On Books: Read,Borrowed And Bought. Including A Booksale And Why I Might Have Underestimated Bernard Cornwell

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Now that the World Cup is slowly drawing to a close probably the only good thing is that there's more time to go back to reading. I must admit in the past month or so to having slowed up on it whilst there was the distraction of the global footy.

But now normal service has been resumed. And let's start with the book I've read since I last chatted on the subject.

Bernard Cornwell - Fools and Mortals

Now I slight digression is called for to explain why I've never read a Bernard Cornwell book before. In the mid nineties I made the mistake of watching a programme in the TV series of his Sharpe novels. All about the adventures of a British soldier in the Napoleonic wars. And to be honest in my early thirties it just didn't seem that interesting anymore whereas previously I would enjoy them. Only later did the explanation come clear.

I was growing old.

Also though as I've mentioned in this blog I read a C S Forester Hornblower novel about a year back and didn't like it. It's patriotism was over the top. The sort a member of UKIP would love. So not for me.

So Mr Cornwell's books have been avoided....until now. And let me say I loved Fools and Mortals. Set in Elizabethan times it follows a (literally) Shakespearean theatre company in the days where female roles were played by men. One of whom turns out to be the main character. William Shakespeare's younger brother.

Did Shakespeare have a brother? I don't know and it doesn't matter. It's a historical entertainment. Indeed I'll go as far as to say that as an entertainment it's the best book I've read this year.

I might still be right about his Sharpe novels. But reading Fools and Mortals has made me realise that should opportunity come I should give them a go.

I mentioned in my last post that I was going to spend part of Saturday in a book sale in Sully where I'm currently renting. I haven't bought that many books since we moved out of Bridgend so wasn't going to pass away the chance here.

(Another quick aside - Still renting at the moment whilst looking for "the place" - We thought we'd found a house and had an offer accepted only to drop out when the survey revealed a house that didn't so much need updating as upending and demolishing. It was that bad.)

It was held in The Old School Hall, now used for community activities.

Signs and Balloons For Books...I Love It

There was a good selection on display.

Full On Trestle Table Action

Now the price range was 1 book for a pound or six for five pounds. The intention was to buy six. The idea was two were those suggested by my favourite book podcast Backlisted, Two were going to be Penguin Paperbacks and two were going to be "Welsh" books as I've recently realised that I've not been chatting about Welsh books and their authors and this will change.

So the first book was:

Raymond Chandler -The Big Sleep

This is the sort of book I feel I know about even though I haven't read it. Certainly a book I should've read by now. So soon a literary bucket list will be ticked (An author on Backlisted by the way).

Now I only bought one "Welsh" book in the end. Could've bought more but wanted to avoid books by Catrin Collier or Dylan Thomas or about rugby.

(To be fair I've yet to get round to the audiobook I've got of Dylan Thomas' poetry - which I think is better listened to than read. And was tempted by a biography of Richard Burton. It's hardback brick length put me off. When we eventually more somewhere I will seek it out)

So it came to this.

Oliver Balch - Under The Tump 

Then I saw a Penguin Paperback.

Honor Tracy - Mind You I've Said Nothing

"Forays In The Irish Republic" is the description to this travel book. Let's just hope it's not cliché Ireland.

The next one was suggested again by Backlisted

Elizabeth Taylor - Mrs Palfrey At The Claremont.

The next does not fall into any of the categories I intended. Still....as I'm a fan

Clive James - Even As We Speak

And finally. Recommended by Backlisted and apparently David Bowie.

Spike Milligan - Puckoon

All for £5....

And that's not all. Went to the nearby library afterwards. The next book on the non fiction pile to read there was...

Jo Hardy - Tales From A Young Vet

All I can say is. If she can't get me to be interested like James Herriot could then she's failed.

No pressure then.

Until the next time.

The Effect Of Brexit On My Reading

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Let's take in a bit of book keeping, or rather book borrowing first. This was the latest borrowed from Sully library yesterday.

John Lewis-Stempel - The Secret Life Of The Owl

If Twitter is any judge then there are a lot of fans for this book. If it's first twenty seven pages are any judge I'm not going to be one of them.

Anyway back to the title of this post.

I've finished An Island Parish (A Summer on Scilly) by Nigel Farrell and am becoming conscious how on almost every book I'm reading that's set in Britain/Europe, no matter when it was actually written that Brexit is becoming a factor in my reading of it. For whilst it's not changed my reading habits, the referendum result has altered the way I approach some books.

I have previously in this blog remarked on the way Brexit has destroyed the genre of Brits emigrating to some part of the EU to start a new life. And also how C S Forester's Hornblower novel presents an imagine of Britain as some sort of perfection and anything "foreign" as at best weak and at worst evil. Thus obviously appealing to people whose opinions make me move to the opposite direction even more.

Also noticing that when reading a book by an author of a remaining EU state that I'm consciously hoping that I like it. Doesn't I stress mean that I will like it, just that I'm trying to give it a fair wind.

And this is effecting even innocuous books like Mr Farrell's tome.

Let me say first that I didn't really like this book and I don't think that I would have liked it in 2008 when it was published. The Scilly Islands are close to Cornwall. And I what think I was getting here is a sort of literary Doc Martin. Expounding a cliche that anything on the South West of Britain is  full of eccentrics but at least you'll get stunning scenery.

But I borrowed this book the first thought that occurred to me was that this was a rabid Brexiteer's idea of a travelogue, now that free movement across the EU was going to be consigned to history.

And these eccentric characters? Well obviously I don't know where they are now but in the book the vet is German and two of the assistants working on particular businesses are Poles. At time of writing their future in the UK is not certain.

EU funding for the area is also mentioned. Do you think that a Conservative administration will invest the money the EU did in the long term? Think again. It would appear from the vantage point of someone who's never lived there that in the short term at least the islands are in trouble. Only time will tell.

So I should curse Brexiteers on many things. Including the effect it's had on my reading.

Until the next time.

Library humour. Books Borrowed And Bought, And I Become A Bluebird Fan For Ninety Two Minutes

Hello there hope you're feeling well today.

Yesterday I went to the Porthcawl library for the first time this year. I was, I must admit a little late so needed to pay a small fine. So put the books down on the counter as the librarian approached me. Behind her were two other ladies looking at a computer.

"Just need to pay my debt to society".

"Well" she responded "We'll need to get the dungeon ready".

To which I said: "I thought you were going to throw the book at me"

Alright it's hardly a "Woody Allen when he was funny" remark. Still it wasn't bad. And it earned me a small ripple of applause which for a library is the equivalent to a standing ovation.

Have decided to limit the books I borrow from the library to two. One football book and the other well anything that takes my fancy. Having said that it is stretching it to say that this is a football book.

Mark Chapman - The Love Of The Game

This book is about how he tries to instill a love of sport to his children. I must be honest here and say that for reasons of her unwillingness on some sports and just bad luck with injuries on others have not really been successful with my daughter. But I'll chat about that once I've finished reading this. Can though relate to it, which is the reason I picked it up.

My second choice could not be more different:

Marian Keyes - Under the Duvet (actually photographed above one)

I have mentioned before in this blog how I believe that Marian Keyes is a brilliant writer undermined by chick lit book covers and blurb. This is a collection of her journalism (I mean would you expect a cover like that for Alistair Cooke?) so I'm hopeful.

I didn't have much time to spend once I finished with the library. But armed with £3.57 from my Penguin paperback budget went to the PAWS charity shop. Bought two books for a total of 50p. What really pleased me was that they were both on the old numbering system.

On the other hand:

835 - C S Forester - The Happy Return

As I've recently explained when discussing The Commodore I'm not a C S Forester fan at the moment because I believe UKIP would lap the over the top patriotism, all foreigners are flawed mantra that ran through that novel. So I'd be lying if I said I was looking forward to reading another novel by him for a while.

The other book could not be more different:

D114 - Vasko Popa - Selected Poems

Vasko Popa was a "Yugoslav" (when this was published - was born in Serbia) poet. I've made it clear that poetry and me rarely get on. But I'm intrigued by this and will give it a fair wind when it's name comes up on the pile of the great unread.

It had been a while, other than watching Penybont FC, that the stars of the universe would align that I would be so aligned that I could watch some live sport. But later that afternoon I discovered through Twitter that the Cardiff  Under 23 team would be playing in the city stadium that evening and it would be free (including, a factor crucial to me for going to matches at Cardiff City in an evening, the car park). Daughter would be at guides, wife would have the chance to watch whatever Downton Abbey replacement TV is throwing these days and I would watch live football. Happy family life.

As I've made clear previously, Cardiff City, along with Swansea City, Newport County and Leyton Orient, belong in that small group of teams that I genuinely wish well as long as they're not playing West Ham. And as they were not facing any of the other teams I've just mentioned was happy enough to be a Bluebird fan for ninety minutes plus stoppage time.

I drove to the Cardiff City Stadium early. I'd done this once before and I knew that essentially it would be a few blocks of the stadium that would be occupied by fans so consequently had a good chance of a decent car park space. Once that was done went to what I had not realised before was a surprisingly small McDonalds (given how busy it must be for match days) for a meal. Once finished went inside the stadium.

Bluebird Country

From a distance new football stadiums look as if alien spacecraft have just landed ready to request to be taken to your leader. With the nearby Millenium stadium Cardiff has two relatively close together. That presumably is one of  the privileges of capital city status.

I'd taken the book Bobby Fischer Goes To War with me to read during the breaks and claimed on Twitter that I was the first person to take a book on chess to a Cardiff City game. Their Twitter feed quickly came back to say that they would need to "....check.Mate".

But for now....

...I'm still claiming this

Cardiff's opponents were Ipswich Town who apparently judging by their away strip seemed to think of themselves as the Barcelona of Suffolk. Still when the match began they were the ones who came closest to scoring in the first minute.

Beware Barcelona . Boys in Tractors are coming for you

Both teams played the opening minutes full of energy, youth and enthusiasm. As a fifty three old man I hated them for it.

But around the twenty sixth minute Cardiff scored. As I recall it was a response to a parry of a first attempt. But It didn't matter how they scored, they scored. One nil.

And from the moment the first half was mainly one set of Cardiff attacks after another. You've heard of an "unlucky bounce"? Well in this match there was an unlucky ricochet as the Cardiff shot went from the goalkeeper to a defender and then to safety to Ipswich. One nil is therefore how the first half ended.

So to the second half. You will note from this picture the Ipswich goalkeeper. Dressed in a colour that I could only describe as motorway maintenance.

Presumably cycling to Suffolk after the game

After that picture was taken Cardiff scored a second.A shot by James Waite. All seemed to be going smoothly then.....but

There came the moment where the Cardiff defence went all Rip Van Winkle when there was a run along the left, a cross and the oncoming Ipswich player slotted the ball to the net. Two - One.

Around the seventy fifth minute order was restored when Matt Kennedy scored a delightful free kick that got everyone outside of Suffolk applauding in admiration. It must have been particularly sweet given that two Ipswich players in separate incidents were booked for tackles on him last seen in a Jackie Chan movie. Three - One.

Five minutes after where. after a pass went astray the Ipswich manager threw a water bottle down to the ground in anger. He was by far the loudest person in the stadium that evening. His equivalents on the home technical area seemed to say nothing until ninety minutes had passed when all of a sudden they were shouting things to their players. Ninety minutes gone. Three one ahead and now you want to say something? Did not get that.

Anyway made no difference. The Match finished with the victory to Cardiff City.

Earlier I'd poked fun at the Ipswich goalie's taste in luminous clothing. But let me also say this. There are matches where a team is comprehensively beaten but their best player turns out to be the goalkeeper because he (or she) stopped the score being much worse. This was the case here. Michael Crowe put his body on the line constantly during the match to thwart what seemed to be near certain Cardiff goals. Judging solely on this game Ipswich should do their damnest to keep him.

Thank you Cardiff City. It was fun.

Until the next time.

UKIP would love Horatio Hornblower.....Which Is Why I Hate Him

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

If I'd read The Commodore, a Horatio Hornblower novel by C S Forester, five years ago, I would've said that it was an entertaining piece of boys own high seas adventure stuff. Although I would have mentioned that the jingoism was a bit obvious sometimes for the most part it was acceptable stuff.

That was then, this is now. I have changed, Britain has changed. I hate this book because I know that people who I would radically disagree with would love it.

Now before I go on let me acknowledge one fact that both myself and my self of five years ago would have agreed on. This novel is far better than the one other C S Forester book I've read The Gun, which comes highly recommended if the sleeping pills don't work.

And that's it.

The most objectionable thing about this book is it's treatment of anything "foreign". The foreign character range from the enemy,to the suspicious to peoples so weak they need the help of Britain to deal with their wars.Whereas any "English" character bar one  (and for the most part   there was tellingly  rarely any use of Britain/British just England/English) is for whatever faults is noble and trustworthy.

(One quick aside:There is a scene where an attractive Russian countess makes tentatives advances to Hornblower.  His reaction is described as one of revulsion. My reaction was"yeah right").

The point though is that this attitude towards foreigners, the "we're superior than them" tone, is what drives UKIP along. It's why they'd probably want to put the Hornblower novels in the national curriculum if they could. Trouble with this attitude, leaving aside the racism, is that the days when Britannia ruled the waves, had an empire or even a large manufacturing industry has long since gone. Without it, UKIP'S wish fulfilment makes the UK's future even more dangerous.

Now you might say two things. Firstly is it fair for me to comment on C S  Forrester based on the attitudes of today? I would answer by throwing this back at you. Why should the reader of today judge a book on the attitudes of when a book was written?

Secondly you might accuse me of being unpatriotic.  My answer is if the definition of patriotism is the red white and blue Brexit patriotism of the scoundrel then yes I am unpatriotic .

I have a few other Hornblower novels in the great unread. Perhaps my views will change again. Doubt it though.

The actual Penguin book to read next in the great unread is this:

Ibsen - Brand

Of course the great irony is that being Norwegian Ibsen just might be on a UKIP reading list.

Until the next time......oh and happy new year  (let's hope)

In Which My Addiction To Books Continues

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Well it was time to pay my debts to society and feed my addiction at the same time. That's right to pay the overdue library bill and to buy more books.

First stop was Pyle library. The journey was not great, rain, grey skies thunder and a bolt of lightening a few blocks away.

The Things I Do For Reading

And you can guess that I couldn't resist borrowing another book which was this.

Melanie Jones - L'Amour Actually

Picked specifically because I doubt whether anyone from UKIP would buy it.

Onward then to Porthcawl and the library there.

The Dark Weather Made The Local Church Even More Gothic

So when I went to the library the first thing to do after paying my overdue dues was to pick the football book to read. It actually turned out to be an easy choice.

Garry Monk - Loud, Proud & Positive

I won't chat about this book (written when he was captain of Swansea City but not it's manager) properly until I've finished reading it. But suspect that with hindsight it will be the most bittersweet football book I've ever read.

Also noticed (and borrowed) this.

Alex Salmond - The Dream Shall Never Die

This is his book on the Scottish Referendum. Worth a read. Suspect another referendum soon with a different result.

After that went to the Porthcawl Animal Welfare Shop to buy some Pelican/Penguin paperbacks. Armed with a budget of £3.80. In the event I bought three. These were the first two.

1113 - C S Forester - Flying Colours

1114 - C S Forester - A Ship Of The Line

For me it's rather interesting this because currently I'm reading a later Horatio Hornblower book and am in two minds about it. Will chat about this when I've finished.

The other was in the Penguin Modern Poets series.

19 - John Ashbery,Lee Harwood,Tom Raworth,

It cost 65p for the three which leaves a budget until Monday of £3.15.

Until the next time.

How Ellery Queen Saved Me From Boredom Whilst Out Of Town Shopping

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Well it was a Sunday, and unusually I wasn't working. What could I do on this classic bright but cold November day? Well go out with wife and daughter to buy clothes of course. And not just buying clothes, but buying clothes in an out of town warehouse store about twenty minutes away.

The wife had received some sort of offer from the clothes retailer Matalan and had wanted to buy clothes for myself and our daughter for Christmas (thus losing the element of surprise) as well as stuff for herself. As she needed to make sure it fitted I was dragged kicking and screaming (in my mind at least) to go with them.

I was going to miss the game between Arsenal and Tottenham. But that didn't really matter as a West Ham fan like me it was as if you were watching a fight between two people you don't like knowing that the winner was going to be very,very,smug.

Now here I should explain something. There are probably few things where men clearly superior to women but one of them I would argue is in choosing clothes. I'm not saying whether the choice is correct, just in making the decision. A man would notice an item he liked, buy it and that was that. On the other hand there seems to be two particular ways a woman does this.

The first option is to pick an item of clothing, have doubts,then go for two, three, four similar items before returning to the first item for another look.

The second option is to buy about four items, take them home,make a decision and then take the unwanted bits back to the store for a refund.

In both cases they will ask you, as the partner, for your opinion and when you give it proceed to ignore it. Especially when the answer was approving.

So I knew that my brain was going to be turned to mush by all of this. That's why I hate clothes shopping with the wife and now she's a teenager my daughter.And it was also why I took a book with me. Because I didn't want to take the library books in case I lost them, and the Beatrice Webb was a large hardback it could only be The Roman Hat Mystery by Ellery Queen.

Llantrisant, where the Matalan was was about twenty minutes away from where we lived. When we arrived there another of my pet hates revealed itself. You will find as we continue this blog that as I've grown older I'm not really a "Christmas/New Year type of person. I just accept it and hope it goes quickly. However if there's one thing I really,really hate it's Christmas in November for the simple reason that it's November,

Already the TV ads have appeared and worse than that those TV Christmas channels which shows American TV films where somebody has a crisis in their lives only to be resolved when they find "the true meaning of Christmas".I felt sick to discover they'd commenced at the end of October.

The shops, in November have turned themselves into a Christmas wonderland of things to buy as a gift and watch the recipient generally ignore later. Matalan was not an exception. I wanted to take a picture but it would've been too obvious and people would have just asked why. Let's just say gaudy would be an apt description.

As it happened it came quickly quite clear that Matalan (other than a pack of five socks) had nothing that was in my size. Let me digress here for a moment. Since my incident with the Subway "hearty Italian" baguette. and my front teeth I'd gone off eating baguettes,crisps and sweets. And because of especially not eating crisps whilst I'm not saying I'm an Adonis with a six pack I've gotten noticeably slimmer.

I was therefore surplus to requirements. The wife and daughter had garnered in about ten minutes a group of blouses for them to try out in the changing room before whittling down to a lesser number to work out later. In that moment my wife had an inspirational moment.She turned to me and said "Why don't you read the book in the car?"

She didn't need to say it twice. I was off.

So that was why I claim to be the only man ever to have read an Ellery Queen crime novel in a retail car park in Wales. I want a plaque for eternity.

And not only did I read it, I finished it. So let me say that the opinion I gave in my last post has not changed. It was readable but dated. Thank you Ellery anyway.

This of course means there is a new book to pick from the great unread, That book is:

1116 - C S Forester - The Commodore

I've read one Forester book before, The Gun and I didn't like it. This is however the first Horatio Hornblower book to come my way so I have some hope for it.

Until the next time,