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Continue reading →: Constitution Day and the End of a HeatwaveI celebrated Norwegian National Day with a circuit of the lake on foot with Roja, a bike ride up to the pass, and an absurdist French folklore novel. It was hot again, and wise to stay out of the sun in the middle of the day. It has been an…
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Continue reading →: Overstaying by Ariane Koch
translated from the French (Switzerland) by Damion Searls The protagonist and narrator here is a young woman who still lives in her deceased parents’ house in the small hometown she hates, but cannot bring herself to leave. She is not shy in criticism of others in the community yet aware…
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Continue reading →: The High Life on HareidlandetThis is a good place to stay and see out the heatwave that we have in south-western Norway at present, being as it is, about 150 metres above sea level, it attracts a breeze through the valley when the sea below looks quite unperturbed. It’s also ten metres from a…
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Continue reading →: The Nothing Man by Jim Thompson
published in 1954 Something I will always remember Jim Thompson for, which is of course the case here, is his quote.. There is only one plot – things are not as they seem. Clinton Brown works as a rewrite man for the Pacific City Courier newspaper in a small town…
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Continue reading →: The mountains of Hareidlandet Island
I woke this morning and pondered for a while that I may have chosen the wrong course. I came here to avoid the heat of the European summers. By 9 am it was 27C, sunrise having been 4:16 am, it had been still, an overnight low of 16C, and the…
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Continue reading →: Simpatía by Rodrigo Blanco Calderón
translated from the Spanish (Venezuela) by Daniel Hahn This complex novel begins with protagonist, Ulises Kan, a part-time teacher and film enthusiast, realising that although his own life is far from perfect, he is more upset by his country, Venezuela, which he decides, has is in a mess. However, he…
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Continue reading →: The bird cliffs on the Isle of RundeThe islands around Fosnavåg are so small that they can be explored by a hiker in half a day. Great places to stopover are fewer, which is why I returned to Mulevika last night for a second stay. This morning I drove back through town, then across the islands of…
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Continue reading →: The Stormwatcher by Graham Joyce
This is the last one left of Joyce’s books for me, and I took it on not expecting it to be his best, but it does bare many of the hallmarks of his writing, and is perfectly enjoyable. I am a fan of his, and consider his brand of fantasy…
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Continue reading →: Mulenesset Nature ReserveThe labradoodle (or Poodle-dor) from the French campervan shrugged off its leash and came over to say hello this morning. He was getting on fine with Roja, but the woman ran over shouting for him to come back. They had no wanted to converse yesterday, but now were forced. I…
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Continue reading →: La Chimera
Italy 2023 This is a delightful folk fable that concerns a ramshackle group of Italians in the south of Tuscany who rob graves for a living (tombaroli), specifically Etruscan tombs more than 2,000 years old in search of the treasure they were buried with. Attention focuses on an Englishman in…
To live more widely
supera superiora sequi
SafeReturnDoubtful is my alias. Rua is my fox red labrador pup, born 14 Feb 2026 and learning fast..
Where is Rua?
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 