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Continue reading →: Río Muerto by Ricardo Silva Romero
translated from the Spanish (Colombia) by Victor Meadowcroft – Published 2025 Set in the rural village of Bélen de Chami in Colombia in the early 1990s this is a disturbing description of a community in the throes of a seemingly unending civil war. Specifically, it concerns a family of four,…
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Continue reading →: Underground Barbie by Maša Kolanović
translated from the Croatian by Ena Selamovic – Published 2025 This is the story of a young girl who collects Barbie dolls during the 1990s war in Zagreb, then Yugoslavia, playing make-believe games with them with her friends in the basement of the family’s apartment building underground, while above, a…
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Continue reading →: Serra do BarrosoIt’s a quiet time of year to visit the vineyards of the hills above the Douro river. There are a few tourist buses around, and some of the hotels are still open; wine tourism isn’t dependent on the weather, though it does seem visitors appreciate it a bit warmer. There…
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Continue reading →: Fatal Passage by Ken McGoogan
Canadian Literature – NonFiction – Arctic Exploration I read a lot about the history of Artic exploration, and there is some really good stuff.John Rae’s story isn’t as interesting as many others, though as a young man he played a key role in the exploration of Northern Canada, specifically the…
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Continue reading →: Sisters By A River by Barbara Comyns
British Literature – Published 1947 I’ve read everything by Comyns now, and though this, her first, is probably the weakest of her novels, it is still well worth reading. It’s a collection of anecdotes with a coming of age theme, many of which are humorous, but missing are those wonderful…
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Continue reading →: Paiva River and Arousa GeoparkOn Monday morning I headed north, to the Arouca region, on a route that went over the Serra de Arada range, on a magnificent road that seemed wilder than it would be in the warmer months, that atmosphere heightened by rain and 7C temperatures; down in the valley it was…
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Continue reading →: Last Days in the Alva ValleyI’m moving north tomorrow after three weeks here at the camping area at Barril. It’s free and provided by the community, based around a few beaches on the river and a cafe that always does good business. It certainly wouldn’t be my scene in the summer, but at this time…
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Continue reading →: The Terror by Arthur Machen
British Literature (Wales) – Published 1917 Machen can be so far ahead of his time.That our planet could be so enraged at the behaviour of its human population and that it would take some actual action, is how I would best sum this up.Bear in mind that this takes place…
To live more widely
supera superiora sequi
SafeReturnDoubtful is my alias.
Where is Andy?
I was so much older then…
Quote of the Week
Alice asked the Cheshire Cat, who was sitting in a tree, ‘What road do I take?’ The cat asked, ‘Where do you want to go?’ ‘I don’t know,’ Alice answered. ‘Then,’ said the cat, ‘it really doesn’t matter, does it?’
Lewis Carroll
Safe Return Doubtful 