A few months ago, I turned forty. I wasn’t especially bothered by the milestone. There was no spectacular midlife crisis/meltdown, save for a resolution to go to the gym more. I even signed up for an intensive 30 day series of workouts with an instructor. I’ve been meaning to write about it for ages. I had in mind a vaguely …
Magic.
Just before I left for Chicago, I popped into Get Lost Bookshop and bought The Deptford Trilogy by Robertson Davies for something to read on the train (and, as it turned out, during the three hour delay at the station at La Plata, MO.) I was delighted to discover that one of the characters in the first novel, Fifth Business, …
50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
Thought I would try and cheer up your Monday mornings by resurrecting this occasional series of pop tunes receiving a jazzier treatment. This is a delightful version of the Paul Simon classic by Sophie Milman. Sophie Milman is an absolutely cracking singer, with a gorgeous, smoky contralto. Occasionally she swallows a word or two and sometimes sounds as if she …
Amateur! (And proud of it.)
Funny time, this. The revised book is out and about, with various editors at houses both in New York and London. I am discovering new reserves of patience. This, oddly, isn’t as difficult as I would have imagined. I wouldn’t say I’ve suddenly gone all Zen (stop laughing at the back), but after this many years of effort, a few …
A Wonderful Town
We spent last weekend in Chicago. Man, I love that town. Not even a three hour delay waiting for the train in La Plata, MO, was going to dampen our spirits. Why? Because we were on our own. Sunday was our twelfth wedding anniversary, and this was our little celebration. (The children were with their grandparents for the weekend.) Our …
Cinco de Mayo
No, my English friends, this is not a celebration of the mighty Hellman’s condiment. As any fule know, Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, and usually sees a spike in Tequila consumption across the United States. Today also marks the nine year …
Please Switch Off Your Book
I wrote in this post about my mixed feelings about the Barnes & Noble Nook – which I eventually returned. I know that the emergence of this new format is more or less inevitable over time, and while I was in New York I went into an Apple store and played with an iPad, which was irritatingly impressive – but …
Uh-Oh
My son has discovered this blog. Not only that, he has started commenting on it. So far he has been suitably encouraging, but how long, I wonder, will it last? How many embarrassing photographs of him can I post before resentment eclipses filial pride? I am now going through everything I’ve written, trying to remember how child-friendly it all is. …
How to Make Books More Interesting
In a previous post I shared with you evidence of my son’s extraordinary ability to read books in the most uncomfortable positions imaginable. Well, he’s at it again. Triumphantly, in this latest version he has succeeded in doing away with the need for a chair completely. So proud.
Big Dates
Monday, April 19th, marked the seventh anniversary of my family’s permanent arrival in the United States. That I should only have realized this half way through the morning tells you something about how things have changed over those years. In earlier times the occasion was marked by hanging dark shrouds in the windows and playing Elgar at top volume on …