A Wedding in December by Anita Shreve

This was well written, cleverly constructed, had a bit of a revelation and a happy-ish ending ... but was ultimately depressing! I didn't really care for the characters, even the "good" guys, and I don't think I'll be reading any more of Anita Shreve's books (which is a shame because there are lots of them). It's tending towards the literary end of fiction so it was a satisfying read in some respects, but just not for me.

I've just bought The Skeleton in the Closet by M C Beaton so hopefully that will be more to my taste. I think it's a stand-alone mystery; I looked at her Hamish Macbeth series but as the first volume wasn't in stock I decided to wait until I could get that.

Day 118; Book 116

Time to Depart by Lindsey Davis

This is another in the series featuring the Ancient Roman detective, Marcus Didius Falco. As usual it mixes crime with the wisecracks of our hero, as well as humour involving his extended family and romance with his aristocratic girlfriend Helena Justina. We also learn about Roman history along the way, which is nice and painless!

Day 117; Book 115

The Bodies left Behind by Jeffery Deaver

I'd read all of Jeffery Deaver's books except this one, so I was very pleased to come across it at a discount (I paid £8 for it and it's still in hardback). If you haven't read this author yet I really recommend him. Some of his books are stand-alones, like this one, so they can be read in any order. Some are part of a series, like the Lincoln Rhyme books. Lincoln is a quadriplegic forensic investigator who solves murders by deduction; if you want to read this series the first book is The Bone Collector. (The Bone Collector is also a film, but the book is better). Deaver is the master of misdirection, known for the unexpected twists and turns of his plots. Most of his books are real page-turners.

The Bodies left Behind is another exciting book, well worth reading and with well-drawn characters. Having read all of Deaver's books, I picked up this time on a couple of the twists. However despite expecting these twists I was still completely misled on most occasions! The only thing that annoyed me was that this edition had quite a few typos, which forced me to read some sentences several times to get the meaning. Grrr!

The Best Complaint Letter Ever

If you haven't seen this yet, it is well worth a look!

A Slightly Rude Joke

A man and a woman who had never met before, but who were both married to other people, found themselves assigned to the same sleeping room on a trans-continental train.

Though initially embarrassed and uneasy over sharing a room, they were both very tired and fell asleep quickly, he in the upper berth and she in the lower.

At 1:00 AM, the man leaned down and gently woke the woman saying, "I'm sorry to bother you, but would you be willing to reach into the closet to get me a second blanket? I'm awfully cold."

"I have a better idea," she replied. "Just for tonight, let's pretend that we're married."

"Wow, that's a great idea!'" he exclaimed.

"Good," she replied. "Get your own *&!**! blanket."

After a moment of silence, he farted.

The Spanish Civil War

I didn't start a new book last night - I was still dipping into yesterday's book about Scots volunteers in the Spanish Civil War. Britain took a non-intervention stance in this war but as Germany, Italy and Portugal were taking an active part that amounted to Britain failing to support the side of democracy. Members of the International Brigades who had to be repatriated to Britain were later sent bills for the cost by the government and, worse, many were not accepted for the armed forces in the Second World War because they were seen as Reds. Some did enlist and found themselves discriminated against. There is a memorial stone in Kirkcaldy to those who fought which I must go and see (there is also one in Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh).

Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell

The writer George Orwell spent the first part of 1937 in Spain fighting against the Fascists who were attempting to overthrow the government. His memoir, Homage to Catalonia, describes the fighting he took part in as well as the boredom of waiting for action to start, and he also describes the confusion of the times. Despite contemporary newspaper reports it was not simply a case of democracy versus fascism: many of the working class aimed at revolution and complete social change. This was exemplified in Orwell's P.O.U.M. militia, where officers and men were on the same pay and nobody was addressed by a title. Events moved fast however, and by the middle of 1937 other political parties were in the ascendent. Orwell and his wife barely managed to escape prison before they fled the country. It is poignant to read this book with the benefit of hindsight, and to know that Orwell's fears of fascist victory actually came about. As well as reading this, I have been dipping into Voices from the Spanish Civil War: personal recollections of Scottish volunteers in Republican Spain, 1936-1939 (edited by Ian McDougall). It is amazing to read of the commitment and bravery of ordinary men and women who made their way to Spain to fight with the International Brigades. These were men from the mining villages of Fife, for example, some of whom must still be alive today - a direct connection to history.

On a completely different note I had an easy and enjoyable read next, with the children's book A Very Proper Fox by Jan Fearnley. It features a naughty rabbit and a knicker-ironing fox! This is a favourite of a little girl I know, but adults will enjoy the sly humour and witty illustrations nearly as much. It would be ideal for a 3 to 5 year old.

Then, inspired by the film Withnail and I, I decided to read the play Journey's End by R C Sherriff. I had read this at school, but was reminded of it when Marwood in the film was reading a copy (presumably for his audition). This is a cleverly-constructed play with many touches of humour and excellent characterisation. It conveys the idea that the trench fighting in many cases may have been completely pointless, but that the individual heroism was not. It is a tragedy nevertheless.

Day 113; Book 113