The Man Who Knew Too Much Was by G K Chesterton. The Reader Who Lost The Plot Was Me

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

There are moments (thankfully few) as a reader when I'm reading a novel and then find myself stopping. Metaphorically looking around the fictional place that I'm in only to realise....that I've lost the plot.

When that happens you have as a reader three options. Option one is to put the book down and go for another one. That I'd never do.

Option Two is to start again. But personally unless I have some idea as to where I need to reread (assuming it's my fault) it's not for me.

And so it leaves option three. Plough on and hope that there comes a moment that you grab onto something tenuous and think to yourself. "Yes I'm back. I know what this is about". Trouble is it rarely works.

The other thing is that you, the reader, do not know whether the fault lies with you or the writer. Though if the writer doesn't allow you any possibility of catching up with the plot you'd like to think it's the scribe to blame....if only to sooth your ego.

Must admit I did not expect this to happen to me reading The Man Who Knew Too Much by G K Chesterton but there you are. Was reading it on my Kindle when it dawned on me that I'd no idea what was going on.

Certainly things seem to move at speed. There are chases, deaths but also characters that receive a prominence in a chapter only to be left from then on. A schoolboy, an Italian prince, the only female that seemed to warrant a mention of more than a page. All appeared, then tossed away. The same with locale. All moving at a pace but no idea as to why.

There is at the end an explanation of sorts that made no sense to me whatsoever. Politically it seemed to have something to do with "the Irish question" though exactly why I just do not know.

Think I should have renamed this post "Spoiler alert.....If Only".

So the next book out of the pile of the great ebook unread is. The Positive School of Criminology. Three Lectures Given at the University of Naples Italy by Enrico Ferri. An unusual choice you might think. Until I explain that this was at the time when I was first given the Kindle as a present and with the frenzy of a child given carte blanche at a sweet shop downloaded loads of books with the key connection that they cost nothing at all.

That included The Man Who Knew Too Much.

Until the next time.

In Which D H Lawrence Is Used As A Sleeping Pill,Bridgend Town News And The Return Of Alan Coren

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

I woke up around two o'clock on Sunday morning and went down to watch some Welsh language TV programmes I'd recorded. Today (Monday) morning I found myself awake at one twenty five am.

But I had a plan.

The Kindle was fired up. The plan was simple. Despite what I'd said in my previous post I was to read one chapter of the current book, then would try and go back to sleep.

Well I read the chapter, got back to my pillow.....and slept like a baby.

Which only goes to show that under experimental conditions D H Lawrence is as good an alternative as a sleeping pill.

Eventually today I'd finished that book. Twilight In Italy. An account of his time there. It was a book solely remarkable in that D H Lawrence was able to perform the amazing feat of making Italy and Italians dull. It was gibberish boxed in boredom wrapped in pretension.

Lawrence could not resist the cliché of the simple, primitive Italians being observed by him, the sophisticated inglese. Having Italian blood in me would have riled me to have accused him of racism....if I hadn't been bored into submission in the meantime.

The next book on the great e unread is The Man Who Knew Too Much By G K Chesterton. I've never read a Chesterton book before so am looking forward to it.

Had to go to Bridgend Town today. Another shop in the town, a ladies clothing shop is closing down.

Another sad closure

Now a shop has opened in the town. One that sells pre owned tablets, DVDs and the such like. I don't think this means the revival of the town though. Far from it. Indeed although there are out of town stores it's telling that there are four shops where you could get pre owned stores in Bridgend but only one that would sell new television sets without an instalment payment plan attached to it. Says everything you need to know about the town really.

Final piece of Christmas news. The body that is the Christmas tree has been boxed up and is back in the attic.

A masterpiece of wrapping

Wife was unimpressed. Said that her friend W could fit her tree back in the box completely shut "and it was bigger". My response? " Give W an award then".

Snow is apparently forecast for the later this week (cannot tell you how much I want it to avoid us). In the meantime though as I waiting for daughter to get out of school I realised it was getting lighter. Which meant I could return to the "car book" Toujours Cricklewood by Alan Coren. Already I feel myself smiling as I'm reading it.

Alan Coren would never make me sleepy.

Until the next time.

A Trip To Ponty, Which Of Course Includes A Small But Quietly Wonderful Second Hand Bookshop, Penguins And A Museum

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Though often in this blog I've made it clear that I've always admired Pontypridd when compared to Bridgend Town I hadn't been there,other to watch a rugby game in over a year and quite fancied going on Thursday if only because...well I'll come back to that later.

Unusually this week there were no issues with the weather. So no matter when wife/daughter woke up we could spend a part of the day there. Thus the Kia Picanto was fired up and the three of us arrived there just before twelve.

High Noon At Ponty

After lunch we started to wander around the town centre. In terms of comparison with Bridgend Town nothing has changed. It's still better. There is no sense of decay here. There did not appear to be many shop closures since I last visited with a noticeable exception. The Marks and Spencer was closed roughly a year ago. As far as I can work out an outlet store aside there is only one Marks and Spencer store now between Cardiff and Swansea and that's in Neath. I'll confirm that if I ever go there.

Generally though to a visitor's eye this is a town centre at ease with itself.

Are you watching Bridgend Council?

One of the highlights for me was in Pontypridd Market.

Pontypridd Market

And specifically to the bookstall selling pre owned books.

Inter Books

The ladies went off to do some shopping by themselves. I had an half an hour.

This is a small but quietly wonderful place. Even more so given the decline of bookshops, There is the sense that you as a reader have the chance of the thrill of discovery which the internet for all it's wonders can't match. If you're a reader and you're in Pontypridd give it a visit. For remember, it's sort is dying.

This is how I like a bookshop to be

I could have bought between eighteen and eighty books that afternoon. But I controlled my Penguin book addiction and just bought eight.Starting with...

1440 - John Wyndham - The Midwich Cuckoos

I am a fan of John Wyndham books. I reckon because he was able to write science fiction in the style of an ordinary novel. Thus making it relatable to his readers. 

442 - Graham Greene - Brighton Rock

It's rather surprising that this is the first Graham Greene book I've got for the collection since I've started it. I am a fan. The Heart Of The Matter is one of my most favourite books of all time.

765 - The Innocence Of Father Brown

Confession time. I've never read a G K Chesterton book. Solely because of having so many books and so little time (aka life).This also applies to this next novel.

2535 - Colette - My Mother's House

1425 - Honor Tracey -The Straight And Narrow Path

I've never heard of this writer before. So to be honest I really can't say anything yet.

There was a series of books called Penguin Specials which were about the issues of the day. I bought two of them. Firstly.

S222 - John Mander - Great Britain Or Little England

This is a book about Britain's place in the world post Empire. I bought it because it might be timely post Brexit.

S182 - Edward Crankshaw - Khrushchev's Russia

I bought this because it appeared interesting.

And finally.

Francoise Sagan - La Chamade

I think I've mentioned before how surprisingly emotionally affected I was by Bonjour Tristesse. So any chance I get to buy another book by Ms Sagan will always be taken.

Before leaving for home we visited Pontypridd Museum.

Pontypridd Museum....with added finger

This is a small place. On the ground floor there are exhibitions which this time was an art one. I won't lie this is not to my taste but each to their own. It is a converted chapel which explains this showpiece.

Impressive

Upstairs shows us more with regard to history of Ponty. It also has this which if you put an old style 10p (which they will give you in exchange for a current one) one of the trains will move around the place.

For the child in us all

As long as you don't go in expecting the British museum. I reckon you'll like what you'll see.

We left having enjoyed ourselves. It was a good afternoon,

Until the next time.