It doesn’t escape my sense of irony that in order to read Walsh’s advice about ridding your life of more material goods, I first had to obtain a copy of his book. The fact that it was a gift from a loved one, rather than a purchase from a book shop, only makes it fractionally [...]
Chris asked people for recommended must-have books that are essential to their work. I contributed an answer.
Just finished:
Dalek I Loved You by Nick Griffiths; enjoyable but not quite as Who-packed as I expected. There’s a lot of shy-lad-from-the-middle-classes, and some of the lists feel like unnecessary padding. But the bits about Doctor Who, and specific stories from it, are fun.
Advertising Photography by Lou Lesko; Lou sent me a copy of this [...]
Just finished Small Steps by Louis Sachar, a sort-of sequel to Holes which I found very enjoyable. This story isn’t quite as substantial, and the final chapter feels rushed. That said, it’s an entertaining tale told in Sachar’s delightful simplistic style. A very quick read.
Following on from that is Bruce Chatwin’s What am I doing [...]
[Salvation on Sand Mountain by Dennis Covington](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Salvation-Sand-Mountain-Dennis-Covington/dp/0140254587/), an extraordinary tale of journalism, religion and the snake handling churches of the South. Unexpectedly lent to me by a friend as we stood at the school gates, I didn’t expect to enjoy this. But I found it compelling, and stayed up late to finish it.
Prior to that [...]
[Playing to the Gallery](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Playing-Gallery-Simon-Hoggart/dp/1903809665/) by Simon Hoggart. Just as Bliar makes his exit, I’m reading up Parliamentary sketches dating from his early years as PM. Not to make any sort of political statement, but just to remind myself how things have changed. Also, it was just the next book on the to-read shelf.
Also, just finished [...]
Margrave of the Marshes by John Peel. It’s like listening to him all over again.
My mum’s cousin’s father, known to me during my childhood as “Uncle Joe”, was a famous plasterer. You might not think that there could be such a thing as a famous plasterer, but if any plasterer ever achieved some degree of fame, it was Joe Sawyer.
He became a plasterer just as his father and grandfather [...]
I’ve got this domain, hiddenstories.org, and I’m wanting to do something with it. Something that involves stories, possibly books, possibly little bits of card and scraps of paper; and the hiding and finding thereof.
Sort of a cross between Book Crossing and Geocaching.
I’m not quite sure how to go about making it. However it happens, [...]
