I have had a few disappointing reads recently so am pleased that I seem to have struck lucky now and have been enjoying catching up. Nothing too eclectic or academic, just good enjoyable books.
No Plan B - Lee Child with Andrew Child. I gather Lee is retiring from the fray but his brother is taking over the Reacher books. I always find this rather odd. I remember when Dick Francis died his son, Felix, took over the franchise and I cannot tell the difference in the writing. Makes you wonder.
Lee Child was interviewed recently and said he thoroughly enoys his success and his life, he and his family spend money and have a great time, though he gives a lot away. Says you cannot take it with you. He said that his books are generally looked down on and not taken too seriously but he is not too worried about that. When a new Reacher book comes out and immediately swlls in hundreds of thousands, he knows that for the next day or two all those readers would have a good time enjoying the story and that was good enough for him. I agree.
It is the usual tale. Reacher arrives in town, stumbles upon a wrong and sorts it out. Nothing new but, as always, punchy and well written and I am enjoying the latest in which it appears that a state of the art detention centre run on progressive lines may not be what it appears. Who would have thought?
Linwood Barclay - Take your breath away. Just spotted this in paperback at Waterstones the other day so I had obviously missed the original publication. I usually read the Barclay books because, as with the Reacher stories, they are great fun, well written and terrific entertainment.
Andy is married to Brie and one night he comes home and she has vanished and no sign of what happened to her. It goes without saying that the police have him down as the suspect in his wife's murder but no case can be proved. Eventually he moves away, changes his name, starts a new life until one day a woman drives up to the old address, where a new house has been built, and screams "what has happened to my house?" It looks remarkably like Brie. But is it and where has she been all this time. I am half way through and have no idea of how it ends. Good stuff.
An arrival from the British LIbrary. I am so lucky that they send me shed loads of stuff to
review. Some of it I love, others not so much, but there is always somewthing interesting there. This is for the festive marked as it is called Stories for Christmas and the Festive Season and includes authors Muriel Spark, Stella Gibbons, E M Delafield and others. This is currently on my bedside table and from the start of December I shall read a story a night.
Another book to read, but as with short stories and diaries, a little at a time is best is The Oxford Book of Theatrical Anecdotes. The editor is Giles Brandreth so you know it will be witty and amusing and so it is. There are anecdotes about every actor you can possibly think of in the British theatre and they are all, without exception, delightful and rather touching too. If I started quoting those I loved this blog would be neve rending so I suggest you get your mitts on it. It would make a wonderful Christmas present for a lover of theatre.
John Osborne has an anecdote about Richard Burton and it was suggested that Burton be invited to lead a National Welsh theatre. A leader of the principality asked what were Burton's qualifications.
It was explained that he had played Henry V at Stratford and a Hamlet at the Old Vic which was applauded by Churchill. "the reply which evoked no surprise was 'yes I can see that, but what he done in Wales'"
Wonderful. Loads more so do buy.
Enough for today. More later.
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