Once upon a time, in a far away land ‘oop’ North, there was a man with a big beard who loved books and to blog about them…
Oh where have those days gone, as they do currently seem to have been a million billion trillion years ago. In reality it has only been a week or so since I last blogged yet to be honest since the new year, since starting a new and full time job (which I know, I know, I have mentioned before and you all have them and I should just get a grip) my reading and blogging has all felt a little bit out of my grip as I am working like a nutter on a brilliant yet bonkers project. Particularly in the last month, when I have been working on two parts of the project with a very tight pair of deadlines, when I have worked in the office till late or come home with work and worked till late or over the weekend.
Well, fingers crossed the deadlines were both yesterday and now things will be busy but a more normal and manageable level of crazy. I might even leave at a normal time and come home with time to blog AND read, even just reading has been grabbing the briefest of time slots, though it has interestingly forced me into the reminder of how special reading slowly can be – more on that in the next few weeks.
I am trying to think of any news I have and the only ones I can think of are firstly some dreadful news and secondly some much nicer news. The bad news, let us get it out the way, is that my local book shop (which I went for a wander to for the first time in a month, unheard of) has shockingly closed down. I am beyond gutted and if anyone would like to buy me it I am open to offers. Seriously though, I am devastated.
Second news is that I am currently lost in one of the most wonderful books I have read in some time. A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki is a book I meant to read all of 2013 and have finally got around to reading – its bloody marvellous. I have been begging many people to join in and read it (if they haven’t already) so if you are interested do pick it up as I am not racing through it just slowly loving it and will be tweeting about it lots. Just speaking about it makes me want to go off and read it, so I shall for a while before I get a crack on with commenting back to you all from posts since the dawn of time of 2014 and reading some of your blogs over the weekend too.
While I am doing that, what is your news and what have you been reading?
Savidge Reads 
I am so glad you are enjoying the book. I loves it last year. It made me think about life in a totally different way.
It’s doing everything I was hoping Sophie’s World would do. It’s philosophical, thought provoking but most importantly an amazingly written story.
Dreadful news about the bookshop – they’re dropping like flies… 😦
Horrid isn’t it. And I feel unusually helpless about it.
That’s sad news about your local bookshop – you’re fortunate to have had one at all these days; as I’ve mentioned before my last proper local independent one closed in 1997. Bizarrely I had a dream the other night about opening a bookshop and it was the most wonderful place (I didn’t want to wake up). Alas, I have neither the wherewithal nor the business know-how to really have one!
Well done on getting your deadlines out of the way, I know only too well what it’s like to have them looming over you so that you have to work all weekend and all night (even did Christmas day once) to meet them.
Now then, the Ozeki… I read it last year and like you was utterly entranced by it whilst reading it and thought it wonderful. But it’s one of those books that I found fell apart a bit after I’d finished it (the lecture-style ending doesn’t help at all). The more I thought about it the more I was forced to acknowledge the validity of many of the criticisms I read of it. It is a great ride though.
Oh, and I read your favourite ‘Rebecca’ for the first time last week. I loved every gothic-tinged escapist moment of it… I’ll definitely be reading more of Daphne!
I will ignore your almost spoilers of Ozeki there David because you love Rebecca which makes anything and everything completely forgivable. Ha 😉
😦 so sorry to hear about the bookshop!
Oh, that beautiful, beautiful book. I received a copy of it last year and before I was even finished I was trying to push it on friends and family members. I was torn while reading – I didn’t want to stop, but I also wanted to remain with those characters for as long as I possibly could.
In my review I wrote “When I finished the book, I held it close as though by doing so I could hold on to the story inside.” Such a phenomenal novel (and my introduction to Ozeki’s work!). It’s certainly one I’ll be revisiting many, many times.
Sorry to hear about the bookstore, Simon. If I could buy it for you, I would–right after my own!
I’ve just finished Shift by Hugh Howey – the middle one of the trilogy that starts with Wool, and then picked up the final book yesterday to read soon. They’re excellent. Yesterday was my birthday so had a great excuse to spend the day having cake and coffee and wandering bookshops!
The book sounds great, will have to keep an eye out for it.
Sorry about your book shop. My fantasy is to open one also, but I lack funds and business acumen. I finished Anthony Marra’s wonderful A Constellation of Vital Phenomena which was so wonderful and it wrecked me for reading for several days. I am behind on podcasts and have not heard your interview with Mr. Marra. I am now reading The Funeral Dress by Susan Gregg Gilmore who I have had the pleasure of meeting at the Books on the Nightstand Booktopias twice. I am so enjoying it as it is engaging and beautifully written, but I also here Susan’s voice in my head as I am reading with a wonderful Southern accent.
I wrote a post about what I have been reading recently. It’s on http://suestrifles.wordpress.com and is called New year’s resolutions revisited (or something like that) I’d link properly but this device does not make it easy for me! I wrote it really quickly and didn’t even mention that one of the books is a novel about Conan Doyle! Sue
I am next on my library’s reservation list for the Ozeki. Now I can’t wait. Like you I am having trouble getting time to read but I’m enjoying it when I do. I’m reading The Colour by Rose Tremain about the NZ gold rush. It is good but not brilliant.
From the picture the bookshop looks like the one in Oxton Village on the Wirral. If it is I share your sorrow in seeing it go. My partners parents live just down the hill – when we visited last week I’d heard the Post Office had closed from my father-in-law – he’s partly irritated at having to go elsewhere to collect his pension but what’s really got to him is the loss of bookshop to browse in while he’s there.
So sad – I read in the Guardian yesterday link here that there are now only 987 indie bookshops left in the UK. I am doubly blessed to have 2 in my little town, but feel for anywhere that is left without any.
I am sad about any bookshop closing. What is happening to the world? Although 987 indie bookshops left open seems like a fair amount. But I suppose if I really think about it, it’s not enough.
I will hold off any comments on the Ozeki. I am glad you love it.