In 2013 I Mostly Read . . .

So here's what I read in 2013 . . .

December 2013 - started reading the Ngaio Marsh Roderick Alleyn detective series - long time since I read any of these. Classic detective stuff . . .

Back to crime - inspired by the final Poirot's on tv, read the first Agatha Christie Poirot, The Mysterious Affair at Styles - a slightly less dignified Poirot on paper. Then revisited an old favourite The Mysterious Mr Quinn (December 2013).

On to a couple of old Anne McCaffrey's (November 2013) - Restoree and The Ship Who Searched - classic sci-fi, and slightly sentimental sci-fi . . .

Continuing the Fantasy theme (November 2013) - a re-read of the Rivers of London series (Rivers of London, Moon Over Soho, Whispers Underground) ahead of the latest Broken Homes - really love this series, and the new addition didn't disappoint, with a great twist at the end. Can't wait for the next one!

Back to Fantasy for a bit - re-read Tanya Huff's The Enchantment Emporium ahead of a new acquisition, it sequel Wild Ways - both really good. All of which inspired me to revisit her 'Keeper' series: Summon the Keeper, The Second Summoning, and Long Hot Summoning (October 2013).

Re-read the Dorothy L Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey books (August - October 2013) - all the way through to Thrones, Dominations which she sort of wrote.  Love the characters, in fact I think Lord Peter is probably my favourite fictional detective.  Haven't bothered with Jill Paton-Walsh's later efforts as they had some mixed reviews, and didn't want to spoil my image of the characters.  Broke to read an old Andre Norton Dread Companion (September 2013) from way back when - interesting to revisit - she wrote some great classic sci-fi.

Having finished Bess, started on her grandaughter's tale - Arbella: England's Lost Queen by Sarah Gristwood (July 2013) - got diverted, but will finish soon.

Cruised to Norway with Mary Lovell's Bess of Hardwick (July 2013) a fascinating book about a formidable woman, having finally finished John Crowley's Little, Big - which has been on my bookshelf for decades. It wasn't a fast read (started it back in January and finished it on the cruise) but strangely compelling, and kind of poetic, although I found the ending a tad unsatisfactory.

Borrowed Alison Weir's Mary Boleyn: The Great and Infamous Whore (May 2013) - really interesting discussion of how historians over the years have just repeated hearsay and perpetuated myths.

Stephanie Burgis: A Most Improper Magick; A Tangle of Magicks; A Reckless Magick (April 2013) - looked intriguing, and were going cheap as Kindle downloads on Amazon - really enjoyable stuff, described by some reviewers as Jane Austen meets Harry Potter - an original take anyway on magic in a regency setting.

Re-read of my Robert Heinlein library (February - March 2013) inspired by watching John Carter on DVD which got me onto The Number of the Beast (since that is where I first came across reference to John Carter and the Edgar Rice Burrough's Barsoom books). From there went through Methuselah's Children, Time Enough for Love, The Cat Who Walks Through Walls, To Sail Beyond the Sunset, Friday, Glory Road, and I Will Fear No Evil. Enjoyed them all just as much as I ever did - he can tell a good story, full of colourful characters, although with some odd notions at times.

Borth Beach

Beautiful sunny day, and a trip to Borth to check out the storm damage there.

Aberystwyth was very much the poster-boy of the early January storms and Borth didn't feature much in the news, but there was flooding, and the beach (well stones) were washed up towards the houses in a big way.

They must have been working for a while to clear as far as they have, but the diggers are still very much in evidence!

One Week On

One week later, and we headed back to the prom to check on progress on the clean up.

They'd had local volunteers out earlier in the day with their own spades and wheelbarrows (which made for a good news item), but the machines were still out in force clearing the last piles of shingle into lorries.   Lots of the paving slabs had been gathered up as well ready for relaying in due course.

Some of the damage was more apparent if anything - the holes in the seawall, and the undermining of the pavilion, which is now listing quite severely . . .

. . . as it turns out they're actually in the process of dismantling it for repair, but in the meantime the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales had the opportunity of recording the basement structures of the former marine baths on which it was built.

Still a lot of work to do . . .

After the Storm

December 2013 wasn't exactly sweetness and light weather-wise . . .

 . . . but the last couple of days have seen a toxic mix of high tides, wind and rain.

Massive tidal surges overnight - people evacuated from the seafront - the prom closed - it all sounded real dramatic on the news, but the actual impact of it all didn't hit home till we took a walk down to the prom today.

A few missing paving stones didn't seem so bad . . . nor did the piles of shingle - slightly more than usual, but not an unfamiliar sight!









Elsewhere though the wreckage was phenomenal - great stone slabs with railings still attached had been dragged from their position and across the prom:

The Consti end of the prom seems to have taken most of the battering - the pavilion here is still standing, but the sea has undermined the promontory it sits on, and there's a huge hole behind it.


All in all it looked like someone had set off a bomb - and it was certainly proving to be something of a local attraction - most of the town seemed to be on the prom taking in the scene!




The clean-up has started - but this is going to take a lot more than a couple of street cleaning machines!