I'll start with an old favourite - Return of the Bunny Suicides! If you haven't heard of this, it's basically a book of cartoon bunnies with but one aim in life: self-destruction. Why is this funny? It's a puzzle, but I think it's probably to do with the contrast between the cuteness of the rabbits and the darkness of their intentions. The situations are ridiculous too, with horrible ends involving toasters or maypoles. The book ends with a picture of a Venus Fly-Trap, and then you notice the fluffy little tail sticking out ...
Also light-hearted was Reading My Arse! I had to buy this for the title alone. It's by the actor Ricky Tomlinson and was another of the Quick Reads series. (Incidentally, if you want to attract non-readers, is placing these books in a traditional bookshop the best idea? What about supermarkets, or pubs?). This story was much better than The Cave, but did have an element of wish-fulfillment about it. This is all very well for the author, but may not appeal to the reader quite so much ...
I also read another of the Marcus Didius Falco detective books, with Falco this time investigating a serial killer in Ancient Rome. Did they have serial killers in those days? It makes an interesting story anyway. It's darker than usual but there's still room for Falco's quips.
Finally I read Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende. Fortunately Catriona had leant this to me, because on the basis of my usual trick of going purely by the title and cover I would have missed out on this book. It turned out to be beautifully written and a fascinating romance and adventure story. Highly recommended.
Day 152; Book 151
4 hours ago
