Slightly Foxed #86: 'Good Books and Artichoke Bottoms'

by Gail Pirkis (Editor), Hazel Wood (Editor)

96 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 2025

Reviews

[Cindy Rollins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating introduction to Nigel Slater’s Toast along with trips down memory lane with essays on In Cold Blood and The Faerie Queen.
Temptation in the form of Don’t Let’s go to the Dogs Tonight, Nightmare Abbey, The Marble Faun, Richard Bell’s Britain, and An Idler on the Shropshire Borders.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The highlight of this issue of Slightly Foxed is undoubtedly Jon Woolcott’s piece on Graham Swift’s wonderful novel Waterland, a book I first read when it was published in 1983. I was nineteen, and having grown up in Norfolk, reckoned I knew a few things about its Fenland setting. But Swift’s remarkable sense of place and the way in which his characters seemed as if they had grown directly from the rich, black Fens soil was a revelation. It remains one of my favourite books and Woolcott does it ample justice. Sarah Perry’s piece on Carlo Rovelli’s Seven Brief Lessons on Physics has got me reading this rather special book already and Frances Donnelly’s article on David Storey’s Booker-winning Saville is unexpectedly poignant; Storey’s bizarre dual career as art student at the Slade on weekdays and playing Rugby League for Leeds on Saturdays is well-known, but I didn’t know that in later life, his regular walks with children or grandchildren from his home in Camden Town would invariably end up at King’s Cross station where he would gaze longingly up the tracks in the direction of the Yorkshire he had left many years before.

[D'face · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn’t see the fox on the cover of this edition of Slightly Foxed.
Perhaps the Marble Faun could be added to my TBR pile.
A pleasant read about the pleasures of ironing, of toast, and of physics.
A review of In Cold Blood that didn’t increase my appetite to read it.
Mrs has just finished a book on astronauts and she had previously read “Let’s not go to the dogs tonight”, so there were a couple of articles of interest to her also.

[Helen Downton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some interesting reads so more now to go on my to be read pile!

[Marie-Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another lovely collection of enthusiastic recommendations.

[Noits · Rating 5 out of 5]

A genuine delight. I’m out of step with the seasons at the moment having just read summer. Some absolute gems in here.

[Paul Besley · Rating 3 out of 5]

lovely collection of books and authors that I would be unlikely to come across.