Category Archives: Books
Happy Grey Fox Night
Grey Fox night? Don’t I mean Guy Fawkes Night? Well, let me fill you in.
And in a complete utter coincidence, we watched Disney’s “Fox and the Hound” yesterday. My, did I cry. If you haven’t seen it, check it out. It really is quite a lovely little story about the friendship between two unlikely friends, a fox named Tod and a hound dog named Copper in some Southern town where hunting is big. It actually could’ve been set in a pretty British town and have a completely different flavor.
Anyway, it left me quite pro-fox. Until by another sheer coincidence, I read “Chicken Licken” at bedtime, which outlines how a fox manages to lure quite a lot of poultry back to his family’s place for dinner (you know, the whole gang, including Henny Penny, Turkey Lurkey, Ducky Lucky — or not so lucky as it turns out) after they think the sky is falling and are looking to tell the king. No one was ever heard from again. It’s hard to believe this was the same benevolent creature depicted in the Disney film just hours before.
And so, if you feel moved to swap out the usual Guy Fawkes effigy for something more fox-like, well, go ahead. (Sorry, Tod.) Have a happy Grey Fox Night!
“The Elephant and the Bad Baby”
When I was growing up, my mother used to take me to the library twice a week. As I result, I’ve got a vivid arsenal of memories of pictures from books – many of which we never owned, and that I have no record of.
For most of them, my memory of the title of the book is completely gone, sadly inaccessible, but if I catch of glimpse of a particular page (now particularly when reading to my own kids and also going to the library) – it all comes rushing back.
“The Elephant and the Bad Baby” by Elfrida Vipont and illustrated by Raymond Briggs (of “The Snowman” fame) is one of those books for me.
It’s a very English story with references to crisps, biscuits, buns and barrow boys, as the Elephant takes the Bad Baby on a tasty trip through a variety of shops. My favorite pages out of the book (and every page, to be honest, is good enough to eat!) is the last scene of his mother making pancakes (in this case, hers are thin, French-style crepes), with lemon and sugar as the perfect accompaniments.
World Book Night
Mark your calendars! Next Monday, April 23, is World Book Night.
If you haven’t heard of it, it’s an annual celebration to promote the value of reading and a campaign to give out free books across America! It launched last year in the U.K. for the first time and this year, they’ve expanded it to the U.S.!
See the 30 books that are this year’s picks!
I’m a little late to the party here so won’t be able to help distribute the books this year. However, I do have the evening of the 23rd set aside for reading! I’m going to dive into The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. How about you?
‘English Lit’
Have you heard of 20×200?
It’s a site which supports artists and provides affordable art in limited editions. I’ve already made one purchase and it won’t be my last!
Check out artist Jane Mount’s “English Lit,” which is the artist’s rendition of a bookshelf consisting of classic English literature including works by Charles Dickens, Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte.
Roald Dahl stamps
The Royal Mail has just unveiled their latest tribute to children’s author Roald Dahl in a “gloriumptiously collectable” set of stamps. See them all!
I’m also loving the other accoutrements they are offering – stamp books, stamp cards, framed stamps, pin badges … everything that a Roald Dahl fan would eat up with a fork and knife (and maybe a spoon)!
Speaking of Roald Dahl, I might need to revisit some of these books from my childhood (and others that I’ve never read like “Matilda” and “The BFG”!)
Thanks to A Cup of Jo for bringing this to my attention!
Happy Burns Night
Haggis, clapshot and whisky sauce. Photo credit: BBC Food
Happy Burns Night!
Today is the day to celebrate the life and work of Scottish poet Robert Burns. It’s an evening to eat, drink, read great poetry (including my favorite Burns poem), play the pipes (particularly when “piping in the haggis” before sitting down and enjoying it) and finishing the night with a wee scotch. I have fond (but fuzzy) memories of Burns Night in Scotland, thanks to the gracious hospitality of Scottish friends who were keeping with tradition.
Check out a typical running order of the evening. I’ve always been particularly impressed by how scripted this dinner at home can be.
And if you have no idea what to cook for Burns Night, BBC Food has compiled an array of appropriate dishes (including some vegetarian options for the offalphobes in the house). Personally, I’ve only ever eaten the vegetarian version of haggis (and it really was delicious)!
Happy New Year!
If travel is in the cards in 2012, check out Taschen’s 4 Cities, a box set of 12 volumes covering hotels, restaurants and shops in London, Paris, New York and Berlin.
In the meantime, have a wonderful New Year’s and I’ll see you back here on Tuesday!
The year of the short story
With each passing year, my attention span wanes and my reading list gets more abbreviated. Thankfully next year is already being dubbed “The Year of the Short Story,” perhaps in response to those like me who are short on time and long on commitments.
Another piece of good news: We don’t have to wait until 2012 to jump feet first into the short fiction fray. Chris Power of the Guardian has compiled a list of the top short stories published this year and he contends that there were some fantastic short reads if you knew where to look. Check it out.
And for those of you who are too time poor to read the article, I feel your pain. Here’s the recommended list:
1. Alice by Judith Hermann (Clerkenwell Press)
2. All the Lights (And Other Stories) by Clemens Meyer
3. The Angel Esmeralda: Nine Stories by Don DeLillo (Picador)
4. The Beautiful Indifference by Sarah Hall (Faber and Faber)
5. Best European Fiction 2012 edited by Aleksandar Hemon (Dalkey Archive)
6. Best British Short Stories 2011 edited by Nicholas Royle (Salt)
7. The Granta Book of the African Short Story edited by Helon Habila (Granta)
8. It Was Just, Yesterday by Mirja Unge (Comma Press)
9. Long, Last, Happy: New and Selected Stories by Barry Hannah (Atlantic)
10. Saints and Sinners by Edna O’Brien (Faber and Faber)
11. Scenes from Village Life by Amos Oz (Chatto & Windus)
12. The Suitcase by Sergei Dovlatov (One World)
13. We Others: New and Selected Stories by Steven Millhauser (Corsair)
Watching the English
My mother-in-law kindly bought me “Watching the English” for Christmas, a fantastic little book that actually breaks down the rules of English behavior (er, I mean behaviour). Subjects range from dress codes to driving, office-party rules to Christmas and New Year’s rules.
A must-read for anyone interested in a hilarious and truthful dissection of the English culture!
Father Christmas or Santa Claus?
I always forget that Brits call Santa “Father Christmas.” It doesn’t come naturally to me. He’ll forever be Santa to me.
But perhaps the British moniker will be fresh in my mind, thanks to this little addition to our library – “Father Christmas Needs a Wee!” by Nicholas Allen.
In this charming little book, it recounts all the different drinks that Santa, ahem, I mean Father Christmas imbibed over the evening (all non-alcoholic, I should add. He must’ve missed the glass of sherry waiting at our house), before he makes his very quick return to the North Pole and his loo and goes for a much-needed “wee.”
Clearly, this is a point that was completely missed in “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.”
BRITRISH.COM 