“I may say his views on women and the stage were such as I should have expected of a man who would smoke with your lordship’s port.” - Mervyn Bunter
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White city is not just a dog track (another cruel industry that is thankfully fading away). That track in a former life was the main stadium of the 1908 Olympic Games. The site now belongs to the BBC.
I used to work at the BBC's White City buildings. The finishing line of the 1908 Olympics running track was marked in the paving between them.
I have recently started to reread the Sayers novels and I'm enjoying them much more than I had anticipated - I had, frankly, forgotten just how *well-written* they are. There are a few cringe moments, but on the whole, they stand up exceedingly well. (I read most, though not all, when I was about thirteen or fourteen, and very few since then).
There's darkness. There's Peter, in Strong Poison, thinking about 'when he kills himself' and you suddenly realise that this is not the first time his mind has brushed that subject, and not the first time he walks away from that thought, and yes, it makes the bright cheery personality much more a coping strategy than his 'real true self' although he was, without doubt, a very silly person. (I approve.)
And now I want to read them all. Gaudy Night is sitting on the shelf, calling to me, but I would like to read at least the Harriet Vane books in order, so it mocks me, and I shall console myself with something else entirely.
Until I was halfway through this delightful essay, I thought it was going to inspire me to re-re-read my Lord Peter Wimsey books. My copies were all purchased in the early 70s and are in danger of crumbling, their spines have been cracked so many times (except for The Nine Tailors, which has only been read once.)
Instead I paused to research the Vorkosigan Saga and purchase Falling Free. Thank you for the recommendation. I look forward to reading it.
Falling Free is a charming book, well worth picking up, but for a real sense of the Vorkosigans you might want to begin with Shards of Honor (as I did) or Warrior's Apprentice (the first Miles book). I envy you the adventures ahead.
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I used to work at the BBC's White City buildings. The finishing line of the 1908 Olympics running track was marked in the paving between them.
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We have both worked for the BBC! (I was in LA.)
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I have recently started to reread the Sayers novels and I'm enjoying them much more than I had anticipated - I had, frankly, forgotten just how *well-written* they are. There are a few cringe moments, but on the whole, they stand up exceedingly well. (I read most, though not all, when I was about thirteen or fourteen, and very few since then).
There's darkness. There's Peter, in Strong Poison, thinking about 'when he kills himself' and you suddenly realise that this is not the first time his mind has brushed that subject, and not the first time he walks away from that thought, and yes, it makes the bright cheery personality much more a coping strategy than his 'real true self' although he was, without doubt, a very silly person. (I approve.)
And now I want to read them all. Gaudy Night is sitting on the shelf, calling to me, but I would like to read at least the Harriet Vane books in order, so it mocks me, and I shall console myself with something else entirely.
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Instead I paused to research the Vorkosigan Saga and purchase Falling Free. Thank you for the recommendation. I look forward to reading it.
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