My Commonplace Book: August 2026

A selection of quotes and pictures to represent August’s reading: commonplace book noun a book into which notable extracts from other works are copied for personal use. ~ How poor are they that have not patience! What wound did ever heal but by degrees? Othello by William Shakespeare (1603) ~ ‘Cornelius might well have done that,’ Bodkin revises, looking up at the vicar. ‘Folk are like books written in another language. I know them by their cover but can’t always fathom what’s inside.’ Little Spark by Jess Kidd (2026) ~ The world in which we live is one of error and mistake. Rumours break like waves in some nameless river, dappling our sleeves with falsehood. Troubled Waters by Ichiyō Higuchi (1893-95) ~ Bas-relief of the goddess Coventina (Robert Charles Hope, 1893) ‘I know! Roman tombstones in an Abbey, a gaol made out of bricks from a Roman fort – and a witch held there before her trial. This place is amazing. It’s like around every corner, there’s a new “old” thing to discover,…