Paul Leyland
@paul51.bsky.social
Insect photographer & bibliophile
Reposted by Paul Leyland
I've updated the apersonalanthology.com website with @john-self.bsky.social's selection – his pick of and introduction to a dozen favourite stories that, in his words, "feel like they’re *mine*."
Check them out!
(Featuring a Personal Anthology debut for Brian Friel, so congrats to him!)
Check them out!
(Featuring a Personal Anthology debut for Brian Friel, so congrats to him!)
A Personal Anthology
Writers, critics and others dream-edit a personal anthology of their favourite short stories
apersonalanthology.com
December 7, 2025 at 7:00 PM
I've updated the apersonalanthology.com website with @john-self.bsky.social's selection – his pick of and introduction to a dozen favourite stories that, in his words, "feel like they’re *mine*."
Check them out!
(Featuring a Personal Anthology debut for Brian Friel, so congrats to him!)
Check them out!
(Featuring a Personal Anthology debut for Brian Friel, so congrats to him!)
Reposted by Paul Leyland
From the archive for Sylvia Townsend Warner, #BornOnThisDay in 1893, my thoughts on the excellent LOLLY WILLOWES.
A magical novel in more ways than one! #BookSky #nyrbwomen25 #BOTD #books #archiveday #backlisted 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2018/10/16/l...
A magical novel in more ways than one! #BookSky #nyrbwomen25 #BOTD #books #archiveday #backlisted 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2018/10/16/l...
Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner
Lolly Willowes – the debut novel of the English writer Sylvia Townsend Warner – was an instant success on its publication in 1926. Now regarded as something of an early feminist classic, it tells t…
jacquiwine.wordpress.com
December 6, 2025 at 8:57 AM
From the archive for Sylvia Townsend Warner, #BornOnThisDay in 1893, my thoughts on the excellent LOLLY WILLOWES.
A magical novel in more ways than one! #BookSky #nyrbwomen25 #BOTD #books #archiveday #backlisted 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2018/10/16/l...
A magical novel in more ways than one! #BookSky #nyrbwomen25 #BOTD #books #archiveday #backlisted 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2018/10/16/l...
Reposted by Paul Leyland
Here is my Personal Anthology of twelve short stories, including Bruce calling from Mulholland, a daughter leaving for Rhodesia, a washed-up hack in Hollywood (by a washed-up hack in Hollywood) and a story from the Dubliners of 20C Jewish-American life. Ta @jonathangibbs.bsky.social for asking me.
A Personal Anthology, by John Self
At first I thought of choosing the shortest stories I could, and some of those remain in the list below, but in the end I broadened my thinking as some stories kept pushing their way in.
apersonalanthology.substack.com
December 5, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Here is my Personal Anthology of twelve short stories, including Bruce calling from Mulholland, a daughter leaving for Rhodesia, a washed-up hack in Hollywood (by a washed-up hack in Hollywood) and a story from the Dubliners of 20C Jewish-American life. Ta @jonathangibbs.bsky.social for asking me.
Reposted by Paul Leyland
From the archive for Alexander Baron, #BornOnThisDay in 1917, my thoughts on THE LOWLIFE, a wonderful evocation of post-war London life.
If, like me, you love novels featuring boarding houses, you'll want this in your collection! (Now in print w/ Faber) 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2023/04/10/t...
If, like me, you love novels featuring boarding houses, you'll want this in your collection! (Now in print w/ Faber) 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2023/04/10/t...
The Lowlife by Alexander Baron
Longstanding readers of this blog will be aware of my love of the great British boarding house, a setting that provides writers with all manner of possibilities for interesting fiction in a seedy, …
jacquiwine.wordpress.com
December 4, 2025 at 10:33 AM
From the archive for Alexander Baron, #BornOnThisDay in 1917, my thoughts on THE LOWLIFE, a wonderful evocation of post-war London life.
If, like me, you love novels featuring boarding houses, you'll want this in your collection! (Now in print w/ Faber) 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2023/04/10/t...
If, like me, you love novels featuring boarding houses, you'll want this in your collection! (Now in print w/ Faber) 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2023/04/10/t...
Reposted by Paul Leyland
Here’s my review of The Go-Between by L. P. Hartley, 1953, a wonderful novel about class, memory and the loss of youthful innocence, with a dash of magic! 💙📚 #BookSky #BookReview #Braille https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/0160c5fb-2919-4971-ab84-7f037475dfbd
Review by sarahmatthews - The Go-Between
The Go-Between by L. P. Hartley
Read in Braille
Penguin Books
Pub. 1953, 344pp
___
Thi...
app.thestorygraph.com
December 3, 2025 at 8:16 AM
Here’s my review of The Go-Between by L. P. Hartley, 1953, a wonderful novel about class, memory and the loss of youthful innocence, with a dash of magic! 💙📚 #BookSky #BookReview #Braille https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/0160c5fb-2919-4971-ab84-7f037475dfbd
Reposted by Paul Leyland
A very happy 10th birthday to @backlisted.bsky.social. Love listening to all the new shows & catching up on the back catalogue - even though you have cost me a hell of a lot of money in adding to my never diminishing TBR pile!
The first episode of Backlisted was published on 30th November 2015, ten years ago today. @backlisted.bsky.social
‘We can ask and ask but we can’t have again what once seemed ours forever.’ - J.L. Carr, A Month in the Country 🙏
www.backlisted.fm/episodes/1-j...
‘We can ask and ask but we can’t have again what once seemed ours forever.’ - J.L. Carr, A Month in the Country 🙏
www.backlisted.fm/episodes/1-j...
1. J. L. Carr - A Month in the Countr — Backlisted
In the first episode of a new podcast about books, John Mitchinson and Andy Miller are joined by novelist Lissa Evans and Unbound's Mathew Clayton to discuss J.L. Carr's A Month In The Country. If y...
www.backlisted.fm
November 30, 2025 at 7:09 PM
A very happy 10th birthday to @backlisted.bsky.social. Love listening to all the new shows & catching up on the back catalogue - even though you have cost me a hell of a lot of money in adding to my never diminishing TBR pile!
Reposted by Paul Leyland
And here's my own tribute to Beryl Bainbridge (and her 1973 novel The Dressmaker in particular).
She should have won the Booker "three or four times," said her friend Paul Bailey* after her death. "Hers were better than the junk that did win."
*they used to watch Corrie and compare notes by phone
She should have won the Booker "three or four times," said her friend Paul Bailey* after her death. "Hers were better than the junk that did win."
*they used to watch Corrie and compare notes by phone
The Dressmaker at 50: a novel that encapsulates Beryl Bainbridge’s idiosyncrasies | The Booker Prizes
An uncompromising and funny story of love and death, The Dressmaker was the first of five novels by Beryl Bainbridge to be shortlisted for the Booker.
thebookerprizes.com
February 22, 2025 at 6:10 PM
And here's my own tribute to Beryl Bainbridge (and her 1973 novel The Dressmaker in particular).
She should have won the Booker "three or four times," said her friend Paul Bailey* after her death. "Hers were better than the junk that did win."
*they used to watch Corrie and compare notes by phone
She should have won the Booker "three or four times," said her friend Paul Bailey* after her death. "Hers were better than the junk that did win."
*they used to watch Corrie and compare notes by phone
Reposted by Paul Leyland
Here’s my contribution to #NovellasInNovember - Loitering with Intent by Muriel Spark, 1981, a wonderfully clever story where life imitates art in the literary world 💙📚 #NovNov25 #BookReview #BookSky #audiobook
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/3a9743bc-7c35-4d09-8fca-498307955f20?redirect=true
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/3a9743bc-7c35-4d09-8fca-498307955f20?redirect=true
Review by sarahmatthews - Loitering With Intent
Loitering with Intent by Muriel Spark
Read on audio
Narrator: Marjorie Anderson
RNIB Talking...
app.thestorygraph.com
November 27, 2025 at 8:45 AM
Here’s my contribution to #NovellasInNovember - Loitering with Intent by Muriel Spark, 1981, a wonderfully clever story where life imitates art in the literary world 💙📚 #NovNov25 #BookReview #BookSky #audiobook
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/3a9743bc-7c35-4d09-8fca-498307955f20?redirect=true
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/3a9743bc-7c35-4d09-8fca-498307955f20?redirect=true
Reposted by Paul Leyland
URGENT: Stop Barclays from trapping birds in netting
URGENT: Stop Barclays from trapping birds in netting
Why choose cruelty over compassion? Barclays’ bird-netting plan in Norwich must be stopped
protectthewild.substack.com
November 26, 2025 at 6:00 PM
URGENT: Stop Barclays from trapping birds in netting
Reposted by Paul Leyland
Oak trees have been revered for centuries, symbolizing power and ancient wisdom. They can live for hundreds of years – and provide food and homes for hundreds of different wildlife species, including birds, mammals, and insects.
More native trees to grow:
littlegreenspace.org.uk/features/Tre...
More native trees to grow:
littlegreenspace.org.uk/features/Tre...
November 13, 2025 at 10:03 AM
Oak trees have been revered for centuries, symbolizing power and ancient wisdom. They can live for hundreds of years – and provide food and homes for hundreds of different wildlife species, including birds, mammals, and insects.
More native trees to grow:
littlegreenspace.org.uk/features/Tre...
More native trees to grow:
littlegreenspace.org.uk/features/Tre...
Reposted by Paul Leyland
Reason #3583 we love Chris Packham! Town says no to Boxing Day hunt!
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11...
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11...
Town declares Boxing Day hunt ‘not welcome’ after Chris Packham attack
BBC presenter has urged councillors in Tiverton, Devon to reject the ‘horrific’ practice
www.telegraph.co.uk
November 20, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Reason #3583 we love Chris Packham! Town says no to Boxing Day hunt!
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11...
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11...
Reposted by Paul Leyland
Reposted by Paul Leyland
Autumn Woodland - by painter and printmaker, Carry Akroyd
More of this artist's gorgeous artwork, here: carryakroyd.co.uk
#art #printmaking #autumn
More of this artist's gorgeous artwork, here: carryakroyd.co.uk
#art #printmaking #autumn
November 18, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Autumn Woodland - by painter and printmaker, Carry Akroyd
More of this artist's gorgeous artwork, here: carryakroyd.co.uk
#art #printmaking #autumn
More of this artist's gorgeous artwork, here: carryakroyd.co.uk
#art #printmaking #autumn
Reposted by Paul Leyland
Share if you agree!
November 18, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Share if you agree!
Reposted by Paul Leyland
"Beginners always win, & they always react the same. They get wildly elated. They fill with conceit & all of a sudden you can't tell them anything. There floods into them the feeling that they are at home here, that they're enjoying themselves, & like kids they want to show that they're big boys."
The Lowlife – Alexander Baron
I have read some wonderful books published by Faber Editions in the past – The Mountain Lion by Jean Stafford, Maud Martha by Gwendolyn Brooks, and The Glass Pearls by Emeric Pressburger, to name a…
readersretreat2017.wordpress.com
November 16, 2025 at 7:17 PM
"Beginners always win, & they always react the same. They get wildly elated. They fill with conceit & all of a sudden you can't tell them anything. There floods into them the feeling that they are at home here, that they're enjoying themselves, & like kids they want to show that they're big boys."
Reposted by Paul Leyland
"O'Connor once spoke about how, when giving a talk, she was asked 'Why do you write?' and replied, 'Because I’m good at it'. She 'at once felt a considerable disapproval in the atmosphere' — but she was spot on."
Me on three story collections by Cynan Jones, Tim MacGabhann and Flannery O'Connor:
Me on three story collections by Cynan Jones, Tim MacGabhann and Flannery O'Connor:
From Celtic fringe to Bible belt | John Self | The Critic Magazine
When is a short story not a short story? Last month, one chapter of a novel won the BBC National Short Story Award, as a stand-alone work of fiction
thecritic.co.uk
November 14, 2025 at 4:18 PM
"O'Connor once spoke about how, when giving a talk, she was asked 'Why do you write?' and replied, 'Because I’m good at it'. She 'at once felt a considerable disapproval in the atmosphere' — but she was spot on."
Me on three story collections by Cynan Jones, Tim MacGabhann and Flannery O'Connor:
Me on three story collections by Cynan Jones, Tim MacGabhann and Flannery O'Connor:
Reposted by Paul Leyland
This is Richard Smith of the South Durham Hunt and he thinks it’s ok to hit a horse over the head. Make this ‘man’ famous.
Filmed by North East Hunt Monitors on 08/11/25
Filmed by North East Hunt Monitors on 08/11/25
November 13, 2025 at 6:04 PM
This is Richard Smith of the South Durham Hunt and he thinks it’s ok to hit a horse over the head. Make this ‘man’ famous.
Filmed by North East Hunt Monitors on 08/11/25
Filmed by North East Hunt Monitors on 08/11/25
Reposted by Paul Leyland
So another series of ‘I’m a Celeb’ is about to start. Another year of senseless animal cruelty for ‘entertainment’ no doubt. We definitely won’t be watching! Who’s with us?
November 13, 2025 at 10:30 AM
So another series of ‘I’m a Celeb’ is about to start. Another year of senseless animal cruelty for ‘entertainment’ no doubt. We definitely won’t be watching! Who’s with us?
Reposted by Paul Leyland
New on the blog today, I've written about CROOKED CROSS by Sally Carson.
A brilliant, terrifying novel about the rise of Nazism, the falling apart of a country’s codes of decency & the moral fortitude required to oppose persecution. Frighteningly timely. 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/11/09/c...
A brilliant, terrifying novel about the rise of Nazism, the falling apart of a country’s codes of decency & the moral fortitude required to oppose persecution. Frighteningly timely. 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/11/09/c...
Crooked Cross by Sally Carson
For a novel first published in 1934, Sally Carson’s Crooked Cross feels remarkably timely, charting, as it does, the rise of Nazism in the early 1930s, the falling apart of a country’s fundamental …
jacquiwine.wordpress.com
November 9, 2025 at 7:17 AM
New on the blog today, I've written about CROOKED CROSS by Sally Carson.
A brilliant, terrifying novel about the rise of Nazism, the falling apart of a country’s codes of decency & the moral fortitude required to oppose persecution. Frighteningly timely. 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/11/09/c...
A brilliant, terrifying novel about the rise of Nazism, the falling apart of a country’s codes of decency & the moral fortitude required to oppose persecution. Frighteningly timely. 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/11/09/c...
Reposted by Paul Leyland
November 5, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Reposted by Paul Leyland
🚨 REVEALED THROUGH FOI FROM PROTECT THE WILD - PLEASE READ
Nature Scot should be utterly ashamed of themselves for allowing the slaughter of hundreds of Gannet chicks to continue this sick tradition.
Nature Scot should be utterly ashamed of themselves for allowing the slaughter of hundreds of Gannet chicks to continue this sick tradition.
November 5, 2025 at 4:30 PM
🚨 REVEALED THROUGH FOI FROM PROTECT THE WILD - PLEASE READ
Nature Scot should be utterly ashamed of themselves for allowing the slaughter of hundreds of Gannet chicks to continue this sick tradition.
Nature Scot should be utterly ashamed of themselves for allowing the slaughter of hundreds of Gannet chicks to continue this sick tradition.
Can you beat this for a news story
"A top FBI official with 27 years standing has reportedly been fired by the bureau after its director, Kash Patel, became enraged by press stories revealing he had used a government jet to travel to see his girlfriend sing the national anthem at a wrestling match."
"A top FBI official with 27 years standing has reportedly been fired by the bureau after its director, Kash Patel, became enraged by press stories revealing he had used a government jet to travel to see his girlfriend sing the national anthem at a wrestling match."
November 2, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Can you beat this for a news story
"A top FBI official with 27 years standing has reportedly been fired by the bureau after its director, Kash Patel, became enraged by press stories revealing he had used a government jet to travel to see his girlfriend sing the national anthem at a wrestling match."
"A top FBI official with 27 years standing has reportedly been fired by the bureau after its director, Kash Patel, became enraged by press stories revealing he had used a government jet to travel to see his girlfriend sing the national anthem at a wrestling match."
Reposted by Paul Leyland
I love Notes from Underground, and was struck by it's similarities to The Catcher in the Rye. It's almost the same plot, except one's a student and one's a civil servant (currently listening to this ep)
November 2, 2025 at 9:23 AM
I love Notes from Underground, and was struck by it's similarities to The Catcher in the Rye. It's almost the same plot, except one's a student and one's a civil servant (currently listening to this ep)
An unlikely story by J L Carr, How Steeple Sinderby Wanderers Won the F A Cup. Recommended for #NovellasinNovember, it's more about village politics than football so don't be put off by the title. As usual with J L Carr its a bit sad, a bit happy, a bit funny and a bit wise. A great read.
November 1, 2025 at 10:26 AM
An unlikely story by J L Carr, How Steeple Sinderby Wanderers Won the F A Cup. Recommended for #NovellasinNovember, it's more about village politics than football so don't be put off by the title. As usual with J L Carr its a bit sad, a bit happy, a bit funny and a bit wise. A great read.