If you're a parent and a driver, the chances are the title of this post will resonate. Remember those long journeys - and probably not-so-long ones - when the chant from the kids in the back at some stage invariably migrated to "Are we there yet?"... Journeys of this nature - from A to B, … Continue reading Are we there yet?
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Sound body, sound mind..?
I have decided to cycle the length of the UK - Land's End to John o'Groats - on my exercise bike. Over 1,500 km split across 57 'stages'. Okay, so there are no uphills - but there are no downhills either! It seemed like a good idea: keep fit, have a challenge to aim for, … Continue reading Sound body, sound mind..?
“Girl, Woman, Other”
Bernadine Evaristo's "Girl, Woman, Other" is - quite simply - a triumph. I have no idea why it has taken me so long to read it. Perhaps I was put-off by its 450 pages, or the blurb, or the cover - the last two of these suggesting that somehow it wasn't going to be 'my … Continue reading “Girl, Woman, Other”
Don’t fear dreams – worry about them coming true…
Monday next week will be something of a landmark day. And for all sorts of reasons. Most importantly perhaps, it begins the university journey of one of my children: their first full week away from home. I am, of course, both proud and jealous! Simultaneously, our youngest has started on their journey into adulthood via … Continue reading Don’t fear dreams – worry about them coming true…
Substack: Nirvana or the Emperor’s New Clothes?
It seems lots of people are deserting WordPress for Substack, lured by the notion of creating 'newsletters' that people will pay to receive. That and knowing they'll be rubbing virtual shoulders with famous names and literary goliaths - and the fact that Substack is currently 'free'. So is it a good move? It's tempting, of … Continue reading Substack: Nirvana or the Emperor’s New Clothes?
“Galatea 2.2”
It was partly because I liked Richard Powers' "The Overstory" so much that I tried as hard as I could to get through "Galatea 2.2" - but I simply couldn't finish it, and gave up about a third of the way through. It has been a while since I last had to admit defeat like … Continue reading “Galatea 2.2”
“At Night All Blood Is Black”
It is easy to see why David Diop's relentlessly dark "At Night All Blood Is Black" won the 2021 International Booker Prize. The novel is suitably dark and brooding, an examination of one man's decline into madness as he and his French compatriots fight in the trenches of World War One. Alfa's Senegalese roots permeates … Continue reading “At Night All Blood Is Black”
The Binding of the Sea
The Binding of the Sea would the tide never stop coming in inching ever higher as the months passed there were only two roads out each burdened with over-familiarity all novelty quagmire-sunk as if the peninsula had capitulated and the sea invaded the land going further afield they sought pubs in out-of-the-way locations explorers for … Continue reading The Binding of the Sea
Holding on or letting go? The Worthwhile Life: 2
I went for a run first thing this morning. Nothing too dramatic. A gentle jog to test out my aching left achilles' tendon. Or is it the calf muscle? And I was reminded - inevitably - how my running used to be... My best ever time for 10k was a little over 46 minutes; I … Continue reading Holding on or letting go? The Worthwhile Life: 2
Has it been a worthwhile life..?
How do you know if you have lived a 'worthwhile' life? When you look back on how you have spent the time gifted you, how do you judge if it has been time 'well-spent', 'worthy', 'good', virtuous', 'positive'...? You pick the adjective because the supply is almost endless! Which ones you choose will depend on … Continue reading Has it been a worthwhile life..?
Ian Gouge - Writer 