Something Good #92: New Traditions / Old Magic
First, an update.
I’m thrilled to announce that the Do Something Good fundraiser for Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières blew past its initial goal of $2,000 in its first weekend. Thank you so much to all who contributed. This has given me the confidence to be a little more ambitious. I’ve raised the goal to $4,000. As of this writing, we’re at $2,650. Are you up to the challenge? Do you want to receive some gorgeous risographed bookplates designed by James Braithwaite?
All you have to do is click here. (And donate. And then email me your mailing address.)
Development of the plates continues apace, as we navigate the particularities of risograph printing. The newest version can be seen above. It looks glorious!
(A side note: printing orders like this must be made in bulk. I’m going to end up with a lot of bookplates. Please take some off my hands! Don’t be shy. Remember, I’ll pay the shipping, no matter where you are in the world.)
Now, a holiday treat.
I have a tradition. It’s a new one, only in its second year, but I’m confident it will continue. The tradition is this: on a snowy day in December, I turn down the lights, lie down somewhere comfortable, put on headphones or earbuds, and listen to the BBC World Service radio adaptation of Susan Cooper’s 1973 fantasy novel The Dark Is Rising.
Adapted for radio by author Robert Macfarlane1 and actor/director Simon McBurney, who narrates, this is an atmospheric production, with incredible sound design and wonderful performances from actors like Toby Jones and Harriet Walters (who you may recall from Succession). I wouldn’t want to spoil any of the story’s surprises, but I’ll say that it’s a story of folk magic, of an ancient battle between good and evil, of totemic objects, enchanted swords, and a mystical language known as the Old Speech. The folk quality is underlined by the inspired choice to set the books’ rhymes and incantations to music.
When the Dark comes rising, six shall turn it back:
Three from the circle, three from the track,
Wood, bronze, iron; water, fire, stone;
Five will return, and one go alone.
The Dark Is Rising captures the feeling of the snowy, empty days around Christmastime, when the world seems to stop and some of the world’s old magic crackles under the surface of things. At 12 episodes, each only 18 minutes long, this is a remarkably economical and fast-moving adaptation.
Wait for a stormy day if you can, with the wind howling and screaming outside. But even if you can’t, find the time and space to lie down… to close your eyes… to get lost in a snowstorm somewhere in the Thames Valley.
You can find the series here, and it’s also available as a podcast; you should be able to find it with the search function of any decent app.
This week’s #nojacketsrequired comes from inside the house; that is to say, Karen ordered this book and I tore off the dust jacket as soon as she’d allow me, certain I’d find something much nicer underneath. I was right! As always, send your dejacketed submissions to yours truly at [email protected]. Something festive would be nice.
Every Friday in December I’ll send you Something Good, then back to our irregular schedule after that. Don’t forget to donate, and don’t forget to subscribe below or tell a friend.
Look for his works in a possible future .