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Talisman

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About Talisman

  • Birthday 06/21/1965

Profile Information

  • Reading now?
    Before Night Falls: Reinaldo Arenas
  • Gender
    Female
  • Location:
    leafy Surrey
  • Interests
    Reading, writing, walking, photography and eating Icelandic chocolate.

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  • Website URL
    http://www.juneaustin.co.uk

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  1. It was a bit boring to be honest - but the only book I could find from that country alas.
  2. I have finished - I completed the last country on my list last night! When I get round to it I'll fill in all the books I read but the ones I have done since the last post are as follows: An Evening in Guanima by Patricia Glinton-Meichalas for The Bahamas The Tale of Aypi by Ak Welsapar for Turkmenistan Yasmeena's Choice by Jean Sasson for Kuwait At the Tomb of the Inflatable Pig by Jim Gimlette for Paraguay An Island Away by Daniel Putkowski for Aruba
  3. My first job was a general dogsbody for a marine engineering company. It was okay for a first job and I have had a of other ones since - telex operator (remember them), receptionist, supermarket cashier, insurance clerk, showroom manager for a fitted kitchen company, exam invigilator, and cleaner which eventually led to my current job as a head housekeeper in a care and rehabilition unit for adults with brain injuries.
  4. Head Housekeeper in a care and rehabilittion unit for people with acquired brain injuries.
  5. For me its the score from the film The Gladiator. I always come back to this one.
  6. I'm more than happy to do that are there are just so many great books from different parts of the world out there. You could literally never run out of them. It's been a really great thing for me to do I must admit. I have always been interested in world affairs and of course love to travel (something I am missing so much during Covid) and this has taught me so much about the world - other cultures, the way that refugees are treated and what it's like to be a woman in different parts of the world. Stuff that you can't read about to the same degree in any other way, not really. Some of the books about poverty in the US have been a real eye opener - I knew things wwere tough out there for many but not that bad. They have it much worse than we do here in every conceivable way - no free healthcare for one and hardly any workers rights. They were all great books - especially the 100 Year old Man which made me just laugh an laugh - a brilliantly funny book and complete and utter wee take.
  7. The Trinidad book I would say, which like the other book I read from there was quite an unusual read. As to how many countries - I can count them now on one hand. I will almost definately complete it this year, but there's still so many good books from different countries to read, that I think I'll unofficially carry on regardless.
  8. I am nearing completion of this challenge now with just a few countries left and must admit that I will miss it. There have been a few more books to add though this year: The Ardent Swarm by Yamen Manal for Tunisia Gerta: A Novel by Katerina Tuckova for Czech Republic Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor for Mexico Back to Moscow by Guillermo Erades for Russia The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey for Trinidad and Tobago Monkeys are made of Chocolate by Jack Ewing for Costa Rica
  9. I guess I didn't look at the list carefully enough - but yes, there are some non fiction books in there. I agree though that there are no real 'must' reads as its all subjective and we like different things. I read a lot of non fiction but II know that most on here read predominantly fiction. Some read for escapsim, some read in order to learn something - I do a bit of both, but it's all good, and doesn't matter as long as you enjoy what you're reading. I quite like that profile picure too though - it was taken during a visit to the European Parliament last summer. It might be a while before I manage to travel overseas again!
  10. This seems a pretty strange list of must read books to me - an odd mixture of both British and overseas 'classics' and more modern books - with not one non fiction book - not even The Bible! I have only read 11 of them, but it doesn't matter as there are tons of other good books I have read.
  11. And of course Major Tom Moore who did so much during his 100 years and died from coronavirus yesterday.
  12. A few more additions as the year is about to come to a close: Lost in the Jungle by Yossi Ghinsberg for Bolivia Green Island by Shawna Yang Ryan for Taiwan Why the Dutch are Different by Ben Coates for The Netherlands In The Castle of My Skin by George Lamming for Barbados Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo for Nigeria The Phone Box at the Edge of the World by Laura Imai Messina for Japan The Dry by Jane Harper for Australia Kim Jiyouong, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo for South Korea The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd for Palestine A Single Swallow by Zhang Ling for China Asking For It by Louise O'Neill for Ireland Mythos by Stephen Fry for Greece I Am an Island by Tamsin Calidas for Scotland The Bee Keeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefreri for Syria and loads more from Iceland - as always!
  13. We have booked our Christmas delivery slot from Sainsburys (there is NO WAY I am going there in person in the midst of a pandemic) and started to think about what we might want for our main course. We put the tree up yesterday and will hang the wreath on the door later on. We had a Christmas shopping event at work a week or so ago where I got some bits for my sister and I have bought a bottle of Amaretto for the Polish guy who works for me. We have another new cleaner starting in a weeks time but I want to get him something small so he doesnt feel left out, so I will probably get him a chocolate reindeer or something. We have got some Christmas treats for the cats too so they are all sorted.
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