smallhobbit | Books, Audiobooks, Courses

This was the month all my library reservations from over a period of nine months decided to arrive. I began the month with nine books reserved (the maximum allowed is ten) and am now down to two, neither of which look like they'll arrive for some time.

The Hollow Man by John Dickson Carr

Reserved since January, it arrived at the end of April. It's a classic of the 'locked room' genre, and while I'm pleased I can tick it off the list, the solution wasn't one which I was particularly taken with. [A5]

Swan Song by Edmund Crispin

Borrowed from the library as I continue to read through the Gervase Fen novels. I enjoyed this one more than the last, which seems to be a common thought reading the views on the Shedunnit Forum. The books are supposed to be light-hearted, sometimes that works and sometimes it grates. I enjoyed the look at the opera company and the relationships between the performers.

Death Comes As The End by Agatha Christie

Borrowed from the library, this is the Shedunnit Book Club book for May. Unlike most Christie's, this is set in Ancient Egypt (rather than modern archeologists in Egypt). I didn't find it particularly satisfying and will be interested to see what the other forum members make of it. There are rumours it might be a BBC Christie, perhaps next Christmas, and in which case I'd watch it, because I wouldn't be concerned about how the story was treated.

The Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson

Recommended by

aome I've never read a book by Bryson, although I've been aware of him, so this was a good chance to rectify this. (Also a library book). It's an light-hearted and informative look at how the English language came to be as it is and I learnt a number of things. I skimmed the sections on the various American changes, but on the whole I enjoyed seeing how the language adapts everything it comes into contact with, rather than rejecting it. [B5]

Bombs on Aunt Dainty by Judith Kerr

This is the second book in the trilogy, of which I read When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit last year. I reserved the book last October. I did enjoy the next episode in Anna's life, as she lives in London as a refugee during WWII. The book is semi-autobiographical and gives a really good impression of what everyday life was like at the time. The copy I had included Pink Rabbit and SM read the book after me, also enjoying it. [B6]

Death at the Dolphin by Ngaio Marsh

Continuing my read through of the Roderick Alleyn books. This is another book based in a theatre, and I enjoyed the story and the different characters. Lots of Shakesperean referrences, so an entertaining read. [D5]

V2 by Robert Harris

This was a book recommended by, I think, Richard Armitage, in an interview. Robert Harris is a well-known author, and in my continuing aim to read different books I decided to try it. He's certainly very popular, I reserved the book back in December, and although the library has 24 copies it still took over four months to get to me. It's set in WWII and is a fictional account of the British attempt to destroy the V2 bases in the Netherlands. I liked the story and it was easy to read, but won't be rushing out to read more novels by Harris, it not being the type of book I'm particularly keen on. However, as a dip into a different genre it was worth doing. [B7]

The House at Ladywell by Nicola Slade

This book has been on my To Be Read Shelf for so long I've forgotten why I bought it. I liked the premise of the house having a long history, and the new owner taking on the history, but in the end, although the different past events are included Freya never learns about them, just knows that there are connections to the past. And for me everything ties up too nicely, and all the problems of past times are wiped away by 'true love'. [C5]

[Letters/numbers refer to my reading lists for the year, and record how I'm progressing.]

Audiobooks:

I've started my intention of listening to all the audiobooks I currently have in my library. First up The Warden by Anthony Trollope (read by David Shaw-Parker). Definitely from the 'buy one get one free' selection. SM liked the Chronicles of Barsetshire, so I decided to try for myself, and despite my misgivings, I enjoyed the book and was definitely rooting for the warden by the end of the story.

Dreams from My Father: a Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama (read by Obama). A really interesting look at Obama's early life and his family. I listened to a little each day, which seemed the best way to approach this.

Death in Delft by Graham Brack (read by Alex Wyndham).

therealsnape recommended the Master Mecurius books and I've been unable to find copies elsewhere, so decided that if I had listened to some of my TBR list I was entitled to buy another audiobook. I really enjoyed the story and am delighted to have heard of them. Audible has two more available, so they're now on my wish list for later in the year.

FutureLearn Courses

Low Budget Video Production: Visual Communication for Small Charities by the Open University. I took this course because I thought it could prove useful to Glos Bundles. It was interesting, but it demonstrated the need for time, and frequently spoke of members staff, which means that it was aimed at larger organisations. Yes, what they said would be helpful, but it does show that we'd need a volunteer specifically to do this.

The Story of Wine: The Importance of Being Prosecco by the University of Padova. I thought this would be fun, since I like Prosecco. Sadly it was rather dry, just being facts and requests to share similar experiences in one's own country. There was little interaction. I finished the course with more knowledge, but it wouldn't make a lot of difference to what I drink :)

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