Ahanagavanagh

I'm rushing like mad. It's the Book Club tonight, the one postponed from two weeks ago, and it's still at my house. Having been clean and orderly with cake purchased everything had gone awry. A furious clean this morning and Himself has bought cake so we are ready for action. I'm working all day tomorrow and then have friends to supper in the evening - some of whom you know - more of that later. It means browsing will be in short supply tonight.

The film last night, Free Men, was well made and interesting - about members of a Muslim Mosque who helped Jews escape occupied France. Something I knew nothing about. Their courage was astounding.

I have lots of interesting books read recently - the one I shall recommend tonight is Astray by Emma Donaghue. She is probably best know for her novel Room, but this is a fantastic collection of short stories - each based on a tiny snippet of truth - a few words or paragraph in a newspaper. She weaves her own story about what might have happened then offers postscripts of any additional information she found out. A white woman runs off with a black slave, a Puritan is ousted from his community, a rich young woman claims her husband is dead ...
I have also just read the complete short storie sof Elizabeth Taylor, not someone I had read before and this has been a revelation - a wonderfully subtle and sly collection. Now I'm getting stuck in Joseph O Connor's lastest collection of short stories - also excellent in a completely different way.

Today's blip - the wonderfully named Ahanagavanagh river hits the sea. The old bridge and Protestant church can also be seen. My school's a few metres north. Not a bad view each day !