I finished Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and have already put Chamber of Secrets on my bedside table. The great thing about these books is that they are such easy reading. And I must admit that having watched the films probably also makes them quicker to get through. I'm actually looking forward to getting into the bigger story and moving on to the chunkier books!
I also finished Innocent Traitor, which I did not enjoy as much as the Philippa Gregory historical novels. I found the 'history' parts of the novel a bit clunky, but thankfully I found the story itself fascinating (there were even a few tears at the end). I'm always surprised/dismayed by how little I actually know about nearly every aspect of British history - and reading novels like this just makes me want to go and read every available book about the subject. Any recommendations on biographies on Lady Jane Grey are gratefully received!
I can't quite decide what to read for my commuting book... At the moment the choice is between:
A Necessary End by Peter Robinson
Picadilly Jim by P G Wodehouse
The Suspicions of Mr Whicher by Kate Summerscale
I watched the second episode of the BBC Adaptation of The Crow Road. It's from 1996 but didn't feel dated at all (probably because I remember it so vividly from when it was on and because it feels more contemporary with the setting of the novel). Now I just have to wait for the next disc to be delivered by LoveFilm (and with the postal disruptions at the moment, who knows when that could be). Thank goodness I know how the story ends, or I would be really tearing my hair out.
The other thing I watched which I bought about three months ago, was Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky.
I knew nothing about this story when I bought the DVD, but it sounded like the sort of thing I would enjoy, and it was on sale! Anyway, it is absolutely brilliant. I watched it from beginning to end and got through three tissues mopping up the tears at the end. It's a trilogy following the same period of time through three different characters, who are all interwoven and is set in 1930s London. Great cast - all people you know you have seen in something else, but can't quite place. A quick trawl through www.imdb.com answered most of my questions though! It's an adaptation of a trilogy of novellas by Patrick Hamilton, an author (and dramatist) I am ashamed to say I had never heard of. It seems there has been a little revival of Hamilton's work in recent years and he sounds like he was a fascinating character. I have been working on my Amazon wish list accordingly...
Second part of the X-Factor double bill this evening, and the penultimate episode of House season 5. Busy, busy, busy!
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