Arbie's Unoriginally Titled Book Blog
It's a blog! Mainly of book reviews.
Currently reading
Reading progress update: I've read 240 out of 438 pages.
The Father-thing: Watch out for dubious duplicates of family members and the burrowing metal millipedes that control them. Drown the latter in kerosene, if found.
6
Reading progress update: I've read 96 out of 208 pages.
Various buildings were left incomplete after the construction industry bubble burst in 1793. Those pesky Regency speculators...at least that kind of thing doesn't happen any more - no, hang on!
6
Reading progress update: I've read 117 out of 615 pages.
Egyptian and Chinese are linked not by any connection between the languages but by having had similar histories, at least until Egyptian was finally eliminated.
8
Reading progress update: I've read 119 out of 2016 pages.
The Phoenix, Sc.11 & 12: Tangle, the lawyer, goes completely nuts.
5
Reading progress update: I've read 113 out of 615 pages.
China and Egypt - not an obvious language pairing. I wonder what the link is?
Where did you see her Last?, Lemony Snicket
When I think back to A Series of Unfortunate Events, I'm left with a lingering impression of them beng really funny. This isn't really funny. More by way of faintly amusing.
Reading progress update: I've read 86 out of 208 pages.
So I had mis-remembered: Lansdown Crescent was by Palmer, not Wood the Younger.
5
Reading progress update: I've read 110 out of 615 pages.
Despite the close neighbourhood of the two languages for centuries, it is still hard for native Persian speakers to pronounce Arabic correctly.
Reminds me of French and English now (in either direction).
4
Reading progress update: I've read 80 out of 208 pages.
The Assembly Rooms: destroyed (as were parts of Royal Crescent) in the Baedecker Raids of 1942 and rebuilt after the war.
5
Reading progress update: I've read 116 out of 2016 pages.
The Phoenix, Sc.10: Phoenix and Fidelio get robbed! They also learn the grim situation Fidelio's sweetheart (Falso's niece) finds herself in.
5
Reading progress update: I've read 113 out of 2016 pages.
Fidelio's loved ones have a knack of getting in to trouble.
7
Reading progress update: I've read 109 out of 2016 pages.
The Phoenix, Sc.8: Fidelio's mother is saved from a dishonourable sea captain.
6
Reading progress update: I've read 70 out of 208 pages.
The dividing walls between each house in the Royal Crescent were made wedge-shaped in order to be able to make the interior spaces rectangular.
The main body of the facade of each house is not curved; the angle between each house is disguised by the giant Ionic column at each junction. The decorative stone-work above the columns IS curved. Carving out the columns would have been cheaper than a truly curved facade.
5
Reading progress update: I've read 80 out of 615 pages.
"By the rivers of Babylon..."
I can't even read these words without getting Boney M stuck in my head for an age.
Reading progress update: I've read 66 out of 208 pages.
Jenner attributes everything he likes about Royal Crescent to Wood the Elder and everything he doesn't like to his son and goes on to claim Wood the Younger was nothing special as an architect. I think Lansdown Crescent contradicts that somewhat - unless I'm mis-remembering who was responsible for it.
5