Marcus Hobson

Much prefer your display to the one I discovered in Helsinki airport.

Old and new across Oslo in August last year. Love the Opera House.

Old Swedish barn - seen better days, but still in use. #Sweden

Pursued by snakes is obviously not a new problem in Sweden. This carving was made in the Bronze Age - at Vitlycke near Tarnum.

Lake swimming in Sweden this morning. While we were out there a snake casually swam past us. Never seen four people leave the water so fast. Thanks to Mr Google we now know it was a harmless grass snake (snok in Swedish).

My copy of Helm is already ordered. Can’t wait.

My wife sent me picture from her home town of Fjallbacka in Sweden last night. It hardly looks real. This was at 11:08pm last night. #sweden

Leaving New Zealand for Europe this weekend. Just over 30 hours of flying plus a bit of waiting in airports. Hopefully I have enough books to keep me going… #booksky

And I love this lady because she’s done with her book.

Swedish painter Carl Larsson’s domestic scenes are wonderful. This is his house, which I was lucky enough to visit last year, but won’t let you take photos. It is pretty unchanged since he painted there in the early 1900s

This is a perfect day in a summer garden…

Bought myself a little treat - this wonderfully titled book is full of hundreds of paintings of women reading (plus a few photos). The carving of Eleanor of Aquitaine on her tomb (c 1204) has her reading a book. One two favourites follow… #booksky

That doesn’t look like any of her self portraits.

Spent my weekend enjoying this new collection of verse. A wonderful combination of simplicity and complexity. Being published by Auckland University Press in New Zealand and @ninearchespress.bsky.social in the UK.

Siegfried’s Long Call from Twilight of the Garage (Gäragerdämmerung)

Book of the Week: An Englishman, an Irishman and a Welshman walk into a pā newsroom.co.nz/2025/06/26/b...
Great review of Tina Makereti’s book of essays and non-fiction. About to start reading my copy.

Is it the only sailor’s reading room? I know it was an attempt to keep the old sailors out of the Lord Nelson which is almost next door. So I suppose in most other places they all just went to the pub.

I’ve always found the Sailor’s Reading Room a magical place. There is so much in there, it is full of stories. Each item is a tale in itself, but also has a longer story behind it. Loving @camself.bsky.social ‘s film.

Rather lovely little charity shop find today. A first edition from 1967. #booksky

Where Alph in sacred taxi van
Dropped punters by a sunless scree?

Listen up New Zealand. This is what the Regulatory Standards Bill will do to us. A way to protect big business but not individuals, minorities or the greater good. It will ruin our health service forever.

Well, this is a bit lavish. #bookpost

Love the inference that there is also a beginner level…

(I am fighting the autocorrect in this thread, and not always winning- apologies)
One last photo to get back to the theme of the book - some spruce forest.

Here are some with some of my family for scale. I visited the Munch Museum is Oslo last year. It is all new and it is excellent. Such innovative ways to show art and involve the visitor. A model for the direction galleries should be taking.

Here’s the original in Oslo with a helpful bit of a person for scale. Some of Munich’s work was huge.

This painting is simply called History. Size can be deceptive…

There are nineteen paintings in the book, this one is called The Dance on the Shore. The book was originally written for the exhibition catalogue‘Edvard Munch: Trembling Earth (Oslo: Munch 2023).

Today’s #bookpost has everything I love most - books and art. Something new by Ali Smith is always an event to celebrate. But this is also full of paintings by Munch. Let me share some with you.

For someone who is happy to confess considerable ignorance of American Literature, these look like the perfect solution. $9 well spent in a charity shop. 😎