Ersatz TLS discussion
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Weekly TLS
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What are we reading? 19th January 2022
scarletnoir wrote: "MK wrote: "Eddie Muller has videos on You Tube."Thanks - I'll take a look to see if his thoughts on 'The Maltese Falcon' appear. Then buy the book - or not! It would be a waste of money if he doe..."
During my years in San Francisco, I belonged to a film society that met at the Mechanics Institute. Popcorn, vegetarian and non-vegetarian snack plates, and a glass of wine before the film started, and discussions afterward.
Eddie Muller and David Thomson were frequent guest hosts, introducing films. Eddie normally stayed to answer questions after the film was done.
I skipped the showing of "L.A. Confidential." I regretted this later, because Eddie Muller brought the original novel's author to the Mechanics. A spirited discussion about the novel and film followed.
Eddie is a novelist and a film noir historian. He is more interested in story and characterization than in camera angles. I've attended showings of films he's hosted at other locations, like "Crossfire" and "The Sniper." He is a fan of "Nightmare Alley," and, yes, hosted a showing of "The Maltese Falcon." He enjoyed it. So did I.
Tripe was served up regularly for school dinners in London in the early 50s, late 40s says she shuddering, followed by frogspawn ( tapioca pudding) another shudder.
scarletnoir wrote: "MK wrote: "Eddie Muller has videos on You Tube."Thanks - I'll take a look to see if his thoughts on 'The Maltese Falcon' appear. Then buy the book - or not! It would be a waste of money if he doe..."
I've had a look, but will post my thoughts in the Special Topic on Films, where I believe this discussion belongs...
Robert wrote: "Eddie Muller and David Thomson were frequent guest hosts, introducing films. Eddie normally stayed to answer questions after the film was done.I skipped the showing of "L.A. Confidential." I regretted this later, because Eddie Muller brought the original novel's author to the Mechanics."
I suppose that you mean James Ellroy? I have read most of his books, and commented on a few in eTLS...
I'm responding to comments about the film(s) in the Films special topic.
@georgPig’s trotters are the feet (Spitzbein). Schweinshaxe is knuckle of pork, with far more muscle/meat (also called hock in English). The crispy roasted pork dish (Schweinshaxe) is indeed a delicious and popular Bavarian dish (for those who eat meat).
scarletnoir wrote: "Robert wrote: "Eddie Muller and David Thomson were frequent guest hosts, introducing films. Eddie normally stayed to answer questions after the film was done.I skipped the showing of "L.A. Confide..."
If James Elroy is the one who wrote LA Confidential, yes, that's who I mean.
scarletnoir wrote: "AB76 wrote: "The novel is full of sun and light,set in the coastal Australian city of Newcastle, where coal and steel industry thrives."Someone (yourself?) mentioned in this thread that Newcastle..."
yes it was me, though the Aussie city is far sunnier, warmer and healthier to live in i would imagine, despite all the industry
the downside of the aussie city is right now its the heart of the backwards looking coal industry for the Aussie government and an area where global warming is a dirty word!
giveusaclue wrote: "I once started reading a recipe for brawn. I got as far as "clean the pig's nostril......"When I bought my last pig's head (just a half one to be honest) the butcher asked "Eye in or eye out?". Squeamishly I asked for out, but I don't think I'd have eaten it anyway.
Scarlet #543Here we differ. I am going to get a Go set - like trying something new. I have four daily puzzles if I include Wordle with sudoku and Telegraph cryptic crosswords most days as well ( spider, word stacks, candy crush , wordle). The crosswords take more time.
My poor old body doesn’t work so well now but like to keep the brain in shape so they are my equivalent to press ups.
I'm not a good game-player - don't seem to have the right brains for it. So I haven't played Go, but I remember being very impressed several years ago when I read in some science magazine that they still hadn't managed (at that time) to build a computer that was good enough to beat high-level Go-players, even though this was a few years after world champion Kasparov lost to Deep Blue in chess: apparently the game of Go had too many possible permutations of game-positions for the computers of that time to predict the best next move.This is no longer the case: some years back the then-champion Go player lost a match to a computer, I think I read somwhere. But it's still interesing that such a seemingly simple game could be so complicated.
Wolfgang Streeck in the LRB looks at the Merkel legacy, under the title of "technopopulism"It makes me consider the writings of Carl Schmitt and the need for conflict or adversaries in capitalist economies. There is so little consensus seeking in the archtypical anglo-saxon capitalist world(US-UK-Australia), adversarial politics and inflexible positions define world views of capitalist parties, without any real intellectual confidence in their arguments. A lot of the centre left have become similar to the right in the 40 years of neo-liberalism since 1979.
I long for consensus and coalitions, something that Germany has baked into their politics but Streeck suggests even skillful politicians like Merkel struggled to keep the coalitions together, in his opinion she failed to keep the right wing onside.
Machenbach wrote: "AB76 wrote: "its the heart of the backwards looking coal industry for the Aussie government and an area where global warming is a dirty word."At a family function a few years ago I met my father'..."
i saw a sky report from the Hunter Valley area which surrounds Newcastle and it was opinions like your dads cousin, almost like it was a switch where the locals went buckwhile in a flutter of an eyeliid!
That Cardiff remark made me laugh, vape liquid retailers have come to the shires now too, not so much call centres.....yet!
Machenbach wrote: "AB76 wrote: "laugh, vape liquid retailers have come to the shires now too, not so much call centres.....yet!"There seem to be a lot of shops selling mobile phone fascias too. I quite enjoy browsi..."
hahaha....i think they cashed in on facemasks too, so now you get your mobile phone fascia AND a facemask, in a dim, badly laid out ex-worthwhile rental unit....
Wow, there's been a lot going on on here last week, hasn't there. Due to my almost four months old son being a bit more high maintenance than usual, and my partner taking up work again, I haven't had time to post here. Already it feels like a project. :)I know the conversation has moved on from there, and it would be easy for me to avoid the issue, but it is important to me to do so. The n-word is offensive. It has caused hurt and it continues to hurt, it is steeped in a history of violence and discrimination and it shouldn't be used in a throwaway fashion. I think we should strive for eTLS to be as open and inclusive as possible. I mean, would a Black person feel welcome in a space where the n-word is used? Or even: Where the n-word is used and people act as if nothing had happened? So I am quite happy that people reacted and intervened at the time and the situation elicited some thoughtful responses. I do think it's better it happens this way, as a shared responsibility or a a shared way of caring for this space, than to make it the responsibility of a moderator to react in situations of conflict. Sorry for the asynchronicity of my post...
I'll compartmentalize a bit, the little one is stirring in his sleep, and post about my reading in a second post.
Robert wrote: "If James Elroy is the one who wrote LA Confidential, yes, that's who I mean."Yup - Ellroy:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E...
FWIW, if you have not read the books, then the LA Quartet is well worth it... after that, it can be more of a slog, depending.... he is about halfway across the shark for me...
CCCubbon wrote: "Scarlet #543Here we differ. I am going to get a Go set - like trying something new. I have four daily puzzles if I include Wordle with sudoku and Telegraph cryptic crosswords most days as well ( ..."
Fair enough!
Even when I don't feel much like it, I have to walk the dog and give my mother a helping hand..., so minimal daily exercise guaranteed.
Machenbach wrote: "I did take a copy of Caleb Williams."Let us know what you think - this may be one we can both enjoy! On clicking the link, I was presented with a review from one Paul Bryant, whose LOL reviews of a couple of books I 'have reservations about' impressed me no end. He's given this 5*, so...
Yoshi wrote: ".The n-word is offensive. It has caused hurt and it continues to hurt, it is steeped in a history of violence and discrimination and it shouldn't be used in a throwaway fashion."Absolutely - in 2022, I don't think we should use this word.
But as usual, life is not simple - I was reading the opening chapters of "Cotton goes to Harlem' by Chester Himes this morning... I hadn't got very far, when I came across 'the word' in its entirety. Himes, of course, is a POC. Would it be OK for me to quote him - or not? (Just a hypothetical question - I have no intention of doing so!)
Amusingly in the context of what is and is not permitted language, Himes uses 'mother-raper' rather than the term alluded to - 'mother-fucker'. There was another bowdlerism, too, though I forget what it was.
(Edit: it was 'kiss my foot', not 'kiss my ass'!)
So, what is permitted and what isn't changes with time - as it should.
I have finished The Idiot by Dostoevsky. While undeniably a great novel, I wasn't as enthusiastic about the second half of the book as I was about the beginning.Why is that so? I am not entirely sure, to be honest. Well, Natasja Fillipowna goes missing for most of the story, for one. She is responsible for introducing most of the dynamism to the novel, and without her Myshkin sort of bumbles through the summer months in Pavlovsk. He is -unsuccessfully- recovering from illness, to be fair. Then, at points the characters and the story take a backseat to what Machenbach has described as the pronouncement and proposition of big ideas and concepts. And lastly I as a reader couldn't concentrate as well on my reading as I would have liked, which is a factor, I feel.
Still, there is lots to love about The Idiot, mind. The masterful and heart-wrenchingly sad ending, the menacing presence of Parfen Rogoschin, the episode where Myshkin is in denial about might having to duel someone while his friends desperately try to prepare him for it, the matriarch Lisaweta Prokowjevna in her unflinching ways... Now I think about it, the way the relationship between Myshkin and Rogoschin is handled by Dostoevsky throughout the novel is with such nuance and complexity, all the way to the end.
Afterwards, I wanted to read something completely different for contrast, so I picked up Headlong by Michael Frayn, which I found to be a real mixed bag of pickles. But that is for another post. Onwards! :)
Yoshi wrote: "I have finished The Idiot by Dostoevsky. While undeniably a great novel, I wasn't as enthusiastic about the second half of the book as I was about the beginning.Why is that so? I am ..."
Tackling Dostoevsky with a 4 month old is bravery and stubborn optimism. I could/can barely manage to write my name with a baby in the house
The Prince, the Showgirl, and Me (1995) and My Week with Marilyn (2000), both by Colin Clark, published together in 2011.
The first is CC’s diary of five months in 1956 working as an observant gofer on the Olivier/Monroe movie, with one week missing in the middle. The second is a memoir of that week. In addition to high connections, it turns out the young gofer has the eyes and ears of a drama critic and the aplomb of a career diplomat. It is all utterly addictive, both very theatrical and very human, with flashing signs of trouble ahead. The 2011 movie was good, but these intelligent, charming and funny books are better.
It was a good idea to read the diary first, up to 8 September, then the memoir, then the rest of the diary.
Sir Laurence, first rehearsal: “Then SLO introduced the film. He told the whole story, most magically, and in a dozen accents, from start to finish. We really should have filmed his performance and then gone home. MM listened, eyes and mouth wide open like a child, completely carried away by the little fairy story.”
Marilyn, same rehearsal: “I must say that MM was enchantingly unspoilt. Compared to those ‘old stagers’ she sounded most refreshing and delightful. But her voice does seem to be coming from another world, floating out of the sky like a little moth.”
Marilyn, five weeks later: “I just can’t see how MM can keep this up all week. She looks shattered, washed out, in a dream… The most difficult question is – what will make MM recover her composure? What will help her to start working properly again? AM [Arthur Miller] is not due back for a week.”
Marilyn, some days later, new husband still absent: “‘But Colin, I don’t want to be out of reach. I want to be touched. I want to be hugged. I want to feel strong arms around me. I want to be loved like an ordinary girl, in an ordinary bed. What’s wrong with that?... I tell you what, we’ll spoon.’”
The first is CC’s diary of five months in 1956 working as an observant gofer on the Olivier/Monroe movie, with one week missing in the middle. The second is a memoir of that week. In addition to high connections, it turns out the young gofer has the eyes and ears of a drama critic and the aplomb of a career diplomat. It is all utterly addictive, both very theatrical and very human, with flashing signs of trouble ahead. The 2011 movie was good, but these intelligent, charming and funny books are better.
It was a good idea to read the diary first, up to 8 September, then the memoir, then the rest of the diary.
Sir Laurence, first rehearsal: “Then SLO introduced the film. He told the whole story, most magically, and in a dozen accents, from start to finish. We really should have filmed his performance and then gone home. MM listened, eyes and mouth wide open like a child, completely carried away by the little fairy story.”
Marilyn, same rehearsal: “I must say that MM was enchantingly unspoilt. Compared to those ‘old stagers’ she sounded most refreshing and delightful. But her voice does seem to be coming from another world, floating out of the sky like a little moth.”
Marilyn, five weeks later: “I just can’t see how MM can keep this up all week. She looks shattered, washed out, in a dream… The most difficult question is – what will make MM recover her composure? What will help her to start working properly again? AM [Arthur Miller] is not due back for a week.”
Marilyn, some days later, new husband still absent: “‘But Colin, I don’t want to be out of reach. I want to be touched. I want to be hugged. I want to feel strong arms around me. I want to be loved like an ordinary girl, in an ordinary bed. What’s wrong with that?... I tell you what, we’ll spoon.’”
Isn’t it odd the way like buses where you wait for ages and then three come along together , interesting books turn up together.I have been trying to find a non fiction read and was delighted when Oggie told of The Boundless Sea, now I have found another
A Brief History of Timekeeping bu Chad Orzel which is published on 3 February. I have put my order in for how we measure time has a fascination from prehistoric mounds to catch the winter solstice, water clocks, all the different calendars to quantum timepieces.
One of the latest suggestions by certain individuals is to change the way that we measure time, decimalising time. This was first suggested back in the 19C by Poincare, making a day of 100 minutes each with 100 seconds - my mind boggles at that one!
So sailing and time posts are on the menu - there’s bound to be a third crop up.
Georg wrote: "Reen wrote: "Georg wrote: "Reen wrote (#515): Maybe I'll change career and become the Irish Grace Dent.Dear "Kimono'ed Dublin Foodie",
courtesy of Bill's link I have been sent down a rabbit hole..."
Zampone is a speciality of Emilia-Romagna. I know that because it is the region we studied when doing Italian A level. Funny what things you remember.
I think I will give the rotting shark a miss too.
FrancesBurgundy wrote: "giveusaclue wrote: "I once started reading a recipe for brawn. I got as far as "clean the pig's nostril......"When I bought my last pig's head (just a half one to be honest) the butcher asked "Ey..."
Ha, like when you cook a whole trout in the microwave and the eye pops!
Machenbach wrote: "I'm pretty sure someone here read it in the last few years - Bill perhaps?"I did read Caleb Williams as part of my Gothic novel series (though I think it doesn't really fit that category). I enjoyed it very much - at times it's like an 18th century Rogue Male. The edition I read (Norton, though not a Critical Edition) included two different endings.
CCCubbon wrote: "Isn’t it odd the way like buses where you wait for ages and then three come along together , interesting books turn up together.I have been trying to find a non fiction read and was delighted when..."
You could have a go at Henri Bergson's 'la durée'https://theconversation.com/a-philoso...
"CCCubbon wrote: "I have been trying to find a non fiction read"Tam wrote: "You could have a go at Henri Bergson's 'la durée'"
Or maybe even La Pensée et le Mouvant? CCC might also appreciate that Bergson was an accomplished mathematician... I unfortunately cannot remember anything about it (despite studying it at Uni), apart from being impressed by it!
giveusaclue wrote: "I think I will give the rotting shark a miss too..."When I was much younger I went on an international archaeological dig in France. One evening was devoted to the cuisines of the various participants. There were two girls from Sweden who sent home for tinned rotten fish. When it was opened it exploded from the pressure inside. The smell was unbelievable. These girls then proceeded to eat it from the tin with great relish. We non-Scandinavians couldn't believe what we were seeing and smelling.
It just goes to show that if you're brought up eating something you get to like it. In fact I think there's a theory that babies get the local tastes from their mother's milk. Nuff said.
Two really good reads in the last couple of days, both highly recommended.. Firstly, The Circus by Jonas Karlsson, translated from Swedish by Neil Smith.
This is one of those novels that is best enjoyed without reading many reviews, and hence, mine will be duly brief.
For the premise, its enough to say that the narrator relates how he was invited by his longtime friend, Magnus Gabrielsson, to a circus performance and, when Magnus volunteered for the magician's act, he disappeared into a mirror, and didn't come back. The tone of the piece is detected straight away with the words
I hate it when people disappear into mirrors and don't come back
In short chapters the story is told over two timelines, as 15 year olds, and the narrator reflecting on what happened to his friend, years later, while working in a bakery.
Though there are twists, this is much more a character sketch than a mystery. Karlsson's skill is to make what may seem to be a tragic story lightened by well-timed humour. It is basically about being different, and the cruelty of adlolescence. The writing is excellent, and the translation fully does it justice.
Has anyone read either of Karlsson's other two books? The Room or The Invoice.
and A Journey into Russia by Jens Mühling translated from German by Eugene H. Hayworth.
This is the wonderful story of how a German journalist happens upon a story of a family of Old Believers who had lived in isolation in Siberia for more than forty years, cut off from the world until an accidental encounter with Soviet geologists in 1978. Mühling becomes inspired to track down the last surviving member of the hermit family, 69 year old Agafya Lykova.
As he travels through Russia and Ukraine, he is waylaid by crumbling Lenin monuments, Rasputin's reputedly large member, and Yekaterinburg, the burial site of the Romanovs. These tangents all enhance the account of his quest, though may frustrate a more learned Russian historian than me..
He proceeds initially to Kiev, where the Russians adopted Christianity from Byzantium in 988, to Moscow, where in 1666 a patriarch’s reforms drove Agafya’s ancestors into the wilderness, to St Petersburg, seat of the Revolution, which led to further persecution of the Old Believers, this time by the Bolsheviks, and finally to Siberia, where in 1978 a team of geologists stumbled upon Agafya and her family when they spotted a potato field in the middle of the taiga.
The current state of relations between Russia and Ukraine make those early pages particularly interesting, though written in 2012.
Two of the people he meets are of particular interest..
She (a young female border officer) was barely out of earshot when the fellow Russian traveller in my compartment burst into laughter. 'Did you hear that?' He chuckled with delight.
'What?'
'That language! Chuckling, he raised his voice two octaves and imitated the customs officer; 'Dokumenty, bud lasko!' For a moment he let the soft twitter of the Ukranian sounds reverberate, before he changed back to his native Russian language. 'They speak like children! Ah, these sweet Ukranians!' His fat cheeks quivered with laughter.
and later..
Ukraine was never independent - never! The eastern part was always Russian, the west Polish, Lithuanian, Austrian. Now they have their own country and come up with nothing but sheer nonsense: a Ukranian language, a Ukranian history, their own government. Their language is a peasant dialect, their history a fairy tale, their state a circus.' Amused he shook his head, 'It is not really a country at all'.
And a tour guide in one of the Kiev Cave monastery when the author challenges her to the icons, which he says look Italian,
But they are Ukranian! Ukranian! The European style is just precisely what accounts for our icons!
Natalya's voice grew louder, until her rage filled the entire nave. 'Do you know what the Russians call us Ukranians? Little Russians! And yet we are the true Russians! We are the descendants of Kiev Rus! The Muscovites didn't start calling themselves Russians until the 18th century! They are not even rightfully Slavs; the scientists have found their genes are 70 per cent Tatar, Finnish, Estonian..'
I think it was AB who asked a few days ago about recent non-fiction concerning the Ukraine. Jens Mühling's Black Earth: A Journey through Ukraine is from 2019 and may be of interest, now on my own list to read.
thanks Andy,making a note of it now, the Ukraine stuff is very interesting with the threat of war hanging over the nation that Russia doth declare "doesnt exist"I wonder if this "ukraine isnt a country" stuff has been an invention since the collapse of the union/CIS in 1992-93, when the threat of a truly independent and sovereign Ukraine became reality and the Russian propaganda began to spew forth?
i hope this quote isnt a majority view in Russia but i suspect it may be
"Their language is a peasant dialect, their history a fairy tale, their state a circus"
Mod
Tam wrote: "CCCubbon wrote: "Isn’t it odd the way like buses where you wait for ages and then three come along together , interesting books turn up together.I have been trying to find a non fiction read and w..."
Thank you Tam and glad
I have read some of this before and it often crops up in books about time although I had forgotten the name.
Suppose it’s all about our individual perception of passing time. Waiting to be called to the dental chair always seems to rush forward to me but waiting for test results drags like mad. Measured time and ‘felt’ time seem like two quite different things but I must go back and brush up my sagging knowledge.
Shelflife_wasBooklooker wrote: "Just dropping in to say that I am enjoying reading up on this week immensely, though the Byzantine icons have been shamefully neglected. (Sorry for profusion of adverbs, Bill!)Robert wrote (#375)..."
re Bulgakov, tripe, Newcastle and Mr Oggie -
Interesting that Shelflife considers that Bulgakov's skills at drama are apparent in Master and Margarita. The novel first became known to me when Mr Oggie took me to a play of the book in Sofia in the mid-90s. Although I knew no Bulgarian I remember really enjoying the performance and it encouraged me to then read the fantastic book.
Also tripe is really popular in Bulgaria. It is prepared like a soup with garlic, vinegar and chilli and generally on offer in the less salubrious establishments. When we were last there Mr Oggie scoffed a bowl of it in a rather grotty truckers' bistro. Being a veggie I had a bowl of chilled tarrator - which was also delish.
And just before lockdown Mr Oggie was working for a few months in Newcastle NSW - now working remotely there from the other side of the world. If he gets the chance to return I will go with him - so will read Southern Steele by Dymphna Cusack , recommended by AB , in anticipation!
Gpfr wrote: "Further to Russia, Ukraine ... I'm about to start reading Erika Fatland's [book:The Border: A Journey Around Russia Through North Korea, China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, B..."Serge Plokhey is very good on the Ukraine too and i must try and find the many books i read on the Ukraine in the 1990s. I travelled a lot in eastern europe from 1995-1999(mostly in summer) but never got into the Ukraine sadly, closest was NE Hungary.
Ukraine has had a difficult time as an independent nation in the last 30 years or so, with the current crisis part of Putins slow destabilisation of the state.
I knew a Ukranian years ago whose father likened the Russian-Ukraine situation to the Scots and the English, that was in 1999, in 2022 it looks very different.
I hope the whole situation can be resolved without an invasion or Mariupol being seized by the Russians
Mod
Gpfr wrote: "The new series, "What we're reading", has arrived: https://www.theguardian.com/books/202... - with gladarvor/Hushpu..."great, just commented on there
must ask about more books on Ukraine too and the current conflict, should be a lot of responses on the Guardian site
Some old Guardian usernames PatLux and allworthy, are they among us here, forgive my memory issues lol
Machenbach wrote: "if these are a reliable index of their tastes then it's no wonder that I hate them so much"To be fair, you don't toss the good stuff to the curb.
I have noticed with interest that NYRB classics have another Di Benedetto novel released this month, which reminded me, despite my love for Argentinian fiction, i havent read "Zama" yet!The NYRB classics back catalogue is like a guilty pleasure of classic fiction!
I have just decided that i must read Sheriffs The Hopkins Manuscipt in 2022, i loved the previous novel of his i read, which Justine and other readers here loved too (The Fortnight in September) and a dose of pre-WW2 english fiction is always rewarding....i shall scribble it in for later in the year
I've noticed a certain @gladarvor featured in the Guardian books January roundup :)
Mod
PatLux, no and I don't think Allworthy is either.
AB76 wrote: "Gpfr wrote: "The new series, "What we're reading", has arrived: https://www.theguardian.com/books/202... - with gla..."Popped across to have a look. Lovely to see some familiar names
Gpfr wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Some old Guardian usernames PatLux and allworthy, are they among us here, forgive my memory issues lol"PatLux, no and I don't think Allworthy is either."
thanks GPFR
FrancesBurgundy wrote: "giveusaclue wrote: "I think I will give the rotting shark a miss too..."When I was much younger I went on an international archaeological dig in France. One evening was devoted to the cuisines of..."
That sounds like the garum that the Romans found delightful. It sounds absolutely disgusting.
Gpfr wrote: "The new series, "What we're reading", has arrived: https://www.theguardian.com/books/202... "Thank goodness - I didn't absorb your post at first glance. I'm already loving the functionality of the Guardian website :)
Gpfr wrote: "The new series, "What we're reading", has arrived: https://www.theguardian.com/books/202..."Oh! I had given up today - I was not sure this would come out today or Monday, so didn't want to give false hopes. I'm so pleased this is happening for real now, and to see all these regular - and new - names 🤗.
(Btw, I was asked to stick to what I had read in the past month, not the past year, ah!)
My full bit:
I took East of Eden on my first trip back home, in Brittany, in two years. It had been sitting in my lab drawer for the same amount of time. I had seen this centennial edition on a charity stall at the University hospital where I work, and got intrigued by its deckle-edge pages. I have spent two beautiful weeks with the Trasks and the Hamiltons, or I should rather say with Sam and Lee, Tom, Abra, Dessie, Olive, Cal and Adam, for these become your close friends, the ones you want to hear news from at night, the ones you want to shake out of making poor choices, the ones you want to laugh with, the ones you want to bring solace to.
Back in the UK, I am now two thirds into the second volume of Cremuel’s tribulations, Bring Up the Bodies. I know it is supposed to be as good as Wolf Hall, if not even better, but I find myself somehow less engaged. Perhaps I have been emotionally drained by East of Eden, or perhaps I cannot care as much for Thomas as I did before, now that we no longer see him care for his children, for his wife, for his protégés. He has ascended to power, his wife and daughters are long dead, his protégés grown-ups, and he seems estranged from the emotional realm. But, for all his political acumen, unlike Cal and Abra, he will not be able to escape his foreshadowed destiny.
CCCubbon wrote: "Isn’t it odd the way like buses where you wait for ages and then three come along together , interesting books turn up together.I have been trying to find a non fiction read and was delighted when..."
Thanks for the book 'heads-up.' It's 'On Order' and I have put it on hold at my 2 local library systems. We'll see who gets in my hands first.
Have you read At Day's Close: Night in Times Past? If I remember correctly, before there was some lighting at night - like gas lamps - people used to wake up and do stuff in what we call 'the middle of the night.' Now I'm fine with waking up in the middle of the night - no shame of the sleep scientists for me.
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As an older Midlander I can eat brains, tripe, chitter..."
Tripe! When I was 16, I got a summer job at an ice cream stand a little out of town. With no eateries near-by, I also got lunch. Being 16 is a long time ago, but I can still see that plate. I may not be an adventurous eater, but I still remember how unappetizing that plate looked. Cringes as I write.