kaggsy59

[kaggsy59]

Fighting back against middle-class toxicity... @renardpress #onewomancrimewave

As you’ll probably guess if you read the Ramblings regularly, I tend to be quite selective when it comes to reading modern fiction. A lot of it is not for me, and I lean more towards the classics, modern classics, non-fiction and translated writing. However, when Will at Renard approaches me with something more current, I pay attention; he publishes intriguing, sometimes quirky and always…

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#bee rowlatt #one woman crime wave #renard press

[kaggsy59]

Some thoughts on our #1937club reading - and where next??

As I always seem to be saying, what a stupendous week of reading that was!! It’s been quite wonderful to see all of the posts and reviews on books from 1937, and I think this is definitely the most popular club week yet – the response has been astonishing! I’m still gathering up posts to link to, so please, if I’ve missed yours, leave a comment and I’ll share it on my 1937 page. I’ve personally…

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#1937Club #1970Club

[kaggsy59]

"The years changed things..." #1937Club #VirginiaWoolf

My final book for 1937 is one which I was really looking forward to revisiting; it’s by a favourite author, but it’s one of her titles I suspect I’ve only read once, and that was longer ago than I’d care to acknowledge… I am, of course, talking about the truly wonderful Virginia Woolf and her book “The Years”. The Wordsworth edition on the left is the one I read this time, as my old original copy…

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#1937Club #the pargiters #the years #virginia woolf

[kaggsy59]

The sparkling correspondence of a great author - #1937Club

Today’s book for the #1937Club is one that’s long overdue some attention, lurking as it has been on Mount TBR since its reissue in 2014 (ten years ago – OMG!!!) It’s a release from indie publisher Michael Walmer, and was the first in his ‘belles-lettres’ series. A chunky and handsome volume, it’s “Letters to a Friend” by the esteemed author Winifred Holtby, and it makes absolutely fabulous…

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#1937Club #letters to a friend #winifred holtby

[kaggsy59]

#1937Club or not? A fascinating title from Japan... #kawabata

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I’m pleased that I’ve been able to include translated works for the #1937Club, and today sees another one making its appearance on the Ramblings! This book was a last minute idea, and I’m perhaps cheating slightly with the date, as it’s a work which was released in segments, then a complete version in 1937 and then revised for a later edition. The book is “Snow…

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#1937Club #kawabata #snow country

[kaggsy59]

Some classic Soviet-era stories for the #1937Club #platonov

After my wonderful start to the #1937club with some lovely reads, I have to confess that I hit a bit of a wall… I had a great pile of possible reads, a mixture of old favourites and books which had been lurking on the TBR for a while. However, I picked up and put down several titles, and none were really gelling with my reading mood. So I had a bit of a search around online, checking out…

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#1937Club #andrey platonov #the fierce and beautiful world #the potudan river

[kaggsy59]

For the #1937Club, a guest post considers a much-loved classic...

As has become a tradition, Mr. Kaggsy has offered up a review for the #1937Club and this time he takes on a book and author who have been much loved – though I wonder how much they’re read nowadays? The title is “The Citadel” by A.J. Cronin, and I think Mr K. was a little underwhelmed… Archibald Joseph Cronin (born 1986, Dunbartonshire, 1896; died 1981, Montreux) was both a doctor and prolific…

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#1937Club #a.j. cronin #the citadel

[kaggsy59]

Travelling round the world with a great French artist for the #1937Club

My second title for the #1937Club is by another favourite author, and I’m ashamed to say that it’s been languishing on the TBR since 2012 – which is verified by the packing slip still inside the book, and I can’t believe I’ve owned it unread for so long!!! The title is “Round the World Again in 80 Days” by Jean Cocteau, translated by Stuart Gilbert, although interestingly the original French…

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[kaggsy59]

Kicking off the #1937Club with not one, but two, classic crime authors!!

It’s become something of a habit for me, during our club reading events, to begin the week with some classic crime. I often choose Agatha Christie; as well as being a huge favourite of mine, she was also very prolific with at least one title for most of the years in the range we cover! Another prolific author from the period was Simenon with his Maigret tales, and so when I was checking out…

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#1937Club #agatha christie #hercule poirot #maigret #Simenon

[kaggsy59]

Coming up on on Monday - the #1937Club!!!

Yes, it’s that time of year again – on Monday, Simon and I will be co-hosting one of our six-monthly reading clubs, and this time we’re focusing on the year 1937. It promises to be another bumper year, and I did share some pictures of possible choices at the beginning of the month. However, there were a number of titles I didn’t put on the piles because I’d already read them and didn’t intend a…

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#1937Club

[kaggsy59]

The story of an inspirational bookshop - over @ShinyNewBooks

I have a review up today on Shiny New Books which I wanted to share with you, and it’s a book which touched me deeply. “A Bookshop of One’s Own” by Jane Cholmeley explores the story of the Silver Moon Feminist bookshop which used to live in Charing Cross Road, London; as one of the founders, she’s well placed to tell the story, which starts in the 1980s and ends just into the 21st century. The…

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#shiny new books #silver moon

[kaggsy59]

"...in a tourist town, discretion is everything..." #thekingandthecorpse @Galileobooks

One of the presses I’d hoped to get to during #ReadIndies in February was Galileo Publishers; a recent discovery, they’re a Cambridge-based outfit who specialise in re-issuing Golden Age crime, and they’ve been kind enough to provide several titles for review. All of them sound fascinating, but when I was casting about for my next read, one particular book caught my eye – “The King and Corpse” by…

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#galileo publishers #max murray #the king and the corpse

[kaggsy59]

Some recent shorter reads #Woolf #Cocteau @renardpress

Just a little post today to round up a couple of recent short reads – in length, that is, although not in impact. Both authors are huge favourites, so here goes! In the Orchard by Virginia Woolf Woolf was a prolific essayist, and I am gradually collecting all of the volumes of her Complete Essays. However, useful as those are, there’s definitely something daunting about the prospect of reading…

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#jean cocteau #renard press #virginia woolf

[kaggsy59]

"Need is not quite belief". #annesexton @BacklistedPod

I’ve long been a follower (and patron) of the wonderful Backlisted podcast; it’s the only one I listen to on a regular basis, and so often the books they cover are ones I already love or ones I want to read. However, as there’s only usually a week’s notice of what the next title will be, I rarely manage to read a new book ahead of the broadcast. But when the team mentioned that they would be…

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#all my pretty ones #anne sexton #backlisted podcast

[kaggsy59]

The clash between tyrants and writers - over @shinynewbooks

I have another review up at Shiny New Books this week, as part of their celebration of award longlists. This time it’s a book by an author I’ve read before – Ismail Kadare. I found his “Twilight of the Eastern Gods” intriguing, if flawed, so I was keen to read his latest work “A Dictator Calls” which has resonances with the earlier book. An Albanian by birth, Kadare spent time studying in Soviet…

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#a dictator calls #ismail kadare #shiny new books

[kaggsy59]

March reading and April plans - including the #1937Club!

As I’ve probably mentioned in the past, March is a particularly busy and difficult month for me at work, and so I do tend to try to tailor my reading to things which don’t stress me too much! However, this year I’ve felt relatively in control; and I have managed to get in some wonderful books, as you can see from this lovely pile! I’m pleased to report that there were once again no duds! Some of…

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#1937Club #april plans #march reading

[kaggsy59]

"They were lonely and unsatisfied..." #thevisitor #maevebrennan #ReadingIrelandMonth24

For my final review of March, I’m happy to be able to squeeze in one more title for Reading Ireland Month. The book arrived via belated Christmas gifting from my BFF J, and as it’s a slim novella I was able to read it pretty much in one session. Despite its small size, however, it did turn out to memorable and a bit disturbing too. The title is “The Visitor” and it’s by Irish author Maeve…

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#maeve brennan #reading ireland month #the visitor