What Are We Reading? 9 Nov 2020

[Hushpuppy]

Machenbach wrote: "Gladarvor wrote: "PS: When you helped, was it in Swansea?"

No, it was at Southerndown - often used as a location in (...) Poldark, and the like."

Ah, Cornwall... Nothing like a Welsh beach to remind you of it! (Watched that video, it's quite lovely actually).

Since you've done it on your own, where did you get the idea from?

[Hushpuppy]

Alwynne wrote: "Gladavor - sure you'll be fine, saw 'Angel Heart' again not that long ago and the plot's pretty preposterous. The 80s was not a great era in the history of American cinema."

Thanks. Oh, I hated it for what it did to me (us), but I loved it really. I did guess both who De Niro and Rourke actually were early on, but still loved getting there. The atmosphere, the voodoo story (the kind that spooks me properly), Charlotte Rampling, the gorgeous Lisa Bonet... I hope I won't find it too ludicrous upon re-watching it!

[Tam]

Gladarvor wrote: "Alwynne wrote: "Gladavor - sure you'll be fine, saw 'Angel Heart' again not that long ago and the plot's pretty preposterous. The 80s was not a great era in the history of American cinema."

Thanks..."

I had a similar reaction to watching 'The Forbidden Planet' when I was around 8 or so, back in the 60's... I was terrified of the invisible monster whose outline was lit up by the electrified fencing put in to protect the spaceship. I would totally hide under the bedcovers at night somehow believing that it couldn't see me if I remained covered. It's a Sci-fi reworking of 'The Tempest'. Curiously 'The Tempest' is my favourite Shakespeare play these days... I guess because i'm getting old...

[scarletnoir]

Gladarvor wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "as we walk the dog most days on a shingle beach, we get to see, almost in real time, how the sea re-shapes it - some days, it's steeper than others, with precipitous ridges; oth..."

Thank you for that link... in return, I'll offer part of Henning Mankell's brief afterword to After the Fire:

"I often think of the invisible postglacial rebound when I write. It is a constant, even though we are unable to perceive it with our eyes or our other senses. A shoreline is always something unfinished, slipping away, drifting. A piece of fiction relates to reality in the same way. There may be similarities between the two, but above all it is the difference that determines what has happened and what could have happened.

That is the way it must be because the truth is always provisional, always changeable."

[scarletnoir]

Justine wrote: "Gladarvor: Sorry you are feeling unwell. As one who hasn't felt entirely well since April, I haven't any remedies - but I do have loads of sympathy to send your way."

And I am sorry to hear that you, too, are not 100%... I do hope that the time and effort you put in to this site is not too heavy a burden.

[giveusaclue]

MK wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "giveusaclue wrote: "I mentioned last week that I was reading (and still am) The Bookseller's Tale by Ann Swinfen, well I came across this article today:

http://the-history-girl..."


Sorry about that. 😄

[Greenfairy]

Hello all, I'm late to the party this week, on Monday the boiler broke down - even though it had been recently serviced, and for most of yesterday and today a little dinosaur kept informing the was no internet. So with all that I have been unable to concentrate on Ducks,Newburyport, as the wtiting style read too much like what was going on in my own chaotic head!
I read some of John Clare's early poems:
Written in November.
Autumn I love the latter end to view
In cold novembers day ao bleak and bare
When like lifes dwindld thread worn nearly thro
Wi lingering pottering pace and head bleacd bare
Thou like an old man bids the world adieu
I love thee well and often when a child
Have roamed the bare brown heath a flower to find
And in the moss clad vale and wood bank wild
Have crept the little bell flowers paley blue
That trembling peept the bush behind
When winnowing norrth winds cold blealy blew
How have I joyd wi dithering hands to find
Each fading flower and still how sweet the blast
Would bleak novembers hour Restore the joy thats. past.
(Spelling and punctuation is the poet's own).

[Andy]

Veufveuve wrote: "After a reading hiatus of over a week I began Naguib Mahfouz's "The Thief and the Dogs" last night. I know I will be happy with my choice.

ps. unhappy it's not possible to italicize here, unless I..."

Been interested by this for a while VV. Keen to hear what you think.

[Justine]

scarletnoir wrote: "Justine wrote: "Gladarvor: Sorry you are feeling unwell. As one who hasn't felt entirely well since April, I haven't any remedies - but I do have loads of sympathy to send your way."

And I am sorr..."

Thanks for your concern, scarlet. To be honest, the hard work is all done by Ms Jones, who knows the technical ropes, whereas I had to ask her what a drop-box was. (I don't think she rolled her eyes.) Me, I just do the end-of-the-week round-up thingie, which I enjoy, and which can be accomplished without moving from my sofa.

[AB76]

Beckett's "WHEN THE LIGHTS WENT OUT" is superb on Britain in the 1970s, 500 pages for a decade is just the right balance, as opposed to the overlong Sandbrook popular history volumes

Plus i continue to be enthralled by Mackenzies "THE REFUGE",its so comfortably patient and well paced, with so much packed into every paragraph. Suprisingly "chaste" too ,no sex and no violence at all, yet, which after 258 pages makes this a book i highly recommend

[Reen]

Thanks to everyone for the kind comments about Lottie's achievements. She's had a day of the finest feting on the airwaves and television and we are as proud as peacocks. And totes emosh.

[giveusaclue]

scarletnoir wrote: "giveusaclue wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "giveusaclue wrote: "I mentioned last week that I was reading (and still am) The Bookseller's Tale by Ann Swinfen, well I came across this article today:

htt..."

I feel sure you will like these if you liked Cadfael.

[giveusaclue]

Does anyone else get confused with replies not showing all of the original post(s)?

[Hushpuppy]

giveusaclue wrote: "Does anyone else get confused with replies not showing all of the original post(s)?"

Yes, it's really annoying as it cuts automatically after a certain amount of characters. Worse is if it's a reply to a reply to a reply etc. where you end up with nothing of the post you're replying to, as in your previous comment to scarlet.

The best - although quite a bit of hassle - is to copy/paste within the quotes what you want to address from the post you are replying to, so in that case, this would look like this at the beginning: scarletnoir wrote: "Thank you... although I tend to prefer my 'tec stories in the present or recent past, (say, 20th C.), I did enjoy Cadfael on TV, and given your positive reaction, will more than likely follow this up."

[Hushpuppy]

Justine wrote: "Me, I just do the end-of-the-week round-up thingie, which I enjoy, and which can be accomplished without moving from my sofa."

...hopefully without straining your eyes. As you can see a lot of us enjoy them too, so please keep them coming. But when the fun stops... stop!

[Hushpuppy]

Greenfairy wrote: "Hello all, I'm late to the party this week, on Monday the boiler broke down - even though it had been recently serviced, and for most of yesterday and today a little dinosaur kept informing there was no internet."

Sorry to hear that Maggie. Well, at least it looks like your internet is back. Has the boiler followed suit? (Otherwise: hot water bottle!)

[Hushpuppy]

Machenbach wrote: "Gawd, I dunno. I'm sure there was a beach morphology module and then because I lived a bike ride from the beach I probably thought "it would be easy if I could find something related to the beach" and then rummaged in a book for half an hour and hey presto."

Well, sounds like it was a really cool and interesting project. You might be able to enroll both Paul and me for a follow-up, who knows...

And who'd have thunk you had such a knowledge of the geology of that area of the Welsh coast? Not me at any rate, I'm impressed. (I never paid a lot of attention to the 'science de la Terre' bits in 'science de la vie et de la Terre' aka SVT classes, I'd be more interested now I think.)

[Hushpuppy]

Machenbach wrote: "I saw Angel Heart in one of those huge cinemas on Leicester Square when it came out, and loved it, 'though I possibly wouldn't now. Lisa Bonet may have been a pretty big reason for that though. And Mickey Rourke was still very cool then (cf. Rumble Fish comments)."

We do really seem to have the same taste in women (and Ghibli). Maybe even men. Uncanny.

If I watch it again, I'll let you know if this holds up (bear in mind I was 16 the first time I saw it)!

Finally authorised myself to watch The West Wing again tonight after all these years (I was due to go through the entire box set in 2016, and then...). Got really upset tonight at the pilot, with the treatment of the Cuban migrants. What a crushing contrast.

[Hushpuppy]

Tam wrote: "Last night I dreamt that I met Cugel in the park, in Blackheath. But dear Cugel was dressed as a pirate, the sort of pirate that a talented child would have drawn, a tri-cornered hat with a skull and cross-bones (...)"

Cugel says 'Hi' to you Tam!

[Kayaki]

Must say a big thankyou to Lisa and Justine for setting this all up, really helps to brighten up the days browsing through the comments here.

Anyway, went into the city on Monday and picked up some books to devour during these lovely late autumn days. The colours, smells, sounds of birdsong, wonderful for sitting in the garden reading on a cool sunny afternoon looking over the bay.

Nothing really new in the bookshop, but picked up the following:

The Three-Cornered World, Soseki Natsume. Recently fell deeply into Kokoro, Soseki has me intrigued.

Scottish Samurai: Thomas Blake Glover. Nonfiction history of an Aberdonian "Samurai" who set himself up as a merchant in 19th century Nagasaki and was influential with rebellious Samurai clans in Kyushu. Eventually Glover brokered an alliance between the Choshu and Satsuma samurai clans which was crucial to the overthrowing of the Tokugawa Shogunate and restoration of the Emperor. I find Glover intriguing, this was a foreigner who had the ear of renegade Sonno Joi Samurai like Takamori Saigo of the Satsuma clan and Sakamoto Ryoma of the Nagasaki Tosa clan.

47 Ronin. There are countless versions of this classic tale, this one is by an American, John Allyn.

The Tale of Genji, Murasaki Shikibu. This is the Suematsu Kencho translation. I read this years ago before I came to Japan, before I even dreamed of one day living here. Just feel like reading it again.

Haunted Japan:Exploring the world of Japanese yokai, ghosts and the paranormal, Catrien Ross. This looks like a weird but wonderful book. It has some brilliant illustrations and photos. Since we live almost next door to the cemetery I might avoid reading it late in the night...

[Tam]

Gladarvor wrote: "Tam wrote: "Last night I dreamt that I met Cugel in the park, in Blackheath. But dear Cugel was dressed as a pirate, the sort of pirate that a talented child would have drawn, a tri-cornered hat wi..."

I am very pleased that he was entertained by it.. I did wonder if perhaps I had assumed 'a bridge too far'... by writing it, but it was my dream, so to speak... I would be very happy to meet up with him one day for a meander around Greenwich Park... and a nice lunch with some tasty soup...

[scarletnoir]

Justine wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "Justine wrote: "Gladarvor: Sorry you are feeling unwell. As one who hasn't felt entirely well since April, I haven't any remedies - but I do have loads of sympathy to send your ..."

Good to hear that you don't feel over-stretched - I am impressed by the technical competence on display - I would have no clue - so our thanks to both of you!

[Miri]

Reen, your niece's peacock is beautiful - so colourful and the feathers are gorgeous. A published artist at eight! She will go very far. I loved following the illustrations submitted for that competition earlier this year. She must be absolutely ecstatic. I used to be so envious of the kids who had their letters printed in the original "Harry Potter" books - there will be so many kids who see her peacock and be inspired to have a go at drawing themselves.

I hope you feel better soon, Glad. Take it easy and be kind to yourself.

As for the Mary Wollstonecraft statue, I also think it's pretty ugly (a naked Bond woman popping up out of a melted candle??) and a strange choice for what should have been an open goal for all involved (public chipping in to fund statue of famous feminist for park - how hard is it to get a feel-good story like that so wrong). That said, I can't help but feel a bit sorry for the organisers after all the gleeful piling on (I saw two thinkpieces sprout up almost immediately), even though I also don't like the statue.

[Miri]

As for reading this week, not much. Been feeling pretty anxious, so video games are better (active rather than passive so require concentration so easier to deal with intrusive thoughts). Been listening to children's books I loved during my walks. I normally walk about an hour a day with a long five hour walk on the weekends if I have time. Last Saturday I listened to Stephen Fry reading book 3 of Harry Potter, maybe for the first time since I was a kid? Weirdly, Stephen Fry is the only person who has ever done Hermione justice (not a fan of the films' portrayal, for example). He gets Ron right too. They're lovely audiobooks.

[Paul]

What I'm not reading is The Guardian's book pages... dang near every story is a cookie cutter relating to some (American) politician story and their tenuous ling to reading and writing. The editorial quality seems to have plummeted off the cliffs of Dover

[Justine]

AB76 wrote: "Beckett's "WHEN THE LIGHTS WENT OUT" is superb on Britain in the 1970s, 500 pages for a decade is just the right balance, as opposed to the overlong Sandbrook popular history volumes

Plus i conti..."

The 1970s (1972 to be exact) were when I arrived in the UK. Although I'd thought I knew a lot about 'the English', having read the literature, and had British and Commonwealth friends and worked for a British company, I immediately discovered how ignorant I really was (and also how ignorant people here were about Americans).So that era remains especially vivid to me.

[Justine]

Paul wrote: "What I'm not reading is The Guardian's book pages... dang near every story is a cookie cutter relating to some (American) politician story and their tenuous ling to reading and writing. The editori..."

This is the sad conclusion of the decades-long decline of literary journalism. I was so lucky in my 20s and 30s to have so many good sources in newspapers and magazines. Although I'd gone as far as an MA in English Literature, it was really through my independent reading as an adult that I started to become truly educated even in my own field. I wonder what people of that age, interested in books, do now? Does the internet offer sufficient alternatives?

But at least we can moan here about the G without the threat of being modded!

[CCCubbon]

I finished The Searcherby TanaFrench last night and am left feeling somewhat disappointed. Maybe that’s too strong a word for I loved the first half of the book, unsettled by the later chapters, it stretched my credibility a notch too far.

I have posted another couple of photos of old books from my library. It is so disappointing that we are still unable to see comments. If I receive an email to say someone has commented and click the link they are there to be seen. It is most odd.

The first book decorated cover that I posted concerned Every inch a Sailorby Gordon Stables and I mentioned underneath that there was an incorrect drawing of a crocodile inside, one not showing that long tooth that is visible even when the mouth is closed. Here is a photo of the page

https://postimg.cc/NL1zNpB3

and here is a real crocodile.

https://postimg.cc/hzPPvfDs

I am posting these because there were some comments about monsters which were frightening yesterday and they reminded me of the caption in the first photo. I don’t think crocodiles are monsters at all.

[Lass]

Still navigating this site. New stuff usually fazes me. Mentioned, in connection with the Mary Wollstonecraft statue, that Claire Tomalin’s biography would be an excellent means of discovering more about this strong, and inspirational woman.

[Lljones]

Alwynne wrote: "Thanks Machenbach, I'll continue to cut and paste in that case..."

I agree with MB, I like seeing the review posted here. I also appreciate that you link to the book title within the GR database. This adds the book title to the "Books mentioned in this topic" area at the top of this page, a list I enjoy browsing through to see the wide variety of books people are talking about here.

(For those wondering "how do I link to the book title within the database?", use the "add book/author" link above the comment box.)

[AB76]

Watching 1944:The Last Defence about the Finnish struggle to hold the Soviers at the Finland border was an exercise in language and culture
I speak neither finnish or swedish but can grasp a lot of swedish through its germanic roots. The film(finnish made), leaves the subtleties of language out of the film but in certain stages there are Finland-Swede regiments speaking Swedish and then switching to Finnish with other Finnish regiments, its fascinating
The literary link here is that i have Vainno Linna's 1954 classic UNKNOWN SOLDIERS lined up on my pile, the finnish classic ww2 novel

[AB76]

Alwynne wrote: "FrancesBurgundy wrote: "Just watched the service in Westminster Abbey for Remembrance Day and as always and especially when hearing the Last Post sounded I think of Ford Madox Ford’s Parade’s End b..."

i have one of williamsons novels on a pile somewhere and i agree his politics are toxic

i actually find Madox Ford unreadable but i gave my grandfather (who remembered ww1 as a 4 yr old) "Parades End" as a present and he loved it, he was absorbed by the 900 pages and as he was quite ill at the time, i was glad to offer him distraction by the book (which we all know works well)

[Georg]

My 3 "Bring back Tips, Links and Suggestions and the Reading Group!" posts on the books pages this morning netted one uptick.

Ah well .... time to give up before I look like the mad woman raving in the attic I think.

[Justine]

Alwynne wrote: "Next is a Harlem Renaissance novel that I've been meaning to read for some time, Jean Toomer's Cane

Cane was a lyric essence forced out with great effort despite my knotted state. ..."

Thanks VERY much for posting your full reviews here! And please would everyone else do likewise as much as possible? This is primarily what this folder is for.

[FrancesBurgundy]

Alwynne andAB76 replied re Ford Madox Ford and H Williamson ......."

I've read the FMF several times and my constant comment is that 'this is what it really must have been like to be a soldier in WW1' - though obviously AB wouldn't agree! But I absolutely agree with Alwynne about the TV adaptation - and it ended after Book 3 with Christopher carrying something out of the house that was not an old chest he had to sell - am I right?

But coincidentally last night I watched an old BBC programme on London Live called 'I was there - the Great War interviews', made in the 1960s when the old soldiers were in their prime for remembering and describing it. Suddenly there was someone called Henry Williamson being interviewed - very plummy voice, but a lot of them spoke like that then - and when I checked later it was the HW I'd posted about earlier in the day.

Difficult reconciling an author's character with what he wrote. Who knows I may not enjoy the HW books - if I ever read them - but another slightly problematical one is Patrick O'Brian, who wrote divine books but apparently was not such a divine person.

[AB76]

A suprising coincidence with reading Mackenzie's THE REFUGE is how 1940 plays such a large role in the middle section, as war turns from phoney to real. 2020 has been my year of re-exploring 1940 in various different fiction and non-fiction accounts such as:

- Powell and conscription, the phoney war in "Valley Of Bones"
- Werth and the refugee experience in June 1940, as Germans invade France
- Lindgren and neutral Sweden (currently reading)
- Sartre and long days on the Alsace border
- Wilenski and the first days of the blitz in september 1940
- Priestley and his radio commentaries on 1940
- Pantons tales of flying Blenheims in the battle of france, clothes drying in his plane as they fly so low to evade nazi planes, the cabin is almost same temperature as the baking plains of france

All of these accounts have something new and fresh in them about a time that most brits know well(the basics anyway) and grew up with. I dont think i will ever forget the french accounts i read, Sartre in old schoolhouses doubling as barracks amid the winter snow in Jan 1940 and Werth sharing a farmhouse with a Saxon regiment in the scorching summer of 1940

[Greenfairy]

Tam wrote: "Last night I dreamt that I met Cugel in the park, in Blackheath. But dear Cugel was dressed as a pirate, the sort of pirate that a talented child would have drawn, a tri-cornered hat with a skull a..."
What a great comment Tam 😀

[Andy]

Two English wartime novels for me this week.

Fell Murder by E.C.R. Lorac which is a country house murder mystery whodunnit, first published in 1944, that has enjoyed a recent reissue from the British Library, and stands-out for a few reasons..
It takes place in the Lune Valley towards the end of the Second World War on the fells of what is now the Yorkshire Dales with their views across Morecambe Bay to the southern Lake District (close to me), and concerns the farming community. Its female characters are strong, farm women who are work better on the land with their cattle than the men do. It deals also with mental health, though the language used by Lorac is outdated.
E. C. R. Lorac was a pen name of Edith Caroline Rivett (1894-1958) who was a prolific writer of crime fiction from the 1930s to the 1950s; this is actually Inspector MacDonald's 28th outing, though the first I have read.
The first quarter of the book describes the land and farmlife, murder-less, but its popularity and reissue is due to it being different. Otherwise, its plot is standard fayre; I was far less concerned with the Inspector's investigations than I was with Lorac's portrayl of life during wartime, and farming characters coming under scrutiny from city folk.
There's a foreword from Martin Edwards, from whose Goodreads notes I came across the book. He's something of a guru these days in British crime, and well worth following - though, I would much have preferred reading this as an afterword..(but I guess that was the publisher's decision).

Human Voices by Penelope Fitzgerald was my second 'life during wartime' novel of the week is set a couple of years earlier than Lorac's, with a change of location, from the relatively undisturbed farms of the Lune Valley to the chaos of Broadcasting House during the air raids. Fitzgerald's setting provides an evocative sense of the urgency of the war, with reporters rushing around, bombs shattering buildings, and barracks being constructed as the BBC endeavours to carry on. Its a tribute to the writing that in the space of 143 pages so many memorable characters are described. With dry humour she records, through personal experience, that despite the mayhem all around, the reporters strive for true and accurate accounts of proceedings, love blossoms between colleagues, and the managements battle for power.

Also, The Bitch by Pilar Quintana, translated by Lisa Dillman.
This very short novel is quite fascinating. Most Colombian novels I have read are associated with crime and FARC terrorism, but not so here.
Damaris and her husband, Rogelio, have an uneasy, distant and childless relationship. They live in a rundown shack on a beach with jungle inland, separated from the closest town by an inlet that fills with water during high tide. The real strength of this powerful little book is the location, about which Quintana writes beautifully; it is as oppressive as it is scenic, and threatening and unpredictable as the plot of the book.
Damaris adopts a puppy. The effects of poverty, violence and loneliness are evident on all the book’s characters, but particularly Damaris. The tension comes from the relationship between the pair (the woman and the dog). It’s refreshingly different than anything I’ve read before, and certainly thought provoking.

[AB76]

Machenbach wrote: "AB76 wrote: "A suprising coincidence with reading Mackenzie's THE REFUGE is how 1940 plays such a large role in the middle section, as war turns from phoney to real. 2020 has been my year of re-exp..."

its funny, when i started my 1940 reading in Oct 2019, with no rigid plan except that i would time a lot of reading for May and June, 80 years since France was invaded, i was full of thoughts about trying to get my head around 1940,more clearly than i ever did before. I was aware that the weather at Dunkirk was stifling heat, not June chill and that everyone enjoyed the splendid early spring etc

then covid struck and suddenly i was living through something almost as unknowable as Sartre on the alsace front, suddenly brilliant spring weather was a backdrop to a pandemic and by the time i was reading about 10th May(invasion of holland, on 10th may 2020), it was clear 1940 was no longer so uncanny, the menace and threat was here, on our british shores....except you couldnt see it, it wasnt sitting in a Junkers bomber covered in swastika's!

[Justine]

AB76 wrote: "A suprising coincidence with reading Mackenzie's THE REFUGE is how 1940 plays such a large role in the middle section, as war turns from phoney to real. 2020 has been my year of re-exploring 1940 i..."

Barbara Noble's novel The House Opposite is also set during the Blitz.

[giveusaclue]

HAving read that folks would like reviews to appear on this thread, here are the two reviews I have posted:

The Postscript Murders:

Having read most of Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway series and The Stranger Diaries I looked forward to reading this follow up. Unfortunately, I found it disappointing. It was entertaining enough I suppose but should perhaps be put in the Cozy Mysteries classification; amateur sleuths, long dead brothers turning up, hints of Russian spies came together to make a pretty improbable story I am afraid.

The Bookseller's Tale:

November 10, 2020 – Finished Reading3 Show more
Review My first book written by Ann Swinfen and it won't be the last. The bookseller (Nicholas) in the title finds a body in the river. It turns out to be a student who did some writing for him in the past. The boy has been murdered but the town officials aren't very interested in investigating a "gown" murder. So that bookseller, a former student who gave up his studies for love. decides to investigate with the help of his academic friend Jordain. It transpires that the student has been copying a priceless salter which has been stolen from Merton College library.

The book gives lovely descriptions of medieval Oxford, from the navigation around the town and surrounding countryside to the way of life after the devastating plague a few years previously which had robbed the bookseller of his wife.

For anyone interested in "history mysteries" I can thoroughly recommend this book.

[Andy]

Alwynne wrote: "I'm not clear on the format for writing about books on here. I usually write reviews but I get the impression that most of you prefer to write about what you've read in the forum rather than separa..."

I like the look of this, mind it’s not out in the UK until February.
I usually don’t have high expectations of contemporary fiction like this, but your review really intrigues me.

[Andy]

CCCubbon wrote: "I finished The Searcherby TanaFrench last night and am left feeling somewhat disappointed. Maybe that’s too strong a word for I loved the first half of the book, unsettled by the later chapters, it..."

I’ve read three previous books by French, and always thought I’d liked them..but when I looked back it was not so.. the same criticism, that she asks too much after a promising start.
I’m going to give this one a miss.
Her books certainly get hyped, she must have a good team of promoters at the publisher..

[Andy]

Lljones wrote: "Alwynne wrote: "Thanks Machenbach, I'll continue to cut and paste in that case..."

I agree with MB, I like seeing the review posted here. I also appreciate that you link to the book title within t..."

Cheers LL.
That’s a really good feature, and I hadn’t realised.
A link to either the book or its cover works.
Towards the end of the week it’s a good way to look back.

[Andy]

For those who enjoy nature and mountains, there’s a really enticing snippet on the Lit Hub site from Wanderers - a history of women walking by Kerri Andrews on the Lit Hub site about Nan Shepherd.

[SydneyH]

Just realised I have to frantically order books for the next couple of months. It seems there is going to be a big Christmas pileup, and it won't be easy to import books into Australia during that time.

[Justine]

SydneyH wrote: "Just realised I have to frantically order books for the next couple of months. It seems there is going to be a big Christmas pileup, and it won't be easy to import books into Australia during that ..."

Speaking of ordering books, I received a welcome email from my local indie bookshop announcing that they can order books for us and we can pick them up at the door, so I asked for two: Tel Aviv Noir and Claudia Pineiro's Betty Boo. I also asked the library to send me four: Christopher Isherwood's A Single Man, Angela Thirkell's High Rising, Imre Kertesz's Detective Story, and Steven Millhauser's Edwin Mullhouse [etc.]. With McCann's Apeirogon set as my Xmas Big Read and a few other doo-dahs on my Kindle, I should be well set up for a while!

[giveusaclue]

Machenbach wrote: "giveusaclue wrote: "HAving read that folks would like reviews to appear on this thread, here are the two reviews I have posted:"
Thanks for doing this. I'm not really a reader of 'history mystery' ..."

Yes it is really, because he owns a shop that writes/copies books and texts for students, one of whom gets killed because of a priceless book. But the information about books and printing and parchment added to the interest for me.

[Georg]

Just read the Guardian opinion piece about complaints regarding a Steve Bell cartoon.

About 100 years ago the wonderful, brilliant Kurt Tucholsky asked and answered:

"Was darf die Satire? Alles!" (What is allowed in satire? Everything!)

If anybody is interested in "the small, fat Berliner, who wanted to stop a catastrohe with his typewriter":

Berlinica (the name is program) has published a reader.

http://www.berlinica.com/germany--ger...

[Justine]

Georg wrote: "Just read the Guardian opinion piece about complaints regarding a Steve Bell cartoon.

About 100 years ago the wonderful, brilliant Kurt Tucholsky asked and answered:

"Was darf die Satire? Alles!"..."

Thanks for that. I'll look at it tomorrow.