The film of Chocolat (which I watched a long time ago now) irked me a bit because it struck me as lacking moral grey areas and a proper exploration of the relationship between pleasure and faith. I assumed the whole thing was taking place over the course of many months, but it turned out that it was all set during Lent. So it's not clear if the villagers abstain from the chocolate because they're against it per se, or because they are fasting for Lent. I can't help but think that the main character could have had a better business plan. Lots of beautiful chocolate and countryside to look at, though.
I'm currently reading Catrina Davies' Homesick: Why I Live in a Shed. It's about how the author, precariously housed and employed, ended up moving into a shed in Cornwall, near where she grew up. There are two intertwined threads in it: on the one hand, Davies genuinely seems to prefer living differently and getting out of the rat race; on the other, her decision is driven by the sheer unfairness of the housing market, which not only she but also her parents have suffered horribly under.
Yeah, there are tedious bits. Try to power through them.
Have now finished it I know what you mean. Some major characters in the book are omitted and some characters in the book are built up for the film. The Charlton Heston film is almost a different story and the emphasis is on action rather than the dialogue of the book
However, I did enjoy reading it even though it did appear to rush to a conclusion.
Fair critique. I do think the Ramon Navarro version of "Ben Hur" is closer to the book than Chuck Heston, but neither film truly captures the book. As you say, some major characters are omitted and others built up. It is rather fascinating just how much more plot there is after the chariot race in the book that the movies do not reflect.
Frontier Wolf comes after Eagle of the Ninth, IIRC. I'm trying to remember which is the last one in the sequence - Dawn Wind? Nope, it's gone.
@Eigon by a strange coincidence I went to Hay on Wye for the weekend last month and came back with my own copy of 'Diary of a bookseller.' Alas, it is still languishing towards the bottom of my TBR pile. Last time I went to the library I returned two books and got out four more... I think the books are winning.
Yes it is Dawn Wind, but it isn't "Roman" inasmuch as although it traces the descendants of the same family, it takes up the story around 100 years after the Romans have left and as I recall, ends with the arrival of Augustine in England.
Yes, it does, but I wasn't sure whether we were talking about the family saga or the Roman period. I find the stories about the Romano-British period equally interesting.
I'm sure I remember reading an interview with Rosemary Sutcliff where she said that, if she was transported back in time to the Roman period, she'd just have to shake herself off for a moment and then she'd be right at home.
I once read a book by Norah Lofts called "A Wayside Tavern" It was about the occupants through the ages of a Roman tavern which survived untill modern times and nobody realised how old it was. The building was often repaired and extended a bit but still retained the Roman core.
I once read a book by Norah Lofts called "A Wayside Tavern" It was about the occupants through the ages of a Roman tavern which survived untill modern times and nobody realised how old it was. The building was often repaired and extended a bit but still retained the Roman core.
I feel like I need to read that! I've just watched the episode of The Sandman about the fellow who can't die who meets up with Dream in the same pub every 100 years, and by far the part I loved most was watching how the inn/tavern/pub on the same location was updated every century.
I'm reading Kia Corthuron's "Moon to the Mars," about a young girl, an orphan, who is half Irish, half Black, growing up in one of the poorer neighborhoods of Manhattan. It's set in the years just before the American Civil War. Corthuron began her career as a playwright, and has a remarkable ear for dialogue. Much pre-war history, dealing with the tensions in the American populace over slavery.
A Wayside Tavern is brilliant - the tavern goes through cycles of prosperity and hard times just enough that the original fabric isn't messed around with too much over the centuries.
A Wayside Tavern is brilliant - the tavern goes through cycles of prosperity and hard times just enough that the original fabric isn't messed around with too much over the centuries.
I have ascertained that my library has a copy so will be picking one up!
I haven't been through this thread to check if anyone else has read The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams.
I really liked the historical novel based on the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary and the life of a girl to woman who participated, but also created her own dictionary of lost women's words that were in common use but not found in literature, and thus excluded from the OED because they were not referenced. This was happening during the time of the women's suffrage movement in Britain.
Having finished that I am now re-reading Andrea Camilleri's The Trip to Tindari. The books have a different flavour from the Commissario Montalbano TV films. (There is even a section in one book where Montalbano avoids going to a place with his girlfriend as one of the TV films is being filmed there). I thought I would get rid of them in the downsizing, but have relented for the moment.
Just finished Fever Season by Barbara Hambly, the last scenes of which gave me nightmares! It's part of her Benjamin January series about a black doctor in 1830s New Orleans, and this one is based on a true life account of what one of the local high society ladies had been doing to her slaves. The details of New Orleans life at a time when the city had only recently become part of the United States (and a lot of the inhabitants speak French) are very well done.
In the current (UK) political situation, this makes for very difficult reading. The society that Orwell wrote about (he was talking about the rise of Communist Russia, but the same applies for any totalitarian state) is reflected in many ways in our current society. Differently - 80 years of technology make a big difference. But in principle, very much the same.
So don;t read if you don't like dystopias (Trudy!). And it is a far more disturbing book than many of the memes and tv shows that come from it suggest. But also, highly pertinent.
I watched both '1984' and the Terry Gilliam version ('Brazil') in 1985, and 'Brazil' (which spoke to 1985 in the same way that '1984' spoke to 1954) terrified me all over again. 1954 to 1984 was 30 years: it's going on for another 40 years now, and perhaps time for an update that speaks to the modern generation.
"Planetwalker: 22 Years of Walking. 17 Years of Silence."
I'd always thought (and still think) that those religious "vows of silence" were a form of self-flagellation, but John Francis presents an alternative view.
Jim Al-Khalili was at Hay Festival last week, (from Radio 4's The Life Scientific) so I picked up a copy of Pathfinders, his book about the history of Arabic science. My knowledge of the period is restricted to Haroun al-Rashid and Arabian Nights, and he does appear in the book, but at the moment I'm immersed in the reign of his son Al-Ma'mun, who encouraged scholars of all sorts, as well as translation of many Ancient Greek texts into Arabic (also Indian mathematics, and Persian works).
It's quite heavy going, with a lot of unfamiliar names, but absolutely fascinating.
Our first thoughts were of Hay NSW - a fine country town and centre of a rich grazing district.....
And the seat of the ( Anglican) Bishop of the Riverina
Is it still? I thought that Griffith now was - Griffith is certainly where the cathedral is.
I'm reading Country Driving by Peter Hessler. He's an American journalist based in China, and the book is about him following the line of the Great Wall, with observations on the history and archaeology, and how life is changing for the local people. In the second part of the book he describes the village (in the shadow of the Great Wall), where he rents a holiday home and gets involved in the lives of his neighbours.
Jim Al-Khalili was at Hay Festival last week, (from Radio 4's The Life Scientific) so I picked up a copy of Pathfinders, his book about the history of Arabic science. My knowledge of the period is restricted to Haroun al-Rashid and Arabian Nights, and he does appear in the book, but at the moment I'm immersed in the reign of his son Al-Ma'mun, who encouraged scholars of all sorts, as well as translation of many Ancient Greek texts into Arabic (also Indian mathematics, and Persian works).
It's quite heavy going, with a lot of unfamiliar names, but absolutely fascinating.
Our first thoughts were of Hay NSW - a fine country town and centre of a rich grazing district.....
And the seat of the ( Anglican) Bishop of the Riverina
Is it still? I thought that Griffith now was - Griffith is certainly where the cathedral is.
It is indeed Griffith. The former pro-cathedral in Hay became unusable and the property was sold, with significant windows installed in the side chapel at CCSL and consecrated there by my good friend the Bishop of Riverina. All aspects of the diocesan leadership are now at Griffith with the registry transferred from Narrandera. For the first time in many years, the diocese has all of its stipendiary posts occupied.
To keep this post on track with the thread, I have just purchased Alan Garner's latest work Treacle Walker, which has been shortlisted for the Booker. I have only read the opening passages at this point, but I love his style, so am looking forward to the remainder. I used regularly to read from the Booker list, but found that often these were turgid in their language, so haven't indulged for years. I'm hoping this one encourages me to return.
A Wayside Tavern is brilliant - the tavern goes through cycles of prosperity and hard times just enough that the original fabric isn't messed around with too much over the centuries.
I have ascertained that my library has a copy so will be picking one up!
Thanks to those who recommended A Wayside Tavern -- I loved it!
Jim Al-Khalili was at Hay Festival last week, (from Radio 4's The Life Scientific) so I picked up a copy of Pathfinders, his book about the history of Arabic science. My knowledge of the period is restricted to Haroun al-Rashid and Arabian Nights, and he does appear in the book, but at the moment I'm immersed in the reign of his son Al-Ma'mun, who encouraged scholars of all sorts, as well as translation of many Ancient Greek texts into Arabic (also Indian mathematics, and Persian works).
It's quite heavy going, with a lot of unfamiliar names, but absolutely fascinating.
Our first thoughts were of Hay NSW - a fine country town and centre of a rich grazing district.....
And the seat of the ( Anglican) Bishop of the Riverina
Is it still? I thought that Griffith now was - Griffith is certainly where the cathedral is.
It is indeed Griffith. The former pro-cathedral in Hay became unusable and the property was sold, with significant windows installed in the side chapel at CCSL and consecrated there by my good friend the Bishop of Riverina. All aspects of the diocesan leadership are now at Griffith with the registry transferred from Narrandera. For the first time in many years, the diocese has all of its stipendiary posts occupied.
To keep this post on track with the thread, I have just purchased Alan Garner's latest work Treacle Walker, which has been shortlisted for the Booker. I have only read the opening passages at this point, but I love his style, so am looking forward to the remainder. I used regularly to read from the Booker list, but found that often these were turgid in their language, so haven't indulged for years. I'm hoping this one encourages me to return.
Thanks for that detail, it confirms my understanding. A most oddly shaped diocese, including such non-Riverina parishes as Broken Hill and Bourke - indeed including Tipooburra - an outpost of Bourke, located near the corner where NSW, SA and Queensland meet. Another outpost of Bourke parish, but in the opposite direction, meets in the shed at the local tennis court!
So, I have just finished The ministry of the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson. An amazing work, superb in its vision and writing, and providing a real positive view for the future - eventually. Brilliant read.
I heard a podcast where Kim Stanley Robinson was interviewed about his work - I think it was the Tin House series Crafting With Ursula Le Guin. He said he'd been invited to COP 26 because of that book. I think that will be next on my reading list
"Planetwalker: 22 Years of Walking. 17 Years of Silence."
I'd always thought (and still think) that those religious "vows of silence" were a form of self-flagellation, but John Francis presents an alternative view.
That's just gone onto my list of 'books which might be worth reading some time'. Although since there are about 250 of those, I may not get to it ...
Right now I'm reading the Iliad, which I've had some intention to do for more than 20 years. Natalie Haynes' Radio 4 series Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics has an excellent, funny half-hour summary of the poem, which I am using as my guide.
I haven't been through thi s thread to check if anyone else has read The Dictionary of Lost Wordsby Pip Williams.
I really liked the historical novel based on the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary and the life of a girl to woman who participated, but also created her own dictionary of lost women's words that were in common use but not found in literature, and thus excluded from the OED because they were not referenced. This was happening during the time of the women's suffrage movement in Britain.
....snip.... .
Yes, I have read and written a wee bit about that book. In fact, I intend to recommend it for the Ship's book club next year.
The last novel I read was Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry. Several passages were transporting but this was my favorite.
“ The surface of the quieted river as I thought in those old days at Squire’s Landing, as I think now, is like a window looking into another world that is like this one except that it is quiet. Its quietness makes it seem perfect. The ripples are like the slats of a blind or a shutter through which we we see imperfectly what is perfect. Though that other world can be seen only momentarily, it looks everlasting. As the ripples become more agitated, the window darkens and the other world is hidden. As I did not know then but know now, the surface of the water is like a living soul, which is easy to disturb, is often disturbed, but, growing calm, shows what it was, is, and will be.”
I have borrowed Daphne du Maurier's Frenchman's Creek from friends we were staying with at the weekend. I've read several of hers and I'm sure I read this one years ago but it's ringing no bells at present.
I'm supposed to be reading it only last thing at night as the rest of my reading time needs to be taken up with finishing an assignment I've been working on for Far Too Long. :rolleyes:
I enjoyed it very much—a good story, told quite well—and am now looking forward to the other two books in the series.
But first, I’m making a rare foray into non-fiction, though non-fiction about a work of fiction, and am reading Fleming Rutledge’s The Battle for Middle-earth: Tolkien’s Divine Design in The Lord of the Rings. Very good so far.
For those who aren’t familiar with her, Rutledge is an Episcopal priest, one of the first women ordained a priest in The Episcopal Church. I’ve heard her preach or speak a few times; she has a commanding, but not over-bearing, speaking voice coupled with a Tidewater Virginia accent. As a result, I hear her voice in my head as I read. Not an unpleasant experience at all.
I enjoyed it very much—a good story, told quite well—and am now looking forward to the other two books in the series.
That's so good to hear! Let us know what you think of the others as well, if you can.
But first, I’m making a rare foray into non-fiction, though non-fiction about a work of fiction, and am reading Fleming Rutledge’s The Battle for Middle-earth: Tolkien’s Divine Design in The Lord of the Rings. Very good so far.
For those who aren’t familiar with her, Rutledge is an Episcopal priest, one of the first women ordained a priest in The Episcopal Church. I’ve heard her preach or speak a few times; she has a commanding, but not over-bearing, speaking voice coupled with a Tidewater Virginia accent. As a result, I hear her voice in my head as I read. Not an unpleasant experience at all.
That sounds very interesting. *adds to ever-increasing reading list*
I have re-read (after a lapse of over 30 years) "The Gods Themselves" by Asimov. As I vaguely remembered, it is the middle section of this three-part novella which is the memorable one, where he postulates a parallel universe involving beings with three different sexes which form triads. I think this does not entirely succeed - sometimes (not always) the three alien sexes are unsatisfactorially mapped onto two genders as a concession to the language and imagination - but it is a brave effort and quite striking. The sandwiching sections based in our Universe are less interesting, especially the finale.
In preparation for a friend's Booker Prize lunch in a couple of weeks, I've now finished reading Treacle Walker by Alan Garner and Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan. Both books are only novella length but are gems of fine writing.
I have always enjoyed Alan Garner's command of language, which is undiminished. His invention of dialect and characterisation has a lightness of touch which adds to the dreamlike fantasy of the story.
Keegan's work brings to life the oppressive culture of an Irish town, focusing on the tragedy of the Magdalene laundries through the eyes of a man born out of wedlock. The tension between man and wife as the story develops, and his final act of compassion are finely drawn.
For light relief, I've now started the third Thursday Murder Club mystery The Bullet That Missed. It's great to find time to return to my TBR pile, and start reducing the number waiting.
I'm just about to start The Bullet that Missed, having just finished Robert Galbraith's (J.K. Rowling) latest Cormoran Strike book. Apparently it is over 1,000 pages long (I read it on Kindle). I was sucked into her world as always, but I'm not quite sure I'd sorted out by the end who was who.
I really enjoyed Country Driving by Peter Hessler, about his experiences of living in China, and I noticed the shop where I work also has his River Town, which is about his experiences of teaching English at a Chinese college in the 1990s. Also excellent and fascinating so far.
I have borrowed Daphne du Maurier's Frenchman's Creek from friends we were staying with at the weekend. I've read several of hers and I'm sure I read this one years ago but it's ringing no bells at present.
I have just finished re-reading The Moonstone which I first read many years ago, and have re-read several times. What struck me this time was how clever it was to have different parts written by different characters. This way you not only get eyewitness accounts of different events, but each narrator also reveals a great deal about himself.
I have borrowed Daphne du Maurier's Frenchman's Creek from friends we were staying with at the weekend. I've read several of hers and I'm sure I read this one years ago but it's ringing no bells at present.
Finished this last night and enjoyed it.
Many years ago I borrowed from the library a collection of Du Maurier's 4 most popular works (including Frenchmans Creek, Jamaica Inn, Rebecca and another although I cannot remember which one). They were all superb reads. It really cemented her as being an incredibly talented writer.
I have borrowed Daphne du Maurier's Frenchman's Creek from friends we were staying with at the weekend. I've read several of hers and I'm sure I read this one years ago but it's ringing no bells at present.
Finished this last night and enjoyed it.
Many years ago I borrowed from the library a collection of Du Maurier's 4 most popular works (including Frenchmans Creek, Jamaica Inn, Rebecca and another although I cannot remember which one). They were all superb reads. It really cemented her as being an incredibly talented writer.
I suspect the fourth was My Cousin Rachel. They seem, to me at least, to be du Maurier's Big Four. I think Rebecca is her best.
I was interested to read, on her Wikipedia page, that when she was writing she could often be distant with her children, particularly the girls, and one thing that struck me in Frenchman's Creek was that the heroine seemed far more enamoured of her little son than of her young daughter.
I've now started a reread of Rosemary Sutcliff's Frontier Wolf, intrigued by discussions here that it is one of The Eagle of the Ninth series. I must have read it years ago but so far am having no recollection of it at all.
Even now, I have a vivid recollection of listening to The Eagle of the Ninth serialised on the BBC Children's Hour in 195? with my sisters, and reading it later. Marius Goring played the hero - incredible that I still remember that. I would recognise the signature tune right away if I heard it now. Must find a copy of the book.
Me too @Stercus Tauri. Was it called "Marching to Clusium"?
The other Children's Hour serial of which I have forn recollections was The Pirates of the Deep Green Sea , by Eric Linklator. Did they do The Box of Delights as well?
That was truly the golden era of children's books and of children's programmes on the BBC. I also vividly recall an earlier BBC School's programme that time-travelled to Ancient Egypt; maybe I was home from primary school with measles at the time.
I have re-read (after a lapse of over 30 years) "The Gods Themselves" by Asimov. As I vaguely remembered, it is the middle section of this three-part novella which is the memorable one, where he postulates a parallel universe involving beings with three different sexes which form triads. I think this does not entirely succeed - sometimes (not always) the three alien sexes are unsatisfactorially mapped onto two genders as a concession to the language and imagination - but it is a brave effort and quite striking. The sandwiching sections based in our Universe are less interesting, especially the finale.
It may be 40-50 years since I read it, and would not have remembered the name without your post. I found it interesting that the three sexes were the rationals, the emotionals, and the parentals. I do not remember much else about the book and probably would not re-read it. Though if I came across them, I would re-read Asimov's Foundation Trilogy.
I have almost finished re-reading the series of books I have of Andrea Camilleri's Commissario Montalbano. I have looked on-line for some I am missing, but have not located any so far. Just one of mine to go, but, instead of reading it, I have started re-reading our Donna Leon Commissario Guido Brunetti detective novels. This series is also about a policemen doing his best for justice (rather than simply obtaining convictions) and frustrated by corruption and superiors. The setting of the novels is Venice, the home of the author.
I am pretty sure I have read that Asimov. Interestingly, in todays world, to generate and use 3 different pronouns for the genders would probably work fine!
@Nenya - yes it probably was, but I couldn't be certain. And yes, Rebecca is the best, and is a magnificent, towering example of literature.
I just finished The Fur Person by May Sartin. I had read it many, many years ago as a child and never quite forgotten it, and finally got a new copy and reread it as an adult. It's the fictionalized life story of May Sartin's cat Tom Jones, and I found it utterly delightful.
Me too @Stercus Tauri. Was it called "Marching to Clusium"?
I didn't listen to the radio series but there was a TV series made in the 70s. It was, frankly, awful but the opening song was taken word for word from The Eagle of the Ninth text and it brought back a few memories to watch and listen to it here.
I quite enjoyed the more recent film The Eagle which is based on the book, although it does take some liberties with the narrative.
I have almost finished re-reading the series of books I have of Andrea Camilleri's Commissario Montalbano. I have looked on-line for some I am missing, but have not located any so far. Just one of mine to go, but, instead of reading it, I have started re-reading our Donna Leon Commissario Guido Brunetti detective novels. This series is also about a policemen doing his best for justice (rather than simply obtaining convictions) and frustrated by corruption and superiors. The setting of the novels is Venice, the home of the author.
Have you read the Aurelio Zen novels by Michael Dibden?
For light relief, I've now started the third Thursday Murder Club mystery The Bullet That Missed. It's great to find time to return to my TBR pile, and start reducing the number waiting.
I was given this for my birthday last week. I will read it once I have finished reading Caribbean by James Michener.
. @Nenya I also read Sorrow and Bliss for one of my book groups. I think I was the one who liked it least. I could see some of the humour, but it didn't really help and, in the early part of the book, I had to grit my teeth to carry on. Then I thought it picked up a bit, but... I don't want to offer any spoilers, but I thought the ending was a bit of a cop-out. My copy included a comment by the author on why she had done what she did, but I'm not convinced.
I've enjoyed a few Norah Lofts' books in my time, but didn't know A Wayside Tavern, so grateful for that recommendation.
For light relief, I've now started the third Thursday Murder Club mystery The Bullet That Missed. It's great to find time to return to my TBR pile, and start reducing the number waiting.
I was given this for my birthday last week. I will read it once I have finished reading Caribbean by James Michener.
Have you read the first two? I would recommend doing so, as there are references back to the preceding stories in both the The Man Who Died Twice and The Bullet That Missed. They really are important to getting the full enjoyment out of the books. Don't expect a police procedural mystery. There is an element of caricature in each of them.
For light relief, I've now started the third Thursday Murder Club mystery The Bullet That Missed. It's great to find time to return to my TBR pile, and start reducing the number waiting.
I was given this for my birthday last week. I will read it once I have finished reading Caribbean by James Michener.
Have you read the first two? I would recommend doing so, as there are references back to the preceding stories in both the The Man Who Died Twice and The Bullet That Missed. They really are important to getting the full enjoyment out of the books. Don't expect a police procedural mystery. There is an element of caricature in each of them.
Comments
I'm currently reading Catrina Davies' Homesick: Why I Live in a Shed. It's about how the author, precariously housed and employed, ended up moving into a shed in Cornwall, near where she grew up. There are two intertwined threads in it: on the one hand, Davies genuinely seems to prefer living differently and getting out of the rat race; on the other, her decision is driven by the sheer unfairness of the housing market, which not only she but also her parents have suffered horribly under.
Yes it is Dawn Wind, but it isn't "Roman" inasmuch as although it traces the descendants of the same family, it takes up the story around 100 years after the Romans have left and as I recall, ends with the arrival of Augustine in England.
I feel like I need to read that! I've just watched the episode of The Sandman about the fellow who can't die who meets up with Dream in the same pub every 100 years, and by far the part I loved most was watching how the inn/tavern/pub on the same location was updated every century.
I have ascertained that my library has a copy so will be picking one up!
I really liked the historical novel based on the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary and the life of a girl to woman who participated, but also created her own dictionary of lost women's words that were in common use but not found in literature, and thus excluded from the OED because they were not referenced. This was happening during the time of the women's suffrage movement in Britain.
Having finished that I am now re-reading Andrea Camilleri's The Trip to Tindari. The books have a different flavour from the Commissario Montalbano TV films. (There is even a section in one book where Montalbano avoids going to a place with his girlfriend as one of the TV films is being filmed there). I thought I would get rid of them in the downsizing, but have relented for the moment.
I watched both '1984' and the Terry Gilliam version ('Brazil') in 1985, and 'Brazil' (which spoke to 1985 in the same way that '1984' spoke to 1954) terrified me all over again. 1954 to 1984 was 30 years: it's going on for another 40 years now, and perhaps time for an update that speaks to the modern generation.
I'd always thought (and still think) that those religious "vows of silence" were a form of self-flagellation, but John Francis presents an alternative view.
Is it still? I thought that Griffith now was - Griffith is certainly where the cathedral is.
It is indeed Griffith. The former pro-cathedral in Hay became unusable and the property was sold, with significant windows installed in the side chapel at CCSL and consecrated there by my good friend the Bishop of Riverina. All aspects of the diocesan leadership are now at Griffith with the registry transferred from Narrandera. For the first time in many years, the diocese has all of its stipendiary posts occupied.
To keep this post on track with the thread, I have just purchased Alan Garner's latest work Treacle Walker, which has been shortlisted for the Booker. I have only read the opening passages at this point, but I love his style, so am looking forward to the remainder. I used regularly to read from the Booker list, but found that often these were turgid in their language, so haven't indulged for years. I'm hoping this one encourages me to return.
Thanks to those who recommended A Wayside Tavern -- I loved it!
Thanks for that detail, it confirms my understanding. A most oddly shaped diocese, including such non-Riverina parishes as Broken Hill and Bourke - indeed including Tipooburra - an outpost of Bourke, located near the corner where NSW, SA and Queensland meet. Another outpost of Bourke parish, but in the opposite direction, meets in the shed at the local tennis court!
That's just gone onto my list of 'books which might be worth reading some time'. Although since there are about 250 of those, I may not get to it ...
Right now I'm reading the Iliad, which I've had some intention to do for more than 20 years. Natalie Haynes' Radio 4 series Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics has an excellent, funny half-hour summary of the poem, which I am using as my guide.
Yes, I have read and written a wee bit about that book. In fact, I intend to recommend it for the Ship's book club next year.
“ The surface of the quieted river as I thought in those old days at Squire’s Landing, as I think now, is like a window looking into another world that is like this one except that it is quiet. Its quietness makes it seem perfect. The ripples are like the slats of a blind or a shutter through which we we see imperfectly what is perfect. Though that other world can be seen only momentarily, it looks everlasting. As the ripples become more agitated, the window darkens and the other world is hidden. As I did not know then but know now, the surface of the water is like a living soul, which is easy to disturb, is often disturbed, but, growing calm, shows what it was, is, and will be.”
I'm supposed to be reading it only last thing at night as the rest of my reading time needs to be taken up with finishing an assignment I've been working on for Far Too Long. :rolleyes:
But first, I’m making a rare foray into non-fiction, though non-fiction about a work of fiction, and am reading Fleming Rutledge’s The Battle for Middle-earth: Tolkien’s Divine Design in The Lord of the Rings. Very good so far.
For those who aren’t familiar with her, Rutledge is an Episcopal priest, one of the first women ordained a priest in The Episcopal Church. I’ve heard her preach or speak a few times; she has a commanding, but not over-bearing, speaking voice coupled with a Tidewater Virginia accent. As a result, I hear her voice in my head as I read. Not an unpleasant experience at all.
That's so good to hear!
That sounds very interesting. *adds to ever-increasing reading list*
Yay!
I have always enjoyed Alan Garner's command of language, which is undiminished. His invention of dialect and characterisation has a lightness of touch which adds to the dreamlike fantasy of the story.
Keegan's work brings to life the oppressive culture of an Irish town, focusing on the tragedy of the Magdalene laundries through the eyes of a man born out of wedlock. The tension between man and wife as the story develops, and his final act of compassion are finely drawn.
For light relief, I've now started the third Thursday Murder Club mystery The Bullet That Missed. It's great to find time to return to my TBR pile, and start reducing the number waiting.
Many years ago I borrowed from the library a collection of Du Maurier's 4 most popular works (including Frenchmans Creek, Jamaica Inn, Rebecca and another although I cannot remember which one). They were all superb reads. It really cemented her as being an incredibly talented writer.
I suspect the fourth was My Cousin Rachel. They seem, to me at least, to be du Maurier's Big Four. I think Rebecca is her best.
I was interested to read, on her Wikipedia page, that when she was writing she could often be distant with her children, particularly the girls, and one thing that struck me in Frenchman's Creek was that the heroine seemed far more enamoured of her little son than of her young daughter.
I've now started a reread of Rosemary Sutcliff's Frontier Wolf, intrigued by discussions here that it is one of The Eagle of the Ninth series. I must have read it years ago but so far am having no recollection of it at all.
The other Children's Hour serial of which I have forn recollections was The Pirates of the Deep Green Sea , by Eric Linklator. Did they do The Box of Delights as well?
That was truly the golden era of children's books and of children's programmes on the BBC. I also vividly recall an earlier BBC School's programme that time-travelled to Ancient Egypt; maybe I was home from primary school with measles at the time.
It may be 40-50 years since I read it, and would not have remembered the name without your post. I found it interesting that the three sexes were the rationals, the emotionals, and the parentals. I do not remember much else about the book and probably would not re-read it. Though if I came across them, I would re-read Asimov's Foundation Trilogy.
I have almost finished re-reading the series of books I have of Andrea Camilleri's Commissario Montalbano. I have looked on-line for some I am missing, but have not located any so far. Just one of mine to go, but, instead of reading it, I have started re-reading our Donna Leon Commissario Guido Brunetti detective novels. This series is also about a policemen doing his best for justice (rather than simply obtaining convictions) and frustrated by corruption and superiors. The setting of the novels is Venice, the home of the author.
@Nenya - yes it probably was, but I couldn't be certain. And yes, Rebecca is the best, and is a magnificent, towering example of literature.
I quite enjoyed the more recent film The Eagle which is based on the book, although it does take some liberties with the narrative.
Have you read the Aurelio Zen novels by Michael Dibden?
I was given this for my birthday last week. I will read it once I have finished reading Caribbean by James Michener.
That's the TV signature tune; I think you said it was the radio one you remembered?
I've enjoyed a few Norah Lofts' books in my time, but didn't know A Wayside Tavern, so grateful for that recommendation.
Have you read the first two? I would recommend doing so, as there are references back to the preceding stories in both the The Man Who Died Twice and The Bullet That Missed. They really are important to getting the full enjoyment out of the books. Don't expect a police procedural mystery. There is an element of caricature in each of them.
Thanks. I have read the first two.