Madeleine

The day before you came - Abba

Pickwick Papers - Charles Dickens

Bridge

Apparently they would have been four in the final (I think there were 4 last year), but with will Young leaving they had to get rid of someone this week, so I read somewhere. Think the right 3 are in the final, I couldn't believe Oti's leap at the end of the American smooth - she just launched herself!

I think it's the same whatever job you do, look at sportspeople, they're the fittest people around yet most of have to give up by the time they're 40 (maybe a bit older if they're lucky or depending on the sport) due to injury or just wear and tear.

I've just seen that a new show called "Timeless" is starting tomorrow in the UK, it's a sort of jokey sci-fi time travel series which I think has been shown in the US - anyone seen it? Previews say it's daft but fun, and the premise sounds quite similar to Jodi Taylor's books, which I know a few of us on here have read.

Thick fog this morning, now grey and drizzly.

Grey and rainy again, and so dark.

Patricia Cornwell's Scarpetta series For TV, Heroes, Dr Who, Grey's Anatomy, Penny Dreadful, and all the soaps!

I found the 3rd part of LOTR ie Return of the King, the heaviest read, so good luck with it!

Homeward Bound - Simon & Garfunkel

I finished "Moving" by Jenny Éclair last week, another book by a celebrity (she's a well-known stand-up comedienne in the UK) and this one was at least well-written and had a decent storyline. It's split into 3 parts, first of all we have Edwina who is now an old lady and has decided to sell her rambling house in London and, as she takes a young estate agent through the house so that he can evaluate it, we get a potted history of her life, including 2 marriages, as they go through each room. It was quite enjoyable but I did wonder where it was going, then we get to part 2, which is set in the 1980s and is about a girl called Fern who's just started studying drama at Manchester University, and has moved into a shared house. One of the other residents is Charlie, who is Edwina's son from her first marriage, and this section tells mainly of sleazy encounters with the opposite sex (especially Charlie, who for some strange reason despite having the morals of an alley cat and being a generally dirty, unwashed specimen, has no problem attracting women, including Fern (and anyone else who happens to be around). Anyway for some bizarre reason Fern can't break her attraction to him, and he was so unappealing that I found it a bit hard to believe, even for late teen/early 20's students. I thought this part went on for far too long and got a bit tedious, to the point when I almost gave up. Finally we get to part 3, which is set in the present day and is told from the point of view of Lucas, who is mentioned a lot in the first 2 sections of the book and is set up as a "bad guy" who was responsible for some sort of tragedy. Lucas is Edwina's stepson (the son of her 2nd husband from his 1st marriage!) and has returned to England to see his mother who is dying, and he too starts rooting through her old possessions so that we finally find out what really happened all those years ago. It's not really surprising and to be honest the "victims" were tragedies waiting to happen and although Lucas did make some mistakes, he's not as bad as he's painted; they were pretty much victims of their own misfortune and lifestyle. Overall this wasn't a bad read, just a bit too long-winded, but well-written and with some great nostalgia for fans of the 1980s. 7/10

Horrible, grey and drizzly, and very dark, ugh

Car

I'm just about to finish number 48, and have started 49, so should just scrape 50!

Just finished Murder in Advent by David Williams, a vintage murder mystery about a suspicious death in a small cathedral town, when a body is found following a fire at the cathedral during which the alleged copy of Magna Carta was destroyed. The document had been a bone of contention in the cathedral community, with some wanting to sell it to raise much needed funds, and others not wanting to sell it. So the list of suspects is quite long, and an insurance investigator is brought in to help with the investigation. This was an enjoyable mystery, although at times I found it hard to keep up with all the characters, but it had a nice dry humour and went along at a brisk pace. 7/10

(The) Look of Love - Dusty Springfield

Fortune's Rocks - Anita Shreve

Sounds scary!

Dark Fire by C J Sansom

Like a Virgin - Madonna

I enjoyed the Susan Hill book, Andrea, the rest of the series gets a bit patchy later on, but the first one is excellent.

I can't remember that scene!

(The) ABC Murders - Agatha Christie

Yes it's much milder here too, bit damp though and very dull.