On Christmas Eve I passed my 80 year old crime fiction reading father a pile of books for his continued reading enjoyment. Quick off the mark, he held up two for my attention and announced, "You see, this is my problem."
The problem is that he doesn't like more than one book by the same author in a set; he prefers variety in his portfolio for the next couple of months' reads. (I guess I inherited my love of devouring backlists from my mother's side of the family then...)
Alas, in addition to the stock replenishment pile having two from author X, my father's Christmas present included two from author Y and three from author Z.
On Christmas Day, I asked my father (in relation to author Z), "So what do you think of those then? There's a re-print and resurgence...". He replied "Well it's something to read", adding the all familiar shrug of resignation.
But, believe it or not, he was happy. I left him reading a soon to be released thriller from author F, which he'd substituted for another thriller from author G, by the time I'd prepared lunch on Christmas Day. Having left him with a total of over 20 books, I reckon I can leave the management of portfolio variety up to him.
What he'll make of "marley and me" from John Grogan, in the middle of all that crime and thriller festival pile I do not know. But my father does know quite a lot about the special relationships that treasured pets bring.
He and my mother are currently the "best" in the life of my cat who now lives with them (a continuation of the last three years, due to circumstances). And, like Grogan's reminiscences in his opening chapter, we also had a puppy when I was young enough to eventually leave home and head to university, leaving the adult dog in their care. I suspect that my father will enjoy Grogan's book as much as a crime or thriller novel, which is why I bought it for him as a Christmas present. My mother also has one beady eye on it...
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And talking of my mother, I admit I missed out on a good one perhaps. I bought both my "nieces" a copy of Jessica Ruston's "Heroines" and packed them on Christmas Eve. One of the copies provided quite a few minutes of intrigue and interest to my mother before I managed to pack it. Luckily, I also have my own copy and my mother can read this one later. She was so impressed that I really need to ensure I take it the next time I visit.
As for the DVD of "The Da Vinci Code", this was playing as I prepared the Christmas lunch - she couldn't wait. (As I imagined it would be; my mother has devoured more than just the novel of "The Da Vinci Code" from Dan Brown. She set off to buy the backlist and anything else from Brown asap after reading "The Da Vinci Code"...)
Talking of backlists again, I bought my mother the latest historical crime novel from Bernard Knight, "The Elixir of Death" and pointed out that I thought she'd missed the last one in the series. Holding the novel and looking at the nearest shelf she exclaimed "But it says here this is the tenth and I've only read four". She's certainly read more than the four on that particular shelf, but another backlist is about to be devoured I think...
My mother had her head in a Phillipa Gregory while I was overseeing the turkey, but I left her a few pages into the "Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet" novel from M. C. Beaton - a first for her and perhaps a new series to explore?
With both of us unfamiliar with Beaton's Raisin, I asked what she thought.
"She's a silly woman."
The character and not the author, my mother meant.
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Cats of course, don't read, but Oscar did enjoy some turkey. A lot.
At the parental home this Christmas, I unveiled the portrait of Oscar by celebrated Welsh artist, writer and publisher Derec Jones.
Oscar was nonplussed, but what can you expect? He's a cat after all, with all the vanity and inability to see one's self that all that feline stuff involves.
My parents however, were as thrilled as I was. I had to point out that as they get to continue with Oscar's tenure, I get to keep his portrait. Well, it was a present to myself and the best one I had this year.
And Oscar is as gorgeous as the portrait portrays....
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Last but not least and back to "The Da Vinci Code", for a laugh of sorts - always topical, satirical and spot on with the humour, (apart from a previous "Christmas Special"), the BBC series "The Vicar of Dibley" aired the first part of this year's Christmas Special on Christmas Day. Alice, previously a really pregnant and birthing virgin Mary in a nativity play, "liked" the "new book from the bible". Geraldine, our fabulous fictional vicar frowned. Twas "The Da Vinci Code" of course, with Alice thinking she is the descendant of Christ simply because of rhyming.
The second and final episode is aired on Monday January 1st at 21:3o and it might see this long loved series go out with the bang it deserves! Viewing figures are on the up!
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