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Alternative for New Zealand (#24): Potiki by Patricia Grace ***** Another in a series of slim volumes that packs a big punch! Initially reading in the rather stiff and repetitive way of of a traditional oral tale, this, as with many world books tackled to date, took a little bit of getting into, but, as with all the others, it wasn't overlong before I found it thoroughly engrossing - this one picked up enormously at the point when the developers start to try and persuade the residents to sell up. Telling the story of how a group of Maori inhabitants of traditionally owned land on the seashore stood their ground against developers trying to establish, by hook or by crook, a major leisure complex*, the novel was an object lesson in culture clash and failure to understand a different point of view - classic post-colonial literature. Modernist in style, this had definite whiffs of Woolf and Mansfield about it, but was oh so different (interesting comparing and contrasting this with Mansfield's 'At The Bay' and, to a lesser extent, elements of Woolf's 'To The Lighthouse'). A book that definitely grew on me. *Later reflected in Grace's own experience resisting the New Zealand government's efforts to compulsorily purchase land she lived on to develop an expressway.

Finished the International Booker short-listed Standing Heavy by GauZ tonight, read as the book for Cote d'Ivoire in my Read Around the World. Really enjoyed this one - a wryly satirical look at the life of a group of Ivoirian 'undocument migrants' working as security guards in Paris. This one definitely grabbed me! 5/6 stars.

Completed Niccolo Ammaniti's I'm Not Scared tonight, read for one of my book groups. An excellent book I'm sure, but one that simply didn't grab me, and I found myself reading it simply to get it out of the way and move on, which almost certainly wasn't fair on the book. However, it's how a book grabs me, so just 3 stars (an OK read).

Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken **** The author discusses the impact of ultra-processed food, and the ultra-processed industry, on our lives, and it makes for pretty brutal reading in places. Some of it has been in the public domain for some time now, but other elements were new to me. As with any of this sort of book, I'm a little bit wary of the 'answer to all questions' advocacy that so often creeps in, but if even half the message is accurate, it's still a pretty scary scenario - and I've no reason to doubt what he has to say (it certainly ties in with my personal experience, particularly as a teacher). Even though my diet was already fairly low in UPF (ultra-processed foods), I've found myself doing even more to cut them out, even if it means shopping is temporarily taking twice as long as we check out the food labelling! A worthwhile read.

Finished Chris van Tulleken's Ultra-Processed People (4/6 stars) Makes for some grim reading in places. Makes me wonder, having gone on a low carb diet for medical reasons, whether it works because it's low(er) carb, or because it has, almost by default, seen me almost completely (but not quite!) eliminate UPF (Ultra-Processed Food) from my diet.

Potiki by Patricia Grace **** Another in a series of slim volumes that packs a big punch! Initially reading in the rather stiff and repetitive way of of a traditional oral tale, this, as with many world books tackled to date, took a little bit of getting into, but, as with all the others, it wasn't overlong before I found it thoroughly engrossing - this one picked up enormously at the point when the developers start to try and persuade the residents to sell up. Telling the story of how a group of Maori inhabitants of traditionally owned land on the seashore stood their ground against developers trying to establish, by hook or by crook, a major leisure complex*, the novel was an object lesson in culture clash and failure to understand a different point of view - classic post-colonial literature. Modernist in style, this had definite whiffs of Woolf and Mansfield about it, but was oh so different (interesting comparing and contrasting this with Mansfield's 'At The Bay' and, to a lesser extent, elements of Woolf's 'To The Lighthouse'). A book that definitely grew on me. *Later reflected in Grace's own experience resisting the New Zealand government's efforts to compulsorily purchase land she lived on to develop an expressway.

Stolen Focus by Johann Hari ****

Finished Potiki by Patricia Grace, read for one of my book groups, and an additional book for New Zealand in my Read Around the World.

Absolutely - the early chapters focus on just that, and later chapters build on it. There's a fair bit on the deliberate efforts by Facebook etc to make their apps as addictive as possible, and strong criticism of the business model they use (which Hari argues needs to be banned). However, it's not just social media; Hari looks at issues of sleep deprivation, information overload (partly enabled by social media), presenteeism, over-protection of and lack of unstructured play for children....and so it goes on. What I found particularly interesting is how it pulled together so many different themes with which I've worked (as a teacher and sports coach), eg the overstructuring of children's activities, and how that relates to intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. I found it a very powerfully argued book, which explained so much and covered some hugely important issues that urgently need addressing. Well documented too.

Stolen Focus by Johann Hari - an investigation in why we're so seeing so many problems over concentrating, retaining attention and related issues (eg ADHD, children's development etc). Fascinating. 5 stars.

Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih ****** My book for Sudan in my Read Around the World, and prompted to choose it by the war currently being fought there. Review to be added.

Two short novels in quick succession, both excellent: Tokyo Express by Seicho Matsumoto **** (and a contender for book cover of the year) Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih *****, my book for Sudan (no, it's not a coincidence - the war was what prompted me to read this now).

A trio of books recently read: Katherine Mansfield: A Secret Life by Claire Tomalin *** An interesting follow-up to the book group read of a collection of her (superb) short stories. However, unusually for a Tomalin biography, I never really felt fully involved or engaged with her subject, for whom the description 'reckless' seemed wholly appropriate. It helped to explain much though, and I will certainly, and unusually for me given my usual disinterest in short stories, see me reading more of Mansfield's work. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez ***** Both a book group read and the Columbian contribution to my Read Around the World. A 'big' book in more ways than one, this was an anything but easy read, even if very readable (if that makes sense!). A saga of seven generations of a family responsible for setting up a remote village in Columbia, reflecting the history of the country and its people's experience. Being anything but an expert on Latin American history, I spent much of my time wondering what on earth it was all about, and was grateful at the end to read a number of critiques, but the themes of colonialism and the human inability to apparently learn from history were all too clear! The strength and centrality of the female characters were prominent as well. Rich, colourful, unrelenting, this was a rare book that left me mentally exhausted (and wore out most of the book group - only 3 of us finished in it in the timeframe available, although several said they would continue with it) - although well sated. Needs a reread though, although I need some recovery time! Monumental. Tokyo Express by Seicho Matsumoto **** A thoroughly enjoyable murder mystery from 1957, with an intriguingly complex plot, that provided a very nice, and very welcome, contrast to the Marquez. Written in what was for me 'typical' Japanese style - slightly cold, clinical, removed - which on this occasion was well suited to the narrative in hand (all too often I don't really get on with Japanese novels). The age of the book took me slightly by surprised when the author talked about "the recently introduced" passenger plane service, and explained one or two small questions I had around the book (nothing negative). Very much a book I just happened onto in my local independent, and very glad I did too. BTW, just love the cover (Penguin Modern Classic edition), taken from a 1937 Japanese Railways poster - superb artwork.

Book #25: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez for Colombia ***** A book group read as well as a read for this challenge. A 'big' novel in more ways than one, this was an anything but easy read, even if very readable (if that makes sense!). A saga of seven generations of a family responsible for setting up a remote village in Columbia, reflecting the history of the country and its people's experience. Being anything but an expert on Latin American history, I spent much of my time wondering what on earth it was all about, and was grateful at the end to read a number of critiques, but the themes of colonialism and the human inability to apparently learn from history were all too clear! The strength and centrality of the female characters were prominent as well. Rich, colourful, unrelenting, this was a rare book that left me mentally exhausted (and wore out most of the book group - only 3 of us finished in it in the timeframe available, although several said they would continue with it) - although well sated. Needs a reread though, although I need some recovery time! Monumental.

Just finished Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude. A humungous read - found it very demanding and very rewarding. My book for Columbia in my world tour. 5/6 stars.

The Garden Party and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield ****** I'm not a great short story reader, all too often finding them rather unsatisfying, but i have to make an exception for these. I think that's because Mansfield focuses so much more on character and place than on pure plot. They are more vignettes that tell us something about lives, even about ourselves. No more so than in the first, and longest, story At The Bay, which consists of 13 different 'episodes' spread over a day at or near the bay in question, building layer upon layer. The language is concise but rich - both places and characters come vividly alive in a very short space. One can see very quickly why she's regarded as one of the leading developers of modernist writing - these stories have a very strong affinity with, for instance, Virginia Woolf's To The Lighthouse and I can certainly see why Woolf so respected Mansfield's work. Perhaps the first short story writer whose work I'm going to definitely read more of - and have acquired a really nice second-hand copy of Constable's The Collected Stories in order to do so! I immediately followed this with Claire Tomalin's A Secret Life; it doesn't tell us much (if anything!) about the generation of her work, and, unusually for a Tomalin work, left me a little bit unsatisfied, but provides some interesting insight into the difficult, fractured life of someone who, to be honest, I found it rather hard to warm to (maybe that's why I was unsatisfied?). I also have a copy of, and plan to read soon, Claire Harman's All Sorts Of Lives, which hopefully will provide more insight into the stories themselves as well, as well as possible alternative perspectives.

It's just a variant on the same theme - making books more accessible to children. I'm sure some editing has been a bit OTT, but do we really want children to be reading books that include racism, physical stereotyping etc etc.? It's different when dealing with adult books - theoretically they should be mature enough to differentiate and adjust for different attitudes at different times. It's rather different when dealing with children's books. And, as I said, Penguin always intended to continue publishing the original versions - it's not as if Penguin were censoring, just allowing parents/teachers to have a choice depending on the maturity etc of the reader (and attitudes of parents/teachers!).

Two more world tour books completed in the last couple of days: History. A Mess. by Sigrun Palsdottir for Iceland, and The Garden Party and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield for New Zealand. Both 5 star (excellent) reads, no mean achievement by the latter given my normal lack of connection with short stories.

Yes, mine is rather large too! This challenge (and the American one) just makes it worse as well - I'm finding all sorts of authors whose work I want to explore more!

Book #24: The Garden Party and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield for New Zealand ***** I'm not a great short story reader, all too often finding them rather unsatisfying, but i have to make an exception for these. I think that's because Mansfield focuses so much more on character and place than on pure plot. They are more vignettes that tell us something about lives, even about ourselves. No more so than in the first, and longest, story At The Bay, which consists of 13 different 'episodes' spread over a day at or near the bay in question, building layer upon layer. The language is concise but rich - both places and characters come vividly alive in a very short space. One can see very quickly why she's regarded as one of the leading developers of modernist writing - these stories have a very strong affinity with, for instance, Virginia Woolf's To The Lighthouse and I can certainly see why Woolf so respected Mansfield's work. Perhaps the first short story writer whose work I'm going to definitely read more of - and have acquired a really nice second-hand copy of Constable's The Collected Stories in order to do so! I immediately followed this with Claire Tomalin's A Secret Life; it doesn't tell us much (if anything!) about the generation of her work, and, unusually for a Tomalin work, left me a little bit unsatisfied, but provides some interesting insight into the difficult, fractured life of someone who, to be honest, I found it rather hard to warm to (maybe that's why I was unsatisfied?). I also have a copy of, and plan to read soon, Claire Harman's All Sorts Of Lives, which hopefully will provide more insight into the stories themselves as well, as well as possible alternative perspectives.

History. A Mess. by Sigrun Palsdottir ***** I've recently taken out a subscription to Peirene Press, as their books look particularly up my street, and this is the first of those. It's also my choice for Iceland in my Read Around the World tour. There seems to have been a flourishing of independent presses lately, with the likes of Peirene, Pushkin, Peepal, Fitzcarraldo (along with the longer established Persephone) appearing to receive a higher profile, and going a long way to revitalising my reading of late. Penguin, and their modern classics, seem to have brushed up their act too. It all may just be my imagination, or just a delayed awareness (probably this, given the length of time these presses have actually been going!), but whatever the reality, it's a while since I found reading quite as exciting as in the past few months. A young, female post-grad student studying a 400-year old diary trying to see if she can link the author to a famous portrait artist of the English Civil War era, finds a series of clues that suggest that not only is there a link, but that the artist is female, the first female professional artist in Britain. Her thesis is based around this premise, yet just as she's due to finish and submit, she finds an overseen entry that looks like it blows her work out of the water. What to do? This is the central premise for a plot that sees our protagonist (I don't think she's ever named) come under increasing strain as she tries to come to a conclusion, returning to her native Iceland with her husband, Hans, and struggling to retain her equilibrium and sanity. I was intrigued, increasingly so as I continued to read. The book is written from the perspective of the central character, and we see the world as she sees it. As a result, things become thoroughly increasingly disjointed as our subject starts to struggle mentally, imagining what people are saying, flashing back to and reliving remembered incidents (is her memory reliable?), becoming increasingly confused, even hallucinatory (early on, she contemplates a door in her sitting room that she doesn't ever recall seeing before!) as she struggles to hold on to reality. Tjhere are moments of real concern, but also of some humour. It's a book which I can't pretend I understood all the time. Quite a few reviewers completely lost it, and a fair number reported giving up, but every time I though I might be losing it altogether, things seemed to resolve themselves again, and the mystery, quality of writing, and interest in the main character, kept me reading all the way to the end. I needed those moments of clarity though! I'm glad I persisted - the last dozen pages or so produced an ending that not only left me really pleased I'd made it, but also looking forward to going back and exploring the book further (it's only 170 pages long) to try and get to grips with elements I failed to grasp first time round. This was not an easy read (well, the reading was easy, it was comprehension that wasn't always!), but one I found ultimately worth the effort. I'm certainly looking forward to the second of the author's books to be translated, Embroidery, due out soon, and also to my next Peirene volume!

Who Among Us? by Mario Benedetti **** Read for my Read Around the World project - my choice for Uruguay, my first South American book on the tour! This is a very short novel (novella), telling the story of a three-way relationship, with all three protagonists contributing in their own way. The primary narrator, telling his story through a series of entries in a diary/notebook, is the husband, Miguel. HIs wife, Alicia, contributes barely half a dozen pages, in one letter. The 'lover', Lucas (and also Miguel's best friend) provides the final element, his side told through a short story, written for personal not public consumption ( he is a writer), and footnoted as the story is fiction based on the reality, and the footnotes explain the differences. Complicated? Yes, it is, although for the most part I found the reading reasonably straightforward - it was just those footnotes; I could read the story, or I could read the footnotes, but the latter disrupted the former too much to read in parallel. Maybe that was the point? It's an odd relationship. Miguel pretty much wills on Alicia's and Lucas's relationship - they are initially pretty antipathetic, and it's only because of Miguel's actions that they ever come together. Love manifests itself in very different ways - and, as with so many love stories, misunderstandings abound, as we find out once we see things from more than one perspective. To a considerable extent, the plot is really rather trivial. What this is, is a study of 3 characters and their triangular relationship. The plot is the relationship. The book is brief, and very much to the point. It may be less than a hundred pages long, but it feels it's worth more.

The Book of Chameleons by Jose Eduardo Agualusa **** Having thoroughly enjoyed the author's more recent book A General Theory of Oblivion as a book group read, I was keen to try him again for my Angolan stop on my Read Around the World. This was the one generally recommended! A interesting quirk of this book, and one that instantly attracted me to it, is that the story is told by a gecko (lizard) whose mobility around the house of the central human character, Felix Ventura, makes him a realistic omniscient narrator. Felix is an albino native of Angola, one who sells clients reinvented/imagined pasts. He is approached by someone who wants to create a completely new, documented, identity, the implication being that they are on the run (but who from?), and far harder core than Felix has been involved in before. Events start to spiral out of control (but not necessarily in the way that one might have imagined!). A lot of (most?) reviewers suggest that the book has really been misnamed - the narrator is a gecko after all, not a chameleon, but I think that's a fundamental misunderstanding of what the title is referring to - it's not the narrator, but the human characters - adopting new identities, adapting to those identities, camouflaged by them, identities that become more real than their original ones, although these start to break through.... Actually, we find (fairly early on; it's not a spoiler) that our gecko was once human - perhaps the ultimate chameleon of all, now absorbed into the background of Felix's life and work (and regarding Felix as a friend). It's an intriguing story, told in very short chapters (including a number of dream sequences when the gecko - Eulalio - recalls his human existence) that give a rather staccato feel to the reading at times (deliberately I'm sure, and sometimes rather disconcerting). I'm not sure I really got everything from it first time through, so it's now added to the lengthening queue of books on this tour which I want to reread. I need to find time for them!

Book #23: History. A Mess. by Sigrun Palsdottir for Iceland ***** A young, female post-grad student studying a 400-year old diary trying to see if she can link the author to a famous portrait artist of the English Civil War era, finds a series of clues that suggest that not only is there a link, but that the artist is female, the first female professional artist in Britain. Her thesis is based around this premise, yet just as she's due to finish and submit, she finds an overseen entry that looks like it blows her work out of the water. What to do? This is the central premise for a plot that sees our protagonist (I don't think she's ever named) come under increasing strain as she tries to come to a conclusion, returning to her native Iceland with her husband, Hans, and struggling to retain her equilibrium and sanity. I was intrigued, increasingly so as I continued to read. The book is written from the perspective of the central character, and we see the world as she sees it. As a result, things become thoroughly increasingly disjointed as our subject starts to struggle mentally, imagining what people are saying, flashing back to and reliving remembered incidents (is her memory reliable?), becoming increasingly confused, even hallucinatory (early on, she contemplates a door in her sitting room that she doesn't ever recall seeing before!) as she struggles to hold on to reality. Tjhere are moments of real concern, but also of some humour. It's a book which I can't pretend I understood all the time. Quite a few reviewers completely lost it, and a fair number reported giving up, but every time I though I might be losing it altogether, things seemed to resolve themselves again, and the mystery, quality of writing, and interest in the main character, kept me reading all the way to the end. I needed those moments of clarity though! I'm glad I persisted - the last dozen pages or so produced an ending that not only left me really pleased I'd made it, but also looking forward to going back and exploring the book further (it's only 170 pages long) to try and get to grips with elements I failed to grasp first time round. This was not an easy read (well, the reading was easy, it was comprehension that wasn't always!), but one I found ultimately worth the effort. I'm certainly looking forward to the second of the author's books to be translated, Embroidery, due out soon!

Penguin's plans were to publish 2 versions - the altered one, and the original. This sort of thing has been going on for years. There were children's versions of books around when I was a child. Far worse is censorship of the type we're ever more frequently seeing, especially in the States (as in the recent case of Michelangelo's 'David'), where a a small minority's views are being allowed, indeed encouraged, to prevail. 'Woke' simply means 'racially aware'. I don't regard that as a bad thing, and am immediately suspicious when it is used as a perjorative.