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Continue reading →: Living Things by Munir Hachemi
translated from the Spanish by Julia Sanches This short and enjoyable book tells the story of Munir, the author, himself, and three of his friends Alejandro, G and Ernesto, who, as young writers, decide to travel from Madrid and work in France for a summer, thereby gaining experience which they…
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Continue reading →: French Windows by Antoine Laurain
translated from the French by Louise Rogers Laurain’s books are always a pleasure to read, populated by quirky characters and offering a a humorous and often charming look at Parisian life.My personal favourite is Smoking Kills and there are times in this book where he alludes to that. Nathalia, a…
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Continue reading →: Sweeney Todd, or The String of Pearls by Anonymous
This book was initially serialised in 18 weekly parts in The People’s Periodical and Family Library, between November 1846 and March 1847. It was one of the Penny Dreadfuls. It has been attributed to Thomas Peckett Prest, but has been more recently been reassigned to James Malcolm Rymer, although other…
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Continue reading →: The Pallas-Yllästunturi National ParkThere’s a big old car park at Pallastunturi that dates back to before there was a Lapland Hotel at the end of the road, just another few hundred metres on. It is the site of the old hotel, built in 1938 and destroyed by German troops in the Lapland War…
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Continue reading →: Praiseworthy by Alexis Wright
Australia – Published 2024 Satirical novels can usually be read in two ways, either looking for something that isn’t always there in each sentence, re-reading passages because there may be a hidden meaning therein, or just straight up, as it comes. In this, 750 page epic, I’d encourage the latter…
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Continue reading →: Into FinlandAfter 107 days in the country, I left this morning Norway to enter Finland. Though Norway is not in the EU, it is in Schengen and its land borders are usually open. Occasionally there is a customs officer who does random stops of vehicles, but I passed through without delay…
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Continue reading →: Turning South, reluctantly..As I walked to the beach yesterday evening I met a cycle tourist, a young Finnish woman who had finished her day and was about to set up her tent for the night. No camping is permitted around the beach area so she wandered a bit higher up the hillside…
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Continue reading →: Goodnight Tokyo by Atsuhiro Yoshida
translated from the Japanese by Haydn Trowell In his Afterword Yoshida explains how he had plans and ideas for ten books, all set in Tokyo at night, and connected, or following from the previous. He decided to write them as linked short stories and the result is a very enjoyable…
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Continue reading →: The Northmost Point of the CourseSultry days at Seiland would not have been what I expected researching the course last winter, but sultry it was indeed, particularly Saturday, when there was barely a breeze and a range of temperature between 21 and 28 throughout the day and night. Roja and I ventured into the National…
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Continue reading →: Festival & Game of the Worlds by César Aira
translated from the Spanish (Argentina) by Katherine Silver – published César Aira I argued many times for publishing the novels of authors such as Aira in pairs, so was delighted to see New Directions had decided to do this. I am a big fan of Aira and will read everything…
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 