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A Good Read: Book Suggestions & Recommendations

I don’t know quite where to put this so if it’s in the wrong place could mods kindly move it, please?

This came on my Facebook feed earlier so I ordered the first book. They’re self-published but I like the idea of people who are local to certain areas gathering the folklore of these places so they’re not forgotten.

Mysteries of Mercia

“The Midlands of England is a literal borderland where history, folklore and the paranormal converge at its frontiers. From cursed stone circles to modern urban wyrd, the old kingdom of Mercia is full of strange places where odd tales from history have left their permanent mark alongside near forgotten tales.

Witches and Cunning Folk, mad kings, ritual murders and haunted burrows - Hugh Williams encounters them all on a fascinating journey around the Heartlands. Along the way some of our most enduring mysteries are examined in depth and answers for them put forward.
Over brooding hills and through eerie forests, join this intriguing exploration of the borderlands.”

I can’t say what it’s like yet but it’s the sort of book I buy and might also be interesting to folk who live in the midlands?
 
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Mysteries of Mercia

This site can’t be reached​

Check if there is a typo in the%20midlands%20of%20england%20is%20a%20literal%20borderland%20where%20history%2C%20folklore%20and%20the%20paranormal%20converge%20at%20its%20frontiers.%20from%20cursed%20stone%20circles%20to%20modern%20urban%20wyrd%2C%20the%20old%20kingdom%20of%20mercia%20is%20full%20of%20strange%20places%20where%20odd%20tales%20from%20history%20have%20left%20their%20permanent%20mark%20alongside%20near%20forgotten%20tales.%20%20%20%20witches%20and%20cunning%20folk%2C%20mad%20kings%2C%20ritual%20murders%20and%20haunted%20burrows%20-%20hugh%20williams%20encounters%20them%20all%20on%20a%20fascinating%20journey%20around%20the%20heartlands.%20along%20the%20way%20some%20of%20our%20most%20enduring%20mysteries%20are%20examined%20in%20depth%20and%20answers%20for%20them%20put%20forward.%20%20%20%20over%20brooding%20hills%20and%20through%20eerie%20forests%2C%20join%20this%20intriguing%20exploration%20of%20the%20borderlands..
 
"City of Lingering Splendour : A Frank Account of Old Peking's Exotic Pleasures", by John Blofeld.

The title of this book may be a bit catchy, but overall it is well worth the read. Basically, it tells of the young John Blofeld's life in the pre-WW2 Chinese city of Beijing, where he worked as an English teacher. The main point of the book resides in his lively description of a traditional Chinese way of life which was already on the wane at that time, and which would finally be completely eradicated by Communist party after 1949. Through the eyes of Blofeld, we get to discover some forgotten communities of the far east such as the white Russians (who had fled the Soviet Union after the civil war in 1917-1921).

Of fortean note, he especially tells of a "Rasputinic" Russian priest, turned into a lama, and then again into a priest, who served as a focus point for his community in Beijing, leading his fellow white Russians in orgiastic rites, and performing small miracles such as producing a light-emitting icon of the Virgin. Unfortunately, not much is told of what this charismatic figure became after the Japanese invasion. We are left to wonder.

Blofeld also speaks extensively of the local mystics, whether from a taoist or buddhist background, and their way of life. As a matter of fact, he would himself end up becoming a sinologist and buddhist practitioner in his later years. So the book tells how he evolved from a naive boy mesmerized by pretty courtesans (hence the title of the book) to a mature man driven towards spiritualty, who got the chance to meet plenty of local hermits and monks before they disapeared from the Chinese landscape.

Refreshing local weirdnesses pop'up here and there in this story, telling for instance of a Chinese "fox spirit" haunting a tree within the inner court of a traditional house. In this account, the fox spirit seems very reminiscent of a kind of "domesticated" poltergeist. Invisible, he has his requirements, and everything goes well as long as they are met by the residing family. But (benign) trouble swiftly comes whenever they are not !

Overall, although only marginally fortean, this is still an immersive book about a forever vanished world of unsuspected depth and wealth, a precious memory of the past. Well worth a read, with a deeply personal touch, as of course, it's the story of the author, and he does not try to hide his sweet and sour love affair with a courtesan, and the "cultural shock" that went along with this adventure.

Unfortunately, this book is not easy to find nowadays ...
I just finished this, and it was most excellent. I like the way he was banging on about Golden Flute, or whatever her name was, and then at the end casually mentions he's acquired a wife, of whom nothing more is said.
 
Does anyone know where I can buy Mystery of Mercia vol 1 in the US?
 
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"City of Lingering Splendour : A Frank Account of Old Peking's Exotic Pleasures", by John Blofeld.

The title of this book may be a bit catchy, but overall it is well worth the read. Basically, it tells of the young John Blofeld's life in the pre-WW2 Chinese city of Beijing, where he worked as an English teacher. The main point of the book resides in his lively description of a traditional Chinese way of life which was already on the wane at that time, and which would finally be completely eradicated by Communist party after 1949. Through the eyes of Blofeld, we get to discover some forgotten communities of the far east such as the white Russians (who had fled the Soviet Union after the civil war in 1917-1921).

Of Fortean note, he especially tells of a "Rasputinic" Russian priest, turned into a lama, and then again into a priest, who served as a focus point for his community in Beijing, leading his fellow white Russians in orgiastic rites, and performing small miracles such as producing a light-emitting icon of the Virgin. Unfortunately, not much is told of what this charismatic figure became after the Japanese invasion. We are left to wonder.

Blofeld also speaks extensively of the local mystics, whether from a taoist or buddhist background, and their way of life. As a matter of fact, he would himself end up becoming a sinologist and buddhist practitioner in his later years. So the book tells how he evolved from a naive boy mesmerized by pretty courtesans (hence the title of the book) to a mature man driven towards spiritualty, who got the chance to meet plenty of local hermits and monks before they disapeared from the Chinese landscape.

Refreshing local weirdnesses pop'up here and there in this story, telling for instance of a Chinese "fox spirit" haunting a tree within the inner court of a traditional house. In this account, the fox spirit seems very reminiscent of a kind of "domesticated" poltergeist. Invisible, he has his requirements, and everything goes well as long as they are met by the residing family. But (benign) trouble swiftly comes whenever they are not !

Overall, although only marginally fortean, this is still an immersive book about a forever vanished world of unsuspected depth and wealth, a precious memory of the past. Well worth a read, with a deeply personal touch, as of course, it's the story of the author, and he does not try to hide his sweet and sour love affair with a courtesan, and the "cultural shock" that went along with this adventure.

Unfortunately, this book is not easy to find nowadays ...

I just stumbled across a drama on BBC Radio 3, about one of the people who appears in this book. A struggling White Russian refugee trying to get by in 1930s China, Shura sometimes presented as male and sometimes as female.

Peking Noir
 

Coal Face – The Devil in the Smoke​

This looks great. Just ordered it. Clearly the monster is a dragon not a demon (though some may say the two are interchangeable to a degree). I'll review it once i've read it.
An Industrial Fairy Tale by Jay Gunn. A tale of strife, escapism, video games and a demonic monster from the past.
Britain – Winter 1984.
The villagers of a divided and poverty-stricken coal mining community make a pact with a demon offering salvation, so long as they continue to dig the coal. But at what cost?
As the villagers begin to disappear, the teenage son of a missing coal miner and a mysterious girl from the past unearth a terrible secret buried deep beneath the village that threatens to destroy their lives and consume the world.
Coal Face – The Devil in the Smoke is a faustian monster story, set against a backdrop of poverty, absent parents and flights of fantasy. A morally complex adventure for young adults and older readers alike. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Coal-Face-Devil-Jay-Gunn/dp/B0BYM6W5Y3/ref=sr_1_1?crid=JACC4NV5KDVY&keywords=coal+face+devil+in+the+smoke&qid=1679331103&s=books&sprefix=coal+face,stripbooks,232&sr=1-1
 
To my knowledge I've only read one M John Harrison story- The Great God Pan, yes, it half-inches Machen's title. It's a tribute and evocation of the atmosphere of that singular Weird Tale and as haunting as the original if very different content wise. I own a collection of his novel(la)s and another of stories languishing upon my shelves. Seems he has a new novel and anthology out:

https://thequietus.com/articles/290...d-the-sunken-land-begins-to-rise-again-review
I've started this book: The sunken land begins to rise again. Am a few chapters in and I like it. After reading the reviews I didn't expect much storyline but lots of atmosphere. This seems to be right. It describes the crumbling Britain that I like to read about: "denizens of futures that failed to take".
 
I have this one and have read perhaps 10% of it, it reads, partially, as a satire of some of the more outre manifestations of theory with an overlay of Lovecraftian Horror but is mostly just tedious and impenetrable. There's a very modest and superficial conceit that it is a novel but that is dropped pretty quickly. It has an interesting premise - that The Middle East is an entity or at least the vast oil wells are one, and that it has been roused by drilling and the many wars in that area, and the juxtaposition of dense, jargon laden academic prose with cosmic horror is also a great idea but the end result is desultory. Also, Lovecraftian type horror as a metaphor for the alienation and vast impersonality of modern civilisation within philosophy is a trope that's been around a while.

This podcast discusses it:

http://thesometime.com/seminar/18-cyclonopedia/
I agree that the book is unreadable. Like here:
The opening line of Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Man of the Crowd" is as follows: It was well said of a certain German book that "er lasst sich nicht lesen"- it does not permit itself to be read. There are some secrets which do not permit themselves to be told.
Of a German book, otherwise entitled to respect, it was said—er lässt sich nicht lesen, it does not permit itself to be read: such and so repulsive was the style. Thomas de Quincey (1840). ‘Style’. In Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine (July 1840), p. 17.
But I still find it fascinating. So I had a chat about it with ChatGPT. It is good to talk with someone with infinite patience :) Edited by me for clarity:
The book is an ambitious attempt to use philosophy and literature to challenge conventional wisdom about the role of oil in contemporary society and to offer a new way of understanding the relationship between politics, economy, and the environment.

To fully understand the philosophical ideas presented in "Cyclonopedia," some background in continental philosophy, particularly the works of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, may be helpful. However, one can still engage with the book's ideas without a deep knowledge of philosophy, as long as they are willing to approach the text with an open mind and a willingness to grapple with complex ideas.

There are at least three layers of narrative in "Cyclonopedia." The first layer involves the narrator's search for the writings of the archaeologist, which serves as the overarching framework for the book. The second layer is the narrative of the archaeologist himself and his research on the connections between oil, culture, and history. And the third layer is the presentation of the archaeologist's ideas, which are interspersed throughout the book in the form of theoretical reflections, philosophical speculations, and allegorical fictions.

In addition to these three layers, there are also other narrative threads that run throughout the book, including the themes of horror and science fiction, the use of metaphor and allegory, and the exploration of Middle Eastern politics and culture. These threads are intertwined with the main layers of the narrative, adding depth and complexity to the book's overall structure.

The book presents a vision of the Middle East as a place where the lines between the past and the present, the natural and the supernatural, and the human and the non-human are blurred. The author argues that this "haunting" is not simply a metaphor, but is a real and tangible phenomenon that has shaped the region's history and politics.
This is computer-generated text and may not be accurate - Mods.
 
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I agree that the book is unreadable. Like here:


But I still find it fascinating. So I had a chat about it with ChatGPT. It is good to talk with someone with infinite patience :) Edited by me for clarity:

So it's a book written to be read by AIs?
 
Morning folks magical house protection by Brian hoggard.
Went to the lecture/talk last Saturday very informative and interesting
 
Just bought 100 Tales of Australia's most Haunted Places from K.Mart, and also Something is out There by Julie Miller and Grant Osbourne from Ebay which is about paranormal investigations in Australia.
I was lucky with the one from Ebay as noone else bid on it and I got it for $5 plus postage.
 
I've just finished Truth-Proof vol 2 by Paul Sinclair, mostly UFOs but also other bits and pieces, including a dogman sighting (described as a werewolf). Fascinating stuff, and the author is not afraid to admit he doesn't know what it all means. I'm now off to buy vol 3!
 
I have really enjoyed reading all of Jim Butcher's books, the Alera series and the Dresden series are my favorites.
 
Ahh that’s a shame Gordon it would have been great to meet you.
I should have put it on the board that I was going.What did you think of the conference.
 
I enjoyed it. I bought both the books and yes, it would have been great to meet and go to the pub. I did manage a drink in a pub close to the venue which had an alleged haunted toilet.

I'm after the proceedings from the first conference in book form now.
 
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