IT'S A CRIME! (OR A MYSTERY...)

My life according to books I've read this year...

Following Maxine's post on "My life according to books I've read this year", here is mine:

Peoplewatching in London

Notting Hill Gate.  The 1960s erected buildings with multi-coloured façade remain, doing nothing to cheer up the neighbourhood above the shop fronts.  I order a glass of wine from a bar.  Notting Hill man walks past, teaming up a pink shirt with khaki shorts and a dull blue pair plastic crocs; hairy calves and shins fill the gaps.  Teenage Notting Hill woman walks the other way: skinny with long length cream top over black leggings; an example of how the young wear fashion as a uniform to fit in.

Weekend snippets for fun & delectation

To mark the recent 'A' level results, the Guardian put together a quiz on "Exams in literature".  It might be worth taking the test just to see the comments on your own results.  I scored a poor 3 out of 10 and got this: "Oh, my! And we made it so easy to try and boost our results. I'm off to write a strongly worded editorial for the Daily Mail about declining standards."   Don't you just love the way these newspapers take a bite at one another when they can?  What comments might you get with a 7 out of 10, I wonder?

Also in the Guardian, Johnny Dee takes his pick of the despicable one star reviews on Amazon.  But sometimes you can't go wrong with the 5 star reviews either, here's one I found for Henry Porter's The Dying Light from someone called Pure Class (I kid you not): "Intelligent, topical and litterate.  Porter delivers a veritable feast with a plot that is ripped from tomorrow's headldines. This is definitely one to be savoured and read over a couple of sittings. The characters are so rich they jump off the page - I was truly sad to finish it.  If you enjoy the best of Deighton and Le Carre. This one is for you. Pure class!"   A copy of the OED should be his/her next purchase. I've never known something as rich as foie gras to jump off the page either.