READ ANY GOOD BOOKS LATELY?

[Stanley]

I have gone back to an old favourite, Dorothy Hartley's 'Food in England'. A lovely book and I have the edition that contains her brilliant pen and ink drawings. Informative and entertaining.

[plaques]

The Pianist by Wladyslaw Szpilman The survival story of a Polish Jew in Warsaw 1939-45. An excellent read, a relatively small book, around 220 pages. Attracted to it by a discussion about the film ...The Pianist is a 2002 World War II biographical drama film produced and directed by Roman Polanski, the script was written by Ronald Harwood, and starring Adrien Brody. Based on‎: ‎The Pianist‎; by ‎Władysław Szpilman. I haven't seen the film but it sounds like a faithful interpretation. Now showing on Netflix.

[Stanley]

Sounds good....

[plaques]

Chernobyl, History of a Tragedy. by Serhii Plokhy. (2018). A very detailed historical study starting with the politics and events that led up to the Chernobyl explosion. Followed by the individual bravery of the workers but overshadowed by the secrecy imposed by central Moscow government. Although clearly non-fiction it reads like a novel tracking events right up to the current enclosing sarcophagus. Well worth a read.

[Stanley]

[plaques]

The Fry Chronicles, An autobiography by Stephen Fry, script writer. actor, show host etc: Educated at private prep school and then Queens' Cambridge. Ready to give endless praise to others while self deprecating towards his own failings. Very interesting and amusing but sometimes drops into list of 'whose who' in comedy, acting etc: which is Ok for older readers but may not mean much to younger readers. On the whole an amusing and informative book well worth a read.

[Stanley]

He's an intriguing character isn't he. I am still delighting in Dorothy, something very satisfying about reading about old fashioned cooking on a coal range..... (And those drawings are a delight!)

[Wendyf]

Talk of belly pork in other topics has made me dig out my old self sufficiency bibles looking for a favourite recipe. I have always loved John Seymour's books on that subject and keep them safe just in case the world as we know it comes to an end, but its the drawings that are a delight.

20190914_182054.jpg

I have even killed and drawn a hen with the chapter on how to do it open in front of me.

[Tripps]

I bought a 'boiling fowl' from the Grainger market in Newcsastle . Didn't know till I got it home that it came complete with entrails. I'm ashamed to say it ended up in the bin. I coudn't face the job.

The big decision shopping for meat there was - would it be the ordinary single sided, lamb chops at 30p /lb, or the double sided ones at 40p/lb. I've mentioned before - they sold rooks there - four and twenty black birds baked . . .

[Stanley]

You needed Dorothy's book David. She has good recipes for all types of bird.
I love books like that Wendy. They remind us of proper cooking when everything was used. That's the brilliant part about Dorothy, she gives medieval recipes and the modern version. She uses words like 'Umbles' for the coarser offal (Eat Humble Pie'. Made for the lowest orders in the household after processing venison.) and 'Tracklements' which are the veggies and herbs to be used for various meats.

[Stanley]

I got a pressie!



Daniel's new book. A treat in store!

[Stanley]

I got another goodie from Daniel yesterday. It's Offline Essays No 1 to be published in October. (LINK) Look for 'essays'. It isn't available yet but might be in future. It's an essay by Daniel that lays out some influences on his career. He includes me and says "Stanley took no prisoners" . Very flattered but nice to know.....
The book is excellent (and has a section on me as well.... ) Lovely reproduction and if you want to buy one as an investment I recommend it. These photographic books don't have big print runs and appreciate in value rapidly. 'Now and Then England 1970-2015'. by Daniel Meadows. Published 2019 by the Bodleian Library. ISBN 978 1 85124 533 8.

[Tripps]

Very interesting - It's impossible for me not to buy it.

It's actually not available until October, Now and Then England same price as Sue's lunch! It will last longer though.

A bit cheaper on Amazon, but my account with them seems to have disappeared. We'll see.

[Stanley]

You won't be disappointed David. Good Poet conversation fodder!

[Stanley]

David Cameron's 'For the Record' arrived yesterday. A weighty tome and stretching to 730 pages even though his editors made him reduce it by 100,000 words. We shall see if it is readable... I shall report!

[Tripps]

Fraser Nelson has reviewed it today in the Spectator. Seems a lot of it came from a monthly conversation he had with Times journalist Danny Finkelstein.

They're making much of the fact that all profits will go to charity. I wonder if that includes the (reported) £800k advance. There must have been a great deal of editing work for the now - Baron Finkelstein who seems to have been rewarded by being payed 'in kind'.

He says he was a 'mediocre' student at Eton, (still got a first at Oxford), and mixed with the wrong crowd. I wonder if that could possibly include lBullingdon Club . Once they were valued colleagues - now they're the wrong crowd.

The book seems to assume that a confession of cannabis use is small beer these days, and of little consequence. Another big step towards its normalisation I'd say. Class A drugs are a different matter - (aren't they Mr Gove)? "The book is suspiciously silent on whether he took harder drugs though - I think I've said all I want to say". Yeah - right. . .

[Tripps]

You won't be disappointed David.

Well - I've pre-ordered it from a gang called Awesome Books I was surprised to see it listed.

They beat Amazon by £3, and the Bodleian publishers by £8. I managed to find three more books to clutter up the house at the same time. How can you resist the bargain bin with all at £1.88 per book, and free postage?

[Stanley]

Books fill the space on shelves allotted to them, and then some.
Started on Cameron. I also watched the programme on TV last night. I get the feeling that the one subject he is really touchy on is that it all started as an internal Tory cat fight as Junker said once.

[Stanley]

Had a good session with Cameron. He covered his privileged childhood, boarding school, Eton and Oxford. What struck me was how insulated he was from real life. I always knew this of course but interesting to see it at first hand. He skates over the Bullingdon Club with a brief mention of the infamous picture which he says has haunted him.



In passing he chronicles the yobbish behaviour he experienced as a new member but says he remembers nothing about breaking up public eating places.....
I think I'm beginning to get the flavour of what I can expect.

[plaques]

History is written by the victors. I tend to avoid autobiographries where they can conveniently skirt over the inconvenient bits. I've recently finished biographies on Gladstone and Churchill by Roy Jenkins. Heavy weight books well written if you like that sort of thing but at the end you feel that you've got some measure of the real man.

[Stanley]

I agree P, far better independently written after the dust has settled.
Having said that, the Cameron book is reading reasonably well. He dealt with the death of their seven year old disabled son yesterday in a very moving and sensitive way.

[plaques]

I you are a Bill Bryson fan here's one to look for.
The Body: A Guide for Occupants Bryson, Bill
Not in the libraries yet but one one order for Barlick.

I have all his books except one. May buy it for myself as a present.

[Stanley]

I love his stuff P and have ordered it. Thanks for the tip.
Cameron is slow going, not the best writing. Yesterday's revelation was that the front door of Number Ten is not wood but metal......

[Tizer]

I'll want to read that new Bryson book and I've ordered it in advance at the Library. His `A Short History of Nearly Everything' is a good one too.

[Stanley]

See Politics Corner for an interesting quote from Cameron on the subject of Dominic Cummings.