Saturday 27 April 2024
Un smoothie pour la route
Friday 26 April 2024
Another new Pelecanos
Well, I a spoiled as a crime fiction reader. You may remember that, a year ago, I was complaining that George Pelecanos. had not published anything new in a while. Luckily, this year he published Owning Up, a collection of four novellas. That made me happy enough. I bought the book right away to have it on release, then I read it eagerly. I will blog about it again. But my luck did not stop there: I learned yesterday that he will release another novella, titled Buster: A Dog. About a dog named buster, of course, but it's also crime fiction. Knowing of Pelecanos' love of dogs and how they have been featured in his previous works, this story promises to be both original and touching. I am not much of a dog person, although there are a few dogs that I loved, however I pre-ordered the book.
Apprendre à aimer lire?
Je viens de voir un article dans Urbania, que j'ai lu en diagonale. Le titre et la question qu'il pose est Est-ce qu'on peut apprendre à aimer lire? C'est une bonne question et je n'ai pas de réponse claire. Moi, dès que j'ai appris à lire, ou à peu près, j'ai appris à aimer lire, parce que j'ai trouvé des bouquins que j'aimais. Tout simplement. Et,même si je n'avais pas accès à la même quantité de titres, j'ai trouvé assez vite ce qui m'intéressait. J'en ferai peut-être une question existentielle. J'aurais cependant tendance à croire que c'est un peu inné. Mais ça vient aussi de l'environnement, pas tant que dans l'apprentissage: quand on vit dans une maison pleine de livres, on va finir par aimer la lecture.
Thursday 25 April 2024
Thirsty Thursdays
Des cadeaux et des oiseaux
Wednesday 24 April 2024
New Tractor
No, no, we did not buy a new tractor. We never bought an old one to begin with, except toy tractors. But you may remember that Wolfie has been obsessed with tractors, or used to be when he was a toddler. He is not nearly as much anymore, having found new interests and fascinations, but he still likes them. And we still do sometimes a bit of what we call tractor spotting. It's like a conditioned reflex for us: there is a tractor within sight, we notice it. So anyway, yesterday, during the back to school run, I noticed a tractor. A big one, dark green, kind of forest green, which I don't remember seeing before. And, well, that's it really: it struck me that I can still spot new tractors in the neighbourhood.
Le prochain Quais du Polar?
Tuesday 23 April 2024
Wolfism about Saint George's Day
Happy Saint George's Day everyone! I nearly forgot about it. Which is a pretty English thing to do. Nobody cares here about the country's patron saint. Even Wolfie does not care much, if at all, and Saint George's Day. He told me this morning, in a disdainful tone: "Daddy, what's special about Saint George's Day? Why do people celebrate it?" This is a new Wolfism and, while not the Englishest he said, it is pretty close. Because it seems that no true Englishman cares about Saint George's Day.
Tayto
Un faisan
Monday 22 April 2024
Fight Write
La carte d'un père
Indie Bookshop Week this year
Mafalda et Felipe siempre!
Sunday 21 April 2024
47 (Argh!)
Today is my birthday. I'm 47. Argh! I am kind of freaking out, because my fourties aregoing through far too quickly for my taste: I remember turning 40 like it was yesterday. And Wolfie was not even one yet, it was a hot, almost summery day and, well, it still felt somewhat young. Now I am only three years away from 50. That feels kind of unfair. Tempus Fugit, and all that. Now, today will feel different for another reason: Wolfie's friend has his birthday party today. It's not his birthday, but they are celebrating it today. So it means I am sort of sharing it with one my son's friends. It does not really matter: when you are a father, it is all about your child(ren) anyway. And since it is not one of the birthdays ending in 0, I am happy to celebrate a bit less this year. And I know my wife and kid have a few surprises up their sleeves today. In any case, the best birthday celebrations I had were often the smallest ones.
"J'ai 47 ans, mon vieux Corneille..."
Bon ben... J'ai 47 ans aujourd'hui. Je suis déjà un peu plus,à chaque année, comme le vieux Corneille. Et par conséquent je partage, ainsi qu'à chaque année, ses Stances à Marquise, chantées par Georges Brassens. Je ne peux emmerder personne en attendant. Ce serait un brin hypocrite, à mon âge.
Saturday 20 April 2024
Signs you are a Werewolf
Passion Café d'Arvida
Friday 19 April 2024
Dining on The Orient Express
I watched with interest this new video from YouTube channel Tasting History. It talks of the food on the Orient Express. Not so much for the food (although it does look yummy) as for the history of the world's most iconic train, which I knew fairly little about. Anyway, I had to share it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.