Paul Leyland
@paul51.bsky.social
Insect photographer & bibliophile
Reposted by Paul Leyland
New on the blog today, I've written about CROOKED CROSS by Sally Carson.
A brilliant, terrifying novel about the rise of Nazism, the falling apart of a country’s codes of decency & the moral fortitude required to oppose persecution. Frighteningly timely. 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/11/09/c...
A brilliant, terrifying novel about the rise of Nazism, the falling apart of a country’s codes of decency & the moral fortitude required to oppose persecution. Frighteningly timely. 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/11/09/c...
Crooked Cross by Sally Carson
For a novel first published in 1934, Sally Carson’s Crooked Cross feels remarkably timely, charting, as it does, the rise of Nazism in the early 1930s, the falling apart of a country’s fundamental …
jacquiwine.wordpress.com
November 9, 2025 at 7:17 AM
New on the blog today, I've written about CROOKED CROSS by Sally Carson.
A brilliant, terrifying novel about the rise of Nazism, the falling apart of a country’s codes of decency & the moral fortitude required to oppose persecution. Frighteningly timely. 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/11/09/c...
A brilliant, terrifying novel about the rise of Nazism, the falling apart of a country’s codes of decency & the moral fortitude required to oppose persecution. Frighteningly timely. 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/11/09/c...
Reposted by Paul Leyland
November 5, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Reposted by Paul Leyland
🚨 REVEALED THROUGH FOI FROM PROTECT THE WILD - PLEASE READ
Nature Scot should be utterly ashamed of themselves for allowing the slaughter of hundreds of Gannet chicks to continue this sick tradition.
Nature Scot should be utterly ashamed of themselves for allowing the slaughter of hundreds of Gannet chicks to continue this sick tradition.
November 5, 2025 at 4:30 PM
🚨 REVEALED THROUGH FOI FROM PROTECT THE WILD - PLEASE READ
Nature Scot should be utterly ashamed of themselves for allowing the slaughter of hundreds of Gannet chicks to continue this sick tradition.
Nature Scot should be utterly ashamed of themselves for allowing the slaughter of hundreds of Gannet chicks to continue this sick tradition.
Thanks to @jacquiwine.bsky.social & #NovellasinNovember I've just raided my wife's collection of old Penguins and read The Girl on the Via Flaminia by Alfred Hayes. A beautifully sad book about how people behave in wartime. So tightly written, perfect dialogue, I was almost in the room with them
November 2, 2025 at 10:41 PM
Thanks to @jacquiwine.bsky.social & #NovellasinNovember I've just raided my wife's collection of old Penguins and read The Girl on the Via Flaminia by Alfred Hayes. A beautifully sad book about how people behave in wartime. So tightly written, perfect dialogue, I was almost in the room with them
Can you beat this for a news story
"A top FBI official with 27 years standing has reportedly been fired by the bureau after its director, Kash Patel, became enraged by press stories revealing he had used a government jet to travel to see his girlfriend sing the national anthem at a wrestling match."
"A top FBI official with 27 years standing has reportedly been fired by the bureau after its director, Kash Patel, became enraged by press stories revealing he had used a government jet to travel to see his girlfriend sing the national anthem at a wrestling match."
November 2, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Can you beat this for a news story
"A top FBI official with 27 years standing has reportedly been fired by the bureau after its director, Kash Patel, became enraged by press stories revealing he had used a government jet to travel to see his girlfriend sing the national anthem at a wrestling match."
"A top FBI official with 27 years standing has reportedly been fired by the bureau after its director, Kash Patel, became enraged by press stories revealing he had used a government jet to travel to see his girlfriend sing the national anthem at a wrestling match."
Reposted by Paul Leyland
I love Notes from Underground, and was struck by it's similarities to The Catcher in the Rye. It's almost the same plot, except one's a student and one's a civil servant (currently listening to this ep)
November 2, 2025 at 9:23 AM
I love Notes from Underground, and was struck by it's similarities to The Catcher in the Rye. It's almost the same plot, except one's a student and one's a civil servant (currently listening to this ep)
An unlikely story by J L Carr, How Steeple Sinderby Wanderers Won the F A Cup. Recommended for #NovellasinNovember, it's more about village politics than football so don't be put off by the title. As usual with J L Carr its a bit sad, a bit happy, a bit funny and a bit wise. A great read.
November 1, 2025 at 10:26 AM
An unlikely story by J L Carr, How Steeple Sinderby Wanderers Won the F A Cup. Recommended for #NovellasinNovember, it's more about village politics than football so don't be put off by the title. As usual with J L Carr its a bit sad, a bit happy, a bit funny and a bit wise. A great read.
Reposted by Paul Leyland
If you're thinking of doing #NovellasInNovember, you're in luck - here is an A-Z of brilliant novella suggestions!
www.stuckinabook.com/an-a-z-of-br...
www.stuckinabook.com/an-a-z-of-br...
An A-Z of Brilliant Novellas
As Novellas in November is starting, I thought I’d recommend some novellas you might like to read. And after jotting down a few, I thought… would I be able to make a whole alphabet of t…
www.stuckinabook.com
November 1, 2025 at 7:46 AM
If you're thinking of doing #NovellasInNovember, you're in luck - here is an A-Z of brilliant novella suggestions!
www.stuckinabook.com/an-a-z-of-br...
www.stuckinabook.com/an-a-z-of-br...
Reposted by Paul Leyland
New on my blog - Blasts from the Past: Close Range by Annie Proulx (1999) alifeinbooks.co.uk/2025/10/blas... #BookSky
Blasts from the Past: Close Range by Annie Proulx (1999) - A Life in Books
Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.
alifeinbooks.co.uk
October 31, 2025 at 8:25 AM
New on my blog - Blasts from the Past: Close Range by Annie Proulx (1999) alifeinbooks.co.uk/2025/10/blas... #BookSky
Reposted by Paul Leyland
It's Wednesday afternoon, and so nearly the weekend... and A Personal Anthology! This week's guest editor, picking and introducing a dozen favourite short stories, is June Caldwell, @junec.bsky.social, author of the collection Room Little Darker.
Hitting inboxes Friday. Sign up below!
Hitting inboxes Friday. Sign up below!
About - A Personal Anthology
A weekly guest-editor picks and introduces a personal anthology of twelve favourite short stories. Click to read A Personal Anthology, by Jonathan Gibbs, a Substack publication with thousands of subsc...
apersonalanthology.substack.com
October 29, 2025 at 2:19 PM
It's Wednesday afternoon, and so nearly the weekend... and A Personal Anthology! This week's guest editor, picking and introducing a dozen favourite short stories, is June Caldwell, @junec.bsky.social, author of the collection Room Little Darker.
Hitting inboxes Friday. Sign up below!
Hitting inboxes Friday. Sign up below!
Reposted by Paul Leyland
Enjoyed talking to Cynan Jones and Anthony Shapland at @belfastfestival.bsky.social last night.
Jones talked about the moment when he took a 90,000-word historical novel, and cut 60,000 words in one go. Was that hard? "No, it felt great." The result was his 2014 novel The Dig.
Jones talked about the moment when he took a 90,000-word historical novel, and cut 60,000 words in one go. Was that hard? "No, it felt great." The result was his 2014 novel The Dig.
October 29, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Enjoyed talking to Cynan Jones and Anthony Shapland at @belfastfestival.bsky.social last night.
Jones talked about the moment when he took a 90,000-word historical novel, and cut 60,000 words in one go. Was that hard? "No, it felt great." The result was his 2014 novel The Dig.
Jones talked about the moment when he took a 90,000-word historical novel, and cut 60,000 words in one go. Was that hard? "No, it felt great." The result was his 2014 novel The Dig.
Reposted by Paul Leyland
Just read this masterpiece. Wow. Not a book I thought would be my cup of tea and a book usually I would avoid but Backlisted podcast did an episode on it so thought I would check it out. And. Wow. Highly recommend it @backlisted.bsky.social
October 28, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Just read this masterpiece. Wow. Not a book I thought would be my cup of tea and a book usually I would avoid but Backlisted podcast did an episode on it so thought I would check it out. And. Wow. Highly recommend it @backlisted.bsky.social
Reposted by Paul Leyland
Take Swifts. Their numbers have plummeted by 68% in just 28 years.
We're proud to stand with @hannahbournetaylor.bsky.social in calling for Swift bricks. Nesting spaces built into new homes would give these remarkable birds a future.
Amendment 245: simple fix, huge impact. Surely a no-brainer?
We're proud to stand with @hannahbournetaylor.bsky.social in calling for Swift bricks. Nesting spaces built into new homes would give these remarkable birds a future.
Amendment 245: simple fix, huge impact. Surely a no-brainer?
October 27, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Take Swifts. Their numbers have plummeted by 68% in just 28 years.
We're proud to stand with @hannahbournetaylor.bsky.social in calling for Swift bricks. Nesting spaces built into new homes would give these remarkable birds a future.
Amendment 245: simple fix, huge impact. Surely a no-brainer?
We're proud to stand with @hannahbournetaylor.bsky.social in calling for Swift bricks. Nesting spaces built into new homes would give these remarkable birds a future.
Amendment 245: simple fix, huge impact. Surely a no-brainer?
Reposted by Paul Leyland
New on the blog today for the #1925Club, I've written about GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES by Anita Loos.
A wonderfully witty satire featuring Lorelei, the ultimate girl about town. It's smart, engaging and a whole lot of fun! #BookSky 💙📚 #FilmSky
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/10/26/g...
A wonderfully witty satire featuring Lorelei, the ultimate girl about town. It's smart, engaging and a whole lot of fun! #BookSky 💙📚 #FilmSky
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/10/26/g...
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos – a post for the #1925Club
As some of you will already know, Karen and Simon are hosting another of their hugely popular ‘Club’ events this week. In fact, it’s ten years since they started this venture, so congratulations to…
jacquiwine.wordpress.com
October 26, 2025 at 7:12 AM
New on the blog today for the #1925Club, I've written about GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES by Anita Loos.
A wonderfully witty satire featuring Lorelei, the ultimate girl about town. It's smart, engaging and a whole lot of fun! #BookSky 💙📚 #FilmSky
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/10/26/g...
A wonderfully witty satire featuring Lorelei, the ultimate girl about town. It's smart, engaging and a whole lot of fun! #BookSky 💙📚 #FilmSky
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/10/26/g...
Reposted by Paul Leyland
This might also explain the slow and steady decline of common insects. I am sure they cannot avoid these pesticides either and low levels could disrupt behaviour or reduce survival rates www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘I was contaminated’: study reveals how hard it is to avoid pesticide exposure
Silicone wristbands worn by volunteers in the Netherlands captured 173 substances in one week
www.theguardian.com
October 24, 2025 at 6:15 PM
This might also explain the slow and steady decline of common insects. I am sure they cannot avoid these pesticides either and low levels could disrupt behaviour or reduce survival rates www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Paul Leyland
My new blog post on Sally Carson's superb, prescient novel, CROOKED CROSS. Another excellent title from Persephone.
readersretreat2017.wordpress.com/2025/10/23/c...
readersretreat2017.wordpress.com/2025/10/23/c...
Crooked Cross – Sally Carson
I’ve read such wonderful books from Persephone this year such as Diana Tutton’s Guard Your Daughters, Elizabeth Jenkins’ Harriet, and Frances Towers’ Tea with Mr Rochester, and now I’ll happily add…
readersretreat2017.wordpress.com
October 23, 2025 at 7:01 PM
My new blog post on Sally Carson's superb, prescient novel, CROOKED CROSS. Another excellent title from Persephone.
readersretreat2017.wordpress.com/2025/10/23/c...
readersretreat2017.wordpress.com/2025/10/23/c...
Reposted by Paul Leyland
Today, @kaggsy59.bsky.social and I are celebrating a decade of Club Reading Weeks (and we'd love you to, too!)
Here are my favourite 12 books from those ten years...
www.stuckinabook.com/unnecessary-...
Here are my favourite 12 books from those ten years...
www.stuckinabook.com/unnecessary-...
Unnecessary Rankings! 10 years of Club Reading Weeks
I took a look at all the books I’ve read for the club years since 2015, and it is *drum roll* exactly one hundred! Isn’t that extraordinarily pleasing? Who’d have thought it would…
www.stuckinabook.com
October 23, 2025 at 9:13 AM
Today, @kaggsy59.bsky.social and I are celebrating a decade of Club Reading Weeks (and we'd love you to, too!)
Here are my favourite 12 books from those ten years...
www.stuckinabook.com/unnecessary-...
Here are my favourite 12 books from those ten years...
www.stuckinabook.com/unnecessary-...
Reposted by Paul Leyland
Out today: BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES 2025, edited by... me! So so many great stories in here. I can't wait for you to discover them and their talented writers.
October 21, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Out today: BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES 2025, edited by... me! So so many great stories in here. I can't wait for you to discover them and their talented writers.
Reposted by Paul Leyland
Finished Sally Carson's CROOKED CROSS. A wonderful, sad novel that will definitely find a place on my Best of the Year list. Another winner from Persephone.
October 21, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Finished Sally Carson's CROOKED CROSS. A wonderful, sad novel that will definitely find a place on my Best of the Year list. Another winner from Persephone.
Reposted by Paul Leyland
Salmon farming is just wrong...
theconversation.com/almost-75-00...
theconversation.com/almost-75-00...
Almost 75,000 farmed salmon in Scotland escaped into the wild after Storm Amy – why this may cause lasting damage
Scientists warn escaped farmed salmon could interbreed with wild fish, further endangering Scotland’s fragile populations.
theconversation.com
October 20, 2025 at 7:18 AM
Salmon farming is just wrong...
theconversation.com/almost-75-00...
theconversation.com/almost-75-00...
Reposted by Paul Leyland
So pleased to see that Daniel Day Lewis has been singing the praises of Kent Haruf, and especially Plainsong and Eventide – two of the greatest novels ever written.
Seriously, if you have yet to read them, I think they are essential.
Seriously, if you have yet to read them, I think they are essential.
Daniel Day-Lewis Talks Method Acting, Takes Surprise Question From Paul Thomas Anderson & Says He Wouldn’t Be Able To Make ‘My Left Foot’ In 2025 During LFF Q&A
LFF runs until Oct 19.
deadline.com
October 18, 2025 at 6:44 PM
So pleased to see that Daniel Day Lewis has been singing the praises of Kent Haruf, and especially Plainsong and Eventide – two of the greatest novels ever written.
Seriously, if you have yet to read them, I think they are essential.
Seriously, if you have yet to read them, I think they are essential.
Reposted by Paul Leyland
Let's hear it for ivy! The last flower of the year is one of the best for pollinators, vital for a last feed for butterflies such as the red admiral. Learn a little more...
youtu.be/-W6aa6nUVPA
youtu.be/-W6aa6nUVPA
Best Plants for Bees: Ivy!
YouTube video by Dave Goulson
youtu.be
October 14, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Let's hear it for ivy! The last flower of the year is one of the best for pollinators, vital for a last feed for butterflies such as the red admiral. Learn a little more...
youtu.be/-W6aa6nUVPA
youtu.be/-W6aa6nUVPA
Reposted by Paul Leyland
Me, in The Guardian, wanging on about migration. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Country diary: Eyes to the skies for autumn’s mass migration | Lev Parikian
Hampstead, London: Spring has the dawn chorus, autumn has ‘vismig’, the changing of the guard of millions of birds – an early start for me, then, to try and glimpse this remarkable phenomenon
www.theguardian.com
October 15, 2025 at 7:08 AM
Me, in The Guardian, wanging on about migration. www.theguardian.com/environment/...