Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings
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kaggsy59.bsky.social
Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings
@kaggsy59.bsky.social
2.6K followers 570 following 1.3K posts
Loves books and arts and culture and vegan food, and sharing thoughts about them! Blogs at https://kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/
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stuhennigan.bsky.social
#GetKeshed. 12th Feb.
February 1, 2026 at 11:10 AM
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madamebibi.bsky.social
Today on the blog, a visit to Cyprus for #ReadIndiesMonth hosted by @kaggsy59.bsky.social “It’s not a brandy sour if it doesn't make you bitter.” (Constantia Soteriou, Brandy Sour) madamebibilophilerecommends.co.uk/2026/02/01/i...
“It’s not a brandy sour if it doesn’t make you bitter.” (Constantia Soteriou, Brandy Sour)
I first heard about Brandy Sour by Constantia Soteriou (2022, transl. Lina Protopara 2024) on Winston’s Dad’s blog – I thought quite recently but I can see it was August 2024! I get there eve…
madamebibilophilerecommends.co.uk
February 1, 2026 at 10:09 AM
kaggsy59.bsky.social
On the Ramblings today! Launching Independent Publishers Month 2026 - more here! kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2026/02/01/l...
Launching Reading Independent Publishers Month 2026 – with a pile of possibilities! #readindies
When I decided in January that I would continue hosting Reading Independent Publishers month, my first instinct was of course to make a pile of possible reads. I mean, what’s more fun than di…
kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com
February 1, 2026 at 10:42 AM
kaggsy59.bsky.social
On the Ramblings today - looking back at January reading and thinking about February's books... kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2026/01/30/a...
A long month of reading! #january
January has felt, in many ways, like a very long month and yet at one point it seemed as if I’d read absolutely nothing at all, and that books were taking ages to finish. However, as you can …
kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com
January 30, 2026 at 8:07 AM
kaggsy59.bsky.social
....in which I spend some time with the works of #hplovecraft and find them incredibly compelling! kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2026/01/28/a...
“….a contagious nightmare hallucination…” #hplovecraft
For once, I’m delighted that I can recall exactly what prompted me to buy a book!! At the start of last year, I treated myself to a few of the new Penguin Archive 90 volumes, one of which was…
kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com
January 28, 2026 at 8:46 AM
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iammilliam.bsky.social
Penultimate new episode up now. The Sacred and Profane Love Machine by Iris Murdoch, with guest Ian Patterson in Socratic dialogue with @unamccormack.bsky.social Nicky Birch and me. www.backlisted.fm/episodes/256...
256. The Sacred and Profane Love Machine by Iris Murdoch — Backlisted
Ian Patterson, author of  Books: A Manifesto  (W&N), returns to Backlisted for a joyful discussion of Iris Murdoch and her sixteenth novel  The Sacred and Profane Love Machine &nbsp...
www.backlisted.fm
January 27, 2026 at 7:34 AM
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iammilliam.bsky.social
The next episode (10th Feb) will be the last for a while. Details are at the start of this one. Future plans can be found on the Patreon. www.patreon.com/backlisted
Get more from Backlisted on Patreon
Creating podcasts that give new life to old books
www.patreon.com
January 27, 2026 at 7:34 AM
kaggsy59.bsky.social
On the Ramblings today, for the #japaneseliteraturechallenge and #januaryinjapan I explore a heartbreaking short work, Grave of the Fireflies. More here: kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2026/01/26/b...
“By morning, half the fireflies had died…” #japaneseliteraturechallenge
Whenever I take part in reading events and challenges, I normally try to pick books which I already have in the stacks; goodness knows the TBR is already gigantic enough without adding to it! Howev…
kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com
January 26, 2026 at 9:06 AM
kaggsy59.bsky.social
On the blog today, I spend time with a book by the bats but entertaining John Franklin Bardin - more here! kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2026/01/23/o...
“Oh, Philip, why can’t you remember?” #thelastofphilipbanter
Back in 2018, Mr Kaggsy presented me with an intriguing omnibus edition of three books by an author I’d never heard of – John Franklin Bardin. It seemed as if the author was quite obscu…
kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com
January 23, 2026 at 8:39 AM
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indiepressnetwork.bsky.social
We’re starting the new year with a round-up of some of the finest titles on the indie scene last year 🙌 🥳

Find the full list on our website. Shop with your local indie or bookshop.org to support the book trade, not Silicon Valley 😁

indiepressnetwork.com/best-of-2025/
January 21, 2026 at 2:54 PM
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bhousepress.bsky.social
2026 is already giving us plenty to talk about. Here’s a preview of what’s coming from our Recovered Books list this year, rediscovered by Neglected Books:
- Vengeance Is Mine (March 2026)
- An American Journey (May 2026)
- We Too Are Drifting (August 2026)
- Season's Greetings (November 2026)
January 21, 2026 at 3:00 PM
kaggsy59.bsky.social
On the Ramblings today, my thoughts on the truly magnificent Is A River Alive? by @robgmacfarlane.bsky.social - what a book! kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2026/01/21/p...
“…part of a web of entangled life…” #isariveralive
As I’ve no doubt mentioned many times before, I’m a great believer in every book having its time and so I don’t necessarily pick up each new title that comes through the door as s…
kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com
January 21, 2026 at 8:26 AM
kaggsy59.bsky.social
On the Ramblings today - a cracking pair of Lancashire mysteries from E.C.R. Lorac @blpublishing.bsky.social kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2026/01/19/a...
A cracking pair of Lancashire mysteries! #ECRLorac
The two fascinating non-fiction books I read recently really did do a great job of clearing my head after finishing Proust left me with such a book hangover; and so I felt ready to indulge in a lit…
kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com
January 19, 2026 at 8:53 AM
kaggsy59.bsky.social
Well, despite the vast number of arrivals at Christmas, books have still continued to make their way into the Ramblings... Time for a short 🧵! First up, I needed some short for #JapaneseLiteratureChallenge and this fitted the bill!
January 17, 2026 at 2:22 PM
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ds228.bsky.social
You can catch up on my December reading

eigermonchjungfrau.blog/2026/01/15/w...
What I Read, December 2025
I came down from the high of my first months as a former professor. Not because I longed for my old job (though I do miss being around students and in the classroom), but because I had to face the …
eigermonchjungfrau.blog
January 15, 2026 at 8:09 PM
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jacquiwine.bsky.social
‘D’you think she’s likely to live or not?’ said Paul. ‘Because if there’s any doubt perhaps I could use your telephone, Amabelle, to call up the jewellers and see if I’m in time to stop them engraving that mug…’ #BookSky 💙📚 #NancyMitford

jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2026/01/13/c...
Christmas Pudding by Nancy Mitford
First published in 1932, Christmas Pudding was one of Nancy Mitford’s early books, written before she hit the big time with her semi-autobiographical novels, In the Pursuit of Love (1945) and Love …
jacquiwine.wordpress.com
January 15, 2026 at 8:12 AM
kaggsy59.bsky.social
Today on the Ramblings, a stunning and evocative book which really captures a lost era - Souvenir by Michael Bracewell. H/T to @jacquiwine.bsky.social - this was the perfect gift for me! More here: kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2026/01/15/l...
“…late sunshine under clearing cloud…” #souvenir
There are times when a book has you from the first sentence or paragraph, and “Souvenir” by Michael Bracewell did just that. I’d never heard of book or author until lovely Jacqui …
kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com
January 15, 2026 at 8:21 AM
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mkinberg.bsky.social
Today on my blog: In The Spotlight: Nina Atwood’s The Expert Witness – Crime Writer Margot Kinberg share.google/d1AhhETQerbq...
In The Spotlight: Nina Atwood’s The Expert Witness
Visit the post for more.
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January 13, 2026 at 8:31 PM
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thexclaim6.bsky.social
Dead Ink has this on sale at the moment by the way, as part of their new year deals - half price! deadinkbooks.com/product/unqu...
Unquiet Guests - Dead Ink Books
Featuring stories by: Chuck Palahniuk, Grady Hendrix, Kirsty Logan, Will Maclean, Irenosen Okojie, Alison Moore, Matthew Holness, Claire Fuller, Clay Macleod Chapman and Ally Wilkes.
deadinkbooks.com
January 12, 2026 at 3:48 PM
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stuckinabook.bsky.social
Some thoughts on Joan O'Donovan's 1959 novel The Visited (and why she should really have picked one genre) www.stuckinabook.com/the-visited-...
The Visited (1959) by Joan O’Donovan
The Visited (1959) by Joan O’Donovan is yet another book that I’ve read because of a post by Brad. Well, if he starts a post by talking about ‘misfit spinsters’, you know I&…
www.stuckinabook.com
January 11, 2026 at 9:38 PM
kaggsy59.bsky.social
Announcing Reading Independent Publishers Month 6! #readindies kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2026/01/12/a...
Announcing Reading Independent Publishers Month 6! #ReadIndies
Regular visitors here will know that for the last five years, I have had the pleasure of co-hosting Reading Independent Publishers Month alongside Lizzy from Lizzy’s Literary Life. This grew …
kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com
January 12, 2026 at 8:14 AM
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marinasofia.bsky.social
There's No Turning Back* margot-kin-berg.com/2026/01/10/t...
There’s No Turning Back*
Sometimes, people face a decision from which there’s no turning back. For instance, if you decide to take a new job and then leave your present job, it’s usually not possible to go back to your old…
margot-kin-berg.com
January 11, 2026 at 7:07 PM
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wildtwin.bsky.social
Ghost Town words on David Bowie from the ‘Stalking Time For The Moon Boys’ chapter #davidbowie
Extract from Ghost Town which begins: In school, we weren’t allowed to live in our own universes…’ relating to teenage love of David Bowie and posted in the tenth anniversary of his death.
January 10, 2026 at 7:10 PM
kaggsy59.bsky.social
On the Ramblings today - my thoughts on a wonderful book about books by Lucy Mangan! kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2026/01/08/a...
“A book is shared humanity…” #bookish #lucymangan
When you’re left with a massive book hangover, like I was after finishing the Proust, it can be very hard to move on to new reading, and I admit I struggled a bit. I usually go for GA crime i…
kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com
January 8, 2026 at 8:15 AM
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stuckinabook.bsky.social
The books I bought over new year, and why...

www.stuckinabook.com/the-books-i-...
The books I bought in Derbyshire
Over new year, I was staying in Derbyshire with an enormous number of friends and new-friends. As it happened, we were only a stone’s throw from Scarthin Books and Scrivener’s Books, as…
www.stuckinabook.com
January 6, 2026 at 8:25 PM