-Darcy marathon that is what actually took up the bulk of the evening.
A New Years WIN!

>27 AMQS: Ayn Rand is a scary scary lady, to be sure.

>28 DianaNL: Thank you!

>29 scaifea: These memes are recycled effectively here, I would say.

>30 Ameise1: Thank you! I am looking forward to it.

>31 richardderus: OK, let's eff it!

>32 FAMeulstee: Thanks, I am pretty pleased with my 2020 book total after all, and the quality of reads (in spite of the 2 mega-duds).

>33 EBT1002: A decade huh? And what a lovely backdrop to our lives the LT community has been :)

And keep up with my friends here, Megan. Have a great 2021.

Happy new year!

>34 LovingLit: Sounds like fun!! Here's to 2021!

Happy New Year Megan!

It’s so nice to see places in the world where things are relatively normal. My niece posted pictures from her New Year sailing holiday around the coast of Thailand yesterday (she lives in Thailand). Although they’ve had some spikes in the last couple of days their total COVID infections are less than 20% of what we had just yesterday.

>36 PaulCranswick: Lovely, thanks Paul. Happy New year to you too.

>37 quondame: oooh, I love a good bookish gif :)

>38 Berly: OK, so I may not have my glasses on but those baubles looked to me (at first glance) like the crew of the Starship Enterprise! It was Spock's hair, blue 'shirt', on the right, that did it :)


>39 SandDune: It is terrible hearing what is happening in other places, I selfishly just feel so relieved that we can roam freely about our way in these times. It is so easy too, to forget how others are faring. All digits crossed for a quick resolution to the mess occurring there for you guys, and in the US.

Happy New Thread, Megan. Happy New Year! Glad we are turning the page on that one. I like that Best Of List. Girl, Woman, Other made my list too. Looking forward to sharing another year of books, with one of my very favorite LTers.

Happy new year Megan. Glad you were able to celebrate. Nice picture! :)

Hi Megan and Happy New Year!

>34 LovingLit: *blinks* Wow. Happy for you and NZ that there's much more regular normal there than our new normal here in the US.

Happy New Year! Love seeing pictures of normal life, and I'm so glad you were able to celebrate! A P&P marathon session sounds like just the thing.

>41 msf59: It helped that I was able to read the entire book over a few days, while on holiday. It certainly called to me!

>42 The_Hibernator: It was a great day/night in the end, mainly due to not having to be at a pub for too long (not for Covid reasons, just general introversion) but still getting a bit of party atmosphere. I watched the cheesy film New Years Eve last night, and the scenes of the crowds at Times Square made my skin crawl.

>43 karenmarie: Yeah, we have had a pretty good run since the small Auckland cluster of cases in August. There has been a lot of work done stopping people 'escaping' the mandatory 2-week managed isolation once returnees (or visitors) fly in, and much more testing of border workers (at ports, etc) as well.

>44 AMQS: I'm not sure I am really a fan of P&P in general, but the BBC mini series was fun to watch to critique to over-the-top manners (which in reality were actually cover for a lot of snarky digs), to wonder how the heck Darcy was going to become appealing (I sort of got it in the end), and to wonder at Lydia's immature antics ;)

>40 LovingLit: LOL! You slay me!!

>46 Berly: you can see it too though, can't you?
:)

Only after you pointed it out. ; )

Hi Megan, i have starred you again my dear so you will see message throughout the year, yours JS (love this).

Just dropping in to say hello and place my star :)

Happy New Year, Megan. It does seem odd to see people hanging out without masks. Lucky you.

Happy New Reading Year, Megan!

>45 LovingLit: There were crowds at the ball drop? I thought it was closed to the public? I guess I didn't follow the news on that one.

>48 Berly: that's alright then :) It's not just me lol

>49 johnsimpson: Lovely, will be great to see you around

>50 figsfromthistle: Excellent, thanks or dropping by.

>51 BLBera: Yea, and I was at a cricket match yesterday with friends, our son and his friend. Thousands of us hanging out in close proximity, no masks needed, and we discussed it and all appreciated it a lot!

>52 PersephonesLibrary: I need to get on to that, actually! I am listening on audio to The Spy Who came in from the Cold by John le Carre, but other than that am not reading any serious physical book. I am half decided to reread Cosmopolis by don DeLillo.

>53 The_Hibernator: The ball drop in the film New Years Eve, not now in RL, rather, in movie!

Belated New Year wishes - your New Year Eve sounds perfect :)

Hi, Megan!

Thousands of us hanging out in close proximity, no masks needed, and we discussed it and all appreciated it a lot!
Oooof. Just reading that makes me anxious. I've had some serious conversations lately with Tomm about just how long it may take me to be comfortable out in the world again, even post-vaccines. *sigh*

ETA: I mean this as a commentary on how much this whole...thing...has upped my social anxiety and not at all as a judgment of you going out in public as it's safe there to do so!

Happy New Year, Megan!

Yeah, I have Amber's perspective. Hanging out maskless thousands would be a disaster here, but then again, we're just about the worst in the world re the pandemic, thanks to an incredibly foolish president and his cohorts.

I love that Jennifer Ehle-Colin Firth P & P, and that sounds like a great NYE. We watched an old movie I'd never seen, King of Hearts, with Alan Bates and Genevieve Bujold, and loved it.

>54 LovingLit: I know it's mean - but since Le Carre died I thought about reading that one, too. Can you recommend it so far?

>55 BekkaJo: oh boy, was it perfect. All relaxation with 25 minutes of no-stress party atmosphere :)

>56 scaifea: I so get that Amber! And that is another conversation we had...the toll that spending the best part of a year will have on people and their ability to mix publicly with ease (you know, not living in fear of someone walking towards to, coming within 2 meters). It took me a month or so after lockdown to relax around people, and we were only in it for 50 days. I can't imagine how anxious people will be after having spent so much longer than that living in fear of proximity to people.

>57 jnwelch: I have only had to wear a mask while flying. It was only ever a recommendation in our pandemic response until the Auckland flare up, from which time face coverings were mandatory on all domestic flights, and on public transport within or through Auckland.

So here are the kiddos at the cricket, holding up their signed gear :) You can see we had some space around us, but check the crowd in the background!


>58 PersephonesLibrary: I am enjoying it on audio, but made the mistake of listening it in bed last night while drifting off (I usually only ever listen while commuting, or when walking, so I can concentrate on it). So, I will have to go back now and re-listen :)

Howdy, Megan! Downsizing work and upsizing reading and other leisure time sounds like a dream come true. I will live vicariously through you this year. :-)

>60 rosalita: that's the plan! Will let you know how it pans out :) Have just made a killer lasagne (4 layers!) so going well so far.

Happy new year of reading, Megan. Haven't been around much in 2020, but hoping 2021 will be better. I always love these book-title answers:
What was 2020 like for you? Signs Preceding the end of the World Tell me about it...
What do you want from 2021? Tiny Beautiful Things Yes, please.

:)

Glued to my TV today watching the US political disaster. OMG.

Happy Thursday Megan!

>62 ctpress: The memes are hilarious.

>63 Berly: omg, me too! I have been obsessed with it. I watched Al Jazeera all yesterday morning (NZ time, evening Washington time) while it unfolded, and then this morning listened to Heather Cox Richardson's analysis of the whole thing (which took an hour). It is so morbidly fascinating.

>64 The_Hibernator: Thanks :) We are already into Friday here, which is great as one day closer to the weekend.

>65 LovingLit: The same here, Megan, watching CNN until the wee hours on Wednesday and turning on the TV right after waking up on Thursday.
It is so morbidly fascinating., indeed.

>63 Berly: We all were, I guess! :) It was simply surreal to watch that live... and I am slightly worried about what this will lead to next.
Nevertheless: Have a nice reading weekend!

>66 FAMeulstee: I feel like I need to see him removed, whichever way they do it. For expediency, it would be great to see the 25th amendment put into action, but *infuriatingly* they appear reluctant to do that (and, isn't it the Republican party that has to instigate it?). Surely it would be better for their political careers (now, on this day) to distance themselves from trump anyway...

>67 PersephonesLibrary: I started the reading weekend with a bang, with Plague 99, a YA book about a plague that hits London in the year 1999 (which was the future when the book was written). It is actually quite interesting, given the current state of Covid etc., although, in this story, society has broken down a little more than even the US is currently!

>68 LovingLit: It's up to the Vice President and the Cabinet (leaders of the various federal departments) to invoke the 25th Amendment. And news reports have quoted unnamed sources "familiar with the Vice President's thinking" (I hate that phrase) that he has ruled it out. Which must mean, ridiculously, that he still harbors hopes of being elected President someday on his own merits, which I cannot imagine ever happening now that he's pissed off both the Trump cult and the two-thirds of the country that is to his left.

In the meantime, Nancy Pelosi had a conference call with the head of the military reminding him that he doesn't actually have to follow the president's orders to nuke Iran or whatever if he believes them to be illegal or unwise orders. So that's super comforting ... Gonna be a long two weeks!

Plague 99 sounds interesting if unbelievable. I mean, honestly, a more dysfunctional society than 2021 USA? Obviously it's being shelved under "Fantasy". :-)

>69 rosalita: good to know, thanks. That explains why nothing is happening re: the 25th.
Plague 99 is a good companion read to the newspapers ;)

>68 LovingLit: Sounds interesting! We sold so many copies of The Plague by Camus in 2020. I usually like to read stuff like that a lot but last year reality was enough.

>71 PersephonesLibrary: I ordered a copy of The Plague from Canada as that was the only way I could get the newer English translation by Robin Buss.

I do hate that 2021 is giving 2020 how-to-foment-sucktastic-evil lessons. Armed "protesters" (ie insurrrectionists with a melanin deficiency) rolled up on Kentucky's capital, among others. This was supposed to be a year about healing and mending.

>71 PersephonesLibrary: I have read The Plague by Albert Camus, and can see why it would appeal in current times. Plague 99 is a more accessible book on a similar topic! (Perhaps obviously.)

>72 quondame: I hadn't though about there being a range of translations! I had the Penguin classics copy.

>73 richardderus: Well. Yes. It is getting off with a rip-roaring write-off, isn't it. I was enthralled at the time, and now am just wishing trump would crawl into whatever hole he came out of and leave everyone alone.

Book 1
Plague 99 by Jean Ure (YA)
A short but sweet story about a young woman who returns to her hometown of London after a month-long camp to find the city besieged by a plague.



Book 2
Radicalized by Cory Doctrow (4x novellas)
2 good'uns, 2 not so much. I liked the first and the last best, they happened to be the ones that were more apocalyptic than sci-fi. Which fits my mo.

Hi Megan, love the "normal life" pictures. I hope the year of more reading and less being pulled in many different directions (unless they are directions in which you wish to head for) works out well.

>75 LovingLit: Glad you thought it was OK, Megan. Have a great week.

Dropping from crazytown to say hello, Megan. I like living a normal life vicariously through your thread:)

>76 charl08: Yeah, normal life is pretty good. Some nay sayers keep going on about "we can't keep the borders closed forever", but really, we are in an ideal situation right now. Aside from tourism, our economy is fine (and interesting tourism destinations are actually full, such as Stewart Island, Great Barrier Island, and the Chatham Islands). And, we are in a much better position than almost all countries...I srsly don't understand how our leadership can be criticised (too much).

>77 PaulCranswick: It was an enjoyable read, started in the bath one evening, and finished by the next morning!

>78 AMQS: Happy to remind you of what normal life is like, and to post many more pictures of 'normalcy', whatever that is :)

Currently reading:


The End of the End of the Earth by Jonathan Franzen (essays), and The Spy who came in from the Cold by John le Carre.

>80 LovingLit: I'll be interested in your thoughts on the Franzen. I've not had good luck with him but perhaps he's better in small doses?

Come to think of it, I also want to know what you think about the le Carré. I've never read anything by him for some reason, which is silly because I actually enjoy a good spy novel. I put a couple of his more acclaimed books (including that one) on hold at the library, along with every other Iowan who heard he had died. :-)

>81 rosalita: haha, yeah. I actually thought it was Ian McEwan who had died when I put a reserve on The Spy who came in from the Cold, and then realised I was just like everyone else, trying to get my hands an a le Carré !
The Franzen started well, but now is feeling samey samey (essay to essay, as well as his essays to everyone else's environmentally-focussed essays). But, he does a good turn of phrase from time to time (in addition to some odd sweeping statements and odd assumptions).

Edited to direct comment at correct comment :)

Hello, Megan! I cannot stand Franzen. Le Carré, on the other hand, I love - everything I have read by him has been good.

*smooch*
that is all

>83 Crazymamie: I am getting whiffs of pretension from Franzen in this one, but impressions of him have always erred on the side of admiration :) And my first le Carre was....just ok.

>84 richardderus: Why, thank you.



We drove for 6 hours and this is where we are now staying.
I am so excited; it is like a tropical paradise, and as it is forecast to pour down with rain tomorrow, we are making the most of it.....Which includes: visiting an incredible natural archway, caves, going to the swimming hole for a swim, fire/dinner on beach. Pics will be taken :)

Have fun, Megan!

Have a great time! Eagerly awaiting pics.

>85 LovingLit: Jealous of a life lived in splendour and normalcy!

Photos please. Six hours from Christchurch??????? Te Anau is about that no?

>85 LovingLit: Amazing!! Have a great time

>85 LovingLit: Beautiful!

New books! A chance finding of a second hand book shop on our way home today from holiday (pics still to come!), and I got these three for $20.

And don't they look lovely as a set :)


Sliver by Ira Levin, The Realm of Possibility by David Levithan, and A Hologram for the King by Dave Eggers

Books to add to the fun! Have a great time. Hoping for photos soon!

>91 LovingLit: Nice looking haul, Megan. Hope they're as bright as they look.

*taps feet*

Still waiting for those photos.

Here are some pics!
The Karamea River (kids making a 'spa'), and the last two are on Oparara Arches walk where caves can be walked in, and huge natural archways can be walked under :)

>95 LovingLit: Ah the North West coast. We did consider going there too during our holiday Megan but ran out of time. The copper coloured waters look interesting.

>91 LovingLit: It's the thing that is upsetting me at the moment - all my second hand book outlets are closed. Along with the actual book shop. And the library. And the book hut at the Zoo. There is nowhere (my bedroom aside I guess) that I can go and be surrounded by books. Wahhhh! Very jealous.

>95 LovingLit: Also jealous of this - looks amazing :)

>91 LovingLit: I am a big fan of Dave Eggers!

>95 LovingLit: Lovely place and very nice pictures!

>95 LovingLit: Looks good! I salute my fellow hat wearers :-)

>95 LovingLit: You always go on some exciting and beautiful trips, Megan. The kids seems to really like the great outdoors! Yah!

>91 LovingLit:, >95 LovingLit: Gorgeous! River photos AND books.

Happy week to come, Megan.

Looks heavenly, Megan - enjoy!

>86 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie! We did indeed have fun. Even when it rained and we had to seek shelter at the pub, play pool, watch cricket on the big screen, and have a jug or two of dark beer.

>87 richardderus: >101 richardderus: Pics are indicative only :) There were also pies, coffee, beer, card-playing, movie (on computer) watching, the odd meltdown, and a nearly broken arm (my friend's daughter).

>88 PaulCranswick: >96 PaulCranswick: Te Anau would be about 6 hours, I think you're right. But, we were in the other direction...right to the end of the road on the West Coast- tough to get there as there is no through road.
The brown water is due to tannins, and isn't actually dirty at all.

>89 ChelleBearss: Always nice to get away, even if only for a short trip. 3 nights wasn't much, but the costs of accommodation and food etc can add up, so still worth it.

>90 PersephonesLibrary: >98 PersephonesLibrary: It is a lovely area, with some distinctive flora....the nikau palms are amazing, they have striped trunks and dramatic fronds with a cool bulbous bit in between!

>92 Berly: And, even better, I got to read about a quarter of Sliver on my way home in the car. No car sickness for me!!

>93 charl08: >99 charl08: Hi Charlotte. The covers are as bright as they look, I was very happy to get used books in such good condition.
Also, wear hats we must...the sun burns badly round these parts. You too?

>97 BekkaJo: Definitely a bad sign of the times, when access to books is becoming more limited! It sucked during our lockdown not to have the library and I was glad that I have so many books to read on my shelves (most of what I own is in the still-to-read category).

>100 msf59: Hey Mark! My kids are adrenaline junkies, which they satisfy either through gaming, or by being extremely physical. They love being outdoors, pottering about in a river or at the beach or in a forest. And fishing....swimming, playing rugby league etc.

>102 AMQS: hi Anne, I was really glad we had good weather, and good places to go. The estuary was particularly good, as the kids could go fishing (W caught 3 small kahawai, but we put them back), and we could enjoy a fire on the beach.

>103 LovingLit: Yeah, I read up on it a bit, Megan. You can see from one of the photos how clear the water is otherwise.

>106 PaulCranswick: I need to do more reading on it! Tannins....something to do with plants and their excretions, I think?

>95 LovingLit: Looks like a great place to stay, Megan.

Currently reading:


The End of the End of the Earth by Jonathan Franzen (essays),
The Glass House by Eve Chase, and Sliver by Ira Levin.

I am listening to The Glass House, and am really into it. Luckily I have had a few hours up my sleeve with a 2 hour commute over the last 2 days. So I got to listen to my heart's content. (I was off on my annual overnight surveying trip for work to the thermal pools complex.)

>108 FAMeulstee: It is a fab location. At the end of the road, so it's pretty quiet :) And, as with most driving in the South Island of NZ, you get up close and personal with mountains! We drove through Lewis Pass on our way, and not far past that there is a one-way rock overhang section that is literally blasted out of the cliff-face.

>110 LovingLit: Oh, that looks like a delightful drive! And we've already seen how pretty a spot it is.

*envious sigh*

>111 richardderus: and now that I look more closely at that map, the roads are kinda wrong- it's an old one! But the arrows are in the right place, and the road extends north of Westport now over them hills (many a car-sick child they make).

>109 LovingLit: Sigh. *putting The Glass House on my reading list*

>113 PersephonesLibrary: oooh goodie :)
There seems to be a lot left for me to listen to, and I am wondering where it's going to take me as so much has happened already.

Hi Megan!

Nice pics of a fun adventure, even if rain made you have to watch movies and drink beer later. *smile*

Hi Megan my dear, hope all is well with you and the family and that you are having a good weekend, we are both fine and the kids are fine. Sending love and hugs to you and the family from both of us dear friend.

Also currently reading..


Lowborn: Growing Up, Getting Away and Returning to Britain’s Poorest Towns by Kerry Hudson

>117 LovingLit: I’ve just finished Lowborn and I was a little unsatisfied with it to be honest, especially the chapters set in the present day where she revisits her previous homes. It’s harrowing, but I didn’t feel that it addressed the wider picture very well, which is what I’d been led to expect.

>117 LovingLit: I am looking forward to your opinion. That sounds like a haunting read...

>118 SandDune: now that you mention it, it really is a personal journey the author is on, isn't it. Valuable, but still, some broader context would, I think, improve it.

>119 PersephonesLibrary: Compelling, yes. And useful for those who insist on perpetuating the myth that everyone has the 'same chances in life to make good'.

>120 LovingLit: People still denying inquality and the reality of systematic exclusion... we've got that here, too.

Equality of opportunity is a long way off. Try telling a boy on the streets in Sao Tome and Principe smiling seeking a handout from a foreign visitor on the ex-slave-silo of a main island that he has the same opportunity in life as Meghan and Harry's offspring.

>121 PersephonesLibrary: I guess it's everywhere capitalism is. I have left my copy of Lowborn at home as am holidaying (again!) for 4 nights at my dad's place. I brought with me Down All the Days, written in 1970, and requested from the library stores, instead.

>122 PaulCranswick: Exactly. I recently read an autobiography from a popular NZ singer whose childhood was fairly horrific (poverty, instability, family violence, abuse). I gifted the book to my sister, as have heard her say before that every NZer has the same chance to 'come good'. Even though I know that this autobiography will actually *make* her case.....(he had a tough start and did 'come good'), I feel like general knowledge of some people's childhoods is severely lacking and that it must show what so many face when trying to simply get on in life.

I love everything Irish... I need to keep Down all the days in mind!

>124 PersephonesLibrary: It is heavily descriptive, and the author is very fond of alliteration (of the three-in-a-row variety). But, this all adds up to a rich picture of life in 1940s Dublin. I was musing on it today, driving back from another wee trip away, this book actually gives a good indication of the life of women. Due to the author being heavily disabled, and remaining in the home most of the day, he gets to see what his mother's life is really like. How much she endures from her drunk and angry husband, other mothers and their conversations, the hard work, and trying to eek out as much food as possible from a meagre income. The author is super observant, and very sensitive to others' thoughts and feelings.

Another joyous mini-break before school goes back after summer.


Fishing on the lagoon...that small light coloured rectangle in the back is the wharf house, pictured above (right).


Waterfall on the beach. We had a bonfire near this waterfall that evening, and enjoyed some sausages cooked over the coals and a few beers. Follow the arrow and you will see my lovely other standing under said waterfall!


Dinner, hot-smoked salmon (bought, not caught!) and wine :) I am in heaven.

Eta: I am so lucky to have my dad living in such an amazing place, and that he is keen to take the kids fishing, walking, hunting (for rabbits, which run wild and are an invasive species), adventuring and all that outdoor stuff. The kids *love* it there and little Lenny always cries when we leave (very sweet).

>126 LovingLit: Looks like a kid paradise, Megan.

Good gravy, I'm not surprised Lenny's crying when y'all leave! *I'm* crying at the thought of it!

The photos are lovely, Megan. Looks like a fun and relaxing time. Your boys are getting so big!

>125 LovingLit: Thank you for the description, Megan! I have found a German translation of the book - but considering what you said, I might choose the English edition anyway.

>126 LovingLit: It looks like you had a marvellous mini-break. Love the blue sky and the pictures! I guess I would leave the place with a tear in my eye, too.

>127 charl08: That it is...as well as an adult paradise :) The town is about half holiday homes, and half permanent residents, so when you wander about town you get to check out all the places you will come back and stay at. There are some sweet small baches ('bach' is a kiwi term for small holiday home) that would be *perfect* for just me and my lovely other to stay in :)

>128 richardderus: He loves his grandad so much...upon arrival he thought out loud about how he might tackle him for his first hug...then he thought again and said that, no, he didn't want to break him.

>129 Crazymamie: They sure are (getting big)! W reckons he'd like to be "at least 6 feet". We'll see.

>130 PersephonesLibrary: I am getting near the end now (of Down all the Days) and the happenings are increasingly shocking! A lot of rowdiness and bawdiness, that's for sure.

BOOK 4
Sliver by Ira Levin

Of Rosemary's Baby and Stepford Wives (wow!) fame, Ira Levin's last book, Sliver, centres on an apartment building in Manhattan. It is high-price real estate and, even though there have been an unlucky few deaths at the address, a woman who is looking for a new start signs the lease. So begins the tale! As it turns out, the owner of the building is a master peeping tom, having fitted a sophisticated surveillance system in every apartment at the time the building was built. He spends his days watching the tenants go about their daily dramas, and, naturally, suspicions are raised.

The book was published in 1991 and features a foreword telling of its prescience in relation to the phenomenon of reality television.

BOOK 5
The End of the End of the Earth by Jonathan Franzen

This is a book of non-fiction essays featuring a tonne of interesting observations, a lot about birding, travel and life. I liked the final essay the most, which intertwined the stories of his uncle's life and the trip Franzen took to Antarctica thanks to an inheritance from said uncle. It was beautifully crafted, and, I was impressed by his descriptions of the cruise leader and his urgent promotion of fun! conviviality! and the best trip ever!.

Is "bach" pronounced like the composer or like "batch of cookies"?

BOOK 6
The Glass House by Eve Chase (aka The Daughters of Foxcote Manor)

Well. This was epic. After the first revelation, I was sure the story was nearing its conclusion (listening on audio, I had no impression of how far through I was). But no, there were many, many more revelations to come. When I started, I was intrigued by the number of metaphors that were used, they felt obvious and over the top, but that seemed to dissipate as the story continued (either that, or they ceased to register with me). Either way, it is the story itself that is the experience of this book.

It is a tale told between two time periods, the early 1970s and now. One random observation: the 'now' was fearlessly told, referencing digital devices and social media sites that may date the story in years to come...I liked it that these details were included though. Anyway, in a nutshell we have a rich family- the Harringtons, whose nanny Rita, loves the children in her care (12 year old Hira, and slightly younger Teddy) in the physical absence of their father, and the largely emotional absence of their mother. They seek refuge from a family bereavement at Foxcote Manor, a large staffed house in the forest, where, a foundling is discovered. Whose baby is it? What's going on? How will it end? Well, it's all very exciting, so I'd recommend reading it if you are into plot-driven novels.

>134 richardderus: Batch of cookies...or, more accurately for these parts, a batch of biscuits :)

>136 LovingLit: Oh, we make batches of biscuits too!

All ready for their scrambled eggs and sausage gravy. Ooo yum.

>137 richardderus: OH MY EYES
They are scones, man! To be eaten with jam and cream.

>138 LovingLit: Oh, no no no, dear, these are buttermilk biscuits, nothing so...affected...as scones! Part of this lip-smackin' good breakfast:

>139 richardderus: Well, that dish does look delicious. I would definitely eat that.

>140 LovingLit: It's an artery-cloggin' scrummy-good feed, it is.

>126 LovingLit: Oh, how dreamy!

>132 LovingLit: I really enjoy both Rosemary's Baby and Stepford Wives, but didn't know he'd written more. I'll have to see if my library has this one.

>139 richardderus: Mmmm, biscuits and gravy...

>135 LovingLit: Glad to hear that you loved that one! I have a hold on it!

>141 richardderus: Much like my favoured breakfast of late: hashbrowns, scrambled eggs and bacon :)

>142 London_StJ: Sliver is a quick read, and pretty easy on the brain, so I would recommend it.

>143 ChelleBearss: I recommended it at RL bookclub last night, and had a few interested from that.

While I'm on bookclub, I realised last night (at bookclub) what it is that frustrates me about bookclub....I get bored listening to extended plot summaries. I would *way* rather hear how something made someone feel, why the book is (or is not significant), how it was written (first person, etc), or even some lyrical passages being read out than what the book is about.

There, I said it.

>144 LovingLit: Agreed re: book reports. I don't think anything is gained by restating the plot. When I'm posting reviews on the blog, I do put the publisher's précis on the page but here the same synopsis is a click away.

So this is me standing behind your saying.

>145 richardderus: I reckon a very short "this is what this book is about..." segment of 3 short sentences is useful. You do sometimes need a little context. But the whole plot? No.
AND I always need to ask people to not give away spoilers, cos, what if I want to read it??!?
(Also, thank you for your support on this matter :))

I rarely describe the plot when I comment on books read. But my comments are usually more general impressions, things I liked or didn't, and how I reacted. Short and sweet. If that piques someone's interest, then it's easy enough to find a plot description online. So there!

Hi Megan!

>147 katiekrug: right on, Katie.

In other news, I have been buying second hand books.



The Iliad y'know, by Homer and all that, Among the Russians by Colin Thubron, and, Doctor Glas by Hjalmar Soderberg. They were $8, $9, and $4 respectively.

Eta: which, for you USA types, is US$5.76, US$6.48, and US$2.88 respectively.

>148 LovingLit: Great book haul. What a deal!

Hi, Megan!

The Iliad - WOOT!

Hi Megan!

>126 LovingLit: What a beautiful spot and that smoked caught-not-bought-salmon makes me jealous for two reasons – the fishing for and catching it AND how wonderful it must taste. Yes, your kids are so lucky that their granddad takes them on adventures.

>144 LovingLit: I like a rough idea of the plot, but not extended summaries either.

>145 richardderus: In seventh grade honors English class the teacher had a terrible time trying to get us to understand the difference between plot and the theme. Fortunately, I’ve figured it out since then.

>147 katiekrug: Agree – general impressions, things I liked or didn’t like.

>148 LovingLit: Thank you for the NZD to USD conversions!

>144 LovingLit: I get bored listening to extended plot summaries

Yes! This is one of my top teaching points - writing (or in this case speaking) for the appropriate audience. An essay for class? Your professor has read the book, so don't summarize. A book club? Your pals are supposed to have read the book, so don't summarize.

>148 LovingLit: Oh, lovely lovely haul, Megan. The covers are beautiful, especially the Hjalmar Soderberg!

>152 London_StJ: I so wish teachers would do that as a regular feature of writing assignments. I learned it when a history teacher said to his class, "I've read Winthrop's Boston. That's why I'm assigning it to you to read. Now, you tell me what you *learned* from it, not what you read *in* it."

Need I say I loved his class?

>149 figsfromthistle: and they have a similar colour palette as well...just as my previous book haul did (>91 LovingLit:)!

>150 scaifea: How did I know you'd say that :)

>151 karenmarie: Unfortunately the pictured salmon was bought-not-caught, not caught-not-bought. But, the trout was all caught-not-bought :) And it was equally delicious!

>152 London_StJ: Now that I read over my comment about extended plot summaries I am all the more against hearing them! The thing about our book club though, is that we all read different books, so one can be forgiven for giving a synopsis. Even so, I don't come along to hear what I could read in any old review (however articulately conveyed), so I am in a quandary.
Maybe I should express an interest in reading whatever book is under review, and ask that no spoilers be let loose!

>153 richardderus: Sometimes it just takes someone to say it out loud! About what *you* *got* from it, not what it is about...maybe this is another way forward for me at bookclub!

I made muffins that look like donuts!

>155 LovingLit: They're completely adorable! Happy weekend's reads, Megan.

>148 LovingLit: Second hand books are probably all I could buy in NZ if the prices haven't fallen any since I was there!

>155 LovingLit: For some reason I cannot see your muffins/donuts but just the thought has me hungry.

>155 LovingLit: Those look scrumptious!

>155 LovingLit: You were not kidding - those really DO look like Simpson's donuts! And...now I want one.

>156 richardderus: I finished Lowborn: Growing Up, Getting Away and Returning to Britain's Poorest Towns by Kerry Hudson in bed yesterday morning (more specifically, in Lenny's bed, as he decamped into our bed at some ungodly hour, so I bailed into his). And this morning I (re)started One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn. So, in summar, it's all good on the reading front.

>157 PaulCranswick: Books are still as expensive....re: the image: imagine a Simpson's-style pink donut. And then imagine muffins with holes in them that are iced to look kinda like that. I wonder why you can't but some can see the image?

>158 rosalita: They were good for novelty factor, and as that was the main point, I was happy :)

>159 scaifea: You came! You saw! It was the baking on your thread that reminded me to post them.

Hi, Megan. I also remember enjoying The End of the End of the Earth. Of course I really liked the birding sections.

Currently reading:



How to Think about Weird Things: Critical Thinking for a New Age an academic text by Theodore Schick and Lewis Vaughn, The South by Colm Tóibín (on audio), and, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn

>161 msf59: I was sure the birding aspect of the collection would appeal to you, Mark! I loved the cover of the edition I bought, too (visible in >133 LovingLit:).

Today is a public holiday here in NZ, so, seeing as it was forecast to be 29 degC we went to the beach to go skim boarding/swimming/sandcastle making. The sandcastle making was all me, as it turns out, and it was more making a sea wall that the waves would spill into and destroy. I had fun :)
We had people coming for dinner tonight but they pulled out, so we went over the road to the over-the-road neighbours and picked plums, and had a water fight. There were tears (from the 6 year-old), and a few illegal head shots, but, bar that, it was fun :)

I was lucky enough *not* to be randomly selected today for jury duty, so spent the rest of the morning spending my Christmas book voucher. I got We, the Survivors by Tash Aw. It's very pretty, so I am happy :)

>160 LovingLit: What did you think about Lowborn Megan? I think I might well have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t been expecting something different. But from what I had read I was expecting something more general on the condition of the poor working class in Britain, and to me it didn’t seem to say much about that at all, being so specific to the author’s own circumstances.

>155 LovingLit: Better late than never: Those look so adorable! I'd love to bake creative stuff but my guys at home don't really appreciate the whole frippery. :)

>162 LovingLit: Solschenitzyn is another author I would like to read. I haven't decided on the book yet. I know my parents own Der Archipel-Gulag which I could borrow. But I think your choice would be more manageable considering the number of pages. How do you like it so far?

>163 LovingLit: Oh, how I miss the ocean and the beach. I don't need anything, not even going to swim in it. Just let me sit at the coast and listen to the waves - and I am complete.

LOL, I just try to imagine the poor six-year-old trying to defend himself from a grown-up's water attack. ;-)
It sounds like you had a wonderful day!

>164 LovingLit: It IS pretty. I love the cover design very much! Hopfully, the book will be just as good!

>164 LovingLit: Nice! Somehow I missed that Tash Aw had written a new novel. I enjoyed Five Star Billionaire and Map of the Invisible World, so I look forward to your thoughts about We, the Survivors, Megan.

Update: I found three of Solschenizyn's books at my parents' and have read 50 pages of Ein Tag im Leben des Iwan Denissowitsch today.

I have got also Der Archipel-Gulag and Der erste Kreis der Hölle.

>164 LovingLit: Yay for pretty, pretty new bookage!

Happy summertime funs.

>165 SandDune: Lowborn was far more memoir and personal journey than expose on working class life. I liked it for what it was though, and although feel it would have benefitted from more context, you could tell the personal journey she went on was probably difficult enough for her!

>166 PersephonesLibrary: >168 PersephonesLibrary: I was reading One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich yesterday and finding it pretty slow. But then again, I have read a few accounts of life in the gulag, and it does paint its picture well. Glad you found some material from the same author!

>167 kidzdoc: I hadn't linked the author with those other two works! Thanks for the heads up. I have had success with Malaysian authors in the past, so have high hopes for this one.

>169 richardderus: yesss to summer funs. More plum selling tomorrow on the street corner. This will be the third year the kids make some pocket money jumping about like monkeys on the side of the road, waving signs around that precisely no approaching cars can see, and barely picking any plums to start with. Aaaah, childhood huh? It can be a breeze for some!

>170 LovingLit: I finished it yesterday - and to be honest, yes, it was "calmer" than I expected. But considering the time and circumstances of its production and publication I can only admire it / him. Thank you for bringing me to him.

>155 LovingLit: Those are adorable!!

>164 LovingLit: I wanted to like that one much more than I actually did. Of course familiarity with the places made for some interest but I didn't think the story held together that well.

Nothing has changed on the reading front since >162 LovingLit:! I am still reading those three same books. I have seen a few good films though, most on a n art theme.
Moulin Rouge (Baz Luhrman's one)
Moulin Rouge (1952)- about the life of artist Henri Toulouse Latrec
Midnight in Paris - featuring the lives of 1920s/1890s artists and authors intertwined with that of a modern day novelist
The Goldfinch- the namesake of which is an artwork
A Room with a View-the odd one out really, as no can-can dancers, or artists feature (other than a novelist). Although, the presence of Daniel Day Lewis as a young toff was wonderfully reminiscent of the Duke in the modern Moulin Rouge film, and, Julian Sands always thrills.
Hot Fuzz- simply hilarious, especially since I had no prior knowledge of the plot.

>171 PersephonesLibrary: Calm can also be good, I guess. I will carry on with it and see what I think.

>172 ChelleBearss: Cute huh? I have made a batch of muffins every day for the last 3 days. The first batch went while we sold plums at the corner with the neighbourhood kids, the second went yesterday, and todays batch will make it to the kids' school lunchbox I hope!

>173 PaulCranswick: Oh, that is a shame. I first thought you were referring to Lowborn, but no.

Oh, and a couple of acquisitions:


Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton ($5) and The Great Questions of Tomorrow ($1.50), a TED Books edition.
In recently completed Jonathan Franzen essay collection, The End of the End of the Earth, he wrote about this Edith Wharton, and why she is amazing. So that is good enough for me.

>176 LovingLit: Ethan Frome is a favourite book of mine.

>174 LovingLit: Jacob picked Hot Fuzz for his birthday - it is funny isn’t it?

>177 PaulCranswick: sounds promising! I was intrigued by the essay I read about her, and her...intense...ways. She sounds like like the archetypal stroppy creative.

>178 SandDune: I loved it! Even more so, I think, for not having a clue what it was about. I loved the zombie film he was in too. Hilarious.

>176 LovingLit: Hello! I read Ethan Frome in 8th grade for English Lit class and it has stuck with me ever since. I re-read it later in high school or early college. I think I need another re-read but I believe my copy is packed in my parents attic somewhere!

>180 jayde1599: I am looking forward to getting into it! It is an accessible weight, so I don't feel to intimidated :)

>176 LovingLit: Ethan Frome is a perfect story. Not one word too many, not one too few, no ideas left dangling, and just...amazing.

Happy Humpday.

>182 richardderus: Oh yay! I am in for a treat then. Makes up for the not-great experience I am having with The South, Colm Toibin's first novel. Could be the audio, but it is not sitting well with me.

I have bought several books by Wharton but haven't had the time to read them yet. I really should get on to them... Happy reading weekend, Megan!

>183 LovingLit: Waiting for your report on Ethan Frome!

>184 PersephonesLibrary: I enjoyed House of Mirth, which is surprising as I am not usually into historical fiction.

>185 PaulCranswick: I am half way through! I have been laid low with a stomach bug...watching movies in bed was my yesterday, and today a tad better, I read for a bit :)

>186 LovingLit: Sorry to hear that: hope you feel better soon.

I think I like Toibin best when he sets his stories in small town Ireland. Although I'm including Brooklyn in that.

>186 LovingLit: I think that's the one I have got... but I need to check! Thanks for the recommendation!

>187 charl08: Thanks! I am improved today, and have downloaded The Satanic Verses on audio to listen while I commute/walk. So, today I will walk for exercise. I will see how I go energy levels wise, but also, I fear I may have bitten off more than I can chew with 23 hours+ of audio book!

>188 PersephonesLibrary: I quite like the old fashioned formal/flowery language in older books, so maybe that is my 'in'. I hope you enjoy it too!

>189 LovingLit: After my seccond-vaccination icckies, I totally empathize with the stomach-bug lows. A 23+ hour listen could be the best way out of the post-illness slump...a goal to achieve? Or so I hope it proves to be.

>190 richardderus: Being lain low due to ickiness sometimes has the secondary benefit of a mental rest. I am convinced of this :)
My walk was fine (I actually had energy!) and the first 50 minutes of the audiobook showed me that Rushdie is a genius with words. I shall push on!

Hooray, for a new Vlautin! It will be published in April. I am also really enjoying Driftless, so keep this one in mind, if you like Watson, Haruf & Vlautin. I need to read more of the latter.

>192 msf59: Hi Mark- I have been saying this for years, but I need to read/reread Haruf. I almost got rid of 2 of his books a while back, and they were saved thanks to your high opinion of them. So, they have earned a reread now :)

Also, I thought there was a thread, or a group, or a challenge maybe that included noting down books that are mentioned in books...here's mine:

Books in books!

In The Satanic Verses, so far, we have:
- Foundation by Isaac Asimov
- Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
Both of which the secondary character is reading on the plane.

Today:

(1) With Gabby el Tabby happily ensconced on my lap (making typing difficult), my first task is to cross-check all the references in the most recent journal article (currently in its 2nd extensive revision- *sigh*).

(2) Once I have done that, I will take a walk while listening to The Satanic Verses on audio, and then

(3) wander down to the school to be parent helper on Little Lenny's class trip to the supermarket (where they will examine food labels and learn about exactly how much sugar is hidden in foodstuffs).

Then this evening I hope to finish Ethan Frome- I sense disaster lurking in its ending....but we shall see.

Sounds like you have a full day! Enjoy

>196 ChelleBearss: Well, the article revisions took longer than expected so I had to combine my walk (sans audiobook) with Lenny's school trip, which very conveniently involved a walk (to the supermarket)!

I am now enjoying a delicious lunch using up this morning's left over pancakes to create a tuna and cheese crepe melt (with chilli mayo, lettuce and carrot, and, some falafel). I can report it is delicious. :)

>197 LovingLit: Creative! Revolting, but creative! :-P

So, Ethan Frome...?

>198 richardderus: oh la la, delicious tuna and cheese melt!
And oh la la, a deliciously destitute and downcast view of life from Edith Wharton in Ethan Frome. Very clever indeed, and delivered so softly. Just finished it now :)

>199 LovingLit: Glad that Ethan Frome aided your recuperation. x

"deliciously destitute and downcast" is an alliterative gem.

>200 PaulCranswick: I think it was Down all the Days, which I was recently reading, that had a tonne of alliteration in it! I was finding it difficult, but I guess it rubbed off on me :)

>201 LovingLit: It did a good job!

>202 PaulCranswick: You can use it if you want. Just credit me :)
I was recently denied co-authorship of something I was asked to take over writing; I ended up writing the last 15% of it and am still sulking that I wasn't a named author.

>203 LovingLit: Wow, not getting credit for writing something is horrible. I have a friend in Prague who just spent a year working on her dissertation, and one of the historians that helped her with the research just published it on the internet without giving her any credit at all! She says that happens in her country, and there's nothing she can do about it.

>203 LovingLit: That isn't nice, Megan. I really dislike it when people claim full credit for something and do not acknowledge the assistance or collaboration they received. Will not happen with me, I assure you. xx

Megan--Glad you are feeling better and I am glad that I am reading your thread after dessert--so many food yummies here! Your vacation way above looked divine. Very jealous. Of the books, too. : ) Sorry you were robbed of authorship. Grrrr.

>203 LovingLit: Sorry to hear that. When I hear things like this I wonder if the person involved ever collaborates with the same person twice?!

>204 The_Hibernator: all of my academic co-authors have been very generous with authorships, and even the orders in which authors are listed (I offered my former supervisor pole position on one paper as she instigated and undertook the rewrite and resubmission of, but she refused). This one I referred to above was through my other job where my boss was asked if one of his staff could take over a piece to finish it...which I did, and then- Hey Presto, the second name on the piece was not me, but the person who commissioned the work.

>205 PaulCranswick: Disappointing, yes. Much like last evening when, all organised for an early start for the kids to take part in a huge kids Tryathlon event (try, not tri, cos you just have to give it a go), it was cancelled as the country moved up al alert level due to some pesky Covid cases. Usually if the alert levels change people are given notice and it happens at midnight the following day, but this change was notified at 930pm, and was to start at 6am. So, the tryathlon was cancelled and all the while the car was packed with gear, snacks, chairs and bikes!
Poor old Lenny, he had been training, and was very excited. He was a little discombobulated today. (All of NZ apart from Auckland is Level 2, which means no gatherings over 100 people and be careful in shops, and Auckland is in Level 3, where it is work from home, and only kids of essential workers go to school.)

>206 Berly: Our holiday feels like it was so long ago now! It was only a month :) I am pleased with my latest book acquisitions too, even if they aren't quite of Cranswickian proportions.

>207 charl08: I described the situation in my response to The_Hibernator, above. But the upshot is that the person who paid for the hours I did on it claimed authorship...I am in not in a position to discuss it with them really. And I seriously doubt my boss would go into bat for me. Cest la vie. I have my name on a book chapter and another journal article coming out soon, and a report as well :)

Currently reading:



How to Think about Weird Things: Critical Thinking for a New Age an academic text by Theodore Schick and Lewis Vaughn, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn (which I lost for a week, and the, luckily, found), and The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie (on audio). The Rushdie one is magical realism, which isn't my thing, but I kind of sort of think I am following it, so far.

Hi Megan!

I'm sorry to hear about the lack of acknowledged authorship and the cancellation of the Tryathalon.

I've had The Satanic Verses on my shelves since before I joined LT in 2007. One of these days...

>210 karenmarie: The Satanic Verses is tres oblique. It's all dialogue and references to things I know little of.
*screams 'what have I doooone?'*

ETA: just read this short review: Well. That was exhausting. I doubt that we will see the movie version anytime soon.
Hilarious!

>211 LovingLit: Nothing you can't undo, is the short answer....

>212 richardderus: I know, I know. *sigh*
But, I am still in the intrigued stage at present. If/when I get to the WHAT-THE-HELL-IS-ALL-THIS-CRAP stage, I will give up on it :)

>208 LovingLit: Oh, poor Lenny...

I'm seething over your (lack of) writing credit, but I'm pretty sure I'm missing pieces of the story in my skipping around. Plus, it's not my field, and I know there are strange rules and rituals around multi-authored papers in other fields... Still, I'm very frustrated on your behalf.

>214 London_StJ: Thanks for caring :)
Because its private sector work that I did through my boss, I don't feel comfortable chasing authorship credit. However, I *could* email the dude who commissioned the work (and then took provisional second authorship of the piece) and ask him how it is going getting properly published? At present it is published through his research organisation as an internal, but publicly available, non-peer-reviewed piece.

In other news though, another journal article is now re-submitted after its second (rigourous) review process. And I have my fingers firmly crossed that this final revision will satisfy. And, even though I hate to admit it, it really is a better piece after the reviewer and editor comments were considered and changes made :)

>216 LovingLit: Don't hate admitting it! Celebrate being able to take good advice and constructive feedback.

>217 richardderus: yeah, true. I just resented having to do the mahi! (work)

I bought a book! The author was interviewed on Radio NZ national programme, it sounded interesting, it was being sold for $27, so I jumped in.
Also, I have a new interest in policy as have secret ambition to work in that field. And, my studies for my masters included some social psychology wellbeing theory, so, it seemed to fit.

Eta: Oops, the title! Love you: Public policy for intergenerational wellbeing by New Zealander, Girol Karacaoglu

Plagiarism and idea theft is something that makes me very angry. It's so disrespectful to not mention authors for work they did. And there is no excuse for it because it doesn't happen by accident.

>219 LovingLit: This sounds interesting. From this side of the world it looks like NZ is very social and even politicians are interested comprehensive form of well-being for their people. Is that reality or just the outside impression?

>220 PersephonesLibrary: We did include a wellbeing budget in policy planning a few years ago, and the usual pushback and claims of 'fluffiness' were aired in response. But, I think that is slowly being recognised (in advanced economies) that GDP as it stands is no accurate measure of how 'well' a country is doing.

>221 LovingLit: I agree. Those classical measures don't show anything. And I really liked how Ardern brought to the point that capitalism is not successful if there are children in poverty and homeless people.

ETA: I like how we pretty simultanously wrote into each others threads. :)

Hi, Megan! How are you and the Boys doing? How is The Satanic Verses? I have been curious about that one but never really got an itch to read it. Absolutely no LT activity on it, in 12-plus years.

What does "doing well" mean in a brutalist system that celebrates violent deprivation? All superhero movies, stock markets, police forces, armed "services"...all celebrate violent deprivation.

I wonder if it isn't programmed in to the human creature. Mark Solms goes into what it means to be conscious...his Royal Institution talk is shorter than the book...and it's clear his grumbling about the meatiness of neuropsychology's understanding of what consciousness means gets down to that brutalist understanding of it.

Hi, Megan.

Wow, your father's place does sound like a kid paradise, as someone said. I can see why your young son gets weepy leaving it.

I've been enjoying the discussion of your writing process, and the lack of writing credit given to you when the commissioned piece got internally published. I remember I completely re-wrote and updated a law school textbook originally credited to two partners, and was low enough on the totem pole that I got no authorship credit. (I was just glad to be getting a paycheck at that point, to be honest). I got the credit after I rose high enough, and now it's in its 12th edition with me still a co-author. Our poor DIL has a very challenging book publisher editor who has been sending back edits and comments on the draft book for what seems like 10 rounds of it to me. Supposedly The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks went through ten years of that before finally being published!

>17 LovingLit: Megan, I appreciate Mamie's comment about Ann Rand. My partner, who passed away two years ago, loved the books and thoughts of Rand. He was a prolific reader, and
she was his favorite author.

While I didn't always agree, I listened.

Now that I found your thread, I will visit more often.

>222 PersephonesLibrary: I noted we had cross posted too!

>223 msf59: Well for magical realism (which I am not normally drawn to), The Satanic Verses is OK. I am still following it, just, and still have 27 hours to go!

>224 richardderus: I was talking with a friend today about films, and how they generally project people as 'good' or 'bad' and what a skewed message this sends to viewers. Humans are flawed, complex and contradiction-filled, and to dumb us down to goodies and baddies is a dis-service. Not to mention violent deprivation.
That was just an aside really, but on a related rant....there is a lot of talk here about child poverty. I hate this saying. My impression is that it is meant to inspire empathy with children who are not at fault for being poor, which then by inference assigns blame to the parents for the crime of being poor. It irks. I reckon it should just be called poverty, as that it what it is.

>225 jnwelch: Hi Joe! Ten years of revisions is certainly a hassle. I read that Barbara Kingsolver wrote the Poisonwood Bible from the perspective of every main character in the book in order to get her story straight. That is dedication!
I hope my article will be accepted now, and if I ever get to meet the man who commissioned me to finish the other article, might have the courage to ask him to add my name to the work :)

>226 Whisper1: I am sure I would find it very hard to be around someone on a long term basis who has such different views to mine! You are a very accepting person :) It is great to see you here.

Me yesterday. On a tramping track that goes under a rock, over which water falls. I love this shot. My knees are sore now, as I feel like I walked up 1,000 vertical meters yesterday, and down them all again today.

Me and a friend walked into a tramping hut on the Mt Sommers walkway. It was hard work, but so (so so) beautiful, and just what I needed.

>228 LovingLit: What a fabulous picture!

>228 LovingLit: A further reminder of what a lovely place you live in!

>228 LovingLit: Oh, whoa, that *is* beautiful!

I'd frame it and put it on the wall. Beautiful!

>228 LovingLit: Wow, that looks awesome!

Hi Megan!

>228 LovingLit: Excellent photo. So beautiful.

>229 quondame: >230 PaulCranswick: >231 scaifea: >233 ChelleBearss: >234 karenmarie: Thanks, it was my favourite shot from the tramp. The river we sort of followed up the valley was lovely too though, plenty of crisp clear water and tonnes of massive boulders.

>232 charl08: your comment made me think about getting it printed, at least. And after that it may end up on the fridge door :)

>228 LovingLit: Brilliant! Such a wonderful trip.

>227 LovingLit: Yes. Exactly. An attempt to add grounds for empathy turns into shame-and-blame; when it's The System that should be blamed.

Hoarding is mental illness, no matter what is hoarded, especially money.

(But not books.)

>236 richardderus: I feel very fortunate to be physically able to walk long walks like that one, what with all my orthopaedic issues.
And, of course I agree that books are exempt from any association with hoarding.

It is not hoarding if it's books! Love your pictures and glad you are walking as much as you are. I hope to visit someday.

Hi Megan! >228 LovingLit: That's a gorgeous photo. It makes me happy to look at all that greenery while I'm impatiently waiting for spring here!

>228 LovingLit: Great picture, Megan, must be fun to walk there.
I would be sore, as I am only used to walks on flat land.

>238 AMQS: yes! I hope you do too :) It was a great walk, and I was glad to have both experienced it, and to have finished it without incident. There was a lot of clambering involved to get there.

>239 cbl_tn: This greenery stays green all year, so we can always get a fix of it even in winter.

>240 FAMeulstee: I was sore walking in (so much up!!). Even so, we decided to go past the hut (where we stayed the night) so see if there was a view from the next saddle. That added another 50 minutes walking to our already 4 hour walk.

Currently reading:
I abandoned The Satanic Verses and took up Chernobyl: History of a Tragedy instead. Good decision! (Also still reading One Day in the life of Ivan Denisovich and a philosophy textbook about thinking.)

>242 LovingLit: Hi Megan! I have a different Chernobyl book waiting for me in the TBR pile — Midnight in Chernobyl which I learned about when I heard the author speak on one of my favorite podcasts.

>243 rosalita: is it the mini series that has renewed this interest in Chernobyl? The Penguin one is so good! It has a lot of social and political context, which I love :)

>244 LovingLit: It looks like Midnight in Chernobyl and the miniseries both came out in 2019, so neither inspired the other. Wikipedia tells me the miniseries was based on a book by Svetlana Alexievich, Voices from Chernobyl, which was published in Russian in 1997 and in English in 2005. So there's another title for the list if you want to read further.

>245 rosalita: aaah, Alexievich is an author I know and love. I will definitely read Voices from Chernobyl at some stage. I also just downloaded the mini series to watch after I have exhausted all my reading on the topic :)

>246 LovingLit: I will keep an eye on your thread for your comments on all of these!

>243 rosalita: I can recommend the Higginbotham book - it explains it very well! I'll put the Plokhy book on my list, Megan, and get it rather soon. You are listening to the audio book, aren't you? How is it?

>248 PersephonesLibrary: Good to hear, Käthe — I should move it up the TBR list but the library books keep pushing owned books back down.

>247 rosalita: excellent, but I can advise that you don't hold your breath on that front ;)

>248 PersephonesLibrary: The audio is fantastic. I love the narrator (Leighton Pugh). It is also simply a very well-told story.

>249 rosalita: Ah, that old chestnut! My library book is staring at me accusingly right now, and I have failed to respond to it so it may have to go back unread :( (It is Did you ever have a family.)

Megan! What are you doing to me! I just looked up the Plokhy book in the online store of my bookshop - and there were so many other interesting books I have all put on my wishlist now. E.g. Nuclear Folly or Lost Kingdom by Plokhy, Manual for Survival by Kate Brown, Furious Hours by Casey Cep... Haha!

Thank you! :)

>242 LovingLit: I read Voices from Chernobyl by Alexievich a few years ago and found it a little traumatic. This is more straightforward non-fiction?

>241 LovingLit: Wow, a little light reading! I've been tempted by the Chernobyl one, I've heard good things.

>251 PersephonesLibrary: haha, you are welcome! I do love going deep on a theme. Last year I read 4 different personal accounts of Everest attempts.

>252 PaulCranswick: I abandoned The Zinky Boys for its trauma. I wasn't in a place where I wanted to expose myself to such violence. It can all just be too much sometimes!
But yes, the Penguin one is laid out linearly, and although the numerous names and job titles can confuse at times, the 'story' is focussed on the 'whats' and 'hows' of the situation.

>253 charl08: I am on a bit of a non fiction bent at present. I figure that I will go with the flow though, as they are all scintillating reads.

Magurking through. Carry on, I'm not here.

>228 LovingLit: I love this photo! What a gorgeous falls.

Happy Weekend, Megan. Chernobyl: History of a Tragedy sounds like a good one. I also have Voices from Chernobyl on my TBR list.

>255 richardderus: who? what? where?

>256 msf59: The falls were a nice surprise, so I apologise to anyone who ends up going there and has their surprise ruined! Walking under the rock face was quite magical :)