This and That

At my last house I'd only heard foxes. Now I came face to face with them on my walks along the riverbank at dusk. Back in Norwich, the only thing in the chimney was a load of old soot and, on his more troubled days, Ralph. At the top of the one here there was a nest of jackdaws, whose emo chirps echoed down and gave the living room the atmosphere of a small abandoned vampire church.

From Close Encounters of the Furred Kind, Tom Cox, page 101
Ralph is a cat. :D

I liked this book a lot. The author is a British guy who used to write for the Guardian and now concentrates on publishing and his website. He writes about living in the country, his parents, his neighbors, his cats, and nature, with a deft, light (but definitely unsentimental) touch. Two thumbs up, recommended.

I also liked Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing, which was a parallel story of two family histories, beginning in the 18th century -- one in America, one in Ghana, and their secret connection. Although okay, it's not such a secret since it gets revealed in the first couple of chapters, but whatever. This is Gyasi's first book, and for a debut novel it is just amazing. I did think it fizzled a bit at the end, but I would still recommend it without reservations.

And I watched the beginning and end (missed some of the middle) of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and ... um. Wow. I was not expecting that much ... blood. OR THE FLAMES. Also, somehow I had never realized that two of my favorite Sondheim songs, "Pretty Women" and "Not While I'm Around," are from this musical. So, anyway, I was surprised. On multiple levels. :D