The main road through my village, the A62, has a new claim to fame: it’s the fourth most dangerous in the UK, according to the entertainingly-monikered EuroRAP (that’s the European Road Assessment Program, and, sadly, nothing to do with 2Unlimited). We also enjoy the dubious distinction of being the worst performer in the top fifteen or so British death-trap tarmac strips compared with the previous monitoring period, having got a whole 63% more lethal over the past couple of years. To top it off, our main group of victims is composed of hapless pedestrians and cyclists, rather than the idiots behind the steering wheels doing the crashing; this is hardly surprising, as much of the road in question is built-up, 30 mph, and frequented by impatient tailgaters and the sort of drivers who slow right down for the four or five Gatsos on the route before blazing off at 20 over the limit.
I’ve just started going out on my old bike again, in an attempt to get back into some sort of shape, and I was concentrating on improving my time over a section of the road in question. I think I’ll revise my route.
1 comment 2007-06-25 20:24 Categories: Rage
There are those in this world who do not appreciate the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Should you self-identify as a member of this group, you should probably read no futher; I am a dork for Tolkien, and have been ever since, aged eight, I read The Hobbit far past bedtime, in a sliver of illumination from the landing light. I can appreciate that many cannot abide his writing, however, and I wouldn’t dream of trying to proselytise. He is an idiosyncratic writer indeed; I had to give up when attempting The Silmarillion for the first time, overwhelmed by the slew of genealogies and largely characterless warring individuals making up at least the first part of that intimidating book. I was, therefore, a little wary of this latest release from J.R.R Industries Incorporated, but am happy to say that whilst The Children of Húrin is not as readable as The Lord of The Rings, it is still an engaging and interesting tale, and I can recommend it to anyone who enjoys the more famous stories of Prof. Tolkien and would like to find a way into the history and mythologies that underlie those works. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I’ve returned to The Silmarillion for another attempt, and I am finding it much easier going this time around. It’s still a ridiculously large tome though, and this (in combination with digressionary re-readings of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings) has resulted in the distinct lack of other reading-related posts recently.
0 comments 2007-06-24 19:38 Categories: Books, Geek Stuff, Reviews
I just took delivery of the final, finished copy of the Kittenwar book, written by a couple of shady characters known as Fraser Lewry and Tom Ryan. Coming to a book retailer near you in September.
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0 comments 2007-06-14 20:35 Categories: Cats, Kittenwar &c.
McCullers is one of those authors I have seen frequently and reverently referred to, but who I have never actually read. I have to confess that The Member of the Wedding has left me rather nonplussed, probably because I am not sufficiently American to appreciate the scenery, and never having been a twelve year old girl I am unable to really relate to the protagonist, Frankie, who I found infuriating. McCullers captures the self-centredness of childhood very well. She may also have captured a picture-perfect snapshot of the deep south of the USA during WW2, but as everything is refracted through Frankie’s eyes it’s hard to tell. Berenice, the family servant, provides some relief, and allows us to see a little way beyond the claustrophobic bounds of Frankie’s universe; her commentary on life as a black woman in the 1940s south is compelling. The writing is similarly mixed, shot through by vivid imagery, but is hard to engage with, much like the novel itself.
0 comments 2007-06-10 18:02 Categories: Books, Reviews
