Claire
@thechesilbeach.bsky.social
Love visiting Chesil Beach and reading books. In fact, I’ve probably got my head in a book while you’re reading this.
⬆️And yes, this is my Backlisted bookshelf. ⬆️
⬆️And yes, this is my Backlisted bookshelf. ⬆️
Just listened to the first episode. What a lovely thing it is. Will definitely be adding to my comfort listening podcasts.
I started a podcast. It’s called Six Things. Each month, a guest brings six things and we talk about them. It’s as simple as that. Massage your ears with the first episode, featuring @joannawyld.bsky.social’s fine selection. Available on your favoured ear-massaging platform.
pod.link/1873642106/e...
pod.link/1873642106/e...
February 11, 2026 at 1:11 PM
Just listened to the first episode. What a lovely thing it is. Will definitely be adding to my comfort listening podcasts.
Had a niggling pain in my hip all day while sat at my desk. Finished work and went for a short walk and pain is gone. Roll on retirement.
February 4, 2026 at 5:04 PM
Had a niggling pain in my hip all day while sat at my desk. Finished work and went for a short walk and pain is gone. Roll on retirement.
This was bloody lovely and the translation was excellent
February 2, 2026 at 6:12 PM
This was bloody lovely and the translation was excellent
What I read in January …
February 1, 2026 at 10:43 AM
What I read in January …
I’m so upset to hear Catherine O’Hara has died. I defy anyone to find a better piece of physical comedy than the ankle injury walk in Best in Show, and Moira in Schitt’s Creek is a genius interpretation of character. Genius
January 30, 2026 at 6:56 PM
I’m so upset to hear Catherine O’Hara has died. I defy anyone to find a better piece of physical comedy than the ankle injury walk in Best in Show, and Moira in Schitt’s Creek is a genius interpretation of character. Genius
January 30, 2026 at 1:10 PM
I think I may have been (at least temporarily) beaten by a @backlisted.bsky.social book. It’s genuinely so chilling and worrying that I can’t face picking it up.
Remember that episode of Friends where Joey puts books that are scaring him in the freezer?
January 27, 2026 at 4:28 PM
I think I may have been (at least temporarily) beaten by a @backlisted.bsky.social book. It’s genuinely so chilling and worrying that I can’t face picking it up.
Remember that episode of Friends where Joey puts books that are scaring him in the freezer?
January 26, 2026 at 5:42 PM
Remember that episode of Friends where Joey puts books that are scaring him in the freezer?
The Crystal Vase by Astrid Goldsmith is a graphic memoir. It’s funny, informative and very moving, and I read it in two sittings (and that was only because I needed to stop to make tea and breakfast!). The style of the artwork is simple but beautifully done, and I loved reading it.
January 25, 2026 at 7:51 PM
The Crystal Vase by Astrid Goldsmith is a graphic memoir. It’s funny, informative and very moving, and I read it in two sittings (and that was only because I needed to stop to make tea and breakfast!). The style of the artwork is simple but beautifully done, and I loved reading it.
Half way through and it’s terrifying.
Saturday morning reading. Reading a @backlisted.bsky.social book from the 1970s that seems chillingly prescient
January 25, 2026 at 4:37 PM
Half way through and it’s terrifying.
Till We Have Faces is a retelling of the Cupid and Psyche story by C. S. Lewis. As someone who has never been taught any Classics, I’ve enjoyed contemporary books telling these stories, and wondered if this might be a little old fashioned, but my misgivings were unfounded. I enjoyed it an awful lot.
January 25, 2026 at 11:12 AM
Till We Have Faces is a retelling of the Cupid and Psyche story by C. S. Lewis. As someone who has never been taught any Classics, I’ve enjoyed contemporary books telling these stories, and wondered if this might be a little old fashioned, but my misgivings were unfounded. I enjoyed it an awful lot.
Saturday morning reading. Reading a @backlisted.bsky.social book from the 1970s that seems chillingly prescient
January 24, 2026 at 9:01 AM
Saturday morning reading. Reading a @backlisted.bsky.social book from the 1970s that seems chillingly prescient
Just back from watching Rental Family. Loveliest film I’ve seen in the cinema in a while. I love a small story, and this was it. Looks beautiful, the score was subtle but effective, and I thought the performances were believable. I really enjoyed it.
January 21, 2026 at 2:51 PM
Just back from watching Rental Family. Loveliest film I’ve seen in the cinema in a while. I love a small story, and this was it. Looks beautiful, the score was subtle but effective, and I thought the performances were believable. I really enjoyed it.
What I’m reading next
January 19, 2026 at 3:11 PM
What I’m reading next
Decided to read some more @backlisted.bsky.social books this week, and started with Smile Please by Jean Rhys, An Unfinished Autobiography. I adored reading this book. The majority of it covers her childhood in the West Indies, and then her move to London as a teenager.
January 19, 2026 at 3:08 PM
Decided to read some more @backlisted.bsky.social books this week, and started with Smile Please by Jean Rhys, An Unfinished Autobiography. I adored reading this book. The majority of it covers her childhood in the West Indies, and then her move to London as a teenager.
Sunday morning coffee and a Backlisted book
January 18, 2026 at 9:35 AM
Sunday morning coffee and a Backlisted book
Just finished the latest Locklisted bumper episode, excellent listening as always and I can confirm it generated significant progress on my latest project. Thank you, @backlisted.bsky.social 😂
January 17, 2026 at 4:38 PM
Just finished the latest Locklisted bumper episode, excellent listening as always and I can confirm it generated significant progress on my latest project. Thank you, @backlisted.bsky.social 😂
Today’s book purchases. A graphic memoir, a bookshop short fiction book club choice and the latest @backlisted.bsky.social book.
January 17, 2026 at 11:43 AM
Today’s book purchases. A graphic memoir, a bookshop short fiction book club choice and the latest @backlisted.bsky.social book.
I’m fast becoming a @nellstevens.bsky.social fangirl. I read Mrs Gaskell and Me this weekend, and it was both imaginative and informative, gave me an insight into an author in a way I haven’t encountered before, and best of all, made me want to go and read more Elizabeth Gaskell.
January 13, 2026 at 3:38 PM
I’m fast becoming a @nellstevens.bsky.social fangirl. I read Mrs Gaskell and Me this weekend, and it was both imaginative and informative, gave me an insight into an author in a way I haven’t encountered before, and best of all, made me want to go and read more Elizabeth Gaskell.
I think it was Lucy Scholes who first posted about Rhine Journey by Ann Schlee on her Instagram feed, and then not too long after that it was included in the @backlisted.bsky.social Summer Reading podcast. As often happens, it’s months later before I pick it up. But it was worth the wait.
January 11, 2026 at 12:11 PM
I think it was Lucy Scholes who first posted about Rhine Journey by Ann Schlee on her Instagram feed, and then not too long after that it was included in the @backlisted.bsky.social Summer Reading podcast. As often happens, it’s months later before I pick it up. But it was worth the wait.
I finished the final book in Rachel Cusk’s Outline trilogy, Kudos, this week. I tried reading Outline close to when it was first published, but I didn’t like it, and gave up after about 50 pages. When @backlisted.bsky.social, I knew I’d have to try again.
January 10, 2026 at 11:23 AM
I finished the final book in Rachel Cusk’s Outline trilogy, Kudos, this week. I tried reading Outline close to when it was first published, but I didn’t like it, and gave up after about 50 pages. When @backlisted.bsky.social, I knew I’d have to try again.
I finally found myself in the right place to read Gliff by Ali Smith. My god, she can write. I absolutely adore reading her books and seeing how they manipulate language and form, and are perfect reflections of the times we live in. Another incredible book.
January 9, 2026 at 5:44 PM
I finally found myself in the right place to read Gliff by Ali Smith. My god, she can write. I absolutely adore reading her books and seeing how they manipulate language and form, and are perfect reflections of the times we live in. Another incredible book.
Book 2 was Cheese by Willem Elsschot translated by Sander Berg. Originally published in the 1930s, and republished with a new translation, this is the story of an ordinary clerk who ends up attempting to become the main distributor of Dutch Edam cheese in Antwerp.
January 9, 2026 at 5:39 PM
Book 2 was Cheese by Willem Elsschot translated by Sander Berg. Originally published in the 1930s, and republished with a new translation, this is the story of an ordinary clerk who ends up attempting to become the main distributor of Dutch Edam cheese in Antwerp.
Thought I’d better do a bit of a catch up with the books I’ve read so far in January. The first one was Lucy Carmichael by Margaret Kennedy. I was introduced to by @backlisted.bsky.social and enjoyed The Constant Nymph, then loved The Feast, but I’d never even heard of Lucy Carmichael.
January 9, 2026 at 5:35 PM
Thought I’d better do a bit of a catch up with the books I’ve read so far in January. The first one was Lucy Carmichael by Margaret Kennedy. I was introduced to by @backlisted.bsky.social and enjoyed The Constant Nymph, then loved The Feast, but I’d never even heard of Lucy Carmichael.