Monday 7 March 2011

Book news

Rather a large haul today. I've just finished three books read for light relief: the latest Thursday Next novel (patchy) and two Paul McAuley SF books (both rather good), so I'm in the mood for something more serious.

Luckily, my friend Steve gave me Perec's Species of Spaces and Other Places and James Stephens' The Crock of Gold, which he swears is genius piece of Irish comic writing. I also got John Stubbs' new book on the Cavaliers, Reprobates, which looks excellent. Hope it's not overly sympathetic to them. I also received Alex Butterworth's history of the 19th-century anarchist and terrorist underground, The World That Never Was: A True Story of Dreamers, Schemers, Anarchists and Secret Agents, and Gwyneth Jones's short story anthology, The Universe of Things (with a personal inscription from the author, which is very kind of her).

Am I going to read these things  - or go home to prepare for tomorrow's lectures? No. I also received Dougal and the Blue Cat and some CDs: some choral music from Rome by The Cardinal's Musick, the Kids soundtrack, Scritti Politti's Absolute (yay, songs about Derrida) and Richard James's We Went Riding. A night lounging under the duvet beckons.

2 comments:

Connie said...

I remember going to the local cinema (before it got turned into a bingo hall) with my two older sisters to see Dougal and the Blue Cat when I was about five years old. I think I cried. I'm sure something bad happens to the cat at the end.

Aren't you a bit old for Dougal?

The Plashing Vole said...

I don't think so at all. It's popular culture of the highest sort!