Thank you

In terms of books, [url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24077796Nadine Dorries has signed a six-figure book deal[/url.

Well, her novels will apparently be based on her childhood in Liverpool.

There: how's that for a connection to both books and the north?

I do like Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling

Oooh, I'll be first in the queue for that then.

Not.

OK I'll throw a question open, I'll be spending a week in Robin Hoods Bay very soon and in the course of looking for things to do the Dracula connection with Whitby comes up time and time again.

Now I have the original Bram Stoker version of Dracula on the eReader thingy and have started it several times but the first few chapters are set in Transylvania and I've never got as far as Whitby, does the town feature much in the book or is it all wishful thinking from the Tourist Assc ?

No not really.
But it might add to your own imagination when reading it.

I deliberately read Greene's [iOur man in Havana[/i and Hemingway's [iThe old man and the sea[/i whilst in Havana, Greene's [iBrighton Rock[/i in Brighton and Shute's [iOn the Beach[/i in Melbourne.
It did actually add to the imagination when reading the books ... even if erroneously.

I've almost finished Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, just four years after buying it and it does something similar for Barcelona albeit most of the Barcelona in the book probably doesn't exist now, have another one of his waiting in the wings but I haven't been reading much recently - too busy on other little projects

It's been a long time since I've read it, but isn't the sum of Whitby's link it being the place where Dracula docks?

Yep, the ship sailed into Whitby at the height of a storm, crashes into the dock and there is a rumour of a large black dog leaping ashore, other than this the only person on board is the ships captain who is dead, with a ship full of soil and mould from Transylvania.

Thats the extent of my knowledge although I have to say the film adaptation which starred Keanu Reeves and Gary Oldman sticks pretty close to the first part of the book that i have read - will have to do some revision before my trip, could save a few bob on a tour

In which case, it seems to me that your knowledge is pretty close to 100% of Whitby's involvement in the book.

But I'd be willing to bet that a tour would point out many and various locations unprovably "thought" to be the "inspiration" for various aspects of the book.

Long, long ago, when La Senora was still of a such an age that she would still come camping with me, we camped in a site on the clifftop just South of Whitby and walked to town for a pint and a meal.
In one pub on the dockside, a local tried to tell me that Bram Stoker missed out most of the "local legend" from the book ... and warned me against crossing St Mary's churchyard at the top of the 199 steps at midnight, he couldn't tell me why, just that I ought to heed the warning as, with trembling finger, he pointed at the floodlit church upon the opposite clifftop and said that anyone who had been up there at that time would concur.

As chance would have it, when heading back to the campsite, we were crossing that very churchyard at midnight when the floodlights switched off on the stroke of midnight.

"Never again" is all I will say.

So they were on a timeswitch then



[urlhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/local/york/hi/people_and_places/arts_and_culture/newsid_8121000/8121579.stm[/url is fairly definitive - might give the book another go and see how far I get this time.

Yup.
Surprises you a little bit, that's all.

[iDracula[/i is a fascinating read – not least as it's clearly about modernity, female emancipation and sexuality, and the threat of STDs (specifically, syphilis).

Mind, you could try [iAnno Dracula[/i, Kim Newman's fun alternative version. I've also just read the sequel, [iAnno Dracula: The Bloody Red Baron[/i, which is a romp too.

Just read James Lovelock's more recent books - Revenge of Gaia and Vanishing Face of Gaia. Not looking good for humanity if he's right.

I have just finished his [iFiesta.[/i
And I liked it, I liked it a lot.

That is interesting: I re-read Dracula a few months ago and thoroughly enjoyed what I took for a gripping adventure story. I am hopeless at allegory, metaphor and so on, and only see the blatantly obvious.

Recently read The Hacienda by Peter Hook and just finished reading Stephen King On Writing. Currently reading Neal Gablers biography of Walt Disney which seems interesting so far.

Damo I read the Hacienda book too. Amazing it lasted so long despite all the chaos.

Astonishing wasn't it?

How on earth their decided to open a bar alongside the main club is beyond me. It just goes to show was drugs and music can do! Good if your in but terrible for everyone else who has to deal with the mess.

Next up -: [iA Farewell To Arms[/i

Apparently the bleakest of Ernesto's works.
We shall see.

I often need 10-foot signposts for things – there’s an entire industry in providing these, given the numbers of ‘companions’ and ‘guides’ to various authors’ works – but I spotted this one largely, I think, because I was already familiar with some of the history of the era in terms of sexual attitudes and issues. However, I did a spot of research after and found that I wasn’t alone in reaching these conclusions.

I posted something about it elsewhere some years ago, but I've fished it out, tidied it up, made a few additions and republished it if you fancy reading more [url=http://thevoluptuousmanifesto.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/the-gothic-classic-with-sexy-bite.htmlhere[/url.

It's a great read, with some moments of farce among the horror of war. Personally found For Whom the Bell Tolls darker.

Just downloaded "The Auschwitz Violin" by Maria Angels Anglada (Catalan author) which is a very short book, in fact would qualify as a short story at 80 pages, but fascinating anyway about an apparently true story of a Jewish violin maker who was held in various concentration camps by the Nazis but survived by being useful to them in his trade as a joiner until one day at one camp commandants house he mentioned that a violin that he (the commandant) was playing sounded wrong and suggested that he could probably fix it by gluing a fracture in the faceplate with some cheap glue thus disclosing the fact that actually his trade was not just a carpenter but a violin maker.

After the repair was successfully done the commandant had a bet with one of his officers that the violin maker could make a violin within 24 hours from scraps of wood within the camp with the inevitable consequence of losing his preferred status within the camp if he failed.

I'll read on and let you know what happens

Currently reading "1968" by Mark Kurlanksy.
Bought it years ago and never got round to reading it until now.

1968 was a remarkable year when, across the globe, people protested.
Whether it was for civil rights or against totalitarian governments or against wars ... people protested.

I reckon we need more of that these days, attended by people from across the board not just those dismissed as "the usual suspects"(*).
Governments are getting away with murder.


(*) "The usual suspects" .... quote from Casablanca.

When I was on holiday a couple of weeks ago I read a couple of Sue Townsend books that were in the cottage where we stayed. Not the sort of thing I'd usually read but they looked light holiday reading and something to do whilst Mrs D cooked and washed up during the holiday (I like to make it home from home for her). Back to the books. They were "Number Ten" and "The Queen and I". Must admit, I did find some bits of Number 10 funny. I didn't find The Queen and I as good. If you are not familiar number 10 is a p**s take of the Blair years and The Queen and I involves the royal family going to live on a council estate (via the queen's dream). Both books were a good commentary of changed Britain.