Bernard Cornwell - The Authors List

Bernard Cornwell. Another from the Authors List and another 8 books I've read by this author. I started off with his historical novel The Last Kingdom in the Saxon series which focuses on the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex during the late 9th and early 10th centuries. I've enjoyed reading the first seven books of this series and I really should read some more of them. I also watched the five seasons of the BBC television series adapted from these novels although I hadn't read the books of season 5. 

The last book of his that I read was a non-fiction history of the battle of Waterloo during the Napoleonic Wars.

He has also written several other series of historical novels that look interesting.

Bernard Cornwell's books I've read. 

• The Last Kingdom, 2004 - Jan 2019
• The Pale Horseman, 2005 - Jan 2019
• Lords of the North, 2006 - Feb 2019
• Sword Song, 2007 - Mar 2019
• The Burning Land, 2009 - Apr 2019
• The Death of Kings, 2011 - May 2019
• The Pagan Lord, 2013 - Jul 2019
• Waterloo: The True Story of Four Days, Three Armies and Three Battles, 2014 - Sep 2019

Richard Russo - The Authors List

Richard Russo. The Authors List with 8 books that I've read. The first of his novels I read was Nobody's Fool in 1994. I read another one right away but then didn't continue with his books until the early 2000's. 

I found his novels which take place in upstate New York to be very interesting and amusing forays into the blue-collar heart of America.

I am also currently reading another of his novels... Somebody's Fool which I started yesterday.

The books I've read by Richard Russo:

• Nobody's Fool, 1993 - Jun 1994
• Mohawk, 1986 - Oct 1994
• The Risk Pool, 1988 - Jun 2000
• Straight Man, 1997 - Aug 2001
• Empire Falls, 2001 - Dec 2001
• Bridge of Sighs, 2007 - Jun 2013
• Everybody's Fool, 2016 - Feb 2017
• Chances Are..., 2019 - Dec 2019

Some Irish Vinyl Spins

Went up on the 3rd floor to spin some Irish vinyl this morning with a nice variety of music from Ireland.

Started off with some traditional instrumental Irish folk music from The Chieftains. I have several of their albums on vinyl. 

Then it was Clannad, an Irish folk, pop, new age band from Donegal. I love the singing of this band.

Finally I played my favorite album from the Celtic rock band Horslips. Their Book of Invasions record.

• The Chieftains - The Chieftains 7, 1977
• Clannad - Macalla, 1985
• Horslips - The Book of Invasions: A Celtic Symphony, 1976

Icy St. Patrick's Day 2026

It snowed last night. It seemed like it was snowing hard all night but it really wasn't. We got up this morning and there was about maybe an inch on the ground. It was a non-slippery crunchie icy snow. 

Becky had some errands to run this morning. So I cleaned off the car and then shoveled the ice and snow while the car was running and warming up.

Then after Becky left I went back out and put some salt down on the sidewalk and around the house walkways and steps.

Brain Awareness Week

The Aneurysm Foundation promotes Brain Awareness Week. This is a very important concept for me as brain aneurysm awareness saved my life. It led me to following up on what happened to my father and his brother and their father too. Doctors back in their day said their all having ruptured brain aneurysms was coincidental. So 18 years after the death of my father I had to insist that I get tested for the possibility of a brain aneurysm and not wait for a rupture some day. I was aware of the potential problem and it turned out I needed to be. And not just for me but 12 people in our family have had aneurysms now that we have an awareness of the need to be tested.

The Line of Demarcation

A photo of Mark creating what he told me was "a line of demarcation". Yesterday he and Jody were out there putting the recently discarded cuttings from their front porch vine that they use to block the view of their other neighbors porch. Now it is being used to somehow block the garden that the same neighbor planted in her backyard last summer which was actually just another weed patch. So I'm wondering how far they will be going with this demarcation line thing. It cracks us up. I guess we'll have to wait and see how this things turns out. Cue The Banjo!

E. L. Doctorow - The Authors List

E. L. Doctorow. The Authors List. I've read 8 books by this author and I really focused on his historical fiction novels. The first one I read was Ragtime in 1979. Then a couple more in the early 80's.

I've enjoyed reading his books over the years. The last one I read was in 2011. He wrote one more book in 2014 that was published just before his passing in 2015. I should probably read that one when I get a chance.

The books of E. L. Doctorow that I've read.

• Ragtime, 1975 - Sep 1979
• Book of Daniel, 1971 - Feb 1980
• Loon Lake, 1980 - May 1982
• World's Fair, 1985 - Sep 1988
• Billy Bathgate, 1989 - Oct 1990
• The Waterworks, 1994 - Jan 1995
• The March, 2005 - Oct 2005
• Homer & Langley, 2009 - May 2011

Into The Fire - Protest Songs FV

Into The Fire as the war goes on and more oil tankers burn. Another mix of protest songs from albums in my collection. Mix #14

Into The Fire - Protest Songs FV

1. Into The Fire – Bruce Springsteen
2. Final Straw – R.E.M.
3. Breathing – Kate Bush
4. Intervention – Arcade Fire
5. Seconds – U2
6. Russians – Sting
7. 21st Century Schizoid Man – King Crimson
8. Lucky Man – Emerson, Lake & Palmer
9. Sweet Cherry Wine – Tommy James & The Shondells
10. Wooden Ships – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
11. Soldier – Procol Harum
12. The Captain – Leonard Cohen
13. Soldier’s Angel – Stevie Nicks
14. All & Everyone – PJ Harvey
15. Searching For A Soldier’s Grave – Laura Cantrell
16. 16 Military Wives – The Decemberists
17. John Walker’s Blues – Steve Earle
18. Bombs Away – Eels
19. No War – The Ben Miller Band
20. Song Of A Soldier – Willie Nile

Philip Kerr - The Authors List

Philip Kerr. I've read 14 of this Scottish novelist's historical thrillers and almost overlooked him when I was putting together my Authors List. All of the novels of his that I've read have been part of his Berlin detective Bernie Gunther series. They are all set in Germany during the 1930's, the Second World War and the Cold War.

His first three books written between 1989-1991 were later published together in a trilogy titled Berlin Noir in 1993. That is how I read them during the summer of 2010. Then I read the rest of the books over the next few years. The last book of his I read was his last Bernie Gunther in 2019 published a year after he sadly passed away at 62. 

Philip Kerr novels I've read:

• March Violets, 1989 - Jun 2010
• The Pale Criminal, 1990 - Jul 2010
• A German Requiem, 1991 - Aug 2010
• The One From The Other, 2006 - Jan 2011
• A Quiet Flame, 2008 - May 2011
• If The Dead Rise Not, 2009 - Jun 2011
• Field Gray, 2010 - Sep 2011
• Prague Fatale, 2011 - Jul 2012
• A Man Without Breadth, 2013 - May 2014
• The Lady From Zagreb, 2015 - Jul 2015
• The Other Side Of Silence, 2016 - Jun 2016
• Prussian Blue, 2017 - Apr 2018
• Greeks Bearing Gifts, 2018 - Sep 2018
• Metropolis, 2019 - Jun 2019

All Over Again - Protest Songs FV

America at war is Deja Vu all over again. It's now two weeks into the illegal war and oil tankers are burning.  Another mix of anti-war peace and protest songs from albums in my collection. 

This is #13. I took a break for a few days but guess I couldn't just stop. 

All Over Again - Protest Songs FV

1. Deja Vu (All Over Again) – John Fogerty
2. Let’s Impeach The President – Neil Young
3. Orange Crush – R.E.M.
4. New Killer Star – David Bowie
5. Jacob’s Ladder (Not In My Name) – Chumbawamba
6. I Don’t Wanan Be A Soldier Mama – Robert Randolph & The Family Band
7. What If We All Stopped Paying Taxes? – Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings
8. The Times They Are A-Changin’ – Flogging Molly
9. Freedom Highway – Rhiannon Giddens
10. Washington Bullets – The Clash
11. Melancholy Soldiers – The Skids
12. New Year’s Day – U2
13. Forever Young – Alphaville
14. Right Here Right Now – Jesus Jones
15. Politik – Coldplay
16. Killing An Arab – The Cure
17. Bomb The World – Michael Franti & Spearhead
18. Too Young To Die – Jamiroquai
19. Zombie – Fela Kuti
20. Drone Bomb Me – Anohni
21. Johnny Was – Bob Marley & The Wailers
22. I’m Just Another Soldier – The Staple Singers