Margaret
@benregis
Music librarian, sometime musician and music teacher. Loves books, music (particularly classical), dogs, film, theatre, travel, and history. Living in the Fens, originally from dragon country in Wales
As I've got a broken oven (picking one up tomorrow). Decided to treat myself to dinner by the river.
Another unplanned book connection. Both last (The murder at World's end / Ross Montgomery) and current (No man's land / Simon Tolkien) reads mention Halley's comet and the death of Edward VII
Recently started a new exercise mission, this time virtually following old pilgrimage routes from home to Rome. Rather appropriately fetched up today at Fordham Abbey. Didn't know that Fordham had an abbey.
Nicely in time before seeing The Odyssey tomorrow have just finished Pat Barker's Troy trilogy. She really is the most wonderful writer.
Fascinated to find a verse of the National Anthem that I hadn't come across before. Although the volume dates from round 1825-6, I suspect the second verse was added during the time of George III. #TrustMeImAMusicLibrarian
Read round the world challenge. Location - Switzerland. The devil's sanctuary / Marie Hermanson. A creepy Swiss clinic with reminders of The Prisoner. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Read round the world challenge. Author - Italy. Ashes in the snow / Oriana Ramunno. Love the Times review - A novel that moves...beyond the crime genre to which it appears initially to belong.
Hoorah have just finished my latest virtual mission - Bach's journey to meet Buxtehude. Now will have to decide what to do next...
Read round the world challenge - Turkey location - The women of Troy / Pat Barker. No Turkey at the time of the Trojan wars, but generally accepted now that the area would have been in modern day Turkey. Brilliant book too.
Read round the world challenge. Mexico - Author. Lost children archive / Valeria Luiselli
Very moved to see this on a friend's FB page. Despite being inside the staff entrance of the British Library, it's actually a memorial to librarians across the country, not just those who worked at the BL. There are even some far afield such as Australia, who perished in the First World War.
For this poor little chap, it's all been a bit much. Rest in peace little bumble bee :-(
Read round the world challenge - Sweden - Author - The axe woman / Hakan Nesser. I love Nesser's Barbarotti novels. Sadly this seems to be the last though it does have a wonderfully sweet ending. He's a great crime novelist, but I also love the elements that remind me of the Don Camillo stories.
Read round the world challenge. Egypt - Location. The first of Olivia Manning's Levant trilogy, The danger tree.
Read round the world challenge. The last of Olivia Manning's Balkan trilogy - Friends and heroes. Set in Greece.
And a post concert stroll through Cambridge. Weirdly the sky looks blue in mobile photo but it was actually dark
All the musicians were brilliant but a particular shout out for the saxophonist who was stunning
Read round the world challenge. Italy - Location. The lost boy of Bologna / Francesca Scanacapra. Not the sort of book I would normally read but surprisingly engaging. Far too many coincidences and an unlikely happy ending, but I liked the characters so much I was cheering them on.
And it's happy anniversary to Claude the Cactus. We've been together 10 years, oh, the miles we've travelled.
Aw, the local geese have hatched a gosling. Good to see him strutting his stuff with the gang this morning.
Last one! Started with one of my favourites (Tale of two cities). Finish with the other. Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers. #BookSky #Books #BookChallenge #20DayBookChallenge
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers. #BookSky #Books #BookChallenge #20DayBookChallenge