Ness | 
pickI had a whole big thing in my head to write about this book, but it was too much. Suffice to say, it's a fantastically layered prose poem which resonates with many historical and contemporary themes, nuclear war, geopolitics and environmental apocalypse being the most obvious. I'm putting it next to Rilke's "Letters to a Young Poet" on my top podium for Best Books of the Year (So Far).
"Our congregation numbers the gulls"
These gulls were congregating because, being proper Northern gulls, they were after a bit of me pasty! ?
A rather grey Wednesday, though thankfully absent of woe. I ran some ironing to my parents and picked up another load of washing, as their washing machine has broken. Ordinary and simple errands, though I'm grateful that they're still here for me to do them.
During the round, I took time for a bookshop visit, and the cover for Ness seems to fit the colour and feel of the day. I'm personally less grey-feeling than this post might suggest 💛
pickHow to describe this...Ness was a nuclear component testing area in the UK during the Cold War. However, it‘s not about that but it is. Beautifully written with superb drawings. A pretty intense 81 pages. Maybe this is more about the power of nature. What I will say, read this lovely piece of poetry and prose.
pickA quick, intense read, in MacFarlane's usual, hypnotic style. A modern prose-poem for our time.
Spent the morning walking the Ness - an odd spit of land that was until recently a secret military testing area. Followed by dropping in on a talk with the author and illustrator of a new book set in the area. Serendipity!
1). Ness - strange but amazing
2). Didn‘t have one... 🤔🤔🤔
3). Buffalo chicken wings with blue cheese dressing, carrots and celery sticks.
4). Kitty health monitoring, seeing Hobbs & Shaw about which I am conflicted even though I‘m a fan of the series (He killed Han!😱 Shaw is *not* a hero people) and buying some plants for the balcony. ♥️
5). Two! Turns out I have not forgotten all of my Mandarin! 😊😊😊
#friyayintro
pickI have absolutely no idea what I just read. It‘s Robert Macfarlane‘s #CliFi Ness with spectacular illustrations by Stanley Donwood (and yes, I‘m going to try & squeak in my #Booked2019 #Spring reads in the next five days but hey, it‘s a challenge!). Ness is extremely hard to describe. Macfarlane uses words I‘ve never heard (the dictionary got a work out!) and poetic imagery that‘s somehow beautiful and atmospheric while being extremely creepy ⬇️
