Tony Cross
@lokster71
I talk a bit about politics, but mostly this is going to be books, Doctor Who, and a little smattering of Brentford FC. My YouTube Channels:
I also blame @adapalmer.bsky.social for this. A return to Latin after GCSE (B) in 1987 and A-Level (U)* in 1989. *Oh, yes. I utterly failed the A-Level. To a degree that was so embarrassing I should have fled the exam hall.
Back from seeing A Midsummer Night's Dream at The Globe. It was an utter joy. A lot of audience participations. Some stonkingly good performances.
My reading plans for the next week. Lots of poetry (and the John Clare, Major Works will take longer than that to finish I think.) I'm considering just reading Non-Fiction and Poetry for the rest of the year. To kind of clear a backlog of big chunky books.
I realise this needs a portrait of John Locke. Perhaps in 2026 with Kenneth Williams being dead we could get Michael Sheen to play Kenneth Williams playing John Locke?
I think this might be a brilliant decision. I'm sure it'll rub all the usual twats up the wrong way, but yeah, I think this'll be good. And I'll be trying to get a ticket.
Started reading some Thomas Paine - on the introduction at the moment - but this famous passage is probably due a remembrance in the times of the Orange Tyrant.
This is a list of what I finished in June. It seems a lot, but average length of a book is c.192 pages and it is mainly because I've been waking up at an ungodly hour and I have no life. Fav read: Jacob's Room by Virginia Woolf.
When I set up this Bluesky account it was supposed to avoid commenting on politics because that was just making me unnecessarily angry. Yet here I am again. Let's see if I can go a week just posting about football, Doctor Who, books, films, & etc. Here is my current reading pile
I finished reading this tonight, which I enjoyed a lot. A travel book about a place that doesn't exist but feels like it might.
I have library hauled. Looking forward to reading all of these. Since I stopped reviewing I'm a couple of books behind on Andrew Cartmel's entertaining Vinyl Detective series.
I finished this today, which means I have completed my Tove Jansson read. A read started with Moomins - who I missed as a child - via an episode of @backlisted.bsky.social a long time ago. This was the final book and I enjoyed it a lot.
I finished this by @rebeccanagle.bsky.social tonight. Can't recommend it enough. Brilliantly written and researched. For an Englishman a lot of new information. Powerful too in the current political climate.
Avoiding all the contemporary political shenanigans by reading about old political shenanigans.
I've tried explaining Look & Learn to people but I'm not sure it is always clear but I got my hands on some 1979 issues - which I read at the time. Here's some examples of what a single issue contained.
"Tell them you were out quaffing with OLIVER REED!" A line from a Spitting Image sketch that I still remember. The John O'Gaunt pub in Lancaster - which is where I went to Uni - has a Oliver Reed Memorial Headrest in the Gents Toilets.
Finished reading this today. Excellent read. Karnow was reporting from Vietnam during the 50s + 60s and returned in 1981 and interviewed some North Vietnamese. It's really good on the complications of decision making but fundamentally it just made me think that Vietnam is why US is where it is now.
And Monday I begin Elizabeth Jane Howard's 'The Cazalet Chronicles' with 'The Light Years'. Last years multi-part mostly posh people reading was Anthony Powell's 'A Dance to the Music of Time'. This is 2026's choice.
I turned on my computer this morning and this is what I get. Anyone help? I ran a Microsoft update last night so I fear that has something to do with it.