Madeleine

Easy Lover - Phil Collins/Philip Bailey

If leaving me is easy - Phil Collins

Same for me, quiet for a while and then lots all at once, the last few days have been a bit full on - met up with friends last Sunday, then Monday I also sadly had a funeral, then a break for a few days and then Saturday had a quiz evening, yesterday my choir sang at a local Christmas fare which was great fun, quiet again for a few days then off with friends on Thursday to a gallery, first Christmas lunch of the season on Saturday and another choir gig on Sunday, this time at the local shopping mall, though I don't think the acoustics will be that good, as those places tend to be a bit like echo chambers. Enjoy whatever you're doing!

Make it easy on Yourself - Walker Brothers

Fantastic news, wishing you a speedy recovery.

The Whitby Murders by J R Ellis - another instalment in the Yorkshire Murders series, this continues the Halloween/Victober theme and involves a group of friends who travel to Whitby for the Goth weekend just before Halloween, and decide to take part in a Dracula-themed escape room. One of the men seems to stab his girlfriend and escapes through the emergency exit, but the blood is real and the police launch a murder inquiry as the main suspect seems to have disappeared. Detective Jim Oldroyd is asked to help, as the lead detective on the case is a former colleague, but he has another reason for wanting to help, as his daughter Louise is one of the group of friends who was on the fateful weekend. That's all I can say without further spoilers, but this was an enjoyable read, and although I did work out some of the clues, I didn't guess the murderer's identity. There are several books in this series now, and they work well as cosy (ish) crimes, set mainly around Yorkshire. 7/10

Love you til Tuesday - David Bowie

A Town called Malice - The Jam

Real Gone Kid - Deacon Blue

The Ballad of Barry and Freda - Victoria Wood

The Ballad of Midsomer County - Lucie Jones/Seth Lakeman (featured in an episode of Midsomer Murders, and commercially released)

Mustang Sally - the Commitments/various others

Second Hand Rose - Barbra Streisand

Good year for the Roses - Elvis Costello

Was it worth it? - pet Shop Boys

A Witch Hunt in Whitby by Helen Cox - this is another instalment in the Kitt Hartley cosy crime series. Kitt is a librarian who is obsessed with books, and finds herself helping her boyfriend, policeman Mal Halloran, investigate crimes, and when her friend Ruby, a medium, finds a strange mark on her front door denoting her as the so-called Vampire Killer's next victim, the case becomes even more personal, and urgent, for the police now know that they have only 11 days to find the killer, who has already claimed 3 victims, all who had the same "V" daubed on their front door, 11 days before they were murdered. Kitt and her assistant Grace, who are also private investigators, launch their own investigation and eventually a link to Whitby becomes clear, so it's off to Whitby to meet up with the leader of a "Dracula" group. They also discover links to another, more sinister group, and find that the answer as usual lies in the past, but time is running out as, like vampires, several of their leads seem to have gone to ground, and will they be able to find their friend before the killer? This was another easy read, entertaining but not totally convincing, especially with a basic error like saying that Halloran has a police badge - they have warrant cards in the UK, not badges, and the author should know this by now. There were a few other continuity errors too, which lost it a few points. But the books are readable, and the settings are lovely too. 6/10

"The Darker Arts" by Oscar de Muriel - my Victober read, this is the 5th in the Frey and McGray series,set mainly in late Victorian Edinburgh. This carries on from the tragic events of the previous book, with Ian Frey still recovering, now back at the family home in Gloucestershire, until he is summoned back to Edinburgh by his colleague, Adolphus McGray,who is sick with worry after his clairvoyant friend, Katerina, has been arrested on suspicion of murdering the 6 people who were taking part in a seance in a locked room - the lights went out, and Katerina woke up the next day to find herself the only person in the room, in fact the whole house, still living. As the victims have no obvious injuries or signs of intoxication of any sort, she is the prime suspect, and the duo are in a race against time to save her from the gallows,and find the real culprit. Another hugely enjoyable romp,with some nice humour, and genuine suspense. A great series, sadly only two more books to go. 8/10

Bridge over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel

Back to Black - Amy Winehouse

House of the Rising Sun - The Animals

Burnin' down the House - Talking Heads

Here comes the sun - The Beatles

When will I see you again - The 3 Degrees

Wake me up before you go-go - Wham!

Little Saint Nick - The Beach Boys