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What are we reading? 10/03/2024
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Death of Jezebel is another enjoyable mystery by Christianna Brand (British Library Crime Classics) with what seems to be her trademark of a tightly limited group of suspects. The murder takes place during a pageant performed at a sort of Ideal Home exhibition, with knights in armour riding round the stage. Her Inspector Cockrill, in London for a conference, is patronised by the bright young Detective Inspector from Hendon Training college who probably thinks the old boy is getting past it.
I am reading Richard Flanagan's 'Question 7'. It was a birthday present from the sproglet. So far it is interesting. He loops around historical connections that are part of the development of the atom bomb, and links this in to his own personal family history growing up in Tasmania. His father was interned by the Japanese and barely survived the cruelty of the internment camps in the war, so the dropping of the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima is the symbolic 'loadstone' around which the whole of the book revolves. H G Wells has a major part in the story. I don't know enough of his works to say whether the links he makes to the development of the atom bomb are verifiable, but so far I'm very willing to go along with it. The book of Wells that he refers to is 'The World Set free' 1914. So an impending experience of war is hovering in the background. Maybe there is someone on here who has a good knowledge of HG's writings and the nuclear physicists who worked to develop the bomb, and has read the book, and so could enlighten me, as to the veracity of the theorising that he does?
I read another of his books a while back 'The Living Sea of Waking Dreams' and did not like it very much at all. I suppose I could not identify with a lot of the motivations of the characters in the story so I am somewhat relieved that he is on different ground here... Too much family jealousy and an inability to let common sense hold sway just came out as being petty and annoying somehow. at least to me.
Gpfr wrote: " Death of Jezebel is another enjoyable mystery by Christianna Brand (British Library Crime Classics) with what seems to be her trademark of a tigh..."Another author to take a look at thanks.
A matter of concern, we haven't heard from CCC for a while, she hasn't posted since December and I can only hope that the problems she has with her sight have not worsened.
Another thought was that, although I don't bother too much with the Graun these days for already documented reasons, when I do I have noticed that there seem to be far fewer articles open for comments. Is that right or is it my imagination?
giveusaclue wrote: "Gpfr wrote: " Death of Jezebel is another enjoyable mystery by Christianna Brand (British Library Crime Classics) with what seems to be her tradem..."CC is still contributing to 'Poem of the Week' in the Guardian. I think also that there are less articles open to comment on, but I don't have a sense of by how much. I think it is simply cutting back on the costs of moderation, perhaps?
Tam wrote: "I think it is simply cutting back on the costs of moderation, perhaps?"Or they have resigned in protest!!
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As well as Poem of the Week, she comments on WWR.
Gpfr wrote: "giveusaclue wrote: "we haven't heard from CCC for a while..."As well as Poem of the Week, she comments on WWR."
Thanks G
RIP Athol Fugard, who has died aged 92A playwright, of english-afrikaner descent,he wrote a series of brilliant plays about township life in South Africa, which were exported around the world and a few novels
I recommend exploring his township plays
Dissapointed in the end by The Word Tree by Teolinda Gersao(1996)Very soft and focused on primary emotions and relations, without a grounding in the greater themes of colonial Mozambique, it reminded me of countless "safe" 1990s novels about colonial Africa, that are careful not to offend and follow a generally liberal view of the era
The city of Laurenco Marques did come to life well paradoxically, even as the somewhat fragmentary narrative skipped and hopped. My edition was a horrible cheap Dedalus issue, with a tacky cover, no introduction and no context. Translated fiction needs more than the bare bones, always
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The weather's been decidedly wintry over the past few days, but temperatures are supposed to rise to 20° later this week.
Gpfr wrote: "Spring is bustin' out all over ...The weather's been decidedly wintry over the past few days, but temperatures are supposed to rise to 20° later this week."
same here.. could be 15c by Weds-Thurs
the daffs are coming out, blossoms too, snowdrops still strong in my garden and the willows are starting to leaf but cold weather still, a chilly wind and cold nights for last 5 days
Gpfr wrote: "Spring is bustin' out all over ...The weather's been decidedly wintry over the past few days, but temperatures are supposed to rise to 20° later this week."
Unfortunately, the ants are busting out too! I first found one crawling across my keyboard a couple of weeks ago. Then I had several in the kitchen yesterday so had to get the spray out. Yuk.
Several trees full of lovely blossom in my area. You start to think that winter might almost be over
giveusaclue wrote: "Gpfr wrote: "Spring is bustin' out all over ...The weather's been decidedly wintry over the past few days, but temperatures are supposed to rise to 20° later this week."
Unfortunately, the ant..."
those ants are early, i learnt a trick about 5 yrs ago, rather than kill then, just spray the access routes with spray, they learn never to use them again and in 5 years, the kitchen access route has not been used. must be the hormones they release as a warning, so future ants know...this route leads to a poisoned area
i think this is the last week of winter, March is a month that can be quite harsh but it softens towards the end usually.,...in a subtle way, by a decades time it will probably be 20c in March...with climate change
Tam wrote: "I am reading Richard Flanagan's 'Question 7'. It was a birthday present from the sproglet. So far it is interesting. He loops around historical connections that are part of the development of the a..."Wells' 1914 The World Set Free does anticipate the development of nuclear weapons and the collapse of the social order of his time.
Robert wrote: "Tam wrote: "I am reading Richard Flanagan's 'Question 7'. It was a birthday present from the sproglet. So far it is interesting. He loops around historical connections that are part of the developm..."he was a writer with some great foresight, possibly the pioneer of early science fiction
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Unfortunately, the ants are busting out too!..."
Ugh! As AB said, they're early. Last year I didn't have any — keeping my fingers crossed, but I've got my tube of gel and spray ready.
Gpfr wrote: "giveusaclue wrote: "Gpfr wrote: "Spring is bustin' out all over ..."Unfortunately, the ants are busting out too!..."
Ugh! As AB said, they're early. Last year I didn't have any — keeping my fing..."
long range forecasts suggest a warm spring( milder than average), its been a good five years since late March and early April were warm or unseasonal (that covid spring), so i cant complain but i much prefer it quite cold well into April and then May as a warmer month
I'm not a Marxist but have also been interested in the writing of the far left over the years. I'm too young to remember Marxism Today as a journal of note but managed to find two editions about a decade ago and was suprised to find some excellent essays, the best written in 1979, on Thatcher, after the electionSo via the excellent BetterWorldBooks i have found a collection of Marxism Today essays on Thatcher called The Politics of Thatcherism,
the Iron Lady balefully stares out from the cover and i am looking foward to a 300 pages of essays studying her first 4 years (1979-83). I see there is an essay by Eric Hobsbawn on the Falklands War which i havent seen before and essays by the great late Stuart Hall and also Martin Jacques(editor of MT)I like finding books like this that focus in on a selected amount of time, (3-4 years), which avoid the popular style of lumping a decade into 200 pages, dumbed down. Upon saying that MT style can be rather tortuous and i may end up lukewarm on this volume in the end, but lets see
Thatcher defined the Britain that i grew up in to the age of 14, i'm no fan of hers but interested to see a thoughtful left wing critique of her first term in office
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I'm reading and so far liking the first in the Siv Drummond series you recommended :)
Gpfr wrote: "@giveusaclueI'm reading and so far liking the first in the Siv Drummond series you recommended :)"
That's good.
I'm currently reading, definitely a cozy type mystery,
Which could do with some editing!
The first essay in The Politics of Thatcherism remarked about her "populist" strategy that helped divide the traditional working class that had become disillusioned with the "corporatist state"By highlighting where the supposed "all seeing" state had failed and offering the Randist mantra of individualism and self reliance, Thatcher managed to win over significant support in the large working class vote
Reading this in 2025, with all the far less organised spheres of populism, one feels hopeful that the chancers of populist rhetoric will not be as influential as Thatcher but in many ways the modern populists are more irresponsible and have no idealogy at all.
Happy Saint Patrick's Day, and thanks for this new thread. I've finished the Balkan Trilogy. Some surprise appearances liven this story of English expatriates-- and a British army in the wrong place at the wrong time, and in serious peril.
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RussellinVT wrote: "Niall Ferguson the historian is very much not to everyone’s taste, but he had an interesting essay in the WSJ recently arguing that empires expand when they can afford their military expenditure, a..."Very interesting, especially with the comparison to other "imperial" situations. Of course Trump has been lying about the economy and the debt burden of the USA all year and these facts will never be aired by the current administration.
I am seeing the decline of the USA in fast foward in 2025, soft power has almost vanished in 2 months, the respect of most of the western allies is now tempered by the realisation they should have prepared better for the return of the lying orange felon and Iran, China and Russia are delighted with change in approach regarding soverignity under Trump(see Greenland, Panama and the Ukraine "peace" deal aka capitulation to Putin)
i am not sure if Trump is aware what he is doing and its not the 1980s anymore when the USA was peerless, he cant ignore China and they will not be cowed or bow to US threats,,,
Having enjoyed the 1965 selection of Nadine Gordimer short stories, i'm now on to the 1972 selection and Africa is changingSelected Stories was found in Oxfam, a Penguin free copy for reviewers published in 1978, it includes selected tales from 1950 to 1972.
For me Gordimer is the best voice on apartheid era South Africa and beyond, but as yet i have focused on her writing from 1950 to 1972, novels and stories. She grew up in a Jewish family east of Johannesburg and her tales of the Jo'burg area are important documents of that pre-aparteid, stores run by Indians, dusty open gold mining towns and the big city
Her fiction set after 1950, covers the first stages of the Malan and Verwoerd governments that defined Afrikaaner nationalism and the policy of apartheid based on the Dutch Pillarisation system that Hendrik Verwoerd grew up in. She is a clever observer of all races, her importance as a writer is she was always anti=apartheid and injustice.
The 1965-72 stories were written as the first cracks in the SA system emerged,the state was starting to struggle with control, as the former British colonies gained independence and civil unrest was increasing. Gordimer sticks to small experiences amid these events, an indian wife arrested for distrubuting anti-pass law pamphlets, an encounter with a lonely middle aged woman and ex-mercenery from the Congo, ANC militants exiled to Tanzania , belgian settlers on a congo river tripand seaside holidays in Durban, where the youngsters let off steam
She writes superbly, alongside the best of that era and there is always a keen sense of place and the oddness of such a society as South Africa between 1950 and 1972
The Atrocity Exhibition by JG Ballard is a truly bizarre readIts familiar to me, the Ballardian style, though its very unlike all his other novels i have read, as its basically small paragraphs describing some nightmarish scenes, images of sexual organs, car crashes and strange parking lots, all part of the narrators nervous break down
Whats even odder is a series of footnotes possibly added by Ballard in the 1990s, where he supplies a commentary on every paragraph. Mixing fiction and non-fiction is quite common in the 2010s and 2020s, what this does is bring it into the late 1960s and early 1970s and the footnotes improve the reading experience, i wonder how it would read without them?
NB no new posts all day from anyone else, its odd, Wednesday is a day i'm around the house more, tommorow i will be out till at least 4pm and probably come back to 12 or 13 comments..lol!
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The Spanish Tragedy (Kyd, 1580s?) – the prototype of all revenge tragedies, with most of the cast slaughtered. Raw but effective, and in many passages more lyrical than I remembered. Strangely addicted to repetition as a rhetorical device:
Both…/Both…/Both…/Both…/Both…
Ay…/Yet…/Ay…/Yet…/Ay…/Yet…
Glad, that I…/Sad, that I…/ Glad, that I…/ Sad, that…, etc,
all of it meant for dramatic effect but, it seems, much parodied.
Dr Faustus (Marlowe, 1592) – magnificent poetry in the first and fifth acts, the middle passages less impressive, marred by a lot of supernatural tomfoolery
And then some Jacobean:
The Revenger’s Tragedy (Tourneur, 1607) – a carnival of villainy and lust that becomes almost ludicrous, but is still very readable for the inventiveness of the lurid verse.
Starting on The White Devil (Webster, 1612) and anticipating much melodrama…
These later plays were popular and clearly appealed to the temper of the times, and yet seem a world away from the stately court masques by Jonson and “poetlings” like Davenant which followed only a few years later and which are examined at undue length in Stubbs’ Reprobates. It’s a relief to arrive finally at the campaigning of the two Bishops Wars and now the arrival of the Earl of Strafford. Also finding much pleasure dipping into OUP’s Selections from Clarendon.
In that context it gives you a start to read of a Bill of Attainder as a contemporary issue. Article 1, Section 9, of the US Constitution, dealing with the powers of Congress, says that no such Bill, meaning condemnation without trial, shall be passed. In a recent Executive Order the President imposed certain measures on three well-known law firms (removal of security clearances, prohibition on entry into federal buildings…), and in a law suit challenging the Order, the judge, unprompted, raised the question whether that was a Bill of Attainder and a contravention of Article 1. The government lawyers said that provision applies only to Congress, not the President. The judge disagreed. Clearly heading to the appeal courts. We can't find ourselves back with Bills of Attainder, can we?
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I'll have to give her another try, and maybe the short stories are the way in. I read one of her novels (A World of Strangers) and while the writing was good I didn't feel gripped by the story.
RussellinVT wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Having enjoyed the 1965 selection of Nadine Gordimer short stories, i'm now on to the 1972 selection and Africa is changing ..."I'll have to give her another try, and maybe the short..."
i think trying another style is a good way of introduction, her most acclaimed novels are her later ones from around 1975 but i have stuck to chronological order so far. with novels i've reached 1970, with the short stories 1972
I started reading a book by a new to me author:No Refuge
A local newspaper reporter, her boyfriend who is a local police sergeant. A teacher and his dog are found shot dead, then a few days later a woman and her dog are found shot dead. But, unfortunately, I did not like the way the journalist pushed her friends into telling her confidential things about the victims, (typical of a certain type of reporter I know) and the author thinking that was ok, and her boyfriend calling her Pumpkin all the time in front of his fellow officer.
I gave up.
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Is anyone reading the new expose of Meta by Wynn Williams?I have always loathed the goon Zuckerberg and his tawdry show, its highly amusing to see him trying to censor Sarah Wynn Williams now who has made a lot of very interesting revelations about Meta, which do not suprise me one bit
Apparently the book is doing very well indeed and i think its about time more expose's of the unregulated social media giants and the damage they do
Luckily i have no social media profile except for this account and the Guardian account, created not for social media reasons. I was probably just too old to embrace Facebook when it began, maybe as i was appalled at the idea of Friends United, its earlier unrelated precursor. The name Facebook is so awful, i am amazed it ever stuck!
RussellinVT wrote: "The White Devil starts with a two-page advice To The Reader in which Webster unloads a number of forthright opinions, including that most of the people who come to the playhouse resemble “those ign..."i'm a webster fan, a great playwright, especially The Duchess of Malfi
I am exhausted after a trip to London, staying just one night - I'm too old for that sort of stuff - so will try to catch up on recent posts later. But it was worth it - the Munch exhibition (National Portrait Gallery) was interesting, but the highlight was the Goya to Impressionism exhibition at the Courtauld (possibly our favourite gallery anywhere), showing in only two rooms a brilliant selection from the Oskar Reinhart collection (on loan during refurbishment). The exhibition booklet opens with this quote from Reinhart:Even if such works may legally be owned by an individual, in a higher sense they belong to everyone, their owner is only their custodian.
An admirable sentiment.
Anyway... given that I knew the journey (mainly by train) would be long and tiring, I took an easy read with me - The Cuckoo by Camilla Läckberg. This is the latest in a series featuring cop Patrick Hedström and his wife, crime writer Erica Falck. I've read most (or maybe all) of the others, but there has been a six year gap since the last one so I don't think I've reviewed any on here before.
Läckberg has significant strengths as a storyteller - she writes fluently and is especially good at creating believable characters whose minute by minute behaviours and motivations seem natural and convincing (apart, perhaps, from the more melodramatic moments in which murders take place). Everyday conversations, tensions and banter are well described. The plots are convoluted and some characters invariably hide their game...
In this one, I did guess fairly early on who the perpetrator was and had a good idea as to the motive (view spoiler) but there were many other wrinkles I didn't guess at. IIRC, it was more difficult to guess at the identity of the murderer in her earlier books, so if the puzzle aspect is very important to you, best try one of those. All the same, I enjoyed seeing the plot play out and also the additional revelations at the end.
One thing that gives the books their credibility is the way in which they reflect the author's own life - 'Erica' at one point mentions how difficult it is as a successful writer to juggle the demands of writing, promoting books at book fairs etc. and dealing with family life. The setting - Swedish seaside village Fjällbacka - is her own home town. This solidly realistic background is for me a strength of the series - I can't stand airy-fairy 'settings' which are purely imaginary, and where things are manipulated to make the plot work.
For those with access to French TV, a very decent series called 'Erica' was screened not long ago, starring TV crime stalwarts Julie de Bona as Erica and Grégory Fitoussi as Patrick 'Saab' - I had to laugh at the improbable surname. They form a charming couple, and it's an enjoyable watch.
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I know that train journey well, glad it was worth it with the 2 exhibitions 😀.
I've been looking forward to The Cuckoo. While I like this series, I found a book she wrote after pausing it unreadable.
scarletnoir wrote: "TV crime stalwarts Julie de Bona as Erica and Grégory Fitoussi as Patrick 'Saab'"Ha, was gutted when he got shot in Spiral!
giveusaclue wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "TV crime stalwarts Julie de Bona as Erica and Grégory Fitoussi as Patrick 'Saab'"Ha, was gutted when he got shot in Spiral!"
Indeed... he has a brother Mikaël who is also an actor, and between them they often appear in French cop dramas. I have started a joke with madame that there is always going to be a Fitoussi in one of these things - and if not a 'real' Fitoussi, then at least a lookalike - dark, designer stubble, rather good looking!
AB76 wrote: "Is anyone reading the new expose of Meta by Wynn Williams?I have always loathed the goon Zuckerberg and his tawdry show, its highly amusing to see him trying to censor Sarah Wynn Williams now who..."
I have read 'about' it rather than the book itself - all good stuff, it seems! I'm also intrigued by the author, whose name could hardly be more Welsh even though she hails from New Zealand... the parents, maybe? No biographical info online as far as I can see.
Naturally, Zuckerberg's attempt to suppress the book has had exactly the opposite effect, which is great!
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You make me feel envious. There are drawbacks to living back in the woods in a rural state, and one of them is the remoteness from art galleries. Leaving aside the great museums in Paris, is there anywhere in the world with more stunning Impressionists than the Courtauld?
RussellinVT wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "...the highlight was the Goya to Impressionism exhibition at the Courtauld (possibly our favourite gallery anywhere)..."You make me feel envious. There are drawbacks to living..."
how far is your nearest town of any size then Russ? You will be breathing in much healthier air than most of us in the backwoods though!
i must visit the Courtuald, my aim for this spring is to visit the Munch exhibition at the National Gallery
Today i finished The Mint by TE Lawrence,a really unusual and different kind of read than i expected and i'm glad i found it on my weekly browse in my local Oxfam bookshopSeeing the legend of the desert reduced to training as a lowly aircraftman seems like something out of the movies but this actually happened and he spent 6 months at RAF Uxbridge being battered into shape.Old in recruit terms (34), underweight, suffering from insomnia, he describes the period with literary skill and its interesting to see literary skill applied bucket loads of the coarsest phrases and the most basic laddish behaviour he witnesses.
One gets a feeling for a lonely, stressed and awkward man, who somehow seemed to find something at the arse end of barracks discipline, what motivated him to suffer physically so much is unsure,although apparently he had masochistic tendencies, though i had never read about them
Next up is Ernst Jungers War Journals 1941-45, which i have been meaning to read for 18mths and have finally decided,lets do it, not sure why i delayed really
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Well, there’s Albany NY an hour and a half west, but there’s nothing to go there for except the malls (ugh). Otherwise it’s Burlington VT three hours north – magnificent location on Lake Champlain, lots to do, no gallery – or Boston MA four hours east. We do have one gallery not too far away, The Clarke in beautiful Williamstown MA, which has a fair collection, including two excellent small Sargents, very black in Venetian back alleys, and a vast sensual Bouguereau with acres of well-painted flesh, worth a detour. It’s also the place where you can catch live simulcasts from The Met and the RNT – so it’s not all bad! Glorious sunshine and fresh air today, after overnight snow.
...
There’s a story which I now can’t track down of Lawrence being invited by Churchill to dinner in Downing Street and being questioned by a reluctant policeman who had difficulty accepting that an Aircraftman Shaw arriving on a motorcycle could be a genuine guest. They worked together when Churchill was at the Colonial Office, but this must have been after, when Churchill was Chancellor.
RussellinVT wrote: "AB76 wrote: "how far is your nearest town of any size then Russ? You will be breathing in much healthier air than most of us in the backwoods though!..."Well, there’s Albany NY an hour and a half..."
wow, you are really out in the sticks.....must be wonderful.
i like that Lawrence story, he loved his bikes did TE, the Brough Superior was his cycle of choice.in the last few pages of The Mint, he takes a fast ride down the roads of Lincolnshire.
AB76 wrote: "RussellinVT wrote: "AB76 wrote: "how far is your nearest town of any size then Russ? You will be breathing in much healthier air than most of us in the backwoods though!..."Well, there’s Albany N..."
I have visited his house, Clouds Hill, in Dorset, which is a NT property these days, it is more of a 'log cabin' then a house. It is an incredibly 'masculine' space to me, stripped down to the bare essentials of his particular interests, of those times, of a very singular man, which includes his love of motorbikes, which, rather ironically is how he died, in a motorbike accident. RIP...
Tam wrote: "AB76 wrote: "RussellinVT wrote: "AB76 wrote: "how far is your nearest town of any size then Russ? You will be breathing in much healthier air than most of us in the backwoods though!..."Well, the..."
yes,live by the bike,die by the bike
gonna google clouds hill,thanks- oh i love Clouds Hill, its walls remind me of my own place...which dates from 1798 and Clouds Hill dated from1808, lime and mortar style i think. The Music Room is superb, to think before the last months reading i hadnt read or thought about TW Lawrence for 20 years
As my Junger diaries were translated and funded by Columbia University Press, i am saddened to see Trump bullying the university over its "bias", by cancelling $400m funds ,which basically means its a place where ideas other than MAGA nationalism are encouragedThe university seems to have conceded all demands that Trump has requested, with no sign of funding being restored, it feels a bit like the Ukraine situation, with its recent aid.
I'm not sure how the fabled USA constitution has a rats chance in hell of stopping even 5% of what Trump is doing on many fronts ...its a disaster
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Excellent photos on the NT page, thanks for mentioning that. And Clouds Hill is such an evocative name.
AB76 wrote: "Today i finished The Mint by TE Lawrence,a really unusual and different kind of read than i expected and i'm glad i found it on my weekly browse in my local Oxfam bookshop.."
when Lawrence and Noel Coward met in 1930 Lawrence was 338171 Aircraftsman Shaw.
Coward began one letter to him: 'Dear 338171, (May I call you 338?)'.
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This is a collection of articles written for newspapers and magazines, including book and film reviews, opinion pieces, autobiographical pieces.
Many of them send us back to her books, for example:
- an account of a book by an "agony uncle" Roman Catholic priest, which she says she quoted in Fludd, reminding me I've been meaning to re-read it.
- an article about her time in Saudi Arabia — Eight Months on Ghazzah Street.
- a review of a book about the duc d' Orléans (1747-1793) dit Philippe Égalité. I haven't yet read her A Place of Greater Safety.
She says in Blot, Erase, Delete (2016), "I have ninety-seven notebooks in a wooden box." Maybe we have more of her writing to come ...
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Something to Answer For: The First Man Booker Prize Winner (other topics)Salt Creek (other topics)
Dostoevsky (other topics)
The Politics of Thatcherism (other topics)
Les eaux du Danube (other topics)
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I found this in one of the book boxes ..."
precisely my reaction to 'The Island of Missing Trees' it has gone back to the church 'free' library...