The Patrick Hamilton Appreciation Society discussion

My seasonal swag in 2022 included...



I Have America Surrounded: A Biography of Timothy Leary

Born in the GDR: Life in the Shadow of the Wall

Tales from the Black Meadow

Dickens and Prince: A Particular Kind of Genius

Germany: Memories of a Nation


PLUS


The Bowie Moonage Daydream doc on DVD


What about you? Seasonal swag?

Compliments of the season all round.

Friends and family no longer buy me books, as they don’t know what I’ve read and what I haven’t, so there were none under the tannebaum this time around.
I have just given Kate Atkinson’s Shrines of Gaiety *** back to the librrary, and have just received from eBay Christian Wolmar’s The Great Railway Disaster, his well-informed exposé of the folly (who knew?) that was the ideological cussedness of privatisation of BR in 1996. Arthur Morrison’s A Child Of The Jago is on reserve from our still hanging-on local library. Sadie Jones’s Fallout is on the post from eBay, and I’ve just dipped my toe into the black murky waters of the River Irvine by starting out on William McIlvanney’s third Laidlaw novel Strange Loyalties.

I must say that the Hester Vaizey book on post-DDR Germany you mention looks very tempting. On to thd list it goes!

I don't have anyone to exchange gifts with now but doubt that anyone could buy books for me anyway.

I like the books I find for myself just by chance. Example -
Recently went to Colchester and visited their Firstsite art gallery and discovered the painter Denis Wirth-Miller
https://firstsite.uk/event/denis-wirt...
His partner Richard Chopping (apart from designing the classic James Bond sleeves) wrote a couple of novels, I felt compelled to search out the affordable one. I have just finished reading The Ring which is mainly played out in gay bars and sauna in late 1960s London. Actually Chopping is a fairly good fit for Hamiltonian books.

A third Yuval Noah Harari from the Mrs but that was the only one.

Gave a few though. Chicken Clickin’ for my 3 year old went down well.

Thanks both - inspiring ideas


Hard to read both your messages without thinking, "Hmm that sounds interesting"

The GR’s app is utter pants. This was the book I gave my 3 year old..

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

I gave one of yours (Zee Germans) to another, grown up daughter last Christmas. I thought it was excellent but not quite as good as Neil MacGregor’s coffee table tome Germany: Memories of a Nation, that she got the year before. She lives in Weimar so assumed she’d appreciate a bit of background.

I can't wait to get stuck into the MacGregor

Yah it’s the MacGregor you have! Enjoy it really is excellent. Amongst the many objects he chose, the horizontally “floating” angel statue was my favourite. Look forward to hearing your thoughts.