Liz Hassall

New Tolkien book – <em>The Bovadium Fragments</em> – is satire on industrialisation HarperCollins has announced that J.R.R. Tolkien's The Bovadium Fragments will be released on 9 October 2025.

Have you heard about The Bovadium Fragments, the new #Tolkien book published three weeks ago (and the last to be edited by Christopher Tolkien)?

The Fragments are a satire on the impact of cars, and highlight again Tolkien's concern for the environment.

www.tolkiensociety.org/2025/06/new-...

This is now reminding me of the time that my aunt’s friends got a magnetic catflap - which could only be opened by the magnet on their cat’s collar - and kept finding their cat stuck to the fridge.

Hi Tom, I've just sent a message. Thanks very much!

Books with maps are the best.

I love maps so I'm giving away TWO signed paperbacks of my psychedelic/folkloric novel Villager each with these fantastic maps my dad illustrated of the fictional village in the book.Just repost this/reply below for a chance to win.

Here's an extract from the book: www.tom-cox.com/the-village-...

Ok, now I've Googled it. Wow.

Prison reform?

Well, it's been quite a day today. #CofEpeeps

Two black cats in loaf form sitting one behind the other on the back of a sofa.

I don't know what the cats are queuing for, but it looks like they have settled in for a long wait.

I've got an Epson printer that's very good. Not sure of the model number but it's one where you decant ink into it rather than using cartridges. Ink tank might be part of the name. I'm not in the same place as it at the moment so can't check.

My new book of science cartoons, PHYSICS FOR CATS is out in a week! Order a copy today from you local bookshop or at one of the links here: www.tomgauld.com/comic-books-v2

Having pretty much ignored me all summer, the cats are now valuing the cosiness of sitting with a human.

A month is a long time without hobbits.

#booksky

This is genius.

Whatever you do, please don’t stop reading.

Read for joy. Read for education. Read for resistance. Read banned books. Read books by marginalized authors. Read about experiences that differ from your own.

Just. Keep. Reading.

Autumn reading is slower than summer reading. I finished Vianne by Joanne Harris this week. It's such a lonely book (not a typo) and left me with a number of unanswered questions. Recommend.

✝️ Today we lift high the cross — a symbol of victory, love, and redemption.

On #HolyCrossDay, we remember that through Christ’s suffering came our salvation, and through His death, new life was born.

Great idea. Slight problem, though... How do you then stop playing tetris? I've never found it is something I can just dip into for a few minutes. It's either a life-altering obsession or not a part of life at all.

Oh, this is completely separate from knitting. I knit all the time. This is the moment I start wearing the knitted socks. Until mid-April, that's all I wear on my feet.

The season may begin at a different time where you are. It's the first day my feet have felt too cold, which has led me to declare the season open. 2/2

Pleased to announce that today marks the beginning of wool socks season. It seems rather trivial in the light of all the awfulness in the news, but in a couple of minutes, I'll have warm feet, so may find the awfulness marginally less awful. Or at least be better equipped to face it. #knitting 1/2

The knight stood, triumphant, over the prostrate dragon. He raised his sword high above his head and-

"I wouldn't if i were you"

The voice was in his head. Confused, he glanced around. A black cat was cleaning a paw, casually nearby.

He raised the sword again.

"Are you REALLY, really sure?" /1

Unless the place they chose to sleep is inconvenient to the humans. They sleep there forever.

The picture is taken from a bridge overlooking a river bordered on both sides by trees in full leaf. The river is perfectly calm and reflects the early evening sky, including several layers of cloud. There are a couple of boats moored up on the right hand bank of the river.

York was looking its very best this evening from down at the millennium bridge.

The kids' names, on the other hand, are fair game for any amendment and variation. I often call one or other of them "Bob". This bears no resemblance to their actual names.

We don't quite follow this in our family, although cats do tend to get two or three different names. Binky became affectionately known as Mrs Wee-bag. Our current cats have names that suit them very well, so an occasional diminutive is all that's needed.

Our cat Professor Charles Cardigan, in his final days as a kitten

It is a legal requirement that all cat names must evolve like avant-garde jazz. By the time of a cat's fifth birthday the name by which it is generally known should have zero resemblance to its original name.

I think Knitting Season was like the football (soccer) season: people say the season is over, but a lot of people are still playing in different places. It's never really off-season.