#david mitford

[corposeco]

I like these little patterns

[laurapetrie]

THE GIRL IN THE SONG, round one: marianne faithfull (team jagger) vs. hermione farthingale (team bowie)

IN FAVOR OF MARIANNE: - She's Marianne Faithfull! - "Graceless lady, you know who I am / You know I can't let you slide through my hands." IN FAVOR OF HERMIONE: - "They say you sparkle like a different girl / But something tells me that you hide / When all the world is warm and tired / You cry a little in the dark / Well, so do I." - "It was long, long ago, long ago / And I still can't touch your name."

[bookloversofbath]

Diana Mosley: Mitford Beauty, British Fascist, Hitler's Angel :: Anne de Courcy

Diana Mosley: Mitford Beauty, British Fascist, Hitler’s Angel :: Anne de Courcy

[teamwindsorroyals]

Source: Old History Memories/FB

Deborah Cavendish the Duchess of Devonshire (1920-2014) and her husband Andrew Cavendish, the Duke of Devonshire and their two children; Peregrine and Emma. The family were photographed by Norman Parkinson for Vogue magazine, in August 1952.

Debo as she was affectionately known, was the youngest of seven siblings. She has five sisters Nancy, Pamela, Diana, Unity, Jessica and a brother, Tom. Her death in 2014 as the last of the clan, signalled the end of an era which had spanned 110 years of the Mitford girls capturing society.

Her parents, David, 2nd Baron Redesdale and his wife Sydney were for the best part penniless and eccentric aristocrats. School for the girls was frowned upon, in case they should develop thick calves from playing hockey (Tom, who spent time away studying at Eton, was a Barrister and musician, later killed in Burma in 1945). Amongst other things, linen napkins were abandoned because of the cost of laundering them, and the children were forced to follow a kosher diet on the premises that cancer was less prevalent among Jews. The girls were very hands on and practical at home, developing enquiring minds as they were essentially left to their own devices. This made them ever more appealing when they entered society. Of the sisters, Jessica, Nancy and Deborah became writers.

Their combination of beauty, brains and humour catapulted them to celebrities status and they remained continually courted by the press covering stories of affairs, notoriety and extreme politics.

Diana’s affair with fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley caused her to leave her marriage to Britain’s wealthiest man at the time, Irish brewing heir, Bryan Guinness. Unity followed her infatuation with Hitler to Germany and died from an attempted suicide. Jessica’s communist support of the Spanish Civil War led her to flee to Spain at age 18, eventually settling in the US. Nancy became a Dior wearing socialist, who left her marriage and moved to France where she indulged in a doomed affair with Charles de Gaulle's right-hand man, Gaston Palewski. Pamela, married the millionaire scientist Derek Jackson and sought of a quieter life out of the limelight. At the time, 15 year-old Debo, who had a crush on Derek, fainted when she heard the news.

Much like the Queen Mother, Debo was looking forward to a life of relative obscurity by marrying the second son of the Duke of Devonshire, Andrew Cavendish in 1941. Unexpectedly, when the 10th Duke died in 1950, they found themselves the 11th Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. Inheriting Chatsworth, Hardwick Hall, Lismore Castle and Bolton Abbey. Death duties meant they donated Hardwick Hall to the nation and precious works of art were sold as Andrew negotiated endlessly, until the debt was finally settled in 1974.

Their lives changed when Billy Hartington, Andrew’s elder brother and heir, was killed during the Second World War by a sniper's bullet in 1944. His death only four months after his marriage to the very popular Kathleen 'Kick' Kennedy, JFK's sister. Four years later, Kick died in a plane crash and is buried in the churchyard at Edensor on the family estate.

Debo redecorated Chatsworth which had previously been leased to a girl’s school, opened it up to the public and spent 54 years of her life there. Her initiatives included the Chatsworth Farmyard – set up to provide people of all ages and backgrounds with the opportunity to learn about farming, food production and traditional landscapes; Chatsworth Farm Shop; and the Orangery gift shop. A pioneer of her time, it paved the way for the commercialisation of other farm estate businesses like Daylesford and Highgrove Farm shops.

Debo moved into Derbyshire vicarage on the death of her husband and assuming the title Dowager Duchess of Devonshire.

Writers of period dramas and historical fiction have looked to the world of the Mitfords sisters for inspiration. Julian Fellowes’ Violet, the Dowager Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey is said to be based on Nancy’s wicked humour.

Diana was portrayed by Evelyn Waugh in Vile Bodies, Deborah was painted by Lucian Freud and Jessica had a cardboard coffin named after her. John Betjeman - who at one time was in love with Pamela - celebrated the sisters in a verse, the first lines of which read: "The Mitford girls! The Mitford Girls/ I love them for their sins".

Her last publication before her death was her autobiography, ‘Wait For Me!’. See less See less

[20th-century-scrapbook]

The Mitford family (1920s): David Freeman-Mitford and his wife, Sydney, with their children and family pets. Clockwise from top left are Nancy, Tom, Pamela, Deborah, Jessica, Unity and Diana / Courtesy Jessica Mitford

Being a Mitford, the Mitford’s could have hardly been conventional. Diana married a fascist in the presence of Goebbels and Hitler. Jessica was a Communist and prolific author. Unity Valkyrie, in love with Hitler, shot herself when Britain declared war on Germany. As a child, Pamela wanted to be a horse; she married a fabled jockey. Nancy’s books satirized the upper classes. And Deborah, tentatively, became a connoisseur of fine poultry.

[mea-gloria-fides]

The Most Noble Deborah, Duchess of Devonshire, wife of the 11th Duke, née The Honourable Deborah Freeman-Mitford, daughter of The Right Honourable David, 2nd Baron Redesdale.

[divinekangaroo]

just enough to let me drown - pettiot - Peaky Blinders (TV) [Archive of Our Own]

Ch 1 | Ch 2 | Ch 3 | Ch 4 | Ch 5

During S6-E5, starting with Tommy meeting Diana at the narrowboat, how he gets back to Arrow, that particular Dinner, through to Tommy returning home after dropping Jack Nelson off at the train.

Tommy was running out of women who didn’t look like other women. If Lizzie found out, he’d have only redheads left to fuck in his old age.

No. No old age. Only this.

.

Diana Mitford/Tommy Shelby, Diana Mitford/Oswald Mosley, Past Oswald Mosley/Tommy Shelby, Tommy Shelby/Lizzie Stark, Past Oswald Mosley/Lizzie Stark, Jack Nelson, Charles Strong, Small Heath Sex Worker, David the Butler, Frances | Reference to Incest, Dehumanisation, Cigarette Burns, Disassociation, Racism, Class Issues, Intrusive Thoughts, Extremely Dubious Consent, Post Rationalisation, Flashbacks, Dyfunctional Relationship, Self Harm, Oral Trauma, Trauma, Plausible Deniability, Close POV/Unreliable Narration, Horrible Dinner Parties, Prostitution, Shame, Hurt/Comfort, Eating Inedible Objects, Vomiting, Pre-Seizure Markers, Where Fascism becomes a Personally Targetted Sexual Nightmare, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Falling Off the Wagon, Unreliable Memory, Hoarding, Orgasm Control, Innuendo, Ethnic Slurs, Trying (so fucking hard!) to Communicate (emotion is the enemy of oratory!), Spiralling, Purposeful Ambiguity, Failed Love Confession/s, Bullying, Verbal Humiliation, Mixing Medication and Alcohol, Alcoholism, 1930s Pop Culture References, Anachronistic 1950s Pop Culture References, Deepseated Constructs of Immorality and Sin, The Lasting Legacy of Catholicism, In a Car, Unwanted Sexual Proposition, Unwilling Erection

.

[hjellacott]

J. K. Rowling's works in chronological order.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 1997. (The Harry Potter Series Book 1)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, 1998. (The Harry Potter Series Book 2)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, 1999. (The Harry Potter Series Book 3)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, 2000. (The Harry Potter Series Book 4)

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, 2001. (Wizarding World Supplement)

Quidditch Through the Ages, 2001. (Wizarding World Supplement)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, 2003. (The Harry Potter Series Book 5)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, 2005. (The Harry Potter Series Book 6)

The first it girl: J. K. Rowling reviews Decca: the letters by Jessica Mitford, 2006. (The Daily Telegraph article)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, 2007. (The Harry Potter Series Book 7)

The fringe benefits of failure, and the importance of imagination, 2008. (Harvard Magazine article)

Harry Potter prequel, 2008. (A short story, Wizarding World Supplement)

The Tales of Beedle the Bard, 2008. (Wizarding World Supplement)

Gordon Brown - the 2009 time 100, 2009. (Time magazine article)

The single mother's manifesto, 2010. (The Times article)

The Casual Vacancy, 2012. (First non Wizarding World novel)

I feel duped and angry at David Cameron's reaction to Leveson, 2012. (The Guardian article)

The Cuckoo's Calling, 2013. (The Cormoran Strike Series Book 1)

The Silkworm, 2014. (The Cormoran Strike Series Book 2)

Isn't it time we left orphanages to fairytales? 2014. (The Guardian article)

Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and Importance of Imagination, 2015. (Non-Fiction)

Career of Evil, 2015. (The Cormoran Strike Series Book 3)

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, theatre play premiering in 2016.

Short stories from Hogwarts of Power, Politics and Pesky Poltergeists, 2016. (Wizarding World Supplement)

Short stories from Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies, 2016. (Wizarding World Supplement)

Hogwarts: An incomplete and unreliable guide, 2016. (Wizarding World Supplement)

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, 2016. (Screenplay)

Lethal White, 2018. (The Cormoran Strike Series Book 4)

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, 2018. (Screenplay)

A love letter to Europe: an outpouring of love and sadness from our Writers, Thinkers and Artists, 2019. (Non-fiction, co-authored)

Troubled Blood, 2020. (The Cormoran Strike Series Book 5)

The Ickabog, 2020. (First non-Harry Potter children's book)

The Christmas Pig, 2021. (Second non-Harry Potter children's book)

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, 2022. (Screenplay)

The Ink Black Heart, 2022. (The Cormoran Strike Series Book 6)

The Running Grave, 202?. (The Cormoran Strike Series Book 7).

[readingabookmostofthetimes]

Happy 2024

In 2023 I read the following books:

Monterosso mon amour, by Ilja Leonard Pfeijfer

The Langauge of Thorns, by Leigh Bardugo

Renegades, by Marissa Meyer

Heartstopper, by Alice Oseman

The Lives of Saints, by Leigh Bardugo

Archenemies, by Marissa Meyer

Heartstopper volume 2, by Alice Oseman

Heartstopper volume 3, by Alice Oseman

Heartstopper volume 4, by Alice Oseman

An Italian Girl in Brooklynn, by Santa Montefiore

Volwassen worden is optioneel, by Marloes de Vries

De woestijndief, by Emmelie Arents

The Mitford Vanishing, by Jessica Fellowes

Wat gebeurde er met David, by Henk Hardeman

Queen of Shadows, by Sarah J Maas

Supernova, by Marissa Meyer

Wees Lucie, by Astrid Boonstoppel

Grijs, by Carlie van Tongeren

Zwaar verguld, by Chantal van Gastel

Over straatfiguren en wegpiraten, by Mijke Pelgrim

Anna K Away, by Jenny Lee

Zorro. The Curse of Capistrano, by Johnston Mcculley

De tweede stem, by Elin Meijnen

Mortal Engines, by Philip Reeve

De meesterdief, by Emmelie Arents

Nick and Charlie, by Alice Oseman

Stewardess Hannah in Parijs, by Petra Kruijt

Stewardess Hannah in Rome, by Petra Kruijt

Sintel en As, by Mara Li

Stewardess Hannah op Ibiza, by Petra Kruijt

The Golden Enclaves, by Naomi Novik

Welkom in Smartpark, by Mirjam Mous

Stewardess Hannah in Reykjavik, by Petra Kruijt

The Iron Sword, by Julie Kagawa

Gilded, by Marissa Meyer

The Syndicate, by Shelena Shorts

Stewardess Hannah in Barcelona, by Petra Kruijt

Stewardess Hannah in Amsterdam, by Petra Kruijt

The Pace, by Shelena Shorts

Stewardess Hannah in New York, by Petra Kruijt

One of us is Lying, by Karen M Mcmanus

Predator's Gold, by Philip Reeve

Stewardess Hannah in Praag, by Petra Kruijt

The Broken Lake, by Shelena Shorts

Stewardess Hannah op Curaçao, by Petra Kruijt

One of Us is Next, by Karen M Mcmanus

Stewardess Hannah in Lissabon, by Petra Kruijt

Wind, by Esther Walraven

The Iron Quill, by Shelena Shorts

The Hour of Dreams, by Shelena Shorts

Penthouse, Lotte Boot

Denken wat je wilt, doe wat je droomt, Gijs Jansen

Empire of Storms, by Sarah J Maas

One of Us is Back, by Karen M Mcmanus

Confessions of a Shopaholic, by Sophie Kinsella

To All the Boys I've Loved Before, by Jenny Han

Ivelle, by Laura Diane

PS. I Still Love You, by Jenny Han

Always and Forever, Lara Jean, by Jenny Han

Anders, beter, by Lisa van Campenhout

The Iron Vow, by Julie Kagawa

[jackiekashian]

Fan Faves of 2022

The votes are in for 2022!

ALL THE EPS have something for someone and are great but here is a starter list if you’re thinking to start listening to TDF and are not a numerologist completest. and it’s just guest name and dorkdom. www.dorkforest.com or wherever you listen to podcasts. It’s also on youtube.

Note: show’s been going since 2006 but I’ve only been surveying since 2011. Standup info and other podcast is at www.jackiekashian.com

2022

TDF EP 659 and 688 - Both with my Sister Darla Kashian (Fiddly/SimpleMeals and Orchestras)  TDFEP 660 - My brother Phil Kashian - Fly Fishing TDF EP 658 - Caitlin Durante - Paddington Bear TDF EP 665 - Irene Tu - In-N-Out Burger TDF EP 670 - Moontower LIVE w Guy Branum, Atsuko, Chris Cubas TDF EP 675 - Shelley McLendon - Cult Documentaries TDF EP 678 - Andy Ashcraft - Marvel Phase Four TDF EP 679 - Kyle Clark - Learning to Draw TDF EP 691 - Sean Blair Flannery - Chicago Dive Bars TDF EP 696 - Carmen Morales - Collaging  

TDF EP 677 - Andrea Jones-Rooy - Spreadsheets TDF EP 704 - Nour Hadidi - Pokemon TDF EP 692 - CJ Sullivan - Professional Gamblers TDF EP 703  - Kurt Braunohler - Surfing TDF EP 684 - Antonio Portela - Trombone

SO MANY GOOD ONES THIS YEAR. I’m feeling pretty strong on my “encourage people to talk” skills!! :) yay dorkouts. 

DUDE. the formatting on the rest of this blows. I will try to fix it and repost. but here’s the good news. It’s LIKE PROSE NOW!

2021

TDF EP 611 - Greg Proops - Negro Leagues TDF EP 654 - Jamie Loftus - Chuck E Cheese TDF EP 605 - Tom Papa - Bread TDF EP 627 - Joyelle Johnson - Gone with the Wind TDF EP 652 - Andy Ashcraft - Sandman LARPS TDF EP 626 - Aisha Alfa - Korean Food TDF EP 634 – Heather Tomson – Grey Gardens TDF EP 640 - Brandon Palomo - Pearl Jam TDF EP 620 - Brian Swartz  - M.A.S.H. TDF EP 642 - Danielle Koenig – CHEERS

TDF EP 646 - Caitlin Gill - Silk Screening Shirts TDF EP 601 – Jenn Welch - Animal Crossing TDF EP 617 - Katie McMillian - Stardew Valley TDF EP 635 – Kate Gaffney – Stevie Wonder TDF EP 651 – Tess Rafferty – Light Murder Mysteries TDF EP 624 - David Rees  - Effects Pedals TDF EP 649 – Ophira Eisenberg – Novels galore TDF EP 644 – Matthew Chadourne – Criterion Collection TDF EP 647 – Jenny Zigrino – Estate Sales TDF EP 628 – Justin Mohareb – Marvel

2020 TDF EP 562 - Guy Branum - Mitford Sisters TDF EP 568 - Maria Bamford - Canadian Reality Shows TDF EP 599 - Jen Kirkman - Hallmark Christmas Movies TDF EP 565 - Darla Kashian – COOKING TDF EP 598 - Russ Kashian - Hallmark Christmas Movies TDF EP 549 - Tig Notaro – Veganism TDF EP 581 - Jenny Yang - Comfort Food TDF EP 591 - Amber Preston - Church Cookbooks TDF EP 574 - Ron Funches - Call of Duty and Animal Crossing TDF EP 577 - Barbara Holiday - Escape Rooms TDF EP 558 - Sarah Mowrey - Fleetwood Mac TDF EP566 - Matt Kirshen/Myq Kaplan - Advice Columns TDF EP 595 - Kristin Key - Mad Libs TDF EP 576 - Robert Jenkins - Guns and Safety TDF EP 588 - Sofiya Alexandra - Wheel of Time books TDF EP 570- Jim Woster – Columbo TDF EP 573 - Robert Hurt - Babylon 5 TDF EP 550 - Danielle Perez - Mariah Carey TDF EP 583 - Dar Vendegna  - PIckleball TDF SPOILER 3 - Andy & Jackie - Rise of Skywalker

2019 TDF EP 523 Lydia Popovich Dolly Parton TDF EP 511 Auggie Smith Dead Comedians TDF EP 535 Christopher Titus Prince TDF EP 530 Phil Kashian Hitchhiking TDF EP 532 Brian Posehn Heavy Metal TDF EP 549 Tig Notaro Veganism SP1 Endgame Spoiler Dork Out TDF EP 503 Wynter Spears Public Restrooms TDF EP 524 Sara Benincasa Frederick Law Olmstead TDF EP 529 Caitlin Gill Murder She Wrote TDF EP 545 Mary Becquet Chinese Ghosts Vampires TDF EP 525 Matt Oswalt Taking Pictures TDF EP 510 Gary Anthony Williams Birds TDF EP 531 Robert Hurt DS9 TDF EP 547 Thom Tran The Flash TDF EP 540 Brian Jacobovitz Cthulu RPGs TDF EP 515 Judith Stephen CosPlay TDF EP 528 Justin Hermann Heroscape TDF EP 538 Dave Ross Zelda and LINK TDF EP 544 Sharon Houston Netflix British Reality Shows TDF EP 505 Kat Burdick Next Generation TDF EP 509 Michelle Biloon NYT Crossowords

2018 TDF EP 487 Amy Miller - Dolly Parton TDF EP 471 Emma Arnold - BEES TDF EP 499 - Erin Foley - Hallmark Christmas Movies TDF EP 481 - Cheryl Jones - Maritime History TDF EP 471 - Andy Ashcraft - GenCon TDF EP 482 - Nato Green - Union Organizing TDF EP 473 - Tamra Brown - Tiki Bars TDF EP 493 - Nina Manni - Air and Hotel Points TDF EP 446 - Carlos Delgado - Great British Bakeoff TDF EP 495 - Alice Wetterlund - Sharks TDF EP 487 - Mark Waid - Superman TDF EP 454 - Open Mike Eagle - Wrestling TDF EP 457 - Jean Grea - Ikea TDF EP 447 - Gariana Abeyta - All Genres have Great Movies

2017 TDF EP 390 - Phil Kashian - LOTR and MY BROTHER TDF EP 422 - Steve Agee  - John Hughes Movies. Weird Science TDF EP 426 - Sara Schaefer - Cross Stitch TDF EP 431 - Jenny Jaffe - Planners. Calendars. Stickers. All the things. TDF EP 405 - Rebecca Sugar - Musicals TDF EP 438 - Jen Briney - freaking CONGRESS TDF EP 423 - Karen Rontowski - Moth Man TDF EP 401 - Jason Hatrick - Scuba diving TDF EP 429 - Kyle Clark - Halloween Theme Parks TDF EP 417 - Nat Towsen - Speed Racer TDF EP 402 - Tyler Hinman - Escape Rooms TDF EP 428 - Solomon Georgio - Black Sitcoms TDF EP 403 - Hal Lublin - Saturday Night Live TDF EP 408 - Al Madrigal - Jack Reacher NOVELS TDF EP 435 - Wyatt Gray - HP Lovecraft TDF EP 442 - Doug Stanhope - getting naked and Leisure Suits TDF EP 404 - Julie Dixson Jackson - Geneology TDF EP 427 - Lisa Allard – Quilting

2016 TDF EP 336 Jim Stewart Allen - Oregon Trail TDF EP 383 Jenny Chalikian – Xena TDF EP 387 Caitlin Gill - Roald Dahl TDF EP 358 Wil Anderson - Cricket TDF EP 359 Heather Simmons - Alice in Wonderland. TDF EP 340 Barbara Holm - Buffy the Vampire Slayer TDF EP 380 Beverly D’Angelo - things that Change your Life - Music, Places TDF EP 366 Karen Rontowski - Tarot Cards TDF EP 373 Stu Goldsmith - Boardgames with a STORY TDF EP 364 Maria Bamford LIVE at JFL Montreal (Bandcamp) 2016 I really liked: TDF EP 385 Jenny Zigrino - Authentic Historical Costuming TDF EP 347 Riley Silverman - The Potato. Mostly Frozen. TDF EP 355 Ivan Van Norman/Andy Ashcraft - Zombies & pen/paper games TDF EP 341 Cathy Ladman - Knitting TDF EP 349 Moon Zappa - The BIG questions TDF EP 368 Martha Kelly - Law and Order SVU TDF EP 367 Phil Johnson - Pirates TDF EP 362 Rory Scovel - Golf (quietly clap) TDF EP 339 Sovereign Syre - Spanish Invasion of Florida. TDF EP 348 Dash Kwiatkowski - Superman TDF EP 338 TJ Chambers - Chess TDF EP 379 Michelle Thaller – SPACE! LIVE DC Drafthouse (Bandcamp)

2015 TDF EP 303 Matt Saxe – all Vice Presidents. TDF EP 298 Jason Klamm – Vice Presidents and Lego! TDF EP 312 Greg Proops at LA Podfest – 70s Movies TDF EP 320 Wil Wheaton – BEER and Boardgames TDF EP 287 Michelle McNamara – Robert Durst and more True Crime TDF EP 294 Retta – Purses. Handbags TDF EP 323 Chez Amanda – Xfiles. Finally. TDF EP 310 David Koechner – History dork! TDF EP 268 Tammy Pescatelli – Thrift stores and Vampires TDF EP 279 Brian Kiley – Presidential Biographic Minutia TDF EP 285 Ian Abramson – McDonald’s Land TDF EP 316 Breanna Conley – Old time Photo Booth collecting 2015 another 12 that I picked: TDF EP 329 Robert Hurt – Space Ships TDF EP 321 Ryan Stout – Injustice. AS USUAL. TDF EP 324 Suzy Soro – Ghosts. TDF EP 313 Danielle Radford – great “bad” movies TDF EP 305 Murray Valeriano & Monty Franklin – Surfin. TDF EP 269 Christian Brown, Roselle Hurley and Andy Ashcraft - LARPing TDF EP 271 Bridget Everett - Barry Manilow, Richard Simmons & Rudy TDF EP 273 Sean Crespo – DUNE TDF EP 284 Brian Upton - history and aesthetics of gaming TDF EP 293 Live at Bridgetown Branum, Kilgariff and Preston (Bandcamp) TDF EP 300 Amy Shira Teitel – SPACE TDF EP 325 Gail Carriger Live in SF – Anglophile. (Bandcamp)

2014 TDF EP 259 – Laraine Newman - Dubstep TDF EP 245 – Brittnee Braun - Cosplay TDF EP 249 – Brian Regan – Line Mentality TDF EP 215 – Robert Hack – Doctor Who TDF EP 264 – Joseph Scrimshaw – Star War Prequels TDF EP 227 – Emily Gordon – Breakfast around the world TDF EP 239 – Rhea Butcher – Back to the Future Movies TDF EP 260 – Jimmy Pardo – Chicago (the band) TDF EP210 – Corey Olsen – Tolkien TDF EP 258 – Emily Heller – ESM & HS Debate

2013 TDF EP 177 - Greg Proops - Ancient History TDF EP 172 – Janeane/Bamford - Beading/SuzeOrman TDF EP198 – Live Podfest w Kilgariff/Bamford/Anthony/Valeriano - Salad TDF EP 189 – Moshe Kasher - Religion TDF EP 199 – Michelle McNamara - True Crime TDF EP 203 – Ryan Stout - Traffic Court

TDF EP 150 – Gina Yashere - Ghosts/Elevators TDF EP 151 – Craig Shoemaker - Wizard of Oz TDF EP 207 –  Matt Mira - James Bond TDF EP 167 – David Huntsberger - Horses TDF EP 200 –  Andy Peters/Mike Schmidt - Wrestling TDF EP 190 –  Cameron Esposito - Lesbians TDF EP 202 –  Matt Weinhold/Dana Gould/ Shawn Sheridan - Halloween

2012 TDF EP 129 – Live with Michelle McNamara (True Crime) TDF EP 111 – Jim Gaffigan (obscure news personality) TDF EP 117 – Corey Olsen (TolkienProf) TDF EP 142 – Live with Retta, Rajskub, Kilmartin and Scovel TDF EP 94 – Mary Jo Pehl (reading and writing and more reading) TDF EP 133 – Kira Soltonovich (Korean Spas) TDF EP 113 – Jesse Schell and Andy Ashcraft (oh. Video Games) TDF EP 98 – Henry Phillips and Mike Phirman (Guitar Comedy and Music) TDF EP 139 – Joel Hodgson (ventriloquism) TDF EP 93 – Live with Ernie Cline (the 80s and Ready Player One) TDF EP 102 – Dan Telfer (Dinosaurs and science in general) TDF EP 108 – Al Madrigal (Sales and Cartoons) TDF EP 148 – Guy Branum - Canada TDF EP 95 – Live with Kevin Eastman (ninja turtles) TDF EP 97 – Rose Abdoo and John Matta (tiny tiny ART! And The Thing) TDF EP 99 – Asterios Kokkinos (Pokemon) TDF EP 100 – PF Wilson – (history of the various football leagues) TDF EP 103 – Live with Andy Kindler (“indie” comic books) TDF EP 104 – Merrill Markoe (I feel like we talked dogs mostly) TDF EP 110 – Patrick Brady (animation)   TDF EP 120 – Erin Foley (NY Giants) TDF EP 121 – Tom Franck (Art) TDF EP 130 – Lois McMaster Bujold (I dork out AT her. She talks writing) TDF EP 138 – Michael Everson (coding fonts for obscure languages)

2011 # 55 Greg Proops – Making Baseball interesting           # 67 Hardwick/Palascak – Harry Potter                       # 37 Karen Kilgariff  - Sandra Bullock                         # 16 Dana Gould – Planet of the Apes                         # 48 Aisha Tyler – girl on girl fandom                         # 24 Jen Kirkman/ Karen Rontowksi – ghosts/UFO                 # 49 Dana/James - HOLLYWOOD                               # 40 April/Vargus – TRIP TO MIDDLE EAST                                                   # 3 Madigan/Kilmartin – the KENNEDY’S #42 Maile Flanagan/Yuri Lowenthal - Animation #50 Michelle McNamara – True Crime #30 Ed Brubaker / Kermet Apio – Comics #14 Thrilling Adventure Hour – so many things Origin Story – #69 Andy Origin Story - #71 Maria #73 Rich Sommer – Mad Men and Boardgames #77 Matt Weinhold/Ken Daly – Horror Movies #82 Chad Daniels/David Huntsberger – just hilarious #80 Bengt Washburn – Fine art #51 Andrew Solmssen - IT #28 Eric Drysdale - VIEWMASTER #58 Bees – uh, BEES #63 Perfume – and, PERFUME #44 Jim Coughlin – A4 Paper #91 Trains!    

NOTE Premium eps w/o iTunes: Here’s how to download albums from Bandcamp:

1.    Download the .zip file from Bandcamp. 2.    Unzip the file to your Music folder. 3.    Rescan your Music folder. 4.    Open the music app and listen to your tunes.

[pastedpast]

Reading about Stanley Baldwin led me, as serendipity does, to the Mitford sisters, whom, coincidentally, I not long ago started listening to an audiobook about (Laura Thompson’s “The Six: The Lives of The Mitford Sisters" - US title is "Take Six Girls..." Also, see enjoyable interview with Thompson here). The link between them is the gathering of several sisters with remarkable societal connections: Baldwin's mother, Louisa, was one of the famous 19th century MacDonald sisters (I mentioned them in the blog years ago - link here - in a post featuring an exquisite painting of a woman reading a book, comfortably ensconced in a beautifully decorated home). Two of the MacDonald women married famous artists, one of them being Sir Edward John Poynter, painter of said portrait, while Alice's marriage spawned famous author, Rudyard Kipling.

The Mitford sisters were 20th century; the eldest, Nancy, ("the Novelist"), was born in 1904, the youngest, Deborah, ("the Duchess") was born 16 years later. There was a brother, too, as can be seen in the photograph above. The family were supremely well-connected in "high society". Related to Winston Churchill through his wife, Clementine, was the father, David Mitford, 2nd Baron Redesdale - he and the British Prime Minister's wife were cousins. Deborah became close friends with US President John F. Kennedy and his family, and Jessica, living in California, knew his successor, Lyndon B. Johnson. All the siblings had fascinating, though somewhat unenviable, lives and with Unity ("the Nazi") the story takes a particularly tragic turn.

She moved to Germany to get close to Adolf Hitler, which whom she had become obsessed, and managed to work her way into his inner circle. Apparently, he was quite smitten with her. She shot herself in the head when Britain declared war, but survived with brain damage, dying a few years later from meningitis due to complications regarding the bullet still lodged inside her (age: 33). Unity's middle name was Valkyrie, and she was born in the town of Swastika, Ontario, in Canada, where her family had gold mines - it's as though her fate appeared to have written itself. According to Diana Mosley’s biographer, Jan Dalley: "Hitler was extremely superstitious, and he believed that Unity was sort of sent to him, it was destined", and he described the young blonde as "a perfect specimen of Aryan womanhood."*

Diana married British fascist Sir Oswald Mosley, with whom she was interned at Holloway Prison between May 1940** and November 1943. She had just given birth to her fourth child, Max Mosley, in the April of that year, and he and his older brother Alex were not included in the internment. Meanwhile, Jessica, (noted in the photograph as her nickname 'Decca') became a Communist and was known as "the red sheep" of the family, and Nancy, a moderate socialist, worked in London during the Blitz and informed on her fascist siblings to the British authorities.*** By comparison, Pamela was the quietest sister, often referred to as "the rural one", but still has a colourful biography of her own, by marrying a bisexual, womanising millionaire and being rumoured herself to having been involved in a long-term relationship with a woman.

Unsurprisingly, reams have been written about this extraordinary family and I have much more to learn. Their lives were so fantastical, almost the stuff of soap operas or melodramas, seemingly unreal; one writer, Anthony Haden-Guest, sums up their existence well as being one "even the most shameless pulp novelist would hardly dare invent."

*Source: Wikipedia cites a Channel 4 documentary called 'Hitler's British Girl' from 2007.

**Source: Wikipedia, dates vary slightly on related pages. I think it was May for Mosley and June for Diana.

***Source: "Nancy Mitford spied on sisters", article by Paul Reynolds, BBC News, 2003. Cited on Wikipedia.

Needs checking. Further reading required.

Disclaimer: I should write all my posts on a Word document first and wait a while before publishing, to ensure I've got the thing edited and fully formed, but I don't. Patience is not my forté.

[quoteoftheweekblog]

QUOTE OF THE WEEK 24/4/23 - FRANCES HODGSON BURNETT (AND ANNE PERRY)

'Nothing in the world is quite as adorably lovely as a robin … ‘ (Hodgson Burnett, 2018, p.107).

REFERENCE

Hodgson Burnett, F. (2018 [1911] ) 'The secret garden'. Illustrated by MinaLima Ltd.  New York: Harper Design.

*****

‘This book was a beautiful one …

… with superb coloured illustrations ... ‘ (Hodgson Burnett, 2018, p.192).

*****

FOR BOOK GROUP

THIS MONTH ONE OF OUR EQUAL TOP READERS IS CONTINUING WITH CLASSIC CHILDREN’S LITERATURE

https://www.waterstones.com/book/heidi/johanna-spyri/marcus-clapham/9781509842926

‘LOVED IT. Brought back so many good memories from reading it as a child. I had not remembered how horrid Peter is a lot of the time!’

https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-water-babies/charles-kingsley/christina-hardyment/9781909621404

‘What a load of drivel!! I had this as a child, with beautiful colour plate illustrations, but I think it must have been a seriously abridged version because I would never have waded through all the superfluous boring bits.’

&

https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-sawtooth-slayer/nathan-dylan-goodwin/9798844327537

‘This goes on from The Chester Creek Murders. It is usually solving cold case mystery using DNA, but this one was an active serial killer.’

&

https://www.waterstones.com/book/murder-under-the-tuscan-sun/rachel-rhys/9781529176575

‘It is a bit slow at the moment.’

…

PLUS

OTHER MEMBERS HAVE ALSO READ (OR ARE READING) …

https://www.waterstones.com/book/american-dirt/jeanine-cummins/9781472261403

‘ … an extraordinary story of a mother and her young son travelling along illegal routes and sometimes sitting on top of trains to escape from South America … ‘

&

https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-constant-princess/philippa-gregory/9780007190317

‘ … about Katherine of Aragon, really enjoyable and interesting. It ends with her about to be questioned in court, probably about her lies that she was a virgin when she married Henry V111, having been married first to his older brother Arthur, who died quite young.’

…

‘I have been listening to several Jane Austen books as I enjoy these and know them very well....like old friends....Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility.’

https://www.waterstones.com/audiobook/persuasion/jane-austen/geraldine-mcewan/9780141804569

https://www.waterstones.com/audiobook/pride-and-prejudice/jane-austen/joanna-david/9780141804453

https://www.waters-tones.com/audiobook/sense-and-sensibility/jane-austen/julie-christie/9780141804576 …

https://www.waterstones.com/book/whatever-next/anne-glenconner/9781529395754

‘It's her second autobiography and is a bit inclined to be repetetive about the role of wives within marriages - in her day. Clearly her husband Colin was a handful and challenging to live with, but very charming too and there's the whole abuse aspect. And two of her children died young, so plenty of tragedy.’

&

https://www.waterstones.com/book/food-for-life/tim-spector/9781787330498

‘ … to find out how wrong our diet is!’

WHILST THE OTHER HALF …

https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-romantic/william-boyd/9780241994078

‘ … which he enjoyed.’

&

https://www.waterstones.com/book/any-human-heart/william-boyd/9780141044170

‘ … which is apparently like a diary and he's not sure if he likes.’

…

https://www.waterstones.com/book/why-didnt-they-ask-evans/agatha-christie/9780008196288

‘It’s funnier than the TV adaptation.’

&

https://www.waterstones.com/book/great-expectations/charles-dickens/margaret-cardwell/9780199219766

‘It’s much funnier than the TV adaptation … ooo err.’

…

OUR LEADER AND THIS MONTH’S EQUAL TOP READER

https://www.waterstones.com/book/love-in-a-cold-climate/nancy-mitford/alan-cumming/9780241974698

‘I have read the next Nancy Mitford book: Love in a Cold Climate. Same narrator, different characters.’

&

https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-blessing/nancy-mitford/alex-kapranos/9780241974728

‘Now almost finished the third book: The Blessing. Completely different characters but another dishy French man.’

&

https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-canterbury-tales/geoffrey-chaucer/nevill-coghill/9780140424386

‘ … still reading The Canterbury Tales irregularly … ‘

&

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/344972

‘ … and have just begun a biography of Chaucer: The Life and Times of Geoffrey Chaucer by John Gardner.’

&

https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-book-of-joy/dalai-lama/desmond-tutu/9781786330444

‘ … dialogues between Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama. I am reading and discussing this with a friend, a couple of chapters a month.’ 

*****

RIP

https://href.li/?https://www.nicolaflorist.co.uk/

ANNE PERRY DIED 10/4/23

OBITUARY

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/apr/18/anne-perry-obituary

*****

RIP 2023

ANNE PERRY - 10/4/23

https://quoteoftheweekblog.tumblr.com/post/715330809248235520/quote-of-the-week-24423-frances-hodgson

MARY RAYNOR - 27/2/23

https://quoteoftheweekblog.tumblr.com/post/714200067677077505/quote-of-the-week-10423-m-pardoe-and-mary

ISABEL COLEGATE - 12/3/23

https://quoteoftheweekblog.tumblr.com/post/713473518041448448/quote-of-the-week-%C2%BE23-chimamanda-ngozi-adichie

CHRISTOPHER FOWLER - 3/3/23

https://quoteoftheweekblog.tumblr.com/post/710982321252220928/quote-of-the-week-6323-hallie-rubenhold-and

LEWIS CARROLL - 14/1/1898

https://quoteoftheweekblog.tumblr.com/post/709065919000903680/quote-of-the-week-13223-lewis-carroll-she

RONALD BLYTHE - 14/1/23

https://quoteoftheweekblog.tumblr.com/post/707162386989219840/quote-of-the-week-23123-jodi-picoult-and

FAY WELDON - 4/1/23

https://quoteoftheweekblog.tumblr.com/post/706061735432486912/quote-of-the-week-9123-fay-weldon

*****

RIP

https://quoteoftheweekblog.tumblr.com/rip

*****

BOOK GROUP 2023

JANUARY - JODI PICOULT - ‘WISH YOU WERE HERE’

https://quoteoftheweekblog.tumblr.com/post/707162386989219840/quote-of-the-week-23123-jodi-picoult-and FEBRUARY - LUCY WORSLEY - ‘JANE AUSTEN AT HOME - A BIOGRAPHY’

https://quoteoftheweekblog.tumblr.com/post/709807520542277632/quote-of-the-week-20223-lucy-worsley-there

MARCH - NANCY MITFORD - 'THE PURSUIT OF LOVE’

https://quoteoftheweekblog.tumblr.com/post/712878877446373376/quote-of-the-week-27323-nancy-mitford

APRIL - FRANCES HODGSON BURNETT - 'THE SECRET GARDEN’

https://quoteoftheweekblog.tumblr.com/post/715330809248235520/quote-of-the-week-24423-frances-hodgson MAY - EDITH WHARTON - 'THE HOUSE OF MIRTH’ JUNE - TRACEY CHEVALIER - 'A SINGLE THREAD’ JULY - E.M. FORSTER - 'A ROOM WITH A VIEW’ AUGUST - DAMON GALGUT - 'THE PROMISE’ SEPTEMBER - ALEXANDER MCCALL SMITH - 'THE HOUSE OF UNEXPECTED SISTERS’ OCTOBER - ARAVIND ADIGA - 'SELECTION DAY’ NOVEMBER - BONNIE GARMUS - 'LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY’ DECEMBER - JULES VERNE - 'AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS’

*****

AND THIS IS WHAT WE READ EARLIER

https://quoteoftheweekblog.tumblr.com/bookgroup

*****

QUOTE OF THE WEEK 2011 - 2023

11 EPIC YEARS

https://quoteoftheweekblog.tumblr.com/references FROM THE ARCHIVE

https://quoteoftheweekblog.tumblr.com/post/628597916430368768/quote-of-the-week-7920-jerome-k-jerome-to

*****

[fredhandbag]

I don’t read any “Cowboy Christmas” books or watch Hallmark movies but I like the occasional Christmas-themed story. Skipping Christmas by John Grisham is still a great story about what’s important. Christmas Train by David Baldacci is the rare Christmas thriller. Walter the Christmas Dog is hilarious. Mr. Dickens and His Carol is a great story from Samantha Silva. And my favorite - Shepherds Abiding by Jan Karon - Christmas in Mitford. What Christmas books do you like to read each year? #christmasbooks #shepherdsabiding #itsawonderfulwoof #mrdickensandhiscarol #jankaron #skippingchristmas #johngrisham #thechristmastrain #thetwelvecluesofchristmas #bookstagram #bookshelves #booknerd #readinglife #bookphotography #bookcommunity #bookblogger #sodacityreads #suspensebook #bookhaul #literarycrimefiction #homelibrary #thrillerbooks #domesticthriller #crimefiction #thriller #characterdrivenbooks #mysterythriller #bookrecs https://www.instagram.com/p/ClmIK14AKiF/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[mitfordgirls]

"Having worried for days that Decca might have run off to join a Communist cell, or even that she had been taken by white slavers, Mitford legend says that David sank into a chair muttering, 'Worse than I thought. Married to Romilly!' - Mary Lovell

[boricuacherry-blog]