Welcome to Litsy!

#bookspin #doublespin
Finished my books for April!
#18 Night of the Living Trekkies
#1 The Lyre of Orpheus

#bookspin #doublespin. It looks like I'll be reading a literary fiction, The Lyre of Orpheus, book 3 of the Cornish trilogy, and Night of the Living Trekkies, sci-fi zombies. It should be an interesting month! 🤔 😀

There are some parts which have not aged well since the 1980s but Davies's prose still pulls the reader along in a story of characters coming to terms with different ways of thinking and feeling and the construction of their own personal legends based on the Tarot, alchemy and other symbolism. If that makes the books sound very heavy they are also very funny in places.

And that apartment—well, it really was a bit much, wasn't it? I mean, what domesticity can survive in the middle of so much history? There wasn't a chair that didn't have a lineage, and one really cannot relax perched on a lineage, can one?

The question that was asked, of course, was whether they were Old Money, or New Money? The difference, though subtle to the vast population which was No Money, was important.

I wondered if he could truly have written a classic novel. How would I know? Identifying classics of literature is not my job and I have the usual guilt that is imposed on all of us by the knowledge that in the past people have refused to recognize classics, and have afterward looked like fools because of it.

#coffeeandabook #mycover

Although I've only just started it, “The Cornish Trilogy“ is turning out to be the best thing I've read this month based on what I've read so far and my memory of having read it before.

Honourable mention to “Hag-Seed“ by Margaret Atwood

Here are some of my books by #Canadianauthors. I was born in Canada but moved to the States when I was five so I have always had an affinity for Canadian writers. Margaret Atwood of course and Robertson Davies are some of my favorites. A little Farley Mowat, Stephen Leacock, Hugh MacLennan and Susanna Moodie to round out my stack. #marchintoreading

Which books do you love to reread?

An excellent trilogy of novels covering philosophy, art and music. Recommended for those who like the serious university life, tales from behind the scenes of an opera, or thoughts on what people are actually like vs what others know about them. Also good for people who like occasional commentary by otherworldly creatures.

Finishing up the evening with some green tea (in a @strandbookstore mug!) and The Cornish Trilogy. 😊

"In opera terms, I should say he is Fifth Business, and the singer will have to be chosen with great care."

Title drop for another Robertson Davies novel! ?

A long train ride is perfect for putting a dent in The Lyre of Orpheus.

I find quotes about the Canadian identity in the 20th century fascinating. If you do too, check out Hugh MacLennan's essay collection Cross-Country.

And now a whisky cocktail as I begin Part Six. Picked up a taste for this cocktail at the Jameson Distillery in Midleton, Ireland. My "recipe": 1 can ginger ale, 1 glug of whisky, 1 splash of lime cordial. Serve in a pint glass because why not?

Only one more part of What's Bred in the Bone to go! Part Five may be of much greater interest to art buffs (I am not really a serious one, so there was a bit of smiling and nodding in this part).

Also practising for the next 24-in-48 readathon by timing how long I spent reading. Took about 45 minutes to finish what I had left in this part.

'What's Bred in the Bone' - Ah! The penny drops for me! All the keys to understanding The Cornish Trilogy as a reader in the 21st-century are in this book, and will influence all reading and viewing of art going forward. So much to unpack, so much to think about...

Great description of the light of Cornwall. Beautiful place. Didn't see Tintagel as Francis did but might just have to go back!

"...*An Allegory of Time* by Bronzino... What do you make of that fine thing? God only knows, at present, but I mean to make it my business to know, because it's saying something...Nobody is going to tell me it's just an arrangement of form and color..." - Francis Cornish, *What's Bred in the Bone*

Goal: To read The Cornish Trilogy over the Summer- I've already read 'The Rebel Angels.' Now to start the crown jewel of the set, 'What's Bred in the Bone.'

"It was in kindergarten that the foundations for Francis Cornish's lifelong misanthropy were firmly established." (What's Bred in the Bone)