Welcome to The Midnight Bell (a virtual pub and general discussion thread) (2025)

[Nigeyb]

Very cool D


Thanks

This link removes a click

https://literarylistingslondon.substa...

[Blaine]

Great find! Thank you D.

[Susan]

Oh, thanks, D. I do like a literary event. Have Alexander McCall Smith coming up next week. One of my hubbies all time favourites.

[Anubha]

Roman Clodia Wrote: "Prompted by a few recent comments in other threads, I've been thinking about which books and authors we have been introduced to via this lovely group.


I guess I'm super late to this discussion but Goodreads notifications have stopped for me for some reason and I totally missed checking this thread.

I think I may have mentioned this before, but my favorite author—one I would never have discovered or even heard of if not for this group—is Barbara Pym. I’ve now read eight of her books, and the only reason I haven’t read more is because I don’t want them to end.

Through discovering Barbara Pym, and thanks to the discussions and recommendations here, I also found Barbara Comyns, Dodie Smith, and more recently, Jane Gardam. Not to mention the Blandings series, like RC. I’d read plenty of Jeeves and Wooster before, but for some reason I had never ventured into the world of Blandings and the gentle eccentricities of Lord Emsworth. I think I may even enjoy it more than Jeeves and Wooster at times.

Next on my list, maybe for 2026, is to read Sylvia Townsend Warner, Elizabeth Taylor, and finally Celia Fremlin.

[Nigeyb]

That's lovely to read Anubha


Sharing is caring, as we say here at RTTC

[Anubha]

Thank you Nigeyb.

[Roman Clodia]

That's a great collection of authors, Anubha! We have threads for various Elizabeth Taylor books as well as the Blandings series and all Fremlin's novels - we're reading her stories in Don't Go to Sleep in the Dark in October.

[Alwynne]

Something for Jean Rhys fans. An article and - if you're close to London - an exhibition:

https://www.frieze.com/article/hilton...

[Alwynne]

And for football fans who are also into art:

https://www.frieze.com/article/why-co...

[Alwynne]

And a short film about Dorothy Whipple for anyone who's interested:

https://www.cottontown.org/Digital%20...

[Alwynne]

Artists sending-up Trump. I so wish I'd seen this statue in real life:

https://hyperallergic.com/1044357/han...

[G]

Me too, Alwynne, though I did see lots of photos. It got decent coverage here from media that are covering the public outcry against the dictator.

[Roman Clodia]

Haha, that's a brilliant statue - and the jaunty movements of that pair is caught wonderfully!

[Roman Clodia]

Alwynne wrote: "Something for Jean Rhys fans. An article and - if you're close to London - an exhibition:

https://www.frieze.com/article/hilton..."

Ooh, I'd love to see that. And I've been meaning to read Als for some time now.

[Alwynne]

The Global Sumud Flotilla is close to Gaza but has now been surrounded by Israeli military ships, and Israeli commandos are slowly boarding - three out of the 40 so far - flotilla ships. This, of course, in international waters! They will likely be taken into custody by Israeli forces so if that's the case please consider writing to your MPs to ensure that there's pressure on Israel's government for them to be treated humanely and British citizens given necessary support from British reps in Israel.

[Roman Clodia]

Thanks for the update on what's been reported by the Guardian - very worrying. Absolutely happy to support - my MP has already been a 'Gaza rebel' and fairly outspoken within the government.

[Alwynne]

Roman Clodia wrote: "Thanks for the update on what's been reported by the Guardian - very worrying. Absolutely happy to support - my MP has already been a 'Gaza rebel' and fairly outspoken within the government."

Thanks! Not sure if they've updated but last time I checked UK government said wouldn't be able to offer diplomatic support - and were silent when so many other government representatives were speaking out.

[Alwynne]

Also very disturbed by the attack today on a synagogue in Manchester. I really hope the attacker wasn't inspired by growing dislike of the Israeli administration which some people are still displacing onto Jewish communities here and elsewhere in Europe. It's one of the reasons I think it's so important to refer to the actions of the Israeli government rather than Israel as a whole, as often people who are less than nuanced in their thinking assume all Jewish Israelis and, by extension, all Jewish people are implicated in what's happening in Gaza, and use that to excuse their antisemitism.

Edit: Not that being supportive of Netanyahu's policies would excuse violent or any other form of antisemitism either!

[Alwynne]

See the Baillie Gifford Prize shortlist out. Sort of interested in The Revolutionists: The Story of the Extremists Who Hijacked the 1970s although not sure if a narrative linking the left to the rise of extremism is what we need right now! But interested that, from the promotional material, his focus seems to be on activists linked to Palestinian causes but not the IRA and wondering how he frames/justifies his classificatory choices.

[Roman Clodia]

That's the book which stood out to me too and I'd like to read something about Baader-Meinhof. He's a Guardian journalist so hopefully fair in his analysis - I'm going to check out if there's a Kindle look inside to understand the framing and thrust first.

[Nigeyb]

Looks great but what a hefty tome - 770 pages


If I'm going to tackle it then it has to be audiobook

[G]

Not available here till Jan 13. I hope my library gets the audio, because like Nigey I’m only likely to tackle it in audio.

[Blaine]

I would very much like to read Electric Spark, but will have to postpone The Revolutionists until the end of my Proust journey. And then there's Henry James on the horizon ....

[Susan]

I pre-ordered The Revolutionists for 99p on kindle and then the price went up to £17... It interested me enough I just clicked at the time. So many books to read.

I went to the Lee Miller exhibition at Tate Britain today, so bought the huge catalogue which I want to read later.

[Susan]

https://jmarriott.substack.com/p/the-...

Interesting article about reading habits declining.

[Nigeyb]

Thanks Susan


Fascinating

[Daryl]

Hi guys, I’m interested in exploring Evelyn Waugh. Currently have Vile Bodies and A Handful of Dust on my to-read list but not sure where to start, any advice or recommendations? Heard Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred and Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder is a famous one from him but I want to make sure the first one I check out is interesting/enjoyable enough for me to check his other books.

[Nigeyb]

They're are all worth reading


I'd start with his debut, Decline and Fall, and then work through them chronologically.

His non-fiction is also well worth a read.

We have a separate author thread for him with lots of other insights, and discussions about some of his books. Search his name in the group's search box and you'll find them

[Hester]

I agree with you Nigel . I read all his novels fifty years ago ....gosh that makes me feel old .....but Decline and Fall is a good place to start .

[Daryl]

Thank you!

[Alwynne]

I third Decline and Fall particularly if you're a fan of deadpan humour. I prefer this plus Vile Bodies to Brideshead.

[G]

I learned this week that Baker & Taylor, which I believe is the US's largest book distributer, is closing. B & T is the main distributor that most public libraries as well as many independent bookstores use. When I was accessioner in the University of Chicago library, their academic arm was our main source of books published in the US, and it's my understanding that most academic libraries still rely on B & T.

My public library told me that not only do they get most of their books from there, they also pay for processing services that they used to have to do in house. The next largest competitor is not currently equipped to pick up the services and increased market share, though they are scrambling to add capacity.

What a mess. I asked my library to order Sea Now, and they said they would add it to the list of books they'll order in several months once the chaos has begun to settle down.

This seems like a major shock to the whole book trade.

[Susan_MG]

G, that is horrible news. I am in a very spotty area for library books. More often than not my library system of about 10 locations does not have, or plan to have, books I am trying to borrow. The library says it is funds but I saw an article about a week ago that said a study shows that Americans aren’t reading. What!!! That can’t be, I read multiple books at a time sometimes. If readers aren’t going to the library I can see why acquiring more books seems a waste but then if the library doesn’t have the books that could be why readers don’t bother.

[Sam]

Yes there is a perfect storm of events that are making our library visits a little less pleasurable for awhile.

[Cphe]

Susan_MG wrote: "G, that is horrible news. I am in a very spotty area for library books. More often than not my library system of about 10 locations does not have, or plan to have, books I am trying to borrow. The ..."

Do you have inter library loans where you are?

[Cphe]

Sam wrote: "Yes there is a perfect storm of events that are making our library visits a little less pleasurable for awhile."


It is the same with the UBS - over here high rents seem to play an issue (at least that is what I've been told)

[G]

On a different topic, I am very encouraged by the turnout today for No Kings Day. We’re still in deep trouble, well on the way to being in a fascist dictatorship and the way forward is uncertain, but it is a good sign that so many protested, in so many places. And I’m reading that many places saw a bug age range.

Also, a big thank you to the protestors in Europe.

[Alwynne]

I'm not sure I'm ready for an adaptation of Emma that features her death in childbirth even if it's from the immortal Andrew Davies, In these rather bleak times happy endings seem more the thing:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentis...

https://www.theguardian.com/commentis...

[Alwynne]

G wrote: "On a different topic, I am very encouraged by the turnout today for No Kings Day. We’re still in deep trouble, well on the way to being in a fascist dictatorship and the way forward is uncertain, b..."

The scenes were very heartening. Particularly after reading about revival of interest in the antichrist driven by people like Andrew Thiel. He cited Greta Thunberg but given that the 'faithful' don't recognise the antichrist in their midst then Trump seems the more promising candidate!

[Blaine]

Very encouraging turnout and I'm so pleased it was peaceful, creative and joyful. And that there were no vicious attacks and few arrests. The struggle continues but it's good at least for a day to see another America.

[Jan C]

Also pleased with the turnout. First of all in Chicago where it appears to have been massive. But also here in western North Carolina - Asheville with 8,000 and Brevard and Hendersonville both at 2,000+. Except in Asheville, it is pretty conservative so this is good. And there were many small towns having demonstrations. I had received my COVID booster the evening before so my arm was still pretty sore so I missed this one.

But it was heartening to hear people talk about their first demonstration ever, even though some of them appeared to be around my age and from my generation.

[G]

I went to the event in a small borough that’s a suburb of Philadelphia. 1700 is the conservative estimate, I’ve been in touch with people who went to at least 8 other events in the suburbs on my side of the city. The smallest estimated crowd was 800. This is in addition to the main event in the center of Philadelphia. I imagine it’s similar in many urban areas.

[Jan C]

G wrote: "I went to the event in a small borough that’s a suburb of Philadelphia. 1700 is the conservative estimate, I’ve been in touch with people who went to at least 8 other events in the suburbs on my si..."

I saw a picture on Facebook this afternoon and had a picture of my hometown, a Chicago suburb, and it was a real mob scene, apparently about 5,000. It made me proud that so many would come out.

[Alwynne]

Jan C wrote: "G wrote: "I went to the event in a small borough that’s a suburb of Philadelphia. 1700 is the conservative estimate, I’ve been in touch with people who went to at least 8 other events in the suburb..."

That's great Jan!

[Alwynne]

Another massive data breach, there's a link in the article below to a site where you can check if your email address has been compromised:

https://www.pcworld.com/article/29495...

HOWEVER be aware if searching for the Have I Been Pawned site independently that there is a fake, dodgy version. The safe version has "https://" in the address and the rest of the address is all lowercase, the fake one currently uses an uppercase "I" instead of a lowercase "i." But safe to access via the embedded link in the PC World article.

Also, just in case, if your email compromised need to change password but before you do make sure nobody else is connected to your email. There should be a section on recent activity under your account info that tells you who's currently logged into your email, should just be your current device. If there's more then log them out then change password.