It’s fully summer now, and we have our annual village drinks this Saturday. Fingers crossed for sunshine? I hope you’re also enjoying suitably summery activities – unless, of course, you are in the southern hemisphere. In which case I hope you’re having a lovely winter.
Onto the usual miscellany!
1.) The blog post – a melancholy but lovely post from Scott about the books that Furrowed Middlebrow would have published, were it not for the tragically early death of Rupert.
2.) The link – it’s a Spotify link, but I’m sure you’ll find the Independent Teacher podcast on other platforms. I enjoyed listening to my ‘Tea or Books?’ co-host Rachel on an episode about ending sexism in schools – sharing her research on sexism in the choice of books taught in English lessons in the UK.
3.) The book – for pre-orderers – my friend Tom has a novel out in October called Blight, which I’m excited to read. Below the pic is what it’s about…
1897. James Harringley is summoned home from London to his rambling family mansion in the north of England. His father is sick, deranged, and James must return, confronting the horrors he tried to forget: the labyrinthine house, the madness and secrets which poison their bloodline and, most frightening of all, the spectre of the tall man – an eerie visage who promises to whisk children away and make them royalty in the land of Faery.
James returns to the house and finds his father and brother at war, and the nebulous substance of his childhood brought into unbearable relief. He remembers the whispers about the tall man. But can he trust his own memories? Then the groundskeeper Janey has had her baby kidnapped, one of many child disappearances connected with the house and the nearby village. There are those who blame the tall man, while others believe a more earthly culprit is responsible. James must sift through the ramblings of his father, the scepticism of his power-hungry brother and the uncertain fabric of his own memories to discover the truth.
Hope it was not too windy for your village drinks yesterday.
Thanks for the link about Rachel’s work on sexism in schools, which was interesting and well argued (had to read her article instead of listening).
I am not sure if Tom’s book would be too unsettling for me or not. It sounded quite intriguing. I think I will wait for you and others to review it before I brave it!