There are a number of “recurring themes” within my writing in this blog – no surprise there as my thoughts on particular topics are developed – and one of them is the subject of memories – an interesting topic in and of itself, but my particular area of thought is with regard to how real our memories are – both in terms of what (we think) we remember and also what we have banished or simply forgotten.
George McConnell
In Memory: A Tribute to Sir Terry Pratchett
A collection of short stories on the subject of memory by an assortment of authors. The book has been created in memory of Terry Pratchett and most of the stories contain themes that he would be familiar with. All of them relate to the importance of memories. An enjoyable read – but in bits rather than trying to read it like a novel – each story being self contained and quite different in character from the others.
So What Really IS Important?
We are only a few days into the new year and already items in the news have shocked me – have inspired me – have worried me – have surprised me – have saddened me – have ….. What we find out about the happenings around the globe has the capacity to affect us in a huge number of ways. What about – and this is entirely in keeping with the blog theme – the things we don’t know about?
Out With The Old!!
Having just checked back I discovered that since I started on this blog I have a woeful record when it comes to writing anything at the start of the year! Not a single post (until now) written in January of any year. I don’t think there is any particular reason for that – but it is time I broke the pattern. The other good reason for a post this month is that it completes 12 consecutive months with at least one post.
Shoot The Damn Dog: A Memoir of Depression
Perhaps not the happiest book to read at Christmas!! I wouldn’t say that I enjoyed reading this book, but I will say that I am glad I read it. It gives an insight into living with and coping with (or not) depression that I would not have expected. Much of it I already ‘knew’ intellectually – however having the story told at first hand – straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak – carries a huge amount of impact.
Discworld – The Next Chapter
Just yesterday I wrote about how I like to visit different “worlds” when I am reading. Last night I got to the end of the story of one of those worlds. Knowing that it was his last novel, getting to the end of Sir Terry Pratchett’s “The Shepherd’s Crown” was always going to be tinged with disappointment – not in the story itself, but because we will never know what happens next to the many characters that we have met through the Discworld series.
Just – WHY?
As we progress through life there is – at least for me – an increasing realisation that there are things that we do – that we enjoy doing – that are seemingly unproductive, unnecessary or just a “waste of time”. Yet we persist in doing them. For some people these can be harmful – to themselves or others – for others they are entirely benign – and yet the question remains – WHY?
A Matter Of Taste
A recurrent theme on the blog is the matter of “taste” in regard to the arts – especially in regard to music. It is well understood that “what you like” is determined by all sorts of factors and quite naturally varies from person to person – that song that “brings tears to your eyes” may well “bring tears” to someone else’s eyes for very different reasons!
The Shepherd’s Crown
And so it ends….. I have started to read the last Discworld book. Glad that it includes the Nac Mac Feegle😀
Satin Island
A bit of a ‘departure’ for me – I read this only because my wife got it from the library and didn’t like it – not enough ‘story’ for her. I took a while to get into the book – it is certainly not what you might call a “page turner”. One of the reviews on Amazon describes it as “clever but empty”!! I read it to the end – was I any the wiser? Perhaps not – but it was an interesting collection of ideas – and the central character’s job title (corporate anthropologist) was intriguing. Ultimately it probably raised more questions than it answered.