In Which I Strayed With Cheryl And Chat About A Few Russians (Only Books I'm Afraid)

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Now that I'm a member of the local library I decided to go back to the ebook I electronically put to one side for a while Wild by Cheryl Strayed. In it she tells the story of how she undertook the Pacific Crest Trail (which starts in a desert) as a sort redemptive process after having gone off the rails emotionally following her mother's death.

Well it was finished and well it was a good read. Not a great read you understand. This notion of redemption is very American and the mere thought of walking a long way involving a desert is not my idea of fun (after all hot weather in South Wales makes me go into hives).

There is apparently a film of Wild starring Reese Witherspoon. This surprised me given that it's a rather slim tome. Perhaps it's a marketing ploy for those of us who've read the book to be tempted to watch it ready to mock should the movie be different in anyway. Well it's worked for me.....when it's on TV.....or Netflix anyway.

Next book randomly selected was The Seven Who Were Hanged by Leonid Andreyev. It's about people facing the death penalty and how they react I'd never heard of him before. But apparently he was a contemporary of Tolstoy and could be compared with Dostoevsky. Having read this book (the first of his I've ever read)....possibly.

This is not a whodunnit. All of those condemned to hang committed the crime. What the novel shows is their various and changeable reactions to their impending fate. It was compelling reading.

One of the points Andreyev does show is that you might not think you're Napoleon but being just this side of sanity doesn't mean that you should be hanged if you commit a murder (as opposed to life imprisonment you understand). Really this is an equally slim time as Wild but affected me much more.

So now the next book on the eBook pile turns out to be The Idiot by Dostoevsky. Again the kindle is revealing a sense of humour. And for the moment so far so good.

Until the next time.

It's Been A While

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Well it's been a while. Have found it difficult to blog for a few weeks now. But now things have returned.

So let's start with the bad news. The house we were going to buy has fallen through. Various reasons that I can't really go into. But the hunt begins for a new place. In the meantime we're renting an apartment just outside Penarth. A bit isolated, but for our needs fine for now.

And whilst this upheaval occurred my reading time declined. Indeed I electronically have put Stranded by Cheryl Strayed to one side during this process. Will return to this, honest. It's worth all the praise it got.

For the moment though have turned my reading eyes to The Safe Man by Michael Connelly. Will chat about that when finished.

And of course there's been an election. Do you remember I remarked that Theresa May was incompetent in everything except the gaining and holding on to power? As well as when I said she was going to have an increased majority? Well I was wrong on the second and almost wrong on the first. So desperate has she been for power that she's sewn up a deal with the Ulster Unionist DUP. Causing the amazing situation that the cure to austerity is that we all should become Northern Irish. And as for Plaid Cymru? I'll chat about that tomorrow.

So I'm back, properly, and for a while at least there shouldn't be any upheavals. But then again the right place might suddenly appear.

Until the next time.

When You're Late For The Party And More Books Read

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

You might have noticed that despite it being staged in Cardiff this weekend I haven't mentioned anything about the Champions League final. Well the reason was simple. I was at work.

Now would admit that could easily have taken the day off, but to be honest wanted to save my time for the moment when we do, eventually, move house permanently. So it all passed me by.

Sunday however had the day off. And I decided to go to the Champions League Festival being held in Cardiff Bay. Wasn't sure whether it was a good idea at the time but ultimately thought that as it was going to be the closest time I'd be anywhere near a Champions League final again it was best I should go.

Trouble is of course that the match was on the Saturday. What this meant was that all the glamorous people had long since gone. All that was left was, well people like me.

"The Champions!"

However there were things to do. You could kick a ball in the goal with virtual Gareth Bale. Play on a PlayStation 4, pretend you're a commentator. All very good.....if you're ten. Being Fifty three however I went to the exhibition of the Uefa Champions League at the Millennium Centre.

Where you could see photos....

Photos

Or Shirts...

Football Shirts

Which regular readers know I like collecting but in all honesty in an exhibition setting was dull. And there wasn't all that space either.

So went outside and saw the floating pitch. A match was playing. Wasn't to be honest close enough to recognise any of the, shall we say, older players. Or as they're branded now "Legends".

Floating

Noticed that Juventus had their own stall in the festival. Would have been interested to have gone in. Unfortunately it wasn't open on the Sunday, which was rather unsporting of them, even if they were defeated.

Apparently #ITSTIME doesn't apply to the day after the final

They had a concert stand where bands gamely performed to small crowds as if it was the Millennium / Principality Stadium. When I was there Captain Accident was singing his heart out. Never heard of him. That though is an old man (ie me) issue.

The day was bright it has to be said

And to  top it all on a particularly depressing day I give you this picture.

The Picture

The statue to the right of this picture is of the songwriter Ivor Novello. I have this theory that before the Champions League weekend it was facing the sea. However in a Night in the Museum style the statue turned towards the Champions League shop to the left in disbelief as to the prices it charged. £10 for a less than thumb sized replica of the trophy,£15 for a baseball hat, £25 for a T-Shirt and to
top it all £65 for a football shirt!!!

Needless to say I bought something.

A Mug...Impressed Eh?

It cost me £10. I have the slight comfort that I know I'll use it. Still it probably showed that the biggest mug was me.

One thing I know is that until I make the move this blog will continue but the posts will be more sporadic. Since my last post I've read SEVEN books. So here's a quick review of all seven.

The House Of The Dead : Fyodor Doestoevsky: As previously posted I am a fan of Team Fyodor. The book ended as brilliantly as it begun. Highly recommended.

By The Ionian. Sea Notes of a Ramble in Southern Italy: George Gissing: This book,published in 1905 really was rubbish. He seemed to like Italy and its history but not Italians unless they were "cultured". Snobbish pretentious racism.

Earthwork Out Of Tuscany Being Impressions and Translations Of Maurice Hewlett: Maurice Hewlett: Though not racist this book about Tuscan art was equally snobbish and pretentious.

Adventures Among Books: Andrew Lang: The most disappointing book of the seven. What started as a man telling a story of his love of books turned into a series of rather dull essays.

And speaking of essays....

Selected Essays: Karl Marx: Am I a Marxist after reading this? No. Whilst some of it was interesting most required a knowledge of German history / figures of that time which I don't possess. Hence it's not Marx's problem but mine. I'll give him a pass.

The Third Reich A Chronicle : Richard Overy: As I remember it I bought this to clear an Amazon giftcard. It had nothing really new to say.

Paris Under The Occupation: Jean Paul Sartre: Other than the Doestoevsky this was the most interesting book of the seven. This essay explains that life under Nazi occupation was for the most part not how TV/films now portray it. The only real criticism is his denigration of those people in the resistance who lost their lives fighting for a free France. Otherwise it is certainly worth a read.

So the book I'm currently reading is Wild by Cheryl Strayed. Will see how I do with that soon.

Until the next time.