books – Page 21 – EXCUSES AND HALF TRUTHS

The Cut Season 2 Episode 29

The Second Summer Of Covid. We are entering unknown territories, expected to act as if things are back to normal when they clearly are not. Will you be wearing a mask when you next go shopping? What happens if you get pinged by the NHS app? It feels to us that we have to navigate these strange new waters without a map or guidance, left by a government with other priorities to sink or swim. Strange days indeed.

Anyway. Let’s check out this week’s linkeration, which includes Nicolas Cage and a pig, the late renaissance of a pair of musical legends and a comic about wombats.

Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.

The Cut Season 2 Episode 28

Well yes so football, apparently. Any excuse to throw beer in the air instead of down your neck which seems to be the more logical place for it to go. For those of you who enjoy such diversions, have a jolly nice time and we hope you get the result you want. As for The Cut… business as usual.

This week, that business includes the race to document the Titanic before it vanishes, an extremely horrible book and the pitfalls of translating English nonsense verse into Chinese.

Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.

The Cut Season 2 Episode 27

We understand there to be a sporting fixture scheduled for this evening which will garner the attention of a significant portion of the British public. Here at The Cut, we remain mildly uninterested in the whole rigmarole, although we obviously wish the national team the very best of luck. We’re waiting for the Olympics, frankly. At least there’s a bit of variety.

This week, join us in the joys of accidental connections, the delight of queer beer and bounce with us to a wild reinvention of a classic slab of metal.

Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.

The Cut Season 2 Episode 26

It’s been a long, busy week. The afterglow from our staff retreat barely lasted a day before it was wiped away with the demands of the fast-paced, high-pressure world of newsletter production. But we are here for you, Readership. Our sacrifice is your reward.

As we start this sunny weekend, let us entertain you with the insides of bowling balls, the fiftieth anniversary of a stone cold classic and the eerie sounds of The Apprehension Engine.

Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.

The Cut Season 2 Episode 23

Aaaah, what’s happened to the sky? It is a strange blue colour, not at all like the familiar flat grey. And why is some of it on fire? It is so warm! We feel the urge to shed some of our many layers of heavy woolen clothing and go cavorting in the fields. Time to air our flabby palps—Sumer is ybloody here!

In this week’s episode, tea and beer and cocktails because why not tis the season. Now is the time, outside in the sunshine is the place. This is The Cut.

The Cut Season 2 Episode 22

Sumer is ycumin in, according to the old song. Really? We see little evidence of the change in sessions as yet. If anything, things seem to be going backwards. Still, all this rain is good for the garden, if not for our mood. We hold out hope for a sunny long weekend cos boy howdy do we need to get some mowing done.

This week, impractical devices, violent deaths and a card trick that still stumps all the experts.

Now is the bank holiday. The garden is the place. This is The Cut.

The Cut Season 2 Episode 21

It fell to Liam Gallagher to sum up the mood of the British public in one succinct tweet.

PUB
— Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) May 17, 2021

Exactly. Have you been in-out yet (as opposed to out-out—frankly we find it hard to enjoy a beer while shivering under canvas)? How was it? A bit odd and creepy or a shining, joyous moment pointing the way to a new and brighter future? At the time of writing we have yet to indulge, although a lunchtime session is in the mix. It could well get emotional.

This week, we get a bit noir-y, take a look at a very literal Cold War and ponder the mechanics and logistics behind a one-shot movie.

Pub is the place. Opening time it is. This is The Cut.

The Cut Season 2 Episode 19

By the time this episode drops, the Cut Crew will be on retreat, comfortably snugged into a big cottage by the sea, somewhere far from Reading. It will be a time of healing, a chance to regain perspective, a moment to reflect and re-energise as the world swings into whatever it’s deciding to call normal this week. We hope, Readership, you’re able to find your own path through the woods and out into the sunshine.

In this episode—purple Smurfs, Duke Ellington’s tips on creativity and the costumes of Ferris Bueller.

If (time) = NOW and (place) = HERE then (this) = … anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Anyone?

The Cut Season 2 Episode 11

Featured image by Joel Meyerowitz, Times Square, New York City, 1963. Via Flashbak.

We begin with a little housekeeping. Some of you will have noticed there was no drop yesterday. The inevitability of a skip day has been looming ever more since responsibilities other than The Cut (yes, we do have lives and engagements more pressing than the newsletter, distressing as that might sound) have jumped on our backs and starting nibbling at our earlobes.

So, thus and therefore, the executive decision has been made to shift The Cut’s drop point to Saturday morning. This gives our beleaguered staff a little more wiggle room to deliver on schedule and means you, our beloved Readership, can now read our compilation of curiosities in bed with a nice cup of tea. Everyone wins! Do join us in this brave new world of possibilities.

This week—Muppets! Creepy skunks! And yes, something about reading in bed.

Saturday is the time. Bed is the place. This is The Cut.

The Cut 📌 Issue 28

The majority of The Cut staff are still embroiled in the annual writer’s assault course known as Nanowrimo (go here if you have no idea what we’re on about). For those of you joining us on this mad journey–we feel your pain, and we know you’ve got this. Enjoy the ride!

This does mean that today and probably next week’s issue will be shorter than usual. Look, we know you’re disappointed. Bear with us, please. The fact we’re able to do this as well as cope with all the other stuff in our bulging schedules shows how much we care about you.

Now is the time. Here is the place. This is The Cut.