Ersatz TLS discussion

Happy April, everyone!

I hope you weren't victims of April Fool's jokes — poissons d'avril here in France, where one of the things one can do is to stick a paper fish on the back of one's 'victim'.

As always, I wish you all lots of good reading.

happy April in return:) I hope there are not too many April showers though, it has stopped raining here in the E.midlands for the first time in a fortnight! I want to start gardening.

Our book club has been reading/rereading Birdsong, I think we need something lighter with a touch of humour maybe.Any suggestions group? The club is female and it is made up women of all ages .

"made up of" - I either need a new keyboard or new fingers...

Greenfairy wrote: "Our book club has been reading/rereading Birdsong, I think we need something lighter with a touch of humour maybe.Any suggestions group? The club is female and it is made up women of all ages ."

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver — her first novel. It has a sequel Pigs in Heaven. Scope for discussion, I would say.
Mr Wilder & Me by Jonathan Coe
Something by Barbara Pym?

Thanks:)

Suggestions? Just finished Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead, updating, relocating of David Copperfield to present day Appalachia. Also Louise Erdrich’s The Sentence, set in and around a bookshop, and taking in an eventful year. Both excellent, and up to standard. Just started Alice Hoffman’s The World That We Knew. Some years since I read her novels, and am just feeling my way through the melding of recent history and touches of magical realism. Trying to keep a hold on the “ kitchen sink” side of my character!

Second @Gpfr’s recommendation of Jonathan Coe’s Mr Wilder and Me. Loved it! Have just picked up his Number 11 from a charity shop. Seems to be an advance proof copy. Hoping it lives up to his other novels.

I read Demon Copperhead and it is truly Exceptional.
Mr.Wilder and Me seems worth thinking about :)

Greenfairy wrote: "happy April in return:) I hope there are not too many April showers though, it has stopped raining here in the E.midlands for the first time in a fortnight! I want to start gardening."

In my bit of the E Midlands I dead headed my large hydrangea this morning, always a satisfactory task. Waiting to catch a non-windy, about to rain day to put the 4-in-1 onto what passes for my lawns over the next few days.

My lawn has got to the "where on earth is the cat?" stage...

Greenfairy wrote: "Thanks:)"

'Mr Wilder and Me' is certainly worth a read; also, practically anything by Anne Tyler - maybe 'The Accidental Tourist'. No 'jokes' as such - the humour arises from the situations described and her delicious skill with words. (A quick look at reviews on Amazon confirmed my suspicion that many people - even those who review Tyler positively - miss out on how very funny the books often are... maybe try out the 'Tim Dowling test' on your people: if they think Tim is funny, they'll like Tyler; if they are the sort who post comments like "He gets paid for this stuff?", then they won't 'get' Tyler either.)

Gpfr wrote: "Happy April, everyone!

I hope you weren't victims of April Fool's jokes — poissons d'avril here in France, where one of the things one can do is to stick a paper fish on the back of one's 'victim'..."

Greetings from Brittany, where we arrived yesterday after a rock & roll ferry crossing - quite relaxing for madame and me (we're never seasick) - which followed the previous day's cancelled sailing. The only 'poisson d'Avril' to come my way this year was an odd message from Alexa - go figure.

I'm currently reading Claudia Piñeiro's A Crack in the Wall, which isn't bad but I'm liking it less than the other books of hers I've read - probably because the main protagonist is not that interesting. We'll see how it finishes.

Science fiction for me is Luke Skywalker and Yoda so listening (library audio) to The Hopkins Manuscript has been quite different -especially being a mystery and non-fiction (mostly history) fan.

Edgar Hopkins is not a likable person, but he is certainly one that anyone could meet on the street. I found the book to be both believable and rather a downer at the same time, so I'm glad it was on loan.

I did, nowever, find that my library has R.C. Sherriff's autobiography - No Leading Lady: An Autobiography which is now on my hold list.

From the prior thread, a kinda funny older book is Carl Hiaasen's which is not as weird as the later ones - locale Florida.

And one can never surpass the Dortmunder mysteries by Donald E. Westlake or one of his standalones, like Baby, Would I Lie?.

I am under no illusion that either of these authors would ever be a pick for the book club.

Missed the thread start as was on uncle duty in glorius spring sunshine, so not much reading to update on in last 48 hrs

Still loving A Burnt Out Case, the Falklands diaries of the now retired Rear Admiral Chris Parry Down South and Court No 1 about the Old Bailey trials of the last century

i also found a small bookshelf at my parents full of various books i loved as a kid, a quick glance through Westalls Brother In the Land suprised me with how literate it is as a childrens novel, i read it at 11 and dont remember it being so well written, its young adult-to adult fiction in my opinion

Andy-re labs and water

they are a joy to watch in the water, in their element, occasional snorting and spluttering as they move ridiculous sized sticks around watercourses. some liken their tales to those of otters, like a strong furry rudder

for non-lab lovers,beware the shaking of lab fur after a dip....!

all three family labs in my childhood till late teens fell victim to the back leg issue, very sad to see, all made it to roughly 12-13 but their last days were so sad. Still wagging tales and so loving but unable to eat much or stay upright.

the lab legacy continues with my middle brothers dog Daisy(5yo), who is the same mould, a dainty,docile female with a nose for sticks tennis balls and food (what else!)

scarletnoir wrote: "I am under no illusion that either of these authors would ever be a pick for the book club."

I read a lot of Hiaasen a few years back - quite funny, and giving an insight into Florida lifestyles. I remember one was about dodgy plastic surgeons; I've definitely read 'Tourist Season' but don't recall the plot.

I read my only Westlake recently - not bad at all - I'd rate both authors as 'light entertainment', though also making some valid social points.

@clue. Dead heading Hydrangea? Blue? Can’t seem to hold on to that colour here. ☹️

The nearest I got to Blue with Hydrangea are those on the fridge magnet, depicting Monet’s wondrous blue kitchen. An unforgettable visit to Giverny many years ago.

Lass wrote: "The nearest I got to Blue with Hydrangea are those on the fridge magnet, depicting Monet’s wondrous blue kitchen. An unforgettable visit to Giverny many years ago."

First, a chemistry lesson - did you ever use litmus paper to test for acids/alkalis in school? If not - litmus turns red (or pink) in acid soil, and blue in alkaline soil - and hydrangeas do the same!

https://www.earthsciencegrowing.com/e....

Now, I'm not a gardener, but perhaps it is possible to change the colour of the flowers by judicious application of some acid or alkaline material to the soil around the plants. I leave you to do that research.

Second - Giverny is a wonderful place to visit. Quite tricky to get to as I recall, but worth the effort... as is the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris, where Monet's bequest to France of some of his magnificent 'Water Lilies' are on display:

https://www.musee-orangerie.fr/en/nod....

Finally, if you are so inclined, you could visit the charming (holiday) home of Georges Clemenceau, French Prime Minister and friend of Monet's, who was instrumental in arranging the gift and in inaugurating the museum:

https://www.destination-vendeegrandli...

(We have a watercolour of 'La bicoque de Clemenceau' in our bedroom here in Brittany.)

Lass wrote: "The nearest I got to Blue with Hydrangea are those on the fridge magnet, depicting Monet’s wondrous blue kitchen. An unforgettable visit to Giverny many years ago."

Water in a dose of aluminium sulphate. A tbspn to a gallon in Spring. I can guarantee it works.

As an aside, the one I deadheaded yesterday has on the one shrub pink, blue and mauve flowers. All at the same time without any treatment from me. Go figure.

I just tried to upload a photo of it, but I think the file must be too big because it won't let me.

giveusaclue wrote: "the one I deadheaded yesterday has on the one shrub pink, blue and mauve flowers. All at the same time without any treatment from me. Go figure."

From the link I posted in comment 20:

In acidic soil (below a pH of 6), their flowers will be blue. In alkaline soil (with a pH above 7), their flowers will be pink, or even red. In neutral to slightly acid soil, these hydrangeas can have purple blooms, or even a mixture of pink and blue blooms on the same plant.

So, my guess is that the plant was in soil on the cusp of acid/neutral.

scarletnoir wrote: "giveusaclue wrote: "the one I deadheaded yesterday has on the one shrub pink, blue and mauve flowers. All at the same time without any treatment from me. Go figure."

From the link I posted in comm..."


It does get a lot of comments.

giveusaclue wrote: "Hydrangea/
I just tried to upload a photo of it, but I think the file must be too big because it won't let me...."

If you trim your photo a little, it often makes enough difference to be able to upload.

Re Hydrangea. Thank you those who gave advice. Learned of it since the demise of said plants a few years ago! Saw the glorious Orangerie exhibition several years ago, too.

Hoping for greater success with two Magnolia in pots this year. The one from the garden centre didn’t thrive quite so well as the one from the supermarket! Have little doubt neither will be a patch on the glory of the one we saw in the garden of the Josephine Baker house/ museum we saw when we visited.

That should have read Josephine Baker. Dancer, performer, courageous Resistance heroine, and loving mother to many adopted children.

Gpfr wrote: "giveusaclue wrote: "Hydrangea/
I just tried to upload a photo of it, but I think the file must be too big because it won't let me...."

If you trim your photo a little, it often makes enough differ..."

Thanks, that worked Have now uploaded it.

A Crack in the Wall by Claudia Piñeiro (trans. Miranda France)

Pablo Simó is an architect in Buenos Aires; he works in a practice owned by his boss Borla, and fantasizes about his colleague Marta Horvat. He leads an ordered life, and indeed seems not far off the OCD scale. But... it soon transpires that these three have conspired together to dispose of a body three years ago.

The first half of the book takes time to introduce Pablo and the other characters, including that of the body; we gradually discover what led up to the fateful night, which is explained more fully at around the midpoint. The three conspirators have tried to push the events of that night to the back of their minds, but then a mysterious young woman arrives and starts to question Pablo about the missing man. From then on, everything changes...

I enjoyed this book, though perhaps a little less than the others I've read by Piñeiro - Elena Knows and Betty Boo. Pablo is the main protagonist in this story, and the only one whose thoughts and motivations are presented to the reader; however, apart from his involvement in the crime, Pablo does not seem to be a particularly interesting character until the intervention of the young woman. From then on, he has to reassess just about everything, and becomes more interesting as a result - as does the book.

In my opinion, Piñeiro's undoubted strength lies in her ability to create wholly convincing characters: we understand who they are, and why they act as they do - there is nothing random or jarring about their behaviours. Pacing and plotting are variable, but good enough to make for enjoyable reading. I'll no doubt read a few more, assuming there are others available in translation.

Lass wrote: "Hoping for greater success with two Magnolia in pots this year."

I love magnolias - we have two at home (one pink, one purple) and one pink here in France... it's well past its best by now but there are still a few flowers. It's also rather overwhelmed by the sycamore, and so grew very slowly - I think we should have given it more room.
The pink one in Wales is the best - grew very fast - there are many in the town, so we expected it to thrive.

Our 'best' rhododendron here is starting to show a few flowers...

Josephine Baker was a fascinating character - saw an excellent documentary (in French) about her a few years back.

Thanks for the suggestions for the book club :⁠-⁠) After watching Between the Covers ( a book programme)
I am going to propose that we read The Summer Book by Tove Jonsson. I don't mind re- reading it as it's a sheer delight.

Greenfairy wrote: "I am going to propose that we read The Summer Book by Tove Jonsson. I don't mind re- reading..."

Good idea! A lovely book. I've got The Winter Book too, but haven't read it yet.

I was going to make another suggestion, Miss Iceland. Maybe for another time :)

I'll have a look at Miss Iceland, thanks again

i see book depositry is closing, i use BW Books, Wstones. Blackwells and Oxfam more but sad to see it closing

AB76 wrote: "i see book depositry is closing, i use BW Books, Wstones. Blackwells and Oxfam more but sad to see it closing"

Thanks for the 'head's up'. And after I had just said I wouldn't buy and books this month! Oh, well, will have to get busy and scroll through my various wish lists there.

I know this is not the place for politics, but I wanted to share what I, having my fingers crossed, think will be the big story of yesterday. You can read it here - https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/p...

MK wrote: "I know this is not the place for politics, but I wanted to share what I, having my fingers crossed, think will be the big story of yesterday. You can read it here - https://www.jsonline.com/story/n..."

Wisconsin politics - part 2 - Here is the transcript and audio (if you like audio) of yesterday's NYT The Daily, also about the Supreme Court election and why it is so important in the long run.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/04/po...

MK wrote: "but I wanted to share what I, having my fingers crossed, think will be the big story of yesterday"

Yesterday on Twitter I saw that someone commented, I believe with some degree of intentional irony, "Finland joins NATO! That has to be the biggest story of the day."

MK wrote: "AB76 wrote: "i see book depositry is closing, i use BW Books, Wstones. Blackwells and Oxfam more but sad to see it closing"

Thanks for the 'head's up'. And after I had just said I wouldn't buy and..."

every month i say " no more books for 2 mths" and i usually fail to achieve this. hard lessons have taught me that you see or hear about a book you like, you say "in 2 mths" and then its out of print or the price is crazy. so i tend to dive in quick on many books

i still cannot find a good replacement for amazons speed of delivery, i end up waiting 7 days minimum for Blackwells which if you order a book to start within 48 hrs, is very annoying

AB76 wrote: "MK wrote: "AB76 wrote: "i see book depositry is closing, i use BW Books, Wstones. Blackwells and Oxfam more but sad to see it closing"

Thanks for the 'head's up'. And after I had just said I would..."

Looks like we will need a patience prescription!

AB76 wrote: "Andy-re labs and water

they are a joy to watch in the water, in their element, occasional snorting and spluttering as they move ridiculous sized sticks around watercourses. some liken their tales ..."

Here’s a poignant passage from Barker’s O Caledonia that will long live with me AB, it is such a wonderful book..

Among the swirling daffodils the old labrador lay out in the teeth of the gale. Her head was raised, her ears were pricked; alertly she snuffed the air; she watched the world turn, the new season approach. Looking at her Janet thought in sharp sorrow, “I will never see this again,” for now the labrador could scarcely walk; her hind legs were emaciated and she had to be helped in and out and up and down the stairs. Yet she was crouched there, unafraid, welcoming with dignity of whatever was to come, among the reckless, gaudy flowers whose time was even briefer. “Fair daffodils, we weep to see you haste away so soon.” Fair labrador. Sometimes Janet thought that life’s sole purpose was to teach one how to die. As in most spheres, so in this, animals did better than people.

Andy wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Andy-re labs and water

they are a joy to watch in the water, in their element, occasional snorting and spluttering as they move ridiculous sized sticks around watercourses. some liken..."

thats beautiful Andy and as you say, so poignant. i can see our three family labs from my childhood in this passage now...in their last years

am ordering this book now...thanks for the quote

scarletnoir wrote: "A Crack in the Wall by Claudia Piñeiro (trans. Miranda France)

Pablo Simó is an architect in Buenos Aires; he works in a practice owned by his boss Borla, and fantasizes about his ..."

Enjoyed your review SN.
Thursday Night Widows is one I haven’t read, but must do soon, I’ve had it on tbr for a while. I think there’s one more, All Yours.
Both look good.

AB76 wrote: "MK wrote: "AB76 wrote: "i see book depositry is closing, i use BW Books, Wstones. Blackwells and Oxfam more but sad to see it closing"

Thanks for the 'head's up'. And after I had just said I would..."

Well, that's a morning gone and $60+ off to Book Depository (final order). Also, I created an account at Blackwells and have something like 11 books on a wishlist there.

The heck of it is - I had finally gotten to the point where most books were successfully slotted on their respective shelves (work to be completed in history, only, and I have created space (I hope enough)). I take it easy because my back is not in favor of bending to get to lower shelves.

Andy wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Andy-re labs and water

they are a joy to watch in the water, in their element, occasional snorting and spluttering as they move ridiculous sized sticks around watercourses. some liken..."

That’s lovely, Andy. My lovely Lily…. Maybe I will find a photo

On the origin of Time Thomas Hertog

arrived on my kindle this morning. Two sentences in the first paragraph of Chapter 1 have me thinking already.
The first is the quote
A curious correlation may emerge in that the eyepiece of even the biggest telescope cannot be larger than the human eye. —LUDWIG WITTGENSTEIN,

And the second
It was as if the universe was speaking to us.

MK wrote: "I know this is not the place for politics, but I wanted to share what I, having my fingers crossed, think will be the big story of yesterday. You can read it here - https://www.jsonline.com/story/n..."

Good news - I was aware of the vote and (I hope) its implications, though I doubt that most people outside the US - or even Wisconsin - will pay much attention! I note the defeated candidate's Trumpist approach to democracy:

"She's demeaned the judiciary with her behavior," (Kelly) said, referring to Protasiewicz's partisan appeals to voters on the issues of abortion and redistricting. "This is the future we have to look forward to in Wisconsin."

It seems that the Trumpists are happy to use every trick in the book to win - but when their opponents do the same, "It's not fair!"
Snowflakes...

Andy wrote: "..Fair labrador. Sometimes Janet thought that life’s sole purpose was to teach one how to die. As in most spheres, so in this, animals did better than people."

Lovely quote - I may very well try this one out. Recently lost my best canine friend - not my own dog (an edgy beast like its owner), but a gentle giant of a labradoodle belonging to a friend. The most sweet-natured dog I have ever known.

Andy wrote: "Enjoyed your review SN.
Thursday Night Widows is one I haven’t read, but must do soon, I’ve had it on tbr for a while. I think there’s one more, All Yours.
Both look good."

Thanks... I expect I'll read those Piñeiros too, sooner or later.

I'm currently reading The Unseen by Valerio Varesi Varesi (I'm not sure if the two 'Varesis' is correct!). Someone recommended it - maybe yourself? I am enjoying it so far.

scarletnoir wrote: "I'm currently reading The Unseen by Valerio Varesi Varesi (I'm not sure if the two 'Varesis' is correct!). Someone recommended it ..."

Just one Varesi :)
Giveusaclue first recommended this series, but didn't care for the 3rd one and I more recently recommended the first: River of Shadows. I've got another one, in French this time, La Maison du commandant.

scarletnoir wrote: "Andy wrote: "..Fair labrador. Sometimes Janet thought that life’s sole purpose was to teach one how to die. As in most spheres, so in this, animals did better than people."

Lovely quote - I may v..."

Labradors are the the most patient dogs i have seen, as a kid they would sit quietly amid kiddie chaos and now a generation later, my brothers dog sits quietly amid 21st century kiddie chaos. i would imagine the lab in the doodle would create the same temperment