2014 Reading List (a selection of books read to date ...)

I will aim to update this as and when I remember! 


Poetry

Astley, Neil (ed.) Being Alive (Bloodaxe 2004)
Beynon, Byron The Echoing Coastline (Agenda Editions 2013) 
Cook, Elizabeth Bowl (Worple Press 2013, first publication 2006)
Crossley-Holland, Kevin The Mountains of Norfolk (Enitharmon)
de Bernières, Louis Imagining Alexandria: Poems in Memory of C.P. Cavafy (Harvill Secker 2013)
Guite, Malcolm Sounding the Seasons: Seventy Sonnets for the Christian Year (Canterbury Press 2012)
Motion, Andrew The Customs House (Faber & Faber 2012)


Fiction

Berlin, Beta Alfred's Ribbon (The Seventh Quarry Press 2013)
Chevalier, Tracy The Last Runaway (Harper 2013)
Mountain, Fiona Isabella (Arrow Books 2011)
Von Arnim, Elizabeth The Enchanted April (Virago 2011, first publication 1922)


Non-fiction Prose
Cocker, Mark A Tiger in the Sand (Jonathan Cape 2006)

Celebration ~ C.S. Lewis, Westminster Abbey

Narnia-like lamp post with tree reflections ...

There will be a special service today at noon in Westminster Abbey to dedicate a memorial to C.S. Lewis, creator of The Chronicles of Narnia, to mark the 50th anniversary of the death of Lewis as scholar, apologist and writer. The preacher will be the Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge and former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, who is also author of The Lion's World: A Journey into the Heart of Narnia. The Abbey choir will sing a newly commissioned anthem, a setting of Lewis’s poem 'Love’s As Warm As Tears'.

A memorial stone will be unveiled in Poets' Corner.

The Order of Service can be found here. 

The event forms part of a symposium marking Lewis's achievements and celebrating his career as one of the 20th century's most notable Christian writers and thinkers. 

• BBC report on the C.S. Lewis anniversary in Northern Ireland
• BBC report: Professor Alister McGrath on the religious symbolism behind The Chronicles of Narnia
• BBC pictures: CS Lewis and his world

• C.S. Lewis: The Chronicles of Narnia
• C.S. Lewis: Poems 

•  'The Future of Forestry' a poem by C.S. Lewis

• My previous C.S. Lewis post
  

Westminster Abbey

Calendar Corner (9): World Book Day

Today is World Book Day, and I thought it would be good to mention the books on my recent/current reading list. I have piles of books beside my different chairs in the house, so I have a number on the go at once.



Books on my desk:

• The Cinder Path by Andrew Motion (Faber). I bought this sparkling new collection with a birthday book token, and have been delighted with the range of subjects and styles. Two poems that come immediately to mind are 'Raven' (a sonnet) and 'The Grave of Rupert Brooke' (which is on the Greek island of Skyros. [POETRY]
  
• The Ring of Words: Tolkien and the Oxford English Dictionary by Gilliver, Marshall and Weiner (OUP). A fascinating read for those who want to distinguish their 'mathom' (or 'stash' in scrapbooking speak) from their 'mithril' (the name of a particular precious metal). [LANGUAGE]

Books on my bedside cabinet:

• A Century of Poetry Review edited by Fiona Sampson (Carcanet) - a treasure trove of pieces published in 'Poetry Review' over the last 100 years. [POETRY]
  
• Notes from Walnut Tree Farm by Roger Deakin (Penguin) - a rural diary. [NATURE MEMOIR]
  
• Getting into Poetry by Paul Hyland (Bloodaxe) - a useful guide to the poetry scene [POETRY]
  
• The Secret Mandarin by Sara Sheridan (Avon/Harper Collins) - I became really engrossed in this extraordinary 19th century story about an obsessive plant collector in China, accompanied by his actress sister-in-law. [FICTION]

Books on my coffee table:

• A Shepherd looks at the Twenty-Third Psalm by Philip Keller (Zondervan). I bought this aboard the Logos Hope when it was moored in Cardiff last year, on the recommendation of a relative who works in the field of agriculture. More than 1/5 million copies have sold since publication. [DEVOTIONAL]
  
• Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. As a left-handed person who has just begun some classes in oil painting, this seemed the book for me! [PRACTICAL ART THEORY]

I wonder what you are dipping into at the moment. Happy reading!

Coffe slot: a short story

The link takes you to a poignant piece of flash fiction ('The Magnolia Flower' by Janylee McLinchy from seacoastonline.com). Sit back for a couple of minutes - and enjoy!