Stuff I've been Reading April 19

I never did go back and talk about the March books. There were some great things in there,  not least a blank verse werewolf novel. I know, right. There was also a Zadie Smith. I seem to enjoy every other novel she writes, Swingtime was a good un, far more enjoyable than the Ulysseslite of N-W.

Anyway, April:
Educated- Tara Westover
Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - Stuart Turton
Moneyball - Michael Lewis
Normal People - Sally Rooney

I meant to join a bookgroup that was reading Educated. I didn't bother. But I read their book, which I believe is the opposite of people that are in bookgroups. Educated was scary, it was an autobiography of someone roughly my age, but it read like a cartoon.

Seven Deaths was ace, it had me on the edge of the proverbial seat, largely as I had no idea what was going on.

Talking of having no idea what was going on: Moneyball. It's one of those books you're supposed to have read, right? The fact that I know nothing about baseball (It's just rounders in uniform, right?), meant that I didn't understand about ten percent of it and didn't care about another twenty. Still found it quite interesting which probably says a lot about Michael Lewis.

And Normal People was brilliant. Entirely not what I would normally read, but brilliant. If I say too much more about it I'm going to sound like a literary critic and that was never the idea.

Beer Pilgrimage

Huddersfield. Now there's a place I've not been to before. And. Place were you can get a decent beer. We went up to visit the Magic Rock brewery. Turns out Magic Rock is great and that Hudsersfield has somewhat embraced the craft beer scene: Arcade, Grove and The Sportsman's Arms all had selections designed for the Magic Rock pilgrims.

We've joined the English Heritage, because that seems like a grown up thing to do. We broke both journeys at country estates: Brodsworth Hall with its weird grotto garden and Kirby Hall with its peacocks and missing roof. Well grown up.

We also broke the journey north with a trip to Stilton. I wouldn't bother.

City Walls

Ooh, a new city. Although it probably shouldn't be. Given how long I lived in the Northwest it's weird, maybe even embarrassing, that I never made it to Chester. Turns out it's alright. It has walls and ruins; a river and a clock. Everything you need for a city, right?

Talking of ruins, had a visit to Beeston Castle too. Now there's a ruin on a hill. The views are spectacular; makes the whole of Cheshire looks like a model trainset.