It's going to be a weekend of crime for me.On a stray suggestion of Tuppance's, I decided to pick up P D James's (debut) Cover Her Face, and devoured this quickly, noting its many typos along the way. It's amazing that I've never read this bestselling crime writer before, since I like Agatha Christie so much, and Ms James mines the same territory, if not exactly the same period. On the same romp to the library, where I couldn't decide if I should breathe since all sorts were sneezing and coughing in there (I was reflecting that bookish types who spend their afternoons beavering away in the stacks probably aren't the most healthy of the lot), I also picked up The Skull Beneath the Skin (aging actress playing The Duchess of Malfi sent poison pen letters), and Unnatural Causes (crime writer murdered in remote English village). Since I was already there risking my health, I also picked up Agatha Christie's Five Little Pigs, a Hercule Poirot case, and Death Comes at the End, set in ancient Egypt. This is unique in Dame Christie's canon, the choice influenced by the Mansfield Park mashup (see below).
Guess what I did when I got home? I carefully wiped down all the library books with Dettol, washed my hands in manner of doctor going into surgery, then settled down in a nest of pillows for a good, long read.
how many books can one borrow?
ReplyDeleteSix. On top of which I think you can also borrow CDs and DVDs. It's a great resource, especially for me as I no longer want to buy stuff to accumulate.
ReplyDeleteEnvious! - I may have mentioned this unfunny-funny tale before. An Oxford classics don, known for disdaining anything 20th century, rushes into the senior common room. Ablaze with excitement: "Has anyone else read this PD James? He is the most brilliant writer in the world. Like Iris Murdoch, but with plots..."
ReplyDelete