kaggsy59

[kaggsy59]

Three things... #8

It’s again been a while since I did one of the “Three things…” posts, inspired by Paula, but I thought I would share some thoughts today about my recent habits, just for the fun of it! Reading I try to write about everything I read, but a recent choice was quite slim and I don’t know if I have a lot more to say except “Read this!” The work in question is “How to Spot a Fascist” by Umberto Eco…

[kaggsy59]

Time travelling japes and chilling encounters... #beyondtime #britishlibrarysciencefictionclassics

So often when I’m moved to pick up a book, I find I can’t remember what it was that nudged me in its direction. However, in the case of today’s book, there’s no mystery! One of my commenters mentioned the horror stories of J.B. Priestley, and this was a bit of a revelation for me, as I had had no idea he’d written that kind of story. So of course I did a little investigation, and an online search…

[kaggsy59]

Memories of a great poet, and a lost world - over @ShinyNewBooks!

Today I’d like to share with you a new review I have up on Shiny New Books. It’s of a lovely book which came out recently from Pushkin Press in their Classics range, and it’s “Conversations with Rilke” by Maurice Betz, translated by Will Stone. Betz has appeared on the Ramblings before, when I reviewed another book by him about the great poet, “Rilke in Paris“. Published at that point by…

[kaggsy59]

"It's possible that life demands to be decoded like a cryptogram". #nadja #andrebreton

Andre Breton’s “Nadja” is a book with which I go back a long way. I first came across mention of it on the back of the record sleeve of Patti Smith’s “Radio Ethiopia”; this was her second LP and I insisted my parents procure it for my birthday the year it came out. I was puzzled by the one line quoted which was simply attributed to Nadja, and it wasn’t until many years (probably decades) that I…

[kaggsy59]

"What they wanted was to climb trees..." #moomin80

Well, we’ve come to the fifth book of my readalong with Liz to celebrate #Moomin80 and that’s “Moominsummer Madness” by Tove Jansson, translated here by Thomas Warburton. I first read this one 10 years ago, and recall that it wasn’t necessarily my favourite of the sequence. I took a look back at my review and will quote myself a little here: “(The book) is a strange one (well, they all are…

[kaggsy59]

"The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter..." #readingthemeow

Practical cats, or moggies that cause havoc – that’s what I’m featuring today on the Ramblings to celebrate the Reading the Meow challenge hosted by the Literary Potpourri blog. Last year for the challenge I was prompted into a reread of one of my favourite novels, the magnificent “The Master and Margarita”. This year I have gone for books which are more playful but which nevertheless make for…

[kaggsy59]

The roots of Britain's 20th Century culture - over @ShinyNewBooks

I have a new review up on Shiny New Books today which I wanted to share with you, and it’s of a stunningly good book by Owen Hatherley, “The Alienation Effect”. In the book, Hatherley explores the effect of the influx of Central European emigres into Britain during the early 20th century, mainly during the interwar period. It’s a fascinating and absorbing read, and I absolutely loved it – you…

[kaggsy59]

...in which the foundations of the Ramblings continue to creak! 🤣📚

As I mentioned online on Friday, 6th June was the 13th anniversary of the blog (it always sneaks up on me, and then WordPress reminds me!) As I commented, that’s a lot of books and a lot of words about books!! 🤣 In earlier times, I used to do regular book haul posts; I tended to pick up more from the charity shops, as I formerly made weekly visits, and now don’t go into town so often. However…

[kaggsy59]

More Moomin Mania!

Moominsummer Madness by Tove Jansson Since discovering the wonderful prose of Tove Jansson, I’ve been gradually making my way through her whimsical and wonderful Moomin books, reading them in the published order (which is now possible, thanks to Sort of books having brought out the first volume, “The Moomins and the Great Flood”, previously unavailable in English).The latest volume, “Moominsummer…

[kaggsy59]

Sterling essays from Camus and Orwell - #PenguinArchive90

Inevitably, I have been drawn back to those nice shiny new Penguin Archive 90 volumes; they sit so brightly on the TBR and call to me like sirens, and were the perfect thing to pick up and read alongside the Hatherley book I mentioned! Today I want to share two of them, by a pair of favourite authors – Albert Camus and George Orwell. Both are collections of essays, although really they couldn’t…

[kaggsy59]

"...freedom consists in conforming to the will of the majority." #theporcupine #julianbarnes

Despite being surrounded by endless choices when it comes to picking my new book, there are times when I hover a bit, not quite sure what I actually want to read next. Having lots of options can be overwhelming occasionally, and I felt like that recently. I’m currently making my way through “The Alienation Effect” by Owen Hatherley, which is a huge chunkster sitting next to my reading table. I’m…

[kaggsy59]

The merry month of May - in books! 🤣📚

Another month flies past, and before we know it summer will be here – not that I’m entirely sorry, as that does mean I have the summer school closure to read and relax and recover! And as May ended with the half term break, I do feel a little rested. I’ve also spent much of the holiday immersed in Owen Hatherley’s “The Alienation Effect” and when I’ve finally finished it I’ll try to share my…

[kaggsy59]

"...her voice was small, from a long way off..." @bhousepress #gertrudetrevelyan

“Trance by Appointment” by Gertrude Trevelyan is the latest in a series of reissues of her novels by Recovered Books/Boiler House Press; they’ve been doing a sterling job in bringing her work into print, and this is her final novel from 1939. Trevelyan sadly died in 1941 from injuries sustained during an air raid, and her books have been neglected since. It’s been a joy to be able to rediscover…

[kaggsy59]

"How totalitarian regimes die." @OldStPublishing #thedeathofstalin

Author Sheila Fitzpatrick has appeared on the Ramblings before, when I reviewed her excellent “A Spy in the Archives” back 2020. A noted and respected Soviet historian, as the book relates she spent some time living in the USSR and so she brings expertise and personal knowledge to her writings on the country and its history. So when I heard that Old Street Publishing were bringing out a new work…

[kaggsy59]

"It all comes down to syphilis in the end." #againstnature #huysmans

Inevitably, the effect of the Julian Barnes being what it was, I turned to Huysmans’ “Against Nature” straight away! Interestingly, it’s only been lurking on the TBR since 2019 when I picked it up at the local Oxfam and it’s highly likely that that was because I’d listened to the excellent Backlisted episode on the book. Indeed, the notorious section with the gilded tortoise has become a…

[kaggsy59]

"...a sane man in a demented age." #julianbarnes #themanintheredcoat

Well, once again I am faced with a book festooned with post-it notes which I absolutely loved and have no idea how to write about – this is becoming a habit! 🤣 The work in question is by a favourite author, although it’s a book of his I only picked up recently – “The Man in the Red Coat” by Julian Barnes. For once, I know why I tracked down a copy, and it’s thanks to the recommendation of…

[kaggsy59]

"...garden design needs a human element..." #FUTURES #melvillehousepress

If someone mentions gardening to you, it might summon up a bucolic image of a person in a straw hat, clutching a trug and a trowel, pottering around amongst the flower beds. However, as a new book makes clear, gardening has very much moved into the 21st century and that image could well be out of date! The book is the latest release in Melville House Press’s FUTURES series, and I’m happy to take…