A Fathers' Day prezzy. See my review on amazon.co.uk
Birthday prezzy. See my review on amazon.co.uk
Not the cover of the edition I read, but anyway..A doorstep of a book, and this is only the first half! I rather enjoyed it though, particularly when he got on with the story. What I didn't like were his discursive essays - an analysis of the Battle of Waterloo and a long discussion of convent life stick in my mind as not really saying much about "misery".
Good follow up to the Hyperion books.
I didn't see the BBC production, but now think I probably should have done. Not so much for Justine Waddell, featured on the front cover - I saw her in Great Expectations and thought she was rubbish - but for Bill Patterson, Keeley Hawes and the always excellent Francesca Annis. I picked the book up in a rush as part of my "classic English 19th century novels" campaign, and wasn't expecting much, but in fact it was rather good. Mrs G's writing style is surprisingly modern and accessible and she treats her characters with considerable humour.
Just back from two lazy weeks with the extended family in a fancy gite with pool in Languedoc. Located in a quiet village about 30 km ENE from Montpellier. Nearest town Sommieres which I had never heard of before - very pleasant and reminiscent of the town in Chocolat, even down to the chocolatier. Weather sunny all through, which didn't stop the locals from whingeing - too hot the first week, too cold the second - but we thought it was just fine. Places visited: Carcassonne (which I had been too a couple of times before, but only quite recently, and i was pleased to do so, as it featured in a favourite short story by Lord Dunsany: "They never came to Caracassonne"), Aigues Mortes in the Camargue (similar story - it features as Count Brass's castle in Michael Moorcock. We managed to see the flamingoes, white horses and cattle), Nimes and Pont du Gard, Montpellier itself (but only to see the first Lions test v S. Africa in an Irish bar - cheating ref bastard!! - I had been there nefore as well for a conference - good city.)
Much of the rest of the time we lounged by the pool or in the shade drinking the good, cheap local wine - it was difficult to drag the others out site-seeing. Lots of barbeques, but there was an excellent restaurant in he village, called the "Rose Blanche". My brother & I consdered challenging them on the relative merits of Lancashire and yorkshire cricket. Obviously got through a lot of reading, finishing these:
We drove from Roscoff to Languedoc and back (going over the Millau viaduct on the way down - very impressive), so lots of listening as well. Fortunately I had just had a birthday, and Fathers' Day was in the middle of the holiday, so plenty of new CD's including these:
plus Carmina Burana and Also Sprach Zarathustra.
.. still a cracking book. Unfortunately yet another doorstop that really needs an index to help you remember who's who and what they were last doing.
