Month: September 2010
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We have two Waterstones in Colchester about 50 yards apart. Never can understand why as they both stock identical books, have identical staff (ie – who seem to know very little about books) and have identical three for two offers and now all the usual Christmas sleb biog crap on display. Check out the crime…
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This dramatisation was, once again, adapted for the small screen by the ubiquitious Andrew Davies (he of Pride and Prejudice fame) and, once again, he has done his subject proud. Mrs Gaskell is not so well known as Jane Austen and has not been adapted quite so much but after the success of P&P the…
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As promised here is the interview – Part Two. Don't forget to leave your name either here or in yesterday's post in the comments section to take part in a draw for a copy of the paperback edition just published. I mentioned in my review that on first glance we had the run of the…
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Earlier this year I read American Devil by Oliver Stark. I thought it was one of the best debut thrillers I have read in years and gave it a five star review both here and on Amazon. It seems I had the honour of writing the first ever review of this book and the first…
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Have mentioned that I will be away this week. I will be slap bang in the middle of the Exmoor National Park and am not giving away what I am doing just yet as it is something I have never done before and I am a trifle apprehensive about it all. I am driving there…
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Take a look at the picture of all these book titles. What do they have in common? First of all, they are all Nordic/Finnish/Icelandic whatever, they are all detective stories and the book jackets are all black and white and monochrome. Why? OK we know that most people who live in the Scandinavian countries are…
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Was in London yesterday looking after the Divine Florence who is now standing up clutching onto things, at 7.5 months! She shows no interest in crawling so looks as if she will just go straight to walking. Her mother was the same, my other daughter not walking for some time as she could crawl at…
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A few years back I was asked by an early visitor to Random, who noted that I love Victorian Literature, if I could name my favourite books from that genre. I have recently been asked the same question and so I have had a rethink and while I was jotting notes checked my earlier post…
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This is going to be a quick post for Monday as I have just been watching Spooks. As usual, over acted, lots of elliptical comments through tight lips and crap dialogue: "Not sure I can do this much longer Ruth. Stop one disaster and another comes along" "It's what we do" Close up of protagonists…
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Alexander McCall Smith is prolific. No other word to describe him. He seems to write an endless stream of books that seem to hit the bookshops with alarming regularity, turn your back and Oh my goodness me, there is another one. I will admit last year to feeling swamped and overwhelmed and began to consider…
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I have been really busy this week though I have not spoken to a soul if that doesn't sound too contradictory. I have been at home for the last few days and have been involved in domesticity and generally sorting out my flat. As you all know I have been painting the living room and…
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The postman delivered two simply gorgeous books this week, both of which deal with villages in Britain though one of them is fictional. The Cranford Companion is one of those glossy books issued by the BBC, lots of stills and pictures and background on the programme. Apparently it took nearly five years from conception to…
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That's what I am. I have come to that conclusion as I now sit exhausted, dirty and dusty at this laptop. Was touching up paintwork in my bedroom and stopped myself from doing the whole room and then for some inexplicable reason I decided to move the furniture around. This involved heaving heavy chest of…
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When I was painting my bookshelves last week and all my books were in heaps on the floor, I had a bit of a clear out (not a big one, just a few books went) and I realised that I had duplicate copies of many books. I remember my mum always used to ask me…
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Have just posted a long and, probably, rambling post about the Proms and the Last Night over on Random Music so do nip over and have a read if you wish. http://randomjottings.typepad.com/random_music/2010/09/the-proms.html It is a beautiful day here. Though the autumn is on its way, there is a nip in the air, the sun is…
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2010 seems to be the year of Reading Dangerously in that I have consumed a vast amount of detective novels, thrillers and spy stories. This was not planned, but obviously publishers have taken note of my liking for this genre and more of them have been thudding onto my doormat than hitherto. Publishers of the…
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Have just posted my thoughts on the live performance of Rigoletto from Mantua with Placido over on Random Music. Do nip over and have a read and comment. http://randomjottings.typepad.com/random_music/2010/09/rigoletto-placido-domingo-live-from-mantua.html
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When Maggie and Gorbachev became friendly and the Berlin Wall came down and the Cold War seemingly ended, there were various articles in newspapers signalling the end of James Bond, John le Carre and the entire spy genre in fiction. After all, if we were now all friendly and loving each other, what need of…
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Well it is done. Finally Finished. Have spent the last two days taking books off shelves, a shelf at a time and painted behind. Totally tedious but decided to go the whole hog, do it properly and reorganise, discard and dust all at the same time. All this was interspersed with shrieks at the odd…
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Yesterday I painted the living room. I had already painted it once as the green which was on the walls was so bright I had to put white undercoat on before any other paint could be applied. That was done a week or two ago. Yesterday I put the first coat of duck egg blue…