Reading - March 2018

4:50 From Paddington by Agatha Christie (1957)

A Miss Marple mystery that potters along quite amiably. An easy read.

The Guitar Magazine (Vol 29 No 07)

Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett (1988)

I like the witches, particularly Granny Weatherwax, and I haven't read this for ages. The Discworld books are often described as making people laugh out loud, but this is the first time I've read one that I remember finding genuinely funny in places, as opposed to gently amusing. The snippets of scripts that are written by Hwel, the playwright (a dwarf) are really well-done parodies.

Men At Arms by Terry Pratchett (1993)

I fancied reading this because I know it quite well, and I always enjoy re-reading books. However, I've probably over-done this one. I enjoyed it, of course, but I knew what was going to happen too much.

Maskerade by Terry Pratchett (1995)

So, onto another Pratchett, this time one I hadn't read in a while. This features the witches again, and a good-natured send-up of opera and theatre-folk. It feels a little insubstantial though, for some reason. I'm going to give myself a rest from the Discworld for a little while now.

Call The Midlife by Chris Evans (2015)

The third and least interesting volume of Chris Evans's life; less of an autobiography this time than an extended pondering on lessons learned as he enters the "second half of his time on earth". I found it rather shrill, particularly towards the end, as we hear again and again about how great his life is. He's very keen to air his new-found wisdom - such as "everyone should run a marathon!" - without apparent consideration that while such knowledge is right for him, it won't necessarily be right for everyone. Still, much of interest and pretty readable. It finishes with the announcement that he is taking over Top Gear, which is a bit of a shame since it means we don't get any analysis of that whole episode - but maybe that's for the next book.