Roland Butter

Sue, I flatly deny ever knowing Miss Rice-Davies! I'm happy to pass it on if you'd like to read it. Feel free to PM me if you're interested.

I'd certainly endorse What a Carve Up. It's an excellent read.

Just finished An English Affair, Richard Davenport-Hines' account of the Profumo affair. It's a very thoughtful and in-depth study of the scandal that rocked Britain at a time when the stultifying, class-bound society of the post-war years was on its way out, but the Sixties hadn't quite started to swing. Davenport-Hines paints a particularly sympathetic picture of the society osteopath Stephen Ward, conventionally regarded as a procurer in the case, but he creates a strong case for Ward as the victim of a hypocritcal and vindictive Establishment closing ranks to protect its own. Well worth a read, by the way!

Yes, that's the same Jerry White. Among his many talents (and I know that's probably not the right description!), he's also been the Local Government Ombudsman.

That sounds like a wonderful event in a beautiful location. Many thanks for the information, Eleonora!

I've just finished "How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone" by Sasa Stanisic. Really enjoyed it. Even though it's in translation, it still captures the whimsy and humour of a young boy who lives in a world of his own, but soon has to grow up when the realities of war threaten the town he lives in, his friendships that cross ethnic lines, and even his own family, the product of a "mixed" marriage. To quote the blurb: Aleksandar is Comrade-in-Chief of fishing, the best magician in the non-aligned States and painter of unfinished things. He knows the first chapter of Marx's Das Kapital by heart but spends most of his time playing football in the Bosnian town of Visegrad on the banks of the river Drina. When his grandfather, a master storyteller, dies of the fastest heart attack in the world while watching Carl Lewis's record, Aleksandar promises to carry on the tradition. However when the shadow of war spreads to Visegrad, the world as he knows it stops. Suddenly it is not important how heavy a spider's life weighs, or why Marko's horse is related to Superman. Suddenly it is important to have the right name and to pretend that the little Muslim girl Asija is his sister. Then Aleksandar's parents decide to flee to Germany and he must leave his new friend behind. Show More Show Less

Interesting subject. As I think many of you know, I'm passionate (to the point of tedium!) about London. I'd certainly agree that anything by Patrick Hamilton is especially worth reading, and the novels by Norman Collins and Michael Moorcock are excellent too. I'd also throw in a few more. Alexander Baron's "The Lowlife", "King Dido" and "Rosie Hogarth" all deal with London's underbelly, while London Books (www.london-books.co.uk) is a small independent publisher that specialises in reprinting long-lost "classics", such as Gerald Kersh's "Night and the City", James Curtis' "The Gilt Kid" and Bob Westerby's "Wide Boys Don't Work". Westerby, interestingly, went on to become a successful Hollywood scriptwriter, and Baron, too, made his living largely by writing for TV. In addition, a couple of recent anthologies may be worth a look. Iain Sinclair's "London: City of Disappearances" `brings together "a ragtag of verbose bibliomanes, psychogeographers, local historians, mythologizers, curators and visionaries in a dazzling anthology of overheard conversations, blind alleys, forgotten myths and half-held doctrines". Sinclair's writing itself is an acquired taste, I'd say, but contributors range from Thomas de Quincey to Will Self, which I'd imagine is a reasonable definition of "something for everyone"! The other one is "London Fictions", edited by Andrew Whitehead and Jerry White. "Two dozen contemporary writers, including novelists Cathi Unsworth and Courttia Newland and historians Sarah Wise and Rachel Lichtenstein, reflect on some of the novels and novelists that have helped define the modern city, from "Hangover Square" to "Brick Lane" and from George Gissing to Zadie Smith". I have both these anthologies on the shelf, and I'm looking forward to reading them.

Yes, the high jump was pretty amazing. I remember, back in my schooldays (which was a VERY long time ago!), there was a lad with one leg competing in the high jump at the English Schools Championships against the able-bodied athletes. Imagine what a stir that caused, way back then.

Yep, if you like your crime hard-boiled, you can't do better than Jim Thompson. "The Grifters" is an absolute classic, and it knocks the film version into a cocked hat.

Glad you enjoyed it - it's a wonderful book, isn't it?

Thanks for the suggestions, Sedge. As luck would have it, that's the day we've got tickets for something at the Minack, but thanks for trying!

18-25 August, most likely, so I'll be on the lookout for a midweek game.

I'll be down in Mousehole in a few weeks' time, Sedge, so I'll keep my eyes open for a game.

I find them interesting, Michelle, and I think it would be good to continue with them. I don't read them to find new books - there are plenty of ways to do that anyway - and I'm not bothered whether or not I've "heard of" them.. What interests me is their accounts of how and why they write, and of the whole process of being a writer.

I have the John Baxter book as well, although I haven't managed to read it yet. Apologies if I've missed it, but when are you going, by the way? If there's one bit of advice I'd give you, it's - don't overplan your trip. Just go where you fancy, and see what you find. Paris is very much like London - wherever you wander, you'll find plenty to intrigue you if you just keep your eyes open. Make it your holiday, not the one other people want you to have.

I read Elegance of the Hedgehog a few months back, Andrea. It's a lovely book - slow-paced, but beautifully written and with characters you can warm to. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Welcome to BCF, Vicki!

Welcome to BCF, Cory, I'm sure you'll enjoy it here.

In a good way, I hope, Bree? I thought it was an excellent novel.

If you enjoyed Duck Soup Kylie, then as Claire said A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races are the next best Marx Brothers films, I'd say. In a similar vein, the 1941 film Hellzapoppin' is great as well - full of surreal visual and verbal gags and fantastic dance scenes too. You don't see it around a lot these days, but it's well worth looking out for.

But it'll be worth it. I'm not easily given to hyperbole, but Alone in Berlin was one of the best, most gripping, most powerful novels I've read in a long, long time.

Salve Eleonora! Come stai?

And nor should you feel guilty, Claire. To a small independent bookseller, customers who come in and spend £30 are a Godsend - it makes a huge difference. Well done! https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=10151235290203858&set=a.10150331066623858.431421.563888857&type=1&theater

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ....!!!!!!!!!!

Good luck to Andy with the job applications, too. It must be very tough for youngsters these days. I remember the time when you could walk out of a job on Friday and be in a new one on Monday, but those days are long gone, I'm afraid. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for him.