(Audio)Books I've actually (re-)finished lately: 124

More importantly, I've just discovered that a distant family member was a keen enthusiast of Basil Bunting.

Books I've actually finished lately:118

1) Epic poetry presupposes a professional tradition. 

2) 'They put him on the carved bed, and stood singers beside him,' [the same word is used for professional poets]... 

3) Everyone can wail in every family, but not everyone can make and sing the dirge.

- Peter Levi

Books I've actually finished lately: 93

Ellmann's biography of Wilde was one of the first big books I read (/finished), aged about 16.

From which event extends a trail of more-or-less predictable consequences...

(Audio)Books I've actually finished lately: 92

Knocked on the head in four days flat, whilst decorating.

(Tip: entirely comprehensible when read a) this well, b) at pace, and/or c) by an Irishman.)

Extra-curricular

The gangerman does pop his head in sometimes. I don't know if I've spelt it right, 'Gangerman', is it 'e-r' or is it 'a'? It is not a word we was taught in school.

- Martin McDonagh, The Beauty Queen of Leenane

Themselves

[with thanks to Sophie and Mike O'Brien - who probably did not know I was in their kitchen.]

Classical

My mother writes to inform me that the enigma of Joyce's Oirish masterpiece Ulysses is to be celebrated in a series of 'massups'.

Chuckle.

Adventures with Mother

Toward the end of one lesson for example, [Maxim] told me that he had to leave ten minutes early - and then proceeded to spend the entire ten minutes unravelling the tortuous logic of how his early departure wasn't actually depriving me of any violin instruction.

- Elif Batuman, The Possessed: Adventure with Russian Books

Last night I had a similar experience with my mother, who told me that I didn't have time to go for a run because dinner was 'very nearly ready'. We debated the matter for at least ten minutes, and then I went out anyway and ran very fast. Dinner was served 30 minutes after I got out of the shower.