Category: Blog

Poetry book launch: Elizabeth Parker, Paul Deaton and Claire Williamson

Many moons ago and not so far from here, Lizzie Parker and I were at secondary school together. We were close friends, sometimes best, sometimes not, in that way that friendships fluctuate when you’re young. After leaving school we lost touch for many years, and then recently reconnected in Bristol. But once someone has been your best friend, however briefly or long ago, they’re tied to you in a way.

Which is my long-winded way of saying that I can’t be objective about the first of the three poetry pamphlets I went to the launch of on Monday night. For the record, I think it’s very good. And Lizzie has been shortlisted for multiple prizes so it’s not just me who thinks that. But if you need convincing, watch the above video of Lizzie performing.

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Films not books

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julie-julia

In the past week and a half I’ve watched an awful lot of films. Usually I’m more of a TV series person, though we do have a film night most weeks, but sometimes only a film will hit the spot – maybe it’s the beginning, middle and end all wrapped up in a two-hour package that makes it so good.

When I was feeling unwell last week I binged on gentle comedies. There was Chalet Girl, in which Felicity Jones plays a working glass girl who falls for a posh boy and tries to win a skateboarding competition. It’s better than its predictable cliched plot thanks to a decent script and great actors, including Bill Bailey as a deadbeat dad. I followed that with Nine Months, which is pretty awful and even a small supporting role from Robin Williams couldn’t save. Then there was Julie and Julia, which I wasn’t expecting much of until the opening credits reminded me that it was screenwritten and directed by Nora Ephron, and it lived up to her high standards despite my having zero interest in historical or current TV chefs or French cooking in general (Japanese cooking, on the other hand…). And then I started watching 84 Charing Cross Road, based on the wonderful book by Helene Hanff and starring Anthony Hopkins and Anne Bancroft, and frankly I was bored silly. That story just doesn’t make sense anywhere but on paper for me.

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World Book Day 2016

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Happy World Book Day! Every child went to school today dressed as their favourite book character and 14 million children in the UK and Ireland have received a £1 book voucher. (There are 10 special £1 books for the occasion, or they can just get £1 off any book they like.) It’s a fantastic celebration of books and reading and I really feel that as a book blogger I should contribute…something.

I am hugely behind on book reviews, having finished no less than three books this week, but I’ve been unwell and full-of-cold brain is not conducive to good writing. I’m sure all the top journalists say the same.

But what I can still manage is to write about the four new books I gained this last week. Because this post is mainly pictures and even ol’ snuffles here can take a couple of photos.

IMG_4400-edit2

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February reading round-up

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(George Romney 1734-1802)
(George Romney 1734–1802)

Happy Leap Day! Despite the extra bonus day, I haven’t read as much as I’d have liked to this month. That’s not because I’ve had less free time but because I’ve picked back up on multiple hobbies that I’d let slide over winter. I’m writing and knitting, but the biggest time suck is that I’ve started running.

I’m using the good old Zombies, Run! app created by author Naomi Alderman, which I’ve used for the past few years. But this time I’m working harder. I’m running three times a week, a fraction further each time, no excuses. I still intensely dislike running, but it doesn’t half make me feel better about myself afterward!

This month I also went to see the excellent play Pink Mist at the Bristol Old Vic, which is written entirely in verse. We’ve booked tickets to see a play every month until June. It’s our best plan ever!

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Fun bookish stuff

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book-map

I was looking for a book recommendations tool online and found some excellent stuff. The Lovereading Google Maps Book Mash-up and the Mappit Global Book Map are both user-generated maps of book settings. The content varies widely but they’re both fun to explore and could be useful if you fancy recreating my recent attempts to list authors from my home town and region.

However, what I was really looking for was a place to type in the names of authors I know a friend likes and get recommendations of similar authors. And that’s just what the Gnooks Map of Literature is. I have had a lot of fun playing with this. Again, it’s user-generated so there are some spelling errors (which you can fix if you see them) but the more people who contribute, the better the data that comes out of it, so do go have a look at the Suggestions tool to help build the Gnod database.

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My literary heritage: Forest of Dean

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Mr blue sky

Last week I blogged about authors from my home town of Coleford. But when people ask where I’m from I don’t say Coleford, I say the wider district of the Forest of Dean. Yes, that’s partly because they’re more likely to have heard of it, but not much more likely. I identify with the lakes and woodland of the Forest more than being from a small town. Living in a city now, I miss trees; I don’t miss those same old four pubs and no shops being open after 5 pm. The Forest of Dean is truly beautiful and while it has an industrial past, these days the economy is mostly tourism and leisure, so I can see why writers might move there. Here are some Forest writers to add to the list from Coleford.

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My literary heritage: Coleford

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Inspired by Louise of Lone Star on a Lark I have been researching authors from my home town. I’ve looked before at books set in Bristol, but this is my adopted home, not where my roots are. So what about my original home of Coleford, Gloucestershire?

Men of Iron and Steel

Now, Coleford is a pretty small place, a country market town of 8000 people, and a good third of those have arrived during my lifetime, so you might not expect there to be many authors with links to it. But, partly thanks to a local literary culture cultivated by the (now sadly closed) Forest Bookshop, Coleford is a bit of a writers’ hotspot.

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January reading round-up

Correggio by Corrado Ricci, 1896.
Correggio by Corrado Ricci, 1896.

It’s been a pretty eclectic month, reading-wise. There’s been short stories, novels, poetry, work in translation, graphic-novel memoir and more non-fiction of very different kinds. Which I think is an excellent start for a new year.

I did break my book-buying rule very slightly last week, but as Tim bought me tickets to see author Matt Haig as a Christmas present it would have been rude not to buy the book! Haig was a great speaker – warm, funny, intelligent and honest – and I’ve added his older books to my wishlist. I’ve already read the book he was speaking about, Reasons to Stay Alive, and thought it completely brilliant. (Review will follow soon.) And I’ve been to bookshops no less than four times, so only buying one book for myself is frankly amazing, if I do say so myself.

In book-relatedness, I have watched the films of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (great, possibly better than the book, though equally hard to follow to begin with); Push (which is fun if ridiculous and has a comic-book mini-series prequel); and Limitless (pretty good despite the annoying premise and based on the book The Dark Fields by Alan Glynn).

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Sunday Salon: Quiet January?

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The Sunday SalonFor most people, January is pretty quiet. You might be drinking less so you maybe cut down on socialising, when the booze might get tempting. You might be eating more healthily after Christmas indulgence so you don’t go out for meals. The weather is nasty and the evenings long and dark, so walks and other outdoor activities are kept to a minimum. Which makes it a great time for catching up on reading books and watching films.

On the other hand, January is also traditionally time for a fresh start: a new exercise regime, a new project at work, an honest look at all those DIY projects that need finishing. Which isn’t so good for the ol’ leisure time.

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Sunday Salon: Getting the New Year going

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The Sunday SalonIt’s been mostly a good start to 2016 for me. I got through the first week back at work with not only no major mishaps but also no major stresses, which is nice. I’ve got another year older but don’t feel it, which is also good. I’ve just had a lovely weekend away with friends. The only negative is my apparent lack of attention span to any one book. It’s not that I’m not reading, I just seem to have picked a couple of giants to start the year with, and then I got disheartened that I wouldn’t finish a book for several weeks, so I started yet another book. I did finish that one, and I’ll try to review it this week as it has a certain timeliness factor.

I did gain a few books for my birthday, which is inevitable and I am not at all upset about it, but it’s probably for the best that it’s a much smaller pile than I got for Christmas!

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