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Continue reading →: Medea Sang Me A Corrdio by Dahlia de la Cerda
translated from the Spanish (Mexico) by Heather Cleary and Julia Sanches – published June 2026 De la Cerda is a young Mexican writer to watch. Here she follow the excellent Reservoir Bitches with a similarly structured novel that once again highlights an issue important to her; in RB it was…
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Continue reading →: HelgelandSince he was three months old, Rua has humped his bed, the deep red blanket under the table beneath my bookcase. It’s normal puppy behaviour I believe. It’s a sign to me that he needs some exercise, so after I’ve finished what I’m doing I usually take him out. This…
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Continue reading →: All That Effort, Just to Get Out of the Heat..It’s taking a big effort to get out of this heat. As is no doubt evident, I’m one of those who doesn’t like these last few weeks of the heatwave across most of Europe. It was a bit easier to deal with in Cumbria, where I turned the van to…
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Continue reading →: The DepartureThe heat of the previous week dropped off a little over the weekend, and there was a pleasant easterly breeze, rather a wind at times. Nick and Lou like it hot, so it was something of a compromise, besides their house and garden are well-shaded. We enjoyed the weekend; socialised…
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Continue reading →: Rua’s First Course
It’s been a few busy weeks of work but still possible to spend time with Rua for some basic training and socialising. On a typical work day he has had a walk in the morning, often down to the river, especially when it was hot, then time playing in the…
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Continue reading →: Uprising by Tahmima Anam
Bangladesh – Published May 2026 Set on a small island off the coast of Bangladesh, this short and essential novel tells the story of a community of women who have been tricked, kidnapped or sold by their poverty stricken families into a life of prostitution. They face a life of…
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Continue reading →: Listers & La Cabina
Two films that are actually available for free on YouTube, though that’s were any similarity finishes.. Listers: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching USA 2025 Two brothers with no experience and very little information decide to pursue a “Big Year” documenting as many bird sightings as they can. Started seemingly as…
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Continue reading →: Blackpool Vanishes by Richard Francis
British Science Fiction / Satire – Published 1979 It’s rewarding to discover a neglected novel, particularly one which had limited success on publication, and would stand well if it were to get a reissue. I’m only the third person to review it on GR, and the first positively. Mind, that…
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Continue reading →: Munky by Brian Catling
British Literature – published 2020 Set between the wars in an era still very much influenced by the great ghost story writers who were still producing books, the likes of M.R. James, Algernon Blackwood, and E.F. Benson, this is a tale that is an absolute pleasure to read, as much…
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Continue reading →: The Summer Boy by Philippe Besson
translated from the French by Sam Taylor and published May 2026 Summers at the end of the school years are particularly memorable, and this one is very much so, for Phillipe, who is spending the weeks on the Île de Ré. Though he has done the same for many years,…
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 