Marcus Hobson
@marcushobson.bsky.social
Writer and book lover.
Poet, reviewer and story writer.
Obsessed by history, myth and good art.
Lives in New Zealand and occasionally Sweden.
Poet, reviewer and story writer.
Obsessed by history, myth and good art.
Lives in New Zealand and occasionally Sweden.
Book no66 in 2025. The Wax Child by Olga Raven. Third great book I’ve read by this Danish author. Witchcraft isn’t usually my thing but this works brilliantly. Narrated by a wax doll, the short sections are interspersed with folklore and potions, like stones from the stomachs of swallows. #booksky
December 27, 2025 at 6:54 AM
Book no66 in 2025. The Wax Child by Olga Raven. Third great book I’ve read by this Danish author. Witchcraft isn’t usually my thing but this works brilliantly. Narrated by a wax doll, the short sections are interspersed with folklore and potions, like stones from the stomachs of swallows. #booksky
Book no65 in 2025. The Lowlife by Alexander Baron. From 1963 this tells the story of Harryboy Boas, an East End London gambler. He bets everything on greyhounds and passes the rest of his time reading Zola. Another brilliant Faber Edition - lost or forgotten books from last century. #booksky
December 27, 2025 at 6:40 AM
Book no65 in 2025. The Lowlife by Alexander Baron. From 1963 this tells the story of Harryboy Boas, an East End London gambler. He bets everything on greyhounds and passes the rest of his time reading Zola. Another brilliant Faber Edition - lost or forgotten books from last century. #booksky
Book no62 in 2025. The Ha-Ha by Jennifer Dawson. First published in 1961 this is about a young woman living in a mental institution. Like the main character, the author had studied at Oxford before spending months in hospital. She went on to become a mental health professional. Very real. #booksky
December 27, 2025 at 6:33 AM
Book no62 in 2025. The Ha-Ha by Jennifer Dawson. First published in 1961 this is about a young woman living in a mental institution. Like the main character, the author had studied at Oxford before spending months in hospital. She went on to become a mental health professional. Very real. #booksky
Book no59 in 2025. Outliers by Michael Jackson. Unless you live in New Zealand this will be hard to find - published by local Ugly Hill Press, it is a brilliant set of short stories, mostly with a first person narrator. Family, friendship, relationships all come under the spotlight. #booksky
December 27, 2025 at 5:20 AM
Book no59 in 2025. Outliers by Michael Jackson. Unless you live in New Zealand this will be hard to find - published by local Ugly Hill Press, it is a brilliant set of short stories, mostly with a first person narrator. Family, friendship, relationships all come under the spotlight. #booksky
Book no58 in 2025, How To Paint a Nude by Sam Mahon. A series of fictional conversations between a fictionalised version of the author and a Belarusian refugee who has come to New Zealand to find freedom of expression. Brilliantly written, moving, witty and sad. Some of the best writing of the year.
December 27, 2025 at 5:03 AM
Book no58 in 2025, How To Paint a Nude by Sam Mahon. A series of fictional conversations between a fictionalised version of the author and a Belarusian refugee who has come to New Zealand to find freedom of expression. Brilliantly written, moving, witty and sad. Some of the best writing of the year.
Book no56 in 2025, Seascraper by Benjamin Wood. Passed over for the Booker shortlist but simple, intimate and a little sad. A wonderful portrait of the North-east coast of the UK in the 1960s and a fishing trade on the edge of extinction. #booksky
December 27, 2025 at 4:55 AM
Book no56 in 2025, Seascraper by Benjamin Wood. Passed over for the Booker shortlist but simple, intimate and a little sad. A wonderful portrait of the North-east coast of the UK in the 1960s and a fishing trade on the edge of extinction. #booksky
Book no55 Helm by Sarah Hall. The Helm is the only wind in the UK that has a name and in Sarah Hall’s hands he becomes a character, a personality, a mischievous joker and a wild ride. Like seven shorter stories in a bigger book that travels through time. Brilliant.
December 27, 2025 at 4:48 AM
Book no55 Helm by Sarah Hall. The Helm is the only wind in the UK that has a name and in Sarah Hall’s hands he becomes a character, a personality, a mischievous joker and a wild ride. Like seven shorter stories in a bigger book that travels through time. Brilliant.
In 2026 I’m going to start saying a few words about the books I read - some recommendations for the bookloving folk of BlueSky.
But then I thought - I’ve read some great books in November and December, so why not start with some of those. Here goes…
But then I thought - I’ve read some great books in November and December, so why not start with some of those. Here goes…
December 27, 2025 at 4:39 AM
In 2026 I’m going to start saying a few words about the books I read - some recommendations for the bookloving folk of BlueSky.
But then I thought - I’ve read some great books in November and December, so why not start with some of those. Here goes…
But then I thought - I’ve read some great books in November and December, so why not start with some of those. Here goes…
An almost summer evening here in New Zealand. Roses are out, the acanthus and in the distance the elderflowers.
November 20, 2025 at 7:10 AM
An almost summer evening here in New Zealand. Roses are out, the acanthus and in the distance the elderflowers.
“How dare you give The Divine Comedy a one star rating on Goodreads. And what does “wtf” stand for?
November 9, 2025 at 10:56 PM
“How dare you give The Divine Comedy a one star rating on Goodreads. And what does “wtf” stand for?
I may not have any novels by the new Nobel Laureate, but I’ve just discovered I have this interview of his in the Paris Review in the Summer of 2018. He ends by saying he isn’t going to write any more novels - looks like that didn’t happen. Always a risky prediction for anyone who is a novelist.
October 13, 2025 at 7:27 AM
I may not have any novels by the new Nobel Laureate, but I’ve just discovered I have this interview of his in the Paris Review in the Summer of 2018. He ends by saying he isn’t going to write any more novels - looks like that didn’t happen. Always a risky prediction for anyone who is a novelist.
Simply stunning. There is a warmth to this picture which perhaps doesn’t quite fit with what looks like a late-autumn or winter night, but the light in the street is beautiful.
One critic, writing in 1911 (the date of this work) commented, George Clausen 'gives us out of very simple elements the most perfect nocturnes, these mark a new and definite advance in his power in taking complete hold of a subject and making it his own.'
October 12, 2025 at 8:42 PM
Simply stunning. There is a warmth to this picture which perhaps doesn’t quite fit with what looks like a late-autumn or winter night, but the light in the street is beautiful.
I had seen one or two of these before, but I had no idea that Lewis was born in Australia, or that he had worked with Edward Hopper.
If you're into the 1920s/30s and art depicting common people's lives and night scenes of New York, you'll love the art Martin Lewis (1881 – 1962) made.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_...
Here's a small selection of his work;
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_...
Here's a small selection of his work;
September 28, 2025 at 7:53 AM
I had seen one or two of these before, but I had no idea that Lewis was born in Australia, or that he had worked with Edward Hopper.
Well known over here in New Zealand. In fact, as the story from the back cover shows, she could be found by a letter simply addressed to ‘Maggie, New Zealand’.
September 26, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Well known over here in New Zealand. In fact, as the story from the back cover shows, she could be found by a letter simply addressed to ‘Maggie, New Zealand’.
September 25, 2025 at 6:53 AM
Max Porter’s ‘Shy’ is such a brilliant book. Add a fantastic actor and yes ‘dynamite’ sounds right. Can’t wait!
Steve, based on the novel Shy by Max Porter, is now in select cinemas. On Netflix 3 October.
'This film – and Murphy’s devastating performance – exist in a class of their own.' Observer
'This film – and Murphy’s devastating performance – exist in a class of their own.' Observer
September 22, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Max Porter’s ‘Shy’ is such a brilliant book. Add a fantastic actor and yes ‘dynamite’ sounds right. Can’t wait!
I love the little section in this article about Woolf’s book on Walter Sickert. I have an original copy of this from 1934. The cover design is by Vanessa Bell.
September 18, 2025 at 9:20 PM
I love the little section in this article about Woolf’s book on Walter Sickert. I have an original copy of this from 1934. The cover design is by Vanessa Bell.
Delighted to see Ali Smith’s “So the Spruce Forest” on this stack. Such a wonderful celebration of the paintings of Munch, and beautifully illustrated
September 15, 2025 at 9:12 PM
Delighted to see Ali Smith’s “So the Spruce Forest” on this stack. Such a wonderful celebration of the paintings of Munch, and beautifully illustrated
WRITERS!! Is this a thing now? Do we need a little sticker on the front of our work to say “Human Written”? FFS
September 13, 2025 at 12:48 AM
WRITERS!! Is this a thing now? Do we need a little sticker on the front of our work to say “Human Written”? FFS
Reposted by Marcus Hobson
'Oarsmen,' (1877) reveals both Gustave Caillebotte's artistic credentials and his love of rowing which he did regularly near his family's estate at Yerres. The sharp cropping of the picture plane reveals his interest in photography.
September 8, 2025 at 11:51 AM
'Oarsmen,' (1877) reveals both Gustave Caillebotte's artistic credentials and his love of rowing which he did regularly near his family's estate at Yerres. The sharp cropping of the picture plane reveals his interest in photography.
Reposted by Marcus Hobson
How does an artist hint at a private world of desires and emotions? Vermeer achieved this in his works by depicting the most private of all cultural acts: reading. Harold Harvey's 'A New Book,' (1920) depicts his wife Gertrude at
their home Maen Cottage, Newlyn in Cornwall.
their home Maen Cottage, Newlyn in Cornwall.
September 7, 2025 at 11:56 AM
How does an artist hint at a private world of desires and emotions? Vermeer achieved this in his works by depicting the most private of all cultural acts: reading. Harold Harvey's 'A New Book,' (1920) depicts his wife Gertrude at
their home Maen Cottage, Newlyn in Cornwall.
their home Maen Cottage, Newlyn in Cornwall.