Reading - March 2025

Stephen Fry in America by Stephen Fry (2008)

The book of the series, although I didn't know either existed until I found this in a charity shop. The series is six, hour-long episodes, which given that there are 50 states to cover presumably means that each state is given similarly cursory coverage as it is in the book - sometimes barely only a few pages. This means that this never really gets off the ground as an immersive experience. It's an amusing read in places though. Maybe the TV series was better.

Shelter Mountain by Robyn Carr (2007)

Whispering Rock by Robyn Carr (2007)

A Virgin River Christmas by Robyn Carr (2008)

Second Chance Pass by Robyn Carr (2008)

These books are easy to read and while I could pick holes in setting. the characters and the storylines, they are well told and compelling enough to keep me reading to find out how it all plays out. By the second book (Shelter Mountain) the author is obviously setting up a world, so we get a lot more people introduced and it becomes a bit of a soap opera, but actually that makes it more interesting, and the small-town-America ("hokey Americana" in the words of one reviewer), while including more grittiness than you might expect, is nevertheless clearly idealised - but still appeals to me in a weird way. The way that new characters keep turning up - someone's cousin's second brother's ex - only to immediately fall in love with each other is a bit predictable but obviously that's part of the genre. But they are a nice diversion from the very long non-fiction book I have on the go at the moment!

Be My Enemy by Christopher Brookmyre (2004)

Brilliant plotting, some great scenes (the one where a guy accidentally chops his own head off is - I promise - hilarious) and superbly painted characters. In fact - just like all Christopher Brookmyre books. I do hope he returns to it some time.

Temptation Ridge by Robyn Carr (2009)

Sweet and romantic, as usual. I also like that, as well as the core romance, there's other relationships forming in the background, which go across books. The main setting is of course the same and possibly over-familiar now. But I have to admit I have the next one reserved already ... don't worry, only another thirteen to go!

Sound on Sound: Classic Tracks by various authors (2003-2024)

Having discovered (very annoyingly) a couple of months ago that a book I was reading was actually available for free online, I went back and read all the Sound on Sound classic tracks columns. Always interesting, and always a bit of a different insight into the making of music than your average music magazine interview - and more realistic, I'd say. being refreshingly free of myth making. Well worth a read - even if perhaps not every track is really a classic!