Hidden

You will have to look closely to find the subject of this blip. It is (I think) a Blue Band-Winged Grasshopper (Oedipoda caerulescens) and there are lots of them around in our ‘garden’. You just don’t notice them until they move – well you wouldn’t would you with camouflage that good. (I realise now that my camera settings were wrong and I might have gone out to try again - but it was too hot!)

I hesitate to complain about the weather when I know the UK is suffering from high winds, rain and cold, but it is far too hot here. We have never known such high temperatures, day after day, at this time of year and it is very wearing. So, we do nothing, except sit in the shade/cool and read.


*******************
Therefore, a few thoughts about the Booker Shortlist, announced yesterday

There isn’t a lot I can say really, as I have only read two of the list at the moment. But here goes.

I was pleased to find the two books I most enjoyed reading on the list – Milkman by Anna Burns and Everything Under by Daisy Johnson. I hesitate to recommend either, as they are both rather strange, but I loved both of them. I may say more of them later.

Two books were almost certain to be there, so much so that I brought them with me to read. The Overstory by Richard Powers is a weighty American tome, which I am currently reading and enjoying very much. All I can say is that it is about trees! The Long Take is one that many people really like and I will read next. 
   
Then there are The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner and Washington Black by Esi Edugyan. I can’t say anything about these two, as I have not read them. Their inclusion in the shortlist was a bit of surprise to most people, so much so that I left these two at home. Neither really inspires me, but I may read them when I get home. After all, one of the main reasons for following the Booker is that it encourages me to read books that I wouldn’t have normally picked up and so many times has this led to a joyful discovery.