BW9: I think Continually by Stephen Spender

Courtesy of Encyclopedia Britannica
Sir Stephen Spender  
(28 February 1909 – 16 July 1995)

I think Continually

by

Sir Stephen Spender 

I think continually of those who were truly great.

Who, from the womb, remembered the soul's history

Through corridors of light where the hours are suns

Endless and singing. Whose lovely ambition

Was that their lips, still touched with fire,

Should tell of the Spirit clothed from head to foot in song.

And who hoarded from the Spring branches

The desires falling across their bodies like blossoms.

What is precious is never to forget

The essential delight of the blood drawn from ageless springs

Breaking through rocks in worlds before our earth.

Never to deny its pleasure in the morning simple light

Nor its grave evening demand for love.

Never to allow gradually the traffic to smother

With noise and fog the flowering of the spirit.

Near the snow, near the sun, in the highest fields

See how these names are feted by the waving grass

And by the streamers of white cloud

And whispers of wind in the listening sky.

The names of those who in their lives fought for life

Who wore at their hearts the fire's centre.

Born of the sun they travelled a short while towards the sun,

And left the vivid air signed with their honour. 

Read his poems and learn more about Sir Stephen Spender through Poemhunter.com, WWD's   Family Unit: Matthew Spender on His Parents’ Marriage.  Also listen to his BBC Desert Island Disc's Podcast conversation with Sue Lawley about poetry, his favorite music and life which is quite interesting as well as humorous. (Click download to listen)

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Please link to your specific post and not your general blog link. In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field leave a link to your specific post. If you don't have a blog, leave a comment telling us what you have been reading.   Every week I will put up  Mr. Linky which will close at the end of each book week.  No matter what book you are reading or reviewing at the time, whether it be # 1 or # 5 or so on, link to the current week's post.

BW8: Munching through England and Scotland

Scotch Eggs - Courtesy of Natus

Are you ready to munch your way through England and Scotland?  The fun part about traveling in countries different from your own is the food. Whether you're an armchair traveler or on vacation and like to cook or prefer someone else do the work, it's time to explore some foodie books.

We are going back in time with Dorothy Hartley's Food in England: A Complete Guide to the Food that Makes Us Who We Are.

and Kate Colquhoun 's Taste: The Story of Britain through it's Cooking

as well as An Comunn Gaidhealach Recipes for the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. 

Then there's a new look at the old and the new with The British Table by Colmen Andrews.

For a brief history of each country, plus their contemporary food and traditions, check out The Spruce's The Food and Cooking of England as well as Scotland.    Then check out Goodread's Popular British Cooking Books.

I'm totally starving now.   I've got bangers and mash on my mind, plus I just read about Scottish eggs and potato scones which sound super delicious. I just got back from the grocery store which included picking up bacon, sausage, potatoes, and onions.  Hubby  advised he will be quite happy to be my taste tester.   *grin*  Join me this month in reading a foodie book about England and Scotland and/or trying out a new recipe or two.  Are you hungry yet? 

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Please link to your specific post and not your general blog link. In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field leave a link to your specific post. If you don't have a blog, leave a comment telling us what you have been reading.   Every week I will put up  Mr. Linky which will close at the end of each book week.  No matter what book you are reading or reviewing at the time, whether it be # 1 or # 5 or so on, link to the current week's post.

BW7: Agatha Christie and Christopher Brookmyre

Courtesy of AgathaChristie.com

Our author choices of the month includes a classic English mystery writer, Agatha Christie and contemporary mystery Scottish author, Christopher Brookmyre. 


Dame Agatha Christie was born September 15, 1890 in Torquay, Devon. She was homeschooled and began writing poems when she was a child and short stories by the age of 18. During the first world war, she started writing detective stories.  In 1919, her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles was published and she went on to publish 66 detective novels, 14 short story collections as well as plays, plus 6 romances under the pseudonym of Mary Westmacott.   She loved archaeology and traveling. She traveled on the Orient Express in 1928, then in 1930 went on to an archaeological site in UR, Nineveh in the Middle East  where she met Max who become her second husband. She accompanied him on many digs and her stories were inspired by all her true life experiences.  In 1955, She was the first to receive the Grand Master Award, the highest honor by the Mystery Writers of America's.  In 1971, she was granted female knighthood as Dame Commander of the British Empire for her literary work.  She passed away at the age of 85 on January 12, 1976.

Find out more about Agatha through BBC's A look at the life and craft of Agatha Christie, through the Smithonian's Where Agatha Christie Dreamed Up Murder,  as well as The Home of Agatha Christie which provides a complete biography, detailed information about all her books, and the Agatha Christie Community Forum.

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Courtesy of Christopher Brookmyre

Christopher Brookmyre was born on September 6, 1968 in Glasgow, Scotland and went to Glasgow University. He worked for Screen International, The Scotsman, and Edinburgh Evening news before going on to publish his first book in 1996.  Quite Ugly One Morning which won the Critic's First Blood Award for best first crime novel of the year. He's has written 21 books to date full of thrills and chills, murder and mayhem.    His writing contains a mix of politics, social commentary, and action.   He has joined the ranks of William McIIvanney, Val McDermid and Ian Rankin as a Tartan Noir author whose books are characterized by hard boiled, antiheroes.   His latest book, Places in the Darkness, is a futuristic science fiction, murder mystery set on a space station above earth.  

Synopsis:  Hundreds of miles above Earth, the space station Ciudad de Cielo - The City in the Sky - is a beacon of hope for humanity's expansion into the stars. But not everyone aboard shares such noble ideals.  Bootlegging, booze, and prostitution form a lucrative underground economy for rival gangs, which the authorities are happy to turn a blind eye to until a disassembled corpse is found dancing in the micro-gravity. 

In charge of the murder investigation is Nikki "Fix" Freeman, who is not thrilled to have Alice Blake, an uptight government goody-two-shoes, riding shotgun. As the bodies pile up, and the partners are forced to question their own memories, Nikki and Alice begin to realize that gang warfare may not be the only cause for the violence.

Find out more about Christopher Brookmyre through The novelist on psychopathic surgeons, and why he declined Question Time, Crime by the Book's Bloody Scotland interview and Crime Fiction Lover's Interview with Chris Brookmyre 


Join in on Agatha Christie's Perpetual reading challenge and be sure to check out Chris Brookmyre this month.  

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Please link to your specific post and not your general blog link. In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field leave a link to your specific post. If you don't have a blog, leave a comment telling us what you have been reading.   Every week I will put up  Mr. Linky which will close at the end of each book week.  No matter what book you are reading or reviewing at the time, whether it be # 1 or # 5 or so on, link to the current week's post.

BW6: February Tour Along the Roman Roads

Courtesy of Sasha Trubetskoy 

We are waving goodbye to the Silk Road and flying to the United Kingdom to begin our February Tour along the Roman Roads.   We'll be hiking around England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, following in the footsteps of Agatha Christie and Christopher Brookmyre, as well as taking time to spell the flowers.  This week also begins our Brit Tripping along the Roman Roads. 

Our Blossomology reading challenge takes us back from ancient times to the present.  Our flower of the month is the Rose which was the sacred flower of Egypt and petrified wreaths have been found in Egyptian tombs.  Roses were a favorite of Cleopatra as well as the Roman Emperor Nero.  Roses were mentioned in the ancient writings of the Sumerians, as well as Confucius and Buddhist religious documents.  Fast forward to the 15th Century England where roses were already being cultivated and The War of the Roses.  The Tudor Rose,  which is now the national flower of the United Kingdom, was the traditional heraldic emblem for the House of Tudor after the House of York and House of Lancaster were united.  Roses are the symbol of love and quite popular on Valentine's day. 

There are a number of directions to go with this challenge. You may choose to spell out the word, reading one book per letter using either the title and/or the first or last name of the author.  Yes, you can mix it up.  You may read a book with the name of the flower, color of the flower in the title, or on the cover.  Another possibility is a book which takes place in the time period or flower's country of origin or has some cultural significance and/or symbolism of the flower.  The choices are unlimited.  Have fun following rabbit trails and see where it takes you. 

Our author choices of the month are English author Agatha Christie and Scottish author Christoper Brookmyre who I'll talk about more next week.  Along with our Brit Trip, we are adding in an Agatha Christie Perpetual reading challenge and all the information may be found in the linkbar above. 

Our Brit Trip begins in London and we will be following the Roman road Ermine Street for 200 miles from London to York. Our adventure will begin with some detecting at Scotland Yard if you’re following the Mystery route or something set in London if you aren’t.

Rabbit trails: History of Scotland Yard  Bloomsbury London Literary Walks  Great London Spots for Booklovers  More Literary Walks  Bookstores to check out

Have fun exploring! 

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Please link to your specific post and not your general blog link. In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field leave a link to your specific post. If you don't have a blog, leave a comment telling us what you have been reading.   Every week I will put up  Mr. Linky which will close at the end of each book week.  No matter what book you are reading or reviewing at the time, whether it be # 1 or # 5 or so on, link or comment on the current week's post.