iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

With the summer's intense heat, I haven't done nearly as much walking as I've wanted. But today was perfect to get buffetted by the winds on the Clwydian ridge in North Wales and to get the legs moving again on its undulating path from Moel Famur to Moel Arthur. #goforawalk #hiking

Photo of the Clwydian ridge in Moel Famur country park. There are blue skies and a few sheep among the tufts of grass and heather.

A grass and stone path leading along the Clwydian ridge in Moel Famur Country park.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Enjoyed reading this collection of poetry in, well, various cafés. It was good for a quick dip and will stand up to multiple re-readings. Café as place, as a verb, as a state of mind, as a dreamscape. Interesting section inspired by Brief Encounter. Another quirky @fitzcarraldoeds.bsky.social

A copy of Holly Pester's collection of poetry, Cafés, is held up against a latte in a pretty pink cup, on a faux marble table with potted ferns in the background.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Good to see the gang back together. I loved the original series and the film is just as goofy and loveable.

Movie poster for Dix Pour Cent:Le Film, shows the main cast in an office with paperwork on a table.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Read this in one sitting. Delicious. Witty and original; a modern fairytale including a visit to a house in the woods; a selfish morality tale (be careful what you wish for); a six act play on the modern world's anger, envy and disconnection as an academic battle of the sexes. #bookerlonglist

A copy of Helen of Nowhere by Makenna Goodman lies on a blue and white duvet cover. It is the Fitzcarraldo edition in their distinctive blue covers with white type.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Popped into the VGM yesterday to see Making Your Mark - a print exhibition featuring among others, Celia Paul, Lucien Freud and my favourite - Dorothea Wight. I love her little window-scapes. It's a lovely gallery to visit with its gorgeous tiled interior and small but interesting rooms. #liverpool

Three photos of prints in black and white etchings. The top one is Five Sisters by Celia Paul showing four women sitting next to each other on a bench with a fifth, much smaller, looking in from a window behind.
Bottom left is Linda Sleeping by Celia Paul depicting a woman's head and arm as she sleeps on her side. Bottom right is Solicitor's Head by Lucien Freud, a close-up of the face of a woman with a partially open mouth and thick, curly hair.

A photo of October Morning, a coloured print by Dorothea Wight. It depicts a window with a partially drawn blind and a green landscape of hills.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

This has been my favourite of the three Rileys I've read, though I am still pondering the title. A greater sense of carpe diem but her characters were more settled and dare I say it happier, in middle age. Great dialogue as always. I prefer John of John, but this was a good read. #Bookerlonglist

A copy of Gwendoline Riley's The Palm House sits propped up on a window sill next to a potted jade plant. The cover is a black and white photo of a seated woman but only her long, bare legs are visible, stretched out.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

A good way to end the week, walking along the North Wales Coastal path, nine miles from Red Wharf Bay to Moelfe. Perfect weather, a nice breeze and ice cream at the end. #goforawalk

A photo of cliffs, a rocky beach, blue-green sea and shadowy hills in the distance.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

First book read on the Booker longlist and I LOVED it!!! Was completely absorbed in this small Hebridean community of secrets, religious stoicism, and the sadness entwined with lives unlived and love shamed. Such good writing with spots of humour and insight into weaving too. Highly recommended.

A copy of John of John by Douglas Stuart lies on some Harris Tweed woven with browns, purples and blues. The cover of the book has the title and author in a bold, ecclesiastical font over a blurred photo of a windscreen with droplets of rain and sea, clouds and a fading sunset in the distance.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

A great book to end #witmonth . A really unusual and philosophical novel set within the urgency and despair of climate change. A convincing narrative voice carried me completely through to the end. Thought-provoking and poetic. Translated by Sophie Collins who has a good afterword on the process.

A copy of The Opposite of a Person by Lieke Marsman, translated by Sophie Collins, shows the head of a young woman underwater with her eyes closed and a large air bubble that has just escaped from her mouth. It lies on a quilt top made of squares of indigo dyed fabric.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

A very enjoyable day out to the World of Glass museum in St. Helens which was hosting the International Festival of Glass. I know nothing about this artform so it was fascinating to see so many different techniques. Some of my faves are in the photos. Artists listed in the alt text.

Three works of glass art:

Top photo is Knitting With Glass by Mandy Capel showing a small bit of knitting in yellow glass suspended between two posts.

Bottom left photo is Emerging Order by Yuanyang Liu - two knitted vessels made out of glass with open "stitches" at the rim.

Bottom right photo is Watershed by Carol Milne - large piece of knitted glass in blues and greens on two needles.

Three pieces of glass art:

Left photo is a portion of Glass Fingers: Wall Totem by Miles van Rensselaer. Glass "water" cascades down from one brass hand to another.

Top right photo is Market Bag No. 16 by Claudia E Ponce de Leon. A colourful plaid bag made out of glass with orange glass handles is affixed to a square mirror.

Bottom right photo is Tartes au Verre ( For Your Eyes Only) by Sarah Brown. Life sized individual fruit and chocolate tarts made out of glass.

Two works of glass art:

In the front is City Blocks Paperweight by Katherine Coleman. City buildings are intricately engraved into a circular glass paperweight.

Behind it is Cloud Form by Peter Layton & James Devereux. A deep blue glass sculpture in the shape of a cloud with an oval cutout in the middle.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Whew - lots to unpack in this exuberant novel about a young woman obsessed with the movies of Catherine Deneuve, who is living as an illegal refugee in Paris. "I felt like I was playing a part in a movie with a plot unknown to me". Same goes for the reader. Loved it! #witmonth book 12

A copy of The Naked Eye by Yoko Tawada, translated from the German by Susan Bernofsky. The cover is black with a yellow tinted black and white photo of Catherine Deneuve. The book lies on a naked wood table next to a latté.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

RIP Yayoi Kusama. Thanks for all the colour and joyful dots. Had to cast this on today. It's a fun scarf called Dot The I by Lone Arnstd. #Knitsky

A piece of knitting with red polka dots on a white background.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Set during one day, Anna sits in a café intending to read The Hours. But through memories and flashbacks, the story is of the men around her damaged by generational violence and war. Wistful amidst sadness; the day could have been so different. Book 11 for #Witmonth Translated by Douglas Robinson.

A copy of When I Forgot by Elina Hirvonen, translated by Douglas Robinson, lies propped up against a grey and blue duvet. The cover of the novel shows bare feet making footprints in the snow.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

"Violet. Violence. Violator." I was very moved reading this novel about a lonely, timid girl who moves to Seoul to work in a flower shop but can't overcome her childhood rejections to make a happy life in a busy, indifferent city. Beautifully written. Translated by Anton Hur. #Witmonth book 10

A copy of Violets by Kyung-Sook Shin, translated by Anton Hur, sits propped up on a shelf next to a house plant with dark green leaves and red stripes. The cover of the novel is bright orange with some frail violets behind the lettering.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Book 9 of #witmonth A novel about the last days of Beckett in a nursing home, mostly told from his perspective as he reminisces about his Irish childhood, friendship with Joyce, and his own characters. Plenty of pathos but not sure I got more insight into his character, so just an ok read for me.

A copy of Yell, Sam, If You Still Can by Maylis Besserie, translated by Clíona Ní Ríordáin lies propped against some books on a shelf next to a slipcase with four volumes of the Collected Works of Samuel Beckett. The novel has a pen drawing of Samuel Beckett's face.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Read this in two sittings. Can anyone read her without tearing up? Piñeiro is just so good at balancing tension with complicated human emotions, in this case a mother trying to cope with a tragedy in her past. Translated by Frances Riddle. Loved it - highly recommended. Book 8 for #witmonth

A copy of Claudia Piñeiro's A Little Luck is held up showing an illustration of the palm of a hand against a bright orange background. The novel is translated by Frances Riddle

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Transit by Anna Seghers, translated by Margot Bettauer Dembo, was my next choice for #Witmonth as Petzold's film of the novel was playing on Mubi. Nothing and everything is happening simultaneously in a surreal and bureaucratic WWII Marseille where refugees are desperate to get the correct papers.

A copy of Transit by Anna Seghers, translated by Margot Bettauer Dembo, lies on a wooden café table next to a partially drunk latte. The cover of the novel is a black and white photo of people in a queue, taken from above.

The movie poster for Christian Petzold's film Transit showing the two main actors, Frank Rogowski and Paula Beer. She is resting her head on his shoulder.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Stayed up late finishing this epistolary novel about an old group of friends all searching for pastures green - places and people - and failing miserably in different ways. Enjoyed reading different points of view among the letters. Skillfully done. Translated by Dick Davis. Book 6 for #Witmonth

A copy of The City and the House by Natalua Ginzburg, translated by Dick Davis, is propped up against a crumpled duvet cover which is white with grey flowers. The cover of the book has a black and white photo of the backs of a man and woman walking down a city street. The woman looks as if she is walking briskly away from the man whose face is turned toward her.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Far too hot to wear now but I've just finished knitting this jumper - Tenney Park by Elizabeth Morrison - and it's giving me autumnal campus vibes. Loved trying entrelac for the first time and it was perfect for some Noro Silk Garden sock yarn in stash. Free pattern from @knitty.com #knitsky

A light brown jumper with an entrelac panel down the middle in pinks, browns and yellows, is hanging in front of an overcrowded bookcase.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

I have a huge appetite for dinner-party-lit but this novel fell flat for me. Rich Parisiens with pecuniary problems just didn't keep my interest. Also disappointing to read a novel centered around a meal with really bland descriptions of food. Book 5 of #witmonth - want to read a meatier book next

A copy of Just A Little Dinner by Cécile Tlili, translated by Katherine Gregor, lies on a slate dinner mat, inbetween a silver knife and fork. The cover of the novel has a blue and white scroll pattern in the background with a white box for the title, author and translator.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Another tough, poignant novel of a lonely, loveless childhood in poverty. I didn't find this had the narrative punch of Inès Cagnati's Free Day, and the Pierre/Marie relationship didn't convince but glad I read it. Translated by Liesl Schillinger. Book 4 of #witmonth & catching up with #nyrbwomen26

A copy of Crazy Genie by Inès Cagnati, translated by Liesl Schillinger leans against some beige wallpaper. The cover of the NYRB Classics edition is a Dora Carrington painting showing a farm house with hills in the background and the tiny, white figures of a woman holding hands with a young girl in the foreground.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

A quirky modern fairytale about a woman who shakes herself from apathy and inertia through fighting for the country's postal system. Contains a beautiful story within the story. Made me nostalgic for letters and my own stint with the post office. Translated by Charlotte Barslund. Book 3 of #witmonth

A copy of Long Live the Post Horn! by Vigdis Hjorth, translated by Charlotte Barslund, is held up against a red postal box. The cover shows a desk with a slumped arm reaching out for the phone. There's a photo of a generic office building on the wall and another of a red haired woman staring blankly.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

I've been wanting to read more of Maylis De Kerangal since reading Canoes, her collection of short stories. Enjoyed this short, intense novel about a soldier deserting on the Trans-Siberian train and the woman reluctantly trying to help him. Translated by Jessica Moore, book 2 for #witmonth

A cooy of Eastbound by Maylis De Kerangal, translated by Jessica Moore, lies on top of a white wrought iron table. The cover is green with a black and white photo of a train rushing around a corner.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

First book read for #witmonth After a slow start, I really enjoyed this novel about the relationship between an author and translator, cultural differences, colonialism and unconscious bias. Inventive structure especially the afterwords. And a detailed banquet description to make you very hungry.

A copy of Taiwan Travelogue by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ, translated by Lin King, lies on a crumpled grey bedsheet. The cover is white with the title in black followed by the first sentence.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Happened to be in two bookshops today, adding to my pile of potential #Witmonth reads. The Hjorth comes highly recommended by @jacquiwine.bsky.social and I wanted to add some short story collections to the mix. I am going to alternate between authors new to me and those who I want to read more of.

Five books lie on a Persian carpet:
Woman of Genius - Simone de Beavoir, translated by Patrick O'Brian
Long Live the Post Horn by Vigdis Hjorth, translated by Charlotte Barslund
We Were Forbidden by Jacqueline Harpman, translated by Ros Schwartz
We Do Not Part by Han Kang, translated by E.Yaewon and Paige Aniyah Morris, and
Dead-End Memories by Banana Yoshimoto, translated by Asa Yoneda

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

As always, some stunning quilts on display at The Festival of Quilts in Birmingham. Congratulations to Silent Eyes by Sung Yeon Park which won Best in Show and was truly the most incredible quilt I saw. It's absolutely stunning. #FOQ2026

A large art quilt hung on a wall depicting a close-up of the wings of a moth or butterfly. Layers upon layers of colour build up the overall effect.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Pulled some great options from the bookshelves for #witmonth #witmonth2026 Will likely start with Taiwan Travelogue but open to suggestions for must reads during the month. I am hoping to get through at least ten.

A pile of books on a window sill:
Greek Lessons - Han Kang
Taiwan Travelogue - Yang Shuang-zi
Cathedrals by Claudia Piñeiro
Eastbound - Maylis De Kerangal
Abigail - Magda Szabó
Sun City - Tove Jansson
Crazy Genie - Inès Cagnati
The Seventh Cross - Anna Seghers
Stay With Me - Hanne Ørstavik
Yell, Sam, If You Still Can - Maylis Besserie

A pile of books on a windowsill:
Childhood, Youth, Dependency - Tove Ditlevsen
The City and the House - Natalia Ginzburg
A Little Luck - Claudia Piñeiro
Violets - Kyung-Sook Shin
Malina- Ingeborg Bachmann
A Single Rose - Muriel Barbery
The Naked Eye - Yoko Tawada
There's No Turning Back - Alba de Céspedes
Just A Little Dinner - Cécile Tlili
Thunder and Light - Marie-Claire Blais
Lili is Crying - Hélène Bessette

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Warming up for #witmonth with a novel ( not in translation), about 8 translators searching for their missing author, translated by the English one who is also a character in the story written by the Spanish one, and so she adds footnotes. Halfway and it's weird, funny, playful and I'm hooked.

A copy of The Extinction of Irena Rey by Jennifer Croft lies on a crumpled cotton blanket. The cover is a slightly surrealist, spooky painting of a dark forest with blue trees.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Two Scottish writers' take on what happens when writers become jealous of each other. My first McDermid and I really enjoyed it. Ali Smith blurbed Thompson as "Angela Carter crossed with the Scottish diffidence of Muriel Spark". Hmmm. Definitely weirder and less comic than Spark but good island lit.

Two novels lie on a mustard duvet cover - Val McDermid's Past Lying and Alice Thompson's Burnt Island.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Enjoyed his talk in Chester last month, so this will be a fun event. And send you down the Muriel rabbit hole. . .

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

June was Muriel month. 3 bios led to 3 novels & the complete poetry and short stories. With a break for The Correspondent which was fun. Spark's short stories were especially wonderful, thanks @drjamesbailey.bsky.social for the recommendation. A dip turned into reading the whole collection! 1/2

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Quite glad in this heat to have a garden full of alpines, succulents, grasses and some lavender. They seem to be flourishing in the sun and don't need much watering. Although the weeding will wait until it cools down. #gardensky

A smallrock garden showing some succulents in bloom with pink flowers and a few grasses and lavender stalks in the background.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Read these back to back. The Finishing School, Spark's final novel was a little too pat for my taste, but I really enjoyed Symposium - surely there is a literary sub genre for the dinner-party-goes-wrong novel. Very funny, eccentric characters, and Spark's usual flair and craft with time shifts.

Two Muriel Spark novels sit on a shelf - Symposium and The Finishing School. The first has an illustration of people, cartoonish, sitting around a dining table. The second is a painting of a teenager wearing a short skirt, showing off long legs, reading a book.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Back from a lovely week's holiday on the Isle of Arran. Coastal walks, caves, walks through Glen Rosa and Glen Sannox ( one slightly scary scramble), some rain, but good food and company. HF holidays are the best!

A montage of photos from the Isle of Arran showing caves, sea thrift and lichen along the coast, wide open beaches and a sunset.

Three photos from the Isle of Arran showing deep green glens between mountains, with rivers flowing between them. At the bottom is the outline of the island as seen from the ferry.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

RIP David Hockney - I will always be grateful to you for your role in helping restore Salts Mills. And thank you for all the colour no one created more beautiful trees!

A selection of David Hockney's work. At the top is his painting of Salts Mills also showing surrounding Victorian workers' houses. Then a selection of 8 works showing trees in different seasons, some created digitally.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

It's Muriel month inspired by two brilliant biographies. Wilson's focuses more on the first part of Spark's life: dreary relationships & bedsits, wartime codes & paranoia. Her surmise about Nita McEwan - wow! Bailey writes engagingly about her public persona & her later years and novels. And cats.

Two biographies of Muriel Spark lie on a wooden desk. One is Electric Spark: The Enigma of Muriel Spark by Frances Wilson and Like A Cat Loved A Bird: The Nine Lives of Miriel Spark by James Bailey. Both have photographs of Spark on their covers.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Saw this adaptation of Woolf's novel last night. It was pleasant enough but nothing extraordinary. A good cast but often given nothing to do. Love Sally Phillips for example but she barely has any lines and most of those are mumbles. And definitely more could have been made of Mary Datchet's role.

Movie poster of Night and Day showing a young, confident woman at the front in a blazer with notebook and telescope in her hand, with supporting characters behind, including her parents, her fiancé, and two friends.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

I love discovering new indie bookshops and if you are ever visiting Chester, a visit to Books on the Walls is a must. A quirky, excellent choice of titles, lovely coffee, a friendly owner and a real boho vibe. And you have to walk the medieval city walls there! Good events schedule too. #booksky

The interior of a bookshop with lots of plants and fairy lights hanging from the ceiling. To the right is a small area with a coffee machine and shelves with bottles and pots. The books are on a table and in crates for browsing.

The outside of the The Books on the Walls bookshop in Chester. There's a large window painted white with stencils on the glass and the shop is set into a brick structure on the narrow top of the city's medieval walls.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

Always love going to an Alun Perry gig - Liverpool's "Woody Guthrie". Inevitably influenced by the Beatles too. A talented storyteller with catchy tunes. He played my favouite song, Ulysses. A simple concept - everyone's life is an epic like Joyce's novel. "We can be Ulysses too." #Liverpool

Photo of a man playing a guitar and singing on a small stage with wood slat walls in the background and festive lighting.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Tebay services in Cumbria has long had the best loos on the M6. It now has the best toilet stall advertising too! You can see the sheep grazing outside. Can't get wool more local than that. It's lovely and very reasonably priced. Selection varies - this time there was 4ply. Only £6 a ball #knitsky

An advertisement on the back of a toilet stall door showing a flock of sheep with "A story Woven in Wool" headline and text explaining their local sheep wool gets processed in Yorkshire with care and skill.

Six skeins of 4ply wool, four in a forest green and two in red.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

Hiked today to Angle Tarn, my favourite place in the Lake District. A little tranquil gem among all the beautiful fells. Weather was perfect - cloudy with a slight breeze - after the heatwave we've had.

Photo of Angle Tarn in the Lake District - a small body of water with two islands in it, surrounded by green hills.

A gravel path in the Lake District with views of green hills stretching to the horizon.

A woman with a purple rucksack stands looking at green fells and the calm waters of Angle Tarn in the Lake District.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Another thought-provoking volume in this fabulous series. With another intriguing cliff hanger at the end. It's going to be hard to wait for the next book which I don't think is published until November. Probably on November 18th. #booksky

A copy of On the Calculation of Volume, Vol 4 by Solvej Balle, translated by Sophia Hersi Smith and Jennifer Russell, lies on a cafe table next to a half empty cup of coffee.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Two more on the Women's Prize shortlist - both about writers confronting painful pasts and the coming deaths of loved ones. Of the two, Kingfisher was infinitely more interesting and enjoyable. I suspect I might have appreciated the King when I was younger, but sadly found the story superficial.

Two books in a pile with their spines showing: Heart the Lover by Lily King and Kingfisher by Rozie Kelly.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

May is the month I catch up on some shortlist reading for the Int'l Booker and Women's Prize. Enjoyed both of these, each painful and sad in their own ways. The Director would make a great film in the right hands.

Two books in a stack, balancing on a staircase railing with a window and some plants in the background. On the bottom is Flashlight by Susan Choi. On the top is The Director by Daniel Kehlmann, translated by Ross Benjamin.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

My latest FO - a simple but effective scarf to show off five natural sheep colours. Knit with five 25g balls of Foula Wool, bought at last year's Shetland Wool Week market. I wish you could smell its sheepiness. So soft too. Love it. Pattern is Quintet Shawlet by Ambah O'Brien. #knitsky

A handknitted scarf lies across a blue bench. It has five sections in different shades of natural wool, creams, greys and browns.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

Been three months since discovering arthritis in both knees and this is the first hike I've been on. Taking it easy, only went up about 200m as slowly building up knee strength. But wasn't sure I'd get this far so am happy. Partner doing tougher walk; I'll head to excellent bookshop in Grasmere.

Photo about 200m up a hill in the Lake District, overlooking Grasmere and Rydal Water. A few grey, threatening clouds in the distance.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

Been on my shelf for years - thanks #1961club for prompting me to start reading it this week.

A hardcover copy of the Everyman edition of Joseph Heller's Catch-22, open to the title page.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

Reading the chapter "Books in Films" in Nicholas Royle's Shadow Lines reminds me of the awful beginning of 1943's Jane Eyre - scripted by Aldous Huxley. The film begins with a shot of the first chapter of the book. Except as millions of fans know - it most definitely isn't. Ugh.

A still from one of the first scenes of the 1943 film of Jane Eyre starring Joan Fontaine. The camera draws in for a close-up of the first chapter of the book - except it isn't at all. Instead, it reads: My name is Jane Eyre . . . I was born in 1820, a harsh time of change in England. Money and position seemed all that mattered. Charity was a cold and disagreeable word.

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Maylin @blithespirit4.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

Alas, moving across an ocean and limited space have effectively ended my book collecting days. Thankfully I can vicariously relive the joy of the hunt through the quirky adventures of @nicholasroyle.bsky.social ( am halfway through Shadow Lines now), and at least there's one set complete.

Three white-spined books by Nicholas Royle sit on a crowded bookshelf. They are White Spines: Confessions of a Book Collector, Shadow Lines: Searching for the Book Beyond the Shelf, and Finders, Keepers: The Secret Life of Second-hand Books.

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