I came across this book that came out in early November. British historian, Anthony Seldon, walks the new 1000km "Western Front Way" which is a walking and cycling trail along the length of the World War One trench lines from Pfetterhouse on the Swiss border to the Belgian coast at Nieuwpoort. Looks really interesting. More about the project here: thewesternfrontway.com
Reviews and Comments
Administrator of Rambling Readers. I'm a university researcher interested in transport geography, GIS and maps. In my spare time I love rambling in the coast and countryside around my home in Devon. Plus reading of course!
For work related chat you can find me at https://fediscience.org/@marcus..
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Marcus commented on The Path of Peace by Anthony Seldon
Without a permanent home, a wife or a job, and with no clear sense of …
Marcus reviewed The Death of Lucy Kyte by Nicola Upson (A Josephine Tey mystery)
When bestselling crime author Josephine Tey inherits a remote Suffolk cottage from her godmother, it …
This was hard going
2 stars
I read a later book by Nicola Upson - another Josephine Tey mystery called Nine Lessons - before this one. I enjoyed that one. It was well paced with a good plot and kept my attention. In contrast, this was really hard work and has taken me ages to finish it as I got so bored I abandoned it several times. The main issues are page after page of dry diary entries from someone who lived 100 years previously, and so much irrelevant padding. I was determined to finish it, and it did finally pick up pace in the last few chapters. I have several other books by the author, so I hope they are better than this one!
Marcus reviewed All music guide to jazz by Vladimir Bogdanov (AMG all media guide)
A treasure chest of information about Jazz artists and their recordings
5 stars
A huge book packed with information about Jazz artists and their recordings. The most recent, and final, edition was published in 2002. For more up-to-date content you now need to visit the www.allmusic.com/ website. But that's just not the same as sitting down thumbing through the pages reliving past favourites, discovering new, and deciding what old vinyl record or CD you'll seek out next.
Marcus rated If This Is a Man and The Truce: 5 stars
If This Is a Man and The Truce by Primo Levi
With the moral stamina and intellectual pose of a twentieth-century Titan, this slightly built, dutiful, unassuming chemist set out systematically …
Marcus reviewed The Secret Venice of Corto Maltese by Guido Fuga
Seven itineraries of drawings, imagination and practical advice, discovering masterpieces, courtyards and stones imbued with …
A lovely guide to walking Venice away from the mass of tourists
5 stars
We have used this book on several trips to Venice. It takes you away from the typical tourists locations, away from all the people - even in the peak months - to discover, and get lost in, the real living Venice. Consists of seven walking itineraries.
Marcus commented on My Garden World by Monty Don
This can be dipped into as and when as it has a chapter for each month of the year and then small sections about different things in the garden - like a particular flower, bird, mammal, insect, tree and so on.