Someone asked today if there is a book club, so I thought I'd try starting one. Not the usual type of club where everyone reads the same book - I thought we could write a synopsis of a book we've recently read, to give each other ideas for new books to read.
I have a Kindle subscription, so all of mine will be available on there for people who also subscribe.
I just re-read Nenius, it's interesting to go back and read all the mythic histories of Britain again, most of it is obviously wrong, but there's a lot of Ancestor Tales in them, back then your lineage was really important, Anglo-Saxon's and the Norse peoples always had a famous ancestor, usually going back to Woden/Odin, so creating an ancestry back to Noah and his sons after the flood makes total sense in this context. There's some very garbled, but real history in them too.
I did look at the prices and the prices I quoted were correct, it's all on the website.
I think you'll find they start at £150. Why not email for prices? My old flatmate in Oxford had his shoes handmade at £200 a pair (he had large feet) and said they were a dream to walk in. He sent a drawing of the outline of his feet with measurements and ordered through post.
Best thing about bespoke is you can have them repaired - they'll last years so are cost effective. Could you ask friends and family to pool you birthday monies and buy you a pair?
I don't think otherwise you are going to get properly fitting footwear which is awful as it's so important for your foot health. If you are worried about emailing suppliers, I don't mind asking for you.
Thanks Marianne, but I couldn't afford nearly £500 for ready made, I didn't even dare look at bespoke.
Sorry Citroen, I missed your last question about my dad’s opinion of Montgomery. He thought very highly of him, indeed as you say most of the British and Canadian troops completely admired Montgomery. However his greatest loyalty was to his Division commander General Brian “Pip” Roberts and his superior officer General Horrocks. There was a very definite tension between the Commonwealth (we mustn’t forget the Canadians) and the Americans, but at the end of the day they fought under Eisenhower with a common objective and succeeded in defeating the Wermacht.
I appreciate your interest btw, thank you
AnA
Don't worry - it was meant to help - just another way of looking at this situation.
It's very difficult finding anything if you're not 'standard' - the only thing is to get a pair made for you. Click here - these are bespoke footwear makers in Wales.
You can call it any damn thing you like, rare, unusual, too big for a woman, but it dosen't change the fact that I can't get shoes that fit me and trudging around in wellies, when I can find some I can get my feet into, walking boots or winter boots for the summer, or conversely sandles in winter. I'm not trying to have a go at you Marianne, but when it's something practicle and real world like this "reframing" feel's insulting, undermining and like being told to shut and go away, just like the reaction I get in shoe shops. How do I find joy in this situation?
I agree with you about emotions though, I think us Brits are far too buttoned up.
I guess he doesn't have that problem exactly but what he is saying is that everyone feels marginalized by something - and that 'something' is where we butt up against what is taken for normal in a particular society. It could be something like people not being allowed to cry loudly or scream at funerals, or expected to 'stay strong' when you have cancer. In other societies, it is acceptable to express strong emotions - and in fact is more healthy psychologically.
Perhaps you could look at your shoe issue another way (which is called 'reframing).' Perhaps your feet are a rare size, so of course you can't find anything - because shops only cater for the majority. And there is something to be quietly enjoyed in being different!
Lovely idea!
Anyone taken part in a World Book Night before?
"World Book Night - 7 to 8 pm (BST) - Thursday 23 April 2026
We’re excited to Go All In during the National Year of Reading 2026! This year, we’ll be uniting adults across the UK with reading, by encouraging everyone to join in the #ReadingHour from 7-8pm. Dedicate time to reading alone, having a book club meeting, listening to an audiobook, or reading to children at bedtime.
The National Year of Reading is reconnecting reading with the things that already inspire us – from playlists and football matches to films, food and family time. It’s reading that fits how we live, not the other way around.
If you’re into it, read into it."
We could do a neurodivergent reasonably adjusted version where, during that hour, people might:
Just a synchronised, 1 hour, read-in / listen-in / sign-in / image-in (as best supports our individual communication / energy / attention levels at the time).
If people have other duties, or would be cycling / driving / working during that particular hour (also aware of our global timezone richness within the forum) - why not shift the hour to better suit your schedule that day and have a go anyway, "on and around 23 April"?
After all, as the charity The Reading Agency describes it:
"We want you to get involved in World Book Night 2026! We love to see the creative events and activities that happen across the country on and around 23 April. Whether you’re celebrating with friends, family or colleagues, you can join in."
If you are trying to get back into reading etc. - maybe, this might be the nudge needed to prompt you to try a visit your local library sometime that day?
Afterwards, if people wished, we could share in this thread - what we read and experienced during the hour, plus, how it all went (no perfection required, real life does happen too!).
What do you feel?
Any interest?
There are still 4 weeks remaining to give it some thought!
I all ways find it so shocking to thing guys my age would have been asked to do things that you cant even comprehend, and they would have come from a world that had never seen it before, the wasnt movies or video games, you would have gone from a factory to training for a war .
im sorry your dad went through it their generation really are somthing to be proud of, I couldn't imagine having to go through what the did, but they did it without having to be asked, it really is was a unimaginable sacrifice.
what do you think his opinions of Montgomery would have been, he was know to be loved by his troops, the Americans might have had other words to say but non of their generals were shining lights either.
Dies he give any ideas on how to feel less marginalised by shoe shops not having anything in my size?
I've just read, 'Am I Normal: Understanding Your Place in a Complex World' by Dr Alex George. He has ADHD but this book is aimed at anyone who feels isolated or marginalised because of attitudes/ideas/things they question or want to tall about eg taboo subjects like death. He uses his experience to explain how many people are led to feel marginalised because of 'expected' attitudes, some of which are urban myths or very outdated - which clearly applies to ASD. I bought a copy for my social group because it is useful AND entertaining.
Yes he did, a few were funny but most were dreadful and each told to me only once. He was with his division from Normandy right across to the end in southern Denmark, having latterly doubled back from further east. I cannot repeat here the horror of his experiences and what he witnessed other than to say it included many of his pals being killed, German atrocities on individuals, and finally on entire communities, notably the Jews but many other groups too, as he was part of the unit which liberated the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. There are horrific photos online, one with him potentially in a group of British soldiers, if you know where to look (Im not going to say where).
He suffered ptsd as a consequence but this was never considered in the years after the war. It affected our relationship and damaged me in turn. I have however been able to understand what he went through and so reconcile my memories of childhood to his experiences.
He wouldn’t have agreed with your comments about General Montgomery, nor Max Hastings’ interpretation from the comfort of the peace these brave men won for us. The fighting around Caen was ferocious and deadly, as much for the French as everyone else involved. The medieval city was reduced to rubble, Hill 112 was hell on earth. Then Falaise another killing zone. And as for the east it defies belief.
Let us never forget
AnA
did he ever tell you any of his stories of the war, one thing I find the most interesting is the real experiences of the people actually there and their emotions.
it was said its the greatest feat of military logistics ever seen by man, and looking at the statistics it truly is impressive.
thank you for the suggestion I do like the real peoples stories that sounds very informative and dark, I finished one of his other books on bomber command he is a good author, I think im gonna go in retirement for his books now as I find them to long for my attention span, I started it in august and its taken 6 months to finish it lol.
I finished it now:)
the conclusion is the germans were the greatest fighting force ever assembled, and held out heroically doing feat of defence unimaginable, but the resources stopped coming in and the germans collapsed, due to allied air supremacy and recourse superiority of the allies, the allied troops were rather ineffective, as were their equipment especially compared to the germans,
and a huge reason why we made progress that doesn't get spoken about is the resource being taken up holding of the Russians.
Just added to my Spotify audiobook list
If you have a look at the Kindle sample pages you can see it has a narrative style - bringing to life the thought process of the Author facilitating the therapy sessions - which I found a helpful window onto this type of subject matter.
I opted for the hardcover version as it feels like a reference book I will likely wish to re-visit time and again.
I was concerned about ordering the hardcover via Amazon as (in our area) they have taken to putting things in a thin paper bag, often arrives in a heap of packages in someone's personal car, throw them down on the doorstep and walk away, in all weathers, without ringing the doorbell (delivery status stating, untruthfully, "handed to resident" which is an issue when you remonstrate about a damaged item retrieved from the wet doorstep).
I was really pleased with the delivery by bookcorneruk, via Ebay, as they used Royal Mail Tracked 48 and a super-sturdy brown cardboard narrow-depth box packaging - clearly designed to protect a hardcover book in transit.
Sounds interesting, Ive not read it but am aware of it. Trivial factlet - In the movie The Unbearable Lighness of Being, Tereza names her dog Karenin after Anna Karenina. This is a powerful film based on Milan Kundera’s novel, but not entirely accurately
I read this book some years ago. My dad went over on D+4 and was involved in the British battles around Caen. He was lorry driver and Im very proud of him. He passed in 1987. If you liked Max Hastings’ prose check out his Das Reich. Its about the journey of this Nazi armoured division from the south of France to Normandy, significantly though it covers the atrocities they committed on the way, so its not a nice read.
