Athelstone

Same here, with stories, although ‘Butcher’s perfume’ in ‘The Beautiful Indifference’ blew me away.

Have you discovered Benjamin Myers?* I’ve just finished his ‘Male Tears’ which is short stories and much less impactful (to me) than his novels.

*not at the Festival!

I loved ‘How to Paint a Dead Man.’ Also ‘Haweswater’. I find her short stories a hard read – often grisly or too troubling.

I confess I’ve never read Mrs Dalloway, but have ‘Burntcoat on my tbr pile. Fell heavily for Sarah Hall having picked up ‘How to paint a dead man’ in a charity shop, some years ago.

I’ll sign up for Sarah Hall, and Graham Macrae Burnet – among others.

Also Mrs Dalloway for whom I seem to have limitless capacity though others may groan 🙂

Quick count says I’ve bookmarked 19, but I don’t know if all are online, which they need to be because I’ll not be there in person :-(.

Thoughts for today

Writing this on the fifth day of June – my daughter’s 51st birthday and the third day of the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations of a reign of 70 years – my memories span a similar length of time. In June 1953, once again off school and suffering with the recurring pain of a persistent ear infection, my mother attempted to divert me…[Read more]

Well done @ Knicky – I agree with Sea, there should be more, because the writing was, as ever, fabulous. And I too had to check @Alex‘s on Google that my my guess was right. 1961, eh?

Awww, thanks @seagreen! I enjoyed writing this piece very much, and it is a very personal one to me. Just an anticipatory imagining of a band festival I attended quite recently, and how I wanted it to go. It went even better than what I wrote 🙂 haha

I too went on a Google search over @alex‘s piece, for the exact same reason 😄😄 It’s too funny you…[Read more]

Apologies for the lateness of these results. You won’t believe how hard it’s been these past few days to find time to settle down with a cup of tea and a clear mind to give your entries the attention they deserve.

@Sandra – No worries. If you’re in the zone with ‘Mercy’, you’re in the zone.

@Knickylaurelle – This sparked with energy. Loved ‘…[Read more]

Sorry, all. The day has not gone to plan. I’ll try to get a look at your wonderful entries later tonight 👍

Sorry, Gail, but with a head full of ‘Mercy’ I’m totally out of inspiration here.

[TW for an F-Bomb 💣]

And Your Flesh Shall Be A Wild Night and A New Road

The wild scream of the guitar ripped down his spine, surging like power in his veins. Dominion, utter and absolute electricity, was what their music held over the night.

.  . . 1984.

That was the last time he saw her, and all he could recall were a few, sparse details of…[Read more]