Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Julie Goucher


A few months ago whilst channel flicking for a movie we spotted Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Now we had never heard of the film, but as we watched we felt that it must be based upon a book. A quick google search and it revealed that we we right.

The next time I was in the library I selected the book and this review is of the book rather than the film, which was just as enjoyable.

Oskar is a young 9 year old boy, is the narrator for the story and the story is set in New York and is about Oskar, his family and a group of strangers that he meets along the way whilst attempting to unravel a mystery set by his father. His father died in New York, a victim of 9/11.

The relationship that Oskar has with his father was a special one. Oskar is a bright lad, very literal and probably features somewhere on the autistic scale.  He lives with his mother who has eventually moved on with her life. His Grandmother lives next door alone, as her husband had left her previously.

Oscar come across a key in a vase with it a name. Oscar seeks to discover the details of the name and spends hours each weekend seeking people with the name using the New York phoned book.

I loved this film and the book. The storyline was fascinating as Oskar strives to hold on to his deceased father and those phone messages that he heard on the answerphone tape. The messages of a loved one to a family, left incase the unthinkable happened.

There is a sweet kind of innocence as Oskar seeks to uncover the answers and whilst he is doing so the memory of his father is “alive” upon gaining the answers Oskar has to find a way of dealing with the acceptance that his beloved father is gone and an important chapter of his life closes.

I have to say that whilst I read the book I struggled with the writing. Watching the film first did actually help to read the book and I can see from the reviews online that the book itself has received mixed review and several people also read the book following having seen the film. The film incidentally was tastefully produced and the deceased father played by Tom Hanks, who does a great job.

This is one of those books that you have to reflect on; and seek the deeper meaning. Striving to understand a huge amount of emotion and the complexities of dealing with survivors guilt.

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Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) – Introduction

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Julie Goucher

A few weeks ago I became aware that the Hibernia College, in association with The Gathering were offering a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) free of charge. The aim of the course is to focus on National identity and to explore Irish Heritage and Culture.

I signed up for the course and last week my online login arrived and I spent a few hours looking at the site and reading the initial introductory material.

Today, the first course segment arrived and I can see that it is still possible to join the course if you have not already.

To enrol or find out more visit the website & read the FAQs

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Guildford and the Great Storm 2nd August 1906

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Julie Goucher

Guildford and the Great Storm was a twelve page pamphlet published on 4th August 1906 by the Surrey Times. The Storm occurred on 2nd August 1906 and caused devastation and was the cause of several fatalities.

I bought the pamphlet in 2006 and as you would expect is does show signs of aging and has foxing and a little rust on the staples!

It is a truly lovely example of Guildford Memorabilia and is yet another way in which local historians can expand their knowledge on the area. Genealogists can glimpse extra information which may assist them on further research.
I have created a small index of the names that occur in the pamphlet. Any errors are mine, and I would urge researchers to confirm any facts before adding it to their research. 
You can read a PDF of this pamphlet HERE
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Mystery Monday – Those Budd’s!

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Julie Goucher

My family were in the village of Puttenham Surrey from around 1724. We know this from the Church Records, with a Baptism of Martha Budd in 1724 which reads daughter of Henry and Martha “First of the Budd’s”. That indicates that the Budd family were elsewhere prior to 1724 and this is confirmed in the church records. Certainly the marriage of Henry and Martha is not in Puttenham, it was found in the parish of Chertsey in 1723, which was the bride’s place of birth.

Furthermore, the Curate for Puttenham, Charles Kerry kept a series of manuscripts and in one of the volumes this pedigree has survived. confirming that Henry was first of the Puttenham Budd’s
From the Charles Kerry Manuscripts
Sourced from Puttenham One Place Study
On seeking a birth place for Henry I used a map and gradually searched each and every parish within a 5 then 10 mile radius. Given the proximity to the border with Hampshire I concurred that he came from the parish of Binsted and was born 1699, but I can not prove that this is “my Henry” only that there was a Henry in Binsted in 1699. Sometimes, there is a gut feeling that what documentation is found is not actually correct. I added a tentative Henry born circa 1699 to my working model tree, along with a question mark and carried on researching.

A chance posting on a mailing list mentioned a Henry Budd in a nearby parish to Puttenham. In reviewing my notes with a map realised that I had overlooked the records for Shackleford, a village a few miles across the fields. Shackleford is linked to Peper Harrow and the survival of records prior to 1837 is scanty. I have since established that a Henry Budd in 1720 was in Elstead, (another local village within walking distance), witnessing a marriage. I have also established that a Henry Budd was living in Shackleford, at a house called Cobblers in 1720. My gut feeling tells me that this is my Henry, but I need further proof to confirm this.

In this instance, it is important to look beyond the immediate Parish Records for that named person, perhaps your ancestor like mine appears on a parish record as a witness to someone else’s happy day.

Over the last year or so I have tentatively looked into the Budd’s again. I came across a marriage located in Peper Harow on the Sussex Family History Strays Index for a Daniel Budd of Lurgershall marrying Alice WILLSON in Peper Harow on 15th September 1704. I pondered that this might be Henry’s father or perhaps an Uncle or no relation at all!
Marriage of Daniel Budd to Alice Willson 15th September 1704
Peper Harow Surrey England
Image courtesy of Ancestry
Then last week I was looking again at the Surrey Records, following the release of the Surrey records on Ancestry and spotted a birth for Mary Budd on 15th September 1704 daughter of Daniel Budd. 
Baptism of Mary daughter of Daniel Budd 15th Sept 1704
Peper Harow Surrey England
Image courtesy of Ancestry
I looked at the marriage and see that it is the same date. Clearly Daniel was a fast worker! I spent another three hours looking for any trace of Daniel in Peper Harow or Surrey for this period and it revealed, nothing. Zilch. Although I did notice a trail of Budd’s in the mid to late 1600s in Pirbright, Guildford and Seale. Not a million miles away, but I am leaving that query for another day!
Lurgershall is a parish in Sussex, just over the border. It is not my first family link to the parish and I have to admit, I felt my heart sink just a little bit as I realised that I might be heading once again into a very tangled ancestry. 
That said, I have just come across a will for neighbouring Haslemere in 1713 and a death for a Daniel Budd in the same year. Needless to say I have a headache as I can see it mentions a sister in law Mary Wilson, and daughters Mary & Elizabeth and a son Daniel.
The plot thickens and I am no further in establishing the birth and parentage of my Henry Budd.
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Armchair BEA – Wrap Up Post

Posted on June 2, 2013 by Julie Goucher
Design credit: 
Sarah of Puss Reboots

Well today is the Armchair BEA wrap up, hasn’t that week gone quick?

This is according to my diary and blog the third year I have taken part, all virtual attendance though. It is the first year I have participated every day and I have enjoyed the prompt discussions, the sharing of book titles and meeting other book bloggers.

In fact I shall be sorry the Armchair BEA has finished! I am still reading comments left for me and responding to them and visiting other participants. You can see who else took part in Armchair BEA HERE.

You can recap on my posts below

  1. 27th May – Introductory Post
  2. 28th May – Genre Classics
  3. 29th May – Genre Fiction & Blog Development
  4. 30th May – Literary Fiction
  5. 31st May – Genre Non Fiction
  6. 31st May – Ethics
  7. 1st June – Children’s Literature
  8. 1st June – Keeping it Real
  9. 1st June – Instagram Challenge
  10. 2nd June – What Did We Miss?
  11. 2nd June – Wrap Up 

I really can not express how much I have enjoyed the prompts, sharing my thoughts and recommendations, reading other blogs and meeting other bloggers and adding to my reading wish list. It has been great and I shall bookmark for another year.

Well done to the Armchair BEA team for a great event. Perhaps one year I will cross the pond and attend in reality!

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Armchair BEA What Did We Miss?

Posted on June 2, 2013 by Julie Goucher
Design credit:
 Sarah of Puss Reboots

The Armchair BEA is on its final post; do you know I feel quite sad. The prompts have given me some real enjoyment to write and share and to meet other bloggers. More of that in the wrap up post a little later.

This final prompt is about the genres that have not been covered.

  • Historical Fiction  – I love historical fiction. I love the perhaps or interpreted look to previous times. Some of my favourite books in within this genre are
  • Travel  –  I enjoy reading travelogue type books. A recent favourite that I have mentioned several times this BEA is 
    • Without Reservations by Alice Steinbach which is a combination of memoir and travel.
    • Bill Bryson books – a particular favourite is Down Under
    • Michael Palin – I am a bit of a fan, with every single DVD & book of traveling
    • Billy Connolly – Over the last 20 years or so Billy has toured various parts of the world, each of these program types a mix of travel, gigs, history, humour. One of Scotland’s most well known exports! Down Under & Route 66 are my favourites
  • Biography, Autobiography & Memoir – I enjoy reading of the lives of others. Some recent favourites are
  • Food & Cookery – I love books that bring together food and cookery and a little history and life
  • Mysteries – I love cozy mysteries, a gentle amount of unravelling without too much blood and gore, although I do like some gentle mysteries
Here is a picture medley!
The Food of Love by Anthony CapellaItalian Food by Elizabeth DavidAt Home by Bill Bryson1st to Die by James PattersonKinsey and Me: Stories by Sue GraftonDecaffeinated Corpse by Cleo Coyle
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Church Record Sunday – Surrey Records Online

Posted on June 2, 2013 by Julie Goucher

During the week I saw the excellent news that Surrey church records were on line at Ancestry

Surrey, England, Baptisms, 1813-1912
Surrey, England, Marriages, 1754-1937
Surrey, England, Burials, 1813-1987
Surrey, England, Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812


As I said, this is excellent news, but also sad too, as I located the births, marriages and deaths for my Grandparents siblings, the ones that never made it to adulthood and the ones that did and became an intricate part of my childhood and my inspiration for researching my ancestry in the first place.

I also learnt a few bits along the way, where my Great Uncle was living when he married my Grandfather’s sister in 1931 and who witnessed their marriage.

Wedding of Rose Butcher to Ernest Clarence Marshall
March 30th 1931 St Nicholas Guildford
Image courtesy of Ancestry
The Wedding Party. The bridesmaid on the right is
Ernest’s twin sister

Stay tuned as I share another wedding next week!

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Armchair BEA Instagram Challenge

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Julie Goucher

As part of the Armchair BEA activities participants were encouraged to share their photos using the prompts in the picture displayed via instagram with the twitter tag of #ArmchairBEA





29th May: Your Armchair –  well I forgot share. but I did take a picture. This is the chair that I have in my study.

30th May: TBR Pile – Today there were two pictures, both shared, albeit, on the wrong day!

This is the next pile to read – excluding library books and one book here is a re-read;
A Town Like Alice by Neville Shute

My recent purchases – just 3 books!
31st May  – Best of 2013

My best of 2013 as it inspired me to buy two of the three books in the photo above
1st June – Reading Buddy

Let me introduce you to my reading buddy – This is Alfie. He is a 5 year old Border Terrier who makes up for his small size in personality!

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Armchair BEA – Keeping it Real

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Julie Goucher
Design credit: 
Sarah of Puss Reboots

What an interesting topic and discussion point for the Armchair BEA. To me blogging is about sharing my thoughts, observation  and facts about my obsessions and interests. The feature for my blog – Anglers Rest is primarily genealogy and books.

Firstly, the name of my blog comes from the name of our house, which got it’s name because my husband loves to fish and all things associated with fishing, in much the same way as I love all things historical and bookish.

My blog tells you a little about me and what is talked about on the blog. I take part in events such as the Armchair BEA, or Family History Writing Month and share the link of my contribution on the central page and if my blog looks appealing to others they “follow” me in whatever options that are suitable. I of course do likewise.

  • It is important to offer a variety of ways for others to follow you
  • It is important to participate in weekly or monthly thread they are around the blogging world on a variety of subjects – whatever suits you
  • It is important to respond to comments left for you and to leave comments for others – Interaction
  • Collaboration is a real buzz word at the moment – this is the bringing about of different people to contribute to a common project. As I contribute to Historical Tapestry for example
Regular posting – I typically post every day, sometimes twice a day if there is a theme that I am linking into. On some days I do not post, but a week rarely goes by when I do not post. That has not always been the case. This blog first started in 2002 and I was fairly active. Then my day job got in the way and I became a victim of the work / life balance. I got that under control and once again I am blogging frequently and probably more frequently than before, because I am happy and content.
A blog is like my virtual sitting room. It is MY place where I get to share my obsessions and ramblings. My blog reader numbers have grown and I am very grateful that people think my writing is of interest to read. It is about people caring about others, who in reality you have never met. Whilst blogging can be an insular activity there is something about sharing your thoughts and opinions with a group of strangers that are simply “out there” The internet has revolutionised the way we can interact with others and yet do it in a safe and controlled environment. 
In order to keep it real I share bits of my life, but I share the bits that I would tell you if we met in a library or bus stop. The internet archives everything, so share what you are comfortable sharing. This is the personal aspect – it brings with it a degree of familiarity & comfortableness and is something that people can identify with.
I like my blog. There I have said it! I am fussy and gradually as I gained experience I added a background that I liked from ShabbyBlogs.com. The blog looks fresh I hope and cheerful. Blogs that have black backgrounds look dreary to me, they may not be, but I probably won’t stay around to look. I also have a search box and utilise the label feature, although to be fair my labels need to be tied up a bit, which I will do over the coming weeks. Really a blog and website should have a trim, just as my hair does every 4-6 weeks!
I also have a web page, which has been provided by my ISP for over 10 years. With a pending house move I might change ISP’s therefore I decided to look for an alternative site. I discovered Weebly.com through a fellow genealogist and over the course of the last month I have been moving my pages, giving them a spring clean and tidy.
A blog is a conversation between you and your readers. If you keep it active and interesting within the remit of what you say you are going to talk about and participate then you will gather followers and make friends. Blogging is a two way street. There are many, many wonderful blogs out there and I follow a fair few of them. I do not always post timely responses, but I do respond and read. 
If I am going to have a break or not be posting much I share a post, that way readers know you are coming back, I tend to schedule posts, so that the wheels still turn whilst I am engrossed in other things.
As far as the Armchair BEA is concerned, I have really enjoyed this year and I shall share my reflections in the wrap up post tomorrow. I am still reading and commenting and will be for at least another week.
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Armchair BEA – Childrens Literature

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Julie Goucher
Design credit: 
Sarah of Puss Reboots

I grew up with Enid Blyton books and still have my original set if Noddy books. I have wonderful memories of sitting with my Grandmother as we progressed from Noddy to the other books by Enid Blyton; Mr Twiddle was a real favourite and yet my Grandmother never complained as we read over and over again.

At some point I progressed to the Famous Five and then to Nancy Drew books which I really enjoyed. Later on I read the Sweet Valley High books. I don’t remember though making the shift from children’s books to young adult and then to adult books.

Those early memories of reading on my Grandmother’s knee were always very special and I guess it is where I felt safe and secure, not that I had any reason not to feel safe, but it was those special moments that we look back on and realise their importance.

I can remember my first library visit with my Mum, being issued 3 little cards and then exchanging them for round discs that represented books. The ticket in the back of the book then slotted into the card. All very time consuming and a lovely memory. I wrote about libraries back in March and you can read that post HERE.

I have always read, as Mum did and still does and my late Grandmother did. I am never far from a book and have a Kindle and iPad, but you can not beat holding those wonderful books in your hand and getting such pleasure.

I was encouraged to read and to explore different writing styles and genres and I love the feeling of being completely absorbed in a book. A few years ago for a course I was undertaking we had to ask for feedback from specific groups of people – parents, old elderly relative, sibling or close friend. I remember asking Mum the series of devised questions and Mum shared with me that she can tell when I am in a good book, because I grunt. Grunt? I was horrified and asked Mum to explain. She said that asking a question when I was reading a special book or one that I enjoying was pointless because I never listened to the question and would often just grunt a response. I am still mortified and apparently I do still do it, but not as bad. Mum simply said, she was to blame for indulging my book obsession.

Magyk by Angie SageI guess, even in childhood and then into young adult reading I liked cosy and nice books – books that have a feel good factor or a nice dose of reality. I didn’t enjoy make belief worlds or vampires and things.

I have though read all the Harry Potter books and a few years ago stumbled across a book by Angie Sage called Magyk, which marked the first book in a set of 7. I have the hardback version with this cover and I can see the appeal for children. I have read the three of these books and I going to purchase the other 4 in the same hardback styled covers, then I will have a re read of the series, probably sometime next year. There is a blog which I note mentions that the first book, Magyk is going to be made into a movie, which I will go and see.

Whilst I do not like blood and guts books (of films) – the Stephen King style books I love cosy mysteries and whilst I like reality books I still love the Harry Potter books, I have no idea why for this contradictory state of affairs,but that is the way it is!

Kids these days have Nintendos, computer games and of course iPods and alike and I wonder if being a chid is shorter than when I was a kid. I got to experience books, jigsaws and games like twister, snakes and ladders and Monopoly – heck I still have my childhood set of Monopoly and Scrabble with all the original cards and bits. Perhaps, as a society we should take a step back and let children enjoy being children and be able to experience the thing we enjoyed as kids.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John BoyneWhen did we, as a society expect children to deal with the atrocities that the world throws at them? A book like The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne deals with the Holocaust in a nice way, so that children can understand the details, and implications without the in the face brutality that it is.

I recall reading that book just after it first came out and I read it twice before I could make notes in my journal. Certainly it is a book that is suitable for adults and children and could be used as a discussion point for people whose ancestry has been affected by the Holocaust.

A great discussion point for the Armchair BEA, I have enjoyed my time down memory lane.

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