What Are We Reading? 5 July 2021

[Tam]

And I have to add that privilege is relative. There is a lot of evidence that Sally Hemming's family were certainly privileged compared to the other black slave families that lived at Monticello, so though it is hard to envisage from our modern perspective, but they probably thought that they were, relatively, doing rather well!..

[Andy]

Two tremendous reads so far this week, and they balance each other out very nicely, though written 176 years apart..
Rock Crystal by Adalbert Stifter, translated by Marianne Moore.
This is a wonderful way to spend an hour, engrossed in a seemingly simple tale of two children who get lost in the mountains on Christmas Eve.
It is the 17th Century, and somewhere in the Austrian Alps, where two valleys lie next to each other, surrounded by forbidding peaks, and linked by a solitary lonely path. The weather has been unseasonably warm, and two children set out to visit their grandmother, over the path.
Laden with gifts and food, the children beging their trek home, as ice forms on the puddles, and with snow in the air. An unexpected storm arrives, with the severity not seen in the lives of the villagers.
Written in 1845, this begs to be read in one sitting, with a warming glass in an armchair with a winter fire burning (though I enjoyed it just as much on a humid summer porch). Don't expect a tear-jerking melodrama; such is Stifter's skill this is a gentle and timeless parable about the places people choose to live, and the often strained relationship between man and nature.

And, People Like Them by Samira Sedira, translated by Lara Vergnaud.
We know from the outset that Constant Guillot murdered Bakary and Sylvia Langlois and their three children at their home in the French mountain village of Carmac. Based on an actual crime, Sedira's story is one of a community trying to understand the reason for a series of horrific acts.
Sedira describes the act, through the words of Constant at his trial, in a horrifying and quite shocking way. A child enjoying their favourite treat, before being bludgeoned to death. Indeed...not for the feint of heart..
Carmac is a sleepy commuter village, almost deserted by daytime, and suffocating in the stifling summer heat of 2015, just between terrorist attacks. A new family arrives to build a luxurious house on the edge of the village, clearly wealthy. At a wedding celebration they are introduced to the community, who only then discover that Bakary is black and his wife Sylvia white.
On the surface of it, race is not an issue here. But, Sedira, herself an Algerian who couldn't get acting work, and had to turn to cleaning to live, excels in techniques with language. Surely the reader can have see no redeeming feature in Constant, but in using his wife, Anna, as narrator, there can be a context for this.
The title, such a clever one, gives away the fact that this is of course, a novel about racism, but not the overt type, rather a casual one, concerning the sort of people who wouldn’t consider themselves to be racist yet always manage to add on a ‘but’, or similar, when explaining themselves.
A couple of German tourists come to the village bar to ask for directions, and when they leave there are a number of sniggering remarks.. Anna says..

Here, we laughed at the Germans, because it was allowed – the war gave us that right. Same for the Dutch and the Belgians. We basically viewed them the same as the Germans. But we’d never had any Black people in Carmac.

Though the issue of race is subtly handled, and it is clear by the end of the book the degree of insecurity that this can cause, and with that, fear.
This is literary horror done really well.

[[deleted user]]

Hello everyone. This is to let you know that I've volunteered to share Ersatz duties with Lisa, so that she has some back-up. Lisa has to grant me moderator status so that I can put up a new thread, close a thread etc. You'll probably see my name as a moderator soon, but I don't visit this site every day and have no intention of acting as a moderator in the Guardian sense of the word. I also have yet to learn how to put a thread up etc, and don't know how long it will take me. I just wanted to give you all a heads-up.

Happy reading to all of you. (I'm currently reading Rachel Cusk's Outline after a bit of a drought.)

[Clare de la lune]

Georg wrote: "Lljones wrote: a generalized polygon with a countably infinite number of sides

What does that mean? As you can probably tell I am somebody who didn't get it? Could you explain the meaning, in the ..."

My review here on Goodreads may help you understand.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[scarletnoir]

Sandya wrote: "If your Head had thought about it, he would have realized that Rajit probably spoke 2 Indian languages-his own and Hindi-as did I-"

Quite so... you make an interesting mistake in your comment, though, as the head was a (French) woman, and also had been a teacher of maths at the school! In fact, she was sacked by the previous head... as a result, her very wealthy husband (with, I think, a couple of friends) bought out the school and installed his incompetent wife as the new head! You couldn't make it up!

[scarletnoir]

Bill wrote: "But how do you know they're not singing..."

I don't.

I have to trust the presenters on BBC Radio 3 (or wherever) not to include material with such inappropriate lyrics.

If the music is good enough, however, I would hope that someone else would provide a new text.

In any case - I don't doubt that many operas have wholly unedifying and bloodthirsty texts, but the music is often very good! National anthems, however, are frequently very bloodthirsty, but rarely have good tunes...

[Hushpuppy]

Anne wrote: "Hello everyone. This is to let you know that I've volunteered to share Ersatz duties with Lisa, so that she has some back-up. Lisa has to grant me moderator status so that I can put up a new thread..."

Ah, fab news MsC! I'm sure inter would be delighted with you taking her succession.

[Paul]

Anne wrote: "Hello everyone. This is to let you know that I've volunteered to share Ersatz duties with Lisa, so that she has some back-up. Lisa has to grant me moderator status so that I can put up a new thread..."

Wow! Great news MsC! Unexpected news, but absolutely fitting. I hope things are going well with you

[Bill]

Anastasia wrote: "@Bill I've read a few Father Brown books, but it never occurred to me to compare them to Sherlock Holmes stories, nor to other examples of the genre. They strangely fall into a small set of one and are logged in my mind as Father Brown stories."

I didn’t get too far in The Father Brown Omnibus (I remember the bookstore clerk saying, “Ahhh, Father Brown,” when I bought it) before giving up, but I’ve also read a few later stories in various anthologies. They all followed the Holmes pattern pretty closely: a crime (not always obvious at first that it is a crime) is committed and some small detail or inconsistency, seemingly inconsequential, provides Fr. Brown with the key to identifying the perpetrator and / or the means by which he committed the crime.

[Bill]

scarletnoir wrote: "National anthems, however, are frequently very bloodthirsty, but rarely have good tunes...."

Let 'em all go to hell except cave 76!

[CCCubbon]

Anne wrote: "Hello everyone. This is to let you know that I've volunteered to share Ersatz duties with Lisa, so that she has some back-up. Lisa has to grant me moderator status so that I can put up a new thread..."
Wonderful, Anne. Good that Lisa will get some help, too.

[AB76]

Andy wrote: "Two tremendous reads so far this week, and they balance each other out very nicely, though written 176 years apart..
Rock Crystal by Adalbert Stifter, translated by Ma..."

I cant keep up with all the books you have read Andy, i forget, you are kindler yes?
Stifter is a criminally ignored writer, i loved "Two Bachelors" and he is a rare Austro-Hungarian rural writer in what was a fairly urban milieu from the 1880s to 1910s, dominated by Vienna of course.

[SydneyH]

AB76 wrote: "SydneyH wrote: "Today I’m grieving the completion of all of Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories with my conclusion of His Last Bow.
There was talk just the other day about our preferences for cri..."

No, I was wondering if he had any short story collections, but the only one I'm aware of is a book of Christmas tales. I might still have a go.

[SydneyH]

Bill wrote: "They all followed the Holmes pattern pretty closely."

That's true, but not quite in the way you described. Chesterton thought a perfect detective story was like a joke, where an extremely complex mystery turns out to be quite simple. He got the idea from Conan Doyle, so the Father Brown mysteries seem like the zanier Sherlock stories.

[SydneyH]

Andy wrote: "Rock Crystal by Adalbert Stifter, translated by Marianne Moore."

By coincidence, this caught my eye the other day when Bill shared news of the sale on the NYRB website. I'm glad to hear it's good.

[Tam]

Anne wrote: "Hello everyone. This is to let you know that I've volunteered to share Ersatz duties with Lisa, so that she has some back-up. Lisa has to grant me moderator status so that I can put up a new thread..."

well done Anne for taking on such helpful role, I hope you get at at least some entertainment from your public spirited volunteering. I contemplated offering, but my knowledge of Goodreads is basic, so I'm not at all sure that I would have actually been an asset in the job

[Bill]

Andy wrote: "Rock Crystal by Adalbert Stifter..."

I've known Bergkristall for years as it was one of the novellas in an old Bantam dual language collection. It was probably the story that made the most lasting impression on me of any in the collection. As I recall, there was kind of a relentless feeling to it as the cumulative effect of natural forces worked to isolate and endanger the children.

[Berkley]

AB76 wrote: "The name is Nagai Kafu, he wrote a collection of short stories from his time living in the USA and other novels
Another japanese classic is the wartime "Fires On The Plain" about the occupation of the Phillipines, a searing tale of how hated the Japanese were on the islands."

Thanks, he sounds like the most interesting character of the lot, in some ways.

[Berkley]

Bill wrote: "I enjoyed hearing Marlon James and Jake Morrissey talking trash. It probably helped having a passing familiarity (and often more) with most of the books they mentioned. I will definitely check out ..."

Of the various titles listed I've read only The Godfather but nearly all the others are on my to-read list, so I like the subject but will probably wait until I've read a few more of them before listening.

[AB76]

Berkley wrote: "AB76 wrote: "The name is Nagai Kafu, he wrote a collection of short stories from his time living in the USA and other novels
Another japanese classic is the wartime "Fires On The Plain" about the o..."

i think Akutagawa for me is the most interesting character of the Japanese greats, his short stories are essential reading, though maybe Yukio Mishima takes the biscuit as a tortured soul

[Lass]

Well done for stepping up, Anne!

[scarletnoir]

Bill wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "National anthems, however, are frequently very bloodthirsty, but rarely have good tunes...."

Let 'em all go to hell except cave 76!"

Very good! And not so different to the reality...

(Edit: by coincidence, I just switched on the French TV for my wife, just as the forces were starting to belt out La Marseillaise! It's the 14th of July!)

[Gpfr]

scarletnoir wrote: "the forces were starting to belt out La Marseillaise! It's the 14th of July!)..."

One of my Welsh great-nephews was born on 14th July. One year when he was a small boy, the family were here at that time: he thought France was a truly splendid country, celebrating his birthday with parades, bands, fireworks ...

[CCCubbon]

This made me laugh.
It comes from Killing Time, a Bill slider mystery and I was 5ft 6in tall but have lost 4 and now am only 5ft 2in
I never realised that this could happen and sure miss my four inches when reaching to the top cupboard. I remember being most indignant with a nurse when she measured telling her she had made a mistake. Oh the indignities of old age!

He had been a magnificent five foot six in his full manhood, now he was only five foot two. Where had his four inches gone, he wondered? He pondered the question sometimes as he moved slowly around his flat……. Back in history when they’d moved the calendar along to catch up with the rest of the world, people had gone out in the street and marched with banners shouting ‘Give us back our eleven days!’ He’d learned that in school. Sometimes as he walked about the kitchen, heating up his supper and setting out the tray (he still liked to do things properly, it helped fill the time), he would find himself chanting ‘Give me back my four inches!’ inside his head.

[Gpfr]

CCCubbon wrote: "This made me laugh.
It comes from Killing Time, a Bill slider mystery and I was 5ft 6in tall but have lost 4 and now am only 5ft 2in
I never realised that this could happen and sure miss my four i..."

😉

[giveusaclue]

CCCubbon wrote: "This made me laugh.
It comes from Killing Time, a Bill slider mystery and I was 5ft 6in tall but have lost 4 and now am only 5ft 2in
I never realised that this could happen and sure miss my four i..."

So far I have only last around a couple!

But today I am sulking because I got a phone call from Titan Travel to tell me the holiday I was going to take to the Dolomites next June has been cancelled due to low take up!

[giveusaclue]

scarletnoir wrote: "Bill wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "National anthems, however, are frequently very bloodthirsty, but rarely have good tunes...."

Let 'em all go to hell except cave 76!"

Very good! And not so differe..."


Today is my grandfather's 124th birthday. Unfortunately he is no longer around to celebrate it.

[AB76]

I have always been interested in Indian cinema and some Bollywood. I read a great NYRB article on how many indian auteurs have moved to streaming services to create series which are less bound by conservative principles and the new climate of Modi and his anti-Muslim or pro Hindi agenda

Paatal Lok is a Delhi cop series which the review recommends and i will watch the first episode tonight, providing the englidh subtitles work(amazon prime can be patchy with this)

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Lost-and-F...

[Gpfr]

giveusaclue wrote: "a phone call from Titan Travel to tell me the holiday I was going to take to the Dolomites next June has been cancelled due to low take up..."

That's too bad - I would have thought next June was far enough away to give some more time for people to sign up.

[giveusaclue]

Gpfr wrote: "giveusaclue wrote: "a phone call from Titan Travel to tell me the holiday I was going to take to the Dolomites next June has been cancelled due to low take up..."

That's too bad - I would have tho..."


I would have thought so too. I am pretty miffed tbh.

[AB76]

Query for Georg:

What is the correct German pronounciation for Doblin. Is it:
Doabelun or Dobleen or something else?

Secondly, the pronunciation of ich as eeesch is standard german if i remember and only in Berlin is it said as ICH literally? Does this apply to the Ch sound in Reich?

I apologise for my rusty german pronounciation queries....my memory of German has swiss cheese holes in it

[Bill]

CCCubbon wrote: "Reading a poem or even simply part of it out loud a couple of times before trying to analyse it often helps understanding because the sounds and cadences, the music in the words are all part of the whole."

Your points seem not unrelated to the frequently cited idea that all art aspires to the condition of music (or perhaps mathematics in this case). I don’t want to appear dismissive of your suggestions, but the problem is that my thinking has been tending in pretty much the opposite direction in recent months: rather than looking for music-like abstraction in literature, I’ve been considering the possibilities for literature-like content in musical works.

My present train of thought started with some reading this past spring. In Robert Schumann: Herald of a New Poetic Age, John Daverio cites the 18-year-old Schumann's reference to Schubert's Eight Variations on a theme from Hérold's Opera Marie for piano duet (D 908) as "the most perfect romantic portrait, a perfect novel in tones." Listening to the work itself, my impression was of a fairly standard theme-and-variations form; but perhaps one might hear all such compositions as sorts of novels, a series of variation-chapters in which we follow the fortunes and progress of the theme-protagonist. That got me to thinking that this idea would make Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations a kind of Tom Jones or Don Quixote. Like the first, Diabelli’s waltz is a kind of foundling left on Beethoven’s doorstep, destined for a series of adventures and transformations; the work is also a sort of Quixotic vision of the quotidian theme as the vessel for a great variety of exotic, if sometimes farcical, Romance.

In The Romantic Generation, Charles Rosen considers Liszt’s Réminiscences de Don Juan as a kind of musical memoir. He points out that the themes from the opera used in the work are chosen not just for their musical qualities, but also for their textual / dramatic content, allowing Liszt to create a new narrative out of elements of the opera's story. Thus in Rosen’s reading, the transformations of "Là ci darem la mano" become a personal “reminiscence” of one or more actual seductions, rather than the purely abstract exploration of the possibilities of a musical theme, as Chopin claimed of his own set of variations.

These thoughts came together this morning when I read musicologist / novelist Paul Griffiths' notes for András Schiff’s recordings of the Diabelli Variations. Griffiths characterizes the work as a “comedy” along Shakespearean lines and makes a number of pictorial / dramatic / autobiographical suggestions when discussing the sequence of variations, such as describing Variation XV as “a hunting scene”, Variation V as “trumpets blowing across an empty field", and Variation IX as the entry of “the clown”.

[MK]

CCCubbon wrote: "This made me laugh.
It comes from Killing Time, a Bill slider mystery and I was 5ft 6in tall but have lost 4 and now am only 5ft 2in
I never realised that this could happen and sure miss my four i..."

Back in the day (oh-so long ago), I would say I was 5'3" because I figured that 5'2 and 5/8" was over 1/2 so I could round up. Now, however, after making the mistake of doing an annual check-up, I have shrunk to 5'0"! The indignity of it.

It's a good thing I am not shy and will corral the nearest tall person at the grocery store when I can't reach what I want on the top shelf.

What follows is a longish story that I have repeated too often to too many and perhaps one had to know T. Fitch (Major USAF) and how laconic and determined he was when I knew him from work back in the dark ages of the 1980s.

But here goes - T Fitch and his wife (also a Major USAF) had no children. Their special holidays came every 2 years and involved a luxury sea voyage - where one ate luscious, fattening food with abandon. (In the early 80s before cruises had morphed into a holiday for 'everyman.')

For a couple months before a trip, T Fitch subsisted on energy bars of the day so he could indulge during the sea trip. Then they had their trip in question. We were told it was great.

Shortly after the trip T Fitch had his annual physical (as is required by USAF). Before the appointment T Fitch shared that he had managed to stay within the USAF's weight scale.

Talk about furious! When he returned to the office, he fumed that he was overweight! It seems he had shrunk 1/2" which changed his weight/height category.

[Georg]

AB76 wrote: "Query for Georg:

What is the correct German pronounciation for Doblin. Is it:
Doabelun or Dobleen or something else?

Secondly, the pronunciation of ich as eeesch is standard german if i remember ..."

I'll have to improvise:

the umlaut "ö" in Döblin would be long and pronounced similar to the o in 'worship'. And blin like 'blini', no e after the b.

"ich" : short i like in 'indian', ch like in the Scottish 'loch'

A true Berliner would pronounce it 'ick', or 'icke'

[scarletnoir]

Georg wrote: ""ich" : short i like in 'indian', ch like in the Scottish 'loch'."

'ch' in Welsh is pronounced the same way - but for some baffling reason, English speakers who have no problem at all with 'loch' seem incapable of producing the same sound in Welsh words such as 'bach' (small) preferring to represent this as 'back' - which is, I think, a body part. The most annoying of all is their pronunciation of the well-known holiday resort Abersoch - 'Abersock', apparently!

[Georg]

scarletnoir wrote: "Georg wrote: ""ich" : short i like in 'indian', ch like in the Scottish 'loch'."

'ch' in Welsh is pronounced the same way - but for some baffling reason, English speakers who have no problem at al..."

Not to mention the well known Johann Sebastian Back. Usually only referred to by his surname, thank God. Not sure what English pronunciation would do to his middle name.

[AB76]

Georg wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Query for Georg:

What is the correct German pronounciation for Doblin. Is it:
Doabelun or Dobleen or something else?

Secondly, the pronunciation of ich as eeesch is standard german i..."

Got it...it was how i am pronouncing it but i wanted to check.

watched Das Boot 2 final episode last night and the uboot captain seemed to pronounce Ich as eesch but maybe i misheard it. The actor is from Stade, Lower Saxony

[Sandya]

scarletnoir wrote: "Sandya wrote: "If your Head had thought about it, he would have realized that Rajit probably spoke 2 Indian languages-his own and Hindi-as did I-"

Quite so... you make an interesting mistake in yo..."

As you say, you can't make this stuff up. Wow!

[Sandya]

Bill wrote: "Anastasia wrote: "@Bill I've read a few Father Brown books, but it never occurred to me to compare them to Sherlock Holmes stories, nor to other examples of the genre. They strangely fall into a sm..."

I'd appreciate an honest opinion as to whether the F. Brown stories are worth reading, or indeed watching on TV. I thought about reading them when I was younger but was put off by GK Chesterton's aggressive Catholicism in his other writings. I felt as I did with CS Lewis, that the books were a sly attempt to convert me. I am a Hindu by upbringing and a scientist by training. I dislike theology. I was horribly shocked when the Xtianity in the Narnia stories was pointed out to me at age 18-I loved them as a child but I don't feel the same about them now (and prefer Tolkien). I read "Till We Have Faces", disliked it intensely, and have never had any use for the rest of CSL's stuff.

My family suffered considerably when one of my siblings became a Born Again Xtian. Nobody would have minded if she joined the C of E, but no- it had to be nutters she encountered at uni when young people are at their most vulnerable. She insisted for years that we would all burn in hell. It was absurd. These religious wack jobs should be refused access to universities and colleges. One of the things I love about Caltech where I worked for nearly a decade: no frats and no religious groups allowed on campus, unlike most US universities.

[SydneyH]

Sandya wrote: "I'd appreciate an honest opinion as to whether the F. Brown stories are worth reading"

The Father Brown stories are gorgeous and I would definitely recommend reading them. Bill feels that the Catholicism is overbearing but I disagree - I feel it makes sense for Father Brown to have Catholic views because he's supposed to be a priest. If you aren't sure, try starting with two of my favourites, "The Dagger with Wings" and "The Sign of the Broken Sword". The show is completely different. Father Brown and the arch criminal Flambeau are the only characters in the show that appear in the stories, and Father Brown has to do much more snooping around to come to his conclusions. Having said that, the show can sometimes be very enjoyable - the episodes are short and punchy with plenty of twists. The Flambeau episodes about jewel stealing tend to be good.

[Sandya]

SydneyH wrote: "Sandya wrote: "I'd appreciate an honest opinion as to whether the F. Brown stories are worth reading"

The Father Brown stories are gorgeous and I would definitely recommend reading them. Bill feel..."

Thanks! I will give the show a shot since I have a subscription to Britbox, and start with the stories you suggest.

[Bill]

Sandya wrote: "Thanks! I will give the show a shot since I have a subscription to Britbox, and start with the stories you suggest."

Well, I disagree with @SydneyH that the Fr. Brown stories are worth reading – but in my heart-of-hearts I may actually think no detective stories are worth reading, or for that matter writing, after Sherlock Holmes.

The fact that the character is a Catholic priest, a faith Chesterton converted to and proselytized for, is hardly a characteristic chosen at random by the author. I haven’t read either of the stories Sydney suggests – I bought a used copy of “The Complete Father Brown” and started at the beginning; I got as far as “The Wrong Shape”, the 7th story, which put me off reading any more (I will read stories that occasionally show up in detective story anthologies, though, given the feeling stated above, I don’t read a lot in the genre). I’d suggest trying that story after the two Sydney suggested. You may not find the assumptions made in it about character and motivation as off-putting as I did; few readers seem to mind what appears to me Chesterton’s tendency to warp the realism of his stories to conform to his religious beliefs.

[Sandya]

Bill wrote: "Sandya wrote: "Thanks! I will give the show a shot since I have a subscription to Britbox, and start with the stories you suggest."

Well, I disagree with @SydneyH that the Fr. Brown stories are wo..."

Thank you! I will investigate further and report back!

[Lass]

Sunshine. Coffee on the garden bench before the little ‘uns descend. Having put to one side the non-fiction bought recently I am reminding myself how much I miss Helen Dunmore’s novels and short stories. As the blurb on her final collection, Girl Balancing, says “ Her wisdom and wit shine out”. Certainly does.

[Slawkenbergius]

SydneyH wrote: "The show is completely different. Father Brown and the arch criminal Flambeau are the only characters in the show that appear in the stories, and Father Brown has to do much more snooping around to come to his conclusions. Having said that, the show can sometimes be very enjoyable - the episodes are short and punchy with plenty of twists."

I share your point of view, Sydney. My initial response to the show was of utter disappointment, but then I found myself watching a few episodes. Could be worse. I much prefer the old 1974 TV series starring Kenneth More - it was closer to the original stories and a less buffoon-like acting.

Unlike many other TLSers I quite enjoy Chesterton's stories and find his 'aggressive' Catholicism (whatever that means) not a problem. I think it's better to focus on the narratives as essentially literary and not take them as your traditional whodunnits. The plot is definitely not their forte.

[Slawkenbergius]

Machenbach wrote: "Cool!"

Croeso'n ôl, Mach! Rydym wedi dy golli di.

[scarletnoir]

Georg wrote: "...the well known Johann Sebastian Back. Usually only referred to by his surname, thank God.

Not many people are aware of his Welsh roots! ;-)

[scarletnoir]

Sandya wrote: "One of the things I love about Caltech where I worked for nearly a decade: no frats and no religious groups allowed on campus, unlike most US universities."

Very good - I didn't know that. My own view is that the difference between a 'religion' and a 'cult' is as follows:

A 'religion' has been around for quite a while, has many followers, is deemed worthy of respect by governments or 'the powers that be'

A 'cult' is fairly recent; has relatively few followers; is regarded with suspicion or contempt by governments and 'the powers that be'.

If cults stick around long enough and gain enough 'followers', they become religions; if not, they disappear.

Both want you to believe 6 impossible things before breakfast!

[scarletnoir]

Sandya wrote: "I will give the show a shot since I have a subscription to Britbox..."

Despite my aversion to religion, I find the Father Brown TV series amusing enough - it's not exactly subtle, but there is a fair amount of humour, which always helps. The acting is variable, from reasonably subtle to flat-out caricature, so the tone wanders around a bit. The Catholic-tinged moralising at the end of each episode is the hardest part to take, for me.

It's certainly not great, but not terrible. I have not read the books, and doubt that I would like them.

[Hushpuppy]

Machenbach wrote: "Slawkenbergius wrote: "Croeso'n ôl, Mach! Rydym wedi dy golli di."

Diolch. Shwmae byt?"

Oh, epic fail by Google Translate on this. Funny though: "Thank you. Shwmae bitch?"