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Book List 2024 January 01. A Passage to India - EM Forster G ***** 02. York Advance Notes, A Passage to India - Nigel Messenger *** 03. Strong Female Character - Fern Brady **** February 04. Daniel Deronda - George Eliot G ***** 05. Cursed Bread - Sophie Mackintosh ** 06. The Bone Readers - Jacob Ross W ***** 07. Olive Kitteridge - Elizabeth Strout U *** 08. The Marriage Question - Claire Carlisle ***** 09. The Sorrow of War - Bao Ninh W ** 10. The Offing - Benjamin Myers **** March 11. Not A River - Selva Almeda W ***** 12. The Perfect Golden Circle - Benjamin Myers GR **** 13. The Years - Annie Ernaux GR ***** April 14. Caroline - Richmal Crompton G ** 15. Pedro Paramo - Juan Rulfo W **** 16. Family Roundabout - Richmal Crompton G *** May 17. The Plague - Albert Camus G ***** 18. Ilustrado - Miguel Syjuco W *** 19. The Collini Case - Ferdinand von Schirach G **** 20. Why We Get Sick - Benjamin Bikman *** 21. The US Civil War - Louis Masur *** 22. By The River - various writers *** June 23. Commonwealth - Ann Patchett U **** 24. The Sea Detective - Mark Douglas-Home R **** 25. The Details - Ia Genberg GW ***** 26. A Heart So White - Javier Marias GW *** July 27. English Journey - JB Priestley *** 28. The Full English - Stuart Maconie **** 29. Thunderclap - Laura Cumming G ****** 30. A Flat Place - Noreen Masud ** 31. Runaway - Alice Munro W *** 32. Permafrost - Eva Baltasar ***** August 33. Normal Rules Don't Apply - Kate Atkinson G * 34. The Blue Flower - Penelope Fitzgerald GR **** 35. Drive Your Plow Over The Bones of The Dead - Olga Tokarczuk W ****** 36. The Boundless River - Mathijs Deen ***** 37. The Book Censor's Library - Bothayna Al-Essa W ****** 38. Oxygen - Andrew Millar G *** 39. Cheerful Weather for the Wedding - Julia Strachey **** 40. Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck X ** 41. Walking the Bones of Britain - Christopher Somerville ***** September 42. Orbital - Samantha Harvey ****** 43. Not A River - Selva Almada GR ***** 44. The Pleasure of Drowning - Jean Burlesk W **** 45. Ulysses - James Joyce W ****** 46. The Guide to James Joyce's Ulysses - Patrick Hastings *** October 47. The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy - Laurence Sterne G ****** 48. The Red Notebook - Antoine Laurain G * 49. Autumn Journal by Louis MacNeice **** 50. 1923 by Ned Boulting **** 51. So Distant From My Life by Monique Ilboudo W **** 52. Talking About Detective Fiction by PD James *** November 53. Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner *** 54. The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden W ***** 55. Doctor Wortle's School by Anthony Trollope G **** 56. The Black Notebook by Patrick Modiano W ***** 57. Shiloh by Shelby Foote U **** XX. You Have To Make Your Own Fun Around Here by Frances Macken G * 58. Reading Lessons by Carol Atherton ****** 59. 1922, Scenes from a Turbulent Year by Nick Rennison *** 60. Closely Watched Trains by Bohumil Hrabel R **** December 61. Symposium by Muriel Spark ***** 62. To Live by Yu Hua W **** 63. August Blue by Deborah Levy ***** 64. Germania by Simon Winder **** 65. Pearl by Sian Hughes **** 66. Passing by Nella Larsen G ****** 67. Why We Read by Josephine Greywoode (ed) *** 68. Conclave by Robert Harris ***** 69. Another England by Caroline Lucas **** 70. Mugby Junction by Charles Dickens and others *** 71. Missing Person by Patrick Modiano ***** 72. Things I Don't Want To Know by Deborah Levy ***** 73. Elena Knows by Claudia Pineiro ****** 74. A Point of View by Lisa Jardine R ****** 75. Paddington Abroad by Michael Bond **** G = a book group choice, R = reread, U = Tour of the United States, W = Read Around the World, X = unfinished Ratings * Positively disliked: almost certainly unfinished. Unforunately, most of these books tend to be book group choices, mainly because I didn't choose them for myself! LibraryThing rating 0.5 - 1 ** Disappointing or not particularly liked even if recognise merits: likely to be skimmed, and often even unfinished. LT 1.5 - 2 *** OK, but not compelling. If fiction will often need some effort in order to finish, but will have done so. Non-fiction: functional, did the job, but no more LT 2.5 - 3 **** Good, compulsive reading that, whilst probably putdownable, demands to be picked up and finished LT 3.5 ***** Very good, into the realms of 'unputdownable' LT 4 ****** Excellent: a top level read for me, even if not quite the 'something' that makes it a favourite. LT 4.5 ****** Favourite: books which, for whatever reason, have something special about them, even if only personal to me. For the full list of these (less than 150 of them) see post #7 below. LT 5

Thread contents Post number 02 Book list 2024 03 Favourite books 04 Favourite authors 05 A Tour of the United States 06 Reading The World 07 Classic fiction reading lists 08 The Book Pile 09 spare 10 spare 11 spare 12 spare 13 spare 14 First review!

Catch up time! La Curee (The Kill) by Emile Zola ***** The third (in the reading order recommended by Zola) in the Rougon - Macquart sequence, focusing on the financial shenanigans surrounding property development in Paris during the Second Empire, and the redevelopments carried out by Baron Haussmann, much of it reflecting real life dealings. Whilst I'm not making swift progress here, I'm loving each book as it comes - Zola's writing is so rich, so evocative, his detailed descriptions (too much for some) painting a fantastically vivid picture. As with all Zola's 'wealthy' novels, it's the Rougon half of the dynasty at heart, Aristide (brother of Eugene and son of Pierre and Felicity) now coming to the fore, under his adopted name of Saccard. The main protagonist is, in fact, his second wife Renee, and the plot focuses on her relationship with her stepson Maxime and its outcome, with Saccard keeping multiple plates spinning, Renee's dowry being a crucial element - very much a marriage of financial convenience. I was slightly bemused at the title, but I hadn't realised that 'The Kill' actually refers to the kill in a hunt, and specifically to the portion thrown to the dogs, so, actually, all too appropriate. And it's Renee who is all too clearly in danger of being La Curee, and torn to pieces. The Ox-Bow Incident by Walter van Tilburg ***** The book for Nevada in my Tour of the USA. The story of a 'posse' (of very doubtful legality, so closer to a lynch mob) pursuing a group of rustlers, and the fall-out when events go horribly wrong. The psychology of the mob and the impact it has on those involved sits at the heart of what turned out to be a far more thoughtful, deeper, novel than I had anticipated. This is the third western I've read as part of my Tour of the USA (following on from Lonesome Dove and The Virginian,, and they have made an excellent trio. This may just about be the 'third' of the three, but it's well up there, and, having only ever read one other before (Cormac McCarthy's All The Pretty Horses), I'm up for more! The Wandering Falcon by Jamil Ahmad ***** From the West to East....A series of short stories, linked through the life of the 'Falcon', set in the Pakistan/Afghanistan border region, the author having worked much of his life as a Pakistani government official in the region. The language is simply constructed but with a clarity that seemed so appropriate for a largely desert, mountainous, environment! As a westerner (even though I've visited Pakistan) the culture was totally alien, but, with a strong sense of authorial sympathy for his characters and subject, I felt I gained much insight. I was certainly gripped - this is a short book and pretty much unputdownable. (This was the book for Pakistan in my Reading The World project). The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams ****** Picked up on a whim, as the subject material interested me. Glad I did! Esme is the daughter of one of James Murray's researchers in putting together the OED in the late 19th century. Motherless, she spends much of her time at her father's feet (under the table!) in the Scriptorium, the heart of the project, and develops her own fascination with words. Her life is one that is almost inevitably intertwined with the dictionary and its team, but other events and people have a profound impact too! I just loved this book from start to finish, barely able to put it down. The plot, the characters, the historical context all combined to make this an almost ideal read for me - perhaps not the greatest 'literature', but an absolutely stonking story, really well told. Tall Man in a Low Country by Harry Pearson *** Read as background to a visit to Brussels, mainly on the train getting there! Initially promising, this actually proved a mild disappointment, even if scraping three stars. I expected insight into Belgium from somebody who I was under the impression had lived there. In fact, it's really just the story of an extended holiday in Belgium (with flashbacks to a previous holiday!), and whilst there was the odd flash of insight, I felt it was written by somebody no more knowledgeable than I was about the country, and didn't ever really get beyond stereotypes and the superficial. I've got another book on my Kindle by Alex Le Sueur on the same subject, although he does live in the country (his wife is Belgian), so I hope that's more rewarding (although the title, Bottoms Up in Belgium, is decidedly unpromising!). If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery **** Shortlisted for the Booker, this is a set of interconnected short stories featuring American-born, Jamaican-descent, Trelawney and his family. There is a thread of desperation that runs through these stories, with family relations always on edge, sometimes descending into breakdown, money tenuous, life in the margins threatening, all against an at best uncertain racial/cultural background. Actually, not background, but right to the fore, especially in the first story, with Trelawney struggling to develop any sense of identity, and the racial caste system in America sounding absolutely nightmarish! Written in the second voice, this proved a rare example of it being the perfect choice. Splashdown, the central story, is the only one not to feature Trelawney of Delado (his brother), focusing on their cousin Cukie, but its position at the heart of the book, providing an alternative scenario and suggesting an all too plausible direction for the two brothers, was surely earned; it packs a fair old punch. I found the writing vivid and lively, streaked through with a strong sense of humanity: at times endearing, these characters could also be quite appalling - it all depends on the perspective - but one felt one always understood why they did what they did, however desperate (except maybe some of Topper's later actions!). An ideal book for a book club - so much to discuss!

Book #34: The Wandering Falcon by Jamil Ahmad for Pakistan ***** A series of short stories, linked through the life of the 'Falcon', set in the Pakistan/Afghanistan border region, the author having worked much of his life as a Pakistani government official in the region. The language is simply constructed but with a clarity that seemed so appropriate for a largely desert, mountainous, environment! As a westerner (even though I've visited Pakistan) the culture was totally alien, but, with a strong sense of authorial sympathy for his characters and subject, I felt I gained much insight. I was certainly gripped - this is a short book and pretty much unputdownable.

And now finished The Wandering Falcon by Jamil Ahmad, my book for Pakistan in Reading The World. Another 5/6 stars: short,vivid and gripping (only started 2 days ago).

#34 Nevada: The Ox-Bow Incident by Walter Van Tilburg Clark ***** This took me completely by surprise. I know it won the Pulitzer and all that, but I still didn't quite expect such a strongly written, thoughtful, even challenging read: a ranch-hand is murdered, cattle rustled, and a posse (legally very doubtful for various reasons) is off in pursuit; things go badly wrong, and questions of justice (in short supply!), group think and human weaknesses come very much to the fore, in an atmosphere one can cut with a knife and a landscape that is brought vividly to life as winter snows set in. I was enthralled, and galloped through the second half in particular. It was quite difficult obtaining a copy of this - I eventually did so by adding to my Library of America collection with an interesting looking volume of Westerns - but this is a book that deserves to be more widely read today - it's just as relevant to society today - and is a thoroughly worthy 'representative' for Nevada.

#33 West Virginia: Rocket Boys / October Sky by Homer Hickam Jnr ***** I read this almost by accident! Last Christmas (2022) my wife's present to me was a box of 12 second hand books, each with a different month in the title. The book for October was October Sky, the name given to Hiram Hickam's memoir Rocket Boys after the film of the book, renamed October Sky because the producers apparently thought the original name wouldn't attract any female audience, came out. Reading my present at one book a month, I've just come to it this month! Initially, I had restricted my US tour to fiction, but this was so good, and it's obviously so much better known in the States than it is here in the UK, that I changed the rules (which are, after all, there to be broken!). So, I'm now allowed to read 'narrative non-fiction'! Rocket Boys is a wonderful read: in some respects it could have been quite a grim book, set as it is in the mining town of Coalwood just at the cusp where the totally coal-dependent economy of the region started to take the long-term downwards, and this does act as a sombre background, giving the book extra depth and context; it's also a source of disagreement between the author's parents (mine fixated father, far more widely aware mother), which could have loaded the 'misery' up even further. However, this is a world seen through the optimistic eyes of a ten-year old going on teenager at the time when space exploration was starting to take off - and the narrator and his friends are inspired by the challenge of Sputnik to American pride and hero worship of Werner von Braun to set up their own Big Creek Rocket Agency and to develop their own rockets, the Auk series (it eventually reaches Auk XXXI!). It's very much a story of kids making good in adversity (the bulk of male authority figures, including Hickam's own mine supervisor father are initially strongly against the whole idea), supported by the women (mother, teachers) and 'working class' men in their lives who can see where things are going and how this could be a way out for their young, and see the inspiration this project can inspire. It's a very different world from that of today, not least in the tolerant attitude to risk - there are not many children nowadays who would be allowed, even encouraged, to deal with rocket fuel mixes and be simply told 'don't blow yourselves up' (it's not all progress we've made). It's told in a very straightforward, gently self-revealing way. There is an honesty, a generosity and a narrative arc which makes the whole book thoroughly gripping and overall a thoroughly joyful read, even though there are whisps of sadness - far too good to not include here! a no-brainer 6 out of 6 stars, and consideration for 'favourite' rating.

Finished The Ox-Bow Incident by Walter Van Tilburg Clark, the book for Nevada in my tour of the United States. Far more than 'just' a Western! 5/6 stars.

I think there's very little chance of that. I started collecting Folios back in the late 80s, and was a regular buyer until a few years ago, around the time they got rid of the membership structure. Recently, their prices have gone through the roof as they have become increasingly 'fashionable', and most of the fiction I would have wanted is only being produced as LEs (limited editions), which I have no interest in nowadays (I've sold off all but one of the LEs I bought in the past). The sales used to be good for picking up older titles reasonably cheaply, but that seems to have gone by the board in the past couple of years, and they are now of very limited interest. I'm a member of the Folio Society Devotees group on LibraryThing, and there are quite a few longer term members like me who have become rather disillusioned I'm afraid, not least because FS seem to be increasingly catering for a very different type of market, centred primarily on the fantasy/scifi enthusiast, and have seemed to have lost any interest in classical lit (other than LEs) other than rehashing a limited range of popular titles. They have improved on the American literature front, but I've gone over to Library of America for that now, which provides far greater depth of coverage and is much better value (I'm currently reading one of their volumes). i occasionally pick up the odd travel/exploration title, which they do well, my latest being Paul Theroux's Old Patagonian Express, but othewise all my FS purchases are now in the secondhand market, as there's still some interesting titles to explore from the back lists. I still have a couple of bookcases worth of FS volumes - I do tend to prefer their older more understated productions, and there are quite a few favourites which are a real pleasure to read and reread. Having said all that, my reading preferences have changed quite dramatically in the past few years, and am enjoying especially exploring more independent publishers like Peirene, Peepal, Pushkin, Fitzcarraldo, Persephone etc, along with a range of other world lit, so highly unlikely to buy much FS nowadays even if their prices ameliorated.

Finished Emile Zola's La Curee (The Kill). Excellent - 5 stars (out of 6).

Two more to finish October off: The Meaning of Geese by Neil Acherson **** Returning home to north Norfolk after 10 years working in South America and elsewhere as an eco-guide the experience of which has led him to reject flying as a transport option, the author is plunged straight into lockdown. He decides to spend more time on his first nature love, the wild geese that winter on the coast near his home, borrowing his grandmother's bicycle and cycling the 25+ miles return journey most days of the winter of 20-21. Framed in a diary format, this book represents his account and thoughts - very much a personal experience as the subtitles suggest. This proved a good read, but only occasionally, at least for me, tipped over into a 'great' read. As with so many nature writers, I felt that he was at times trying too hard, and the descriptive language all got rather too much - one doesn't need an adjective in front of EVERY noun, and certainly not a barrage of two or three each. When he was at his best, was when he focused on the background to the geese, talked about the work and his relationship with other birders, or spent some time filling out a related topic - perhaps because this came more naturally to him? Having said that, reading other reviews suggests that quite a few readers found his book almost too technical, and felt that this was a bird mainly aimed at fellow birdwatchers. So, overall, I suspect what actually happened is that this book actually falls a bit between two stools. It certainly could have benefited from some decent illustrations (even line drawings) to support the bird descriptions (brants and brents, pink-footed and white- fronteds etc) to help those unfamiliar with the multitude of species present in Norfolk, and, by biggest gripe with so many of these books, some decent maps. I read this book next to my phone, which has both the Collins Bird Guide on it and the Ordnance Survey app - and I was constantly swapping from book to phone and back. Both of these enhanced the book enormously, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, feeling I learnt a fair bit (and certainly it's increased my desire to spend some time down there in the not too distant future!), but what could have been a 'great' book, proved, in the end, to be merely 'good'. Mr Weston's Good Wine by TF Powys *** In the opening pages of this 1920s novel, published by Vintage Classics, Mr Weston arrives in the fictional Dorset village of Folly Down, a travelling salesman for his various 'wines', accompanied by his assistant Michael. Something is very odd - children trying to steal whatever the contents of his car are, are scared almost to death, and run off screaming. The contents of the car? We found out much later. But what we do find sooner is that there is a host of decidedly 'interesting' (read, odd) characters inhabiting Folly Down, with much carnal activity and mysoginistic abuse (particularly from one female character!) - the writing is light, but the undertones are very dark. It rapidly becomes apparent that Mr Weston is, in fact, God, that Michael is, of course, his archangel, that supernatural things do happen (like Time stopping), and that this is a religious allegory on the fight between good and evil. This book may have been written in the 1920s (and set in 1923), but the writing, at least initially, felt quite modern, and it was an easy book to get going on However, it wasn't too long before I found myself foundering somewhat, and by halfway (even earlier) this was proving a difficult book to finish. The multitude of characters didn't help - there were far too many introduced in too short a time for me to keep a grasp on them without notes (yes, I found myself making notes!), and there was absolutely no subtlety - I felt that everything, be it character, moral, idea, was driven home with a sledgehammer. I have to admit, that I did wonder, at least to start with, if this wasn't so much a religious allegory, as a commentary on rural fiction of the time in the mould of Cold Comfort Farm, the character were so cartoonish (one of them was even largely confined to the woodshed!). Equally, there was no light and shade in the language itself, and that 'moden' feel, with its mock-biblical edge, gradually became monotonously tedious. This book was only 240 pages long, but it felt much longer. And yet, it still managed, at least in part, to get under my skin, and having breathed a sigh of relief at finishing, I did find myself browsing back through it, interested enough to check up on the precise details of what happened and how things worked in the way they did. It was hard work though!

Have moved on to La Curee (The Kill) by Emile Zola. Ten pages in, and it's already easy to see why it's a classic.

A bit of a hiatus on my part here, and three books down since last posting: October Sky by Hiram Holkham (previously entitled Rocket Boys), The Meaning of Geese by Neil Ascherson, and, finished today, Mr Weston's Good Wine by TF Powys, in chrono order, but also in descending order of enjoyment. Not sure what moving on to next.

October books See You In September by Joanne Teague ** An account of a family's 'once in a lifetime' trip round Europe after the mother, the author, is diagnosed with a life-threatening disease, with a limited life expectancy. It's light, instantly likeable, but after a while it becomes very repetitive and predictable, with a succession of chapters recounting 'this is where we visited, this is where we stayed, this is what we visited', and providing little insight beyond the standard tourist experience. I'm full of respect for the author, but this was more of a book for the family and anybody who knew/knows them, rather than a book to add to one's own experiences. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston **** The book for Florida in my Tour of the States. My heart initially sank when I realised much of this - the dialogue - was written to reflect Afro-American dialect, but I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to get into, and I barely noticed it after a while. The protoganist, Janie, is a young Black American brought up by her grandmother, who marries her off at 16 is married off to an older man, effectively, as the grandmother sees it, to protect Janie. The story is of her development and self-discovery through three husbands, only the final one living up to her needs/expectations in spite of being the least secure of the three. Not surprisingly, it's often described as a 'feminist' novel, and it's easy to see why, although some of what happens would strike a modern reader as anything but (feminist)m being more typical of what a black woman might expect. it's not overly fast paced (which is actually a good thing in my eyes!), and the character development feels a little bit stereotyped at times, but it was never less than fully engaging, and I surprised myself at sailing through it. Chess by Stefan Zweig ***** The book for Austria in my Reading Around the World project. More a novella than a novel, the quality of this psychological study more than compensates for the lack of volume! A group of cruise passenger take on the world chess champion in a series of matches, and takes the latter by surprise through the intervention of a complete unknown who, whilst surprisingly diffident and uncertain and apparently having not played for many years, is devastatingly incisive, leading the group to victory. How? It's intense, stark, and utterly riveting, posing some big questions about the human psyche. October Sky by Homer H Hickham ****** Previously known as Rocket Boys. Set in 1950s West Virginia this memoir is of a childhood in a coal-mining community where the author and a small group of friends, inspired by Sputnik and the American attempts to respond, set up the 'Big Creek Missile Agency' and set out to develop their own rocket for space. In spite of initial resistance, not least from the author's own father (the mine supervisor) and pretty much everybody in authority, other than their immediate teachers, they gradually gather the community behind them, a community whose entire existence is increasingly threatened by changes in the mining industry, whilst the author's own family life becomes increasingly fractured. It's a balancing act, but overall, in spite of the difficult background, this is an inspiring and joyful read that had me gripped from start to finish. It's easy to see why it's so popular in the States. I would have liked to have included it in my Tour of the States - West Virginia hasn't been the easiest state to find a novel for - but rules are rules! Later edit: and rules are made to be broken! This is too good not to include, so have changed my criteria from pure fiction to fiction plus narrative non-fiction. Which makes this both the 32nd book to be completed in my tour, and the first non-fiction. It might also ease up one or two other states where non-fiction writing is more prominent than fiction. Or maybe I should try one of each for each state?!

#32 Florida: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston ***** My heart initially sank when I realised much of this - all the dialogue - was written to reflect Afro-American dialect, but I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to get into, and I barely noticed this after a while. The protoganist, Janie, is a young Black American brought up by her grandmother, who marries her off at 16 to an older man, effectively, as the grandmother sees it, to protect Janie. The story is of Janie's development and self-discovery through three husbands, only the final one living up to her needs/expectations in spite of being the least secure of the three. Not surprisingly, it's often described as a 'feminist' novel, and it's easy to see why, although some of what happens would strike a modern reader as anything but (feminist), being more typical of what a black woman might expect. it's not overly fast paced (which is actually a good thing in my eyes!), and the character development feels a little bit stereotyped at times, but it was never less than fully engaging, and I surprised myself at sailing through it.

Book #33: Chess Story by Stefan Zweig for Austria ***** More a novella than a novel, the quality of this psychological study more than compensates for the lack of volume! A group of cruise passengers take on the world chess champion in a series of matches, and takes the latter by surprise through the intervention of a complete unknown who, whilst surprisingly diffident, uncertain and apparently having not played for many years, is devastatingly incisive, leading the group to victory. How? It's intense, stark, and utterly riveting, posing some big questions about the human psyche. A book to reread (it only takes a couple of hours)!

Finished Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston for my tour of the States (Florida), and Chess Story by Stefan Zweig for Reading the World (Austria). Both really good: 4 stars for the former and 5 stars for the latter.

Finished Incomparable World - a good, lively read if not quite fulfilling early promise plot-wise. Character and setting did a lot to make up though! Then on to a complete contrast: See You In September by Joanne Teague. Family travelling round Europe on a once in a lifetime trip. Started off well, but once on travels became rather repetitive and lacking in any real insight or reason to read unless you knew the family. "And then we did this....". An account, straight and simple, and I didn't get beyond half way. 2 stars. Now reading Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, as part of my American tour - book for Florida.

Book #32: Stories From Nauru by Bam Bam Solomon and others, plus readings from Indigenous Literatures from Micronesia **** My geography of the Pacific Island nations is, at best, sketchy, so venturing there for my first book from that region in my Reading the World project was a bit of an act of personal discovery. As I found out, Nauru is the third smallest nation in the world in terms of land area (only Monaco and Vatican City are smaller - I was really surprised to find that it's barely one-third the size of San Marino!), and population (Vatican City and Tuvalu are smaller), even fewer people than my nearest (small market) town in West Yorkshire (Otley)! It's not surprising then that its depth of literature is not great, particularly given the largely oral cultures that prevail in that part of the world. Even finding something to read was something of a challenge but, fortunately, the source that Ann Morgan used for her Year of Reading the World, proved equally productive for me over a decade later, and I was able to obtain a copy of Stories From Nauru from the Masalai Press in California (very effectively and efficiently packed and despatched too). Also published in the past few years has been a rather attractively presented anthology, Indigenous Literatures of Micronesia, part of The New Oceania Literary Series from the University of Hawaii (relatively new, with just 2 volumes in it so far), with 4 readings from Nauru within its covers. So, not a huge amount (Stories is just 20 pages long), but what this combination lacked in quantity, it more than masw up in interest. Ann herself wrote an excellent review of Stories, which says far more than I ever could, so do read her commentary . What I can say is that I found the combined collection fascinating - an eclectic mix of folklore retold, personal experiences (or so they read), and reportage. There's a distinct thread to these pieces- they don't make for the happiest reading - with a distinct sense of sadness, almost wistfulness, for how life was, or how it could have been, and the disconnection Nauruans are in danger of suffering from their culture and sense of identity, if they aren't already doing so. Inevitably, the impact of the phosphate mining that has devastated the island environment, and the mismanagement of the sovereign fund that should have provided the islanders with some financial security, has a presence too. However, I did thoroughly enjoy what I read (more than once). My impression is that most of the authors were somewhat inexperienced at the time of writing - Stories after all derived from a literacy workshop designed to promote creative writing on the island - but the quality rather belied this, although there was a rawness, or freshness, about these pieces that I find thoroughly engaging, particularly given their brevity (succinctness!). It all certainly bodes well for my further explorations in the Pacific region. Both books thoroughly recommended (although Indigenous Literatures is likely to be much easier to obtain!).

Book #31: Minty Alley by CLR James for Trinidad and Tobago ***** There are other candidates for the most famous book from Trinidad and Tobago, the latest stop on my Reading The World tour, not least A House for Mr Biswas, or pretty much anything by VS Naipaul, but I decided to opt for this on discovering it was the first novel by a Black Caribbean writer to be published in England. I came to it, and that fact, through it being included in the Black Britain collection published by Penguin and curated by Bernardine Evaristo. Whilst I'm sure the alternatives are great (and Biswas is on my to-read list), I have absolutely no regrets making this choice, rather the opposite! Haynes (I'm not sure we ever learn his first name) lives on his own, his mother having recently died. He needs to downsize, and, against the advice of his loyal servant, Ella, he opts to take a room in the house of Mrs Rouse, at no. 2 Minty Alley. The house is a very mixed bag, including Mrs Rouse's lover, Benoit, various lodgers, servants and relatives. The book, just 260 pages long, tells the life of this household and how, almost against his will, Haynes moves from observer to active participant in this menagerie of characters. It's a fascinating, colourful, loud character study, and, (if accurate - I have no evidence one way or another), social portrait, bringing this small community vividly to life, vibrantly coloured. There's certainly plenty of passion and scandal, and the whole novel, including the writing, felt distinctly more modern than it's 1936 publication would suggest. For a book that addressed so many 'issues', it had a remarkably light feel to it - this was a distinctly enjoyable, entertaining, almost rollicking read. 5 stars out of 6.

Incomparable World by SI Martin *** Following on from Minty Alley, this was another book from the Penguin Black Britain collection, curated by Bernardine Evaristo. Set in the late 18th century , when slavery was still legal in England, in the aftermath of the American War of Independence, it focuses on the historically largely invisible but substantial black community in London, boosted by the host of ex-American ex-slaves who fought on the British side and left for England in the wake of the American victory. The author doesn't pull any punches on the dirt, violence and criminality of the time, and both characters and place are strongly drawn. To that extent, I really enjoyed this relatively slim novel. However, I have to admit that I found the plot rather predictable and rather slow to get going. We know there's a punch line, and it's fine when when we get there, but it does seem to take a long time arriving (and all too brief when it does). To be honest, I wasn't that bothered about the plot - I was enjoying the other elements of the story - but the book felt that it was intended to be plot driven, in which case it, for me, needed to be rather stronger. As a portrayal of time, place and character, I thoroughy enjoyed it, and would certainly read more. Stories From Nauru by Bam Bam Solomon and others, plus readings from Indigenous Literatures from Micronesia **** My geography of the Pacific Island nations is, at best, sketchy, so venturing there for my first book from that region in my Reading the World project was a bit of an act of personal discovery. As I found out, Nauru is the third smallest nation in the world in terms of land area (only Monaco and Vatican City are smaller - I was really surprised to find that it's barely one-third the size of San Marino!), and population (Vatican City and Tuvalu are smaller), even fewer people than my nearest (small market) town in West Yorkshire (Otley)! It's not surprising then that its depth of literature is not great, particularly given the largely oral cultures that prevail in that part of the world. Even finding something to read was something of a challenge but, fortunately, the source that Ann Morgan used for her Year of Reading the World, proved equally productive for me over a decade later, and I was able to obtain a copy of Stories From Nauru from the Masalai Press in California (very effectively and efficiently packed and despatched too). Also published in the past few years has been a rather attractively presented anthology, Indigenous Literatures of Micronesia, part of The New Oceania Literary Series from the University of Hawaii (relatively new, with just 2 volumes in it so far), with 4 readings from Nauru within its covers. So, not a huge amount (Stories is just 20 pages long), but what this combination lacked in quantity, it more than masw up in interest. Ann herself wrote an excellent review of Stories, which says far more than I ever could, so do read her commentary . What I can say is that I found the combined collection fascinating - an eclectic mix of folklore retold, personal experiences (or so they read), and reportage. There's a distinct thread to these pieces- they don't make for the happiest reading - with a distinct sense of sadness, almost wistfulness, for how life was, or how it could have been, and the disconnection Nauruans are in danger of suffering from their culture and sense of identity, if they aren't already doing so. Inevitably, the impact of the phosphate mining that has devastated the island environment, and the mismanagement of the sovereign fund that should have provided the islanders with some financial security, has a presence too. However, I did enjoy what I read (more than once). My impression is that most of the authors were somewhat inexperienced at the time of writing - Stories after all derived from a literacy workshop designed to promote creative writing on the island - but the quality rather belied this, although there was a rawness, or freshness, about these pieces that I find thoroughly engaging, particularly given their brevity (succinctness!). It all certainly bodes well for my further explorations in the Pacific region. Both books thoroughly recommended (although Indigenous Literatures is likely to be much easier to obtain!).

Two more books to add to the read pile: The Restless Republic by Anna Keay ***** I was encouraged to read this by overhearing an episode from when it was Radio 4's book of the week (I didn't listen to any more, as I decided I wanted to read the book itself!). Keay examines the decade when England was a republic through the lives of a variety of characters who (largely) played a variety of key roles, including John Bradshaw (chief judge in the trial of Charles I), Charlotte Countess of Derby (prominent Royalist), William Petty (surveyor of Ireland and doctor to Oliver Cromwell), Marchamont Nedham (journalist and newspaper editor), Anna Trapnell (religious visionary) and, amongst others, Oliver Cromwell himself. For me this approach worked really well: it's a period that I don't know well (certainly less than the reigns of the two monarchs either side), and always felt a bit dry and dusty to read about (religious and political hair splitting). Focusing on lives rather than topics and themes brought the latter to life and showed their relevance to actual people's lives. It also made the subjects themselves very human - I've always been sceptical of Cromwell's prominence as a 'Great Briton', and whilst my scepticism was if anything confirmed, I did start to feel I understood more why things happened the way they did. It also made the book really (and I mean really!) readable - I did not want to put it down, at least during a chapter, whilst the chapters themselves provided convenient and well spaced breaks for me to take a breather. Keay's account struck me as well balanced, even though her views were apparent (not a great fan of Cromwell, if understanding, more so of Charlotte Derby and George Monck!), and I came away both feeling I had learned a lot, but been well entertained at the same time. A book that I will almost certainly go back to. Minty Alley by CLR James ***** There are other candidates for the most famous book from Trinidad and Tobago, the latest stop on my Reading The World tour, not least A House for Mr Biswas, or pretty much anything by VS Naipaul, but I decided to opt for this on discovering it was the first novel by a Black Caribbean writer to be published in England. I came to it, and that fact, through it being included in the Black Britain collection published by Penguin and curated by Bernardine Evaristo. Whilst I'm sure the alternatives are great (and Biswas is on my to-read list), I have absolutely no regrets making this choice, rather the opposite! Haynes (I'm not sure we ever learn his first name) lives on his own, his mother having recently died. He needs to downsize, and, against the advice of his loyal servant, Ella, he opts to take a room in the house of Mrs Rouse, at no. 2 Minty Alley. The house is a very mixed bag, including Mrs Rouse's lover, Benoit, various lodgers, servants and relatives. The book, just 260 pages long, tells the life of this household and how, almost against his will, Haynes moves from observer to active participant in this menagerie of characters. It's a fascinating, colourful, loud character study, and, (if accurate - I have no evidence one way or another), social portrait, bringing this small community vividly to life, vibrantly coloured. There's certainly plenty of passion and scandal, and the whole novel, including the writing, felt distinctly more modern than it's 1936 publication would suggest. For a book that addressed so many 'issues', it had a remarkably light feel to it - this was a distinctly enjoyable, entertaining, almost rollicking read. 5 stars out of 6.

Finished Minty Alley by CLR James, my book for Trinidad and Tobago in my Reading The World project. The first book by a black Caribbean author published in England. Very modern feel, in spite of being written in 1936. 5 stars: very good. Now moved on to another book in the Black Britain collection from Penguin (and curated by Bernardine Evaristo): Incomparable World by SI Martin - historical fiction set in late 18th century London, and focused on a group of black ex-slaves, ex-soldiers who fought on the British side in the American War of Independence. Already about halfway through - a gripping read.

Finished Anna Keay's The Restless Republic, an account of the decade or so interregnum between the execution of Charles I and the Restoration. Illuminating, not least because the detail is so often passed over, and engaging, focusing on key individuals to tell the story. 5 stars. Moving on to Amy-Jane Beer's The Flow, a book group choice for this month (and on my TBR shelf).

Finished reading The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born by Ayi Kwei Armah: my book for Ghana around the world. Moved on to The Restless Republic by Anna Keay, a history of the English Commonwealth in the 1600s. Very readable so far!