From the blurb: "In this third volume of The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, the irrepressible Precious Ramotswe faces supreme problems at home and at work.
With her detective agency in financial difficulty, Mma Ramotswe takes the hard decision to share offices with her husband-to-be, Mr J.L.B. Matekoni. But even though Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors could do with a little help, it is Mr Matekoni himself who requires her attention..
If that wasn't enough, the agency is facing some of its most puzzling cases: the government official whose sister-in-law is trying to poison his brother; the beauty pageant whose contestants aren't as good as their looks; and the strange young boy, found naked and wild, and smelling of lion..."
Sunday, 2 December 2018
Sunday, 8 January 2017
Book: Paula Hawkins: The Girl on the Train
This is a bestselling thriller. It's written from the viewpoints of three women:
Rachel: a heartbroken alcoholic who's been left by her husband for the woman he had an affair with;
Anna: the 'other woman'; she now lives in Rachel's old house with Tom (now her husband) and their small daughter Evie;
Megan: who lives a few doors down from Rachel's former house, with husband Scott.
Rachel rents a room in her friend Cathy's flat in Ashbury. She commutes to London every day, keeping up the pretense that she has a job, despite being fired for alcoholism months ago. The train passes the gardens of her old street, Blenheim Road, in Witney. She doesn't want to look into her old garden at number 23, but watches the occupants of number 15, Megan and Scott (who she has named Jess and Jason), and imagines them to be blissfully happy. One day, she sees Megan in her garden kissing a man who is not her husband and the next evening Megan disappears. Rachel knows that she was in Witney that evening; she sustained injuries, but suffered one of her alcoholic blackouts and cannot remember what happened. Who can tell her more? - Megan's husband; Kamal Obden, Megan's therapist with whom Megan was having an affair; or the man who was on the train and helped Rachel at the station? While trying to deal with her alcoholism and continuing love for Tom, Rachel begins to get involved to try to solve the mystery. Megan's body is discovered, and Rachel eventually recalls being hit by Tom and Megan getting into his car. At Blenheim Road, she escapes being murdered herself by stabbing Tom with a corkscrew, and she and Anna share a consistent story with the police. Perhaps there is hope for a future without Tom.
Rachel: a heartbroken alcoholic who's been left by her husband for the woman he had an affair with;
Anna: the 'other woman'; she now lives in Rachel's old house with Tom (now her husband) and their small daughter Evie;
Megan: who lives a few doors down from Rachel's former house, with husband Scott.
Rachel rents a room in her friend Cathy's flat in Ashbury. She commutes to London every day, keeping up the pretense that she has a job, despite being fired for alcoholism months ago. The train passes the gardens of her old street, Blenheim Road, in Witney. She doesn't want to look into her old garden at number 23, but watches the occupants of number 15, Megan and Scott (who she has named Jess and Jason), and imagines them to be blissfully happy. One day, she sees Megan in her garden kissing a man who is not her husband and the next evening Megan disappears. Rachel knows that she was in Witney that evening; she sustained injuries, but suffered one of her alcoholic blackouts and cannot remember what happened. Who can tell her more? - Megan's husband; Kamal Obden, Megan's therapist with whom Megan was having an affair; or the man who was on the train and helped Rachel at the station? While trying to deal with her alcoholism and continuing love for Tom, Rachel begins to get involved to try to solve the mystery. Megan's body is discovered, and Rachel eventually recalls being hit by Tom and Megan getting into his car. At Blenheim Road, she escapes being murdered herself by stabbing Tom with a corkscrew, and she and Anna share a consistent story with the police. Perhaps there is hope for a future without Tom.
Books: Reginald Hill: Dalziel and Pascoe books 1, 2 and 3
I decided to investigate the Dalziel and Pascoe series after reading 'Good Morning, Midnight', and enjoying the light-hearted take on the mismatched pair of 'whodunnit' detectives. I read the first three books:
A Clubbable Woman: Mary Connon is clubbed to death in her armchair. Suspicion falls on her husband and the goings on in the Rugby Club and the clubhouse.
An Advancement of Learning: "Lecturers having it away with students, witches' sabbaths on the sand dunes, sit-ins, a body buried under a statue in the gardens... [...] So when Dalziel and that over-educated Sergeant of his, Pascoe, were sent to investigate a disinterred corpse at Holm Coultram College, he hadn't reckoned on a rash of fresh killings."
Dalziel also runs into his ex-girlfriend Ellie, with whom he again begins a tentative relationship.
Ruling Passion: "Peter Pascoe is in shock. A weekend in the country with [Ellie, his girlfiend and] old friends turns into a nightmare when he finds three of them dead and the missing fourth a prime suspect in the eyes of the local police. They want his cooperation. Superintendent Andy Dalziel wants him back in Yorkshire where a string of unsolved burglaries looks like turning nasty. Perhaps it's all a bit too much for Pascoe. As events unfold, the two cases are getting jumbled in his mind, when what he really needs is to keep a clear head..."
These first books were written in the early 70s and elements do seem dated, with some explicit sexism and racism which would not be acceptable now. The author is establishing the characters throughout - Dalziel doesn't yet have the endearing Yorkshire accent of the later books, and he seems altogether gruffer. I enjoyed these, but some of the later books might be better crafted still.
A Clubbable Woman: Mary Connon is clubbed to death in her armchair. Suspicion falls on her husband and the goings on in the Rugby Club and the clubhouse.
An Advancement of Learning: "Lecturers having it away with students, witches' sabbaths on the sand dunes, sit-ins, a body buried under a statue in the gardens... [...] So when Dalziel and that over-educated Sergeant of his, Pascoe, were sent to investigate a disinterred corpse at Holm Coultram College, he hadn't reckoned on a rash of fresh killings."
Dalziel also runs into his ex-girlfriend Ellie, with whom he again begins a tentative relationship.
Ruling Passion: "Peter Pascoe is in shock. A weekend in the country with [Ellie, his girlfiend and] old friends turns into a nightmare when he finds three of them dead and the missing fourth a prime suspect in the eyes of the local police. They want his cooperation. Superintendent Andy Dalziel wants him back in Yorkshire where a string of unsolved burglaries looks like turning nasty. Perhaps it's all a bit too much for Pascoe. As events unfold, the two cases are getting jumbled in his mind, when what he really needs is to keep a clear head..."
These first books were written in the early 70s and elements do seem dated, with some explicit sexism and racism which would not be acceptable now. The author is establishing the characters throughout - Dalziel doesn't yet have the endearing Yorkshire accent of the later books, and he seems altogether gruffer. I enjoyed these, but some of the later books might be better crafted still.
Book: Reginald Hill: Good Morning Midnight (Dalziel and Pascoe book 19)
"Pal Maciver's locked-room suicide exactly mirrors his father's ten years earlier. In each death accusing fingers point to Kay Kafka, Pal's stepmother. But Kay has a formidable champion in the form of Detective Superintendent Andy Dalziel - which makes DCI Peter Pascoe's investigation doubly difficult. Not only does he have an obstructive superior - and friend - but untangling the tortured relations of the Maciver fanily is anything but simple."
I read this after I found an article with 'whodunnit' book recommendations. Well written, with a sense of humour, I decided to investigate the others (see above).
I read this after I found an article with 'whodunnit' book recommendations. Well written, with a sense of humour, I decided to investigate the others (see above).
Monday, 23 November 2015
Charles Bukowski quote
“The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence.”
Charles Bukowski
Sunday, 23 August 2015
A few days in Edinburgh
I went to visit Ag, Colin and Grace in Edinbugh 17th - 20th August :-). I waited for a bit in town on Monday and Ag collected me after work. I was just in time to say 'Goodnight' to Grace, and we had gluten-free pasta with a creamy courgette sauce for dinner.
On Tuesday, Ag, Grace and I went to drop off Ag's car at the garage and then to visit the Festival, including the BBC pink tent and the Udderbelly - here it is: :-)
We resisted going to see Julia Donaldson, as Grace needed her nap, so we headed home on the bus. We went for a walk in the afternoon, and I even looked after Grace on my own for 10 minutes. Colin came home, we had fish and rice for dinner, watched TV and went to bed.
On Wednesday, Colin and I stayed with Grace in the morning and went to the park. Then Colin went to work, Ag came home at lunch time, and we went to the library. Agata and I went out in the evening and saw Milton Jones ('and the Temple of Daft'), who told us about his daring adventures trying to find a treasure, the map to which he'd found in Amber's handbag. Unfortunately, the map turned out to be part of Amber's daughter's homework, but Milton and Amber took part in a number of teacher and education themed adventures in the meantime, including Teachers' Paradise, where there are only teachers and staff (no pupils), including a dinner lady made of... dinner. Ag and I had Pizza Express pizza after.
On Thursday morning, Ag, Grace and I went into the city centre, where we met some of Ag's mummy friends with their toddlers in a festival play area. I went straight to the train station from there and was home in the evening :-).
On Tuesday, Ag, Grace and I went to drop off Ag's car at the garage and then to visit the Festival, including the BBC pink tent and the Udderbelly - here it is: :-)
We resisted going to see Julia Donaldson, as Grace needed her nap, so we headed home on the bus. We went for a walk in the afternoon, and I even looked after Grace on my own for 10 minutes. Colin came home, we had fish and rice for dinner, watched TV and went to bed.
On Wednesday, Colin and I stayed with Grace in the morning and went to the park. Then Colin went to work, Ag came home at lunch time, and we went to the library. Agata and I went out in the evening and saw Milton Jones ('and the Temple of Daft'), who told us about his daring adventures trying to find a treasure, the map to which he'd found in Amber's handbag. Unfortunately, the map turned out to be part of Amber's daughter's homework, but Milton and Amber took part in a number of teacher and education themed adventures in the meantime, including Teachers' Paradise, where there are only teachers and staff (no pupils), including a dinner lady made of... dinner. Ag and I had Pizza Express pizza after.
On Thursday morning, Ag, Grace and I went into the city centre, where we met some of Ag's mummy friends with their toddlers in a festival play area. I went straight to the train station from there and was home in the evening :-).
Sunday, 26 July 2015
Anonymous quote
"Change is hard at the beginning, messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end."
Anonymous: https://twitter.com/InspiringThinkn/status/605963505322225664
Anonymous: https://twitter.com/InspiringThinkn/status/605963505322225664
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