October just whizzed along. I squeezed in a lot of things, which I guess contributed to time flying by. I went to two gigs – the Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwals and Panic Shack – as well as a handful of delicious meals out and the Great Western Lego show. And also two author talks! I saw historian Paula Akpan talk about her book When We Ruled: the Rise and Fall of Twelve African Queens and Warriors. And Tim took me to see Nick Offerman, who is touring for the launch of his new book Little Woodchucks. I’m not sure I’ll get that much out of an introduction to woodworking, but he is a very funny man. And the book does include instructions to build your own little free library, which could be a pretty cool addition to our front garden.

October is Black History Month here in the UK. The Paula Akpan event was part of the Bookhaus celebration of Black history. And I read a few relevant chapters from the Comma Press collection Resist: Stories of Uprising. This is, in typical Comma Press fashion, short stories about real historical events – in this case all resistance movements in the UK – each of which is followed by an essay by a historian. From Boudica in 60 CE to Grenfell Tower protests in 2017, the collection shows that protest and pushback have always been part of British history. I’ve been introduced to the Notting Hill riots of 1958 as well as learning exactly who the Tolpuddle Martyrs were. I’m only halfway through so there’s plenty more history to learn about.

Books read

The Annual Banquet of the Gravediggers’ Guild by Mathias Enard
Translated from French by Frank Wynne
Young ethnologist David Mazon arrives in La Pierre-Saint-Christophe, a small village at the border of the Vendee and Deux-Sevres to spend a year studying what he hopes will prove to be the epitome of rural France. He sets about interviewing local residents, drinking in the village bar and making copious notes. He’s pretentious and snobby but his sections of this novel made me laugh a lot. Between them are historical stories about past lives of the village residents. And at the centre of it all is a long passage about the titular banquet – a boozy, gourmet affair described in extreme detail.

Further Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin
The third volume in the series. Real-life news events catch up with our familiar cast of characters. We see characters struggling with trauma. But also there’s plenty of ridiculous nonsense and romances. Who’s the weird man living in the park? Who is the strange woman Mona meets at the bus station?

Frenchman’s Creek by Daphne du Maurier
October is a good time to read du Maurier. Just as you might expect, this is a cosy historical romance in coastal Cornwall. Dona has left her hard-partying husband in London and taken their young children to their neglected country seat. She discovers her home has been used as hideout for a French pirate. The neighbouring landowners say the Frenchman has been terrorising them for months, that they’re living in fear of violence and debauchery. But Dona meets a charming, educated, erudite man and willingly joins him in piratical shenanigans. It’s romantic and exciting.

Babycakes by Armistead Maupin
This fourth Tales of the City book takes another step towards serious reality. Gay men are dying of AIDS – including a serial character from the previous books. But never fear, there’s still silliness and mysteries to solve and romances a-happening.

East of the Sun, West of the Moon by Taz Rahman
A slim collection of poetry about nature, depression and being Brown in Britain. Rahman explores his Bangladeshi heritage, his love for Wales, his experiences of racism and romance. The poems are thick with references to mythology, religion, food, languages, politics and the little details of daily life. I actually found it a little too dense, but perhaps it just needs to be read a second time.

If I am Right, and I Know I Am: Inge Lehmann, the Woman Who Discovered Earth’s Innermost Secret by Hanne Strager
I do enjoy a good biography every so often. This is about Inge Lehmann, a Danish geophysicist who faced a lot of challenges in her early life then went on to figure out that the Earth has a solid core. She was quirky and introverted and intensely private. I’ve reviewed this for Physics World.