kidzdoc is cutting down the mountain of unread books in 2012: part 14

Henri Cartier-Bresson, (view atop Notre Dame, Paris), 1948










Currently reading:



Umbrella by Will Self
In the Presence of Absence by Mahmoud Darwish
Domestic Work by Natasha Trethewey

Completed books:

January:
1. Volcano by Shusaku Endo (review)
2. False Friends: Book Two by Ellie Malet Spradbery (review)
3. A Disease Apart: Leprosy in the Modern World by Tony Gould (review)
4. Best Mets: Fifty Years of Highs and Lows from New York's Most Agonizingly Amazin' Team by Matthew Silverman (review)
5. Walkabout by James Vance Marshall (review)
6. Swamplandia! by Karen Russell (review)
7. Letter from the Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King, Jr.
8. Mister Blue by Jacques Poulin (review)
9. Stained Glass Elegies by Shusaku Endo (review)
10. Botchan (Master Darling) by Natsume Soseki (review)
11. The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson
12. Guadalajara by Quim Monzó (review)

February:
13. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
14. Erasure by Percival Everett
15. Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness?: What It Means to Be Black Now by Touré
16. Memed, My Hawk by Yashar Kemal
17. India Becoming: A Portrait of Life in Modern India by Akash Kapur (review)
18. The Three-Cornered World by Natsume Soseki
19. Angel by Elizabeth Taylor
20. Kokoro by Natsume Soseki
21. The Golden Country by Shusaku Endo
22. The Patience Stone by Atiq Rahimi

March:
23. Professor Andersen's Night by Dag Solstad
24. Amsterdam Stories by Nescio
25. Your New Baby: A Guide to Newborn Care by Roy Benaroch, MD (review)
26. Fragile Beginnings: Discoveries and Triumphs in the Newborn ICU by Adam Wolfberg, MD (review)
27. There but for the by Ali Smith
28. The Deportees and Other Stories by Roddy Doyle
29. When the Garden Was Eden: Clyde, the Captain, Dollar Bill, and the Glory Days of the New York Knicks by Harvey Araton (review)
30. Walk on Water: Inside an Elite Pediatric Surgical Unit by Michael Rudman (review)
31. Suffer the Children: Flaws, Foibles, Fallacies and the Grave Shortcomings of Pediatric Care by Peter Palmieri (review)
32. Tonight No Poetry Will Serve by Adrienne Rich

April:
33. Little Misunderstandings of No Importance by Antonio Tabucchi
34. One with Others by C.D. Wright (review)
35. The Missing Head of Damasceno Monteiro by Antonio Tabucchi (review)
36. Boundaries by Elizabeth Nunez (review)
37. Panther Baby by Jamal Joseph (review)
38. The Map and the Territory by Michel Houellebecq
39. Waifs and Strays by Micah Ballard (review)
40. Gillespie and I by Jane Harris (review)
41. Natural Birth by Toi Derricotte (review)
42. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (review)
43. Thirst by Andrei Gelasimov (review)
44. When I Was a Poet by David Meltzer (review)
45. Book of My Mother by Albert Cohen (review)
46. The Lepers of Molokai by Charles Warren Stoddard

May:
47. Colonoscopy for Dummies ~ Special Edition by Kathleen A. Doble
48. Map of the Invisible World by Tash Aw
49. A Planet of Viruses by Carl Zimmer
50. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
51. The Leopard by Giuseppe Di Lampedusa (review)
52. The Line by Olga Grushin
53. What Is Amazing by Heather Christle
54. Painter of Silence by Georgina Harding
55. The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright
56. The Treasures of Destiny by Laurie Harman Wilson
57. Confusion by Stefan Zweig
58. Foreign Bodies by Cynthia Ozick
59. The Undertaker's Daughter by Toi Derricotte

June:
60. Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention by Manning Marable
61. The Patient Survival Guide: 8 Simple Solutions to Prevent Hospital- and Healthcare-Associated Infections by Dr. Maryanne McGuckin
62. Three Strong Women by Marie NDiaye
63. Scenes from Early Life by Philip Hensher (review)
64. The Loss of El Dorado: A Colonial History by V.S. Naipaul (not completed)

July:
65. God's Hotel: A Doctor, a Hospital, and a Pilgrimage to the Heart of Medicine by Victoria Sweet (review)
66. Being Sam Frears: A Life Less Ordinary by Mary Mount (review)
67. Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel (review)
68. The Making of Modern Medicine: Turning Points in the Treatment of Disease by Michael Bliss (review)
69. The Earth in the Attic by Fady Joudah
70. Pure by Timothy Mo (review)
71. Beyond Katrina: A Meditation on the Mississippi Gulf Coast by Natasha Trethewey (review)
72. My Michael by Amos Oz
73. Popular Hits of the Showa Era by Ryu Murakami (review)
74. Subduction by Todd Shimoda
75. Like a Straw Bird It Follows Me, and Other Poems by Ghassan Zaqtan
76. Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz (review)
77. The Bus Driver Who Wanted to Be God and Other Stories by Etgar Keret (review)
78. Memoirs of a Porcupine by Alain Mabanckou
79. I Was an Elephant Salesman by Pap Khouma

August:
80. Palace of Desire by Naguib Mahfouz (review)
81. Head Off & Split by Nikky Finney
82. Narcopolis by Jeet Thayil
83. The Devil in Silver by Victor LaValle (review)
84. Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley
85. Swimming Home by Deborah Levy
86. Sugar Street by Naguib Mahfouz
87. The Yips by Nicola Barker
88. Silence by Shusaku Endo (review)
89. Lucretia and the Kroons by Victor LaValle (review)
90. The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng (review)
91. Friendly Fire by A.B. Yehoshua

September:
92. The Empty Family by Colm Tóibín
93. The Same Sea by Amos Oz
94. Circulation: William Harvey's Revolutionary Idea by Thomas Wright
95. The Lighthouse by Alison Moore
96. Another London by Helen Delaney
97. London's Overthrow by China Miéville
98. Philida by André Brink
99. The Guardians by Sarah Manguso (review)
100. As Though She Were Sleeping by Elias Khoury
101. Thrall by Natasha Trethewey
102. Joseph Anton by Salman Rushdie

Books acquired in 2012: (books in bold are ones that I purchased this year)

January:
1. Best Mets: Fifty Years of Highs and Lows from New York's Most Agonizingly Amazin' Team by Matthew Silverman (2 Jan; LT Early Reviewer book) √
2. The Map and the Territory by Michel Houellebecq (3 Jan; Kindle purchase) √
3. The Lepers of Molokai by Charles Warren Stoddard (7 Jan; free Kindle download) √
4. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt (8 Jan; gift book)
5. Walkabout by James Vance Marshall (8 Jan; NYRB Book Club) √
6. There but for the by Ali Smith (9 Jan; ordered from Alibris 30 Jan) √
7. I Am a Cat by Natsume Soseki (9 Jan; ordered from Alibris 30 Jan)
8. The Samurai by Shusaku Endo (9 Jan; ordered from Alibris 30 Jan)
9. Confessions of a Mask by Yukio Mishima ((9 Jan; ordered from Alibris 30 Jan)
10. Coin Locker Babies by Ryu Murakami (9 Jan; ordered from Alibris 30 Jan)
11. Black Talk, Blue Thoughts, and Walking the Color Line: Dispatches from a Black Journalista by Erin Aubry Kaplan (10 Jan; LT Early Reviewer book)
12. Up in the Old Hotel by Joseph Mitchell (11 Jan; ordered from Strand Book Store on 27 Dec)
13. Runaway Horses by Yukio Mishima (11 Jan; ordered from Strand Book Store on 27 Dec)
14. The Temple of Dawn by Yukio Mishima (11 Jan; ordered from Strand Book Store on 27 Dec)
15. The Golden Country by Shusaku Endo (11 Jan; ordered from Strand Book Store on 27 Dec) √
16. Deep River by Shusaku Endo (11 Jan; ordered from Strand Book Store on 27 Dec)
17. Letter from the Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King, Jr. (15 Jan; free download) √

February:
18. Panther Baby by Jamal Joseph (2 Feb; free ARC) √
19. Angel by Elizabeth Taylor (4 Feb; NYRB Book Club) √
20. Class War?: What Americans Really Think about Economic Inequality by Benjamin I. Page (10 Feb; free e-book from U of Chicago Press)
21. India Becoming: A Portrait of Life in Modern India by Akash Kapur (15 Feb; LT Early Reviewer book) √
22. Amsterdam Stories by Nescio (29 Feb; NYRB Book Club) √

March:
23. Your new baby: A guide to newborn care by Roy Benaroch (6 Mar; free Kindle download) √
24. Fragile Beginnings: Discoveries and Triumphs in the Newborn ICU by Adam Wolfberg, MD (11 Mar; Kindle purchase) √
25. The Irish Americans: A History by Jay P. Dolan (17 Mar; Kindle purchase)
26. The Bus Driver Who Wanted To Be God & Other Stories by Etgar Keret (17 Mar; partial book purchase from Barnes & Noble gift order)
27. The Grief of Others by Leah Hager Cohen (17 Mar; Barnes & Noble gift order)
28. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (17 Mar; Barnes & Noble gift order) √
29. Londoners: The Days and Nights of London Now--As Told by Those Who Love It, Hate It, Live It, Left It, and Long for It by Craig Taylor (17 Mar; Barnes & Noble gift order)
30. The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright (17 Mar; iBooks order)
31. When the Garden Was Eden: Clyde, the Captain, Dollar Bill, and the Glory Days of the New York Knicks by Harvey Araton (20 Mar; Kindle gift book) √
32. Assumption by Percival Everett (20 Mar; Kindle gift book)
33. The Barbarian Nurseries by Héctor Tobar (20 Mar; Kindle gift book)
34. A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters by Julian Barnes (22 Mar; Kindle gift book)
35. The Man Within My Head by Pico Iyer (25 Mar; Kindle gift book)
36. Walk on Water: Inside an Elite Pediatric Surgical Unit by Michael Rudman (25 Mar; borrowed book) √
37. Knickerbocker's History of New York, Complete by Washington Irving (26 Mar; free Kindle download)
38. Suffer the Children: Flaws, Foibles, Fallacies and the Grave Shortcomings of Pediatric Care by Peter Palmieri (26 Mar; Kindle purchase) √

April:
39. Store of the Worlds: The Stories of Robert Sheckley (3 Apr; NYRB Book Club)
40. The King of Kahel by Tierno Monénembo (15 Apr; Kindle e-book)
41. The Secret Piano: From Mao's Labor Camps to Bach's Goldberg Variations by Zhu Xiao-Mei (15 Apr; Kindle e-book)
42. The Greenhouse by Audur Ava Olafsdottir (15 Apr; Kindle e-book)
43. Thirst by Andrei Gelasimov (15 Apr; Kindle e-book) √
44. Book of My Mother by Albert Cohen (16 Apr; Archipelago Books 2011 subscription) √
45. My Struggle: Book One by Karl Ove Knausgaard (16 Apr; Archipelago Books 2011 subscription)
46. As Though She Were Sleeping by Elias Khoury (16 Apr; Archipelago Books 2011 subscription)
47. Foreign Bodies by Cynthia Ozick (17 Apr; Kindle e-book)
48. Painter of Silence by Georgina Harding (17 Apr; Kindle e-book)
49. Bleak House by Charles Dickens (22 Apr; free Kindle e-book)
50. Three Strong Women by Marie NDiaye (28 Apr; Amazon UK order)

May:
51. A Planet of Viruses by Carl Zimmer (3 May; free e-book from the University of Chicago Press) √
52. Colonoscopy for Dummies ~ Special Edition by Kathleen A. Doble (3 May; free e-book) √
53. Foreign Studies by Shusaku Endo (6 May; Strand Book Store)
54. The Enormity of the Tragedy by Quim Monzó (6 May; Strand Book Store)
55. Hitch-22 by Christopher Hitchens (6 May; Strand Book Store)
56. The Coward's Tale by Vanessa Gebbie (6 May; Strand Book Store)
57. Trapeze by Simon Mawer (6 May; Strand Book Store)
58. HHhH by Laurent Binet (6 May; Strand Book Store)
59. The Undertaker's Daughter by Toi Derricotte (6 May; Strand Book Store)
60. What Is Amazing by Heather Christle (6 May; Strand Book Store)
61. Confusion by Stefan Zweig (8 May; NYRB Book Club) √
62. Scenes from Early Life by Philip Hensler (8 May; The Book Depository)
63. Pure by Timothy Mo (8 May; The Book Depository)
64. Capital by John Lanchester (19 May; The Book Depository)
65. A Mind of Winter by Shira Nayman (19 May; LibraryThing Early Reviewer book)
66. The Treasures of Destiny by Laurie Harman Wilson (20 May; ARC e-book) √
67. The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert Caro (21 May; History Book Club)
68. The Complete 2012 User's Guide to the Amazing Amazon Kindle by Stephen Windwalker and Bruce Grubbs (29 May; free Kindle e-book)
69. Our Lady of Alice Bhatti by Mohammed Hanif (30 May; Kindle e-book)
70. Last Orders by Graham Swift (30 May; gift book (J.N.))
71. The Patient Survival Guide: 8 Simple Solutions to Prevent Hospital- and Healthcare-Associated Infections by Dr. Maryanne McGuckin (31 May; LT Early Reviewer book)
72. Subduction by Todd Shimoda (31 May; LT Early Reviewer book)
73. Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel (31 May; Amazon UK)

June:
74. Ride a Cockhorse by Raymond Kennedy (4 June; NYRB Book Club)
75. London Under: The Secret History Beneath the Streets by Peter Ackroyd (26 June; City Lights Books)
76. Divorce Islamic Style by Amara Lakhous (26 June; City Lights Books)
77. Beyond Katrina: A Meditation on the Mississippi Gulf Coast by Natasha Trethewey (26 June; City Lights Books)
78. Memoirs of a Porcupine by Alain Mabanckou (26 June; City Lights Books)
79. Is Just a Movie by Earl Lovelace (26 June; City Lights Books)
80. Like a Straw Bird It Follows Me, and Other Poems by Ghassan Zaqtan (26 June; City Lights Books)
81. The Making of Modern Medicine: Turning Points in the Treatment of Disease by Michael Bliss (26 June; City Lights Books)
82. The Dream of the Celt by Mario Vargas Llosa (26 June; City Lights Books)
83. God's Hotel: A Doctor, a Hospital, and a Pilgrimage to the Heart of Medicine by Victoria Sweet (26 June; City Lights Books)
84. The Earth in the Attic by Fady Joudah (26 June; City Lights Books)
85. Massacre River by René Philoctète (28 June; City Lights Books)
86. Manual of Painting and Calligraphy by José Saramago (28 June; City Lights Books)
87. I Was an Elephant Salesman by Pap Khouma (28 June; City Lights Books)
88. I Am a Japanese Writer by Dany Laferrière (28 June; City Lights Books)
89. Jim and Jap Crow: A Cultural History of 1940s Interracial America by Matthew M. Briones (28 June; City Lights Books)
90. McTeague by Frank Norris (30 June; free Kindle e-book)
91. Being Sam Frears: A Life Less Ordinary by Mary Mount (30 June; Penguin eSpecial)

July:
92. Head Off & Split by Nikky Finney (2 July; Books Inc.)
93. Life on Mars by Tracy K. Smith (2 July; Books Inc.)
94. The Moon, Come to Earth: Dispatches from Lisbon by Philip Graham (2 July; University of Chicago Press free e-book)
95. Confessions of a Young Novelist by Umberto Eco (4 July; City Lights Books)
96. Missing Soluch by Mahmoud Dowlatabadi (4 July; City Lights Books)
97. Why Niebuhr Matters by Charles Lemert (4 July; City Lights Books)
98. Globalectics by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (4 July; City Lights Books)
99. Black in Latin America by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (4 July; City Lights Books)
100. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander (6 July; Kindle download)
101. Always in Trouble: An Oral History of ESP-Disk', the Most Outrageous Record Label in America by Jason Weiss (6 July; City Lights Books)
102. Season of the Witch: Enchantment, Terror, and Deliverance in the City of Love by David Talbot (6 July; City Lights Books)
103. Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo (6 July; City Lights Books)
104. Inside by Alix Ohlin (6 July; City Lights Books)
105. The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova (8 July; Kindle download)
106. Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol (9 July; NYRB Book Club)
107. Narcopolis by Jeet Thayil (25 July; Kindle download)
108. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce (25 July; Kindle download)
109. Skios by Michael Frayn (25 July; Kindle download)
110. Religio Medici and Urne-Buriall by Sir Thomas Browne (31 July; NYRB Book Club)

August:
111. The Devil in Silver by Victor LaValle (7 August; LTER book)
112. Wheel with a Single Spoke and Other Poems by Nichita Stănescu (8 August; Archipelago Books subscription)
113. Prehistoric Times by Eric Chevillard (8 August; Archipelago Books subscription)
114. A Word Child by Iris Murdoch (10 August; Kindle download)
115. Swimming Home by Deborah Levy (10 August; The Book Depository)
116. The Teleportation Accident by Ned Bauman (11 August; AbeBooks)
117. The Yips by Nicola Barker (11 August; AbeBooks)
118. The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng (17 August; AbeBooks)
119. Lucretia and the Kroons by Victor LaValle (18 August; Kindle single)
120. Five Tales by John Galsworthy (19 August; free Kindle download)
121. Blooms of Darkness by Aharon Appelfeld (19 August; Kindle e-book)
122. Editorial by Arthur Graham (22 August; free Kindle download)
123. The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford (23 August; free Kindle download)

September:
124. The Hour Between Dog and Wolf by John Coates (4 Sep; Kindle e-book)
125. sic by Joshua Cody (4 Sep; Kindle e-book)
126. No Time to Lose: A Life in Pursuit of Deadly Viruses by Peter Piot (4 Sep; Kindle e-book)
127. The Believing Brain by Michael Shermer (4 Sep; Kindle e-book)
128. The Moral Molecule by Paul Zak (4 Sep; Kindle e-book)
129. The Expedition of Humphry Clinker by Tobias Smolett (5 Sep; Kindle free e-book)
130. Old Town by Lin Zhe (7 Sep; Kindle free e-book)
131. The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories by H.G. Wells (9 Sep; Kindle free e-book)
132. Merivel: A Man of His Time by Rose Tremain (9 Sep; Foyles Bookshop)
133. NW by Zadie Smith (9 Sep; Foyles Bookshop)
134. Philida by André Brink (9 Sep; Foyles Bookshop)
135. London's Overthrow by China Miéville (10 Sep; Foyles Bookshop)
136. The Lighthouse by Alison Moore (10 Sep; Foyles Bookshop)
137. Circulation: William Harvey, A Man in Motion by Thomas Wright (10 Sep; Foyles Bookshop)
138. Umbrella by Will Self (10 Sep; Foyles Bookshop)
139. Another London by Helen Delaney (13 Sep; Tate Britain Bookshop)
140. Life! Death! Prizes! by Stephen May (13 Sep; Foyles Bookshop)
141. Hawthorn and Child by Keith Ridgway (13 Sep; Foyles Bookshop)
142. Subhuman Redneck Poems by Les Murray (13 Sep; Foyles Bookshop)
143. The Tree of Man by Patrick White (13 Sep; Foyles Bookshop)
144. Voss by Patrick White (13 Sep; Foyles Bookshop)
145. The Opium War: Drugs, Dreams and the Making of China by Julia Lovell (13 Sep; Foyles Bookshop)
146. The Guardians: An Elegy by Sarah Manguso (14 Sep; London Review Bookshop)
147. Lionel Asbo: State of England by Martin Amis (14 Sep; London Review Bookshop
148. Communion Town by Sam Thompson (18 Sep; Foyles Bookshop)
149. Joseph Anton by Salman Rushdie (18 Sep; London Review Bookshop)
150. The Colour of Milk by Nell Leyshon (13 Sep; Foyles Bookshop)
151. District and Circle by Seamus Heaney (13 Sep; Foyles Bookshop)
152. Restoration by Rose Tremain (13 Sep; Foyles Bookshop)
153. Mo Said She Was Quirky by James Kelman (13 Sep; Foyles Bookshop)
154. The Chip-Chip Gatherers by Shiva Naipaul (13 Sep; Foyles Bookshop)
155. Looking for Transwonderland: Travels in Nigeria by Noo Saro-Wiwa (13 Sep; Foyles Bookshop)
156. Domestic Work by Natasha Trethewey (23 Sep; Barnes & Noble (Philadelphia))
157. Thrall by Natasha Trethewey (23 Sep; Barnes & Noble (Philadelphia))

TBR books read in 2012 (books on my shelf for ≥6 months):

1. A Disease Apart: Leprosy in the Modern World by Tony Gould
2. Swamplandia! by Karen Russell
3. Botchan (Master Darling) by Natsume Soseki
4. The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson
5. Guadalajara by Quim Monzó
6. Memed, My Hawk by Yashar Kemal
7. The Three-Cornered World by Natsume Soseki
8. Kokoro by Natsume Soseki
9. The Patience Stone by Atiq Rahimi
10. The Deportees and Other Stories by Roddy Doyle
11. Little Misunderstandings of No Importance by Antonio Tabucchi
12. One with Others by C.D. Wright
13. The Missing Head of Damasceno Monteiro by Antonio Tabucchi
14. Waifs and Strays by Micah Ballard
15. Gillespie and I by Jane Harris
16. When I Was a Poet by David Meltzer
17. Map of the Invisible World by Tash Aw
18. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
19. The Leopard by Giuseppe di Lampedusa
20. The Line by Olga Grushin
21. Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention by Manning
22. The Loss of El Dorado: A Colonial History by V.S. Naipaul
23. My Michael by Amos Oz
24. Popular Hits of the Showa Era by Ryu Murakami
25. Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz
26. Palace of Desire by Naguib Mahfouz
27. Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley
28. Sugar Street by Naguib Mahfouz
29. Silence by Shusaku Endo
30. Friendly Fire by A.B. Yehoshua
31. The Empty Family by Colm Tóibín
32. The Same Sea by Amos Oz

Books purchased in 2012:

1. The Map and the Territory by Michel Houellebecq √
2. Fragile Beginnings: Discoveries and Triumphs in the Newborn ICU by Adam Wolfberg, MD √
3. The Irish Americans: A History by Jay P. Dolan
4. The Bus Driver Who Wanted to Be God and Other Stories by Etgar Keret √
5. The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright √
6. Suffer the Children: Flaws, Foibles, Fallacies and the Grave Shortcomings of Pediatric Care by Peter Palmieri √
7. The King of Kahel by Tierno Monénembo
8. The Secret Piano: From Mao's Labor Camps to Bach's Goldberg Variations by Zhu Xiao-Mei
9. The Greenhouse by Audur Ava Olafsdottir
10. Thirst by Andrei Gelasimov √
11. Foreign Bodies by Cynthia Ozick √
12. Painter of Silence by Georgina Harding √
13. Three Strong Women by Marie NDiaye √
14. Foreign Studies by Shusaku Endo
15. The Enormity of the Tragedy by Quim Monzó
16. Hitch-22 by Christopher Hitchens
17. The Coward's Tale by Vanessa Gebbie
18. Trapeze by Simon Mawer
19. HHhH by Laurent Binet
20. The Undertaker's Daughter by Toi Derricotte √
21. What Is Amazing by Heather Christle √
22. Scenes from Early Life by Philip Hensler √
23. Pure by Timothy Mo √
24. Capital by John Lanchester
25. The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert Caro
26. Our Lady of Alice Bhatti by Mohammed Hanif
27. Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel √
28. London Under: The Secret History Beneath the Streets by Peter Ackroyd
29. Divorce Islamic Style by Amara Lakhous
30. Beyond Katrina: A Meditation on the Mississippi Gulf Coast by Natasha Trethewey √
31. Memoirs of a Porcupine by Alain Mabanckou √
32. Is Just a Movie by Earl Lovelace
33. Like a Straw Bird It Follows Me, and Other Poems by Ghassan Zaqtan √
34. The Making of Modern Medicine: Turning Points in the Treatment of Disease by Michael Bliss √
35. The Dream of the Celt by Mario Vargas Llosa
36.. God's Hotel: A Doctor, a Hospital, and a Pilgrimage to the Heart of Medicine by Victoria Sweet √
37. The Earth in the Attic by Fady Joudah √
38. Massacre River by René Philoctète
39. Manual of Painting and Calligraphy by José Saramago
40. I Was an Elephant Salesman by Pap Khouma √
41. I Am a Japanese Writer by Dany Laferrière
42. Jim and Jap Crow: A Cultural History of 1940s Interracial America by Matthew M. Briones
43. Being Sam Frears: A Life Less Ordinary by Mary Mount √
44. Head Off & Split by Nikky Finney
45. Life on Mars by Tracy K. Smith
46. Confessions of a Young Novelist by Umberto Eco
47. Missing Soluch by Mahmoud Dowlatabadi
48. Why Niebuhr Matters by Charles Lemert
49. Globalectics by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o
50. Black in Latin America by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
51. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
52. Always in Trouble: An Oral History of ESP-Disk', the Most Outrageous Record Label in America by Jason Weiss
53. Season of the Witch: Enchantment, Terror, and Deliverance in the City of Love by David Talbot
54. Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo
55. Inside by Alix Ohlin
56. The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova
57. Narcopolis by Jeet Thayil √
58. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
59. Skios by Michael Frayn
60. The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng
61. The Yips by Nicola Barker
62. The Teleportation Accident by Ned Bauman
63. Swimming Home by Deborah Levy
64. A Word Child by Iris Murdoch
65. Swimming Home by Deborah Levy
66. The Teleportation Accident by Ned Bauman
67. The Yips by Nicola Barker
68. The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng
69. Lucretia and the Kroons by Victor LaValle
70. Blooms of Darkness by Aharon Appelfeld
71. The Hour Between Dog and Wolf by John Coates
72. sic by Joshua Cody
73. No Time to Lose: A Life in Pursuit of Deadly Viruses by Peter Piot
74. The Believing Brain by Michael Shermer
75. The Moral Molecule by Paul Zak
76. Merivel: A Man of His Time by Rose Tremain
77. NW by Zadie Smith
78. Philida by André Brink
79. London's Overthrow by China Miéville
80. The Lighthouse by Alison Moore
81. Circulation: William Harvey, A Man in Motion by Thomas Wright
82. Umbrella by Will Self
83. Another London by Helen Delaney
84. Life! Death! Prizes! by Stephen May
85. Hawthorn and Child by Keith Ridgway
86. Subhuman Redneck Poems by Les Murray
87. The Tree of Man by Patrick White
88. Voss by Patrick White
89. The Opium War: Drugs, Dreams and the Making of China by Julia Lovell
90. The Guardians: An Elegy by Sarah Manguso
91. Lionel Asbo: State of England by Martin Amis
92. Communion Town by Sam Thompson
93. Joseph Anton by Salman Rushdie
94. The Colour of Milk by Nell Leyshon
95. District and Circle by Seamus Heaney
96. Restoration by Rose Tremain
97. Mo Said She Was Quirky by James Kelman
98. The Chip-Chip Gatherers by Shiva Naipaul
99. Looking for Transwonderland: Travels in Nigeria by Noo Saro-Wiwa
100. Domestic Work by Natasha Trethewey
101. Thrall by Natasha Trethewey

Completed books from JanetinLondon's library and list of planned reads for 2012:

January:
1. Volcano by Shusaku Endo
2. Botchan by Natsume Soseki

February:
3. The Three-Cornered World by Natsume Soseki
4. Kokoro by Natsume Soseki

May:
5. The Leopard by Giuseppe di Lampedusa

July:
6. Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz

August:
7. Palace of Desire by Naguib Mahfouz
8. Sugar Street by Naguib Mahfouz
9. Silence by Shusaku Endo

Planned reads for September:

As Though She Were Sleeping by Elias Khoury (TIOLI challenge #16) - completed
Communion Town by Sam Thompson (TIOLI challenge #9) - to be read in October
The Empty Family by Colm Tóibín - completed
In the Presence of Absence by Mahmoud Darwish - reading
The Lighthouse by Alison Moore (TIOLI challenge #9) - completed
NW by Zadie Smith (TIOLI challenge #16) - to be read in October
Philida by André Brink (TIOLI challenge #16) - completed
The Same Sea by Amos Oz (TIOLI challenge #12) - completed
Skios by Michael Frayn (TIOLI challenge #16) - to be read in October
The Teleportation Accident by Ned Beauman (TIOLI challenge #9) - to be read in October
To the End of the Land by David Grossman - to be read in October
Umbrella by Will Self (TIOLI challenge #15) - reading
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce (TIOLI challenge #16) - to be read in October
Circulation: William Harvey, a Man in Motion by Thomas Wright (TIOLI challenge #9) - completed
Another London: International Photographers Capture City Life 1930-1980 by Helen Delaney (TIOLI challenge #9) - completed
London's Overthrow by China Miéville (TIOLI challenge #16) - completed
The Guardians: An Elegy by Sarah Manguso (TIOLI challenge #16) - completed

Unknown photographer, Westminster Bridge

Happy new thread, and again a beautiful pic.

I like the picture too. :)

Wow! It looks like you have a lot on your plate reading-wise for September, Darryl!

Your picture gave this Paris loving heart a lift this morning. Thanks.

Hope the remainder of your vacation is as wonderful as the first part has been!

Hi Darryl, love the theater reviews from the last thread. Also the Booker short list talk. It looks like I'd better check out Narcopolis again from the library and give it another go. I'm on a waiting list for The Garden of Evening Mists, but will have to look elsewhere for the other SL books.

I'm enjoying my vicarious time in London very much. Thanks for keeping us informed about all the wonderful things you are seeing and doing.

I request London or another place for a photo next time. Paris does not appeal to me at all :P

I love that photo!! Am sitting here in NZ having an "I miss Paris" moment.

I'm also loving reading your updates from London - got nearly finished your old thread yesterday after weeks away. Hope you're having a nice Friday afternoon in a bookshop or theatre.

Cool photo, Darryl! I'm a Cartier-Bresson fan. Looking forward to more news from London.

AAAACCCK! Acrophobia from Cartier-Bresson's probable perching point!

Hi Darryl, great to see the photography theme continued. Have you read The Ongoing Moment by Geoff Dyer? It is a conversationally styled history photography. Avatiakh (Kerry) recommended it to me, well, she talked about it and I ran for it :)

I join the legions in enjoying hearing about your trip.

eta: I havent read Zadie Smith's White Teeth and even passed it by at the recent book sale (!!) Maybe I was foolish in doing that....but funnily enough, just as I was saying I hadnt read a good London book lately, I picked up a $2 copy of A Week in December by Sebastian Faulks just yesterday. Even though this author is hit and miss with me (one hit and one big miss with On Green Dolphin Street), I thought Id at least buy it for heap!

Beautiful Cartier-Bresson photo, Darryl! Hope you're having a lovely London day!

Oooh, look at the saints cascading down the roof--I'd love to see that in person!

Congrats on your latest thread Darryl. Looking forward to keeping up with your triumphal march across the book shops and theatres of old London Town.

Yesterday was a mixed day. I've picked up a pretty bad cold, probably from the sick young woman who sat next to me during Tuesday's performance of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, which worsened yesterday afternoon and kept me up half the night. I felt like rubbish after I took cold medicine, and ended up skipping last night's performance of Julius Caesar. I stayed awake until 3 am, and I did finish two books (longer reviews to come):

Circulation: William Harvey, a Man in Motion by Thomas Wright (actual title: Circulation: William Harvey's Revolutionary Idea): Longlisted for this year's Wellcome Trust Book Prize, this was a very good biography of the English anatomist, natural philosopher and personal physician to two English kings, whose greatest contribution was his description of the mammalian circulatory system as a unidirectional circuit propelled by the heart's contractions, which delivered oxygen rich blood to the body's cells via the left side of the heart, the arterial system and capillaries, brought back deoxygenated blood to the right side of the heart via the venous system, from where it was pumped into the lungs for rejuvenation and delivery to the left side of the heart. Harvey came under intense scrutiny and criticism for his model, as it contradicted the theory of the great Greek physician Galen in the second century AD, which consisted of two parallel circulatory systems that were interlinked by the liver, the source of blood. That theory had been taught for over 1000 years, along with Galen's humoral theory, which claimed that illness resulted from an imbalance of the body's four humors: blood, black bile, yellow bile and phlegm. This theory was at the heart of Western medicine, and Harvey's circulatory system was one of the first steps toward the shift away from Galenic and Hippocratic medicine toward one in which observation and experimentation governed Western medicine as it was taught and practiced. (4 stars)

The Lighthouse by Alison Moore: This was a very good short novel, multilayered and richly symbolic, about a naive and pathetic Englishman who goes on a walking holiday in Germany after his wife separates from him. He starts out in a town called Hellhaus (supposedly German for "bright lights", but the obvious English translation is a better fit), where he has a particularly malignant interaction with the couple who run the hotel where he begins his journey. His circular trip is meant to be a restorative and revealing one, but it ends where it began, badly, at the first hotel. It gets 4-1/2 stars on LT, and I thought it deserved its position on this year's Booker Prize shortlist.

Here's my shortlist rating so far (five down, one to go):

1. The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng
2. Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
3. The Lighthouse by Alison Moore
4. Narcopolis by Jeet Thayil
5. Swimming Home by Deborah Levy

I'll finish the shortlist after I read Umbrella next week, but I'll read Philida by Andre Brink this weekend, which made the longlist.

Bummer about your cold, Darryl. Sorry you missed your planned theater attendance and hope today is a better day.

Yesterday afternoon I saw another photography exhibition, this time at the Barbican Centre, entitled Everything Was Moving: Photography from the 60s and 70s, a collection of roughly 400 photographs taken by 12 artists which chronicled major events during those turbulent years. I only saw the first portion of the exhibition, which featured the work of Ernest Cole, a black South African who convinced government officials that he was "coloured" due to his name, which permitted him to travel outside of the restricted apartheid system and to chronicle it in his 1967 book House of Bondage; David Goldblatt, a white South African who approached the horrors of apartheid from a different vantage point; Bruce Davidson, who is best known for his photographs of the Civil Rights Movement and life in Harlem in the early 1960s; and William Eggleston, who captured the lives of Southerners, black and white, in Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama in the early 1970s, which was an interesting contrast to Davidson's work. The comparison between the living conditions of black South Africans and black Southerners in the US was powerful, and several of Davidson's photographs of black sharecroppers in the early 1960s were deeply shocking to me. I became mentally and physically tired about 1/3 of the way through the massive exhibition, and I'll go back to the Barbican next week to see the remaining photographs.

After a delightful late lunch of fish & chips I headed back to Bloomsbury by bus, and visited the London Review Bookshop, which is a stone's throw away from the campus of the British Museum. I only bought two books, though:

Lionel Asbo: State of England by Martin Amis
The Guardians by Sarah Manguso

I have a ticket for this afternoon's performance of Timon in Athens at the National Theatre, and I'll decide in the next couple of hours if I still feel like going to it. Fortunately it was a 12 quid Travelex ticket, so I'm not out much if I decide to stay inside today.

Hope you're feeling better, Darryl? Being ill when you're on vacation is a bummer.

How was the performance of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time? I thought the book was great. Did the play do justice?

>6 drachenbraut23:, 7 Thanks Bianca and Rachel; I'm glad that you both like that photo.

>8 alcottacre: You're right, Stasia, although that list is partially out of date. I still have nearly two weeks left of vacation, and I'll probably only work the last two days of the month, so I still have a lot of time to read between now and then.

>9 maggie1944: Thanks, Karen!

>10 Donna828: You're quite welcome, Donna. I'm glad that you and others are enjoying my travel chronicles, and I'd be even more happy if I encouraged anyone to visit London and experience all it has to offer in the future.

>11 lunacat: Your wish is my command, Jenny. I've posted a photo of a double decker tram on Westminster Bridge in the 1950s in message #5

>12 cushlareads: Thanks, Cushla. I will eventually make it to Paris, although it probably won't be during this trip.

>13 jnwelch: Will do, Joe. Cartier-Bresson is one of my favorite photographers as well. I started to pick up a biography of him that I saw in the London Review Bookshop yesterday, but it had few if any photographs, so I put it back on the shelf, at least for the time being.

>14 richardderus: Yep. I'm glad that Cartier-Bresson was up there, and not me.

>15 LovingLit: Thanks for mentioning The Ongoing Moment, Megan. That sounds like a must read, so I've added it to my wish list.

I was a big fan of White Teeth, although I'm far less fond of Zadie Smith's other novels. I've read numerous glowing reviews of NW this month, including ones this week by Deborah (Cariola) and Bonnie (brenzi), so I'm even more eager to read it than I originally was. It seems to be the only novel I've heard about that arguably should have made the Booker Prize longlist (which has had 13 books in most recent years; this year's list has only 12 titles).

I bought A Week in December in London, either in 2010 or 2011, but I haven't read it yet. It's also the only book of his that I own. Which of his books was a hit with you?

>16 LauraBrook: Thanks, Laura!

>17 ronincats: Same here, Roni. I'll probably return to London in the spring, and plan a trip to Paris at that time.

>18 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. I struck several books from my "buy" list, as I'm not as interested in reading all of the books on the Wellcome Trust Book Prize longlist as I originally was. I did create a new wish list last night, which has 13 books on it. I won't buy all of them (at least I think I won't), but I definitely want to get Joseph Anton: A Memoir by Salman Rushdie, which hits the shelves next week, Mo Said She Was Quirky by James Kelman, Communion Town by Sam Thompson (the only Booker longlisted book that I haven't found yet), Roads to Santiago by Cees Nooteboom (possible Nobel laureate this year?), and The Colour of Milk by Neil Leyshon.

>20 brenpike: Thanks, Brenda. I'm having less nasal congestion but I've developed a tight cough in the past hour, so I'll start on my asthma regimen after I finish this message. Fortunately I have everything I need with me.

>22 cameling: Thanks, Caroline. This is all Richard's fault, BTW; I'm sure that this is a hantavirus infection.

The Curious Incident in the Dog in the Night-Time was outstanding; I reviewed it in message #188 of my previous thread. It certainly did justice to the book, although it was slightly different from it. As much as I enjoyed the book I think I liked the play even better.

I am very much enjoying my vicarious vacation with you! I am especially appreciating the historical photographs.

And, frankly, am also glad to have not caught your cold. I do hate those respiratory infections. Last February's bout of pneumonia has been a pain in that it completely upset my Rheumatoid Arthritis treatments and I've been juggling new meds ever since; so, long story a tad shorter: I try to avoid any respiratory dysfunction.

London does sound very tempting and after a November vacation in Hawaii I will begin to set aside moneys for another vacation. I have a friend in France who I very much enjoy visiting; but seems like as she recently married a Brit, I should be able to figure a way into England, too. I have a Grandfather's birth certificate for somewhere in England and I really should do the "pilgrimage".

I am trying to decide if I dare to pick one of the Booker books to read. I'm not much for reading the more difficult "literary" books so am wondering if you have an opinion as to which might be the most accessible for one such as I? Also, when you are farther along in reading the Wellcome Trust Book Prize books I'd be interested in your take on which is most accessible.

Ah, glad to see that illness has made you an easy target, and that you now obey my every command. Love the new photo!

In truth, I'm sorry to hear you're under the weather (stupid phrase, because aren't we all under the weather all the time?!) but hopefully you can still enjoy the remainder of your visit.

Also remember that cake and chocolate are obligatory healing remedies in England. When in Rome and all that...........

:( Too bad about your cold! I hope it doesn't keep you down TOO much during your vacation. Getting sick while traveling is no fun at all. It reminds me of the time I went to a conference in Swakopmund, Namibia and COMPLETELY lost my voice and couldn't give my talk. (I could hardly even whisper.) hahaha These things happen! Glad you enjoyed Circulation: William Harvey, a Man in Motion and The Lighthouse. I'm eager to read them both.

Darryl - I hope you get better quickly - I must note that you do seem fated not to see Julius Caesar this trip - third time lucky perhaps? Nice splurges and I do like the look of your latest wishlist.

Very sorry to hear that you aren't feeling to great, but sincerly hope that it will not stop you from enjoying the rest of your holliday. Hope you will feel better soon.

Hope you're feeling better today, Darryl!

*chest puff* A transAtlantic curse that gave Darryl hantavirus! Heh...I am magic.

Hah! I'll let you sort it out with Richard, Darryl, but I hope you're feeling better today and can enjoy yourself. Reading good books ain't too shabby, but I'm sure you'd like some time (and health) to be out enjoying London.

Hope you feel better soon and suggest you take lunacat's advice to partake in all the chocolate and cake necessary .....
>19 kidzdoc: Especially liked reading your review on the William Harvey bio. and your explanation of the circulatory system. You make it sound so simple. Where were you when I was trying to figure this stuff out?

>25 maggie1944: Thanks, Karen. I'll continue to post occasional photographs of old London from the Another London museum catalogue. I "read" it this morning, and it mentioned that the photographs that were displayed in this exhibition were collected by the Franck family for the museum over a 20 year period, and that they will form the basis of a larger, permanent portion of the Tate Britain collection in the near future. So, although this exhibition ends tomorrow, future visitors will be able to see these photos soon.

I hope that you remain free of pneumonia, bronchitis or other lower respiratory tract infections this upcoming season!

I hope that you are able to make it to England soon. When you do go, I hope that you share your journey with us on LT.

Regarding this year's Booker Prize longlist, and reclaiming the term "readability" from last year's jurors, I would say that The Garden of Evening Mists, The Lighthouse and Swimming Home were the most readable books I've read so far. I'm just over 50 pages into Philida by André Brink, which was selected for the longlist (consisting of 12 books) but not the shortlist (6 strong), and I'm enjoying it so far. Although I loved both Wolf Hall and its sequel, Bring Up the Bodies, they are both challenging (but massively rewarding) reads, and Umbrella by Will Self is probably the most difficult book on the longlist, as it's essentially a single 400 page paragraph that takes place over three different time periods. However, I suspect that one of the books I haven't read yet, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, is the most readable book on the longlist, based on comments from other LTers.

>26 lunacat: I'm trying to be a polite, well bred American, so that I can use you as a character reference if I decide to make the jump across the pond and live here permanently. The Great Ormond Street Hospital is visible from my hotel window; maybe I should fill out a job application while I'm here. ;-)

I decided to stay inside today, except for a quick trip to the Tesco Express across from Russell Square station to pick up supplies and today's Guardian. I'm feeling much better, and I'll almost certainly spend tomorrow outdoors, as the weather in London continues to be glorious.

I'm not one for chocolate, but I do have Twinings Earl Grey tea and McVitie's ginger biscuits, along with tea cakes from Tesco.

>27 The_Hibernator: Thanks, Rachel. I did have a pleasant day today (it's just past 10:30 pm here) even though I did little other than read. In addition to Another London I also finished London's Overthrow by China Miéville, an excellent extended essay written just before the Olympic Games about the lives of Londoners underneath the facade that Boris Johnon, David Cameron and the London Olympic Committee portrayed about the city. More comments tomorrow, as I only have a few minutes left on my current Internet access pass.

>28 PaulCranswick: I'm still hopeful of seeing Julius Caesar and Timon of Athens in the next four days, Paul.

>29 drachenbraut23: Thanks, Bianca!

>30 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura! I am feeling significantly better this evening than I was at this time yesterday.

>31 richardderus: The consultants at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine suspect that I have hantavirus. They have made arrangements for me to stay in Bloomsbury under close observation (and free of charge) beginning next week, which will last until at least November. The US State Department has postponed my return flight until I am cleared by the consultants here. As long as I wear a mask in public I can travel freely throughout the capital, and I will be given a hefty stipend for my troubles. Thanks, bro!

>32 jnwelch: I'll almost certainly go out tomorrow, even if I only spend the day in cafes, bookshops and parks. It will be sunny and 19 C (roughly 68 F) today and tomorrow at least, so the weather will continue to be perfect.

>33 avidmom: Thanks, avidmom. Circulation: William Harvey, a Man in Motion was well written, and would be accessible to medical professionals and the lay public, IMO.

Thank you, so much, for your kindness in sorting through the books for "readability". I certainly will take a look at those you mention, as well as throw the titles into the discussion with the F2F book group about 2013 list of books for us.

I also am happy to hear Another London is moving to a permanent location and I might have a chance to see it! Gotta go find Grandfather's birth certificate!

>35 kidzdoc:: Darryl, this hantavirus thing looks pretty icky. How/where do you think you caught it? From what little I've read (and you're the doc so you'll know much more than me!), it doesn't seem to spread between people. I'm glad to see they are treating you well. I wonder how long you'll have to stay there?

*confused tiny voice* I thought he was joking about hanta... :(

>36 maggie1944: Apparently the photos displayed in the Another London exhibition will stay at the Tate Britain, which is in the Pimlico section of London, a few blocks south of the Houses of Parliament along the Thames.

>37 lauralkeet: Sorry, Laura! I was only kidding about hantavirus, based on Richard's "curse" that he put on me earlier this week. What I have is a garden variety upper respiratory infection, which has triggered a so far mild asthma exacerbation. I made up the consultant story and resultant extended stay in London scenario to encourage RD to reverse the curse. :-)

>38 The_Hibernator: You were right, Rachel. :-)

So glad you're feeling better. :)

Oh, No, Darryl....I'm sure you had such high hopes and plans for a wonderful vacation and now you are ever so ill. I'm more than a tad concerned about your health. I'm sending healing energy your way.

Gentle Hugs to you.

>39 kidzdoc:: funnily enough, I was sitting around watching TV tonight when it occurred to me that it must have been a joke. I rushed over here hoping to take advantage of the time difference and remove my super-gullible post. Sigh. You got me!

Sorry to hear about the cold, Darryl. Physician, heal thyself! (Fast, please!)

>24 kidzdoc: Which of his books was a hit with you?
I enjoyed Birdsong. Not as much as I was led to believe I would, but much much more than I enjoyed On Green Dolphin Street.

Man- you are packing in a lot of fun activities on your trip. Sounds like you are having an absolute ball. It also sounds like you are doing the things I would be doing- you are making time for coffee and beer too right?

That is pretty bad luck on your virus! I hope you can clear it up asap and have plenty more time for the fun you have been having. Good one on the RD trickery, but you had us all worried for a minute there!

God I love this travelogue. Any hopes of you publishing it Darryl?

Great idea Bonnie! It is definitely more compelling than many books I read . . .

I'm feeling a little better today, although I spent the morning indoors; I woke up feeling a bit woozy, and quite wheezy. I had breakfast and lunch in my hotel room, and walked to the closest Caffe Nero for coffee. Even though it was only a two block walk my lungs were burning the whole way. So, I won't do much walking today, and I'll probably take buses instead of traveling on the Underground.

I'm halfway through Philida, and it's very good so far, although it's nowhere near as good as The Garden of Evening Mists or Bring Up the Bodies.

>40 avidmom: Thanks, avidmom! I'll take it easy over the next day or two, though.

>41 Whisper1: Thanks for your thoughts, Linda. I don't feel horrible, and I have all the medications I need, for the upper respiratory infection and the asthma exacerbation. As long as this doesn't develop into a secondary bacterial infection, such as bronchitis or pneumonia, and provided that I listen to my body and take it easy, I'll be all right. And, even though I'll leave here on Thursday, I won't have to go to work before the Thursday after that at the earliest, so I have plenty of time to recuperate between now and then.

>42 lauralkeet: Sorry, Laura! A tiny part of me wanted to keep the charade going, but I soon thought that that would be mean and worrisome, so I came clean as soon as I saw your message.

>43 alcottacre: Will do, Stasia. As long as I don't need an antibiotic I'm in good shape. And, even if things acutely worsen, there are GPs in Bloomsbury who will see Americans with Blue Cross/Blue Shield, so I won't get into any trouble, provided that I don't actually have hantavirus. ;-)

>44 LovingLit: Thanks for mentioning Birdsong, Megan. BTW, yesterday's Guardian Review included a feature article on Sebastian Faulks, which I haven't read yet; here's the link:

Sebastian Faulks: a life in writing

Today's Observer (the Sunday sister paper of the Guardian, which only publishes Mon-Sat) has a positive review of Faulks' latest book, A Possible Life, which was published here earlier this week:

A Possible Life

It won't be published in the US until mid December; I'll read the review and an excerpt from the book, to decide if I want to buy it now or wait until it's available in the US.

>45 brenzi:, 46 I think the chance of me publishing this travelogue equals the chance that any publisher will want to do so.

Enjoying your travelogue, but so sorry you're sick while you're on vacation!

Hi Darryl - Delurking to wish you well soon so that you can continue to enjoy your London stay. At least you are able to do some reading...

Get Well Soon (-: Please

Love reading of your adventures in British lands! and readings, too. And museums, and plays. But first things first: Be Well.

*grumble* He's not sick enough if he can still enjoy himself, spoke the envious one.

*sigh* I wanna go to London! I wanna go to London! *sigh*

>47 kidzdoc:: "mean" is the last word I would use to describe you, Darryl! My problem was missing Richard's earlier comment and only seeing that you weren't well.

I'm envious, too, Darryl. Can't wait to get back to London some day. Sounds like you're having a great time, despite the not-hanta virus. Looking forward to more tales of the City.

Darryl

Checking in to see how you are feeling today.

So, I didn't do much today, other than hang out in cafes and Bloomsbury Square, but it was a comfortably cool day and I did read two books today, for the third day in a row (channeling my inner Suz):

Philida by André Brink: This novel, based on a true story, was selected for this year's Booker Prize longlist, and is set in South Africa in the 1830s, just before the end of slavery in that country. The book's title refers to the main character, a young slave woman with a mysterious background, an indomitable spirit and a fierce curiosity, who bears four children from François Brink, one of her owner's sons, two of whom survive past infancy. Philida learns that she and her children are to be sold to another owner in the Upcountry, so that François will be free to marry a white woman from a privileged family without the untidy complication of the children he has sired. She files a protest with the Office of the Slave Protector about this plan, which sets off a series of events that will dramatically the lives of Philida and the Brinks, and lead to Philida's discovery about her past and what she wants for herself and her children. It was a very enjoyable novel, as I read all but the first 50 pages in a single effort from late morning until late afternoon, but it didn't have the depth of The Garden of Evening Mists or Bring Up the Bodies. I'll give it a solid 4 stars; it was a good choice for the longlist, but it wouldn't have made my shortlist.

Here's my updated longlist ranking (7 down, 5 to go):

1. The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng
2. Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
3. The Lighthouse by Alison Moore
4. Narcopolis by Jeet Thayil
5. Philida by André Brink
6. The Yips by Nicola Barker
7. Swimming Home by Deborah Levy

Book #2 was The Guardians by Sarah Manguso, which was a short elegy to a dear friend of hers, who checked himself out of a mental hospital in NYC and committed suicide by stepping in front of a Metro North train in Riverdale roughly 10 hours later. I enjoyed Manguso's earlier book The Two Kinds of Decay, a memoir about her own chronic and serious illness, but this short book was little more than a self absorbed form of written diarrhea by a spoiled rich girl about the effect that Harris's death had on her, which I found to be macabre and more than a little disturbing. Some thoughts should not be shared with others, and some books should not be published, which is the case for The Guardians. I'll give it a generous 2 stars, and at a cost of £14.99 it is overpriced by at least 10 fold IMO.

Philida sounds good, especially if it's based on a true story.

The Guardians not so much. Kudos to you for getting through it, though. I see one other review on LT for it - one star. The whole thing sounds tremendously depressing. People on vacation should read cheerier fare, don't you think? Hint. Hint.

>48 rebeccanyc: Thanks, Rebecca. Today was a much better day, and overall it was an enjoyable weekend, even though I wasn't able to do as much as I would have liked.

>49 BLBera: Thanks, Beth! I did read six books in three days, so it was a productive weekend.

>50 maggie1944: Thanks, Karen. I still have three full days left in London, and I hope to see at least two plays and two or three museum exhibits before I leave on Thursday morning.

>51 richardderus: I have my robust immune system, built up by working for 15+ years around sick kids, to thank for my quicker than expected recovery from this nasty respiratory virus. However, my asthma has definitely worsened in that time, but I've been able to manage any flare ups without needing to go to an ED or be admitted to hospital (*knock on wood*).

I wanna go to London!

...and I wish that you and several other LT friends could be here, too.

>52 lauralkeet: That was tough, Laura, as RD's original hantavirus comment was made on the previous thread, and my worrisome reply was a continuation of that thought. The information about the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine is correct, as it is only two blocks away and there are almost certainly consultants there who are familiar with hantavirus.

>53 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe. I'll probably see the Shakespeare exhibit at the British Museum tomorrow morning (actually it's nearly 1 am here, so make that later this morning), stop by Foyles for lunch at the Cafe and to pick up Communion Town, the only Booker longlisted novel I haven't bought yet, and then meet up with Fliss to see The Last of the Haussmans at the NT tomorrow night. Crud...I just found out that the last performance of Julius Caesar was yesterday, so I've missed that. Timon of Athens is still on at the NT, so I'll probably go on Tuesday or Wednesday. So, I'll plan to see the Edvard Munch exhibition at the Tate Modern on Tuesday or Wednesday.

>54 Whisper1: Hi, Linda! I'm feeling much better today; I hope that you're continuing to improve, too.

Your time in London ( minus the cold and sickness) sounds wonderful-enjoy!

Darryl - I am sure that you have your asthma meds with you - take care old bean (you are in London after all).
Glad to see Philida got a thumbs up amongst what you clearly consider to be an excellent selection of books. I have bought up half the longlist so far and am planning to finish them off together when I do get them all and decide for myself.
Any further plans for 'JULIUS CAESAR"?

Sorry you got sick during your vacation, Darryl. Glad to hear that you're feeling better!

I love the photos you've posted, and the descriptions of your trip!

>58 torontoc: Thanks, Cyrel!

>59 PaulCranswick: Thanks for the good wishes, Paul. I should be right as rain in a day or two.

All seven books I've read from this year's longlist have been good, and even my last place book, Swimming Home, will probably be better on a second read. I gave it 3-1/2 stars, but that's probably 1/2 star too low.

>60 tymfos: Thanks, Terri!

> Good morning Darryl - glad to hear that you are better, and you are still able to enjoy London. I also enjoy your descriptions of your trip and the reviews of events and places.

Thumbed your review on The Garden of Evening Mists and Philida sounds like a book I also would enjoy.

>56 avidmom: Sorry avidmom, I overlooked your post!

Philida is based on a true story, which Brink mentions in the Acknowledgments section at the end of the book. It was easy to suspect this, since the father of her children is also named Brink.

The Guardians was an unexpected pickup, as it wasn't on my wish list and I only bought it after I recognized the author's name and read the book's description on the inside covers. I thought it would be a quick read, one that I could finish last night instead of starting a new book, and it was, with just over 110 widely spaced pages. I was shocked at its sticker price of £14.99, which I didn't notice until after I bought the book. That's the same price I paid for Philida, a much longer and infinitely more substantial book.

I like reading meaty and even dark books on vacation, but The Guardians made me wonder about its author's state of mind.

>62 drachenbraut23: Good morning, Bianca! I didn't sleep well last night, and I woke up after 4-1/2 hours of sleep with a very sore throat, probably because I'd been coughing all night. I feel a bit better after I took albuterol, prednisone, Advair (salmeterol & fluticasone) and Lemsip cold & flu medicine, but I've scrapped my early morning plans, and I'll wait until lunchtime to venture outdoors, after I get a couple of hours of sleep.

I suspect that you and many others would enjoy Philida; I hope that you decide to read it.

How sad that you caught such a bad cold jujst now during your holidays! I hope it will be much better before you return home!

Looking forward to your comments re. "Umbrella". I haven't read much about it yet, even in the Booker group the thread is still empty. The Kindle sample gave me the feeling it might be one of the few English books I should better read in a translation. I wouldn't be able to tell you a single thing about the contents of the sample. I read the words but couldn't make any sense of them.

>64 Deern: Thanks, Nathalie. It was a bit of bad luck, as I'm certain I caught this cold from the young woman who sat next to me at Tuesday's NT performance of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. The cold is nearly gone, but the asthma flare up is a bit worse this morning than it was yesterday morning. I'll stay inside until at least noon, as I can't stop coughing, and hopefully I'll feel better by this afternoon once the albuterol and prednisone kick in.

I'm looking forward to Umbrella, which will almost certainly be the most challenging book on the shortlist, and potentially the most rewarding one. The novel, which consists of a single chapter of just under 400 pages, is set in three periods: 1918, during the encephalitis lethargica epidemic in Europe, which claims Audrey Death, a "feminist, socialist and munitions worker at Woolwich Arsenal" as a victim; 1971, when the psychiatrist Dr Zack Busner assumes care of Audrey Death for the first time, and is able to awaken her from her coma using the medication L-DOPA; and 2010, when Dr Busner revisits the summer in which he was able to awaken the post-encephalitic patients with that drug. The famed American psychiatrist Oliver Sacks wrote a book about his experience in using L-DOPA with similarly affected patients in his book Awakenings, which was made into a movie and adopted into a Harold Pinter play, so I'm interested to see how Self handles this topic.

Apparently Self uses italics to separate one character's thoughts from another's, so this would be a difficult book to read as an audiobook or in a format that didn't distinguish the italicized text.

I did listen to the YouTube video of Self reading from the book that the one person who has reviewed it on LT posted, which made me want to read it ASAP; here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqPS2MhtI0Q.

I'd love to start reading it now, but I'll wait until Thursday's long flight from Heathrow to JFK, so that I can give my undivided attention to it.

Darryl. You are a book reading machine.
:)

>66 LovingLit: Thanks, Megan! However, I think that term best fits Suz, who pounds out one or two books a day everyday.

I am admiring your taking the asthma flares and troubles as an opportunity to relax and read! Isn't that the best thing about books: they just go wherever we need them to go!

I am hoping your good care will reduce the little health challenge and that you will be able to get a couple of active days before leaving London.

Adding Philida to the BlackHole. The only book of Brink's I have read is A Dry White Season which I thought was very good. Thanks for the recommendation, Darryl!

If in doubt, just feel happy it isn't raining. It's the answer to all problems in England.

Of course, if it is raining, you have to come up with something else............

Hurricane Nadine is almost to the Azores. Can I push it juuust a little farther north? Envy is a cruel thing.

Feel better. No really. I mean it.

#71

Oy! There are others of us that live in this green isle as well. I think it's a little unfair to rain (haha) a hurricane down on all of our heads because of Darryl :P

>68 maggie1944: Oof. Lousy morning, which was spent coughing frequently. I've stayed inside all day, as I don't feel as well today as I did yesterday, but I still plan to go to tonight's NT performance. Hopefully I'll feel better for the last two full days of this trip, but I may not do much between now and then.

>69 alcottacre: You're welcome, Stasia; I think you'll like Philida, although I'm not sure if it's available in the US yet.

>70 lunacat: So, rain cures all ills in England? I'm amazed at how dry it's been during this trip.

>71 richardderus: Yes, you may certainly push Nadine toward the UK, especially if it causes enough damage to Heathrow and Gatwick airports to delay transatlantic flights for a week or more.

>72 lunacat: Right, Jenny. Damage should be limited to those two airports, with no injuries or incovenience to anyone else.

Hope you feel better & permanently better soon. Also, if you do venture out please be watchful of sickies and flying metal boxes. ;)

Hi Darryl- Sorry to hear you are under the weather! And on your trip too! Bummer! Hope you feel better soon.

Oh dear...I forgot about the English people living there...Nadine, park yourself over Liverpool and rain rain rain on North and South alike for ~14 days.

The day after Darryl leaves. *heh*

It's so miserable to have a cold while traveling, isn't it? Ray has a cold and Claudia's getting one...so far I'm in the clear *ptooptoo* but the two of them getting on the train this morning were studies in misery. It made me wince for them, but cringe for their fellow passengers.

Tonight's theatre review:

The Last of the Haussmans by Stephen Beresford (National Theatre, 17 Sep 2012)



My rating:

“No one’s to blame for anyone else’s fuck-ups. We all fucked up. We all fucked up our own lives.”

“My baby’s home! Let’s wake ’em up! The old rebels, eh? Let’s show this younger generation what it’s all about! Shall we get naked?”

This delightful debut play by Stephen Beresford is set in the present, on the coast of Devon in a beach house that has seen better days. Judy Haussman is an aging revolutionary and head of the Haussman household, who is in the final stages of her battle against melanoma. Although her body and physical strength are failing, her spirit remains indomitable, and her thirst for life is unquenchable. Her two children, Libby and Nicky, have floundered under their mother's lack of attention to them during childhood, as Libby experiences a string of sordid affairs that lead her to become bitter and distrustful of everyone, while Nick experiments with drugs and failed relationships with men. The three, along with Libby's feisty teenage daughter Summer, who appears to be the wisest member of the Haussman clan, meet in the old beach house to comfort Judy, and to determine what is to be done with the house after her death.

Tensions soon flare, thanks to Judy's irreverence and the intense anxiety she brings out of her children, Libby's fierce desire to ensure that she and Nick will take ownership of the house, Nick's insecurity and infatuation with an attractive young man, Summer's anxiety of visiting her father and his new wife in France, and the distrust that the four have toward each other. However, instead of sinking into a morbid pool of self pity and angst, Beresford fills the performance with witty British humor and brilliant dialogue, with Judy and Nick getting the best lines.

The play was enhanced by the brilliant set, in which the beach house rotated in a circular fashion on stage to reveal its different sides between scenes, without the need for disruptive on stage changes.

The Last of the Haussmans was an outstanding comedic drama, in keeping with other superb past performances I've seen at the National Theatre over the past four years. I continue to be amazed at the quality of the NT plays I've seen, which are consistently superior to anything I've seen on Broadway (save for One Man, Two Guvnors, which I thought was massively overrrated). This play will be broadcast around the world via NT Live on October 11th (details here), and I would highly recommend seeing it if it is playing in your area.

Thanks to Fliss for recommending this play and seeing it with me!

>74 avidmom: Good news; no sickies (except me) or flying boxes, just an excellent theatre companion and plenty of theatre lovers. The weather was delightful, as it was dry and comfortably cool.

>75 msf59: Thanks, Mark. Hopefully I'll feel much better for the remaining two full days of this trip and be able to get out more than I have the past four days. Even if I don't do anything else of signifiance before I leave on Thursday it's been a wonderful and memorable trip, with great food, books, plays and meet ups with one good LT friend.

>76 richardderus: Richard, are you trying to outdo Mitt Romney by insulting the entire population of England at one time?

BTW, can I spend Thursday night at your house after my flight from Heathrow lands at JFK? *cough, wheeze*

A fine revenge that would be, too. But really we can't have two of our best book reading thread writing review posting people sick at the same time: so, don't do it! No, no, no. Go home and complete your total recovery and return to your normal book reading, review writing, self!

Please?

>79 maggie1944: Oh, okay Karen. I won't share my foreign germs with Richard then. *grumble*

*smiles with satisfaction* (is that a little too smug?)

I am going to stop making silly comments, now, and go read.

Oh boy, I'm waaaay behind. I love love love the photo at the top of your "new" thread, Darryl. My BIL and SIL spent the whole month of August in Paris and now I'm just dying to return.

And, regarding books, I'm very anxious to read The Garden of Evening Mists, which I have on hold but is still "on order" by the library, and Narcopolis, for which I am #6 in the queue for one of six copies (so I should get it within the next couple of weeks). I put in a purchase request for a couple more of the short-listed novels. It was fun writing in the comments section, where they want you to explain why the library should purchase this item, "2012 Booker Shortlist." Hopefully, that's enough rationale for the acquisitions department.

Even Richard couldn't outdo Romney......

Good morning,

great to see that you were well enough to go the theatre and enjoy they play :) Thank you very much for a beautiful review.

Oh no, please do go and wheeze at Richard as well. After he has been trying to drown us all in rain, it's the least you can do!! And would be such sweet revenge.

Ugh. I was sleeping soundly until a housekeeper woke me up just before 8:30 am. I had forgotten to hang a "Do Not Disturb" tag outside of my door, but I normally would be wide awake at that time. I'm sort of half awake and half asleep after having coffee and tea cakes; I think I'll go back to sleep for a bit, then go out early this afternoon. I'll see te Shakespeare exhibit at the British Museum, then head to Foyles to pick up my reserved copy of Communion Town, the only Booker shortlisted novel I haven't found yet, and hopefully nab a copy of Joseph Anton, Salman Rushdie's new memoir, which goes on sale today here and in the US.

Fortunately I'm feeling much better this morning, although it took a while to cough out the mucus that built up in my lungs overnight.

>81 maggie1944: Way too smug. Hmph.

>82 EBT1002: Your BiL and SiL spent the month in Paris together? Something doesn't seem right there...or maybe I'm still half asleep.

>83 drachenbraut23: Good morning to you, Bianca! The Last of the Haussmans was a pleasant surprise for me, as I hadn't looked to see what the play was about before we went. Fliss and I had a pleasant conversation up until the curtain rose, so I didn't look at the playbill to see what it was about, as I normally would. I'm glad you liked my review of it, and I hope that you get to see it, at the NT or via the NT Live broadcast in a theatre.

>84 lunacat: Unfortunately I don't think I'm infectious any longer, so the only benefit to me spending the night at Richard's house would be to keep him up all night listening to me cough.

Ooh! A select number of 12 quid restricted view tickets are now available for tonight's National Theatre performance of This House, a new play about the crisis in Parliament in 1974, which opens tonight at the Cottlesloe Theatre. The play had been completely sold out, and I figured that I wouldn't be able to see it before I left. I bought a ticket online, so my evening is set.

*happy dance*

>85 kidzdoc: Yes, Salman Rushdie is making the media rounds here this week for Joseph Anton. The current middle east crisis is serving as the back drop for his book tour. I wish I had more patience for his writing, but he can be so obtuse.

Clearly you're getting much better if you're able to do a happy dance!

*applause* I think you richly deserved a special vacation piece of good luck! Have fun seeing the play!!

The longlist for this year's Samuel Johnson Prize, "the UK's pre-eminent prize for non-fiction", was announced earlier today:

One on One by Craig Brown
Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory and the Conquest of Everest by Wade Davis
The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin by Masha Gessen
Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle by Thor Hansen
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
The Old Ways by Robert MacFarlane
Inside the Centre: The Life of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Ray Monk
Grand Pursuit: The Story of Economic Genius by Sylvia Nasar
Winter King: Henry VII and the Dawn of Tudor England by Thomas Penn (Allen Lane)
The Better Angels of our Nature by Steven Pinker
The Spanish Holocaust by Paul Preston
Strindberg: A Life by Sue Prideaux
Joseph Anton by Salman Rushdie

The winner will be announced on 12 November. More info:

Official release: The 2012 Prize

Guardian article: Rushdie memoir heads Samuel Johnson prize shortlist

I'm feeling better after a long nap, so I'll head out for the day shortly.

>87 tangledthread: I like Rushdie's earlier writing more than his later work, although I did enjoy The Enchantress of Florence and Shalimar the Clown. I'll probably start reading Joseph Anton right away, provided that Foyles has copies of it on its shelves.

>88 lunacat: It's a wheezy and spastic happy dance, due to the effects of albuterol, but it still counts.

>89 maggie1944: Thanks, Karen! I'll write a review of This House this evening.

*bows respectfully*

Darryl, it sounds like you will be in better health to enjoy a last fling in London. Congrats on snagging a hot theater ticket. I've enjoyed reading about all your doings, although the cold thing was a downer. Please stay well for the trip home.

85> The BIL is P's brother. The SIL is his wife. BIL was traveling with a summer study-abroad group; she got to go with him. All his expenses paid, including small studio flat provided..... I'm so envious.

The Last of the Haussmans sounds great, Darryl, and I'm glad you got a last minute chance to see This House (can't find the touchstone). I'm also enjoying your battles with the once in a great while (i.e. every day) difficult (i.e. chuckle-generating) Richard. Have a great rest of your trip, and thanks for letting us enjoy some of it vicariously.

Hmmmm.... now I'm thinking she isn't my SIL. Maybe I should have just said "my BIL and his wife"?

Tonight's theatre review:

This House by James Graham (National Theatre, 18 Sep 2012)





(Apologizes in advance for any incorrect statements about the British system of governance.)

This country doesn't need a constitution, never has, never will. We have History as our guide. In tough times, the British do what we have always done. We muddle through.

This House, the only new play in the National Theatre's autumn season, premiered at the Cottlesloe within the NT this evening, and is based on the crisis in the British government in the mid to late 1970s, when the Labour Party held a razor thin edge over the Conservative Party, but needed to obtain the votes of smaller parties to achieve an absolute majority in Parliament (sound familiar?). The first scene opens in early 1974, as the Labour Party has just come into power after forming a government from a hung Parliament, in which no one party has a majority of Members of Parliament (MPs). The Tories concede power somewhat graciously, as they are convinced that the minority government formed by Labour won't last a month. However, the center-left party, thanks to a hard assed party leader who is able to keep his members into line and a Deputy Whip who can reach out to all MPs, including those from the opposition, is able to achieve just enough of a margin on legislation brought before Parliament to hold off a vote of no confidence in Her Majesty's Government.

The members of the Labour and Conservative parties maintain a spirited but largely agreeable tug of war under long standing gentlemen's rules until May 1976, when the Labour Party was able to find a previously unaccounted for MP, who broke a tie in a vote to remove it from power. Pandemonium broke out, as MPs from either sides wrestled and threw punches at each other, and one Conservative MP went so far as to grab the ceremonial Mace and swing it at his enemies.

From that point forward the parties became bitter enemies, as the Conservatives were fueled by their leader, a fierce and unyielding female MP from Finchley who took over leadership of the Conservatives in 1975 and became the new Prime Minister in 1979 once the Labour Party led government was overturned, four and one half years after they had ascended to power.

This House takes place almost entirely within the chambers of Parliament, as the audience is seated in a smaller version of the House of Commons and the Sergeant at Arms announces each MP upon their entry onto the set. The action was fast and furious, and I was only able to keep abreast because I had read the excellent programme in advance, which was essential for this American to understand what was happening. Although the play is a work of fiction, it closely follows actual events during that time, and anyone familiar with Parliament during that time won't need the assistance that I did. This was another superb NT performance, which was conducive to the small setting in the Cottlesloe Theatre, and for me it was both entertaning and educational.

>92 Donna828: Thanks, Donna. I was thrilled to be able to get a ticket for This House, as it's been sold out since July. BTW, the review I wrote is probably the first one that has been published (using the word publish rather loosely). I sat in the first seat of a horizontal row of five raised stools, and I noticed a man standing 10-15 feet away from me taking notes during the play; I assume that he was reviewing it for one of the London dailies.

>93 EBT1002:, 95 "BiL and his wife" sounds more appropriate to me. When I saw BiL and SiL it sounded as if a man from one marriage and a woman from a related second one went on a trip to Paris together.

>94 jnwelch: I created a touchstone for This House by using the web site for the play, http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/this-house. The NT Bookstore and Amazon UK sell the script for the play in book form, but LT doesn't have an entry for it yet.

I think that Richard would have made a great Conservative Labour MP.

I bought a signed copy of Joseph Anton, Salman Rushdie's new memoir, at the London Review Bookshop this afternoon, after I picked up the copy of Communion Town I had ordered online from Foyles earlier this week. I also bought several more books from Foyles; unfortunately I somehow managed to leave them on the 38 bus to Clapton Pond as I traveled from Bloomsbury to Islington to get a hair cut. I presume that I'd be more likely to have tea and scones with Queen Elizabeth than to reclaim those books, so I'll count it as a loss and go back to Foyles later today (it's just after 1:15 am here). I placed Communion Town in my bag, so I still have it. Fortunately the Foyles bag contained nothing other than those four or five books, and nothing irreplacable was lost.

#90: and at first glance I thought this was the fruits of another bookshop visit! and then #98 I'm happy that you managed to salvage at least one book.

The play sounds great, especially the seating for it. When I lived in London #X*#@ years ago I used to try to get to the theatre once a week as I knew that I wouldn't have this opportunity ever again.

Okay. I wanna know who did this to me.

I mean it.

Fess up! Or the whole place gets voodoo-dollied with sciatica and kidney stones. Simultaneously.

1) Raining in buckets here.

2) MY cold has announced its intention to commence with swollen eyes and scratchy throat.

3) AND I got a birthday present of a signed copy of a book I **adore** and want to re-read.

If the guilty party steppeth not forward to receive her (or his) condign curses, Darryl's flight will suffer unprecedented turbulence, air hostess illnesses, and multiple crying babies with ear infections and colic. Plus the sciatica and kidney stones.

I'm waiting.

>99 avatiakh: Many of the books on the Samuel Johnson Prize longlist do sound interesting, but I'll only buy and read Joseph Anton for now.

I've also given up on my plan to buy and read the longlist for the Wellcome Trust Book Prize, as I had originally planned to do, due to too many other book committments over the next 3-1/2 months, and because many of the longlisted books are only marginally interesting to me compared with the books I've purchased in San Francisco and London this summer. I downloaded five or six books onto my Kindle, and I'll read those books at some point later this year or next year.

The books I bought and left on the bus were very high on my want list, so I'll go back to Foyles to pick them up in a little while.

The seating of the play was interesting; the audience members in the lowest sections just below us sat in an area that closely mimicked the House of Commons, with three rows of double benches facing each other, covered with green cushions where the MPs usually sit:



Several seats in the benches closest to the floor of the House were left empty, and occasionally the actors would sit there during the performance. One of the more memorable scenes took place when the play portrayed the deaths of 17 MPs during a particularly fractious period, when the Conservatives attempted to wear down Labour by engaging in long debates. One MP sat at the far end of a bench next to a woman audience member, and as the Sergeant in Arms called out "the member from ______", he proceeded to collapse onto the woman's shoulder and die. The segment was meant to be darkly humorous, and the audience laughed nervously as the MP expired.

I thought about taking photos of the set during intermission, but the theatres here are extremely strict about the taking of any photographs. A woman who sat at the far end of the five seat row I was sitting in was caught by an usher taking photos during intermission, and he stood over her until she deleted the photos from her camera.

I'm amazed at how many theatre performances that take place here, not including West End and National Theatre performances. There were two other plays that I had wanted to see at other theatres that I was unable to get tickets for, and I missed out on seeing Julius Caesar as I mentioned previously. Although I'm pleased that I saw five NT plays in 10 days, I'd like to see more plays on future visits to London, and I will start coming here at least twice a year.

>100 richardderus: Sorry to hear about your bad weather there, sir. However, you will notice that the rain is coming from west to east across the US, so those of us who live or wish to live in England cannot be held accountable. Likewise, the prevailing winds make it impossible for germs to travel in a westerly direction; and, based on your previous comments, it seems as though Ray and Claudia are far more likely to have passed their infection on to you than I am from nearly 3500 miles away. And, although I'd love to be able to say that I bought you a book that you adore and want to re-read, I think my track record of reading nothing but four-hankies-and-a-pistol books would make it unlikely that I purchased that book for you. So, the weight of evidence points elsewhere; good luck in finding the perpetrator(s).

I can well understand how our method of government could seem very confusing to a foreigner! Then again, yours seems confusing to me as well, though your method of electing a Prime Minister/President is somewhat clearer.

Having been born after the play's events, I also doubt I would have been able to follow what was going on. It's refreshing (if annoying) to see that the same old political problems repeat themselves again and again though. There is something bizarrely comforting about knowing that the country ticks along in its own merry way, no matter what the people supposedly controlling it do.

>102 lunacat: I've learned more about the British government over the past 5 years, especially after the events surrounding the hung Parliament in 2010, but there is much about it that I don't yet understand. Third parties in the US are, unfortunately, almost irrevelant on the national scale, with one notable exception being the debatable effect that Ralph Nader's Green Party campaign had on the 2000 presidential election, which was awarded to George W. Bush over Al Gore under dubious circumstances. However, that election was confusing enough, as Gore won the popular vote, but Bush won the electoral vote.

I've become more interested in modern British history after World War II, and this play only increased my desire to read more about that time. I do have A History of Modern Britain by Andrew Marr at home, and I'll move it much higher on my TBR list.

Sounds like you've had a great trip, Darryl, despite illness.

I think Richard has hantavirus.

We in the far west did not send the rain at Richard! We want some here. Too dry! The state of Washington is going up in flames. Rain dances will be happening, I think!

I feel awful for those lost books, Darryl. They are somewhere where no one appreciates them, I'll bet. Poor guys.

I am glad you are feeling better and that the theater experience was great!

Can you imagine if some book lover found those books! They would think it was a gift from the book gods. What a treat.

At least you didn't lose Communion Town! That was apparently the hardest to get your hands on.

*shhhhnnnnnnnnnnnnerrrrrrrrrrrrk*

*glowers*

Darryl, I enjoy visiting London through your eyes. I hope each day finds you more and more healthy.

>104 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura. I missed several things, but I did do quite a bit, considering how much time I spent in my small but comfortable hotel room.

I leave from Heathrow tomorrow morning, and my flight is scheduled to arrive at JFK just after 1 pm. I'll take the LIRR from Jamaica Station to Penn Station, and then take NJ Transit to Trenton, which is about 7-8 miles from my parents' house. I'll stay there until next Wednesday, when I'll finally fly back to Atlanta, and I'll probably spend one weekend day in Philadelphia, to visit the Museum of Art.

It seems as though the rain that hit the East Coast came from the Gulf Coast, as I know that Atlanta had severe weather, including a tornado watch, earlier this week. So you're off the hook as well, Karen.

>105 maggie1944: I just made a return trip to Foyles, to re-purchase the books I bought and left on the bus yesterday. And, yes, they are here with me! I found all five books, and another one I've been looking for in the US for a couple of years:

The Chip-Chip Gatherers by Shiva Naipaul: Yes, he is the younger brother of V.S. Naipaul, who was a recognized author in his own right before he died of a heart attack at the age of 40. This was his second novel, which won the Whitbread Prize in 1973; I had been looking for this book and his debut novel, Fireflies, for a couple of years in the US.

Restoration by Rose Tremain: This is the prequel to Tremain's latest novel Merivel: A Man of His Time, which was longlisted for this year's Wellcome Trust Book Prize, so I wanted to read it first.

The Colour of Milk by Nell Leyshon: A novel about a farm girl in the 1830s, which received several good reviews and was mentioned as a possible candidate for this year's Booker Prize longlist.

District and Circle by Seamus Heaney: This is a poetry collection that I had been looking for in US bookstores for quite a while, without success.

Mo Said She Was Quirky by James Kelman: A 24 hour look into the life of an ordinary but quirky young woman in London.

Looking for Transwonderland: Travels in Nigeria by Noo Saro-Wiwa: A recently published book by the daughter of Ken Saro-Wiwa, the Nigerian writer and political activist who was executed by the Abacha regime in 1995.

That was my most recent stop; I'm sitting in the Caffe Nero on Southampton Row nearest my hotel at the moment. I went to the Tate Britain first, but decided to view the free collections there instead of the Edvard Munch and Damien Hirst paid exhibitions. After that I bought a pork belly with cracklings and Brambley apple sauce sandwich at Roast to Go for lunch, then made a fruitless effort to go to the Olympic Park on the DLR (Docklands Light Rail), which continues to confuse me to no end. That was followed by a much more worthwhile trip to the Twinings store on the Strand, which has been in the same location since 1706, to pick up loose leaf tea, as it is quite superior to the bagged tea available in the US. From there I went to the National Portrait Gallery on Trafalgar Square, to see a recent collection of award winning portraits, but the museum was very crowded at that time and I decided to pass on going. From there I took a bus to Foyles, then came here.

I'll drop off my loot, finish packing (I did most of that this morning), and then go to North Sea Fish Bar for one last meal of fish & chips before I call it a night.

>106 luvamystery65: Right. I'd feel a lot better about losing those books if they were redistributed to a local library or an appreciative book lover.

>107 The_Hibernator: Yes, I am glad that Communion Town wasn't one of the books that I left on the bus yesterday.

>108 richardderus: On second thought, I think I'll pass on staying at your house tonight. One bad cold this month is more than enough for me.

>109 Whisper1: Thanks, Linda! I'm feeling nearly back to normal, although I'm still aggressively treating this asthma attack; I can still hear and feel myself wheeze when I make a full expiration, although I'm no longer short of breath and I'm coughing much less today than I was yesterday, even though I've probably walked for a couple of miles around London today.

*massive honking nose-trumpet*

...whad? I cad't hear by ears stobbed ub.

>112 richardderus: Yep. Definitely the fault lies with Ray and Claudia. The respiratory viruses this summer have been far worse than usual, and I dread to think what the fall and winter will be like.

It's *wretched* now...I shudder to think about the kids you'll be treating this flu season! (And lots of them with this horrible cold, betcha.)

I'm getting a flu shot tomorrow. Can't not, this year.

That's always my fear, leaving a bag of books I've just bought on the bus or tube. Especially as most of the real books I buy are secondhand. I went to the cheapest Oxfam shop I know of today, in Dalston - they have a big selection which is mostly 99p each, kids books 59p, and came home with 14 books for £12.26. I already have one of the children's books and knew that, but it currently sells from about £10 secondhand online, and it's the sort of book I'd like to have a back up of, or give away to someone who appreciates 70s girls' fiction.

I just read Looking for Transwonderland courtesy of the library, having heard extracts on the radio, and look forward to hearing what you make of that, Communion Town - I need to review for Amazon Vine - and Rushdie - it's currently on Book of the Week on Radio 4, a non fiction book serial programme so you just get a tantalising 5 x 15 minute chunks of books (Radio 4 has an alarmingly high influence on my reading!)

>110 kidzdoc: to pick up loose leaf tea
*imagining Darryl getting through customs: "it's green tea sir, honest!"*

So sorry to hear about your leaving books, brand new books, on the bus. How traumatised I would have been :| I'm still reeling from the time I bought a cool little summer sleeping bag, and promptly left it on the tube. *arrgh*

What a great time you have had away. And to think you are going to go twice a year from now oh. But hang on, how till you have time to save for your NZ trip then? (our fish and chips are a LOT cheaper.....)

I have really enjoyed reading your daily updates from your trip. 5 plays is a fantastic effort!

Are you going to see the relocated Barnes Foundation collection in Philadelphia, Darryl? I saw it in its old digs in Merion, which they apparently have tried to recreate in the city. I'd be curious to hear your reaction.

Daryl, could this be you? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19547365

When I first saw the headline, I thought they were referring to the books you left on the bus.

Wishing you a safe journey home!

Have a safe trip home!

Well I just learned from you Darryl that Rose Tremaine has a new book out; did not know that. And the best part is that I already own Restoration so I could actually read the two books consecutively. Thanks Darryl.

Thanks for the theater reviews, I have been enjoying them. It's lucky you were able to see The House--that's something that will never play in the States.
Are plays in London really so much better? My partner thinks so, but she hasn't been to London for almost 40 years.
I am sorry that you were sick, though, and it's a bummer about Julius Casear. I was looking forward to the review.

Hi Darryl, I've finally caught up with your London trip just as it is coming to an end! Sorry to hear you've had health problems during your holiday, and especially that it caused you to miss Julius Caesar. Having seen and enjoyed that production myself a couple of months ago I would have loved to see what you thought of it. But I'm glad you've managed to do plenty of reading while recuperating, and catch some other good shows.

Unfortunately I've cleared customs, as the security at Heathrow has determined that I can safely fly back to the US, as I just have a garden variety upper respiratory tract infection. I've had a pleasant breakfast (although not a full English one), and I'm just waiting for the departure gate to be announced.

I've read the first 40+ pages of Joseph Anton, the new Salman Rushdie biography, and it's excellent so far. BTW, the title of the book is the code name he gave the police in London, which came from the first names of two of his favorite authors, Joseph Conrad and Anton Chekov.

>114 richardderus: I had wanted to get a flu shot before I left Atlanta, but the vaccination wasn't available at work at that time. I had thought about getting it here, as there is a vaccination centre close to the hotel that provided the flu vaccine for £10, but I wasn't sure if Employee Health would accept a routine vaccination obtained abroad.

>115 elkiedee: It's been a very long time since I left something of value on public transit, other than an easily replacable book that I left on a plane several years ago. The worst thing I left on board a vehicle was a lab notebook with several months of data from when I was working as a research biologist at NYU. I left it on an Amtrak train heading into Penn Station (where I'll hopefully be later this afternoon), and it was never found. My boss was royally pissed off at me, and I came close to losing my job as a result. Compared to that, leaving behind five replacable books is trivial.

Luci, I had read about Looking for Transwonderland, and was curious about it. I noticed that you rated it highly, and that was good enough for me to buy it.

>116 LovingLit: Funny you should mention customs and tea, Megan! On one of my first trips from London back to the US I was temporarily held up at Customs in Atlanta, as I had forgotten to mention to the agent that one of the items I declared but forgot to mention was tea. I won't forget this time!

I'd love to visit Australia and New Zealand, and my work schedule would permit me to travel there and still make two trips to London every year, but the flight time to either country from the eastern US is not appealing at all. However, I would have said the same thing about a trip to Europe before 2007, and a trip from the East Coast to California 10 years before that.

I'm pretty certain that I saw more NT plays on this trip than on any other one, so I'm also pleased. The fall series of plays is appealing as well, though...I should just move here.

>117 jnwelch: I might go to the Barnes Foundation, Joe, especially if my mother (who has seen the collection in its previous location several times) wants to go. It's close to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, as well.

>118 tangledthread: Nope, that couldn't be me. I'm not Filipino. ;-)

>119 avidmom: Thanks, avidmom!

>120 brenzi: You're welcome, Bonnie. I now own four books by Rose Tremain, but I've only read one of them, Trespass, which was longlisted for the Booker Prize in 2010. I'll try to read Restoration in November and Merivel: A Man of His Time in December, but I suspect that I won't get to either book until next year.

>121 banjo123: You're welcome, Rhonda. You're right, This House would never play in the US, and it probably wouldn't be shown there via NT Live either.

Are plays better in London that much better? I can't comment on an overall basis, but I will say that the plays I've seen at the National Theatre have generally been superior to any performances I've seen in the US, with more interesting plots, better actors, and especially innovative and outstanding set designs. And, the cost of the performances at the NT can't be beat; counting the two plays I missed, the prices three or four of the seven plays I bought tickets for were £12-15, or roughly $19-24 USD, which is an incredible bargain for such quality performances.

>122 gennyt: Thanks, Genny. Hopefully I can see that RSC performance of Julius Caesar on a future visit. I did see Paterson Joseph play the lead role in a National Theatre performance of The Emperor Jones several years ago, and I thought he was brilliant.

Have a safe journey Darryl and I look forward to your future travels with the anticipation of a booklover. If I were thrust into the position of being free and single again (and I don't wish it actually despite my numerous thread invectives against the institution and present office holder) I could easily see us touring the world's major bookselling centres and depleting their stores of quality stock.

*Just imagining a world-tour of bookshops by Paul and Darryl in tandem, leaving a trail of depleted shelves behind them*

Safe journey indeed, Darryl. I do hope you get to see the JC production if it continues until your next visit. I'd only seen Patterson Joseph on TV before, along with some of the other lead actors in that production, mainly in crime dramas, so it was good to see them doing something so meaty and doing it so well.

Same here, safe journey home Darryl, and thank you very much for your beautiful reviews of your time in London. It was a pleasure to read about your exploits.

I will add my thanks to the chorus above. Enjoy you winding path towards your home, and get some good hugs from the parents, too!

>123 kidzdoc: You took your lab notebook out of your lab AND lost it?! Darryl!!!! As I'm sure you know, that's actually a really big deal. :)

I hope you have a safe trip home. Stay out of trouble. Don't do anything I wouldn't do.

Hopefully your flight was okay and you've made it back to the homeland with no problems :)

Ugh. I *can't* get the flu shot because I have a cold.

Grump.

Safe travels, Darryl.

Finally all caught up with you Darryl. Sounds like you packed a whole lot of fascinating stuff into this trip, which isn't surprising coming from you. Was interesting to visit London through your eyes and words. I imagine you must be home by now. Hope the flight was uneventful and the return to NA isn't too much of a downer after all the excitement and high culture you experienced. Get well soon.

I'm in NYC, on a LIRR train to Penn Station. I was able to sleep for 4-5 hours on the flight, which was easily the most restful long distance flight I've had in years. I'll catch up later today.

Welcome back! Glad you are heading to your parent's home for your next stop . . . No better place to be (1) when you are ill, or (2) are just arriving back after an absence! Enjoy their TLC.

I made it to my parents' house a couple of hours ago, without incident. I seem to be developing a sinus infection, so I'm pretty wiped out. Fortunately we haven't planned anything, so I'll probably rest here for the next day or two, at least.

Joseph Anton, Salman Rushdie's new memoir, is wonderful. I'm about 150 pages into it, and I was enjoying it so much that I didn't read Umbrella, as I had planned to do today.

Oops, dinner's on. Back in a bit...

Perhaps you are right where you need/want to be --A lovely place where you can rest and relax!

Oh, dear, I was thinking about getting Joseph Anton and now you're thinking it is "wonderful". I think I'll go see if the county library system has a copy I might borrow..... ETA: Yes, now there are 16 requests for 3 copies. It might take a little while. Maybe I'll have more books finished by then..... ya, sure, that's what I'll do.

Take really good care of yourself. Sinus infections, as I am sure you know, are rotten! Please get well soon

Congrats on getting "home" in one piece. Even if the sinus infection plans to sock it to you, you'll always have London :)

Love the reasoning behind Rushdie's new book title, why did he need a code? Was this when the fatwa was in full force?

>139 LovingLit:: yes it was. This is the memoir of his time in "exile," or whatever you call it. Joseph Anton was his assumed name.
Jon Stewart interviewed Rushdie on The Daily Show the other night. Other times I've seen Rushdie I thought him pompous but he was pretty good this time.

Glad you made it home safely, kidzdoc. I wouldn't want to be nursing a sinus infection (and I've nursed quite a few) on a plane - ouch, ouch, ouch! Glad you slept through it!

I took Nyquil (night time cold medicine) after dinner last night, and fell into a deep sleep within 30 minutes. My head is still stopped up, but I feel pretty good today.

>125 PaulCranswick: The trip was a long one, with four train rides and the flight from Heathrow to JFK, but it was smooth and uneventful. I had a bulkhead window seat in the exit row on a Boeing 767-400 from Delta, which had unlimited leg room, so I could stretch out and get comfortable. I slept better on that flight that any long distance one I've taken in years, which I badly needed since I only slept for three hours before I left London.

Paul, I think that most people here would say that you and I already do an adequate job of depleting bookstores of their stock, single or not. However, I bow in respect to your 47 book mega-mega-haul, which is probably twice as many books as I've purchased at a single time.

>126 gennyt: Thanks, Genny. I do hope to see that performance of Julius Caesar sometime in the future, with any luck on the stage.

>127 drachenbraut23: Thanks, Bianca. I hope to meet you one day in person in London on a future visit.

>128 maggie1944: Right, Karen. I did get the prescribed and needed hugs from my parents (and vice versa), and it will be nice to relax in their company.

>129 The_Hibernator: Absolutely, Rachel. I did think that I would lose my job after I left that notebook behind, which would have been the first time I had been fired (and I still have a clean employment record).

Stay out of trouble. Don't do anything I wouldn't do.

I don't think that leaves me much to do then. ;-)

>130 lunacat: Thanks, Jenny. The only problem occurred when my mother's new Volvo broke down yesterday afternoon, just before my parents were going to pick me up from the nearby train station. Fortunately it didn't cause too much trouble for them, and only a minimal delay at the train station for me.

>131 richardderus: How's your cold today, Richard?

>132 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe.

I woke up less snotty and achey!! W00t!!

Sinus infection, boo hiss. Sorry sorry sorry...that's a horrid turn of events.

>133 Smiler69: Thanks, Ilana. I'll take it easy today, but I'll probably go to Philadelphia on Sunday and NYC on Monday or Tuesday to see museum exhibits; both cities are easily accessible from my parents' house via commuter trains. I'll be here until Wednesday morning, when I'll fly back to Atlanta.

>135 brenpike: Right, Brenda. We all provide each other with TLC here, which includes copious amounts of Thai food. My mother has developed a severe addiction to it, and she has already requested it for lunch today.

>137 Whisper1: Absolutely, Linda! The trip here was a long one, as Delta doesn't provide direct service from Heathrow to PHL and I didn't want to use another carrier, as I wanted to keep my miles on Delta (I'm getting close to 50,000 qualification miles for the year, counting last year's carry over). However, I can't think of a better place to relax for a few days.

>138 maggie1944: I hope that you do get to read Joseph Anton soon, Karen. I still haven't read The Satanic Verses, but I'll plan to read it next month.

>139 LovingLit: I definitely have sinusitis (inflammation of the sinuses), but I may have overstated my claim that I have a sinus infection. Most sinus infections don't need to be treated with antibiotics, and I don't think I need to start one.

You're right about Joseph Anton. He gave that code to the London police after the fatwa was announced by Ayatollah Khomeini.

>140 lauralkeet: I saw Salman Rushdie speak at the Carter Center in Atlanta when he was a visiting professor at Emory, just after The Enchantress of Florence was published. He was very engaging, warm and funny, and it was one of the most enjoyable author lectures I've attended. He'll return to Emory on November 4, but I'll probably fly to San Francisco that day.

>141 avidmom: I coughed a moderate amount on the flight, but I was comfortable otherwise. Oddly enough my ears became stopped up when we were in the air, but I had no problems with the descent, as I normally would, and I had no sinus pain or headache throughout the trip.

>144 richardderus: I'm glad that you're feeling better today, Richard!

I think Nancy Drew has healing powers. I fell asleep last night with Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her on my chest.

Really enjoyable book. I recommend it to you for its healing properties.

I may just have to stop reading you-guys' threads... too many "I wanna read that one, too"! Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her sounds like fun.

I don't know however if The Satanic Verses would be my cup of tea.

I just made a happy discovery! My new reading chair is perfect for sitting with the Macbook Air in my lap! This way I do not lean way over from the sofa to the little TV tray like thing the Macbook usually sits on. With my two hip replacements I am not supposed to bend at the hip more than 90 degrees, which is of course impossible. But it does cause me stiffness and pain if I stay bent over the little table too long so having the Macbook on my lap will save me lots of discomfort! And I can play on the computer even more than I do now. (ooops, I'm not sure I should have even thought that thought)

#144 Look how nice he gets now that you're back in this country, Darryl.

Your trip, excepting the cold, has been a lot of fun to read about. There are many worse things than spending time in London reading, sleeping and seeing plays. I saw Salmon Rushdie at a library lecture series event a few years back, and I though he was very engaging. I was rather surprised, because what I knew of him up to that point suggested he might be rather grim and humorless---not at all the case.

Hi Darryl, glad to hear you made it back safely - and of course I would love to meet you on one of your next visits to London - but I do prefer to see Ballett and Dance :), and of course Art - and I am a great Starbuck's fan.

Just kidding - coffee would be lovely :)

>147 richardderus: I'm glad that you're enjoying Girl Sleuth and I'll look for your review of it. I'm staring at my 24 newly acquired books, and I'm thinking that I should try to buy as few books as possible for the remainder of the year.

>148 maggie1944: That's the "problem" with LT; there are so many books that I'd love to read, but I'll never find time to get to all of them.

The more I read about The Satanic Verses the more convinced I am that it would be a book that I would greatly enjoy. It was on my list of TBR books to read this year already, and I had thought that I would have gotten to it by now.

That's great news about your reading chair!

>149 laytonwoman3rd: After meeting him twice in person, I can firmly say that Richard is a gentle soul, whose bark greatly exceeds his bite.

You're absolutely right; I wouldn't dream of complaining about the effect of the cold and asthma attack on my London trip.

Rushdie comes off as being a very different person than, say, V.S. Naipaul. I wouldn't want to see him speak in person unless I was allowed to throw things at him.

>150 drachenbraut23: Thanks, Bianca. I do love art and modern dance, but I'm not a fan of ballet. I do like Starbucks in the UK better than the US version, but Monmouth Coffee is better than anything I've tasted in the UK.

Ugh "gentle soul" *ptooptoo* such vile calumnies upon my character! Retract that slur upon the instant or face my blade!

...I have no idea where that came from. Spoke too soon about the cold, too, it rose kraken-like from the depths and dragged me back into the abyss of misery.

...maybe a little less Lovecraft before napping...

>145 kidzdoc: ... TLC here, which includes copious amounts of Thai food

All right then, I could control my envy while you were in London but now I'm jealous!
Please tell me that lunch included some Thai iced tea.

Discussions on Salman Rushdie and his misunderstood epic The Satanic Verses are topical at the moment with the ridiculous events surrounding the you-tube film -The Innocence of the Muslims.
Setting aside that the film is offensive to muslims and is both hateful as well as outrageously irresponsible to put something like that out, the reaction to it is everything that those looking to criticise my religion pounce upon.
As you well know I am profoundly against censorship and to blame the American government for the actions of an individual who may not even be American beggars belief. Tolerance is supposed to be a keystone of my religion and attracted me to it in Singapore 17 years ago but there is a lack of it here and in the denouncing of Mr. Rushdie. His first two novels are amongst the best things written in the 80's but he will always be remembered for a more inferior work and not because of what is written in it but of the bigoted reaction to it from zealots that didn't bother to read it.
Sorry for being less jovial than usual. Have a great weekend with clear airways mate.

Darryl, since you won't visit New Zealand due to flight times (and I can't blame you for that), then do try a flat white next time you're in London and you'll see why most NZers struggle with Starbucks coffee in the US as well.

>152 richardderus: No, O Gentle One; I shall not retract that statement, as it is both accurate and respectful.

>153 avidmom: No Thai iced tea (although I do like it), but my mother and I had chicken Pad Thai, and my father ordered chicken Panang curry. I'll bet a month's salary that we'll have Thai food at least once more before I leave on Wednesday.

>154 PaulCranswick: Well said, Paul. I know from practicing friends, colleagues and others whom I've met that Islam is based on tolerance and love for others, whether they share the same religion or not, and only a small but very vocal and active minority espouse the beliefs that many people in the West have unfortunately come to associate with the Muslim faith. Islamophobia and fear of Muslims is rampant in the US, especially amongst conservatives and less educated Americans, and the events that have taken place this past two weeks only add to these misunderstandings. Most of the media outlets here fan the flames of intolerance by portraying Muslims as being quick to anger and eager to attack anyone who criticizes the Prophet or their religion, rather than focusing on the far larger population who enrich our country and live here humbly and peacefully.

I hope that you enjoy your weekend as well, my friend!

>155 avatiakh: Kerry, I wouldn't rule out a trip to Australia or New Zealand, but I'd be reluctant to fly for such a long time in one 24-48 hour period, particularly in a cramped economy seat. Yesterday's eight hour flight was very comfortable compared to the other transatlantic ones I've taken, and I could have stayed on the plane for several more hours without difficulty.

Thanks for mentioning the Flat White Cafe. Its sister shop, Milkbar, looks to be very close to Foyles Bookshop on Charing Cross Road and to Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club on Firth Street in Soho. I'll definitely check it out on my next visit, although I would have to have my coffee without milk, as I'm almost completely lactose intolerant.

I find Starbucks coffee to be bitter and harsh. I'll drink it, but I won't go out of my way to get it.

Most of the media outlets here fan the flames of intolerance by portraying Muslims as being quick to anger and eager to attack anyone who criticizes the Prophet or their religion, rather than focusing on the far larger population who enrich our country and live here humbly and peacefully.
I love this sentence Darryl, you said it so well (and the rest too). It is so sad to watch the news and just know the kind of effect it will have on viewers and their opinionated ways.

Well said indeed Paul, and Darryl's response too.

How great that there's a café named after a flat white! I hadn't heard of flat whites until some discussion on Cushla's thread last year about how she couldn't get a decent one in Europe. I've recently started ordering them in cafes; they may not be up to Antipodean standards, but I like the strong espresso taste, much less milky than a latte.

Glad to hear you're happily ensconced at your parents, and fingers crossed for your cold clearing up. I shall further refrain from restarting my offensive offense until you are home and well again. Something for you to look forward to :p

>156 kidzdoc: In my experience Islamophobia isn't limited to uneducated people. I've been shocked at some of the things that come out of the mouths of educated people around me....people who certainly ought to have met many Muslims in professional environments. For instance, there was a particularly ornery young faculty member in my department when I was working on my PhD. I actually lost my temper with him on a couple of occasions because I didn't really feel it was appropriate for professors to let students know how bigoted they are. It's probably not appropriate for students to lose their tempers at professors, either, but oh well! ;)

In his defense, he probably just needed to grow up a little.

It always staggers me. The hatred we can have for people who simply have different beliefs. And, at the end of the day, we aren't so different after all. Christians, Muslims and Jews all believe in the same God, after all. How can so much hatred, so much death, have come about under the same God.

There is a fascinating and disturbing youtube video that I saw the other day, that is a map of the world and all the battles/wars of the last 1000 years shown in 5 mins. The size of the explosions corresponds to the numbers killed.

I can't help but despair at humanity at times.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hsDn2kNriI

#90: What do you want to bet my library has not a single one of those!!

Chiming in on the religious discussion, I think that the problem lies not so much in the religions themselves, but in the fundamentalists of any stripe, whether they be Christian, Muslim, Jewish, etc. I consider myself a devout Christian; however, this does not mean that I am about to go out and kill anyone who is not. Fundamentalists do not seem to make this distinction.

>157 LovingLit: Thanks, Megan.

>158 gennyt: Thanks, Genny. Hopefully that cafe in Soho can prepare a flat white with soy milk, otherwise I'll try the coffee without milk.

>159 lunacat: Thanks, Jenny. I feel a bit better this morning, although my throat was quite sore when I woke up, probably from coughing during the night. I'll continue to rest at home today, as it will be unusually warm in Philadelphia (high temp of about 29 C with thunderstorms), but tomorrow and the rest of the week will be much cooler and more pleasant, so I'll almost certainly get out of the house tomorrow. I'll probably go to Philadelphia tomorrow, and visit an old friend in NYC on Monday or Tuesday.

>160 The_Hibernator: Good point, Rachel. Intolerance toward the Other isn't limited to one's political beliefs or educational level. The lab I worked in at NYU Medical Center employed several foreign born researchers, and one of them was a man from Tel Aviv who was quite intolerant of Palestinians. In the lab next to us was a researcher who was also from Israel, who was on the opposite side of the political spectrum, and they would occasionally engage in heated discussions about events in the Middle East. I was fond of both of them, but I identified with the woman much more easily.

>161 lunacat: Interesting video, Jenny. We seem to have improved our ability to kill large numbers of each other. It was interesting to see how relatively small the explosions were during the US Revolutionary and Civil Wars in comparison to the European wars in the early 19th century and the two world wars.

>162 alcottacre: I'll (foolishly) take you up on that bet, Stasia. Does it have Thinking, Fast and Slow?

Unfortunately, too much attention is given to those who hold the most extremist views, regardless of political party, religious belief, or racial affiliation. I used to cringe when the media would proclaim self promoting loudmouths such as Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and others as "representatives of the black community", as if they were elected by African Americans to speak for all of us.

Good morning, and cheers to feeling better. I drink all my Starbucks coffee with soy milk and find it is different from my home brew but still a pleasant drink. Coffee has many faces, some more beautiful and beguiling than others.

I am finding 1492: The Year the World Began to be helpful in understanding the many conflicts and upheavals in the "middle east" right now. I've been reading about the expulsion of Jewish people from various European countries during the 1400s/1500s and about the continuous conflict on the Mediterranean Sea between the Ottoman Empire and the peoples of the western side of the Sea. Christians and Moslems have been fighting over territory for centuries. Human nature seems to be a root cause.

BTW, results of my pulmonology test did come back normal. Horray for that! Reading and house cleaning are my tasks for the day. Enjoying my new chair!

#163 Unfortunately, too much attention is given to those who hold the most extremist views, regardless of political party, religious belief, or racial affiliation. I used to cringe when the media would proclaim self promoting loudmouths such as Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and others as "representatives of the black community", as if they were elected by African Americans to speak for all of us.

As a New Yorker with a good memory, Al Sharpton really strikes a nerve with me. What drives me most crazy is that he is very smart, and is often right about things, but he's such a slimy character with such a checkered past that I hate to take him seriously. When the NYPD was shooting a lot of African Americans (and African immigrants), Sharpton used to lead anti-police-brutality protests. I would have like to join, but I just couldn't bring myself to do anything that was led by Sharpton, however important the cause. A friend, who has conspiracy theory tendencies, used to comment that it's no accident that the media promotes people like him as "representatives of the black community" instead of the many African Americans who are actually accomplishing things. Of course, that's a lot harder to do now that we have President Obama!

Even a murderer can tell the truth. It is the message, not the messenger we should pay attention to, don't you think? But I agree the media with its understandable addiction to the sensational does not make understanding complex issues very easy.

>164 maggie1944: Thanks, Maggie. I prefer a medium or dark roast coffee and I don't put anything in it. My favorites are Peet's Aged Sumatra, the El Diablo blend from Intelligentsia Coffee in Chicago, and an African blend I've had from Blue Bottle Coffee in San Francisco.

I thought I owned 1492, but the book I own is 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created, which is by a different author.

I'm glad to hear that your PFTs came back normal!

>165 rebeccanyc: I completely agree with your comments about Al Sharpton. I worked in NYC from 1989-1993, when there were well published racial incidents in Bensonhurst, Crown Heights and elsewhere. I also wanted to express my support against racism, but there was no way that I would ever let myself be associated with Sharpton, Jackson and their supporters.

>166 maggie1944: The media in the US and elsewhere frequently sensationalize and distort the truth about sensitive subjects, and they often make bad situations worse instead of portraying their complexities fully. There was quite a bit of coverage in the UK last week about the independent report released about the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 during a football match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, in which 96 fans lost their lives. The media, in particular The Sun newspaper owned by Rupert Murdoch, published articles that blamed football hooligans for the high death count and shifted blame away from the local police, obtaining information that was patently false and deeply hurtful to the families of those who died in the tragedy.

OMG The Faux News owners would LIE to support AUTHORITARIAN VIOLENCE? Say it isn't so. Shocked. Shocked.

Sharpton: Ugh.

Human beings suck.

This weekend BBC World News America is broadcasting a 2010 interview of Israeli author David Grossman, as he talks about his novel To the End of the Land, which is one of the books I'm planning to read this month. I missed most of the interview, but it will be rebroadcast several times per day this weekend. If anyone is interested, the following link lists the BBC World News schedule for the Eastern Time Zone in the US:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-radio-and-tv-12957298

#163: I was actually pleasantly surprised, Darryl. My local library has The Man Without a Face, Thinking, Fast and Slow, Grand Pursuit, The Better Angels of Our Nature and Joseph Anton - which I put on hold already.

#169: I need to read To the End of the Land yet. Thanks for the reminder - and for posting the link!

Darryl, I just posted on Kerry's thread that found this BBC interview with Gavin Esler from 2010 in which David Grossman talked about To the End of the Land (and reads excerpts too it seems—am watching it now) you may have seen it already, but here's the link anyway: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/8966634.stm

>170 alcottacre: I'm glad that your library has those books in stock, Stasia!

I haven't watched the BBC interview of David Grossman in its entirety yet, but I'll do so later today or tomorrow. To the End of the Land is a tome, at nearly 600 pages, but I still plan to read it before the end of the month, or no later than early next month. Grossman's middle child was killed by a missile fired by Hezbollah when he performed mandatory service in the Israeli Army as he was writing this book, which was mentioned in this New Yorker article:

The Unconsoled: a writer's tragedy, and a nation's

>171 Smiler69: Thanks, Ilana! That's a different interview than the one I saw, so I'll look at it as well.

I'll spend today in Philadelphia, as there are a couple of exhibits I want to see at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and it will be a beautiful day to spend outdoors (sunny and 72 F (22 C)).

Darryl, what a perfect day for Philadelphia. I loved the Museum there when I had a chance to visit, many years ago. It was one of our first stops as Peace Corps Trainees (the city, not the Museum) and we were all young and eager (1967). A great time in life to spend a moment in a great Museum. Have a good time!

Sounds like you are feeling better! I hope to get to Philadelphia in the next few years.

>167 kidzdoc: I accidentally bumped the mouse and clicked on the link to 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created.....and now Ill be getting it from the library as it looks so interesting. Isnt it funny how we come across books sometimes!

Hi Darryl, it was fun following you around in London. Just got the copy of Joseph Anton and eager to read it. I am a huge fan of Salman Rushdie and have read all of his books. I had to get The Satanic Verses from the US from my uncle who got it personally as it is banned in India (respecting the sentiments of a huge Muslim population). I will try to get to it ASAP.

I did spend the day in downtown Philadelphia, but it was too nice to go to the museum. I spent several hours reading and people watching in Rittenhouse Square, one of my favorite parks in the city:



There is a branch of Barnes & Noble on Walnut Street just across the street from the park. I found the one book that was at the very top of my wish list, Thrall by Natasha Trethewey, the new U.S. poet laureate. B&N also had Domestic Work, which was the only other book of hers that I didn't already have.

I had a late lunch at the Reading Terminal Market, which I believe is the oldest continuously operating public market in the U.S.:



I sat outside for a couple of hours after lunch, then returned to my parents' house by commuter train.

I'm nearly halfway through Joseph Anton, which continues to be enjoyable and interesting. I started Umbrella by Will Self, the only book from this year's Booker Prize longlist that I haven't read yet. I liked what I read so far, but it is a very challenging book, with no chapters, very few paragraph breaks and no quotations to indicate who is speaking. The writing is so far brilliant but not easy, and I'll have to pay close attention and probably read it a second time to appreciate it sufficiently. I think it will be worth the effort, but it probably won't be a book that I would widely recommend.

>173 maggie1944: The Philadelphia Museum of Art is probably my favorite museum, Karen. Anyone who saw the movie "Rocky" will remember him running up its steps:



>174 ronincats: Philadelphia is an underrated city, IMO, as it falls under the shadow of nearby NYC to the north and Washington to the south. Center City is far cleaner and nicer than it was in years past, and it has numerous museums, historical sites and excellent restaurants. It's also far less hectic and congested than NYC.

>175 LovingLit: Good for you, Megan! I look forward to your comments about 1493, as I probably won't get to it for quite awhile.

>176 mausergem: I'm eager to get your impression of Joseph Anton and The Satanic Verses, Gautam. I'll read the novel after I finish the memoir, and I'll probably read it during the first week of October for Banned Books Week in the U.S.

I've read six of Rushdie's books, including Midnight's Children, The Enchantress of Florence and Shalimar the Clown, which were all very good.

Love the Dali art on the steps. Great pictures of your day in Philadelphia. . .

Good morning Darryl,

it's such a pleasure to visit your thread, everytime I have a look there are lots of interesting things happening. I love your pictures of Philadelphia as well.

In regards to Umbrella. I met Nathalie/Deern in Düsseldorf yesterday, and she is currently reading it. Actually, she said exactly the same as you: with no chapters, very few paragraph breaks and no quotations to indicate who is speaking. The writing is so far brilliant but not easy, and I'll have to pay close attention

I also love those Dali steps

Hi Darryl- Just checking in with the Doc! My only Rushdie was Midnight's Children and I had mixed feelings about it. I'm sure I'll get back to him at some point. Have a good week.

My only Rushdie was also Midnight's Children, which I did enjoy very much. High time I read more... Those steps are wonderful; great way to advertise an exhibition.

>179 brenpike: Thanks, Brenda. Although I brought my new camera with me and had good intentions I didn't take any photos yesterday, which was a perfect one weather wise. The ones I posted came from the Internet.

I did attend the Dalí exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 2005, and it was superb. The museum is one of the largest in the US, and has been the sole North American host of several major single artist exhibitions, particularly those by Pablo Picasso and Frida Kahlo, which I also attended.

>180 drachenbraut23: Good morning, Bianca! I'll have to post more Philadelphia images and take more photographs. My parents live about 20 miles north of downtown Philadelphia, and it's an easy trip to Center City by car or commuter train. NYC is about 75 miles to the north, so that city is also very accessible by train.

I'm glad that you and Nathalie were able to meet; LT hook ups are always fun! I look forward to her comments about Umbrella. I'll decide in the next day or two if I'll continue to read it this week, or wait until next month when I'll be home alone and can give it the complete focus it warrants and deserves.

>181 avatiakh: Thanks, Kerry.

>182 msf59: Top of the morning to you, Mark! I read Midnight's Children BLE (Before the LibraryThing Era), and it's high on the list of books I want to re-read in the near future. I'll read his other major novels that I haven't read first, particularly The Satanic Verses, Shame and The Moor's Last Sigh.

BTW, Jay Cutler is my fantasy football league starting QB, so I'm glad that the Bears came out on top yesterday. My team, the Fightin' Cheesesteaks, is pretty weak this year, though.

#177: Glad to hear that you are enjoying Joseph Anton, Darryl. I am hoping to have it soon from my local library.

>183 gennyt: I enjoyed The Enchantress of Florence and Shalimar the Clown, so I can highly recommended those novels to you, Genny.

I liked seeing that image when I attended the Dalí exhibition, and I thought it was a great way to advertise it.

>185 alcottacre: I'll resume reading Joseph Anton today, and I should finish it by Friday at the latest.

I'll be in Philadelphia for most of Thanksgiving week (arrive Monday, leave Saturday). Is anyone up for an LT meet up in NYC, say on Black Friday or the Tuesday or Wednesday before Thanksgiving?

From the Better Late than Never department:

The winners of this year's American Book Awards were announced by the Before Columbus Foundation last month in Berkeley, CA.

The American Book Awards were created to provide recognition for outstanding literary achievement from the entire spectrum of America's diverse literary community. The purpose of the awards is to recognize literary excellence without limitations or restrictions. There are no categories, no nominees, and therefore no losers. The award winners range from well-known and established writers to under-recognized authors and first works. There are no quotas for diversity, the winners list simply reflects it as a natural process. The Before Columbus Foundation views American culture as inclusive and has always considered the term “multicultural” to be not a description of various categories, groups, or “special interests,” but rather as the definition of all of American literature. The Awards are not bestowed by an industry organization, but rather are a writers’ award given by other writers.

ANNIA CIEZADLO, Day of Honey: A Memoir of Food, Love, and War (Free Press)

ARLENE KIM, What Have You Done to Our Ears to Make Us Hear Echoes? (Milkweed Editions)

ED BOK LEE, Whorled (Coffee House Press)

ADILIFU NAMA, Super Black: American Pop Culture and Black Superheroes (University of Texas Press)

ROB NIXON, Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor (Harvard University Press)

SHANN RAY, American Masculine (Graywolf Press)

ALICE REARDEN, translator, Ann Fienup-Riordan, editor, Qaluyaarmiuni Nunamtenek Qanemciput: Our Nelson Island Stories (University of Washington Press)

TOURÉ, Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness? What It Means to Be Black Now (Free Press)

AMY WALDMAN, The Submission (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

MARY WINEGARDEN, The Translator's Sister (Mayapple Press)

KEVIN YOUNG, Ardency: A Chronicle of the Amistad Rebels (Knopf)

EUGENE B. REDMOND: Lifetime Achievement Award

The award ceremony will take place on October 7 in Berkeley.

I own Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness and The Submission. I started to buy Ardency yesterday, but held off for the moment. Kevin Young is a professor of poetry at Emory, so I'll pick this up soon. I'm unfamiliar with the other books, so I'll check them out in the near future.

The cover of The Translator's Sister is gorgeous. I was looking at it thinking it would be worth a look just for that.

Then I saw it was poetry. *shudder*

>189 richardderus: Hmm. That gives a somewhat different meaning to the phrase "Don't judge a book by its cover."

>76 richardderus: From Richard:

Oh dear...I forgot about the English people living there...Nadine, park yourself over Liverpool and rain rain rain on North and South alike for ~14 days.

The day after Darryl leaves. *heh*

This article appeared in today's Guardian:

Wet weather sweeps across UK

Wild, wet weather has swept into the UK from the Atlantic bringing winds of up to 70mph and causing three deaths as roads turned treacherous and trees and branches were blown down.

Britons, you now know who to blame for your currently calamitous weather.

Oh well,

poor me - I am going back to London on Wednesday and we have got really bad weather here as well. I hope I will not feel like I am sitting in a nutshell again, whilst driving my little car.

But at least we know who to blame for it. *laugh*

Of course they know whom they should blame: A certain American pediatrician. Aka "The Cold-Spreadin' Doc." Now even CARO has it!

Hah! I'm staying out of this blame battle, Darryl. I'm still reading my first Natasha Trethewey collection. It's very good, I'm just slow sometimes reading poetry. They give you a lot to think about. I agree with you about Philadelphia. Much better city than its overshadowed rep.

You are correct, the weather is absolutely disgusting here! Today has been horrendous, but yesterday afternoon was awful as well, and I had to be out in it as I was competing.

Trying to concentrate, and get your horse to concentrate, in freezing cold blowing rain and wind on the side of a hill that was the only one for miles is NOT.......I repeat, NOT fun!!!

Richard, you are in for it.

>192 drachenbraut23: Bianca, do you travel from the continent to the UK via the Eurotunnel shuttle, or by ferry?

>193 richardderus: You, sir, are worse than Mitt Romney. Like you, he insulted the entire population of England, but at least he didn't cause any climatic mishaps.

>194 jnwelch: Which book of hers are you reading, Joe? I find Natasha Trethewey to be more approachable and understandable than many modern poets, who seem to focus more on linguistic twists and feats than comprehension.

Philadelphia has a lot to offer, although it can't hold a candle to NYC in terms of its diversity and culture. The city on an overall basis is probably less safe than NYC, but I feel quite comfortable being in Center City, especially in comparison to downtown Atlanta.

>195 lunacat: That sounds like a painful chore, Jenny. I do hope that you give Richard the punishment he deserves.

Can confirm that the weather is indeed awful! I had such an unhappy son yesterday afternoon, as he'd been standing in the torrential rain for an hour as goalkeeper for his football team. And unfortunately his was much the better team so he didn't even have to move much, just get wetter and wetter.

>196 kidzdoc: I'm still reading her Native Guard, Darryl. I'm a little more than halfway through. Yeah, unfortunately we developed a large thread of obscure and difficult to access poetry in recent years, with John Ashbery probably the poster boy. And he's fine, and has many fans, but it tends to further distance poetry from many people when it used to be a popular form of entertainment. I agree that Natasha T. is much more approachable, and I'm all in favor of approachable.

I also agree re downtown Atlanta, unfortunately. Right you are about NYC, too. But I love what can be found in other parts of this country. Besides Philadelphia, there are gems like the Clark Art Institute out in western Mass near Williams, and the Toledo art museum, among many others. SFMOMA, and on and on.

>184 kidzdoc: that image of Dali on the museum steps is amazing! Ive not seen a Dali exhibition before. I would have loved to see a Frida Kahlo exhibition too.
When I was on my way to the UK to live/work for a few years, (in 1998) I stopped over in NYC basically because I wanted to to to the Guggenheim and MoMA. Unfortunately while I was there, the Guggenheim had a motorbike exhibition on. Not my scene at all. Hmph. But the building itself was art enough for me, the thrill of just being there was immense.

I love that photo of the Dali steps, Darryl. He's one of my favorite artists. I've heard the MFA in Boston is planning an exhibition of some of his works in 2014 ... I can't wait. I hope it's not just cruel rumor

>197 SandDune: That sounds awful, Rhian. I played football in middle school and ran on the varsity cross country and spring track teams in high school, and it was far better to run in the rain and mud than to stand still on the sidelines or on the field.

>198 jnwelch: I was about to say that I liked Native Guard, but when I looked at the book's description I realized that I haven't read it yet. Apparently I've only read two of her books, Bellocq's Ophelia and Beyond Katrina...actually make that three, as I just finished Thrall: Poems, her latest collection, which was superb. I'm probably thinking of the books I've read by the stylistically similar poet Toi Derricotte, who teaches at Pitt. I own five of her poetry collections, and I've read all of them, namely The Black Notebooks, Tender (Pitt Poetry Series), Captivity (Pitt Poetry Series), Natural Birth and The Undertaker's Daughter. Needless to say she is also one of my favorite contemporary poets.

Philadelphia has several other top notch museums besides the Museum of Art, particularly the Institute of Contemporary Art and the Museum of Anthropology on Penn's campus, the Mutter Museum of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, and the Franklin Institute. Other favorite US museums of mine would include SFMoMA (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art), the Asian Art Museum and the de Young Museum in San Francisco; the International Center for Photography, the Brooklyn Museum, the Museum of the City of New York and MoMA PS1 in NYC (along with the major NYC museums, of course); and the Andy Warhol Museum and the Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History in Pittsburgh.

>199 LovingLit: A motorbike exhibition at the Guggenheim? What a waste! At least you were able to go there and to MoMA.

>200 cameling: I hope that this is true, Caroline!

Darryl -I was listening to the latest NPR Book podcast and they had a short interview with Rushdie, discussing his Joseph Anton. What a fascinating and scary story. I'll have to keep that one in mind.

Hi Darryl,
I usually take the ferry from Calais to Dover. I hate going through the tunnel - *blush* - the tunnel usually causes claustrophobic feelings in me.

#197 I have seen the news yesterday and this morning Rhian - the wheather is as bad as it is in Germany. :(

Well I thought Darryl was kicking up a storm during his time in London but I didn't realise that he caused one to strike just as he had left the place!

The shortlist for this year's Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books was announced today:

Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer: An exploration of human memory.

My Beautiful Genome by Lone Frank: A personal perspective on human genetics.

The Information by James Gleick: The story of information and how it is used, transmitted and stored.

The Hidden Reality by Brian Greene: An examination of parallel universes and the laws of the cosmos.

The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker: An assessment of the decline of violence in history and its causes.

The Viral Storm by Nathan Wolfe: An exploration of the world of the virus.

The winner will be announced on November 26. More info, including links to the first chapter of each shortlisted book:

http://royalsociety.org/awards/science-books/shortlist/

BTW, here is the longlist, which was announced in June, along with comments from the judges:

Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer
“A jaunty and engaging exploration of the human memory”

My Beautiful Genome by Lone Frank
“A refreshingly honest dive into the nature-nurture debate.”

The Information by James Gleick
“An original concept that changes your view of the world and the way information has shaped it.”

The Hidden Reality by Brian Greene
“A clear and compelling account that unveils extraordinary parallel worlds and our place within them.”

The Two Kinds of Decay by Sarah Manguso
“A moving, almost poetic insight into the world of modern medicine.”

The 4 Percent Universe by Richard Panek
“A beautifully written account of what we’re made of – and what we’re not.”

The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker
“An important and original book expounding on mankind’s relationship with violence.”

The Address Book by Tim Radford
“A captivating journey through our place in the universe.”

Pricing the Future by George G Szpiro
“A surprisingly fascinating insight into the world’s financial markets.”

Race? Debunking a Scientific Myth by Ian Tattersall and Rob DeSalle
“An important subject ripe for discussion in a scientifically reputable way.”

The Folly of Fools by Robert Trivers (also published in the UK as Deceit and Self Deception)
“An original exploration of the place of self deception in the human animal.”

The Viral Storm by Nathan Wolfe
“This book takes a potentially terrifying subject and successfully makes it both readable and optimistic.”

>202 msf59: Mr. Rushdie has been everywhere this month! He was the guest on PBS' The Tavis Smiley Show yesterday,

>203 drachenbraut23: That's understandable, Bianca. I hope that the weather is better for your journey tomorrow.

>204 PaulCranswick: No! This is all Richard's fault. In a pique of jealousy he wished for a storm to strike England after I left, so he is to blame for the current weather system.

Good morning, Darryl. Those science books look very tempting. I truly wish I could read all day long, every day, but I know that would not work very well. Stiff body would result, no doubt.

I may have to find a way to look at a couple of those, though. Perhaps a trip to the library for some browsing through some pages.

Hi Darryl, I just skimmed the many posts I have missed so far, looking for your comments on Umbrella. As usual I couldn't resist the challenge and bought it when I found it in a bookshop in Frankfurt last week. I am only about 20 pages in and reading it will definitely be hard work, but so far I hope it will be a rewarding experience. It will sure end up on my still-to-be-compiled list of most difficult reads.

I am listening to The Satanic Verses (it takes forever, because I always fall asleep quickly, this work on the trade show makes me terribly tired). I am enjoying it enormously, although I don't understand most of the religious background.

>208 maggie1944: Good morning, Karen. Several of those books are tempting, particularly The Better Angels of Our Nature and The Viral Storm from the shortlist, and Race? Debunking a Scientific Myth from the longlist. The only book I own from the longlist is The Two Kinds of Decay, which was very good. I won't plan to buy any of these books just yet, though.

I updated my lists of purchased books over the weekend, and realized that, for the first time this year, my book purchases (101) exceeded the number of books I've read so far this year (100). I'm now even after I finished Thrall yesterday, but I'll have to cut my book purchases significantly if I want to read more books than I buy. Fortunately there aren't many more "must buy" books on my list, and I may not buy anything else until my trip to San Francisco in early November.

Ah! the reader's dilemma! "So many books, so little time"....

I was just "shopping" in Amazon for books about bird watching in Hawai'i as I've been told our third guest during November stay is a bird watcher, which I'd like to be... And, and, and there are so many bird books about Hawai'i (no surprise that).

I need to go back to just reading threads.

>209 Deern: I'm glad that you decided to give Umbrella a try, Nathalie. I agree with you; I think it will require close attention, but I still think that it will be a rewarding read, and one which could end up at the top of my Booker shortlist. I've also read about 20 pages of it, but I think I'll wait until tomorrow to resume reading it, after I return to Atlanta. Hopefully I won't be called in to work on Thursday, and I'm off on Friday, so I should be able to finish it by then.

I look forward to your comments about The Satanic Verses. I'll read it next week sometime.

While I'm at it, here are my planned reads for October (assuming that I finish all of the books I'm currently reading by Sunday):

The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie (Banned Books Week)
*The Teleportation Accident by Ned Beauman (Booker Prize longlist)
*Communion Town by Sam Thompson (Booker Prize longlist)
*Skios by Michael Frayn (Booker Prize longlist)
*The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce (Booker Prize longlist)
The Vivisector by Patrick White (October group read for the Patrick White 100th Anniversary Challenge group)
To the End of the Land by David Grossman (third quarter Reading Globally theme)
Beijing Coma by Ma Jian (fourth quarter Reading Globally theme)
Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out by Mo Yan (fourth quarter Reading Globally theme)
The Opium War by Julia Lovell (fourth quarter Reading Globally theme)
Foreign Studies by Shusaku Endo (Author Theme Reads group)
When I Whistle by Shusaku Endo (Author Theme Reads group)
Confessions of a Mask by Yukio Mishima (Author Theme Reads group)
The Temple of the Golden Pavilion by Yukio Mishima (Author Theme Reads group)
NW by Zadie Smith

* I may defer one or more of the Booker longlisted books until November, as I'll finish the shortlist after I read Umbrella.

No tag line for NW? Sorry for being picky, but I enjoy the reasons you give for reading a particular book.
I do wish I could read faster, I'm sure I'd be able to get through ALL the books in the world if this was the case. (I'm fully aware of the ridiculousness of this statement, but feel it makes my point well)

Patrick White 100th anniversary - I must join you in reading something of his to celebrate. Maybe Voss or The Eye of the Storm which Prue gave me when she visited here.

The Vivisector by Patrick White (October group read for the Patrick White 100th Anniversary Challenge group)

I didn't know about the Patrick White 100th Anniversary Challenge Group. My copy of The Vivisector came yesterday. I made sure to order a copy that did not have that disturbing cover!

>211 maggie1944: Yes, there are far too many books I already own and have wanted to read for a year or more. I should either stop buying books or take a 2-3 year unpaid sabbatical to catch up.

>213 LovingLit: Sorry, Megan, no tag line for NW! It didn't make the longlist for the Booker Prize or any other award that I follow closely, and it doesn't apply to any groups or challenges that I'm participating in.

On one hand I'd like to read faster, but I wouldn't want to sacrifice the enjoyment of reading by doing so.

>214 PaulCranswick: I've owned The Vivisector since it was longlisted for the Lost Booker Prize two years ago, and I bought Voss and The Tree of Man earlier this month on the recommendation of baswood (Barry) from Club Read, who has read several of Patrick White's books this year. Barry mentioned earlier this month on his thread that he intended to read The Vivisector early next month, and several other Club Readers (dmsteyn, Linda92007 and possibly steven03tx) will probably also read it in October.

>215 avidmom: Here's the link to the Patrick White 100th Anniversary Challenge group:

http://www.librarything.com/groups/patrickwhite100thann

I have the Penguin Classics edition of The Vivisector with that disturbing cover, unfortunately. I probably won't read it in public.

Thanks for the link, kidzdoc; I've officially joined the group - that I didn't know I was part of till now. HA!

Hi Darryl, I need to find the Reading Globally fourth quarter group. I t looks like it might be the Far East. I really enjoyed the third quarter group although I didn't get to my final book Mornings in Jenin. I'll have to try to squeeze that in at some other point.

I went to the book page and thought, huh. That isnt a very disturbing book cover.
And then I scrolled down and went: aaaaah ha. I see what the one they mean. :)
Looks a good'un. Im trying really hard not to WL it. Of course I wont succeed.

>218 brenzi: I see that you found the thread for the fourth quarter Reading Globally group theme, China and neighbouring countries, which includes Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, Tibet, and Mongolia. I plan to read 2-3 novels and one book of nonfiction for this challenge, and I own at least 15-20 books that would fit, including the following:

Fiction:
Eileen Chang, Love in a Fallen City
Yu Hua, Brothers
Ha Jin, Nanjing Requiem
Maxine Hong Kingston, Tripmaster Monkey: His Fake Book
Timothy Mo, The Monkey King
Jiang Rong, Wolf Totem
Can Xue, Vertical Motion
Mo Yan, Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out

Nonfiction:
Ying-Ying Chang, The Woman Who Could Not Forget: Iris Chang Before and Beyond the Rape of Nanking- A Memoir
Frank Dikötter, Mao's Great Famine
Julia Lovell, The Opium War: Drugs, Dreams and the Making of China

I didn't get to read as many books as I had intended to for the Reading Globally third quarter Middle Eastern Literature theme. I'd like to read 1-2 books per month for the next three months, including The Colonel by Mahmoud Dowlatabadi, The Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al Aswany, To the End of the Land by David Grossman, and Blooms of Darkness by Aharon Appelfeld, which won this year's Independent Foreign Fiction Prize.

The Author Theme Reads group will focus on Yukio Mishima as its fourth quarter mini-author, and continue to read books by Shusaku Endo as its year long main author. I intend to read two books by each author per month over the next three months, including Mishima's Sea of Fertility tetralogy starting in November.

I'll read one novel by Patrick White for the next three months, including Tree of Man in November and Voss in December.

I'll almost certainly forego my plan to read all 12 Booker Prize longlisted novels by October 16th, the day of the prize announcement, and focus instead on finishing the shortlist before that date. Fortunately I've read five of the six shortlisted books already, with only Umbrella left to go.

My work schedule is lighter than normal in October and November, but December might be a tough month.

>219 LovingLit: The Penguin Classics edition of The Vivisector with the disturbing cover is the one that is most readily available in the US. The current UK edition (Vintage Classics) with the portrait of the woman on the front cover is a much more appealing one.

Ohh..........can you recommend or point me in the direction of the 'neighbouring countries' books?

Having been to Mongolia (absolutely amazing country) and being very interested in Tibet, I'd love to join in on that part. Also books revolving around rural China.

>221 lunacat: I created a hyperlink to the China and neighboring countries page in the first paragraph of message #220, but here is the address:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/142067

I'm eagerly looking forward to this theme, along with the group reads of Yukio Mishima and Patrick White. It should be a busy but fun way to end the year.

>217 avidmom: Will you be reading The Vivisector with us next month, avidmom?

Yes. White is an unfamiliar author to me so this will be my first. If it wasn't for baswood's enticing review of The Solid Mandala on his Club Read thread I may never have heard of him. I'm really looking forward to the group read. :)

>201 kidzdoc: On good museums, Darryl, of course I've got to put a plug in for the Art Institute of Chicago. There are other good ones here, small and large, but the Art Institute's a knock-out, including a great collection of my favorite time period artists, the Impressionists.

Thanks for mentioning poet Toi Derricotte, who is new to me. Where would you start with her?

BTW, I'm loving The Garden of Evening Mists. For me it's a slow, appreciative read. Racing through it would feel wrong.

P.S. I've been to the Carnegie in Pittsburgh but not the Andy Warhol one. I wondered about the latter (whether it would be any good), but your endorsement encourages me to give it a try.

Hmm.. I've read Moonwalking with Einstein and I thought it was just ok. I know some people who were absolutely bowled over by this so maybe it's just me, maybe I expected too much from it.

I see you have the Iris Chang book down for one of your non-fiction reads. She's an amazing woman. I haven't read this particular one you have slated but I've read The Rape of Nanking : The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II that was written by her and it's an incredibly powerful book.

I've belatedly decided I would try to squish Joseph Anton in to Banned Books week too, but it looks like a hefty tome and I might not finish it in time. :) It's good to know you've been enjoying it.

I'm now back in Atlanta, after a short flight from Philadelphia (roughly 1 hr 20 min wheels up to wheels down, which is the same amount of time as the ride from Penn Station NYC to Trenton, NJ on the New Jersey Transit train I took on Thursday when I came back to the US). With luck I'll be off tomorrow, and I don't work on Friday, although I'll work for five days after that.

>224 avidmom: Barry (baswood) also enticed me to pick up Voss and The Tree of Man after his compelling reviews of both books earlier this year. He's become a bit of a menace to my wish list, along with several other Club Readers.

>225 jnwelch: I agree with you about the Art Institute of Chicago, Joe. I visited it several years ago, when I visited a friend of mine from residency who lives there.

Regarding Toi Derricotte, my favorite book of hers is the first one I read by her, The Black Notebooks, although it isn't primarily a book of poetry and is a grim read. I especially liked her most recent poetry collection, The Undertaker's Daughter, which describes her troubled relationship with her abusive father, along with Natural Birth, an account of her pregnancy and childbirth in a Catholic home for unwed mothers in Detroit in the 1960s (she was a college student at Wayne State when she was impregnated).

I'm glad that you're enjoying The Garden of Evening Mists; I'd love to see it win this year's Booker Prize.

I did like the Andy Warhol Museum, which is on Pittsburgh's North Side, not far from PNC Park (home of the Pirates) and Heinz Field (home of the Steelers and my Pitt Panthers). One museum I missed going to is the Heinz History Center in the Strip District, which opened the year before I finished medical school. One of these days I'll have to plan a long weekend in Pittsburgh, which would ideally include a Saturday Pitt football game and possibly a Sunday Steelers game (a much tougher task), and get togethers with some of my old classmates who still live there.

>226 cameling: Thanks for that less than ringing endorsement of Moonwalking with Einstein, Caroline. I was curious about it, due to the large amount of attention it received, but I'll pass on reading it (not that I have time to add anything else to my plate for the remainder of the year).

The husband of one of my closest classmates from medical school knew Iris Chang, as his and her families lived in Champaign, IL when they were kids, as both sets of parents had at least one member who was in graduate school at the University of Illinois at that time and came from mainland China (Ren's family is from Shanghai, but I don't know where the Chang family came from). He said that she was very quiet and shy but intense as a kid (whereas Ren is more outgoing and personable), and the two of them weren't very close. The two books I read by her, The Chinese in America and The Rape of Nanking, were eye opening, brilliant and unforgettable. I was deeply saddened to hear that she had committed suicide at such a young age, as she had so much to offer and to teach all of us. The Woman Who Could Not Forget was written by Iris's mother, and I've been eager to read it since it was published last year.

Hmm...apparently it isn't in my LT library. I'm pretty sure that I bought it at City Lights last year, though. Oh, yes; I bought the Kindle version last June...oh, it's currently on sale for $3.19:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B004W8NS64/ref=nosim/librarythin08-20

I'll probably read it in December, if anyone wants to read it with me. However, I'd highly recommend Iris's two books that I mentioned above.

>227 The_Hibernator: Joseph Anton is a tome, Rachel, but it continues to hold my attention. I'm on page 509 of 636 of the Jonathan Cape (UK) edition, and I'll probably finish it tonight.

Darryl- That's a mighty October reading list! Good luck. 1Q84 will be hogging most of my October. Those time-consuming Japanese authors! Actually, I'm looking forward to it.
Wow, I did not realize Joseph Anton was such a door-stopper. Yikes.

Another interesting book about Iris Chang is Finding Iris Chang by Paula Kamen, a friend/classmate/colleague.

Interesting on China and its environs Darryl - I joined the group to give the dubious benefit of my being in the near neighbourhood.

Good morning Darryl,
arrived this morning (with lots of delays) in London and was surprised to find nice and sunny autumn weather. Obviously your good wishes worked :)

I may going to join you on the group read for The Vivisector - a book which I had already for a long time on my kindle (my kindle edition has this disturbing picture you were mentioning) - at least it is on the kindle so people will not notice.

I have to admit, I took a peek-see at The Vivisector because I DO like the idea of crossing another Nobel Prize author off my list. But every time I look at this:

Cover of book which I would be reading

I say "bwahak!" and shudder violently.

Rachel you are mean *shudder*. I absolutely feel horrified by anything to do with eyes. "Baah". I almost fainted once, when I had to hold a baby for the ophthalmologist, for the ROP eye check. I always have my collegues doing this job for me now. *shudder violently*

Haha, should I take that picture back down again? It is pretty awful and is a great deterrent for my reading the book. :p

ETA: There. I'll be nice.

I fell asleep last night in my glider 25 pages before I finished Joseph Anton, so I finished it this morning. A proper review will follow later today or tomorrow, but I'll give it 4 stars for now. Some thoughts about the book:

It mainly covers the 12 years in which he was under police protection in England after the fatwa that Ayatollah Khomeini ordered was announced, starting on Valentine's Day in 1989 and ending in late 2011. He does describe his early life in the first portion of the book and his early work, particularly Midnight's Children. He doesn't describe The Satanic Verses in great detail, nor the segments of it that raised such ire in the Muslim world.

I thought his use of the third person to describe "Joseph Anton", the code name he gave the London Metropolitan Police, was unique, effective and appropriate, since the life heled during the fatwa was so foreign from normal. As I may have mentioned previously, he came up with this name on the request of the police, using the first names of two of his favorite authors, Joseph Conrad and Anton Chekhov.

His first wife, Clarissa Luard, comes off well in this book, as does his third wife, Elizabeth West, despite the tension and extreme stress their relationship was under during the suffocating conditions while he was "imprisoned" under police custody in England. His second wife, the author Marianne Wiggins, is repeatedly skewered by him, and is portrayed as a mentally unstable pathological liar who is vain, untrustworthy and devious. His fourth wife, Padma Lakshmi, also comes off badly in this book. I'm eager to read their comments about him and the book.

Overall, the book was a very enjoyable one despite its length, and it reads more like a novel that an autobiography, particularly in its use of the third person. Rushdie is not a modest man, to say the least, but he rarely fails to be interesting, witty or appropriately provocative.

Out of curiosity...would you recommend that I read Midnight's Children before reading this book? I'm ashamed to say that one has been sitting on Mt. TBR much longer than it should have. And I don't want to spoil it for me if there's too much info in Joseph Anton.

>229 msf59: Thanks, Mark. You're in for a treat with 1Q84, and I look forward to following alongside you and the others who will be reading it next month.

The UK edition of Joseph Anton is nearly 2-1/2 inches thick, thanks to the heavier weight paper used in UK books. I was amused at the reaction of one ?Indian security agent at Heathrow Airport last Thursday, who saw the book and asked me what I was reading with a look of amazement and mild horror. For a split second I wondered if it would be confiscated as a possible weapon!

>230 brenpike: Yes, I have Finding Iris Chang, which was written by a former friend of hers. If I remember correctly, The Woman Who Could Not Forget was written as a reply to this book, as her family felt that Paula Kamen did not portray Iris well or accurately. I'll read it at some point in the future.

>231 PaulCranswick: Excellent, Paul. I look forward to your participation in Reading Globally this coming quarter.

>232 drachenbraut23: Good morning (or afternoon for you by now), Bianca! I'm glad that you arrived in London safely, and that the weather in the UK has improved. I'm glad that you'll be reading The Vivisector with us. I haven't seen a formal thread dedicated to the proposed group read of it next month, but there is a thread for the book in the Patrick White 100th Anniversary group.

>233 The_Hibernator: I gasped when you initially posted that cover of The Vivisector, but I'm relieved that it's no longer there. I normally post cover photos of the books I'm reading at the top of my threads, but I'll probably post the Vintage Classics (UK) cover of it when I start reading it next week.

>234 drachenbraut23: I'm with you, Bianca. Patients with serious eye problems can make me cringe or even feel nauseous or light headed in the worst cases. I took care of a teenager last year with severe traumatic ophthalmitis who didn't receive appropriate care until he came to our hospital; the ER doc, the ophthalmologist and I were all pale and shaken when we saw how bad it was. He had no vision in the eye, and after I admitted him that night we sent him to Emory University Hospital for surgery the next morning. I don't know what his final outcome was, but I suspect that his eye was too far gone to be saved.

>235 The_Hibernator: Thank you, ma'am!

>237 The_Hibernator: I wouldn't necessarily recommend reading Midnight's Children, or The Satanic Verses, before Joseph Anton, Rachel. He doesn't describe either book in great detail, nor any of the other ones he wrote.

You're in for a treat with 1Q84. Well put! Like you, I look forward to hearing what new readers of it have to say.

Re: 233, Sorry about that! I forget sometimes that if I find something horrible to look at, others might find it even worse. I'm not particularly squeamish, but that cover rather shocked me. Who would want to look at THAT every time they picked up their book?

>240 jnwelch: If I didn't have so many other books to read this coming quarter I could probably be talked into reading 1Q84 again.

>241 The_Hibernator: No problem, Rachel! That cover isn't absolutely horrifying to look at for me, as the eye itself looks healthy and injured. However, I won't read my copy of The Vivisector in public, to avoid offending others.

The most distressing lecture I attended in medical school was the one on ocular trauma, which featured a couple of dozen gruesome photographs. There were more gasps and shrieks than most horror movies, and several of my classmates had to leave the auditorium before they became physically ill.

#233 I really shouln't have looked at that picture - it's just the whole eye thing! I can't even listen to people discuss their laser eye treatment - I have to leave the room.

>243 SandDune: Ooh, thanks for mentioning that, Rhian; I had forgotten that I wanted to schedule my annual eye exam for tomorrow (done). The optometrist I've been going to for years and I are about the same age (early 50s), and we've talked about laser eye surgery. Both of us have worn glasses since childhood (me since second grade), and neither of us wants to undergo this nonessential procedure.

One of my youngest partners underwent LASIK surgery several years ago, when she was in her late 20s, by a very reputable ophthalmologist. She was severely myopic, and her corrective lenses didn't completely correct her vision. The surgery didn't go well, and she had significant visual difficulty for nearly a year that required one or two additional operations. I think her vision has now normalized, but her experience killed whatever minimal interest I had in laser eye surgery.

I'll eat lunch, then I'll start reading Umbrella. Unless the night doctor calls out sick I won't have to work until Saturday morning, so I should be able to finish this book by tomorrow.

>242 kidzdoc: I would probably just buy it on my Nook so even I didn't have to look at it. :) Though it's apparently a painting by Jason Freeman (of a surgery), so it's actually pretty impressive that he managed to make it that realistic. I think I would admire it in an art gallery. Just not on the cover of my book.

As for eye surgery, I'd rather just wear glasses, thanks. I'm not going to go through an elective cosmetic surgery just so that I can swim without wearing contact lenses, thank-you-very-much. It doesn't seem like the risk and the pain are worth the benefit.

I had to have laser eye surgery when I had a torn retina, and I have to say I would NEVER have it for anything other than an emergency. I've worn glasses since I was in college, and "graduated" to progressives (i.e., bifocals without the line) a few years ago, and I have no problem with them. I know someone who had laser surgery for vision, and he has great distance vision, but he has to hold up papers close to his face to read them. I should add that I am very surgery- and drug-averse, and would only have surgery or take medication if it was really medically necessary.

I seem to know a large number of people who have this surgery done - and everyone one of them wanted to tell everyone else about the operation in great detail! I wouldn't be able to cope with it at all - and even if I could I wouldn't be sure about the long term effects. I mean your eyesight is changing all the time - how can the surgery cope with that?

One sad part of my aging is that my very near-sighted myopic self is getting worse eyesight, and cataracts. I have regular progressive, light sensitive glasses for every day use, dark glasses with prescriptions for driving, and some glasses I had made espcially for reading the computer. I love them. For regular reading I take my glasses off, but when I'm tired, my eyes just do not want to cooperate. That is when the larger font available on Nook and Kindle is a god-send.

I really hate it that reading is becoming difficult for me! But I guess when the time comes I'll do the surgery for the cataracts. I hope that will help significantly.

Otherwise, I really do not mind becoming older. Will be 68 in November! Whoo hooooo! (stupid MacBook Air wants that to be "whoo hop")

I'm not in the slightest bit squeamish around photographs, or pictures, but boy give me a "disturbing" real thing and I probably want to split. I'm reading relatively tame books for October: Rebecca, Tales of H.P. Lovecraft and The Haunted Bookshop.

>236 kidzdoc:
His first wife, Clarissa Luard, ... His second wife, the author Marianne Wiggins...his third wife, Elizabeth West....His fourth wife, Padma Lakshmi

Do I even have to say how much credence I would put into this man's opinion of his four wives, Darryl?? Really?? Wow! Can you say megalomaniac? LOL

Add me to the group that does not want lasik surgery. Most ophthamologist I have seen wear glasses. That says it all for me.

When I was in nursing school and we did our first OR rotations we were put in eye surgeries or ear, nose and throat. I worried all night they would stick me with the eyes! I got ears! What a relief. I'm not squeamish. I did adult ICU for over 10 years and had patients with only an opsite covering their cracked open chest or abdomen. Didn't faze me or my lunch. Eyes will make me ill! Even the cataract surgeries scare me.

I did not click the link for that picture.

# 250 haha I am so much with you - I am not squeamish at all, but EYES, I was so glad that I didn't need to do that during my training.

Darryl we had the same response as you did to our ophtalmology lessons - and I was one of the few who fled the room heaving. *sigh* .

So are we going to use this anniversary thread for The Vivisector or is someone going to set up a new thread?

I didn't do much reading for pleasure yesterday; I caught up on e-mail from work, realized that I'm supposed to give a lecture to the residents on Monday, and I started working on that. So, I may not finish Umbrella until Sunday.

>245 The_Hibernator: Wow, that cover image is a painting? I'm looking at my copy of The Vivisector now, and I would bet a month's salary that it's a photograph.

I'm with you. I would have no problem undergoing necessary eye surgery (e.g. cataract removal), but I'd never undergo cosmetic eye surgery to avoid wearing eyeglasses. I originally thought that my partner's LASIK surgery was purely cosmetic, but she mainly wanted to get it done once she finished residency to keep from having the nightly headaches and eye strain she experienced for many years, as a result of her severe myopia.

>246 rebeccanyc: Same here, Rebecca. I've worn progressive lenses for the past 5-6 years, and I'm very comfortable with them. (For you youngins that haven't developed presbyopia yet, progressive lenses are gradated trifocal lenses, with the top third used for distance vision, the middle portion for normal distances, including the distance between your eyes and a computer, and the lower third is used for reading. The different strengths are merged together without lines of demarcation, so no one has to know how old and blind you actually are. It took a few weeks to learn to adjust my line of sight for the three different strengths, but it comes natural to me now.

>247 SandDune: I seem to know a large number of people who have this surgery done - and everyone one of them wanted to tell everyone else about the operation in great detail!

Yikes. That sounds like the teenage girls who want to talk about their breast augmentation surgery, which is a fairly popular high school graduation gift down here. Even though this is the 21st century, the main purpose of college for a sizable portion of Southern women is to land a husband from a respectable family, who can provide for them financially while they raise children and run the household; this is known as obtaining an MRS degree. I don't want Donna Reed for a wife, so this mentality is completely foreign and repulsive to me.

>248 maggie1944: My eyesight is also slowly worsening as I get older, and I need to get new lenses every 1-2 years. I anticipate that I'll need new lenses after today's visit, since I've had my current ones for at least two years. I use standard progressives for indoors, and I have a pair of unifocal sunglasses for driving. I've been tempted to get progressive sunglasses, but I don't read outdoors in bright sunlight enough to justify the additional cost.

As you said, I do have more eye strain when I read or use the computer for prolonged periods of time. I find that it helps if I look at something from a different distance for 5-10 minutes every hour or so.

Whoo hop for aging gracefully! ;-)

I'm not recommending that you do this, but if you were to Google "ocular trauma" and look at some of those images, I'm pretty certain that you would be adversely affected by them. Please feel free to take my word for this and not subject yourself to those photos.

>249 brenzi: Right, Bonnie! He isn't as bad as V.S. Naipaul, but he certainly has an inflated view of himself. He apparently had good relationships with his first and third wives, and speaks of them fondly in Joseph Anton, but Marianne Wiggins and Padma Lakshmi are surgically dissected and diced into tiny pieces. Wiggins apparently did the same to him in interviews she gave to the British media during the fatwa, after they had separated, so his evisceration of her can be viewed as long delayed payback. Lakshmi comes off as a self absorbed and vapid ditz, and it's hard to understand what Rushdie saw in her other than her obvious physical beauty. IMO he'd do well to get back with his third wife, Elizabeth West, who is beautiful, intelligent and was very supportive of him during the fatwa; that might not be the best move for her, though.



>250 luvamystery65: I think I saw one eye surgery in medical school, and I don't remember seeing any cases of acute ocular trauma in medical school or residency. I've had to take care of a small number of kids in the hospital for a day or two after major eye surgery, but that only happens once every 2-3 years at the most.

>251 drachenbraut23: So are we going to use this anniversary thread for The Vivisector or is someone going to set up a new thread?

I haven't seen a thread dedicated to the proposed group read of The Vivisector, but I'll let you know if Barry (baswood) or someone else decides to create one. If not, I'd suggest posting comments and reviews on the thread dedicated to the book in the Patrick White 100th Anniversary group:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/136901

ETA: Whoops. Barry has created a thread for the group read of The Vivisector:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/142251