LIhttps://li.prose.sh2022-07-11T08:13:40ZLuke's blogliSmall Pleasures by Clare Chambers2023-11-17T10:56:27Zhttps://li.prose.sh/smallp<h1 id="small-pleasures-by-clare-chambers"><a class="anchor" href="#small-pleasures-by-clare-chambers" rel="nofollow">#</a> Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers</h1>
<p>Blurb: 1957, the suburbs of South East London. Jean Swinney is a journalist on a local paper, trapped in a life of duty and disappointment from which there is no likelihood of escape.</p>
<p>When a young woman, Gretchen Tilbury, contacts the paper to claim that her daughter is the result of a virgin birth, it is down to Jean to discover whether she is a miracle or a fraud.</p>
<p>As the investigation turns her quiet life inside out, Jean is suddenly given an unexpected chance at friendship, love and - possibly - happiness.</p>
<p>Notes: Enjoyed it and found it quite compulsive reading which is odd given the stroyline is rather gentle and not much actually happens in it. Was pleasantly surprised that the main character grew up in the area I did though the book isn’t set there but does mention various I know from my youth. Quite a few reviews on Goodreads said they enjoyed the book but not the ending and I'm the same. Just seemed unneccessary. Shouldn't put anyone off reading it though.</p>
<p>=> <a href="https://www.orionbooks.co.uk/titles/clare-chambers-2/small-pleasures/9781474613910/" rel="nofollow">https://www.orionbooks.co.uk/titles/clare-chambers-2/small-pleasures/9781474613910/</a></p>
<p><img src="/smallple.jpg" alt="book cover"></p>
A brief book reviewAn evening well spent2023-11-09T16:06:58Zhttps://li.prose.sh/ghibli<h2 id="an-art-history-of-studio-ghibli"><a class="anchor" href="#an-art-history-of-studio-ghibli" rel="nofollow">#</a> An Art History of Studio Ghibli</h2>
<p>I went to this fascinating talk about Studio Ghibli by the very knowledgeable Helen McCarthy last night. It was organised by Seed Talks who do various talks like this around the country. Helen touched on a lot of topics including history of animation in Japan, biographies of the key Ghibli people, artistic influences, and animation techniques. She was funny and engaging so made for a good speaker. Funny thing is I'm not even that into Ghibli films, but watched a few with the kids when they were younger but can see they are a cultural phenomenon.</p>
<p><img src="/ghibli.jpg" alt="title slide"></p>
I went to talk about Studio GhibliPew by Catherine Lacey2022-09-22T08:27:50Zhttps://li.prose.sh/pew<p>Blurb: One Sunday morning, a mysterious silent figure is found sleeping in a church in an unnamed American town. The congregants call this amnesiac 'Pew' and seek to uncover who they are: their age; their gender, their race, their intentions. Are they an orphan, or something worse? What terrible trouble is Pew running from? And why won't they speak?</p>
<p>Notes: Odd but intriguing. Narrated first person from inside Pew's head, who we know nothing about (no idea of age and gender or race) other than they can't remember anything. As a reader you have no idea what is going on or anything about Pew. However it is quite compelling and makes me want to learn more. As I often repeat I read to be entertained not challenged and this book kept me intrigued enough to want to read more.</p>
<p>=> <a href="https://granta.com/pew/" rel="nofollow">https://granta.com/pew/</a></p>
A book review1971 by David Hepworth2022-08-03T08:43:55Zhttps://li.prose.sh/1971<h2 id="1971---never-a-dull-moment"><a class="anchor" href="#1971---never-a-dull-moment" rel="nofollow">#</a> 1971 - Never a Dull Moment</h2>
<h3 id="rocks-golden-year-by-david-hepworth"><a class="anchor" href="#rocks-golden-year-by-david-hepworth" rel="nofollow">#</a> "Rock's Golden Year" by David Hepworth</h3>
<p>Blurb: The Sixties ended a year late - on New Year's Eve 1970, when Paul McCartney initiated proceedings to wind up The Beatles. Music would never be the same again.</p>
<p>The next day would see the dawning of a new era. 1971 saw the release of more monumental albums than any year before or since and the establishment of a pantheon of stars to dominate the next forty years - Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Marvin Gaye, Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Rod Stewart, the solo Beatles and more.</p>
<p>January that year fired the gun on an unrepeatable surge of creativity, technological innovation, blissful ignorance, naked ambition and outrageous good fortune. By December rock had exploded into the mainstream.</p>
<p>It's the story of 1971, rock's golden year.</p>
<p>Notes: Had been a little daunted as the person that leant me this was very enthusiastic about it. Rock isn't really my genre and 1971 is a bit before my time. However it was an engaging and entertaining read. Part social history on UK society coming to terms with the end of the 60's, part history of the evolution of the music business (from singles to albums sales), and part mini biographies of a lot of the artists involved. Definitely recommend this book.</p>
<p>=> <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/430024/1971---never-a-dull-moment-by-david-hepworth/9781784162061" rel="nofollow">https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/430024/1971---never-a-dull-moment-by-david-hepworth/9781784162061</a></p>
A book reviewPies and Prejudice by Stuart Maconie2022-07-28T10:09:47Zhttps://li.prose.sh/pies<h3 id="pies-and-prejudice-in-search-of-the-north-by-stuart-maconie"><a class="anchor" href="#pies-and-prejudice-in-search-of-the-north-by-stuart-maconie" rel="nofollow">#</a> Pies and Prejudice: In search of the North by Stuart Maconie</h3>
<p>Blurb: A Northerner in exile, Stuart Maconie goes on a journey in search of the North, attempting to discover where the cliches end and the truth begins.</p>
<p>He travels from Wigan Pier to Blackpool Tower and Newcastle's Bigg Market to the Lake District to find his own Northern Soul, encountering along the way an exotic cast of chippy Scousers, pie-eating woollybacks, topless Geordies, mad-for-it Mancs, Yorkshire nationalists and brothers in southern exile.</p>
<p>Notes: Amusing but as it's 13 years old quite a few of the pop culture references seem dated already. Like a Northern Bill Bryson on a trip around the UK. :) As Stuart is from the NW of England the book is a bit more of a homage to his homeland. Yorkshire and the NE do get mentioned but in nothing like the glowing ways he talks about the NW. That said it is a good read and an entertaining mix of facts and observatons. Would recommend.</p>
A brief book reviewWelcome2022-07-11T16:58:35Zhttps://li.prose.sh/Welcome<h2 id="welcome"><a class="anchor" href="#welcome" rel="nofollow">#</a> Welcome</h2>
<p>This is my first post on Prose and I almost wasn't able to post it. Having followed the guide and run</p>
<p><code>ssh new@prose.sh</code></p>
<p>I couldn't log in and got <em>"Permission denied (publickey)"</em> as an error. Undeterred I tried from 3 other hosts and got the same on all of them. So then I tried to sign up for lists.sh, using the same method, and got the same error there. Much head scratching from me later I had got no where and all the online fixes focus on the server side to fix it. So I contacted <a href="https://fosstodon.org/@erock" rel="nofollow">Erock on Mastodon</a> who helpfully suggested creating a new ed25519 keypair. Which I did by running:</p>
<p><code>ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C EMAIL@ADDRESS</code></p>
<p>Lo and behold I was in and you're now reading this. Many thanks Erock!</p>