Reading the 20th Century discussion

Welcome to The Midnight Bell 2023 edition….


….a general discussion thread in which you can talk about anything and everything.

It also masquerades as a classic British pub.

Get your first pretend pint free - other pretend beverages are also available.

Come one, come all, gather round and, of course, be of good cheer.

Thanks Nigeyb for keeping the pub open and for taking care of us all year!

Thanks Nigeyb. Wishing you and all here a peaceful 2023. Slainte!

Thanks Ben, thanks Stephen


Any New Year resolutions?

Last year mine was to dance more, which proved very successful and which I plan to maintain. This year it's to see more live music and be more adventurous with my gig going. Taking more chances and supporting smaller venues.

Nigeyb, same here regarding gig going. For 2 years Covid put a stop to a lot of that, but this year I saw King Creosote, Biffy Clyro supported by Architects, The Cure supported by The Twilight Sad and had a day at a festivak, GlasGoesPop. All of it was great.
2023 - more gigs hopefully. In January I will see The Delgados, Kate Rusby and Blue Rose Code.

My other 2023 resolution is to have less internet browsing and read more books.

Ben wrote: "Thanks Nigeyb for keeping the pub open and for taking care of us all year!"

Ditto! Take a bow, Nigeyb, for your quiet efficiency which keeps everything here running so seamlessly :))

Nigeyb wrote: "Last year mine was to dance more, which proved very successful"

Dancing - that's a joyful resolution.

We're signed up for ballroom dancing classes from January! After years of Mr RC being sniffy about Strictly, he watched it during lockdown and has turned into a super-fan. So we'll be waltzing and tangoing through 2023 :))

Good luck with the resolutions - and the gigs


Ballroom dancing! How wonderful

Just posting a link to The Guardian's annual list of books to look out for in 2023:

www.theguardian.com/books/2022/dec/31...

Lots of exciting goodies there.

And it states that the new Mick Herron is a standalone.

Happy New Year and Happy Hogmanay everyone! Lang may yer lum reek and best wishes. 🍻🥂

Thank you, Nigeyb, RC, Judy, and Susan for this well run, friendly group. I know it’s a lot of time and energy to run a group and this is an excellent group.

My New Year resolutions are, as always, move more and eat healthy. And sort of like Stephen, less Instagram. I enjoy bookstagram and I log my books read there, but I can’t resist baby and dog videos, which are a time suck!

I love the more dancing resolutions!

Happy New Year and Happy Hogmanay everyone! Lang may yer lum reek and best wishes. 🍻🥂

Thank you, Nigeyb, RC, and Susan for this well run, friendly group. I know it’s a lot of time and energy to run a group.

My New Year resolutions are, as always, move more and eat healthy. And sort of like Stephen, less Instagram. I’m off Facebook and Twitter, but I follow a lot of indie presses, authors, bookish accounts, and a few friends on Instagram, the rabbit hole for me are videos: I can’t resist baby and dog videos then I look up and 20 minutes are gone. I don’t want to give up Instagram because I track my books read on there as well. It’s a quicker and easier than looking up Goodreads on my iPad, and I’d rather follow publishers and writers on Instagram than Twitter. I just have to exercise more self control and not click on the baby or dog videos embedded in the feed.

I love the more dancing resolutions!

I don't believe in resolutions. They are generally doomed for failure. Although more dancing is more doable than losing weight.

As for gigs - I'll be going to one on January 18. A group out of my town, Steep Canyon Rangers, do a winter camp every January at a local brewery. Then they go back to their current tour.

Happy New Year, everyone - and may 2023 be filled with marvellous books!

HNY 🙌🏻


Here's to a fab 2023

Happy New Year! I still need to come up with a New Year's resolution, but also like the dance one. I took ballroom dancing some years ago and loved it.

I agree with Jan that most resolutions are doomed for failure, but it's worth a try. I can only think of one that I followed through on, and that was to take a photograph every day for a year (AKA a 365 photo project). That was a lot of fun, even though my photography skills were a bit lacking.

Happy New Year to everyone too, although I'm dodging it because it seems riddled with inauspicious omens. although may make an exception for Chinese New Year because dragons and, this year, bunnies!

Debra wrote: "I took ballroom dancing some years ago and loved it."

It looks so elegant and sophisticated but it's actually strenuous and hard work, isn't it? We did a taster class before signing up and I felt I'd worked way harder than my yoga class!

Definitely true, and not just the fast dances, like the mambo or swing. Even dances like the Foxtrot can be a workout. I think it's in the way that you have to hold your body and position your arms. It doesn't feel natural at first. And just wait till you learn Tango -- talk about an awkward posture!

I need a don’t-buy-that-book-for-the-cover support group. I only recently saw the collection Anita Brookner titles all with white covers. I have 6 of her books and I don’t need to buy second copies so that I have all 12 in white covers,








but look how lovely they are.

Debra wrote: "Definitely true, and not just the fast dances, like the mambo or swing. Even dances like the Foxtrot can be a workout. I think it's in the way that you have to hold your body and position your arms"

Yes, and that crick-in-the-neck posture for a waltz.

Mr RC is dying to learn to tango - he's convinced this is *his* dance ;)

WndyJW wrote: "I need a don’t-buy-that-book-for-the-cover support group. I only recently saw the collection Anita Brookner titles all with white covers. I have 6 of her books and I don’t need to buy second copies..."

I need to join that group, Wendy - new and matching covers are just so enticing.

WndyJW wrote: "I need a don’t-buy-that-book-for-the-cover support group. I only recently saw the collection Anita Brookner titles all with white covers. I have 6 of her books and I don’t need to buy second copies..."

How fun it would be to belong to a book club where we choose books based on their covers and pair them with wines chosen from the labels.

That reminds me of one of the bookstores that matched book covers to the dresses worn at the Met Gala a few months ago.

RC, it appears you need to join the don’t-buy-a-book-for-the-cover support group as well. We need someone to say that covers don’t matter, the book themselves matter, and no one sees the cover once they’re on the shelves anyway, things like that.

But in our defence, books are material objects not just texts and we bibliophiles take pleasure in their look and feel and smell. As much as I love my Kindle, there's a special pleasure in a reading a beautiful book, like the Fitzcarraldo or Persephone volumes. Covers are part of that aesthetic. So we're free to buy!

Uh oh, I've just done a Wendy and bought a lovely new (2022) edition of Beloved, one of my all-time favourite books. It's in Vintage's new square format with French flaps and an original design, and part of a Morrison series - yes, I need them all!

If anyone hasn't voted in our March poll, please do either by going to polls in the top right box under the group name and logo, or here:

www.goodreads.com/poll/list/277227-re...

Oh my! Those are beautiful! I’m going to start buying each of these now for my granddaughter for next Christmas. She will be 16 then and it’s time for her to read Toni Morrison. I have and , but I take the dust jacket off my Everyman Library editions. The other Morrison’s are various paperbacks.

Roman Clodia wrote: "Uh oh, I've just done a Wendy and bought a lovely new (2022) edition of Beloved, one of my all-time favourite books. It's in Vintage's new square format with French flaps and an ori..."

Those are very tempting, is the paper decent? The thing that puts me off Vintage is that they often use that rough stock that yellows and stiffens, one of the things that puts me off a lot of British hardbacks. I like my paper smooth and supple!

Don't even tell me about buying books. On January 1 I stop buying books until mid-March.

I will have plenty of reading to do. I just received 6 more books, including the January 6 report - +800 pp.

I used to stop drinking for that period but since I quit drinking, I needed some other habit to stop. I also quit smoking and drinking coffee. I don't have that many other vices. So it falls to books.

Alwynne wrote: "Those are very tempting, is the paper decent?"

It's smoother than the usual rough Vintage paper but not as smooth as Fitzcarraldo, and also feels that little bit thinner. They've spent money on the original design though and photography.

I'm never tempted by new covers, it's the old ones that get me. If I have a newish edition of a book I'm always tempted to replace it if I see a nice 60s or 70s Penguin

I hear ya Martin

It depends on the book for me. Sometimes it’s more about having covers that match, but I guess usually I am drawn to the new covers.

WndyJW wrote: "It depends on the book for me. Sometimes it’s more about having covers that match, but I guess usually I am drawn to the new covers."

I am too, particularly like American books though as the paper is usually better so don't yellow and fade so fast. But much slower to order from America now and a lot more expensive because the pound is weaker. So have been known to replace favourites with new, shiny editions. Although I'm trying to be more restrained as have far too many books and also need to cut back on spending like everyone else at the moment.

It’s too bad there isn’t a US equivalent to Blackwells for Brits. I order books every month from Blackwells because it’s free shipping to the US.

For those who don’t know, I just learned of the Ourshelves podcast hosted by Virago Books. It’s just one episode a month, but they’re all about VMC authors.

I was asked to let everyone know that I’m hanging out with my grandchild now.

Ahh, that’s sweet. How old?

6, Griffin. He wanted to see what I was looking at so I explained Goodreads to him and he wanted me to type that. Seemed a simple enough request.

Am I the only one in the group who's tempted by Spare? I don't think I could bring myself to buy it but read an extract and found it fascinating. The style is typically uneven, very much in the ghosted celeb memoir vein but it really underlines the dysfunctionality in the Royal Family setup which dates back at least to Edward and Bertie growing up in the early 20th century - Harry's childhood reminded me a lot of Poliakoff's depiction of his ancestors' upbringing in The Lost Prince. But also really ties in well with the recent discussions about the British class system and its traditions and the damage that the boarding-school system inflicts on children particularly to those dispatched at 8.

Alwynne wrote: "Am I the only one in the group who's tempted by Spare? I don't think I could bring myself to buy it but read an extract and found it fascinating. The style is typically uneven, very..."

I'm intrigued but don't think I will read the book. However, I remember reading anything I could get my hands on about Princess Diana. Perhaps because we were about the same age?

Alwynne wrote: "Am I the only one in the group who's tempted by Spare?"

I'm secretly curious! But I think that's because I want to have all my biases and prejudices against the royal family/aristocracy/Eton/the concept of monarchy etc. etc. confirmed!

Not sure either that Harry really understands that being the 'spare' is itself a privileged position. And a bit disappointed that the latest newspaper reports have him rowing back on the racist claims.

I'd love you to read it, Alwynne, and give us the insights in a review :))

I find myself in complete agreement with the three comments above. Please read it Alwynne!

Hasn't he blurted it all out in various interviews?


I'm not remotely attracted to it

Nigeyb wrote: "Hasn't he blurted it all out in various interviews?


I'm not remotely attracted to it"

Most of the reporting has been highly selective so as to put a particular slant on his observations, mainly a highly negative slant at that! It's a wonderful case study in media manipulation.

I think I'm mainly interested in the response to the book especially from people who haven't read it, would make a wonderful journal article and sure there are quite a few in the works but will be months before any appear. Some of the framing has been positively Victorian e.g. assertions that Harry must be 'mad' and should be committed etc. And the way in which misogynistic/racist narratives re: Meghan have been inserted into the commentary breathtakingly unsettling.

By people who haven't read it didn't mean you Nigey btw, meant people online who are voicing extensive criticisms based on things like Daily Mail articles. A mass of low GR ratings already from royalists and racists who haven't actually read the thing - and yes I know the two are not equivalent!

Not sure cba to pay for a copy though, apparently it's 8 quid in Tesco's with a club card but since I don't have one not much use to me, and library waiting lists are very long.

Had a chuckle over this...

https://twitter.com/colbertlateshow/s...

I agree the most interesting thing about the whole circus is the reaction


The tabloids and H&M seem locked into a dysfunctional but symbiotic relationship.

H&M clearly have legitimate grievances but not sure the best way of dealing with them is highly lucrative, and increasingly tell-all, book deals and TV interviews, that just add fuel to the tabloid hate fest. What's their endgame?

I've not read anything or watched anything so cannot comment authoritatively as I have only a passing interest in the monarchy, and none in the psychdrama of the family's relationships

It does all feel like a massive distraction from the myriad more pressing issues of the day

Nigeyb wrote: "It does all feel like a massive distraction from the myriad more pressing issues of the day."

Yes, the right-wing press do seem to be using it to distract from the government's complete dysfunction. All the same, I was shocked at the outpouring of bile on here before the book was even released. Not defending H&M but the terms of the discourse, including accusing Megan of 'playing the race card' etc is revealing and very unpleasant.