Roland Butter

I remember it well! Candice and Keith ....

Hope you're enjoying Plague Child, Angel. They sent me an advance copy a while ago, and I thought it was a good read. The English Civil War is a period of history that fascinates me anyway - I love a bit of social turbulence(!) - and I thought it made an excellent backdrop to the story. I just hope they took my suggestion and gave it a good edit before publication, 'cos it was a bit of a mess, even for an uncorrected proof ....

Daunt's in Marylebone is my favourite bookshop of all. And the one in Primrose Hill is nice, too. You could easily do both of those, with a nice walk across Regent's Park thrown in. And a trip up Primrose Hill to top it all off - it's the best view in London. Daunt's also have a one-off, Owl Books, in nearby Kentish Town, which again is pretty close and deserves a mention. And I think we had a little discussion about Persephone on here a while ago - just across the road is a very nice discount bookshop called The Lamb Bookshop, which is a cut above your usual "pile 'em high remainders" outfit. The London Review cakeshop is nice, but I've never found the staff in the bookshop there especially welcoming. Maybe that's just me. Stanford's is always worth a look if you're around Covent Garden, although it's less serious about books than it once was and seems to be diversifying into travel-related "sundries" which makes it look a bit tacky. All in all, though, we're pretty well off for independent booksellers here. Long may it last!

I read Behind the Curtain about four years ago, at a guess. It's quite an interesting book, but it'll help if you have an interest in Soviet-era history (and a good memory for names, because it's chockful of "-offski's" and "-vitches"!). In the end I wasn't sure what Wilson was trying to achieve with it, but it's certainly worth a read.

I'm currently reading Brodeck's Report by Philippe Claudel. From the blurb on the cover: From his village in post-war France, Brodeck makes his solitary journeys into the mountains to collect data on the natural environment. Day by day he also reconstructs his own life, all but lost in the years he spent in a camp during the war. No-one had expected to see him again. One day, a flamboyant stranger rides into the village, upsetting the fragile balance of everyday life. Soon he is named the Anderer, “the other”, and tensions rise until, one night, the newcomer is murdered. Brodeck is instructed to write an account of the events leading to his death, but his report delivers much more than the bare facts: it becomes the story of a community coming to terms with the legacy of enemy occupation. In a powerful narrative of exceptional fascination, Brodeck’s Report explores the very limits of humanity. It's a book that unfolds quite slowly, but it's a fascinating account of an insular, suspicious community which guards its traditions and ways jealously against the incursions of outsiders. Brodeck himself is an intriguing character - he seems to be every bit as much an outsider as the mysterious "stranger". I'm really enjoying this one, even if it is a bit unsettling.

You may well enjoy Matthew Sweet's Shepperton Babylon, Ruth. It lifts the lid off the seamy underbelly of the British film industry (yes, I know that's about as mixed as metaphors come ) and is especially good on the pre-war era and the silent films.

Watched the DVD of Mike Leigh's Another Year last night. I didn't manage to see it when it was in the cinemas a year or so ago. It's a wonderful film, beautifully acted. Highly recommended.

We did have a thread on musicals, but it seems to have fallen into disuse. I saw the West End production of Singin' in the Rain a fortnight ago, which was pretty good. Next one up will be Sondheim's Sweeney Todd in June, which has opened to outstanding reviews. I've never seen a Sondheim that I didn't enjoy, so I'm really looking forward to this one.

I know that, Katrina. The point I was trying to make was that Zimmermann should have been arrested immediately. Where you have a scene where someone has been shot dead by another person, you shouldn't accept their word that they were acting in self-defence and just let them walk away. You need to have time to investigate the facts and establish what actually happened. What happened here was that the police made an automatic assumption of Zimmermann's innocence and Martin's guilt, and that clearly was unacceptable. I saw the Congressman who drafted the "stand your ground" law on TV last night, and even he was saying that this incident was a perversion of what the law was intended for.

Funnily enough, I've just finished his Acts of Violence. Not my usual sort of book, but it was very well reviewed over here so I thought I'd give it a go. I enjoyed it - well written and well constructed, and while it wasn't what you'd call an uplifting tale, it certainly was gripping.

Yes, the Trayvon Martin story is disgraceful, Katrina, it's like going back in time 50 years. Regardless of his guilt or otherwise, it's inconceivable that Zimmermann wasn't put under immediate arrest, to allow those most serious allegations to be investigated properly. Mind you, the "Birther" movement reminds me that racism is still all around, and rears its head when it gets the chance. I can't remember any other President's birthplace being challenged with the persistence that those people have shown, despite the clear evidence in front of them. What's the difference between Obama and his predecessors? Oh, hold on a minute ...

Is that common out there, Kylie? My mate in Leichhardt has a PO box as well, but it's pretty unusual here to use them for domestic post - it's really a business thing. Is the postal service that bad?

That's the worst of all possible worlds, then - some with, some without apostrophes. Talk about sending out mixe'd message's!

Eric Ambler is great, isn't he, Sue? It's just a shame that the Penguin Classics series is so over-priced. From memory his books run out at around £8.99 or £9.99, which may be a deterrent for some readers for what are fairly slim books. But as you say, he's one of this country's most influential thrilller writers.

Interesting to hear your views, pontalba. I bought The Devotion of Suspect X when I was up in town a couple of weeks ago - it was a recommendation in Daunt's Bookshop, and they're usually spot on when it comes to fiction in translation. While I was there, I also - finally - got round to buying a copy of New Orleans Noir, which I recall you recommended some time ago (quite some time ago, in fact!). Now all I have to do is find time to read them ...

Well, let's consider that a tribute to the quality of Peter Carey's writing, then

Persephone are based in Lamb's Conduit Street, in Holborn, and they're run by a very nice lady. I was over that way a couple of weeks ago, and the shop had a window display based around their edition of Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, with copies of the book also in a range of languages, including French, Italian, German, Spanish and what may (or may not!) have been Chinese. She very kindly let me take some photos, which I'll get round to putting up on my Facebook page eventually. It's a lovely little shop, well worth a visit if you're in London, and all in all a very worthwhile publisher which is worthy of support.

Yes, it's a true story. I first came across it on a BBC2 documentary two or three years back about the splendidly-named Elsie Knocker, and was amazed by her sheer audacity and courage - her first-aid post was just 50 yards behind the front line. Elsie and Mairi Chisholm were a couple of well brought up young ladies who met through a very unconventional (for the time) love of riding powerful motorcycles, and when the war broke out decided the best way to "do their bit" was to offer their services as nurses. Frustrated with the delays and inertia they encountered, they bypassed the "official" war machine, popped across the Channel and just started up their own field hospital. It's an amazing story.

Funnily enough, Ruth, I went past the one at Trafalgar Square earlier today, and I noticed they've still got the apostrophe. Whether they've just not got round to it, I don't know - maybe I've stumbled across a rebel branch of refusenik grammarians, or something!

The Kelly Gang is a tremendous read, but you're right - the attempt to represent the dialect of a semi-literate Irish-Australian takes a bit of getting used to. Persevere, though, because it does get easier, and I'm sure you'll find it was worth it. It's one of my favourite books of the last ten years or so.

Yep, longer than the book . Interestingly, the "socialist hero" Orwell ended up as a government informant, so I guess you could say he went full circle.

Elsie and Mairi Go To War by Diane Atkinson is the story of how two very unconventional women, who met through a shared love of motorcycles, set up their own nursing service, independent of the authorities, and right up in the front line on the Western Front, during the First World War. Highly recommended - it's a great read.

Bit of advice for Andy - if there are any jobs going at Rangers, forget it!

I'd "third" what Ruth and Janet say, bree. I wouldn't look at Wells as "sci-fi" (at least, not in the popularly understood sense of "books for blokes who don't have a girlfriend"). His work is classic literature, to me, and well worth a read for anyone who enjoys outstanding writing. (and I was only joking about the girlfriends, before anyone starts .... I know it's a misconception)

I thought that was Jerry Lee Lewis ....