Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings
@kaggsy59.bsky.social
Loves books and arts and culture and vegan food, and sharing thoughts about them! Blogs at https://kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/
Introduce yourself with 5 concerts you've seen.
Patti Smith
Bob Dylan
The Clash
The Cure
Siouxsie and the Banshees
(also saw the Bunnymen, Jacqui... 😉) #MusicSky
Patti Smith
Bob Dylan
The Clash
The Cure
Siouxsie and the Banshees
(also saw the Bunnymen, Jacqui... 😉) #MusicSky
Introduce yourself with 5 concerts you've seen.
Björk
Massive Attack
The Unthanks
Echo & the Bunnymen
The Cure
#MusicSky
Björk
Massive Attack
The Unthanks
Echo & the Bunnymen
The Cure
#MusicSky
Introduce yourself with 5 concerts you've seen.
Pulp
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
American Music Club
Super Furry Animals
Chalk
Pulp
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
American Music Club
Super Furry Animals
Chalk
November 28, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Introduce yourself with 5 concerts you've seen.
Patti Smith
Bob Dylan
The Clash
The Cure
Siouxsie and the Banshees
(also saw the Bunnymen, Jacqui... 😉) #MusicSky
Patti Smith
Bob Dylan
The Clash
The Cure
Siouxsie and the Banshees
(also saw the Bunnymen, Jacqui... 😉) #MusicSky
Today on the blog I'm sharing my thoughts about the latest release from Recovered Books @neglectedbooks.com @bhousepress.bsky.social - the stunning "Makeshift" by Sarah Campion. More here: kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2025/11/28/h...
“Hunting for some anchor…” #makeshift @neglectedbooks @bhousepress
My last book for November is the latest title from one of my favourite indie imprints – Recovered Books from Boiler House Press. Since their first release of the magnificent “Gentleman …
kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com
November 28, 2025 at 8:19 AM
Today on the blog I'm sharing my thoughts about the latest release from Recovered Books @neglectedbooks.com @bhousepress.bsky.social - the stunning "Makeshift" by Sarah Campion. More here: kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2025/11/28/h...
Reposted by Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings
This is a very funny piece of writing by Peter Lonsdale in which I appear as the character of Andy Miller. It's based on an interview we did eight years ago. Thanks to @irishtimes.com for having the foresight and hindsight to run it. @backlisted.bsky.social www.irishtimes.com/culture/book...
Lessons for the would-be writer: An aborted interview with Andy Miller
Peter Lonsdale reflects on his encounter with the co-host of the Backlisted Podcast
www.irishtimes.com
November 26, 2025 at 6:50 AM
This is a very funny piece of writing by Peter Lonsdale in which I appear as the character of Andy Miller. It's based on an interview we did eight years ago. Thanks to @irishtimes.com for having the foresight and hindsight to run it. @backlisted.bsky.social www.irishtimes.com/culture/book...
Reposted by Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings
"He asked which book I'd nominate for Backlisted ... I suggested an obscene short story he’d never heard of, about a necrophiliac pederast, brought to my attention by one of his professional rivals."
Oh, the pain of the hastily-prepared interview, repented leisurely (and wittily) by Peter Lonsdale.
Oh, the pain of the hastily-prepared interview, repented leisurely (and wittily) by Peter Lonsdale.
This is a very funny piece of writing by Peter Lonsdale in which I appear as the character of Andy Miller. It's based on an interview we did eight years ago. Thanks to @irishtimes.com for having the foresight and hindsight to run it. @backlisted.bsky.social www.irishtimes.com/culture/book...
Lessons for the would-be writer: An aborted interview with Andy Miller
Peter Lonsdale reflects on his encounter with the co-host of the Backlisted Podcast
www.irishtimes.com
November 26, 2025 at 7:58 AM
"He asked which book I'd nominate for Backlisted ... I suggested an obscene short story he’d never heard of, about a necrophiliac pederast, brought to my attention by one of his professional rivals."
Oh, the pain of the hastily-prepared interview, repented leisurely (and wittily) by Peter Lonsdale.
Oh, the pain of the hastily-prepared interview, repented leisurely (and wittily) by Peter Lonsdale.
Only read the first para, and hooked already... 😊
A new instalment of INVENTORY is available now via the @backlisted.bsky.social Patreon. Sign up as a Locklistener today, read about the Clientele and the ‘suburban uncanny’, support the podcast. @theclientele.bsky.social
This week: God Save the Clientele.
www.patreon.com/backlisted
This week: God Save the Clientele.
www.patreon.com/backlisted
November 26, 2025 at 10:37 AM
Only read the first para, and hooked already... 😊
November is a month stuffed full of reading events, and today on the blog I take part in #scifimonth with a classic work from the Strugatskys - "Roadside Picnic". More here! kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2025/11/26/s...
“Suddenly, he seemed to be in another world.” #roadsidepicnic #scifimonth
As if November didn’t have enough reading events on the go, I discovered at a late stage that it was also Sci Fi Month!! Now, I don’t read *huge* amounts of that genre, but I do like cl…
kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com
November 26, 2025 at 8:15 AM
November is a month stuffed full of reading events, and today on the blog I take part in #scifimonth with a classic work from the Strugatskys - "Roadside Picnic". More here! kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2025/11/26/s...
On the Ramblings today, another book which counts for two reading events - #NovNov25 and #NonFictionNovember. The book tells of Mary and Percy Shelley's travels in post-Revolutionary Europe - more here! kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2025/11/24/a...
“…an aspect of tranquillity and peculiar beauty…” #novnov25 #maryshelley
Today’s post is about another book which qualifies for two November events – Non Fiction November and Novellas in November (as we are allowed to include short non fiction works). I̵…
kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com
November 24, 2025 at 8:26 AM
On the Ramblings today, another book which counts for two reading events - #NovNov25 and #NonFictionNovember. The book tells of Mary and Percy Shelley's travels in post-Revolutionary Europe - more here! kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2025/11/24/a...
Reposted by Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings
New on the blog today, I've written about LADY L. by Romain Gary.
A charming, hugely enjoyable story of love, long-held secrets & railing against the establishment, in which personal desires are pitted against political principles & beliefs. I loved it! 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/11/23/l...
A charming, hugely enjoyable story of love, long-held secrets & railing against the establishment, in which personal desires are pitted against political principles & beliefs. I loved it! 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/11/23/l...
Lady L. by Romain Gary
Twice winner of the Prix Goncourt (once under a pen name), Romain Gary was a French writer, diplomat, film director and WW2 pilot of great repute. His highly engaging memoir, Promise at Dawn, is by…
jacquiwine.wordpress.com
November 23, 2025 at 7:15 AM
New on the blog today, I've written about LADY L. by Romain Gary.
A charming, hugely enjoyable story of love, long-held secrets & railing against the establishment, in which personal desires are pitted against political principles & beliefs. I loved it! 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/11/23/l...
A charming, hugely enjoyable story of love, long-held secrets & railing against the establishment, in which personal desires are pitted against political principles & beliefs. I loved it! 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/11/23/l...
Reposted by Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings
“But we are émigrés, and for émigrés all countries are dangerous. Lots of ministers make speeches against us and no one wants to have us in their country, even though we’re not at all harmful and in fact just like other people." #BookSky 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/11/18/c...
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/11/18/c...
Child of All Nations by Irmgard Keun (tr. Michael Hofmann)
Born in Berlin in 1905, the German writer Irmgard Keun rose to prominence in the early 1930s with her striking novels Gilgi, One of Us (1931) and The Artificial Silk Girl (1932), both of which I lo…
jacquiwine.wordpress.com
November 22, 2025 at 10:04 AM
“But we are émigrés, and for émigrés all countries are dangerous. Lots of ministers make speeches against us and no one wants to have us in their country, even though we’re not at all harmful and in fact just like other people." #BookSky 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/11/18/c...
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/11/18/c...
On the blog today I revisit “The Trial” for the first time in decades - what a book! #Novnov25 #GLM2025 More here kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2025/11/22/t...
“That means you’ll simply be deleted.” #TheTrial #Kafka #GLM2025 #NovNov25
One of the books I had lined up as a possibility for our #1925Club was a big hitter from that year – “The Trial” by Franz Kafka. It’s a book which I don’t think I̵…
kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com
November 22, 2025 at 8:29 AM
On the blog today I revisit “The Trial” for the first time in decades - what a book! #Novnov25 #GLM2025 More here kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2025/11/22/t...
Reposted by Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings
It's November 20th #Tokarczuk25 #Flights #OlgaTokarczuk starts today! readinganactofsharedsolitude.wordpress.com/2025/11/06/i...
It’s November 20th #Tokarczuk25 #Flights #OlgaTokarczuk starts today!
There are countries out there where people speak English. But not like us – we have our own languages hidden in our carry-on luggage, in our cosmetics bags, only ever using English when we tr…
readinganactofsharedsolitude.wordpress.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:06 PM
It's November 20th #Tokarczuk25 #Flights #OlgaTokarczuk starts today! readinganactofsharedsolitude.wordpress.com/2025/11/06/i...
On the Ramblings today - I'm pleased to kick off the blog tour for The Future of Travel from @melvillehouse.bsky.social - a thought-provoking read on the effects travel is having on our planet. More here: kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2025/11/20/i...
November 20, 2025 at 10:00 AM
On the Ramblings today - I'm pleased to kick off the blog tour for The Future of Travel from @melvillehouse.bsky.social - a thought-provoking read on the effects travel is having on our planet. More here: kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2025/11/20/i...
Reposted by Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings
New on the blog this week, I've written about CHILD OF ALL NATIONS by Irmgard Keun (tr. Michael Hofmann).
A striking coming-of-age story of exile in 1930s Europe, told through an engaging narrative voice. #GermanLitMonth #BookSky 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/11/18/c...
A striking coming-of-age story of exile in 1930s Europe, told through an engaging narrative voice. #GermanLitMonth #BookSky 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/11/18/c...
Child of All Nations by Irmgard Keun (tr. Michael Hofmann)
Born in Berlin in 1905, the German writer Irmgard Keun rose to prominence in the early 1930s with her striking novels Gilgi, One of Us (1931) and The Artificial Silk Girl (1932), both of which I lo…
jacquiwine.wordpress.com
November 19, 2025 at 8:12 AM
New on the blog this week, I've written about CHILD OF ALL NATIONS by Irmgard Keun (tr. Michael Hofmann).
A striking coming-of-age story of exile in 1930s Europe, told through an engaging narrative voice. #GermanLitMonth #BookSky 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/11/18/c...
A striking coming-of-age story of exile in 1930s Europe, told through an engaging narrative voice. #GermanLitMonth #BookSky 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/11/18/c...
Reposted by Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings
In The Spotlight: LAXtras: Los Angeles-Style Crime Stories margot-kin-berg.com/2025/11/18/i...
In The Spotlight: LAXtras: Los Angeles-Style Crime Stories
Visit the post for more.
margot-kin-berg.com
November 18, 2025 at 7:32 PM
In The Spotlight: LAXtras: Los Angeles-Style Crime Stories margot-kin-berg.com/2025/11/18/i...
Reposted by Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings
New on the blog today, I've written about CHILD OF ALL NATIONS by Irmgard Keun (tr. Michael Hofmann).
An eye-opening window into the uncertain existence of a family of German refugees, forced to leave their homeland for political reasons. #GermanLitMonth 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/11/18/c...
An eye-opening window into the uncertain existence of a family of German refugees, forced to leave their homeland for political reasons. #GermanLitMonth 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/11/18/c...
Child of All Nations by Irmgard Keun (tr. Michael Hofmann)
Born in Berlin in 1905, the German writer Irmgard Keun rose to prominence in the early 1930s with her striking novels Gilgi, One of Us (1931) and The Artificial Silk Girl (1932), both of which I lo…
jacquiwine.wordpress.com
November 18, 2025 at 7:14 AM
New on the blog today, I've written about CHILD OF ALL NATIONS by Irmgard Keun (tr. Michael Hofmann).
An eye-opening window into the uncertain existence of a family of German refugees, forced to leave their homeland for political reasons. #GermanLitMonth 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/11/18/c...
An eye-opening window into the uncertain existence of a family of German refugees, forced to leave their homeland for political reasons. #GermanLitMonth 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/11/18/c...
Reposted by Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings
Reposted by Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings
New on my blog: Five Scottish Novels I’ve Read alifeinbooks.co.uk/2025/11/five... #BookSky
Five Scottish Novels I’ve Read - A Life in Books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.
alifeinbooks.co.uk
November 17, 2025 at 8:27 AM
New on my blog: Five Scottish Novels I’ve Read alifeinbooks.co.uk/2025/11/five... #BookSky
On the blog today for #GLM2025 and #NovNov25, my thoughts on Thomas Mann's Death In Venice (and other stories) - more here! kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2025/11/17/t...
“There is no help for it: life has to be lived…” #GermanLitMonth #thomasmann #novnov25
This week, for German Literature Month, the focus is on the great writer Thomas Mann with a week set aside to celebrate his 150th birthday. Now to date, my only experience with his work is “T…
kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com
November 17, 2025 at 8:28 AM
On the blog today for #GLM2025 and #NovNov25, my thoughts on Thomas Mann's Death In Venice (and other stories) - more here! kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2025/11/17/t...
Reposted by Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings
Splendid new review of the Brackenbury, this time by Helen Parry, on Shiny New Books. Grateful to all. shinynewbooks.co.uk/no-such-thin... @hejparry.bsky.social @kaggsy59.bsky.social @shinynewbooks.bsky.social
No Such Thing as a Free Lunch, by Rosalind Brackenbury
Review by Helen Parry
One of the great mysteries of recent literary history is the relative obscurity of Rosalind Brackenbury. Although her work is extremely good, although she is still writing, h
shinynewbooks.co.uk
November 17, 2025 at 7:34 AM
Splendid new review of the Brackenbury, this time by Helen Parry, on Shiny New Books. Grateful to all. shinynewbooks.co.uk/no-such-thin... @hejparry.bsky.social @kaggsy59.bsky.social @shinynewbooks.bsky.social
Reposted by Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings
“Her distinctive style – observant, often comic, faintly uncanny – was in full bloom from the start, in her intense, scale-blind studies of snails, wasps and spiders, flowers and fungi, and spiky rendering of schoolgirls walking down a street…” #BookSky 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/11/14/t...
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/11/14/t...
Tirzah Garwood: Beyond Ravilious – exhibition and accompanying book
Something a little different from me today – another post in an occasional series of pieces about the art books I’ve accumulated over the past few years, mostly from gallery visits in London and th…
jacquiwine.wordpress.com
November 16, 2025 at 8:56 AM
“Her distinctive style – observant, often comic, faintly uncanny – was in full bloom from the start, in her intense, scale-blind studies of snails, wasps and spiders, flowers and fungi, and spiky rendering of schoolgirls walking down a street…” #BookSky 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/11/14/t...
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/11/14/t...
Reposted by Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings
J. G. Ballard (1930-2009) was born on this day. Bibliography: www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.c...
L, Chris Foss, 1978; R, James Marsh, 1985
#scifi #sciencefiction #books
L, Chris Foss, 1978; R, James Marsh, 1985
#scifi #sciencefiction #books
November 15, 2025 at 1:22 PM
J. G. Ballard (1930-2009) was born on this day. Bibliography: www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.c...
L, Chris Foss, 1978; R, James Marsh, 1985
#scifi #sciencefiction #books
L, Chris Foss, 1978; R, James Marsh, 1985
#scifi #sciencefiction #books
Reposted by Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings
On the Ramblings today, my second book from @twistedspoon.bsky.social this week - a stunning poetry collection from Gerhard Ruhm, in a wonderful translation by Alexander Booth @wordkunst.bsky.social. And it fits for #GLM2025! More here: kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2025/11/15/i...
“…I was never younger or older…” #twistedspoonpress
The second Twisted Spoon Press book I want to share this week is very different from “The Tigress”, but equally as fascinating! The author is Gerhard Rühm, an author, composer and visua…
kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com
November 15, 2025 at 11:08 AM
On the Ramblings today, my second book from @twistedspoon.bsky.social this week - a stunning poetry collection from Gerhard Ruhm, in a wonderful translation by Alexander Booth @wordkunst.bsky.social. And it fits for #GLM2025! More here: kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2025/11/15/i...
Reposted by Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings
My review of 'Another Part of the Wood' (1968/79) by Beryl Bainbridge, for #NovNov25 #Booksky wp.me/sezD85-apw
November 14, 2025 at 7:33 PM
My review of 'Another Part of the Wood' (1968/79) by Beryl Bainbridge, for #NovNov25 #Booksky wp.me/sezD85-apw
Reposted by Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings
In 2026 I will once again joining forces with Kim at Reading Matters to host 'A Year with Iris Murdoch'
We kick off with The Sea, The Sea in January.
I've never read her before so looking forward to this one!
We kick off with The Sea, The Sea in January.
I've never read her before so looking forward to this one!
Annoucing A Year with Iris Murdoch for 2026!
I’m delighted to once again join forces with Kim from Reading Matters during 2026 for a Year With Iris Murdoch! This will be our fourth year jointly exploring the work of one Irish writer…
746books.com
November 14, 2025 at 1:27 PM
In 2026 I will once again joining forces with Kim at Reading Matters to host 'A Year with Iris Murdoch'
We kick off with The Sea, The Sea in January.
I've never read her before so looking forward to this one!
We kick off with The Sea, The Sea in January.
I've never read her before so looking forward to this one!