I definitely agree that Appalachia was a character in Demon Copperhead, one of the best books I've read in a good while. Lovely introduction to your Substack, so glad I found you!
Thank you Lori - I'm glad you agree. It is honestly one of the best books I've read in ages too. There was so much I just wanted to stay in it forever. I want to read more of hers now too, but not sure which next. While on books I rave about - have you read Erasure by Percival Everett? Everyone I know is bored to death of me going on about it, but it's just so perfect! The book was made into the movie American Fiction. If not, definitely take a look. And thank you so much for your kind words!
Oh you’ve reminded me - I read a couple of Carl Hiaasen (cannot remember which now, I will check my bookshelves) and loved them. And yes to movies too - though my son & I were chatting the other day about getting annoyed with the continuity between switching locations - they never match in real life!
I'm constantly looking up "where did they film this?" even while watching a movie. Or, wait, I've seen this location/house....(look up locations again)
The locations at the start of the Bone Clocks by David Mitchell are embedded in my memory. I can see it in my mind's eye. Its set in Kent or Essex, never been there.
I haven’t read either of those - I was looking to read more Barbara Kingsolver. Haha - I hope the beagle won’t stick around for too long! Pesky beagle!!
I am going in absolute crisis over weight gain : a house cat and chihuahua in a just over half a year . Thyroid is not getting enough thyroxine , but bloods taken to investigate . I certainly haven’t stuffed my face on anything and am the only person to not lose weight on Keto . Well done on your weight loss journey .
If I made my memoir about places in Perama it would be the house and the name of the person you were going to see and it was either up or down . Nobody knew anyone’s formal address except the postman and most of the time he delivered my mail to where I was having coffee with my friend .
I do think it is a lovely idea to take people on a memory journey because of such lovely clear description of places .
I haven’t had my bloods checked in maybe 2 years now, but I’m still on same thyroxine dose. The weight loss has been making me feel much better generally, just want to get down to that goal weight, though it’s very much like the memoir project and am finally able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I love reading stuff with such intense descriptions of place - when done well, it’s so immersive.
Love your writing (and speaking!) about writing about place. It's like evocative on top of evocative! I hadn't thought of Shuggie when we were discussing this on LWS. But that is a great example. It's evocative in a very different way to L.A., or even how I write about Madrid and am prone to romanticising it. But it's still very much place as character, just one perhaps you would be less keen to sit down and chat with. And big thumbs up to the voiceover. I didn't really understand why people liked / found it so different to reading, but after having listened to you I get it and am a convert.
Huge congrats on that 50 inch TV! That's amazing! And a wee beagle or a staffy is nothing compared to that, you are on the final stretch now. Which, appropriately, I always get wrong in Spanish and say 'the final rectum'.
Thank you, as always, lovely love! I love listening to yours - it’s strange as there’s no way I’d listen to my own voice (I didn’t even give it one go through). I think I prefer the final rectum. Sung to “the final countdown”. 😘
I definitely agree that Appalachia was a character in Demon Copperhead, one of the best books I've read in a good while. Lovely introduction to your Substack, so glad I found you!
Thank you Lori - I'm glad you agree. It is honestly one of the best books I've read in ages too. There was so much I just wanted to stay in it forever. I want to read more of hers now too, but not sure which next. While on books I rave about - have you read Erasure by Percival Everett? Everyone I know is bored to death of me going on about it, but it's just so perfect! The book was made into the movie American Fiction. If not, definitely take a look. And thank you so much for your kind words!
A brilliant piece as always Kay 💖
Thank you, Louise! 🩵🩵
Carl Hiaasen - Miami, South Florida (cause I grew up and worked there)
Tim Winton - Australia, (for when I lived there)
Same with movies, I love when location is a character...like Italy in Ripley. I love location.
Oh you’ve reminded me - I read a couple of Carl Hiaasen (cannot remember which now, I will check my bookshelves) and loved them. And yes to movies too - though my son & I were chatting the other day about getting annoyed with the continuity between switching locations - they never match in real life!
I'm constantly looking up "where did they film this?" even while watching a movie. Or, wait, I've seen this location/house....(look up locations again)
The locations at the start of the Bone Clocks by David Mitchell are embedded in my memory. I can see it in my mind's eye. Its set in Kent or Essex, never been there.
Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver too.
Good luck loosing the beagle!
I haven’t read either of those - I was looking to read more Barbara Kingsolver. Haha - I hope the beagle won’t stick around for too long! Pesky beagle!!
I am going in absolute crisis over weight gain : a house cat and chihuahua in a just over half a year . Thyroid is not getting enough thyroxine , but bloods taken to investigate . I certainly haven’t stuffed my face on anything and am the only person to not lose weight on Keto . Well done on your weight loss journey .
If I made my memoir about places in Perama it would be the house and the name of the person you were going to see and it was either up or down . Nobody knew anyone’s formal address except the postman and most of the time he delivered my mail to where I was having coffee with my friend .
I do think it is a lovely idea to take people on a memory journey because of such lovely clear description of places .
I haven’t had my bloods checked in maybe 2 years now, but I’m still on same thyroxine dose. The weight loss has been making me feel much better generally, just want to get down to that goal weight, though it’s very much like the memoir project and am finally able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I love reading stuff with such intense descriptions of place - when done well, it’s so immersive.
Love your writing (and speaking!) about writing about place. It's like evocative on top of evocative! I hadn't thought of Shuggie when we were discussing this on LWS. But that is a great example. It's evocative in a very different way to L.A., or even how I write about Madrid and am prone to romanticising it. But it's still very much place as character, just one perhaps you would be less keen to sit down and chat with. And big thumbs up to the voiceover. I didn't really understand why people liked / found it so different to reading, but after having listened to you I get it and am a convert.
Huge congrats on that 50 inch TV! That's amazing! And a wee beagle or a staffy is nothing compared to that, you are on the final stretch now. Which, appropriately, I always get wrong in Spanish and say 'the final rectum'.
Thank you, as always, lovely love! I love listening to yours - it’s strange as there’s no way I’d listen to my own voice (I didn’t even give it one go through). I think I prefer the final rectum. Sung to “the final countdown”. 😘
I thought you would like that hahaha. When you are having a bad day you can think 'It's just the final rectum, I'm nearly there.'
Hahahaha! And I can sing it again
It's your new theme song :-p
You might regret this!