Urghhh. Arghhh. Again.

Little blogging this week as I have been head down trying to wrest order from chaos and catalogue all the pony books I've bought recently, as well as do all the other things I'm supposed to. (Though at least, unlike my friend Charlotte, I am not wrestling with accounts). I've done the catalogue anyway, at last, and it'll be on line on Wednesday 15th October. I hope. Some computing blip or other always rears its head whenever I need to do a catalogue so I wait with interest to see what the current one will be.

Further to my post about the Booker, I have bought The Northern Clemency (described this week on R4 as a page turner) - well, I haven't turned the pages so fast I've finished it, but I'm chugging on. What I hadn't realised was that it was set in Sheffield; not quite the time I was there, but a little before, though I will get to where I was as I go on through the book, if you see what I mean. It's very odd to read about Broomhill and remember the shops that were there.

At the moment, it is the physical surroundings described in the book that mean more to me than the characters. My lifestyle was completely different to those described so far; I was a tad more disorganised, with my head permanently stuck in a book, in between being a disputatious member of the Christian Union and making every relationship mistake in the book (well, not quite every, but a good selection, anyway) so I've not yet found a lot of points of contact. Possibly if I wasn't reading it with such an instant connection to my own past, I would.

Well, we'll see.

I'm also reading Kierkegaard. Yes! I am, really. I'm halfway through. I only wish I had an actual understanding of what dialectical means. My dictionary is of no help (and I am reading this book with the dictionary jammed by my feet because I need it). The one thing that strikes me at the moment is the lack of suggestion that there might be alternative points of view. He is so certain in his own faith that he never seems to suggest there might be an alternative (though of course he might get there, or might have said it in a form I haven't understood. Only too possible, I'm afraid. Boy, is this finding out my lack of intellectual application, or appreciation or indeed ability).

I had a brief dabble with philosophy in my teens and after that left it strictly alone; but I have always had the feeling that it was about the discussion of different points of view. Well, I have plenty to think about at any rate. Shall look forward to another bout of Kierkegaard after Strictly Come Dancing. I love, love, love this (and I LOVE Don Warrington), The world seems to divide into two camps here: those who absolutely see the point, and those who think it is a strange, twinkly aberration.

And I also, on another point altogether, loved Lost in Austen. I was so sorry when it finished. The way it took so very many sacred cows and rounded them up into a completely unexpected rodeo was brilliant. I loved that too.

On with the weekend now - the weekend's taxi driving beckons.

Comments

Unknown said…
I've never heard of 'The Northern Clemency' before, but I'll have to look out for it now I know it's set in Sheffield. Is it based around the University/Broomhill then ?

I never did get round to watching Lost In Austen. Have you read any of Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next novels ? The first is The Eyre Affair, which is set in an alternative England, where books are the pop culture of the day, and there are John Milton conventions, and re-engineered dodos. The heroine, Thurday, works for the Special Ops Literary Division, tracking down sellers of fake Shakespeare folios and the like, and Thursday discovers her ability to read herself into the text of books. Brilliant stuff.

Oh, and do you *have* to put out a new catalogue when I'm broke ?
Anonymous said…
Lost in Austen was brilliant! The best Austen spin-off ever.
Unknown said…
Oh, and I meant to say that I love Strictly Come Dancing too. It's got frocks, fit men, dancing, music and celebrities actually learning a real accomplishment in an encouraging atmosphere, which you can't say of many reality shows.

I'm looking forward to the results tomorrow, and next week onwards, when all the couples will be dancing.
Jane Badger said…
Gillian - a lot of it is set in Broomhill, though the characters live in Crosspool (the only thing I know about that is that it was the end destination for the 51 bus, which is mentioned too!). One of the characters is supposed to have been to the University, but there's no mention (so far) of actual students as such. Maybe that's a comment about just how little we impinged on most people's lives while we were there.

Sorry to put another catalogue out. It is heartless, I know.

As far as Jasper Fforde goes, I've tried but haven't got on with him yet. I must give him another go. The book so sounds like something I ought to like. I can't think why I don't, as yet.

CMM - wasn't it great? So cleverly done.
Juliet said…
Heartbroken to see Don Warrington go out of Strictly . . . sniff . . .

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