Duncan Porter

@philsturgeon.com @bristoltreeforum.bsky.social

@philsturgeon.com - this is what I was telling you about a few weeks ago 🛁

I really enjoyed the writing style & felt like I was soaking up all the detail & ambience as the story unfolded. The ending was surprisingly satisfying & the characters all interesting.

The closest comparison I can think of is Palahniuk, but this brings something more.

Just finished My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh.

This book was dark, but also pretty funny. A fictional account of privilege & isolation in late 90s New York. A bleak, unsettling & strangely hopeful tale about erasing yourself for rebirth.

1/2

The law of unintended consequences strikes again...
timharford.com/2025/08/the-...

Just finished a Douglas Adams book I've never read before. Was running out of books & this happened to be at the Airbnb.

Very easy going Dirk Gently read. All wraps up a bit anticlimactically, but these books are always good fun.

I'll be returning to this book for local politics going forwards & the wealth of references. This book is a valuable resource for anyone looking to influence political change at any level.

2/2

Finished reading Out of the Wreckage by @georgemonbiot.bsky.social.

This is an excellent collection of observations & ideas on modern politics. Given it's 8 years old, it's slightly depressing to think of the missed opportunities & lessons not learned, but hope we can mobilise next time around.
1/2

Yet my brain still lets me drink tequila

Reading Out of the Wreckage by @georgemonbiot.bsky.social & this describes the current Labour government perfectly.

It's also very funny in places as Mary is constantly being fed & given rakija wherever she goes.

It was a great read & a wonderful tribute to her heritage & fascinating family.

3/3

... extended family, both living & gone, who accompany her while she visits places with deep family meaning.

The book also helped mile understand the conflicts & complex history in the Balkans, with some harrowing & challenging personal stories from older relatives.

2/3

Just finished My Family & Other Enemies by Mary Novakovich.

It's a travel memoir covering multiple trips over 4 decades to Lika in Croatia, where her family originate from & some still lived. As well as writing about the rich & beautiful area, Mary spends a lot of time introducing you to her...
1/3

Entirely unsurprising and absolutely unacceptable.

It's a really tough read, but once I got to about 2/3 it became much easier. I don't think it's a book you can read casually!

Where was the play? I've heard of films & series with varying success. I think it could work well as a play.

Surreal, funny, so many subtexts. What starts as dense chaos, ends up being quite an emotional story. There's purpose to everything the devil does and as much as it's a reflection of mid 20s Soviet Moscow, much is relevant today.

Just finished The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. My fourth attempt in 20 years but I found the secret was to cram it into 3 days!

The second half makes all the difference 😂

It was incredible. Now possibly in my top five & glad I finally did it.

1/2

I’ve seen a huge drop off in volunteers this last year. Life is kicking us all hard in the wallets and guts. If you’ve been busy using limited time protesting 👋 all of this (fascism, genocide, etc) 👋 fair enough, but we’re struggling to keep the show on the road with a skeleton crew of regulars.

Support Rewilding and Restoration in the UK – Protect Earth Purchase trees and other biodiversity improvements to support our work restoring ecosystems as sequestering carbon with nature based solutions across the UK.

I’ve just got the news that @protect.earth’s largest tree sponsor, who funded 95% of our tree planting in the past, is unable to sponsor ANY trees this year. We have 50,000 in tbe pipeline, woodlands, shelterbelts, agroforestry, etc. Can you or your business help sponsor some? shop.protect.earth

The question...

There's an unnerving unraveling that's always there & a huge amount to relate to, especially if you have any concerns about the climate. It's really funny too.

2/2

Weather by Jenny Offill book cover

Just finished Weather by Jenny Offill.

Wow! Started off disoriented, but then quickly submerged into the focused but fragmented narrative of everyday life while climate, political & existential dread looms over it all.

This book is incredible & I'll definitely come back to read it again.

1/2

Harvestman, possibly fork palped

A harvestman (fork palped?) just chilling on our wall

Installed capacity for renewable energy (consisting of solar PV, concentrated solar and onshore and offshore wind) and fossil fuels in GW, shown in the charts on the left-hand side, and the levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) in US cents per kWh, shown in the charts on the right-hand side. Source: IRENA.

NEW – UN: Five reasons why switching to renewables is ‘smart economics’ | @mollylempriere.carbonbrief.org

Read here: buff.ly/eBw6exl

Can the authentic self be repressed? Chaos is normal, why do we fear & hide from it?

I was pleased this book was recommended to me, as Stephen once made my favourite ever political cartoon.

2/2

The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil by Stephen Collins book.

The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil.

A beautiful graphic novel that I think was about conformity, chaos & the fear of the unknown.

Written & crafted by the very talented @stephencollins.bsky.social

The tale is simple, but there's a great depth to how it's communicated.

1/2

"Unexpected travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God"

Kurt Vonnegut

This is such a fun article 👏

I can't lie, I'm a cat person. But @edentravels.bsky.social is great and so are @guidedogsuk.bsky.social, so this is well worth supporting if you're able.

Themes of sensory overload, social disconnection & belonging. Also a candid narrative about why sometimes we need time in nature.

I loved the overarching story about how we don't always know what we need & how it will impact others, & developing an inner understanding that allows us to adapt.

3/3