June was Muriel month. 3 bios led to 3 novels & the complete poetry and short stories. With a break for The Correspondent which was fun. Spark's short stories were especially wonderful, thanks @drjamesbailey.bsky.social for the recommendation. A dip turned into reading the whole collection! 1/2

Quite glad in this heat to have a garden full of alpines, succulents, grasses and some lavender. They seem to be flourishing in the sun and don't need much watering. Although the weeding will wait until it cools down. #gardensky

Read these back to back. The Finishing School, Spark's final novel was a little too pat for my taste, but I really enjoyed Symposium - surely there is a literary sub genre for the dinner-party-goes-wrong novel. Very funny, eccentric characters, and Spark's usual flair and craft with time shifts.

Back from a lovely week's holiday on the Isle of Arran. Coastal walks, caves, walks through Glen Rosa and Glen Sannox ( one slightly scary scramble), some rain, but good food and company. HF holidays are the best!

RIP David Hockney - I will always be grateful to you for your role in helping restore Salts Mills. And thank you for all the colour no one created more beautiful trees!

It's Muriel month inspired by two brilliant biographies. Wilson's focuses more on the first part of Spark's life: dreary relationships & bedsits, wartime codes & paranoia. Her surmise about Nita McEwan - wow! Bailey writes engagingly about her public persona & her later years and novels. And cats.

Saw this adaptation of Woolf's novel last night. It was pleasant enough but nothing extraordinary. A good cast but often given nothing to do. Love Sally Phillips for example but she barely has any lines and most of those are mumbles. And definitely more could have been made of Mary Datchet's role.

I love discovering new indie bookshops and if you are ever visiting Chester, a visit to Books on the Walls is a must. A quirky, excellent choice of titles, lovely coffee, a friendly owner and a real boho vibe. And you have to walk the medieval city walls there! Good events schedule too. #booksky

Always love going to an Alun Perry gig - Liverpool's "Woody Guthrie". Inevitably influenced by the Beatles too. A talented storyteller with catchy tunes. He played my favouite song, Ulysses. A simple concept - everyone's life is an epic like Joyce's novel. "We can be Ulysses too." #Liverpool

Tebay services in Cumbria has long had the best loos on the M6. It now has the best toilet stall advertising too! You can see the sheep grazing outside. Can't get wool more local than that. It's lovely and very reasonably priced. Selection varies - this time there was 4ply. Only £6 a ball #knitsky

Hiked today to Angle Tarn, my favourite place in the Lake District. A little tranquil gem among all the beautiful fells. Weather was perfect - cloudy with a slight breeze - after the heatwave we've had.

Another thought-provoking volume in this fabulous series. With another intriguing cliff hanger at the end. It's going to be hard to wait for the next book which I don't think is published until November. Probably on November 18th. #booksky

Two more on the Women's Prize shortlist - both about writers confronting painful pasts and the coming deaths of loved ones. Of the two, Kingfisher was infinitely more interesting and enjoyable. I suspect I might have appreciated the King when I was younger, but sadly found the story superficial.

May is the month I catch up on some shortlist reading for the Int'l Booker and Women's Prize. Enjoyed both of these, each painful and sad in their own ways. The Director would make a great film in the right hands.

Knitting Bullshit katedaviesdesigns.com/2026/04/29/k...

My latest FO - a simple but effective scarf to show off five natural sheep colours. Knit with five 25g balls of Foula Wool, bought at last year's Shetland Wool Week market. I wish you could smell its sheepiness. So soft too. Love it. Pattern is Quintet Shawlet by Ambah O'Brien. #knitsky

Been three months since discovering arthritis in both knees and this is the first hike I've been on. Taking it easy, only went up about 200m as slowly building up knee strength. But wasn't sure I'd get this far so am happy. Partner doing tougher walk; I'll head to excellent bookshop in Grasmere.

Been on my shelf for years - thanks #1961club for prompting me to start reading it this week.

Reading the chapter "Books in Films" in Nicholas Royle's Shadow Lines reminds me of the awful beginning of 1943's Jane Eyre - scripted by Aldous Huxley. The film begins with a shot of the first chapter of the book. Except as millions of fans know - it most definitely isn't. Ugh.

Alas, moving across an ocean and limited space have effectively ended my book collecting days. Thankfully I can vicariously relive the joy of the hunt through the quirky adventures of @nicholasroyle.bsky.social ( am halfway through Shadow Lines now), and at least there's one set complete.

Some excellent reading in March. Themes seemed to be prisons, real and fictional, and imprisonment, whether in the mind ( two were about dementia) or through life's circumstances. Highlights were the Harpman and Hoult and I am still enjoying Balle's inventive series. The Feast was clever and fun.

What an astounding, heartbreaking novel. I defy anyone who has known anyone with dementia, not to well up in sad recognition. The Blitz setting adds an extra layer of confusion and danger. Based on Violet Hunt who held literary salons and also wrote ghost stories, that I will now seek out to read.

My two latest FOs. On the left is Mielinki by Veera Jussila and on the right is the Rujuu sweater ( did a short sleeve version) by Zanete Knits. This was my first garment mystery knit-a-long and it was so much fun. Should be able to wear these for a few weeks more then it's summer knits. #knitsky

Another day, another coffee shop, another volume of this mesmerizing series. For a novel where each chapter starts on the same day, SO MUCH happens. Vol 1 had a sadness, especially over the widening gulf between Tara and her husband; in Vol 2, I was almost envying her her travels and studies.

Wasn't sure what to expect - was thinking it might be a bit Jeanne Dielman-ish but l'd compare it more in tone and mystery to Clarke's Piranesi, also a book I loved. For a novel about time, repetition and the minuitiae of life, I found this a gripping read - can't wait to see what happens next.

;-) #WinterOlympics #Olympics #milanocortina #Olympicgames #Cumbria #bobsleigh

Curling mug in hand, settling in for a good match-up and plenty of great events to come. In my happy place for the next two weeks. #winterolympics2026

Re-watched Breathless last night in preparation for seeing Linklater's homage and chapeau to him for recreating those iconic scenes. Really enjoyed this movie, seen in a double bill with In The Mood For Love. Two movies set in the sixties resplendent in everything that makes cinema so magical.

Great gig last night at Liverpool Philharmonic's Music Room - Rum Ragged from Newfoundland and Labrador. Fiddles, jigs, stories, great music. They are touring around the UK - definitely catch them if you can.

Finished my Riggies Vest by Gudrun Johnson. Perfect layering piece. Had fun with my colourblock version using up some stash.

Had an enjoyable double bill of reading this new novel, making some madeleines (Barnes argues with Proust), and eating them while rewatching the movie 45 Years. Both (re)examining memory, time, and that middle bulk of years in your life. The ending of this book was really beautiful.

Never go on a train journey without a BL crime classic in my bag. Loved this latest Lorac - great descriptions of the northern landscape and Inspector Macdonald in full, mischevious form. One of her best. #BritishCrimeClassics

My first Pym and while this posthumous novel was cobbled together by her editor from a few drafts and not considered her best, I still got a sense of her writing style and did laugh often. As academic satire it's quite slim and rather silly, but hasn't put me off reading more of her work.

Was As For Me And My House as devastating a read as it was thirty years ago when I first read it? Oooh yes, it's a Canadian classic for a reason. The suffocating life of a preacher's wife on the Prairies during the Depression. The weather, claustrophobia, self-denial & self delusion. Beautiful.

Whenever the news is too much, I pick up Solnit. Even earlier books provide comfort and a measured, intelligent way to see the world, history, art and humanity. I enjoyed her chapters on blue, "the color of longing for the distances you never arrive in, for the blue world." A cure for the blues.

First book read of 2026. I start as I mean to go on with a year of Canlit. Had never read this early Atwood before but it seems less dated than The Edible Woman. I enjoyed this often funny tale of a woman writer looking for her own identity via false lives and a lively imagination.

Last year was a good one for reading. Here's my Storygraph summary. In 2026 wary of how AI may be inflitrating publishing, I'm going to be delving more into my groaning shelves of backlist, focusing on reading/re-reading Canlit and recent books by favourite authors. Anyone else have reading goals?

Loved this thoughtful movie about generational trauma, family, art, and a house. Saw it on a double bill with Marty Supreme which ultimately bored me with its excessive, shouty, self-indulgence. Trier's film by contrast quietly layered its scenes for emotional impact. Some great performances.

My top ten reads of 2025 plus one honorable mention. These were all great reading experiences full of awe, nostalgia, insight, humour, pathos, shock, and appreciation for just fab writing. 2 non-fiction, five in translation, one about translation, and as it turns out, all by women. #booksky

Did something today I used to do regularly in grad school - grabbed a coffee and immersed myself in a play. Bought this when I first moved to Liverpool but meeting the playwright this week prompted a re-read. Very powerful story set during the Blitz when the city was hit hard. Strong Hamlet vibes.

Sometimes the easiest knits become your favourites. I just cast on 120 stitches on 3.25mm needles and knit stockinette in the round with five colours of mohair yarn from stash. Dramatic and cozy - perfect for this time of year. #knitsky

Spent yesterday walking from Anstruther to St Monans ( and the lovely East Neuk Yarn Festival) via the Fife Coastal Path which was all moody greens and greys. Today, I headed north and the sun brought out all the colour!

I have my Christmas cake! This practice run tastes so darn good. It's a green sponge created by . . . spinach! Not liking butter cream, I did a simple lemon glaze icing with scattered roasted coconut shavings instead. Love this cookbook by Helen Goh and her Malaysian twists on many of the recipes.

The weather has turned colder and I'm in the mood for cozying up with some big books. Have started both the Atwood ( very funny and evoking all sorts of Toronto memories) and The Deepening Stream ( I once attempted a PhD on women's WW1 writing). Pullman will be a treat over xmas holidays.

I really enjoy reading Brand's mysteries but eeek, this was a bit over the top even for a spoof on sentimental melodrama. She lost me when the heroine kept climbing Welsh mountains in high heels. Also hard to take an Inspector seriously with the name of Chucky.

Been in a reading slump lately ( read two dull Booker shortlist titles), but McBride pulled me out with her intense, energetic, immersive writing. The details of this destructive relationship were definitely hard to read at times but I couldn't stop. I do need a break before the sequel though.

Fourth park run, fourth location. Jumped on Merseyrail early this morning and headed to Chester. This was a proper cross country run with a stretch of muddy paths. Also the hilliest one I've done. But lovely volunteers and now I get to spend the day in Chester. #parkrun

Great window display at Type Books on Queen W. Ready for Game 3 - go Jays!

Walked the park run at Bellevue Park, Sault Ste Marie this morning. Beautiful morning, lots of autumnal colour. Lovely route. Came first in my age group. Was only one in my age group, ha. Going to set myself a challenge of walking 100 different locations before I hit 65. Today was #3. #ParkRun