London – Everything Is Better With Dragons

Review: Gogmagog, by Jeff Noon & Steve Beard

13th February 2024 | 9781915202826 | Paperback | £9.99 / $17.99 / $23.99

Gogmagog tells the story of an epic journey through the sixty-mile long ghost of a dragon.

Travel is by boat, a rickety steam launch captained by veteran taxi pilot Cady Meade, on the river Nysis. In her heyday Cady carried people and goods from the thriving seaports of the estuary into Ludwich, the capital city. Now she’s drunk, holed up in a rundown seaside resort, telling her bawdy tales for shots of rum.

All that’s about to change, when two strangers seek her out, asking for transport, one of whom – a young girl – is very ill, and in great danger. The other, an artificial being of singular character, has secrets hidden inside his crystal skull. So begins the voyage of the Juniper.

The Nysis is unlike any other river. Mysteries unfold with each port of call. Not many can navigate these channels, not many know of its whirlpools and sandbanks, and of the ravenous creatures that lurk beneath the surface.

Cady used to have the necessary knowledge, and the powers of spectral navigation.

But her glory days are well behind her now. This might well be her final journey.

Book Spotlight: ‘The 4th Victim’, by John Mead

I had planned to review this novel for the blog but I wasn’t well so I ad to turn the post into a spotlight post instead.

Blurb

Whitechapel is being gentrified. The many green spaces of the area, which typify London as a capital city, give the illusion of peace, tranquility and clean air but are also places to find drug dealers, sexual encounters and murder.

Detective Sergeant Julie Lukula doesn’t dislike Inspector Matthew Merry but he has hardly set the world of the Murder Investigation Team East alight. And, it looks as if the inspector is already putting the death of the young female jogger, found in the park with her head bashed in, down to a mugging gone wrong. The victim deserves more. However, the inspector isn’t ruling anything out – the evidence will, eventually, lead him to an answer.

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fourth-Victim-John-Mead/dp/1912575361/

https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-fourth-victim/john-mead/9781912575367

Author Bio –

Born in the mid-fifties in East London, on part of the largest council estate ever built. I was the first pupil from my local secondary modern school to attend university.

I have travelled extensively during my life from America to Tibet. I enjoy going to the theatre, reading and going to the pub. It is, perhaps, no surprise that I am an avid ‘people watcher’ and love to find out about people, their lives, culture and history.

Many of the occurrences recounted and the characters found in my novels are based on real incidents and people I have come across. Although I have allowed myself a wide degree of poetic licence in writing about the main characters, their motivations and the killings that are depicted.

Social Media Links –

Amazon author profile: https://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B07B8SQ2ZH

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnMeadAuthor

Goodreads profile: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17891273.John_Mead

Blog Tour Calendar: ‘The 4th Victim’, by John Mead

I’m not reviewing in this tour, but I’ll have a book spotlight post on the day.

Blurb

Whitechapel is being gentrified. The many green spaces of the area, which typify London as a capital city, give the illusion of peace, tranquility and clean air but are also places to find drug dealers, sexual encounters and murder.

Detective Sergeant Julie Lukula doesn’t dislike Inspector Matthew Merry but he has hardly set the world of the Murder Investigation Team East alight. And, it looks as if the inspector is already putting the death of the young female jogger, found in the park with her head bashed in, down to a mugging gone wrong. The victim deserves more. However, the inspector isn’t ruling anything out – the evidence will, eventually, lead him to an answer.

My weekend in London, part I

Good evening, how’s your weekend going? Good? Good.

Other than the incredible amount of pain in my left hip and lower back, mine is going great. I’m in London; I got here yesterday afternoon in the rain, navigated the Underground successfully, all on my own and made it to our hostel without getting lost.

Continue reading “My weekend in London, part I”

Review: ‘Broken Homes’ by Ben Aaronovitch

2013
Gollancz

Book 4 of the ‘Peter Grant Series’

Peter, Lesley and their boss Thomas Nightingale (and Toby the dog) are back, continuing their search for the Faceless Man, while still dealing with all the weird stuff the rest of the Met would rather not admit existed. After several murders and the Spring Court, they track the Faceless Man and his organisation to a housing estate at Elephant and Castle.

Continue reading “Review: ‘Broken Homes’ by Ben Aaronovitch”

Hostel Review: Palmers Lodge Swiss Cottage

Palmers Lodge, College Crescent, London, NW4 5LB

Dates stayed: 1^st– 4^th March (3 nights)

Rooms

The rooms were warm (a little too warm at night), clean and comfortable. I felt secure enough that I was prepared to leave most of my belongings in the room while we went out.

Beds

The beds were single bunk beds and about six foot long – only just long enough. I had some trouble climbing up to the top bunk on the two nights I had a top bunk but once up there I found them private and comfortable. I the mattress was fairly thick and quilt likewise. The single pillow was a bit thin but functional. The bedding was clean and of decent quality. Beneath the beds were two large lockable drawers, provided you brought your own padlock. They were large enough to store a back pack and coat, or probably a large rucksack.

Bathrooms

Basic but clean and comfortable. Hairdryer provided. The communal bathroom next to the room we spent the second night in was better than the bathroom in the en-suite room we spent the first and third nights in.

Facilities

The TV lounge was large and equipped with a selection of chairs, tables and sofas, as well as a large flat screen television and six computers and a shelf of books. There were also a couple of vending machines with snacks and drinks. Free tea and coffee was also available.

The entire hostel has free wifi access, for which we were given user names and passwords upon check-in. The wifi was a bit patchy but when it worked it was a decent connection.

The bar was expensive and didn’t have a huge range.

The restaurant, providing evening meals, was also a little expensive and the chef rude. The food wasn’t too bad. I liked my burger and chips but my companions complained that the spaghetti bolognaise sauce left something to be desired.

The free continental breakfast was adequate and filling, although it was a bit crowded between 8am and 9am. The conservatory was a more pleasant, and less crowded, place to sit and eat.

Laptop and passport safes were available near the front desk. I didn’t make use of them but they looked secure.

There is a cash machine in the front lobby if you find yourself out of cash. It charges £1.80.

The left luggage cabin provides a fairly secure place to leave baggage if you get there too early to check in to your room (check in is 2pm, check out 11am). I used it twice and always felt comfortable leaving my belongings there. The key is on a stick and kept at the front desk. It has to be signed for.

Staff

The ladies and gents on the front desk were helpful and friendly, even when busy they made an effort to converse with all guests and assist where necessary.

Overall

I’ve never stayed in a hostel before but if Palmers Lodge Swiss Cottage is anything to go by I shall definitely have to look in to it. They are cheap (£63 for the 3 nights) and comfortable, providing a welcoming place to stay in London. Near shops and take-aways, it is easy to find somewhere to eat. It is very handy for the Jubilee Line as Swiss Cottage is a five minute walk down the road. It was also easy to book the beds on the website, with a variety of rooms available. I am definitely staying there next time I go to London.

All the best,

Rose

The British Library

4th March 2013

We decided, after a debate at the British Museum, to get on the tube to King’s Cross and go to the British Library instead. I had thought it would have to wait until our next visit to London but as our train didn’t leave until 8.35pm we had the time. The British Library had a few exhibitions on and the kept me amused while my companions found a bench and read. I had wanted to see the Mughal Empire Exhibitions, but it cost to go in and I’m still broke.

The King’s Library Tower

The first thing to catch our eyes as we entered the Library was The King’s Library Tower. Six floors of books kept in a controlled environment purpose built for them in 1998. These books were the property of King George III and were presented to the nation by King George IV. They range in date from 1454 to the 1820’s and form the heart of the Library’s collection. It was fascinating to look around the outside of the tower and see how valued old books are.

Folio Society Gallery – A –Z Murder in the Library: An A – Z of Crime Fiction

This display was arresting to say the least; it covers all aspects of crime fiction with a small display of books and related memorabilia. I didn’t spend long there though because I got distracted by another exhibit.

The Sir John Ritblat Gallery: Treasures of the British library

I have officially found a new happy place. Next time my sickness gets too much I shall close my eyes and remember this gallery. It’s dark, calm peace was a balm and the books, oh the books! I only left because time was getting on and I felt rude abandoning my friends for so long.

This gallery houses some great treasures, books I’d thought I wouldn’t see for years. The Beowulf manuscript, Jane Austen’s notebook (Volume the third) and writing desk given to her by her father, the Lindesfarne Gospels and The Gutenberg Bible, illuminated manuscripts, the Luttrel Psalter, Leonardo Da Vinci’s notebook, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the Magna Carta. So much, so many precious manuscripts. I can’t. There are no words.

Go and see it if you are in London. So much history is laid out before your eyes. There are interactive units that allow you to ‘turn the page’ virtually. I had a quick look at them but they were in use so I can’t really give an opinion on them.

Other

The Library also houses The Philatelic Collection – a collection of stamps from all over the world as well as die blanks. I had a quick look in some of the frames, but I’m not really interested in stamps. I should imagine though that from its range in terms of age and origins, for a philatelist it would be very interesting.

The Library also has a Café, which seem busy when I peeked in. I didn’t get too see what sort of food was on offer or the prices.

There was ample seating/study areas throughout the Library for those who were there to study, and it seemed to be a very popular place.

The shop – I spent money I didn’t have on five books. I am bad. Very bad. However two of the books are new books which will get reviewed and the other three were about certain of the ‘Treasures’ exhibit manuscripts.

So that was my afternoon at the British Library. I would recommend anyone go to visit it, whether for study, to see the exhibits or just to get out of the cold for an hour because it’s a fascinating place. I’ll stop rhapsodising about old books now, and say goodbye,

Rose

The British Museum

4th March 2013

Today we made a quick visit to the British Museum; the plan had been to spend the entire day there but the cloakrooms were full so one of our party had to stay outside with our luggage. After two hours they were rather cold so we got some food in the café (more on that later) and went elsewhere.

I had also planned to see the Ice Age Art exhibition, but it was £10 for a ticket and I ran out of cash on Sunday (I blame that expensive pub meal we had). So instead we took a visit to the temporary exhibits and Room 1 – The Enlightenment, both of which are on the right hand side of the Great Court. Firstly we however we had to get through a shop. I was terrified I’d break something. It was a very distracting shop; quill pens and Folio Society books. Oh the travelling writing desks! I nearly died there and then.

In the temporary exhibits I was principally interested in the Sutton Hoo Hoard, some of which are on display here while their permanent home is being refurbished, and other Anglo-Saxon items, such as the Frank’s Casket and various excavation finds. I confess I spent five minutes staring at the Casket. I’ve waited a long time to see these things.

The quality of items displayed, in the entire exhibit, is impressive and the arrangement of the displays themselves is good. There is room to move and space to stand and stare. Which I did, with my face pressed to the glass.

I did manage to see a little of the ‘Ice Age Art’ in this gallery, one or two items and a replica of the ‘Lion Man’ were left to entice visitors to the full exhibit.

Having fully explored this room we moved on to ‘Enlightenment Room 1: Discovering the world in the 18^th century’. This is an overwhelming room, in terms of its scale and contents, and we spent an hour and a half slowly exploring it. Books behind glass line the walls, interspersed with archaeological artefacts and natural treasures. Down the centre of the room cases display further items and explanatory boards, while statuary punctuates the room. So very few of the figures managed to keep their genitalia for some reason and caused some discussion between my companion and myself.

Of particular interest was the copy of the Rosetta Stone (the original is in room 4 and we didn’t get to see it). We spent time touching the copy and I explained to my companion a little of the Stone’s history and how it had been essential to early Egyptologists in the interpretation and translation of hieroglyphs. (As we moved on a tour guide with a large group followed us to the Stone and told them the same things but in a more irritating tone. There’s a reason I rarely go on guided tours; I dislike being talked to as though I was an uneducated moron.)

The room’s layout and the separation of the displays in to different aspects of the Enlightenment allow the visitor to comprehend the excitement and discoveries of the Eighteenth century at leisure.

The few hours I spent in the British Museum fangirling over old books and whalebone boxes were very enjoyable, and the staff, from observation, helpful and knowledgeable.

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We also ate at the museum, and since I couldn’t say much about the V & A’s café I have something to say about the British Museum’s.

It was expensive – £4.50 for a cheese and tomato baguette, £2.00 for a can on lemonade, £2.00 for a scone with butter and jam (actually that was quite reasonable – it was a nice scone). While the food was very tasty it was still a bit of a shock to find my small dinner came to £9.00. I had considered a hot meal but it was ridiculously priced and somewhat fussy – it was about £9.00 for a pie and another £2.00 if you wanted veg with it.

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Next time I plan to go in the middle of my trip to London so I don’t have the hassle of where to keep my luggage, and I’ll take a picnic in my backpack and eat outside.

Rose

The V&A: Part 2

3^rd March 2013

Screening of ‘The Recruiting Officer’

On the afternoon of our visit to the V&A there was a screening of ‘The Recruiting Officer’ (1706, George Farquhar) in the Hoehhauser Auditorium. It was one of a series of plays recorded and screened as part of the V & A’s National Video Archive of Performance screening’s programme. This particular play was recorded at the Donmar Warehouse in 2012 and was directed by Josie Rourke.

Tobias Menzies plays Captain Plume, the rakish, lovelorn and somewhat misunderstood recruiting officer of the play’s title. He’s sent to Shrewsbury with his sergeant, Kite (Mackenzie Crook) to drum up a company of men. He’s in love with his benefactor’s daughter (Justice Balance – Gawn Grainger, Silvia – Nancy Carroll) but despairs of ever getting her.

Meanwhile, the captain’s friend Mr. Worthy (Nicholas Burns) is in love with Silvia’s cousin Melinda, who since inheriting £20,000 has become haughty and too high for him. Into this group comes Captain Brazen (Mark Gatiss) to cause a stir by courting Melinda.

With double-crossing servants, cross-dressing daughter’s, conniving sergeants, musical townsmen and jokes about syphilis the play amuses and yet still remains poignant as disputes are resolved and the men go off to war.

Firstly let me say that I had no expectations of this play. I went because it was the centre piece of our group’s plans for the day (we followed it up with a visit to The Queen’s Head, Kensington – nice food, bit expensive, very busy/noisy/small). I knew nothing about the plot, the playwright or the majority of the cast.

That all being said, I enjoyed it immensely and left with the intention of seeking out a copy of the play to read (which is exactly what I shall do, just as soon as I’ve got all the blog posts from last weekend online – Gutenberg Project here I come). The cast were all excellent, the comic scenes played perfectly and the more emotional scenes tugged at heartstrings (the woman two seats away from me cried and I couldn’t help singing along to ‘Over the Hills’). The 143 minutes passed quickly. Particular highlights were Mark Gatiss’s portrayal of Captain Brazen, witty and cheeky, passing his cane to an audience member during his ‘fight’ with Captain Plume, and Katheryn Drysdale’s ‘Lucy’ is very funny as she attempts to catch herself a captain and rise from Melinda’s maid to a Captain’s lady. All the cast were great. I really enjoyed the music that laced the play; it acted as a unifying force as the action moves away from the trials and tribulations of recruiting men for the war effort, to the complicated love lives of the characters and then back to war.

I would have loved to have seen it on stage, but the recording was excellent. There was a moment just before the interval where there was a technical problem, but that was quickly fixed and didn’t mar enjoyment of the screening overall. I would certainly like to be able to get a DVD of the recording, although I don’t think that they are available. The staff members at the auditorium were friendly and helpful, and engaged with and informed the audience in a cheerful manner.

The remaining screenings are

Butley by Simon Gray 10^th March
Tusk Tusk by Polly Stenham 17^th March
A View from The Bridge by Arthur Miller 24^th March

All start at 14:00 – see the V & A website for details

www.vam.ac.uk/whatson

Take a look at the V&A’s website, it’s quite interesting,

Bye for now,

Rose

Well, London’s fun.

Hello, it’s been a while I know, but I’ve had stuff going on that’s been getting in the way of any writing. I’m in London this weekend. Got here yesterday, I’m still adjusting to how different it is from home.

We’re spending the weekend visiting museums. The first we’ve been to is The Sherlock Holmes Museum in Baker Street. I really liked it.

It was quite busy and it’s very small, being housed in a terrace as it is, but it has some interesting artifacts. The wax figures illustrating various characters and stories were creepy but diverting. I got distracted by a beadwork tray mat and a sampler from 1826. I don’t think they were meant to be noticed but I was inspecting everything closely, while people were taking photographs.

There are displays of books, pipes, weapons, anything and everything relating to the Sherlock Holmes stories and the museum is sent up as 221B is described in the books.

I’d definitely recommend going if you’re interested in the books or tv adaptations. Or even if you just want to see a Victorian house. It’s £6 (£4 for kids) to enter and really easy to get to (Baker Street is on the Jubilee Line).

Time to go, getting ready for today’s adventures. Bye.

Rose

4th March 2013

4th March 2013

3rd March 2013

Screening of ‘The Recruiting Officer’

3^rd March 2013