Litsy

Treasures of Britain and Treasures of Ireland | Automobile Association (Great Britain)

Recent acquisition:

📖 Treasures of Britain and Treasures of Ireland by the Automobile Association

Bookwomble I used to have that one - not sure what happened to it. I still have the tagged book, which is in the same format as yours 😊

Folklore, Myths and Legends of Britain

1mo

bibliothecarivs @Bookwomble wow... I need to find a copy! 1mo

Bookwomble @bibliothecarivs Yikes! For no good reason I can think of, as I'm sure it would have been published in quantities, it is selling at a rather high price on the second-hand market: about £200 / $250 😱💰💸 1mo

9 likes3 comments

Robotswithpersonality

Notes from a Small Island | Bill Bryson

pick

I am relieved to say that I felt a lot better about this book by the end then I did at the start. Bryson's journey begins with flashing back to areas he previously visited and lived and worked in, in the 70s, and there seems to be more of a cantankerous, cynical, judgemental attitude on display. There may be some cranky old guy 'when I was your age' deploring the changes time has wrought,and the bad choices by civic planning, at play. 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? Gradually, as he travels into areas with more pleasing architecture and scenery, and even to new places and experiences, the tone becomes less misanthropic-trying-to-be-funny, and his love for this 'small island' and his concern for the preservation of historic and natural features, his knowledge of underfunded institutions he wishes to bring to the reader's attention, and historical tidbits throughout, create a much more enjoyable reading 3mo

Robotswithpersonality 3/? experience. I suppose I could sum it up and say he's scrupulously honest, about the condition of his rooms, the food on offer, the architecture, the place as experience and even occasionally his own less than sterling behaviour, and when other people are both intolerable and lovely. There are a number of moments however, where I think he could have said things differently, and indeed, if this were written today, no doubt would have. 3mo

Robotswithpersonality 4/? I appreciate that when the accommodations/eateries are good the place is named, and when they are not, it is nameless, there's no specific attacks (libel concern?), beyond some very unflattering portraits of fellow anonymous travelers. There's a general shift from personal history to place history, which adds something to an account that would otherwise be solely 'I went here and saw this, did this', not to knock the framework of the tradition 3mo

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Robotswithpersonality 5/? travelogue! 😅
I am curious what this trip would have yielded if he had not traveled during the 'off season', evidently more things would be open, but he would probably also have been complaining volubly about the crush of crowds. Likewise, as 30 years have transpired since publication, I wonder both whether this book had an effect on tourism, increasing visits to less well known spots, and whether the passage of time 3mo

Robotswithpersonality 6/? means that certain places no longer bear much similarity to the way they are described. It is 'Notes', not a comprehensive look, at anything really, but a decent meander from someone with an overall positive perspective.
I think I will pick up his other books. Having started with A Walk in the Woods, I was not entirely sold, and maybe the difference here was knowing and loving a good portion of the area involved beforehand, 3mo

Robotswithpersonality 7/7 but I can see the potential for observational humour that's not quite as mean, and truly caring investigation of the places traveled, which I enjoy. I'm also very interested in travelogues where the majority if not the entirety of the rambling is on foot, and this definitely fit the bill. ⚠️ fatphobia 3mo

willaful His books have gotten very “get off my lawn“ in tone in recent years, unfortunately. 3mo

Robotswithpersonality @willaful 😬 I was afraid of that.... 3mo

13 likes8 comments

Robotswithpersonality

Notes from a Small Island | Bill Bryson

Hallelujah! 🙌🏻
(Of course, the important addendum is that such a realization should happen when you're in reach of public transit. 😩)

Singout OMG. That all-day hike through never ending cold Scottish drizzle on the West Highland Way. When I thought I knew how to dress for outdoor weather because I‘m Canadian. 3mo

8 likes1 comment

Robotswithpersonality

Notes from a Small Island | Bill Bryson

No idea whether these stats hold up nearly 30 years later, nonetheless I am envious of the walking potential, and horrified from a historical preservation perspective.

MariaW And presumably most Britons don‘t know about it. 🙈🙈🙈 I love Bryson‘s funny way of stating the facts. (edited) 3mo

10 likes1 comment

Tamra

Fifteen Wild Decembers | Karen Powell

pick

Powell captures the frustrations, disappointments, and heartbreaks of the Brontë sisters well. Bleak, like Emily‘s moors.

Their poor father outliving his entire family. These types of accounts always make me better appreciate modern medicine, even with its flaws.

Speaking of bleak, is dreary wet March the new December? If so, I‘m not a fan.

Cathythoughts Lovely review ❤️ 3mo

andrew61 That sounds really good, and having visited Haworth last year I will try and read it next year. I read her novel the river within set in 1950s Yorkshire and I'd really recommend that if you get chance to find it. 3mo

Tamra @andrew61 oh, lucky you having visited! I Googled some pics to get a sense of it. You won‘t learn anything new from the novel, but it‘s an immersion into their world. I saw your review of The River Within and stacked it! 😄 3mo

45 likes3 comments

Tamra

Fifteen Wild Decembers | Karen Powell

The 26th of December is always a good day. Peace, quiet, no expectations, and good leftovers. 😄

Cathythoughts Yes ❤️ 3mo

LeahBergen How is this book? I‘ve been eyeing it for ages. 😆 3mo

Tamra @LeahBergen halfway thru now and I‘d say it‘s an easy pleasant read. (edited) 3mo

LeahBergen Perfect! I would be stacking right now if I didn‘t already have it stacked. 😆 3mo

47 likes2 stack adds4 comments

AllDebooks

Wild: Tales from Early Medieval Britain | Amy Jeffs

#12Booksof2024
As I read an equal amount, I will be sharing a fiction and non-fiction selection for each month.

January's picks

Fiction - Tagged

Non-fiction - Ultra-processed People by Chris Van Tulleken #NaturaLitsy #buddyread

@Andrew65

AllDebooks

Ultra-Processed People: Why Do We All Eat Stuff That Isn�t Food ... and Why Can�t We Stop?

3mo

Andrew65 A good strategy. 3mo

kspenmoll Stacked! Wild… (edited) 3mo

30 likes3 comments

TheSpineView

The Complete Poems of Walter de la Mare | Walter de la Mare

#PoetryMatters @TheSpineView
#Candle

dabbe 💙❄️💙 4mo

TheSpineView @dabbe 🌞 4mo

38 likes2 comments

Robotswithpersonality

Notes from a Small Island | Bill Bryson

She was NOT. Dude, really?! 🫢 Must be a very old family name.Wouldn't see anyone choosing that today...

7 likes1 stack add

Dilara

An Age Of Tyrants: Britain And The Britons, A. D. 400-600 | Christopher A. Snyder

I went overboard at the charity shop's book sale but there was a lot more choice than usual on the English book shelves. I think someone (probably American) must have moved away.
I left all the autobiographies of US politicians and business people and all the romances for others....

27 likes

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