Books - April 2024
Apr. 27th, 2024 03:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
smallhobbitWith a couple of shorter books this month I managed to read 8 in total and am happy to be on track for my goal for the year.
Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays The Rent by Judi Dench
A fascinating look at all the Shakespeare parts Judi Dench has played in her long acting career, as well as insights into her life. I waited nearly four months to read this from the library, but it was well worth the wait. Definitely recommended for anyone who likes Shakespeare's plays or is interested in Judi Dench.
Big Ben Strikes Eleven by David Magarshack
A new issue by British Library Crime Classics, having originally been published in 1934. I read it because the library had a copy and am keen for them to continuing buying BLCC books. However, I found it tiresome and wouldn't recommend it.
The Last Hero: A Discworld Fable by Terry Pratchett
This is a standalone within the Discworld books, although it brings in a number of favourite characters. It's a large book, page size not number, and didn't fit on the being read pile. There are some great pictures to go with it, as well as annotated illustrations. If you like Discworld you'll enjoy it, if you've not read any before, you might be rather confused. Husband is currently reading it before it goes back to the library.
The Long Divorce by Edmund Crispin
The next in the Gervase Fen series. It was well constructed, but not as good as some of his other books, which I feel vary in standard.
A Bespoke Murder by Edward Marston
This is the second time I've begun a book by Marston, the first I gave up on. This is set in London in WWI, but didn't grab me. There was too much that felt like modern thoughts were fed back into the characters. I finished it, because I liked many of the main characters and wanted to know what happened, but I won't read any more.
Holmes and Watson by S C Roberts
Recommended to me as being of interest to Holmes' fans, it provides the backstories for both Holmes and Watson, attempts to deal with Watson's many wives (but not including him and Lestrade setting up home together, which I feel is a perfect solution), and the general dodgy dating. This book was originally published in 1953, and although vaguely interesting I wouldn't particularly recommend it to my many Sherlock Holmes friends.
The Kenneth Williams Diaries
Edited entries from 1942 to his death in 1988, these are very revealing about Williams, who clearly was very unhappy for a lot of his adult life. It took me nearly two months to read, because I couldn't read too many pages at a time. Very much a case that the persona seen on screen had little connection with who he was in his private life.
Game On by Matt Cain
The title continues 'Can you love the player if you hate the game?' This is a short book (94 pages in the Kindle version) but contains a great story. It's the meeting between a Premier League footballer who is gay but not openly so and a journalist. Cain is brilliant at showing the pressures people are under and not being judgemental about it. This is part of an Emergent Readers series, so not complex language, but an excellent tale, told in a way anyone who struggles to read can understand. I thoroughly recommend it, although whether it's available outside the UK I don't know. I borrowed it from our library, and if you can do so, please do.
And here's my book bingo card and I've finally got a row and a column:
Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays The Rent by Judi Dench
A fascinating look at all the Shakespeare parts Judi Dench has played in her long acting career, as well as insights into her life. I waited nearly four months to read this from the library, but it was well worth the wait. Definitely recommended for anyone who likes Shakespeare's plays or is interested in Judi Dench.
Big Ben Strikes Eleven by David Magarshack
A new issue by British Library Crime Classics, having originally been published in 1934. I read it because the library had a copy and am keen for them to continuing buying BLCC books. However, I found it tiresome and wouldn't recommend it.
The Last Hero: A Discworld Fable by Terry Pratchett
This is a standalone within the Discworld books, although it brings in a number of favourite characters. It's a large book, page size not number, and didn't fit on the being read pile. There are some great pictures to go with it, as well as annotated illustrations. If you like Discworld you'll enjoy it, if you've not read any before, you might be rather confused. Husband is currently reading it before it goes back to the library.
The Long Divorce by Edmund Crispin
The next in the Gervase Fen series. It was well constructed, but not as good as some of his other books, which I feel vary in standard.
A Bespoke Murder by Edward Marston
This is the second time I've begun a book by Marston, the first I gave up on. This is set in London in WWI, but didn't grab me. There was too much that felt like modern thoughts were fed back into the characters. I finished it, because I liked many of the main characters and wanted to know what happened, but I won't read any more.
Holmes and Watson by S C Roberts
Recommended to me as being of interest to Holmes' fans, it provides the backstories for both Holmes and Watson, attempts to deal with Watson's many wives (but not including him and Lestrade setting up home together, which I feel is a perfect solution), and the general dodgy dating. This book was originally published in 1953, and although vaguely interesting I wouldn't particularly recommend it to my many Sherlock Holmes friends.
The Kenneth Williams Diaries
Edited entries from 1942 to his death in 1988, these are very revealing about Williams, who clearly was very unhappy for a lot of his adult life. It took me nearly two months to read, because I couldn't read too many pages at a time. Very much a case that the persona seen on screen had little connection with who he was in his private life.
Game On by Matt Cain
The title continues 'Can you love the player if you hate the game?' This is a short book (94 pages in the Kindle version) but contains a great story. It's the meeting between a Premier League footballer who is gay but not openly so and a journalist. Cain is brilliant at showing the pressures people are under and not being judgemental about it. This is part of an Emergent Readers series, so not complex language, but an excellent tale, told in a way anyone who struggles to read can understand. I thoroughly recommend it, although whether it's available outside the UK I don't know. I borrowed it from our library, and if you can do so, please do.
And here's my book bingo card and I've finally got a row and a column:
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Date: 2024-04-29 11:18 am (UTC)Very interesting to read what you thought of the Kenneth Williams diaries. He has been one of my favorite actors since I was a kid, and I have sometimes thought of reading his diaries, but hesitated. How tragic and unfair that someone who brought so much joy to so many should have been so very unhappy himself.
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