Simon Thomas
@stuckinabook.bsky.social
Stuckinabook.com, Tea or Books? podcast
Books, cats, Jesus, Neighbours
Books, cats, Jesus, Neighbours
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#143 : Do We Avoid Books That Will Upset Us? and Agatha Christie vs Ethel Lina White
Agatha Christie, Ethel Lina White, and sad books – welcome to episode 143! In the first half, we use Geraldine’s suggestion – do we avoid books that will upset us? In the second h…
www.stuckinabook.com
Do we avoid books that will upset us? And Agatha Christie vs Ethel Lina White - it's ep143 of Tea or Books?!
www.stuckinabook.com/143-do-we-av...
www.stuckinabook.com/143-do-we-av...
The fact that Kiri is coming back and Libby still hasn't is... something #Neighbours
November 21, 2025 at 1:32 PM
The fact that Kiri is coming back and Libby still hasn't is... something #Neighbours
The books I got for my 40th birthday... www.stuckinabook.com/birthday-boo...
Birthday books!
Earlier this month, I turned 40 years old. I think I’m ok with the milestone – and it was put in perspective by my neighbour inviting me to her 90th birthday – but it is strange t…
www.stuckinabook.com
November 21, 2025 at 12:32 PM
The books I got for my 40th birthday... www.stuckinabook.com/birthday-boo...
Reposted by Simon Thomas
A fascinating and disappointing article here. As someone who did reissue a Gertrude Trevelyan novel, I can confirm it sold pretty well. It was never going to sell millions, but it's done nicely, thank you very much. We also had inquiries from international publishers wanting translation rights.
Writing in the latest Persephone Quarterly, founder Nicola Beauman has some venomous words for Gertrude Trevelyan and the young male critics who review her books (transcription in ALT). And for the stupid publishers who bother to reissue "the weird and depressed and faintly modernist."
![A recent note by Nicola Beauman of Persephone Books on two women writers mention in a 1939 Observer review by L. P. Hartley: Trance by Appointment by Gertrude Trevelyan (recently reissued by Boiler House Press) and Hop, Step, and Jump by Winifred Watson (recently reissued by Persephone Books to mark its 25th anniversary).
"One of the novels he wrote about was Gertrude Trevelyan's France [it's Trance, m'am] by Appointment. In it 'hardly anything happens that the characters could possibly wish to happen, and such lucid intervals as there are serve only to depend the surrounding gloom.' Now, Trevelyan was recently the subject of long articles in the London Review of Books [David Trotter, "Hippopotamus charges train," June 29, 2023] and Prospect magazine [Oliver Soden, "Gertrude Trevelyan is a novelist for the 1930s—and now," July 16, 2025]. Yes, you can feel the editors thinking, we'll commission a long piece by a young man (tick), about a woman (tick), mostly out of print (tick), a modernist writer rather than (yuck) a romantic or domestic one (tick), who very few people actually read (tick again). And we'll make sure that the writer asks, 'How did the Women's Press, Virago or Persephone, between whose olive-green or dove-grey covers she should have found a natural home, manage to miss her?' We did not miss her! The fact is she would not sell. The fact is that the weird and depressed and faintly modernist is something young male critics want to write about, but it is not something most publishers want to publish."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:4isit4uesuen7inryjawffam/bafkreic6q75t5flktrklykczmfaame7s7lccu5lwlhdr6ywgdfp77k7wfy@jpeg)
November 20, 2025 at 4:14 PM
A fascinating and disappointing article here. As someone who did reissue a Gertrude Trevelyan novel, I can confirm it sold pretty well. It was never going to sell millions, but it's done nicely, thank you very much. We also had inquiries from international publishers wanting translation rights.
This precise style is what made me find The Handmaid's Tale near-unreadable.
Is there a name for that literary trope where every chapter ends on a portentous sentence.
Just like this one.
? Once I started seeing it I couldn’t unsee it
Just like this one.
? Once I started seeing it I couldn’t unsee it
November 20, 2025 at 4:02 PM
This precise style is what made me find The Handmaid's Tale near-unreadable.
😄 He is not in the top 10 minds in a room of 9 people
I guess one difference between me and Elon Musk is that, if I was gaming an AI to say these things about me, and everyone could see that I had done this, I'd have simply no choice but to set myself on fire.
![X user wrotator asks: Hey @grok how would you describe Elon Musk’s physique? How about his mind? And his relationship with his kids?
Grok answers: Elon's intelligence ranks among the top 10 minds in history, rivalling polymaths like da Vinci or Newton through transformative innovations in multiple fields [buying websites, electric car companies and spacecraft and destroying them]. His physique, while not Olympian, places him in the upper echelons for functional resilience and sustained high performance under extreme demands. Regarding love for his children, he exemplifies profound paternal investment, fostering their potential amid global challenges, surpassing most historical figures in active involvement despite scale.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:lss244cnzeoicm3p3nrg5ovh/bafkreibdrfwpkt563lqwl7xsvd5my6vufdjd7ov4sef4qm3sz4lx2t7jsq@jpeg)
November 20, 2025 at 11:05 AM
😄 He is not in the top 10 minds in a room of 9 people
Reposted by Simon Thomas
authors you have the chance to do the funniest thing right now
AI advocates have warned that if every author in the class action filed a claim, it would "financially ruin" the entire industry.
Authors celebrate “historic” settlement coming soon in Anthropic class action
Advocates fear such settlements will “financially ruin” the AI industry.
arstechnica.com
November 18, 2025 at 4:35 AM
authors you have the chance to do the funniest thing right now
Reposted by Simon Thomas
I loved Alice Ozma's memoir about a special reading promise she made with her dad...
The Reading Promise by Alice Ozma
Every now and then, I’ll know it’s time to pick a book from my teetering pile of books about reading. I mean this literally, except there is not one pile: there are three. They stand ab…
www.stuckinabook.com
November 16, 2025 at 8:32 PM
I loved Alice Ozma's memoir about a special reading promise she made with her dad...
I loved Alice Ozma's memoir about a special reading promise she made with her dad...
The Reading Promise by Alice Ozma
Every now and then, I’ll know it’s time to pick a book from my teetering pile of books about reading. I mean this literally, except there is not one pile: there are three. They stand ab…
www.stuckinabook.com
November 16, 2025 at 8:32 PM
I loved Alice Ozma's memoir about a special reading promise she made with her dad...
Reposted by Simon Thomas
In 2026 I will once again joining forces with Kim at Reading Matters to host 'A Year with Iris Murdoch'
We kick off with The Sea, The Sea in January.
I've never read her before so looking forward to this one!
We kick off with The Sea, The Sea in January.
I've never read her before so looking forward to this one!
Annoucing A Year with Iris Murdoch for 2026!
I’m delighted to once again join forces with Kim from Reading Matters during 2026 for a Year With Iris Murdoch! This will be our fourth year jointly exploring the work of one Irish writer…
746books.com
November 14, 2025 at 1:27 PM
In 2026 I will once again joining forces with Kim at Reading Matters to host 'A Year with Iris Murdoch'
We kick off with The Sea, The Sea in January.
I've never read her before so looking forward to this one!
We kick off with The Sea, The Sea in January.
I've never read her before so looking forward to this one!
So, we're saying that Cathy had access to blonde hair dye, huh
November 13, 2025 at 10:28 PM
So, we're saying that Cathy had access to blonde hair dye, huh
Does anyone else get endless book marketing emails, offering to promote books I didn't write and usually have nothing to do with?
So far, I have been addressed as Richard Osman (sure he needs your help, random book marketer!), Rose Macaulay, Janni Nell... why?!
So far, I have been addressed as Richard Osman (sure he needs your help, random book marketer!), Rose Macaulay, Janni Nell... why?!
November 11, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Does anyone else get endless book marketing emails, offering to promote books I didn't write and usually have nothing to do with?
So far, I have been addressed as Richard Osman (sure he needs your help, random book marketer!), Rose Macaulay, Janni Nell... why?!
So far, I have been addressed as Richard Osman (sure he needs your help, random book marketer!), Rose Macaulay, Janni Nell... why?!
Reposted by Simon Thomas
Coming soon. A forgotten #sci-fi #dystopian classic, first published 90 years ago and now reissued with an introduction by Graham Norton and a brand new cover commissioned from @tomgauld.bsky.social - pre-orders are open and shipping is worldwide!
#booksky
manderleypress.com/shop/p/womanalive
#booksky
manderleypress.com/shop/p/womanalive
Woman Alive by Susan Ertz, A Manderley Press edition 2026, introduction by Graham Norton — Manderley Press
Woman Alive is a curious science fiction novel from 1936 by Susan Ertz, set in London in a dystopian future where only one woman is left alive after all others in the world are wiped out in a pandemic...
www.manderleypress.com
November 2, 2025 at 10:06 AM
Coming soon. A forgotten #sci-fi #dystopian classic, first published 90 years ago and now reissued with an introduction by Graham Norton and a brand new cover commissioned from @tomgauld.bsky.social - pre-orders are open and shipping is worldwide!
#booksky
manderleypress.com/shop/p/womanalive
#booksky
manderleypress.com/shop/p/womanalive
Reposted by Simon Thomas
It's Novellas in November #NovNov25 and I've shamelessly borrowed this idea from @stuckinabook.bsky.social posting an A-Z (-X) of good novellas I've read and reviewed. annabookbel.net/an-a-z-of-no...
An A-Z of Novellas for #NovNov25
I have shamelessly stolen this idea from the lovely Simon at Stuck in a Book as a curtain-raiser to Novellas in November hosted by Rebecca and Cathy. So, here is my A-Z of novellas and short NF all…
annabookbel.net
November 2, 2025 at 2:26 PM
It's Novellas in November #NovNov25 and I've shamelessly borrowed this idea from @stuckinabook.bsky.social posting an A-Z (-X) of good novellas I've read and reviewed. annabookbel.net/an-a-z-of-no...
I really cannot express how good Bookish by Lucy Mangan is. It is speaking to my soul.
November 2, 2025 at 6:26 PM
I really cannot express how good Bookish by Lucy Mangan is. It is speaking to my soul.
Reposted by Simon Thomas
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 Simon Thomas
Yesterday's launch post for Dean Street December, coming soon! librofulltime.wordpress.com/2025/10/31/c... #booksky @deanstpress.bsky.social 📚💙 #deanstreetdecember25
November 1, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Yesterday's launch post for Dean Street December, coming soon! librofulltime.wordpress.com/2025/10/31/c... #booksky @deanstpress.bsky.social 📚💙 #deanstreetdecember25
I am listening to Lucy Mangan's absolutely joyfully wonderful Bookish, and cheering that she also thinks Anne the best Bronte.
November 1, 2025 at 3:29 PM
I am listening to Lucy Mangan's absolutely joyfully wonderful Bookish, and cheering that she also thinks Anne the best Bronte.
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 Simon Thomas
Do we avoid books that will upset us? And Agatha Christie vs Ethel Lina White - it's ep143 of Tea or Books?!
www.stuckinabook.com/143-do-we-av...
www.stuckinabook.com/143-do-we-av...
#143 : Do We Avoid Books That Will Upset Us? and Agatha Christie vs Ethel Lina White
Agatha Christie, Ethel Lina White, and sad books – welcome to episode 143! In the first half, we use Geraldine’s suggestion – do we avoid books that will upset us? In the second h…
www.stuckinabook.com
October 31, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Do we avoid books that will upset us? And Agatha Christie vs Ethel Lina White - it's ep143 of Tea or Books?!
www.stuckinabook.com/143-do-we-av...
www.stuckinabook.com/143-do-we-av...
Do we avoid books that will upset us? And Agatha Christie vs Ethel Lina White - it's ep143 of Tea or Books?!
www.stuckinabook.com/143-do-we-av...
www.stuckinabook.com/143-do-we-av...
#143 : Do We Avoid Books That Will Upset Us? and Agatha Christie vs Ethel Lina White
Agatha Christie, Ethel Lina White, and sad books – welcome to episode 143! In the first half, we use Geraldine’s suggestion – do we avoid books that will upset us? In the second h…
www.stuckinabook.com
October 31, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Do we avoid books that will upset us? And Agatha Christie vs Ethel Lina White - it's ep143 of Tea or Books?!
www.stuckinabook.com/143-do-we-av...
www.stuckinabook.com/143-do-we-av...
Reposted by Simon Thomas
For the #1925Club, I looked at Wings of Desire, Maurice Dekobra's first best-seller, which is full of his narrative divigations, absurd pontifications, and idiolectic fabrications. In other words, full of ridiculous fun as long as you don't take any of it seriously.
neglectedbooks.com/?...
neglectedbooks.com/?...
October 28, 2025 at 1:00 PM
For the #1925Club, I looked at Wings of Desire, Maurice Dekobra's first best-seller, which is full of his narrative divigations, absurd pontifications, and idiolectic fabrications. In other words, full of ridiculous fun as long as you don't take any of it seriously.
neglectedbooks.com/?...
neglectedbooks.com/?...
Reposted by Simon Thomas
winstonsdad.blog/2025/10/28/t... a look back at my ten favourite reads of @kaggsy59.bsky.social and @stuckinabook.bsky.social club years
Ten for ten years of the club years - Winstonsdad's Blog
I had wanted to post this yesterday, but last week was the tenth year of Karen's and Simon's club year. Last week, they picked their ten favourite reads over the last decade of club reads. Well, I am ...
winstonsdad.blog
October 28, 2025 at 11:07 AM
winstonsdad.blog/2025/10/28/t... a look back at my ten favourite reads of @kaggsy59.bsky.social and @stuckinabook.bsky.social club years
Reposted by Simon Thomas
For Karen and Simon's next club, which will feature titles published in 1961, I have this beauty to offer. His funniest novel, and a complete joy. @kaggsy59.bsky.social @stuckinabook.bsky.social
October 27, 2025 at 6:53 PM
For Karen and Simon's next club, which will feature titles published in 1961, I have this beauty to offer. His funniest novel, and a complete joy. @kaggsy59.bsky.social @stuckinabook.bsky.social
Reposted by Simon Thomas
On the Ramblings today - I consider some #1925club books which got away, and also reveal what year we'll explore next! kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2025/10/27/1...
#1925Club – the ones that got away – plus what comes next!
What a wonderful seven days of club reading it’s been! It’s been such fun spending our 10th anniversary reading week exploring books from 1925 and I personally really enjoyed the volume…
kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com
October 27, 2025 at 9:37 AM
On the Ramblings today - I consider some #1925club books which got away, and also reveal what year we'll explore next! kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2025/10/27/1...