#Nonfiction Why We Sleep

JANUARY

by Matthew Walker

Finish date : 05 January 2023
Genre: NF
Rating: B+
Review: Why We Sleep

Good news: I finally learned what REALLY happen to us when we sleep. Fascinating!

Bad news: There were several chapters that were less interesting, but that is personal.
The book is structured so you can dip into any chapter and discover new things about ZZzzzz.

Personal: You won’t believe it ….but true. After reading this book I clocked in 2 solid nights of 9,5 hours of sleep! How did that happen? Well, just learning about what happens and why in our bodies during sleep was enlightening. I followed some of the author’s “golden tips” for a good night and they worked! Most important tip was: NO IPAD  or LAPTOP reading after 8PM…only print books. It is true if you use an IPAD/LAPTOP  2 hours prior to bed…it blocks 23 % of the rising levels of melatonin that helps us fall asleep.

#SweetDreams

#NordicFINDS23 Beartown (Sweden)

JANUARY

by Fredrik Backman

Genre: novel
Rating: A
Review: Beartown (ISBN: 9781405937733)

Good news: Hook is good! Chapter 1 is just 2 sentences…but, boy this reader is hooked! Former NHL-player (…and his family) comes back to his old home town in the north of Sweden and makes an immediate impact on former friends and enemies. And there is this feeling of something bad and disturbing lurking around the corner…

Good news: Good adult themes but when the chapters revolve around the younger generation (brothers, sisters and hockey players) it has a definite YA feel about it. There is plenty of conflict (rival hockey players…rival boyfriends) and adults confronted with their glory days playing hockey compared to the present. One is in a boring job (Peter)…one has become an alcoholic (Robbie) and we watch it all through the eyes of an ageing coach(Sune) who trained both boys to become star players.

Bad news: Too many subplots…they just keep on coming!   ..there are more!
The big game…must win to get sponsors money.
Rival coaches (Peter and David for the A-Team)
Old coach must leave..moved into retirement (Sune)
Complicated marriage (Peter and Kira)
Grief (P&K) for death of firstborn child
BFF – Maya and Ana undying friendship
BMF – Kevin and Benji undying friendship
Star hockey player removed from the team. Town is in uproar !

Bad news: This book (ch 1-29) felt like it was written purposely for  a contract for an HBO or NETFLIX series…a real YA – SOAP OPERA boilerplate.  And the one thing that is holding this story together is THE BIG GAME. You lose a game during the competition…but you don’t have to be a genius to know the Beartown Boys will win the finale.

Good news: Fredrick Bachman uses parallel groups (men/boys) who seek the most physical and strongest sensations (playing hockey) to avoid dealing with their feelings.
Old “hockey” friends” (Peter, David, Robbie, Tails)
Young “hockey friends”…still teens (Lyt, Benji, Kevin, Bobo)

Personal: Now, this book was one of the biggest surprises for me. I was definitely going to stop reading after 50%…I could not bear any more YA-angst. But suddenly Fredrik Backman creates the turning point (ch 30)…then the book just soared! Themes of loneliness, community, leadership and a quest for revenge. I was glued to the last chapters. This book just proves the point…don’t give up on a book too soon!

#January 2023 Reading List

• So it is time to  finish the last drops of the champagne 
• …eat that one last croissant for breakfast
• …then fill  the fridge with healthy food and
• …hunker down in January.
• I will try and read as many of these books as I can.
• I won’t finish all of them…but I wiil do my best.

Reading list:

1. Darkness at Noon – Arthur Koestler (Modern Library) REVIEW
2. Seeing – José Saramago (Nobel Prize 1998) – REVIEW
3. Mike Nichols: A Life – Mark Harris  (Nat Book Critics Circle finalist 2021) – READING
4. Floaters –  Martin Espada  – (Nat Book Award 2021) poetry
5. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man – James Joyce (Modern Library) 
6. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings – Maya Angelou  (classic #32 spin) – DNF
7. Hong Kong Et Macao – J. Kessel   NF (French) #WorldFromMyArmchair – READING
8. Why We Sleep  NF – M. Walker (BookBingo science) – REVIEW
9. Moderato Cantabile – M. Duras novella (French) – REVIEW
10. Les caves du Vatican – (Wikipedia)  André Gide –  REVIEW. (Nobel Prize 1947)
11. Une mort très douce – (Wikipedia)  S. de Beauvoir – REVIEW
12. Rome – E. Zola  (Wikipedia)   REVIEW
13. Le Vice Consul – M. Duras – REVIEW
14. La panthère des neiges – S. Tesson  NF (French)  #WorldFromMyArmchair – REVIEW

1. #NordicFINDS23
2. Man Who Played with Fire: Stieg Larsson – J. Stocklassa  Sweden (NF)  – REVIEW
3. A Line in the World: A Year on the North Sea Coast – Dorthe Nors – Denmark  (NF) – REVIEW
   
4. The Rabbit Factor – Antti Tuomainen – Finland  (Dark crime, comedy)  – REVIEW
5. Beartown – F. Backman (#NordicFINDS23 Sweden) novel – REVIEW
6. Resin – A. Riel (#NordicFINDS23 Denmark) novel – REVIEW
7. REVIEWS –(#NordicFINDS23) – Scandinavian Movies

• #DealMeIn  @bibliophilopolis (no formal hosting…)
• I just add a comments about short story  on Twitter.
• Rule: pack of playing cards = 52 short stories per year!
• Jay’s challenge was one on the first I ever entered….14 years ago!

SHORT STORY:    #DealMeIn hosted by   @Bibliophilopoly

1. The Other Party – M. Klam  19.12.2022   The NewYorker – READ – excellent
2. Notions of the Sacred – A. Savas  02,09 .01.2023  The NewYorker – READ – excellent
3. Hammer Attack – Han Ong – 16.01.2023  The NewYorker – READ – good
4.  

#2023 French Reading Challenge

1. I know many people are NOT interested in French books
2. ..but I plan to make a TBR 2023 with at least
3. …50% of my books in French because I love this language!

Planning:  classics

1. Thérèse Raquin – E. Zola 
2. Le Vice Consul – M. Duras – READING
3. Lucien Leuwen – Stendhal
4. Bouvard et Pécuchet – G. Flaubert 
5. Le Capitaine Fracasse – T. Gautier
6. Une mort très douce – S. de Beauvoir – READING
7. L’amant – Marguerite Duras
8. La peur – Gabriel Chevallier
9. Les Caves du Vatican – A. Gide Nobel Prize
10. Les Thibault (vol. 1) – Roger Martin du Gard  Nobel Prize
11. L’étranger – A. Camus Nobel Prize
12. Dora Bruder – P. Modiano Nobel Prize
13. Les mots – Jean-Paul Sartre Nobel Prize
14. Le Baiser au lépreux – F. Mauriac Nobel Prize
15. Le Chercheur d’or – J.M.G. Le Clézoi Nobel Prize
16. Pierre et Luce – R. Rolland Nobel Prize
17. Boule de suif et autres nouvelles – G. de Maupassant
18. Sentimental Éducation sentimentale  – G. Flaubert
19. Le fauteuil hanté – G. Leroux
20. Rome – E. Zola  – REVIEW

Planning:  

1. Le Voyant d’Etampes – Abel Quentin 
2. Entre deux Mondes – Olivier Norek 
3. Le Passeur – Stephanie Coste 
4. Les Mains du Miracle  – Joseph Kessel 
5. Berlin Requiem – Xavier-Marie Bonnot 
6. La Carte Postale – Anne Berest 
7. Pêcheur d’Islande – Pierre Lote 
8. Le manuscrit inachevé – Franck Thilliez 
9. Tokyo, la nuit – N. Bradley  
10. Je suis le carnet de Dora Maar – B. Benkemoun 
11. La petite fille sur la banquise – A. Bon 
12. L’étrange Défaite – Marc Bloch 
13. Journal: (1942-1944) – Hélène Berr  REVIEW

Planning:  #WorldFromMyArmchair in French

1930: Le juif errant est arrivé  – A. Londres (France)

1884: Au soleil – G. de Maupassant (France)

1963: L’Usage du monde – Nicholas Bouvier (Switzerland) – Un très grand livre de voyage.

1957: Hong Kong et Macao – Joseph Kessel (France)

2016: Sovjetistan – Erika Fatland (Norway) – French translation

2019: La panthère des neiges – Sylvian Tesson (France)

2021: Documentary  Velvet Queen  based on Tesson’s book (Rent via AppleTV) #MustSee

César Awards, France 2022

#2023 Modern Library 100 Best Novels Challenge

1. It is time to get back some serious classic reading in 2023
2. I started the Modern Library’s List of top 100 novels  20th C
3. …way back in 2017. 
4. I’ve read a few of these books but want  to complete the list
5. I will check off each book as I progress.
6. My past reviews are on my other laptop…
7. …so I will try to link them with this post soon!
8. Here is an EXCELLENT list on the 100 novels.
9. Just click not book and a pull-down menu appears with important information
10. Scroll: HERE

UPDATE: 12.12.2022

1. There are multiple selections by Henry James and I feel that
2. …there are other great writers to highlight.
3. I am not a fan of HJ and will replace his books with some other author.
4. How in heavens name The Ginger Man by Irish author J. Donleavy ever made
5. …the list is beyond me.
6. It was smutty “gutter” fiction
7. ….just an awful read. I suppose he was just out to shock readers!
8. My reviews are on an other laptop and I  will link them 
9. …to this post as soon as possible.

READ:   62/100…I still have 38 to read!

1. Ulysses by James Joyce – READ
2. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald – READ
3. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov – READ
4.  Brave New World by Aldous Huxley – READ
5. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner – READ
6. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller – READ
7. Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence – READ
8. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck – READ
9. Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry – READ
10. The Way of All Flesh by Samuel Butler – READ
11. 1984 by George Orwell – READ
12. I, Claudius by Robert Graves – READ
13. An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser – READ 
14.  Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison – READ
15. Appointment in Samarra by John O’Hara – READ
16. Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson – READ
17. A Passage to India by E.M. Forster – READ
18. The Studs Lonigan Trilogy by James T. Farrell
19. The Good Solidier by Ford Madox Ford – READ
20. Animal Farm by George Orwell – READ
21. The Golden Bowl by Henry James – READ
22. A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh – READ
23. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner – READ
24. All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren – READ
25. The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder – READ
26. Howards End by E.M. Forster – READ
27. Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin – READ
28. The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene – READ
29. Lord of the Flies by William Golding – READ
30. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway – READ
31. The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad – READ
32. Nostromo by Joseph Conrad – READ
33. Women in Love by D.H. Lawrence – READ
34. Portnoy’s Complaint by Philip Roth – READ
35. Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov – READ
36. Light in August by William Faulkner – READ
37. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton – READ
38. The Wapshot Chronicles by John Cheever – READ
39. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger – READ
40. Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham – READ
41. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad – READ
42. Main Street by Sinclair Lewis – READ
43. The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton – READ
44. Scoop by Evelyn Waugh – READ
45. Finnegans Wake by James Joyce
46. A Room With a View by E.M. Forster – READ
47. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh – READ
48. Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner – READ
49. A Bend in the River by V.S. Naipaul – READ
50. The Death  of the Heart by Elizabeth Bowen – READ
51. Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad – READ
52. Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow – READ
53. The Old Wives Tale by Arnold Bennett – READ
54. Loving by Henry Green – READ
55. Ironweed by William Kennedy – READ
56. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys – READ
57. Under the Net by Iris Murdoch – READ
58. Sophie’s Choice by William Styron – READ
59. The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles – READ
60. The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain – READ
61. The Ginger Man by J.P. Donleavy – READ
62. The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington – READ

#Non-fiction Lady Justice

by Dahlia Lithwick

Finish date: December 2022
Genre: non-fiction
Rating: C
Review: Lady Justice (ISBN: 9780525561385)

Good news: Ms Dahlia Lithwick can write!
She is a senior editor at SLATE magazine and contributing editor at Newsweek magazine.

Good news: It is time to learn about how women and their struggle to survive in the judiciary. You see then often in corporate suits, confident in the courtroom…but there is an entire network of lawyers, clerks, judges that chose to look away when confronted with #MeToo issues in the workroom. I learned about a well known secret in among the legals: Judge Kozinski was a sexual predator.

Good news: The rest of the book highlights many women who are impressive lawyers: Sally Yates – Robbie Kaplan — Brigitte Amiri — Vanita Gupta – Stacey Abrams — Nina Perales.

Bad news: There were chapters that do not click with me. It was a combination of the topic (did not really interest me) or the subject matter has been in the news already. Chapters 1-2-4-7-8 were excellent. 50% of the book failed to impress me.

Personal: Ch 8: This was the best chapter.  It was Ms Lithwick’s description about what happened during Kavanaugh’s hearing to appointment him to the Supreme Court. It was a fact finding process that …actually OBSCURED the facts… just a TV show pretending to be a legal process.

#Zola ROME

Zola…he’s driving me to drink!

1. This book is so long (900 pages) 
2. I have to write a  2 part review.
3. Thoughts  about chapters 1-10
4. Read it and weep….

by Émile Zola

Finish date: 22 December 2022
Genre: novel  (900 pg)
Language: French
Rating: …not looking good
Review: Rome (ISBN: 9782072933752)

Good news: Thanks to Zola’s detailed research, readers of the 21st century are able today to “see” Rome through his eyes, according to his acute ability to observe. There are many paragraphs dedicated to monuments and works of art. For art lovers there are some great insights only Zola can write!

Good news: Write what you know! You cannot deny the “Rome” is partly inspired by Zola’s own experiences. Émile Zola went to Rome in the autumn of 1894 to reflect on the role of religion in modern society in the late 19th C. He stayed for several weeks without being able to have an audience with the pontiff Leo XIII. Zola wanted to understand why his book Lourdes published July 1894 had been condemned to the Index. This is exactly what our main character Fr. Pierre Froment is doing in this book!

Bad news: The book is too long! (900 pages). Zola interjects long-winded anecdotes about minor figures: Boccanera’s daughters (20 pg), Santobono (7 pg), Orlando (10 pg) and daydreams about cardinals of the past (3 pg). I’ve learned to discover the words: “Il évoqua cette historic de….” or Il tomba dans une rêverie…” (recalls the story of… daydreams ) and I just skip the pages. Must concentrate on Fr. Pierre and try to finish this epic before Christmas!

Personal: Having read all of Zola’s 20 novels in Rougon-Macquart series…I had to look for another series. I stared the 3 Cities trilogy with Lourdes a few years ago…meeting F. Pierre Froment who lost his faith and tried to find in again in Lourdes. Now Fr. Pierre is in Rome 2 years later. This is quite a epic novel….but I’m used to Zola’s style and know when and when not to “skim”.
To be honest, Lourdes was the better book…but not by much!  “Rome” is intertwined with amorous intrigues, full of passion and pathos, between Dario and Benedetta, describing at the same time the habits and customs of a changing society. But unfortunately this society did not interest me that much.

Notes: CH 1
Whew…chapter 1 is as long as a novella!
Hope to finish this 900 pages paperback in FRENCH …before Xmas.
Fingers crossed.
My summary in 3 short thoughts
Description of Rome – rant about Catholic Church and Pope – Fr. Pierre Froment is summoned to Rome to defend his new book in front of Pope Leo XIII. (Zola needed pg 47-92…just to say that!)

Notes: CH 2
Fr. Pierre is a guest in Palazzo Boccanera during his visit to Rome.
The chapter is 50 pages and you can skip 40 of them! Fr. Pierre is mentioned in the first and last 5 pages of the chapter. Skip the rest! Zola gets sidetracked in a a soap opera about “the family Boccanera’s” marriageable daughters.

Notes: CH 3
The reason this book is so long…Zola takes us on a walking tour of every room he enters. FR. Pierre meets cardinal Boccanera and he won’t even read Pierre’s book. ‘En colère’…the priest demands to see the manager! Now Fr. P. has to find a way to get an audience with Pope Leo XIII. Good luck!

Notes: CH 4
The book is so boring….but I continue to “skim”.
Fr. Pierre visits old friend Count Prada sr. and we have to suffer through another “historie” revealing his backstory. Love triangles…always fun: Benedetta is married to Count Prada jr. but she loves another…. Dario. As always Zola ends the chapter with a panoramic description of a part of Rome: Dôme St. Pierre…at sunset

Notes: CH 5
This chapter is a guide book of Rome and especially describing everything in Basilique Saint-Pierre. Zola’s conclusion: the Popes are the new Caesars…..protecting the spiritural but never renouncing the temporal…in which case is…”the good life”!

Notes: CH 6
I have to push myself to read a chapter a day. Another walking tour of Sistine Chapel, discussions about Botticelli, Bernini and Michel-Ange and walk in the Papal gardens. Best 10 pages (326-336)…Fr. Pierre listens to Benedetta pour her heart out about her lover Dario. Zola is good when it comes to the human side…that is great writing.

Notes: CH 8
Zola believed that ugly social problems could not be solved as long as they remained hidden. Fr. Pierre takes some rich friend on a tour of the poor part of Rome. We learn Pope Leo XIII was a gambling man with church’s $$ and end the chapter (pg 436-443) with Fr. Pierre daydreaming what the Pope sees from his Papal apartment window. Skimmed these last few pages…a lot of blah, blah.

Notes: CH 9
With the exception of 2 hours listening to the last January 6th hearing on TV…it took me 2 days of reading and 1 sniffer glass of Irish Whiskey to get me through 60 pg of Zola. Divorce proceedings continue for Benedetta, Fr. Pierre takes us on walking tours of Transtévère, Roman gardens, palaces, fountains and Tiber River. I read all this just to improve my vocabulary…b/c the narrative is beyond boring.

Notes: CH 10
This is best chapter so far with intrigues and explanations why Fr. Pierre’s book is being attacked! It took me 10 days to finally reach a point when I read every word. Fr. Pierre is being punished for this honesty! The Church wants to control what their congregation knows! Note to the wise…don’t mess with the Jesuits in Rome!

Notes: 10 (chapter is so long…an additional comment needed
Trivia: 60% of the Dutch 15 yrs and older are not religious. Compare that with USA…only 18% have no church affiliation. Zola is bashing the Catholic Church and especially the Jesuits… on almost every page. Loved his description of the church: an iron network under a soft velveted hand. (…reseau de fer sous le velours de main douce… pg 539).

Notes: CH 11
Buzz on the street: Pope Leo XIII not feeling well. This triggers discussion about Papal politics, possible successor of the papacy and history of strange poisonings in Italy!! This is all mixed in with a long carriage ride with Count Prada jr, Fr. Pierre and ‘shady” abbé Santobono. Skimmed pages about a chicken and a basket of figs…just another one of Zola’s useless anecdotes.

Notes: CH 12
Well, if you want to read the abridged version of this book go straight to pg 663. Fr. Pierre finally hears he will be granted an audience with Pope XIII. There’s a bit of intrigue building concerning that infamous basket of figs! This chapter was all about a very swanky engagement party for Atillo and Cecila. Oh, BTW…marriage b/t Count Prada jr and Benedetta is finally annulled….it took only 616 pages, a lot of tears and “…woe is me” scenes!

Notes: CH 14
This chapter was a challenge…it felt endless (intarisable, insondable). It is divided into 3 parts: Fr. Pierre’s arrival at the Papal meeting (descriptions of marble columns, stairs, hallways, lights, rooms, furniture etc.) The climax of the book…the discussion (rants) with Pope Leo XIII about Fr. P’s book. Then it is in reverse…exiting the rooms, hallways, stairs etc.

Notes: CH 15
After death of the tragic lovers (Benedetta/Dario) we read 20 pages about …the procession of grief. Everybody comes to the funeral. Fr. Pierre is told his book was “dead in the water” b/c his “Religion nouvelle” was going to replace the old religion. Top brass in the Vatican said that wasn’t going to happen! More rants about Papal politics (who is next Pope?) …and more Jesuits bashing. Last chapter tomorrow!

Notes: CH 16
Zola ends his book with a few more rants about Rome a city in decline, about the Catholic Church that should show less charity and more justice to all people (share Church’s riches with the poor…). Fr. Pierre takes us on a tour of city as he rides in fiacre to the train station. His book was banned….but he is already starting his next book in his mind! I took me 18 days to read the book…having missed 2 days at Xmas ….just took a rest and watched some movies.I Just ordered the last book “Paris” in this trilogy!

#BookBingo 2022 Challenge Wrap-up

1. I joined  Book Bingo at Unruly Reader.
2. After I posted my sign-up….I completely forgot about this challenge!
3. Now I look back on my monthly planning list of books
4. …some books stared in late 2021 are also allowed…
5. and discover I was unable to fill only 5 squares.

1. Native American Author
2. Main character is disabled of has cognitive impairment
3. Subculture 
4. Positive Psychology
5. Librarian Recommended (…I don’t have a librarian in NL!)

1. This was  the  basic bingo card
2. I tried for a “Bingo Blackout” and fill all the squares… but failed.
3. Better luck in 2023!
4. NOTE: I enjoyed this Bingo Card so much…
   …that I am going to use this one instead of the assigned card for 2023.
5. Explanations of the topics can help you select a book.

LIST OF BOOKS FOR BINGO

1. Timely Title – Last Day of a Condemned Man  (death penalty) – Victor Hugo – REVIEW
2. NYT Best Seller – John Adams – David McCullough – REVIEW
3. NEWS – Red Zone (affect a region: Asian-Pacific) – P. Hartcher – REVIEW
4. Fleeting fancy  – Empire of Pain (new subject to explore) – P. Keefe – REVIEW
5. Seasonal – African American Xmas Short Stories – editor B. Collier-Thomas – REVIEW
6. Native American Author ??
7. Positive Psychology –  ??
8. Subculture – ??
9. Librarian recommended – ?? 
10. Ability diverse – ??
11. Afro-futurism –  Binti  (fantasy/tech African experience) – N. Okorafor – REVIEW
12. I-syllable Author Surname:  The Art of Racing in the Rain – G. Stein – REVIEW
13. Coming of Age –  Say No to Death – D. Cusack – REVIEW
14. Play: On Blueberry Hill – S.  Barry – REVIEW
15. Period Piece  – Dawn of the Belle Epoque – M. McAuliffe – REVIEW
16. 1980s Classic –  The Colour of Magic – Terry Prachett – REVIEW 
17. Time Capsule –  The Time Machine – H.G. Wells – REVIEW
18. Fast/short book  – The Canterville Ghost – O. Wilde – REVIEW
19. Slow – The Periodic Table (…did not want book to end) – Primo Levi – REVIEW
20. Wanderlust – Walk in the Woods – B. Bryson – REVIEW
21. Free Time –  Poem “To Our Miscarried One, Age fifty Now” – Sharon Olds – REVIEW
22. One Hit Wonder –  Peter Abelard – Helen Waddell – REVIEW
23. Immersion – Little Devil in America (…book still lingers ) – H. Abdurraqib – REVIEW
24. Vintage – Mildred Pierce (read original Signet paperback copyright 1950) – REVIEW 
25. Biography – Patrick Kavanaugh (Irish Poet) Antoinette Quinn – REVIEW

#2026 “World From My Armchair” Challenge

1. Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards 
2. The Wainwright
   

2026:  planning

1. The Great Railway Bazaar – P. Theroux – Asia
2. Impossible Country: Last Days of… – B. Hall – Yugoslavia 
3. In Search of Ireland – H. V. Morton – Ireland
4. A Spy in Rome – Peter Tompkins – Italy
5. Sovietistan: A Journey – E. Fatland – Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan 
6. Is a River Alive? – R. Macfarlane
7. Lone Wolf: Walking the Faultlines of Europe – A. Weymouth
8. Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton

2024:

1. The Biggest Estate on Earth – Bill Gammage – REVIEW

2023:

1. A Line in the World: A year by North Sea coast – D. Nors Denmark
2. 1930: Le juif errant est arrivé  – A. Londres  Poland
3. 1957: Hong Kong et Macao – Joseph Kessel –  China
4. 2019: La panthère des neiges – Sylvian Tesson Tibet – READ

2022: 

1. A Walk in the Woods – Bill Bryson USA 

2020:

1. Surrender – Joanna Pocock  USA
2. Wild Sea: a history of the southern ocean – Joy McCann  Southern Ocean
   
3. Hazelwood – Tom Doigt –  Australia
4. City On Fire: The Fight For Hong Kong – A. Dapiran  China

2019:

1. Indonesia ect. – E. Pisani  Indonesia
   
2. A Time of Gifts – Patrick Leigh Fermor  Bulgaria
   
3. A Poet’s Dublin – Eavan Boland  Ireland
4. Sea People: The Puzzle of Polynesia –  Pacific Ocean

2018:

1. Wild Kingdom – S. Moss – READ England
   
2. Towards Mellbreak – M. Bragg  – READ England
3. The Rule of the Land: Walking Ireland’s Borders – G. Carr – Ireland
   
4. River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze – P.  Hessler –  China
5. Border – K. Kassabova – READ  Bulgaria
   
6. Feeling the Heat – J. Chandler – Antarctica (continent)
7. Saga Land – R. Fidler and K. Gislason – Iceland
8. Wounds – F. Keane – Ireland 
9. Deep South – P. Theroux – USA
   
10. Islander: Journey Around Our Archipelago – P. Barkham  England
    
11. From the Edge: Australia’s Lost Histories – M. McKenna Australia
12. The Revolutionary Ride – L. Pryce – Iran
13. Christ Stopped at Ebloi – Carlo Levi – Italy

2017:

1. The Marches – R. Stewart England
   
2. Foxes Unearthed – L. Jones England
   
3. Village Christmas – L. Lee England
   
4. The Bush – D. Watson Australia
   
5. The Voices of Marrakesh – E. Canetti   Morocco
   
6. The Shepherd’s Life – J. Rebanks England
   
7. The Story of Ireland – N. Hegarty Ireland
   
8. Interstate – J. Sayarer  USA
   
9. The Story of Israel – D. Gordis  Israel
   
10. Walking the Nile – L. Wood start in Nyungwe Forest in Rwanda
    
11. The Running Hare – J. Lewis-Stempel England
    
12. Into the Heart of Tasmania – R. Taylor Australia
13. Congo – D. van Reysbrouck  Congo
14. Position Doubtful – Kim Mahood  Australia