15/06/2007

Have just finished The Sad Variety – by Nicholas Blake. One of the forgotten detective authors of the 20th Century I feel. He was actually the poet Cecil Day Lewis and his books are generally beautifully written. This was not one of his best, but he did somehow manage to mention people living together and gay life as a normality, about 40 years before any other detective writer dared to!
I am now starting another old Green Penguin, Ellery Queen – The Door Between.

13/06/2007

I have finished Flying Under Bridges - not sure about it now - it seemed to keep promising something profound & suddenly turning into a Stand Up comedy sketch. I did enjoy it - but was just left feeling a little disappointed, as if, if she'd dug a bit deeper she could have done something really wonderful...................

11/06/2007

I am reading Flying under Bridges - by Sandi Toksvig and enjoying it!

30/05/2007

Just read the 2 books Jill Paton Walsh constructed from the notes & unfinished manuscripts of DL Sayers - never been a big fan of people picking up and running with other people's characters - but recently read the Campion books that Margery Allingham's husband finished/wrote after her death.It is interesting to see where the original author was planning to take the characters - in neither case, unfortunately do the books have the same brilliance - but they were worth reading.

Now what next? I'm finely poised - the excitement at bedtime tonight will be perusing the shelves and pouncing on that unsuspecting book which is just waiting to be read.

24/05/2007

Since Sign of the Cross - I have read: Charles Cumming - The Hidden Man ( Malice box prize again) and excellent - hailed as a new John Le Carre - and I can see why - has some promise as a spy writer.2 Candace Robb Owen Archer books - Ellis Peters-ish and quite good.Am now reading Bernard Cornwell - Crackdown - excellent as have been all his I've read........

18/05/2007

I have just read Sign Of The Cross was excellent - finished it a few days ago - was part of my Malice Box prize.

18/04/2007

And here it is! The list for your delectation & assassination! bearing in mind I had to chose stuff that was in print and get it to add up to £50 ...

1 Bernard Cornwell – Crackdown 9780140177251 £7.99
2 Chris Kuzneski – Sign of the Cross 9780141030845 £6.99
3 Mark Twain – Can Cans, Cats and Cities of Ash 9780141025568 £4.99
4 Nick Stone – Mr Clarinet 9780141021089 £6.99
5 Charles Cumming - The Hidden Man 9780140294774 £7.99
6 P G Wodehouse - Right Ho Jeeves 9780140284096 £6.99
7 Janet Evanovich – One for the money 9780140252927 £7.99

Second Choices:
1 Anne Bronte – Agnes Grey 9780140621082 £1.99
2 Janet Evanovich – Two for the Dough 9780140255553 £7.99
3 P G Wodehouse - Money For Nothing9780140124552 £6.99
4 Charles Cumming - The Spanish Game 9780141017839 £7.99
5 P G Wodehouse - Cocktail time 9780140085051 £.699