Bingley>>>>
there was no source of English language reading material near to hand so re-reading the books I had brought with me was all there was.

You actually lived (or close to it)that oft-heard game "if you know you are going to be cast away to an island, with no hope of being rescued, which 12 books will you take with you?" or some such scenario. WoW!

Of course there's AWAD these days, so who has time to read books for the first time

Alas, and indeed what's a book to do.

chronist