ŷ������

I'm currently listening to No One Round Here Reads Tolstoy which introduced me to the concept of BABLE - Books Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy. I don't only seem to have more books than I could ever read, but also challenges. Fortunately that seems to be shared affliction in this group!

My youngest daughter is a voracious reader and always starts and finishes a series. She's the inspiration for this challenge. I finished exactly 1 series in 2022 and added another 8!

My individual challenge will be to complete or make substantial progress with any of the following series:

Bennie Griessel by Deon Meyer
Michele Ferrara by Michele Giuttari (4-7-4)*
Maria Kallio by Leena Lehtolainen (3-11-9)
Paris Homicide by Frédérique Molay
Peter Decker/Lina Lazarus by Faye Kellerman (2-25-24)
Potting Shed Mystery by Marty Wingate (4-7-4)*
Vera Stanhope by Ann Cleeves (2-9-8)
Anderson and Costello by Caro Ramsay (3-10-7)
Andreas Kaldis by Jeffrey Siger (6-12-7)
Charlie Fox by Zoë Sharp (8-13-6)
Junior Bender by Timothy Hallinan (6-7-2)*
Chronicles of St Mary's by Jodi Taylor (4-10-7)
Bruno by Martin Walker (7-15 -9)
Yashim the Eunoch by Jason Goodwin (2-5-4)
Guido Brunetti by Donna Leon (20-30-11)
Inspector Montalbano by Andrea Camilleri (8-25-18)
Logan McRae by Stuart MacBride (5-12-8)
Vera and Tolliver by Annamaria Alfieri (2-3-2)*
Darko Dawson by Kwei Quartey (3-5-3)
Detective Kubu by Michael Stanley (6-8-3)
Bryant and May by Christopher Fowler (4-18-13)
Phryne Fisher by Kerry Greenwood (4-22-19)
Ryder Quartet by Ian Patrick (3-4-2)*
Chief Inspector Gamache by Louise Penny (9 -17-8)*
V.I Warshawski by Sara Paretsky (15-19-5)
Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell (3-12-10)
Nicolas le Floch by Jean-François Parot (3-6-4)
Aurelio Zen by Michael Dibdin (4-11-8)*
Jackson Brodie by Kate Atkinson (4-5-2)
Sir Robert Carey by P.F. Chisholm (4-9-6)
Philippa Barnes by Trish McCormack (2-3-2)
Joe Piker by Robert Crais (4-7-4)
Medicus by Ruth Downie (3-9-7)
Superintendent Le Fanu by Brian Stoddart (2-4-3)
Commissaire Adamsberg by Fred Vargas (2-9-8)
Andy Carpenter by David Rosenfelt (2-21-20)
Bobby Owen by E.R. Punshon (17-35-19)
Finishing School by Gail Carriger (3-4-2)
Custard Protocol by Gail Carriger (3-4-2)
Brother Cadfael by Ellis Peters (11-21-11) (reread)
Bridgerton by Julia Quinn (3-9-6)
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling (3-7-4) (reread)
Jay Qasim by Khurrum Rahman (2-3-2)
Barchester Chronicles by Anthony Trollope
Karl Alberg by L.R. Wright (5-9-5)
Walt Longmire by Craig Johnson (3-18-16)
Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin (3-6-4)
Slough House by Mick Herron
CD Sloan mysteries by Catherine Aird (6-25-20)
Martin Beck by Maj Sjöwall (2-10-9)
Falco by Lindsey Davis (2-20-19) (reread)
Hugh Collier by Moray Dalton (3-14-12)
Francis Pettigrew by Cyril Hare
Miles Bredon by Ronald Knox (2-5-4)
Ocean Liner Mysteries by Edward Marston (4-8-5)
Simon Serrailler by Susan Hill
Tannie Maria by Sally Andrews (4-4-1)
Unexpected Love by Elsa Winckler
Earthseed by Octavia E. Butler (2-2-1)
Temptation in Florence by Beate Boeker
Aaron Falk by Jane Harper
Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

(The numbers refer to: the next number in the series to read, total books in series, total books to complete the series)

These are series that I caught up with, but more books may appear. So this is a placeholder to keep them up to date

Albertus Beeslaar by Karin Brynard
Baltic Sea Crime by Hendrik Falkenberg
Bennie Griessel by Deon Meyer
Simon Serrailer by Susan Hill
Slough House by Mick Herron
Temptation in Florence by Beate Boeker

I made a rule in 2019 that I need to catch up with four of the series in the main list prior to starting a new series.

This has been a complete failure. I finished 1 series in 2022 and added 8 to the above list, it's aspirational and gives me the illusion that I can manage the number of series in progress.

The next series to be chosen from here:
Perveen Mistry by Sujata Massey (1-2-2)*
Shinobi Mysteries by Susan Spann (2-7-6)
Billy Boyle by James R. Benn (1-14-14)
Chief Inspector Mario Silva by Leighton Gage (3-7-5)
Night Soldiers by Alan Furst (1-14-14)
Accidental Alchemist by Gigi Pandian (1-4-4)
Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt by Gigi Pandian (1-6-6)
Jade de Jong by Jassy Mackenzie (1-5-5)*
John Russel by David Downing (2-6-5)
Inspector Ian Rutledge by Charles Todd (2-21-20)
Amaka Thriller by Leye Adenle (2-2-1)*
Winemaker series by Jean-Pierre Alaux (1-15-15)
Brittany Mystery by Jean-Luc Bannalec (1-4-3)
Inspector Truchaud by R.M. Cartmel (1-3-3)*
The Cordoba Mysteries by Mark Dewar (1-4-4)*
The Glassblower Trilogy by Petra Durst-Benning (1-3-3)*
Society of Paranormals by Vered Ehsani (2-7-6)
Rabbi Small by Harry Kemelman (1-12-12)
Pot Thief by J. Michael Orenduff (1-8-8)
Charles Lenox by Charles Finch (1-12-12)
Dr Anya Crichton by Kathryn Fox (1-7-7)*
Gethsemane Brown by Alexia Gordon (1-4-4)
Polish State Prosecutor Szacki by Zygmunt Miloszewski (2-3-2)*
Frederick Troy by John Lawton (1-8-8)
Kingston Raine by Jackson Lear (2-5-5)*
Poppy Denby by Fiona Veitch Smith (2-5-4)*
Claymore Straker by Paul E Hardisty (2-4-3)
Flavia Albia by Lindsey Davis (1-8-8)
Louise Pearlie by Sarah R Shaber (1-7-7)
Luc Varnier by Peter Kirby (1-3-3)
DI Jack Braby by Danielle Ramsay (1-5-5)
Stratos Gazis by Pol Koutsakis (2-2-1)
Detective Nikki Galena by Joy Ellis (1-10-10)
Benjamin January by Barbara Hambly (1-14-14)
Charlie Boxer by Robert Wilson (1-3-3)
Inspector Thanet by Dorothy Simpson (1-15-15)
Detective Sean Duffy by Adrian McKinty (1-6-6)
Detective Joe Sandilands by Barbara Cleverly (2-13-12)
Codename Verity by Elizabeth E. Wein (2-3-2)
DS Alexandra Cupidi by William Shaw (1-3-3)
The Laundry Files by Charles Stross (2-9-8)
Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch (3-8-6)
Rei Shimura by Sujata Massey (1-11-11)
Leo Demidov by Tom Rob Smith (1-3-3)
Jack Irish by Peter Temple (1-4-4)
Inspector Pekkala by Sam Eastland (1-7-7)
Sir John Fielding by Bruce Alexander (1-11-11)
William Monk by Anne Perry (2-24-23)
Kindle County by Scott Turow (1-11-11)
Flaxborough Mystery by Colin Watson (1-12-12)
Ruth Galloway by Elly Griffiths (1-13-13)
Pollard and Toye by Elizabeth Lemarchand (1-17-17)
Sebastian St Cyr by C.S. Harris (1-16-16)
Inspector Robert Colbeck by by Edward Marston (1-19-19)
Max Lieberman by Frank Tallis (1-7-7)
Max Heller by Frank Goldammer (1-2-2)*
Oxford Tearoom by H.Y. Hanna (1-10-10)
PI Charlie Cameron by Owen Mullen (1-3-3)*
Simeon Grist by Timothy Hallinan (1-7-7)
Max Carrados by Ernest Bramah (1-4-4)*
Charlie Boxer by Robert Wilson (1-3-3)*
Detective Sean Duffy by Adrian McKinty (1-4-4)
Kate Shugak by Dana Stabenow
Helsinki Homicide by Jarkko Sipilä (1-6-6)
Stonechild and Rouleau by Brenda Chapman (1-4-4)
Alex McKnight by Steve Hamilton (1-11-11)
Gaffney and Tipper by Graham Ison (1-4-4)
Corinna Chapman by Kerry Greenwood (1-7-7)
Maggie Hope by Susan Elia MacNeal (1-9-9)
Kopp Sisters by Amy Stewart (1-6-6)
Bernie Gunther by Philip Kerr (1-14-15)
Inspector Bordelli by Marco Vichi (1-6-6)
Herringford and Watts by Rachel McMillan (1-6-6)*
Mike Haller by Max Byrd (1-3-3)
John Madden by Rennie Airth (1-6-6)
Gilles Sebag by Philippe Georget (1-3-3)
Alex Kovacs by Richard Wake (1-6-6)
Yan and Campbell by Peter May (1-7-7)
Enzo MacLeod by Peter May (1-6-6)
Josephine Tey by Nicola Upson (3-8-6)
Bill Slider by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles (1-22-22)
Dalziel and Pascoe by Reginald Hill (1-21-21)
Anna Pigeon by Nevada Barr (1-19-19)
Sam Shepard by Vanda Symon (1-4-4)*
Redmond and Haze by Irina Shapiro (1-4-4)
Wycliffe by W.J. Burley (1-22-22)
Cork O'Connor by William Kent Krueger (1-18-18)

Caine Prize winners

Based on their website:

The Caine Prize for African Writing is an annual literary award for the best original short story by an African writer, whether in Africa or elsewhere, published in the English language.

The AKO Caine Prize for African Writing is named after the late Sir Michael Caine, former Chairman of Booker plc, who was Chairman of the 'Africa 95' arts festival in Europe and Africa in 1995 and for nearly 25 years Chairman of the Booker Prize management committee. After his death, friends and colleagues decided to establish a prize of £10,000 to be awarded annually in his memory.

I want to read a work by each of the authors who won the Caine Prize since inception. Not all of the authors have published works other than short stories in collections. This will be an ongoing project.

Split below in three categories - read, works identified to be read, no works identified.

(The year the author won the award, name of work that won, author, work read or identified to be read)

Read:
2000 �� “The Museum�� - Leila Aboulela - Lyrics Alley
2003 �� “Weight of Whispers�� - Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor- Dust
2006 �� “Jungfrau�� () - Mary Watson - The Wren Hunt
2015 �� “The Sack�� - Namwali Serpell - The Old Drift
2019 - “Skinned�� - Lesley Nneka Arimah - What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky
2020 - "Grace Jones" - - Irenosen Okojie - Nudibranch

Works identified to be read:
2001 �� “Love Poems�� - Helon Habila - Oil on Water
2002 �� “Discovering Home�� - Binyavanga Wainaina -One Day I Will Write about This Place
2004 �� “Seventh Street Alchemy�� - Brian Chikwava - Harare North and The Jazz Goblin
2005 �� “Monday Morning�� - Segun Afolabi - Goodbye Lucille or Lusaka Punk and Other Stories: The Caine Prize for African Writing 2015
2007 �� “Jambula Tree�� - Monica Arac de Nyeko - Jambula Tree: And Other Stories
2008 �� “Poison�� - Henrietta Rose-Innes - Nineveh
2009 �� “Waiting�� - E C Osundu - Voice of America or This House is Not for Sale
2011 �� “Hitting Budapest�� - NoViolet Bulawayo - We Need New Names
2013 �� “Miracle�� - Tope Folarin - A Particular Kind of Black Man: A Novel
2016 �� “Memories We Lost�� - Lidudumalingani - Joburg Noir
2017 �� “The Story of the Girl Whose Birds Flew Away�� - Bushra al-Fadil - The Book of Khartoum: A City in Short Fiction
2018 - “Fanta Blackcurrant�� - Makena Onjerika - Digital Bedbugs: 2019 Anthology of the Nairobi Fiction Writing Workshop or Nairobi Noir
2014 �� “My Father's Head�� - Okwiri Oduor - Things They Lost

No works identified

2012 �� “Bombay's Republic�� - Rotimi Babatunde
2010 �� “Stickfighting Days�� - Olufemi Terry
2021 - "The Street Sweep" - Meron Hadero
2022 - "Five Years Next Sunday"- Idza Luhumyo
2023 - "A Soul of Small Places" - Mame Bougouma Diene and Woppa Diallo

Africa39 authors

Based on Wikipedia:

Africa39 was a collaborative project initiated by the Hay Festival in partnership with Rainbow Book Club, celebrating Port Harcourt: UNESCO World Book Capital 2014 by identifying 39 of the most promising writers under the age of 40 with the potential and talent to define trends in the development of literature from Africa and the African diaspora. Launched in 2014, Africa39 followed the success of two previous Hay Festival initiatives linked to World Book Capital cities, Bogotá39 (2007) and Beirut39 (2009).

The judges for Africa39 were Margaret Busby, Osonye Tess Onwueme and Elechi Amadi, selecting from submissions researched by Binyavanga Wainaina. The writers' names were announced at the London Book Fair on 8 April 2014.

I realised that I read 3 of these authors in my Group Challenge in 2020 and enjoyed all their books. So I want to read a work by each of the identified authors.

Split below in three categories - read, works identified to be read, no works identified.

Read:
1. Nadifa Mohamed (Somalia/UK) - The Orchard of Lost Souls: A Novel
2. Sifiso Mzobe (South Africa) - Young blood
3. Namwali Serpell (Zambia/US) - The Old Drift
4. Zukiswa Wanner (Zambia/South Africa/Zimbabwe/Kenya) - Men of the South and London Cape Town Joburg
5. H.J. Golakai (Liberia) - The Score
6. Mary Watson (South Africa/Ireland) - The Wren Hunt
7. Mohamed Yunus Rafiq (Tanzania) - The Mischevious Baobab
8. Taiye Selasi(Ghana/Nigeria/UK/Italy) - Ghana Must Go
9. Chibundu Onuzo (Nigeria) - Sankofa

Works identified to be read:
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Nigeria) - Half of a Yellow Sun or Americanah
Monica Arac de Nyeko (Uganda) - Jambula Tree: And Other Stories
A. Igoni Barrett (Nigeria) - Blackass
Jackee Budesta Batanda(Uganda) -I Took Her a Hibiscus and Other Short Stories or The Blue Marble
Chika Unigwe (Nigeria/Belgium/US) - On Black Sisters Street
Novuyo Rosa Tshuma (Zimbabwe/South Africa) - House of Stone
Lola Shoneyin (Nigeria) - The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives
Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond (Ghana/US) - Powder Necklace
Edwige-Renée Dro (Ivory Coast) - Les oiseaux d'eau sur la rive du lac
Tope Folarin (Nigeria/US) - A Particular Kind of Black Man: A Novel
Clifton Gachagua (Kenya) - Madman at Kilifi or The Cartographer of Water
Stanley Gazemba (Kenya) - Forbidden Fruit or Khama or Dog Meat SamosaShafinaaz Hassim (South Africa) - Sophia: a novel
Abubakar Adam Ibrahim (Nigeria) - Season of Crimson Blossoms
Dinaw Mengestu (Ethiopia/US) - The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears or All Our Names
Nthikeng Mohlele (South Africa) - Rusty Bell or Small Things
Glaydah Namukasa (Uganda) - The Deadly Ambition
Ukamaka Olisakwe (Nigeria) - Ogadinma: Or, Everything Will Be All Right or Eyes of a Goddess
Ondjaki(Luanda, Angola/Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) - Transparent City
Nii Ayikwei Parkes (Ghana/UK) - Tail of the Blue Bird
Shadreck Chikoti (Malawi) Imagine Africa 500
Okwiri Oduor (Kenya) - One World Two: A Second Global Anthology of Short Stories

No works identified:
Richard Ali A Mutu (Democratic Republic of Congo)
Rotimi Babatunde (Nigeria)
Eileen Barbosa (Cape Verde)
Recaredo Silevo Boturu (Equatorial Guinea)
Mehul Gohil (Kenya)
Stanley Onjezani Kenani (Malawi/Switzerland)
Linda Musita (Kenya)
Kioko Ndinda (Kenya)

Let's finish some standalone books from my TBR. These were added in 2012 and I own them, but so far this attempt has been a failure of note. I finished one in 2022...

Fiction
The House at Riverton
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
Sarah's Key
The Shadow of the Wind

Non-Fiction
House of Stone: The True Story of a Family Divided in War-Torn Zimbabwe
Biko
The Last Hunger Season: A Year in an African Farm Community on the Brink of Change
Big History: From the Big Bang to the Present
The Hare With Amber Eyes: A Family's Century of Art and Loss
The Yellow Bar
The End of Wall Street
Merry Hall

Millennia of Reading
I want to see if I can read a book published in each century of a millennium, so will keep track here of my reading:


1000-1099BCE
900-999BCE
800 - 899BCE
700-79BCE
600 - 699BCE
500 -599BCE
400-499BCE Oedipus Rex, Antigone
300 - 399BCE
200-299BCE
100-199BCE
99-0BCE
1-100CE
101-200CE
201-300CE
301-400CE
401-500CE -
501-600CE
601-700CE
701-800CE
801-900CE
901-1000CE
1001-1100CE The Diary of Lady Murasaki
1101-1200CE
1201-1300CE The Saga of the Jomsvikings
1301-1400CE
1401-1500CE
1501-1600CE
1601-1700CE Oronooko: The Royal Slave
1701-1800CE - Candide (1759), The Castle of Otranto (1764)
1801-1900CE Tess of the D’Urbervilles (1891)
1901-2000CE Quartet in Autumn
2001-

African countries:

I have 21 African countries left where I have not yet read a book. I'm targeting the ones where I already own something:

1. Burundi: Small Country
2. DRC: Sacrificed or Blood River: A Journey to Africa's Broken Heart
3. Congo- Brazzaville: African Psycho or Memoirs of a Porcupine(this may turn out to be Niger, but that's OK as I need both)
4. Cote d'Ivoire: Waiting for the Vote of the Wild Animals or The Blind Kingdom
5. Eritrea: Amid the Chaos
6. Ethiopia: The Shadow King
8. Mali: The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu and Their Race to Save the World’s Most Precious Manuscripts or Segu
9. South Sudan: Emma's War
10. Tanzania: Memoirs of an Arabian Princess from Zanzibar
12. Angola: Transparent City
13. Malawi: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope

Central American/Caribbean reads:

An attempt to read books from a part of the world that is very empty on my Around the World challenge. These are all planned at the moment. I will list the completed ones separately and it will take a while.

Guatemala: Planned Asturias' Clearvigil in Spring: A Mayan Myth
Belize: Planned Zee Edgell
El Salvador: Planned Dance with Snakes or Senselessness
Honduras:
Nicaragua: Planned The Scroll of Seduction
Costs Rica:
Panama:
Antigua and Barbuda: Something by Jamaica Kincaid
Barabdos: Planned How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House or In the Castle of My Skin
Dominican Republic: Planned Junot Díaz
Dominica: Planned Wide Sargasso Sea
Grenada: Planned The Bone Readers or Angel Merle Collins
Haiti: Planned The Farming of Bones
Jamaica: Planned Augustown or Marlon James
Saint Kitts and Nevis: Planned Caryl Phillips
Saint Lucia: Planned Derek Walcott
Saint Vincent: Planned The Moon Is Following Me
Trinidad and Tobago: Planned Minty Alley or In Another Place, Not Here or A House for Mr Biswas or Green Days by the River.
Martinique: Planned Black Shack Alley
Guadelope: Planned Maryse Condé
US Virgin Islands: Planned Tiphanie Yanique

Combination reads:

I have lots of books where I either have a biography or autobiography of an author plus books by the author or other similarities where 2 authors write on the same subject etc. I want to read some of those, so this is just a list to remind me what I have and to track those completed.

Completed



Planned
Anthony Trollope:
The Last Chronicle of Barset
Autobiography of Anthony Trollope

Mary Kingsley:
Travels in West Africa
One Dry Season by Caroline Alexander

Hans Christian Andersen in the Orient:
A Poet's Bazaar: A Journey to Greece, Turkey and Up the Danube
Just as Well I'm Leaving: To the Orient with Hans Christian Andersen by Michael Booth

Fanny Trollope:
Three English Women In America
Domestic Manners of the Americans by Fanny Trollope

John Buchan:
John Buchan: The Presbyterian Cavalier
Memory Hold-the-Door: The Autobiography of John Buchan
Plus Richard Hannay series

O Douglas/Anna Buchan
Unforgettable, Unforgotten
Anything by O. Douglas

MM Kaye
The Sun in the Morning: My Early Years in India and England
Some fiction maybe reread The Far Pavilions

.

.

Wow! You are organization personified!! And all those series that I've not started! Very dangerous for me. I have started a few and the one that jumps out at me that I truly love is the Longmire series by Craig Johnson. At any rate, happy reading to you! I look forward to your thoughts on what you read in the coming year.

Martha wrote: "Wow! You are organization personified!! And all those series that I've not started! Very dangerous for me. I have started a few and the one that jumps out at me that I truly love is the Longmire se..."

I'm a big fan and planning to read the next ones soon.

I LOVE this organization!

Count me as another BABLE member! Great lists.

I am truly amazed and at a loss for words. Such fascinating challenges. I am continually amazed at how many excellent series are out there. I look through your list and see so many that I've tried or am waiting to try. Like you, I have more books than I will probably ever finish in my lifetime. But it's a great challenge to make the effort, eh? Continue good fortune with your challenges and reading.

Bill wrote: "I am truly amazed and at a loss for words. Such fascinating challenges. I am continually amazed at how many excellent series are out there. I look through your list and see so many that I've tried ..."

I really need to try and finish some of those challenges!

Wow! I'm impressed with your organization & determination! I was surprised to find so many "book 2's" on my shelf, but I have not been able to make a list of all the series reads I've started. I wish I could say your list has motivated me, but, no! Not yet anyway.
I'll be looking forward to your reviews! Happy Reading!

Carolien wrote: "I'm currently listening to No One Round Here Reads Tolstoy which introduced me to the concept of BABLE - Books Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy. I don't only seem to have more bo..."

That is hilarious!!! That is so true, and I need to join the club. I have quite a few of those Africa39 authors. So, I have to catch up there as well.

Good luck, Carolien. :)

BABLE...one can have bigger issues 🤣
I don't have any words to comment on all these lists and challenges, but I'll patiently wait to see what you end up reading. Then I know I'll want to read that book, too 😱

So many series! Such great organization. I really need to get my mental list of series down on some kind of spreadsheet.

Looking forward to seeing your reviews, especially of the mysteries.

Hope you’re able to read The Shadow of the Wind this year. It’s one of my all time favorites. Though I should warn you that it’s part of series, The Cemetery of Forgotten Books.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is a very good standalone book. Recommend it.

Lillie wrote: "So many series! Such great organization. I really need to get my mental list of series down on some kind of spreadsheet.

Looking forward to seeing your reviews, especially of the mysteries.

Hope ..."

It's been on the list for a long time. This year must see them read.

I laughed this morning. I was in the local library to check if they have anything by W. Somerset Maugham as I absolutely have to read more by him since reading Before the Party earlier this week.

By now I know the librarian who checked if I needed anything (maybe they don't have that many people studying the classical shelves). I pointed out the books that is already marked for 2023 (they are all in my challenges so far) and she looked at me a bit strangely and said I seem very organised about my reading!

I'm too embarrassed to list all of my series in progress. Even though I have finished 24 series in 2022, I started 11 series, so I'm not sure I'm making too much progress. I love to see all of your book selections - so many of them I haven't read and sound really interesting. I always enjoy your reviews. And I look forward to reading Jazz with you in October. :-)

January update:

Before anyone gets excited about the quantity of books, a lot of these are quite short. I also had slightly more time than usual to read in January. My husband was supposed to be away in Pakistan for a week, but got a call while there from his previous employer in South Africa who needed him to urgently help out, so he ended up away for the month. I therefore mostly worked from home and could read quite a bit every evening after supper.

Non-fiction
Judith Kerr's Creatures has been on my list for while. It retells some of the story told in When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit / Bombs on Aunt Dainty, but it contains drawings made from her childhood onwards. She tells how she came to write and illustrate The Tiger Who Came to Tea and other books. It just added a lot to my existing knowledge of her work and I enjoyed that.

In The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion writes about the time following her husband, John Gregory Dunne's death and the "magical thinking" that she used to try and trick herself that he will return. I found her thoughts on grief and mourning interesting, but there is a lot of what eventually just felt like name-dropping of important people in the US literary scene.

I started No One Round Here Reads Tolstoy as an audio book, but eventually switched to an actual paper version which worked better for me. Rochdale where the author grew up is not far from where we are in Chester and it tells of growing up in a working class area where none of his family or friends ever read and how he found solace in his books as a bit of an outsider. An interesting perspective on how class affects people's choices over time.

Losing Earth: A Recent History is an infuriating read as one realise how the opportunity to deal with greenhouse gas emissions thirty years ago and limit the future damage was squandered by US politicians and oil and gas companies. It's also quite interesting to compare some of the original model projections to the current situation and realise how close some of the scenarios were.

Africa
I made progress on my Africa 39 challenge as I read Sankofa which was an easy read. Anna Graham's mother dies and in a box, Anna finds a diary written by the father who never knew he had a daughter as he had to return to Africa before her mother knew she was pregnant. It turns out that he is still alive and is the contentious ex-president of a fictional African country. Anna goes to meet him and compare the existing man with the idealist of the diary.

The Blind Kingdom was written as an allegory/metaphor in 1990 to describe colonialism and post-independence corruption in many countries. I found that the message still applies equally to a country like South Africa in its current state. I read this in short sections and it worked well.

Classics
My book of the month was a completely unexpected joy, The Lais of Marie de France written in the late 1100's. The lais were poems that told stories of courtly love and events. There are twelve in the collection in this book, translated in prose format and they are absolutely beautiful. It feels like you are reading fairy tales, sometimes with a moral and sometimes not. I was quite apprehensive of reading mediaeval poetry, but these were wonderful.

Diary of a Provincial Lady has been on my TBR for years. The author wrote regular pieces of a magazine about her life in the countryside with children who get sick, local characters and a lack of home help. Quite fun, but should be read as they were originally intended in small doses.

Breakfast at Tiffany's and Three Stories rounded out the classics. One of those books that one feels one should read and I enjoyed finally getting all the details. Somehow I've never seen the movie.

Crime and espionage
I binged the Slough House novellas, The List, The Drop, The Catch plus one full length novel, Joe Country. I'll say it again, just go read them, but read them in order including the novellas and do not get attached to any of the characters, there's a fair body count. Most fun I've had reading in ages.

To this I added A Blunt Instrument which has always been one of my favourite Georgette Heyer mysteries. I caught up with two series (only until the next books come out unfortunately) A Change of Circumstance and Donkerdrif. The Man Who Died Twice is a stronger book than the first in the series in my opinion, and it was lovely to meet the group of amateur detectives again. Added another instalment in the Bobby Owen series which remains one of my favourites, they are so well plotted, Ten Star Clues. And read another collection of short stories Best Detective Stories of Cyril Hare, another one to read in small bits to appreciate his wit and cynicism. I also continued the Ocean Liner series with Murder on the Minnesota, I enjoy the information on the history of the ships, but finds the characters a bit flat in this series.

Two South African romance authors rounded out the month, Adoring Stacey and Love You, Love You Not, both of which were fun.

Currently reading
An Oxford Tragedy
The Bookseller of Florence: The Story of the Manuscripts That Illuminated the Renaissance

Next up
The Man Who Went Up in Smoke
The Sand Child

Currently listening
The Wind Whistling in the Cranes which meant that I tried Portuguese wine from the Douro Valley in January.

You had an excellent month of reading, Carolien. A nice mix and variety of genres. I have to get back to Maj Sjowall. Good luck in Feb.

A great January, congrats! I've only read The Year of Magical Thinking many years ago, and I remember enjoying it. I wonder what I'd think about it now...

Great month! I've been interested in reading The Bookseller of Florence. Look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Carolien wrote: "January update:

Before anyone gets excited about the quantity of books, a lot of these are quite short. I also had slightly more time than usual to read in January. My husband was supposed to be a..."

Great month, and your update really has me gassed for the Slough House novels. I did a copy/paste of your tips for this series, and put it in my notes for the series.

Portuguese wine sounds yummy!

Alondra wrote: "I did a copy/paste of your tips for this series, and put it in my notes for the series."

LOL, I did the same 🤣🤣🤣

This is the reading order for the Slough House series for your notes!

1. Slow Horses (2010)
2. Dead Lions (2013)
2.5. The List (2015)
Nobody Walks (2025) (this is listed as a standalone officially, but read it here, as it sets up the arrival of JK Coe to the team)
3. Real Tigers (2016)
4. Spook Street (2017)
5. London Rules (2018)
5.5. The Drop (2018)
6. Joe Country (2019)
6.5. The Catch (2020)
7. Slough House (2021)
8. Bad Actors (2022)
8.5. Standing by the Wall (2022)

I’ve found February a frustrating reading month, but shouldn’t really complain. It feels like there’s a lack of progress on any of my challenges or piles when the reality is that I am reading very long books (890 pages of The Last Chronicle of Barset) or well outside my comfort zone (The Conference of the Birds) or non-fiction requiring googling just about every page (The Book of the City of Ladies).

I read Twelve Angry Men in January which deals with a jury deliberating a murder charge. One of the best things I’ve read in ages and I would love to see the play at some point. Highly recommend it and it makes you think long about your own possible actions in a similar situation. In February Verdict of Twelve has a similar premise, but is structured differently. The first part provides background on some of jurors which will eventually influence their approach to the case and deliberations the third section. The middle section describes the crime and then the court case. Two very different books, but both highlight the manner in which the jury’s previous experiences and willingness to engage with the facts can affect an outcome.

I completed the Country Girls trilogy by Edna O'Brien reading The Lonely Girl and Girls in Their Married Bliss. The books focus very much on the impact of a patriarchal, religious society on the choices available to women and limitations imposed on them. Edna O'Brien writes tautly and uses humour to highlight the underlying tragedy.

I found that The Women of Brewster Place worked well for me as a series on inter connected short stories rather than a single narrative. Bailey's Café has a similar structure and I think I prefer it of the two. In general, I like Gloria Naylor’s approach. She tells stories of human tragedy and triumph within a context where one always has to be careful to prejudge the characters. I want to read Linden Hills next.

On the light side I read two mysteries, An Oxford Tragedy and By Book or By Crook. An Oxford Tragedy is a classic mystery set in a university college with a limited cast of characters whose sense of community will be completely destroyed by a murder. By Book or By Crook is a cozy mystery with a lovely setting which I would recommend for lovers of the genre. I enjoyed it, but not enough to feel compelled to continue with the series.

The The Night Will Have Its Say is set around 700CE during the Umayyad dynasty (they constructed the original Dome of the Rock mosque in Jerusalem) in modern day Libya. Early Muslim converts descended on North Africa to both convert and pillage the region and the story tells of a matriarch and queen who tries to protect her nomadic tribe from the invaders. She is convinced that her people should not try to hide inside structures, but disappear into the desert and will go as far as to destroy their cities (against their will) to safe them from the invaders. On the other side is a Muslim warrior who develops a grudging admiration for the queen during their 5 years of skirmishes.

Currently reading:
The Conference of the Birds �� Arabian classic which tells of a group of birds going in search of a king. Published in the late 1100’s and full of allegories and fable-like tales. I’m about halfway and reading a short bit each day (every bird has a reason why it cannot go on the journey and then there is a moral and wise response by the Hoopoe). We haven’t set off on the journey yet.

The Book of the City of Ladies was written by Christine de Pizan in 1420 as a reply to the misogynistic writing by male authors over the previous millennia. The structure involves three saintly ladies (Reason, Rectitude and Justice) who provide her with ample examples of historical and contemporary examples which contradict the narratives of the male authors. Many of these ladies have fallen into obscurity which means I am googling (well, I use Ecosia so at least a few trees will get planted as a result) constantly. Obviously the author did not have the Internet available and was limited to sources like The Decameron. It’s interesting to see how these limitations sometimes play out. She writes about Queen Artemisia of Caria, but it turns out there were two of them who lived about 2,500 years apart and her version conflates the different queens. (Then again I didn't know either existed prior to reading this book!). One of the points made in the introduction to my copy is that the male authors tended to pick and choose which aspects of the female stories they wanted to showcase normally selecting the more insalubrious or sensational bits. Christine de Pizan applies the same logic but in the opposite direction so she is quite happy to point out how Medea assisted Jason bypassing her murder of both her brother and sons! In any case, this one is taking absolutely ages given the constant cross-referencing.

Dealing with approximately the same era, The Bookseller of Florence: The Story of the Manuscripts That Illuminated the Renaissance by one of my favourite non-fiction authors, Ross King, tells the story of Vespasiano da Bisticci who ran a bookshop in the late 1300s in Florence. He found the best available versions of a manuscript, organised scribes to copy them, miniaturists to illustrate them, bound them, and sold them to the literature establishment which included Popes, Cosimo de Medici, the Bishop of Ely and a range of early Renaissance intellectuals. Very interesting, but a slow read.

And then there is The Last Chronicle of Barset which I love, but is 890 pages long. I'm going to finish it just in time for a buddy read of the first of the Palliser series in April. Can You Forgive Her? is only 820 pages at least.

Next up
I was planning on spending March reading mostly mysteries, but still need to get my library pile out of the way. So that leaves me with:
The Lonely Londoners
The Transit of Venus
The Sand Child

Wow, Carolien. Some heavy duty books there. I'm impressed. Is 12 Angry Men the same as the movie that Henry Fonda starred in? One of my favorite movies.

Bill wrote: "Wow, Carolien. Some heavy duty books there. I'm impressed. Is 12 Angry Men the same as the movie that Henry Fonda starred in? One of my favorite movies."

As far as I know, it is the same one. I have to try and watch it some time.

Wow, I haven't read the Women of Brewster Place in years. That book made me angry, sad, angrier and sad again. I was reading For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf, Native Son and Tar Baby at around the same time; so, my head space was not great. I loved them all. Glad you got to read it.

Alondra wrote: "Wow, I haven't read the Women of Brewster Place in years. That book made me angry, sad, angrier and sad again. I was reading [book:For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow I..."

There is so much nuance in her stories, just when you think you understand a character, she adds something that smacks you on the head and have you reconsider all your previous ideas. Yes, her books definitely provoke both anger and sadness.

I basically compensated for February by reading a lot of shorter books in March and just finishing up the others. There was a lot of variety in my reading as well. From early sci-fi to cozy mysteries. I went down to London twice which helped as it means I get about 3 hours reading done on the train ride and at least another 2 - 4 hours on the Underground while trundling around the city.

I was early for a meeting on my first trip and discovered it was walking distance from Bunhill Fields Burial Ground which features in the Slough House series and the site of the graves of Daniel Defoe, William Blake, John Bunyan and Isaac Watts. The graveyard itself was full of daffodils and other spring flowers, so that was a worthwhile diversion.

On my second trip, I walked up Charing Cross Road to get from one meeting to another. I always stop at the plaque which commemorates the site of 84, Charing Cross Road. I then realised I hadn't been to Foyles in years, so decided to forgo lunch and do book shopping instead. All very well, but not the most practical plan as I still had to get to another meeting and be at the House of Lords for the launch of report that I had contributed to. So I ended up lugging a pile of books for the next 6 hours along to these meetings.

Finished up
I discussed these in my February summary and managed to complete them in March.
The Book of the City of Ladies
The Conference of the Birds
The Bookseller of Florence: The Story of the Manuscripts That Illuminated the Renaissance

Africa
If anyone is looking for a lovely read for their Around the World challenge to complete the Central African Republic, I highly recommend Co-wives, Co-widows. Again novella length, it looks at the relationship of two women whose husband dies unexpectedly leaving them at the mercy of the family. Wonderful characters, I loved it.

The Sand Child by Moroccon-born Tahar Ben Jelloun is a short read, but quite a challenge in structure. The basic outline is that the father of 7 girls decides to bring up his 8th daughter as a boy and it works out until she/he is in their late-teens and start questioning their assumed gender identity. The narrative jumps between a number of third persons, each of which provides a different potential ending to the tale. It's a quick read, but neither plot nor character driven which makes it difficult to get vested in it.

Weep Not, Child was Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o first book and another short read (I managed it in about 3 hours on the London Underground on Monday). It explores how external events impact individuals and families and their survival. Beautifully written and thought-provoking.

Science fiction
Not usually a category on my list, but I read two this month. The Blazing World written in 1664 by Margaret Cavendish, the Duchess of Newcastle, is generally regarded as the first sci-fi book ever written. Another short one, it tells of a lady who is abducted in our world and through a portal ends in the Blazing World which is a peaceful place with no wars. I find it interesting how these early writings by women often reflect an utopian world and since the author had just lived through the English Civil War can understand why this must have been an attractive option to her. There's quite a bit of philosophy and religious debates, but it remains remarkably readable.

Parable of the Sower feels very prescient as it describes a California landscape where society is failing in part due to the effects of climate change. This was written shortly after the first major headlines about global warming started appearing and as I deal with climate change on a daily basis in my job, it was an interesting perspective. Very different to Kindred, and the YA narrator doesn't work for everyone, but I liked it.

Other
I read Electra by Sophocles. It's a quick read and my version is an excellent translation. Will now have to go and read the other versions of the story by Euripides and Aeschylus.

Mother for Dinner is not for everyone, but a brilliant piece of satire. A modern cannibal family must decide how much they want to protect their heritage or move on in modern society. I enjoyed it, but it gets quite graphic on how to skin and slaughter a human being.

I managed to keep up with one series reading Holiday Death the latest instalment of Beate Boeker's Temptation in Florence series. Except this one is set in Sardinia where Stefano and Carlina are on holiday. Stefano discovers a whole tribe of his family that his father had never told him about and soon there is a pignapping and murder to turn this into a busman's holiday. I love this series and still highly recommend it for those who like cozy mysteries.

On the more cynical and snarky side were Death Walks the Woods and Slough House. I am a fan of both series. I finished my mysteries of the month with a reread of No Wind of Blame which has some great characters.

Currently reading
Still trying to finish The Last Chronicle of Barset
The Cartographers

April reading plan
Can You Forgive Her?
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
Surfeit of Suspects
Afterlives
Days in the Caucasus
The Transit of Venus
The Lonely Londoners
The Bullet That Missed

Great month, and as always, new books that I need to look into. Slough House series, I've got the 1st book and hope to get to it soon, and the only other one that's on my TBR is The Bookseller of Florence: The Story of the Manuscripts That Illuminated the Renaissance.

I love the variety of books you're reading, wishing you more trips to London 🤣

So much variety in your selections. I hope you enjoy Can You Forgive Her when you get to it. I quite liked some characters and need to get to the 3rd book in the series. I have enjoyed Heyer's Hannayside mysteries.. and I've enjoyed the couple of Hare mysteries I've read too. Must get back to them.

Enjoy April!

Enjoy reading about your selections as always! Always something for me to look for. And, of course, you went shopping for books instead of eating lunch!
Happy Reading!

Great update. Those excursions sound absolutely wonderful!

Hopefully, if the world powers don't blow us all up; we can travel safely internationally again; but everyone is nuts. First on our list, is London, with Spain as a close 2nd.

I miss the train rides in Europe. So convenient, clean and the views were always spectacular. I think I need to move there..... preferably, Switzerland.

I'm in Aberystwyth, a small town on the Welsh coast, for the weekend to attend the Gwyl Crime Cymru Festival. The bit that I saw of the town last night was very pretty, I'll go around for a wander shortly before it starts.

Two authors who feature in my list of series underway in message 2 above and who have featured in my 12+4 challenges since 2016 are on a panel this morning, Zoë Sharp and Caro Ramsay. That was the main impetus for coming as I know very few of the other authors, Ben Aaronovitch is speaking tomorrow.

So this is not going to be good for the TBR and I get nice scenery along the way. My guesthouse is about 200 metres from both venues, the local museum and a library, which is a bonus.

Sounds like a wonderful place to be!

With respect to TBRs, it seems every year that I commit myself to whittling mine down - but alas! It continues to grow.

Sounds like fun and I would love to hear Ben Aaronovitch! How was it?

Patricia wrote: "Sounds like fun and I would love to hear Ben Aaronovitch! How was it?"

He was a good speaker, interesting to hear that the first 400 words of Rivers of London is basically as he had originally written them with very little change during the editing phase. He used to be a script writer and once he had written those first words, he basically thought he would be able to sell the idea. Which he did with an audience in mind who mainly reads Sci-fi and then maybe crime. He lent one of the first copies to a friend with that profile and then realised his audience may not be what he had imagined them to be when the friend informed him that his mother was reading the book and refusing to hand it back! And so it became a crime series first.

Quite a few of the authors who had elements of fantasy/gothic/supernatural in their books mentioned that publishers focus on marketing the books as crime first as it is the most lucrative option and has the most readers.

It was a lovely weekend, and the Amgueddfa Ceredigion Museum which is an old, opulent cinema was a wonderful venue.

I've started The Engine House by Rhys Dylan which is a new author to me and I'm really enjoying it so far. Gorgeous setting on the Welsh coast and an interesting cast of characters. Next up is Natural Causes by James Oswald.

I came home with The Unwanted Dead by Chris Lloyd and Shades by Abi Barden aka GB Williams (who was also one of the main organisers of the event). I'm looking forward to reading The Birthday Girl by Sarah Ward, An Honourable Thief by Douglas Skelton and A Bitter Remedy by Alis Hawkins (another organiser). Next year will apparently be online, but I'm definitely putting the next in-person event in 2025 on my list of things to do.

That is interesting & he seems like he would be a great speaker. I understand that crime sells better than fantasy, but I wonder how that really works? I think most of the people in my mystery book club would not not touch a book like Rivers of London. Even a little magical realism freaks them out!

Anyway, thanks for sharing & enjoy your new reads!

Carolien wrote: "I'm in Aberystwyth, a small town on the Welsh coast, for the weekend to attend the Gwyl Crime Cymru Festival. The bit that I saw of the town last night was very pretty, I'll go around for a wander ..."

How awesome!! I have the first two books in the Rivers of London series. Something tells me that I will love this series, so why not buy the books before they're read??? SMH

I have yet to go to a book-signing. I always had work, parents to take care of, etc. I am hoping that the next couple of years are full of book and garden related stuff. LOL

Alondra wrote: I have the first two books in the Rivers of London series. Something tells me that I will love this series, so why not buy the books before they're read??? SMH

You like the Dresden books, so you'll enjoy these, definitely!

Yes, you should try and get to an actual book signing! It's always interesting to hear the authors actually talk about their work.

Belated April update which felt like it contained a lot of reading, but seems to have been more about books than reading in hindsight. I have acquired quite a few between a week in London, Aberystwyth and some charity shops plus a whole new pile of library books. Here's Zoë Sharp with some pictures of the event in Wales:

In mostly chronological order:

I finished The Last Chronicle of Barset which was a lovely ending to the series, but a slog at well over 800 pages. I know this is a series I'll reread some years in the future.

The Cartographers seemed like an interesting concept and it received glowing reviews in the press, but in the end the characters failed to really grab me. I still liked the idea, but it ended up as a middling read for me.

I adored Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day! One of those books that's been on my TBR for years which I finally read and just loved. Miss Pettigrew is a middle aged spinster living a life at the margins as nanny/housekeeper in the 1930's. A mix-up at the employment agency lands her at the apartment of a glamourous singer and her various boyfriends and Miss Pettigrew is pitched into a chaotic day full of interesting people and happenings. A Cinderella story and immense fun.

Days in the Caucasus is the memoir of Banine of growing up in the early 1900's in Baku, Azerbaijan as the daughter of an oil baron and then the fall of the Russian Empire and subsequent annexation by the Russian Army. Interesting parallels with the fall of the USSR and modern Azerbaijan and just a glimpse into a world few of us know much about. Highly recommend it if you want to add Azerbaijan to your Around the World challenge.

Wild Strawberries is one of Angela Thirkell's romantic comedies set in Anthony Trollope's fictional Barsetshire. I think it was the first book I had originally read by her probably about 30 years ago and a light bit of entertainment. Her writing grew stronger over time, but always a nice break.

The Lonely Londoners describes the immigrant experience of some of the Caribbean arrivals in London in the 1930's and 1940's. Combination of streams of consciousness plus dialect make for a challenging read, but it is short and I enjoyed it as I tried to mainly follow the overall thread and characters rather than understand each word.

Chums: How A Tiny Caste of Oxford Tories Took Over The UK is actually a May read, but is an intriguing look at how the British public school and university system shaped the Conservative Party that produced Brexit, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. Simon Kuper attended Oxford at the same time as some of them and brings his international outlook to the problem. A quick read, but it provides valuable insight to the characters.

Crime
Which meant that Bad Actors was even more fun than usual as I could add the Eton/Oxford perspective to Mick Herron's acerbic wit. Set in post-lockdown London, the Prime Minister's adviser has managed to allow a Russian spy access to 10 Downing Street while trying to gain power over MI5. My husband became quite worried about my health as a cough I have had this past week and laughing out loud resulted in some severe coughing fits along the way!

This was the month for library holds to arrive and the first was The Bullet That Missed which sees our group of elderly sleuths involved in a plot to kill an international money launderer while trying to establish if a local journalist had been killed more than a decade ago. I hope we have acquired a permanent new addition to the team (who comes with some expert killing skills). Fun and maybe my favourite of the series thus far. Another series to be read in order as characters reappear and story lines cross.

Exiles the latest by Australian author Jane Harper also arrived. Aaron Falk is attending the baptism service of his godson in a small South Australian town. The baptism had been postponed due to the disappearance of one of the guests the day before the ceremony. She has still not been found and Aaron and his friend Raco (father of the godson) are drawn back into the investigation while in town. I still rate The Dry as the strongest of the trilogy, but this was excellent in its own right. If you haven't read Jane Harper yet, I highly recommend all her books.

Final crime book of the month was The Dark Garden, another instalment in the Bobby Owen series, Set (and written) during the early, phony part of WWII, a local solicitor is found dead and Bobby has a long list of suspects to consider. There is an atmosphere of menace in this book which makes it more than a standard Golden Age mystery and Bobby has his work cut out for him to identify the killer.

Currently reading
The Kill Fee
Oliver Twist
The Engine House

I'll be down in the Cotswold's for work on Friday and am then staying on for a Farm and Food Literary Festival on Saturday which is part work and part books (and nice food). So I am reading books by some of the authors to prepare including:
Our Wild Farming Life: Adventures on a Scottish Highland Croft
Fledgling (this is gorgeous, absolutely loving it so far)

Next up
The Letters of Abélard and Héloïse
The Endless Steppe: Growing Up in Siberia (buddy read with Lea!)
Ali and Nino