Once again it's sunday and by the seem I've not written since last Sunday. I find time is just skating by.at the time it doesn't feel that so much time has passed but then I stop and think and find it's nearly the weekend again.this will be faifly brief because I have to pack for my trip to Switzerland. My tum is in turmoil because I don't like flying actually I think it's the airports I don't like. I'm flying from Gatwick just down the road. taxi picking me up at 5.15 Wed. morning.However, I did just want to write about an Edith Wharton book, which I've just read. I found it by chance in the library and it's not one I've ever heard of. It's 'The Children'. It would also make a marvellous film. Martin Boyne is in his thirties an engineer and on a ship he meets this 15 year old girl trailing several children. They adopt' him when they find out that in the past he knew their parents.This book is about a man's love for a young girl, dysfunctional families and the life of the super rich prewar in Venice. Every character is so well delineated that I felt I knew them all. Also Boyne has a 'lady' friend whom he has known for years but she was married:Now a widow they meet up in Switzerland closely followed by the children.This gives us an opportunity to learn about his friend, who I found to be a manipulator.I just couldn't put this book down. It is or my copy was a Virago publication.
When I'm back I'll wander over to the blogs of those who contact me and have a chat with them.
Sunday, 25 May 2008
Sunday, 18 May 2008
Sunday salon
It was lovely to hear from you Megan and Fay.I haven't found out hopw to reply to your post yet but I shall in time. I didn't realise I hadn't blogged this week but it has been so hyperactive I ve not read a book . I like to read a newspaper and I've done that but that's all. this weekend I've been listening to the Chopin on radio 3. It has included piece and poems I have never heard. He ha d a huge out put considering how ill he was and how young he died.
Have been trying to finish a translation for a friend but still have some left to do. I shall try to finish it today.
Have been pleased to see that Vanora Bennett has a new book out. I have read what she has written so far and have been very impressed.
Sent a reviewlet to Hesperus about 'Fatal Eggs' by Bulgakov.I have now read all I could get hold of but must say He's hard work except Eggs which his scifi book and is quite amusing. To write more would spoil the book.I do think because so much of what he writes is metaphor that one needs a huge knowledge of the Revolution and Stalin's Russia to understand everything He wants to convey.Hope everyone has a good Sunday. There's a cold wind here in East Surrey.
Have been trying to finish a translation for a friend but still have some left to do. I shall try to finish it today.
Have been pleased to see that Vanora Bennett has a new book out. I have read what she has written so far and have been very impressed.
Sent a reviewlet to Hesperus about 'Fatal Eggs' by Bulgakov.I have now read all I could get hold of but must say He's hard work except Eggs which his scifi book and is quite amusing. To write more would spoil the book.I do think because so much of what he writes is metaphor that one needs a huge knowledge of the Revolution and Stalin's Russia to understand everything He wants to convey.Hope everyone has a good Sunday. There's a cold wind here in East Surrey.
Sunday, 11 May 2008
Sunday Salon
at last I have managed to blog on a Sunday. i wonder if anyone else listened to 'Die Entfuhrung' from the Met last Sat. it was so disappointing. This opera has some wonderful music but the soprano was what I can only call a shrieker. I listened for 45 minutes, hoping things might improve but alas.In fact for all its hype I don't feel that the Met can compare with Italy or London and Glyndbourne.When one can only hear as on the radio it's so important that the singing is excellent.
I've read 'Le Bal' two novellas by Irene Nemirovski. In ' le bal a mother has vengeance wreaked on her by her daughter. daughter is very badly treated psychologically and mother tells her to post the invitations to a grand ball, she is holding. You can guess what happened. Nemirovsky's writing is so fine tuned, not a word too many (or too few). One wonders how much better she might have become had she lived.Again there are undertones of anti-semiticism yet Nemirowsky was Jewish herself. The second story isn't quite as good and is about white Russians.The story is called 'Snow in Autumn'. the whole story is about transplantation and settling and how hard it is to leave one's country although it's more the sense of the German 'Heimat' than anything.this story reminded me very much of Chekhov.I don't know much about IN's life so don't know if she read Chekhov. I imagine she did.
The other book I've read this week is 'light' reading:a story very much plot driven,which goes at a fast pace. This was Lee Child's 'Bad Luck and Trouble'. His hero is jack Reacher, who we don't expect to evolve as a character because the plot is the thing.this book is an excellent read. It would make a good film too. i don't know if any Child's books have been adapted for the cinema.
Most of today I've spent catching up on jobs. I shortened a Kaftan and read The Sunday Times. All the while waiting for my fridge to defrost. What a task all my own fault for leaving it so long. Once again I resolve to defrost every week.There is a solid block of ice and if I can get it out the whole task will be done. Also have ironing but have convinced myself that one doesn't iron on a Sunday!!
I should be doing some translating but it's just too hot now. it must be near 80o. My young neighbour and I spent time moving tadpoles to water. There are more this year than for years and the ditch was really full of water but it's dried really quickly. One side we have filled through my garden fence with a hose but the other side we can't reach. Much to Lauren ( our next door's 3 year old) we saw a newt too. when i was growing up streams and ponds were full of different varieties of newts but no longer. It's such a shame. Modern children have all the technology but very little of nature. I know which I'd prefer them to have.
Now going to 'do' my email and send a reviewette to Ellie at Hesperus.
I've read 'Le Bal' two novellas by Irene Nemirovski. In ' le bal a mother has vengeance wreaked on her by her daughter. daughter is very badly treated psychologically and mother tells her to post the invitations to a grand ball, she is holding. You can guess what happened. Nemirovsky's writing is so fine tuned, not a word too many (or too few). One wonders how much better she might have become had she lived.Again there are undertones of anti-semiticism yet Nemirowsky was Jewish herself. The second story isn't quite as good and is about white Russians.The story is called 'Snow in Autumn'. the whole story is about transplantation and settling and how hard it is to leave one's country although it's more the sense of the German 'Heimat' than anything.this story reminded me very much of Chekhov.I don't know much about IN's life so don't know if she read Chekhov. I imagine she did.
The other book I've read this week is 'light' reading:a story very much plot driven,which goes at a fast pace. This was Lee Child's 'Bad Luck and Trouble'. His hero is jack Reacher, who we don't expect to evolve as a character because the plot is the thing.this book is an excellent read. It would make a good film too. i don't know if any Child's books have been adapted for the cinema.
Most of today I've spent catching up on jobs. I shortened a Kaftan and read The Sunday Times. All the while waiting for my fridge to defrost. What a task all my own fault for leaving it so long. Once again I resolve to defrost every week.There is a solid block of ice and if I can get it out the whole task will be done. Also have ironing but have convinced myself that one doesn't iron on a Sunday!!
I should be doing some translating but it's just too hot now. it must be near 80o. My young neighbour and I spent time moving tadpoles to water. There are more this year than for years and the ditch was really full of water but it's dried really quickly. One side we have filled through my garden fence with a hose but the other side we can't reach. Much to Lauren ( our next door's 3 year old) we saw a newt too. when i was growing up streams and ponds were full of different varieties of newts but no longer. It's such a shame. Modern children have all the technology but very little of nature. I know which I'd prefer them to have.
Now going to 'do' my email and send a reviewette to Ellie at Hesperus.
Wednesday, 7 May 2008
wednesday
Well Brighton was lovely yesterday. it makes so much difference when the sun shines.I read a strange book over the weekend 'Lady in Blue' xavier Sierra. the Lady was a nun who could bi locate. that is her body was in a convent but she also appeared in New Mexico and converted the Indians. It was interesting but then ended very abruptly. I hate it when books do that. In physics it is known that photons can split and theoretically teletransportation is possible but They can't work out how to put the photons together again So teleports as in Star Trek whilst theoretically possible would in effect disintegrate the people or thing being transported.Fascinating stuff much more interesting than the physics taught in schools.
I must learn to make this blog look more attractive too. I shall see whether there's a programme to teach me.
Besides Diana Birchall's D'arcy I read two more D'arcy books both called D'Arcey's diary and neither of the quality od Diana's. Amanda Grange begins with D'Arcy's sister eloping with Wickham and continue from there but it didn't grab my interest and the other one I didn't even read passed page 2. it was by Maya someone.
Also read one more Bulgakov, Fatal Eggd, which I'll review for Hesperus. it seems to me that one needs to have a really wide and deep knowledge of Russia to really appreciate B. So much of what he writes is metaphor for something else especially Stalin and Readers like myself miss quite a lot.Nevertheless, F Eggs is quite funny. I can't say why the eggs were fatal it would spoil the book.
I must learn to make this blog look more attractive too. I shall see whether there's a programme to teach me.
Besides Diana Birchall's D'arcy I read two more D'arcy books both called D'Arcey's diary and neither of the quality od Diana's. Amanda Grange begins with D'Arcy's sister eloping with Wickham and continue from there but it didn't grab my interest and the other one I didn't even read passed page 2. it was by Maya someone.
Also read one more Bulgakov, Fatal Eggd, which I'll review for Hesperus. it seems to me that one needs to have a really wide and deep knowledge of Russia to really appreciate B. So much of what he writes is metaphor for something else especially Stalin and Readers like myself miss quite a lot.Nevertheless, F Eggs is quite funny. I can't say why the eggs were fatal it would spoil the book.
Monday, 5 May 2008
pensees
nice pretensious title. 'blogo ergo sum'. I missed Sunday salon again. The unexpected heat has addled my brain plus I've been giving my young neighbours some peace by taking the little ones up the park behind my house. Hadyn is just one and Lauren will be three on Thursday. She is very bright but it's hectic making sure no one falls on their head and has 'fair wore me out'. I think we're going again later.
Have read the latest Sue Grafton 'T is for Trespass' or tosh!! I'm finding with these long running series that the characters don't grow and I was really disappointed with this book.
Also dipped into 'Miss herbert' Adam Thirlwell with grateful thanks to my book pillow because it's a tome. It's one I shall buy in paperback because there are things to comment on.The book is about translation and style and I'm very interested in translation. I do some myself and it's hard to retain style and substance.
Also read a very brave book Diana Athill's 'Somewhere towards the End'. She is 89 and both looks back over her life and forward to what inevitably will be death yet this isn't a morbid book but very positive.There's also hope for those of us who might like to write;She was 70 odd before her writing really took off and was published.
My May resolution is top blog every day if I can. That is a challenge.
Have read the latest Sue Grafton 'T is for Trespass' or tosh!! I'm finding with these long running series that the characters don't grow and I was really disappointed with this book.
Also dipped into 'Miss herbert' Adam Thirlwell with grateful thanks to my book pillow because it's a tome. It's one I shall buy in paperback because there are things to comment on.The book is about translation and style and I'm very interested in translation. I do some myself and it's hard to retain style and substance.
Also read a very brave book Diana Athill's 'Somewhere towards the End'. She is 89 and both looks back over her life and forward to what inevitably will be death yet this isn't a morbid book but very positive.There's also hope for those of us who might like to write;She was 70 odd before her writing really took off and was published.
My May resolution is top blog every day if I can. That is a challenge.
Thursday, 1 May 2008
lethargy
I have been suffering from computer burnout. I just couldn't gather enthusiasm to either blog or do my emails. Think that has passed now.I hope so.Yesterday I finished reading or rather bro wsing Lisa Appignanesi's'Mad,bad and Sad' about mental illness and the female.I found it a book to browse rather than read straight through. It is also very long.On balance I prefer Elaine Showalter's 'The Female Malady', which also deals with 'Hysteria' and how women were regarded as mentally delicate.Just another way for men to try and control us methinks.
Light reading has been Martin Edwards. I have read as many of his thrillers as I could find in the library. He has two series, one with Harry Devlin and another with Hannah. a DCI in a cold case department.I found the Harry D's to be the most exciting.I do hope he's planning to write more.
Mary. I'm really enjoying 'Triumph' and shall blog about it later.I'm also reading 381 AD Charles freeman's latest, which the publishers kindly sent me. This has some controversial thinking so I must think carefully before I blog.
The weather is ghastly but ,as usual on Tuesdays I went to Brighton. It was wet a first but then the sun came out. The sight and feel of sun makes so much difference to one's morale. The sea was really rough. A rough sea is a magnificent sight, preferably from the shore and not a boat.
Light reading has been Martin Edwards. I have read as many of his thrillers as I could find in the library. He has two series, one with Harry Devlin and another with Hannah. a DCI in a cold case department.I found the Harry D's to be the most exciting.I do hope he's planning to write more.
Mary. I'm really enjoying 'Triumph' and shall blog about it later.I'm also reading 381 AD Charles freeman's latest, which the publishers kindly sent me. This has some controversial thinking so I must think carefully before I blog.
The weather is ghastly but ,as usual on Tuesdays I went to Brighton. It was wet a first but then the sun came out. The sight and feel of sun makes so much difference to one's morale. The sea was really rough. A rough sea is a magnificent sight, preferably from the shore and not a boat.
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