Ersatz TLS discussion

Good afternoon.

It seems quiet here at the moment — of course, some of us have been (or still are) away and not posting.

I started the last introduction by mentioning Queen Elizabeth, and now, to quote one of many articles in French newspapers and magazines: Hilary Mantel, l’autre reine d’Angleterre, est morte (L’Obs)

I see I’ve got several of her books still to read. On my shelves I have Eight Months on Ghazzah Street, Fludd, the Cromwell trilogy and her memoir, Giving Up the Ghost, all of which I enjoyed. Now to explore her other work.

I’m afraid today’s introduction is a very brief one, I haven’t really caught up yet and am finding it quite hard to even know what day it is. I’ll do better next time!

Happy reading, everyone.

Thanks GPFR

Its been very quiet for a while and even the GR absentees who post over on the Guardian arent over there as much

Its drizzly and rather cool in the Shires, the first daytime autumnal feel but no prolonged cool weather is forecast, just a few days

Missing by Walter De La Mare was a lovely selection of stories finished in 2 sessions, all rich with the late Edwardian style and the familiar world of strangers in corners with a tale to tell. Its a shame De La Mare didnt write more prose.

Next up is Night and the City by Gerald Kersh (1938), published by London Books with a still from the film on the cover( a film that Kersh himself didnt like). Soho in the 1930s should be an interesting setting, cosmopoliton with many Jewish businesses)
Kersh was Jewish himself, from Teddington and lived a pretty lively and occasionally violent life.

I haven't been posting much as I am not getting on very well with this updated version of Goodreads which I seem to be saddled with.Why update when it doesn't improve anything? Anyway I have just finished Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, her debut novel which I have enjoyed immensely.My favourite character is the dog without a doubt.

Gpfr wrote: "Good afternoon.

It seems quiet here at the moment — of course, some of us have been (or still are) away and not posting.

I started the last introduction by mentioning Queen Elizabeth, and now, t..."

I'm back! Unfortunately, having waited all this time to go abroad again, things didn't turn out as I had hoped. Night's three and five were spent in hotel bathrooms in the throes of a violent stomach bug/food poisoning? So, sadly, my discovery of Volterra was limited to the area around the main square, an alabaster workshop and a look from above at the Roman ruins. The final two days were spent resting and looking at the beautiful views across the Tuscan countryside from the hotel terrace. B****r!

I will attempt to post up some photos of what I did manage to see in between times.

On the subject of books I finished An Empty Throne by Robert Fabbri and can recommend the series for anyone interested in the post Alexander era. Interesting, informative, and drily funny in places.
I can't remember who mentioned Mel Starr's series set near Oxford (MK?) but I am on the third of those, having read the second whilst away.

One little point from abroad - at Pisa airport, both coming and going, everyone was sent through the same security gates if they had an e-passport. No differentiation between UK and EU.

giveusaclue wrote: "I'm back! Unfortunately, having waited all this time to go abroad again, things didn't turn out as I had hoped...."

Oh, bad luck! That's so disappointing.

Thanks for the intro, gpfr. Maybe everything’s a bit quiet at the moment. Too many serious things happening.

Giveus – So sorry you couldn’t see more of Volterra.

The Invisible Man – H. G. Wells

Never read this before. It was interesting and reasonably enjoyable, despite the odd language (‘He rent the paper… He became aware of a tumultuous vociferation…”) which must have seemed stilted even when it came out in 1897. Quite exciting at the end, with two neat twists.

It belongs in the club of stories with a brilliant premise. Others that come to mind: The Day of the Triffids, Metamorphosis, The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Martian.

Russell wrote: "Thanks for the intro, gpfr. Maybe everything’s a bit quiet at the moment. Too many serious things happening.

Giveus – So sorry you couldn’t see more of Volterra.

The Invisible Man – H. G. Wells

..."

The early novels of Wells are all well worth a visit or a re-visit, a really strong mix of social commentary or early science fiction

Thanks for the introduction Gpfr. Don't worry about the brevity, it's great someone takes the time to do this for us all.

I had a holiday in Edinburgh - the city is beautiful, especially the old town. There was so much to see and do, lots of walking and beautiful weather to boot. Highlights of the trip included visits to the Castle, The Surgeon's Hall Museum, The Vaults and a climb up to Arthur's Seat in Holyrood Park.

Of course, I had to get a few bookshop visits in - here's a shout for Armchair books - a labyrinth of second hand books - I bought Maskerade by Terry Pratchett here.

There's a branch of Waterstone's along Princess Street which had a great coffee shop with a huge window overlooking the castle. I sat there reading Echo Park by Michael Connelly. I bought How Late It Was, How Late by James Kelman - which was a freebee because I had a full Loyalty card :). Mr Fuzzywuzz bought Burke and Hare by Owen Dudley Edwards.

I also went to Blackwells on South Bridge - a great selection of academic and horror titles as well as art supplies. I was rather sensible and bought only three books here: Lady Joker by Kaoru Takamura, Heaven by Mieko Kawakami and Sunset Swing by Ray Celestin.

There were other bookshops I wanted to go to, but I didn't have the time nor the baggage allowance on the plane to accommodate extra tomes. Shame really. I've heard of people wearing layers of clothes to keep their baggage weight down. I would get some strange looks if I tried to pass through security with books attached to a long skirt.

Reading wise, I have been plodding along with Harry Bosch in Michael Connelly's Los Angeles set thrillers. I've been reading the series mostly in order and with that comes the unravelling nature of Bosch's behavior as a cop, which is nicely executed. However, the criminal acts being investigated by Bosch in each book comes together all too nicely and conveniently.

I also get the feeling that by the time I get to the end of series, there will not be one lawyer, cop or politician left in LA - they will either have been arrested/fired for malfeasance or have been shot by/taken a shot at Bosch. Despite this, I'm hooked. At the moment, I'm reading The Overlook.

I've also finished reading The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward, a thriller/psychological horror hybrid that shouldn't have worked but did. The author created such a mixture of fractured timelines, it was hard to know what was going on, which I think, was the point. By the time I got to the end, I was left feeling incredibly saddened by the events I had read. I'm sorry for the vague review, but I don't like revealing spoliers.

I hope everyone is well :)

Greenfairy wrote: "I haven't been posting much as I am not getting on very well with this updated version of Goodreads which I seem to be saddled with.Why update when it doesn't improve anything? Anyway I have just f..."

Lessons in Chemistry was rather fabulous, wasn't it!

giveusaclue wrote: "Gpfr wrote: "Good afternoon.

It seems quiet here at the moment — of course, some of us have been (or still are) away and not posting.

I started the last introduction by mentioning Queen Elizabet..."

That's such a shame about your holiday....maybe on the plus side, at least you had a good view and not that of another hotel. Hope you are feeling better.

giveusaclue wrote: "Gpfr wrote: "Good afternoon.

It seems quiet here at the moment — of course, some of us have been (or still are) away and not posting.

I started the last introduction by mentioning Queen Elizabet..."

Oh dear poor you. I hope you got to appreciate some of the atmosphere of Volterra despite the setback of stomach bug/problems. Him indoors has something similar and we haven't even set off yet, ( to Spain on Wednesday) !.. not sure we will get there at the moment. Things have been very quiet, due to not being able to read properly, (two cataract operations later) though can do small things like reading ingredient lists and the small print on instructions/contracts etc. using library reading glasses, but I got a pair that were to large, and they steam up after a few minutes!

Went to order the new reading subscription glasses today for near-sight problems so by the time I get back I should be back, (if we get there!?) to normal. Good news though, as no need now for driving glasses... so Yay! these days we have to, I think, be thankful for the odd small mercy, or two...

Tam wrote: "giveusaclue wrote: "Gpfr wrote: "Good afternoon.

It seems quiet here at the moment — of course, some of us have been (or still are) away and not posting.

I started the last introduction by menti..."

Thanks for all the sympathy and commiserations folks. Fully recovered now and hope Mr Tam will have in time for your trip. I got back thinking I needed a holiday 😀

I discovered a volume of Orwells letters and some essays on a family bookshelf last summer and am currently reading the entries from the mid 1930s

There is a fascinating diary of his time spent researching The Road to Wigan Pier a very honest and meticulous sort of proto-Mas Obs style entries.He lodges with various folk and visits major cities in the north where his precise descriptions conjure up the wastelands of work from that era. Towns designed for work(maximised) and lesiure(minimized), the horror of the Five Towns, the bleakness of Sheffield and the cold winter weather.

One observation he makes frequently is the new housing springing up, mostly Corporation Housing and it led me to research the 1930s for housebuilding and it was possibly the building project with the longest legacy of the last 100 years. 4 million homes from 1923-39, a lot of the terraced and detached housing that dominates the outer london suburbs dating from this period. (Tudorbethan a popular design)

Orwell also records the dreadful diets of the people and the state of their homes. Bread, butter, tripe, homes smelling of damp, mould and fetid air....this was at a time almost 100 years removed from the first Industrial boom in the UK and nothing much had changed it seems, for the poor workers

I have put a hold (I am far down the line!) on , but for Kate Atkinson fans spending a little time here might get you in the mood for the book - https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/2...

@Clue - sorry your trip wasn't as productive as it might have been.

Sorry to hear about the illness on holiday, give. You’ll have to start planning the next one.
The Craftsman by Sharon Bolton is turning out to be more addictive than expected despite the horror of people being buried alive. Much is set back when there were very few women police - she is always sent to make the tea - shows that we have progressed a little!
Certainly attitudes towards women have changed. Still remember sitting at the tea table with my then in laws listening to them decrying the beginning of women’s’ lib , trying to put my point of view and failing. We were expected to know our place then.

Other books on the go are the Anglo Saxon One mentioned before, An immense world by Ed Yong about animal perception (fascinating reading about smell)), and re-reading some Auden. I did try an audiobook again and had a good sleep!

Gpfr wrote: "Good afternoon.

It seems quiet here at the moment — of course, some of us have been (or still are) away and not posting.

I started the last introduction by mentioning Queen Elizabeth, and now, t..."

Cheers GP.
I’m a rare one, someone who didn’t enjoy her historical fiction very much.
But Beyond Black was wonderful and will long stick in my memory. I’m sure this was an influence on many writers, not least Jess Kidd.

AB76 wrote: "Thanks GPFR

Its been very quiet for a while and even the GR absentees who post over on the Guardian arent over there as much

Its drizzly and rather cool in the Shires, the first daytime autumnal ..."

Just read your recommendation AB. I’ll get onto it. Along with Kaputt. Cheers cheers

I re-read (after many years) and greatly enjoyed, Hons and Rebels by Jessica Mitford: her childhood with her eccentric family; her elopement with Esmond Romilly, trying to join the war in Spain but getting no further than Bilbao; their life in London and then in the US, until his death in World War II.

I've just finished another in the Nicolas Le Floch series by Jean-François Parot, L'année du volcan, set in 1783. At first I wasn't really paying attention to the title, even with the book beginning with a description of the strange weather, and then "woke up" and remembered reading about the eruption of an Icelandic volcano which had widespread effects in Europe. The damage done to agriculture may have been one of the things contributing to the French Revolution.

Ce brouillard remplit l'atmosphère, & le soleil quoique très chaud ... n'a pas la force de le dissiper. Il est continu le jour et la nuit ... Le ciel ... nous offre plus qu'un gris blanchâtre. Le soleil ... est rouge à son lever & plus rouge encore à son coucher... ce brouillard a quelquefois une odeur puante ... Il est très sec ...
This fog fills the atmosphere, & the sun, although very hot ... has no strength to dissipate it. It is continuous day and night... The sky ... no longer offers us more than a whitish grey. The sun ... is red when it rises & even redder when it sets ... this fog sometimes has a stinking smell ... It is very dry ...

This provides the backdrop to Le Floch's adventures, dealing with a situation brought about by Marie-Antoinette's gambling debts, murder, a perilous trip to England ...

Now I'm reading Iris Origo's first wartime diary, A Chill in the Air: An Italian War Diary 1939–1940.
It starts in March 1939, describing the popularity of Mussolini and the lack of enthusiasm for war particularly associated with the Germans. After a speech by the Duce:

The applause, however, is definitely less intense than on previous occasions. It is a cold, wet day ... but there is also another chill in the air: the universal distaste for Germany as an ally.

Her comments on the invasion of Albania remind us of current events.

The bulletin took the ... form of stating that the invasion was necessary to "safeguard the peace" of the country invaded and to quell the "armed bands" patrolling it ... The manifestos dropped by plane told the Albanians ... "Do not listen to the members of your government who have impoverished you and now want to lead you to shed your blood in vain. The Italian troops have come to establish order, justice and peace."

@Fuzzywuz. So glad you enjoyed Edinburgh, though Princes St ain’t what it was. The beautiful gardens and Castle now face a range of downmarket shops. The council should be ashamed. George St is a better bet. When you return, investigate The Grassmarket environs. Always interesting. Stockbridge and Morningside too are a firm choice for reliable charity bookshops, art and design, and more. Anyway, as they say…haste ye back!

Mention of holiday bookshop visits reminds me that I bought 2 books on my way back — unfortunately, the only bookshopping I was able to do was a hasty visit to W.H. Smith's in Manchester airport. I got Taste: My Life through Food by the lovely Stanley Tucci and Pachinko by Min Jin Lee.

By the way, going through passport control, as giveusaclue said, coming into Manchester UK and EU passports went through the same e-passport gates. I had wondered because my daughter has French nationality, but we were waved through while there was a long queue for other passports.

@Fuzxywuz…I see you found West Port. Good shout!

Gpfr wrote: "Mention of holiday bookshop visits reminds me that I bought 2 books on my way back — unfortunately, the only bookshopping I was able to do was a hasty visit to W.H. Smith's in Manchester airport. I..."

My experience at Birmingham Airport was quite hilarious with long winding queue to get to the automatic egates for anyone with an E passport. There must have been at least a dozen of these gates and we had a "bingo caller" shouting the gate numbers out as they came free with the occasional "take off your glasses." We were through in no time amid much laughter.

Andy wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Thanks GPFR

Its been very quiet for a while and even the GR absentees who post over on the Guardian arent over there as much

Its drizzly and rather cool in the Shires, the first dayt..."

the finnish sections of Kaputt will feel familiar Andy, if you read it while still up in the far north

CCCubbon wrote: "Sorry to hear about the illness on holiday, give. You’ll have to start planning the next one.
The Craftsman by Sharon Bolton is turning out to be more addictive than expected despite the horror of ..."

CCC - sorry to say that many here in the States would still prefer that we sit down, shut up, and appear ladylike while they do the important work.

I'm also reminded of The Colony: Faith and Blood in a Promised Land which I've previously posted about here. It seems that some male Mormons think the best thing they can do for their women is to keep them pregnant so that child-bearing takes up all their time.

I wouldn't live in a Red state for anything and am lucky that I don't have to.

Just noticed this - .

A catch up from me, currently the weather has driven me just south of the Arctic Circle, in the Lierne National Park.

Killing Auntie by Andrzej Bursa translated from the Polish by Wiesiek Powaga.

This is a coming of age novel with a bite to it.

Orphaned 21 year old Jurek lives with his auntie, but his life is going nowhere, he is without direction, listless and in need of some impetus, and it comes from an unlikely source.

One day his aunt asks for his help to hammer a high nail into the wall, and he wallops her twice instead. The outcome is in no doubt..

There was no doubt Auntie was a corpse

It is though, a symbolic murder, one carried out on a motiveless whim, but it gives Jurek’s life the necessary spark to set it going.

The real surprise here though is that the novel was originally written in mid-1950s Poland, written when he was just 23, but only published long after his death (of heart failure at 25). It only got an English translation in 2015. The Poland of Bursa’s day shifted dramatically from extreme suppression to extreme expression, misinformation and propaganda to jazz and poetry.

The savage killing of his aunt serves as a metaphor for the stark and absurd path to adulthood.
The sense of rebellion against banality that the young author conjures is worth the read alone. There’s a black humour, but the crime is irrelevant, and it’s a case of what isn’t written and lies between the lines as what is.

Swedish Cults by Anders Fager published by Valancourt and translated from the Swedish by Ian Lemke.

I’m in Sweden, I’m deep in the woods, and I’m keen for a scare, but unfortunately I couldn’t find it here.
Horror may be my favourite genre, but I have a confession to make, I am not a fan of monsters in the genre, I find them something of mirth rather than terror.

Media reviews speak of a Lovecraftian influence, but I think that is exaggerated. Lovecraft wanted to elevate his work above the gothic and the supernatural, and that requires a delicate touch. It’s easy to go too far. Such writing needs to be a blend of horror and science fiction that is reasonable to accept. If I can quote an example, it would be the ‘monster’ in Dan Simmons’s The Terror. In the book (not the TV adaptation), it is always possible that the beast is an extremely large and fierce polar bear. But there is always the fear of the unknown, in that it might be something other-worldly.

In these stories Fager has gone one step further than Lovecraft ever went, but as opposed to writers like Grady Hendrix, whose work I really like, this isn’t done for laughs.. though that was the unintended outcome for me.

and, Aura by Carlos Fuentes translated from the Spanish (Mexico) by Lysander Kemp. .

There is a fated air to the advertisement..

Wanted, young historian, conscientious, neat. Perfect knowledge colloquial French") that draws Felipe Montero to the lair of Senora Llorente.

Her job is to edit the diaries of her husband who died when he was 59, and whom she has outlived by 60 years. He only accepts after becoming entranced by the green eyes of her niece, Aura.

It’s a classic horror tale, and though Fuentes works a good deal of his fantastical magic, it is too familiar to maintain suspense. It’s a good distance from his best form.

Sharing on the lighter side - It's time to vote for your favorite fat bear! https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-w...

Like maps and books about maps? I'm keeping my eye out for Philip Parker books.

Posted up three photos from Italy. Tried to post some of the ruins at Volterra but I think the file might be too big.

I haven't been to Edinburgh for ages Lass , I didn't know about the state of Princes St. That is a crying shame.

Yes fuzzywuzz ,highly recommended !

Andy wrote: "Horror may be my favourite genre."

I don't think I was aware of this until now. I've neglected modern horror since the 1980s and even before then my reading in the genre was patchy. Since Hallowe'en month is coming up I've been thinking about reading something appropriate.

My 19th-C choices are taken care of - too many to get them all in within a single month, in fact - and I think I have some things lined up for the late 1950s but I'm still wavering on what I'll do for the early 1990s.

One idea is Alasdair Gray's Poor Things, which apparently is partially inspired by Frankenstein (which also gives me an excuse to re-read Mary Shelley's famous novel) but I might have time to fit in something else - should I finally give Ramsey Campbell a try? I do have a 1990 novel of his here, Midnight Sun. Or should I stretch a point and go back to the 1980s with Robert McCammon's Swan Song? So many decisions ...

giveusaclue wrote: "Posted up three photos from Italy. Tried to post some of the ruins at Volterra but I think the file might be too big."

When I've had that, I've found that trimming the photo slightly and saving it again (as JPG) seems to reduce the size a lot.

Gpfr wrote: "giveusaclue wrote: "Posted up three photos from Italy. Tried to post some of the ruins at Volterra but I think the file might be too big."

When I've had that, I've found that trimming the photo sl..."

yes, always try and resize JPEGS for inclusion here, resizing in word can reduce distortion too

I've now finished Iris Origo's A Chill in the Air: An Italian War Diary 1939–1940 (a quick read) and am going to read War in Val d'Orcia: An Italian War Diary, 1943-1944.

Neither was written for publication, although the second was published during her lifetime. A Chill in the Air isn't a personal diary: it's about her experience of the events of the time and the attitudes towards them of the different actors involved (the local peasants, Italian aristocrats, the American ambassador, etc.), what was written in the press and so on. It's an interesting read.

MK wrote: "CCCubbon wrote: "Sorry to hear about the illness on holiday, give. You’ll have to start planning the next one.
The Craftsman by Sharon Bolton is turning out to be more addictive than expected despi..."
Most of the book so far - I am about just over half way has been a flashback to events happening in 1969. Then, I was married to a detective and some of the attitudes towards women expressed in the book made me remember and realise that maybe I was too outspoken. Ah well, still tend to say what I think!
Anyone interested in attitudes towards women in the main during the sixties (and fifties come to that) might find this book something of a revelation for Sharon Bolton has got this pat.

Gpfr wrote: "giveusaclue wrote: "Posted up three photos from Italy. Tried to post some of the ruins at Volterra but I think the file might be too big."

When I've had that, I've found that trimming the photo sl..."

Thanks G and AB it worked beautifully. Photo of the Roman Ruins now posted. I will remember that for future reference.

Gpfr wrote: " I re-read (after many years) and greatly enjoyed, Hons and Rebels by Jessica Mitford: her childhood with her eccentric family; her elopement with Esmo..."

Re. the Nicholas Le Floch series-

I've had my eye on the Nicholas Le Floch series for a while. I am generally a bit skeptical about historical crime fiction, as all too often the concept of a "detective" seems anachronistic - but in a highly bureaucratic state like Ancien Regime France that may not be the case. I have recently finished Simon Schama's Citizens, (and at the same time, listening to Mike Duncan's Revolutions podcast - the French Revolution episodes) so pre-Revolutionary France is still vividly present in my imagination.

As for volcanoes and European weather - there's an interesting In Our Time radio discussion on the "Year without a Summer" - 1816 - and the devastating results that that had.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b077...

Night and The City by Gerald Kersh (1938), has started well, the bustling underworld of late 1930s Soho and the remarkable creation of the amoral pimpHarry Fabian.

Kersh seems to have created his own world of noir, maybe i call it anglo-noir, stylistically its less in search of the smart sentence like Chandler or filled with femme fatales. This grubby, sordid, hyper-real London, a city of millions and the peculiar world of Soho

Gpfr wrote: "Mention of holiday bookshop visits reminds me that I bought 2 books on my way back — unfortunately, the only bookshopping I was able to do was a hasty visit to W.H. Smith's in Manchester airport. I..."

I'll put in a food plug for Massimo Montanari and his . Although I've read it once, my memories of it are clouded by his zoom talk yesterday , and I don't remember what was in the book and what I learned yesterday.

However, I do know this from the talk - scrub the thought that Marco Polo and China had anything to do with pasta. It was the Persians that thought it up. And another tidbit, when buying Italian (made in Italy) pasta that is made with durum wheat is from the south of Italy where durum wheat grows, while pasta from northern Italy is made with softer wheat and has egg in it to help it stick together.

I see one of my 'kind of' local libraries has the book on the shelf, so I'm going to swing by tomorrow and pick it up. It is worth a re-read.

In addition to 🚕🚕🚕 I am a sucker for trivia.

Berkley wrote: "Andy wrote: "Horror may be my favourite genre."

I don't think I was aware of this until now. I've neglected modern horror since the 1980s and even before then my reading in the genre was patchy. S..."

Have a look at what Valancourt publishers opt to reprint.
There’s lots of tremendous stuff from the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s.
I’m working my way through their collection..

AB76 wrote: " Night and The City by Gerald Kersh (1938), has started well, the bustling underworld of late 1930s Soho and the remarkable creation of the amoral pimpHarry Fabian.

Kersh seems to have created his..."

We had a conversation about the film noir adaptation over in that section a week or two ago by chance..
It’s well worth seeing once you’re done with the book.

There’s a good piece that’s open for suggestions over at The G on Nature Memoirs.
Her number one choice, Christiane Ritter’s A Woman in the Polar Night is a wonderful book.

I’ve put my suggestions in. Hopefully there will be many..

FrustratedArtist wrote: "Gpfr wrote: "
Re. the Nicholas Le Floch series-

I've had my eye on the Nicholas Le Floch series for a while. I am generally a bit skeptical about historical crime fiction, as all too often the concept of a "detective" seems anachronistic - but in a highly bureaucratic state like Ancien Regime France that may not be the case. I have recently finished Simon Schama's Citizens, (and at the same time, listening to Mike Duncan's Revolutions podcast - the French Revolution episodes) so pre-Revolutionary France is still vividly present in my imagination.

As for volcanoes and European weather - there's an interesting In Our Time radio discussion on the "Year without a Summer" - 1816 - and the devastating results that that had.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b077...."

After much wavering back and forth amongst a number of all the different histories of the French Revolution available out there, I finally plunged for the most recent one I'd come across, A New World Begins: The History of the French Revolution, which turned out to be be pretty good, though I still wonder if I wouldn't have preferred one of the others, including the Schama one, which I saw at a bargain price in one of the local used bookstores a few days after finishing the Popkin book. But the latter did at least cover the major events and players in a relatively brief overview and that was what I'd been looking for, basically.

Andy wrote: "AB76 wrote: " Night and The City by Gerald Kersh (1938), has started well, the bustling underworld of late 1930s Soho and the remarkable creation of the amoral pimpHarry Fabian.

Kersh seems to hav..."

thanks andy, the cover has Richard Widmark in the role of Harry Fabian, from the film

Andy wrote: "Berkley wrote: "Andy wrote: "Horror may be my favourite genre."

I don't think I was aware of this until now. I've neglected modern horror since the 1980s and even before then my reading in the gen..."

Valancourt is a wonderful publisher, there is so much to choose from

Mrs Vermontlogger opened her metaphysical bookshop today, and it was busy all day. The first paying customer was actually me. I came away with a copy of The Farm in the Green Mountains, which I started on at once. It’s really good. The next person in went straight to the poetry section, immediately picked out a Donne and a Keats, both in hard back, paid and left. Who would have thought? They were swiftly followed by lovely pocket HBs of Leaves of Grass and My Heart’s in the Highlands, a PB 25 Classic Chinese Love Poems, and a large format HB Verissimus, stoic philosophy as comic strip. A lot of sales also on the more spiritual side of the shop. So we’re off to a good start.