28/02/2007

I'm a great fan of Alexander McCall Smith. I think I've read most of his; the Precious Ramotswe books and the Edinburgh ones. 44 Scotland Street was excellent and there is a sequel to it called Espresso Tales.

24/02/2007

Ah well I finished the Sara Paretsky ( I stopped in the middle to read Carbonel) and now am reading Mr Campion's Falcon - One of the books Margery Allingham's husband wrote from her notes after she died.He is not as good a writer as she was, but I am curious to see where she planned to take him........Might try Peter Robinson next - picked another one up today...........

16/02/2007

I have started an online game from Penguin books called Malice Box Quest - it is based around a book which is to be released shortly. It is great fun but taking up a huge amount of time.............

14/02/2007

Now I am a big Agatha Chrisie fan - I have different favourites according to my mood as I do reread them!! Death on the Nile I think is one - I had to buy another copy of it to read while I was cruising down the Nile in 4 star luxury when I was backpacking 12 years ago. ( Got it very cheap - no tourists about that year - it was a 'terrorist year') The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is another that is excellent - Dumb Witness - & the Middle Eastern Ones - Murder in Mesopotamia ( which is reputedly about a real person she couldn't stand) .....* It being the Nile cruise - actually the book probably cost more than the cruise! (not quite).

On the other hand The Clocks is not one of her best, and the worst by far is Destination Unknown – aptly named, it appears to go nowhere - it is most peculiar - seems to finish in the middle. Don't read it!Think I'm going to try Peter Robinson.

13/2/07

I'm reading Hard Times - Sara Paretsky.....Not many of hers left to read either now.

12/02/2007

Jane Eyre & Rebecca and Gone with the Wind are supposed to be the 3 books that every woman reads ....I wonder if they are?

All made into wonderful TV series and famous films etc – but you should read the books first. All are superior in every way to the films. As is the book Showboat - which is a wonderful and much under- rated book - and nothing like any of the films....

11/02/2007

Also worth reading with similar sort of logic subplot is the Oxford Murders by Guillermo Martinez. Actually don't know really why this strikes me as being in the same genre - but it does - and is excellent.

Personally, in terms of modern thrillers, I don't think anyone has surpassed John Le Carre - or ever will. His Smiley books are superb - and would probably be on my short-list for if I could only read one book again ( a 3 in 1 edition of the Tinker Tailor Trilogy). I have also just read his latest book, Absolute Friends, which was similarly excellent.

10/02/2007

Today I have been discussing my least favourite author and books. So here is my nomination. Portrait of a Lady - Henry James - what is it about please? It seems so d*mn obvious to me what is going to happen - & it all happens so slowly. Awful -struggled to the end in the hope that something would happen to surprise me and show some subtlety, shed a new light on human nature etc etc - and nope - nothing did! vowed never to read Henry James again – and I haven’t!
On the other hand I have recently read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night and, yes it was excellent - I sort of started reading it with my detective story reading head on - which actually made it more entertaining because there is a spoofy sort of element in there as well.

06/02/2007

I'm reading The Man with the Cane by Jean Potts ...nice old green penguin crime.I wonder if Peter Robinson is any good? I've sold a couple and have been tempted by the blurb - but not read any yet...