Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Go South
December 5th. 22.18
Although "Tainted Blood" was described on the cover as being a chilling read, I didn't think it was a bit chilling. It was quite readable and moderately intriguing, but never exciting. Furthermore, only one decent meal was eaten but no real description was given. There seems to be a marked contrast between the detectives from Mediterranean shores and those from Scandinavia, the former taking time and care to get the best food and enjoy their lives, and the latter forever gloomy with dyspepsia, take-away or ready meals and dysfunctional families. Maybe its all to do with the climate and I should be looking for detectives nearer the Equator to get the most relaxed types with the best recipes. Is there any detective fiction from Sumatra, Borneo, Gabon, Congo, Zaire, Uganda,Kenya, Somali Republic,Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and the Galapogos Islands? Send your answers on a postcard etc. etc.. I was surprised to meet someone else who had read Arnaldur Indridason's book but forgot to ask how they had chanced upon it and whether they had read "Night Bus" by Giampiero Rigosi which is the one which is described as a savagely funny crime adventure with an Italian twist. There may be no food and no detectives but I will of course let you know as it is today's read.
According to Germaine Greer, "Most reasonably educated Guardian readers would, I faintly hope, have recognised the phrase 'unsynthesised manifold' as an English version of a basic concept in Immanuel Kant's Critique of Judgement.......". She had used the phrase in an article in the Guardian on October 23rd. and had been awarded the Golden Bull by the plain English Campaign. I had been prepared to give Germaine Greer the benefit of the doubt until she gave the response quoted above. I wonder how many Guardian readers either understood the phrase or recognised its origin and, it follows, how many were insulted about their education? Its rather odd that the Guardian gave her a whole page to defend herself in an article in which every paragraph is worthy of inclusion in Private Eye's Pseuds' Corner. Actually there is a lot in the Guardian with which I am most displeased. One of my biggest complaints is with the cartoons. Does anyone find them either funny or illuminating? Thank goodness the wretched Tamara Drew has come to an end but will she be replaced by an even worse invention?
There are of course good things about the Guardian or I wouldn't read it, so to show that I don't moan all the time, I offer the following ten contributors that I enjoy:-
110. Sam Wollaston
111. Nancy Banks Smith
112. Mike Selvey
113. Mark Lawson
114. Simon Hoggart
115. Polly Toynbee
116. Simon Jenkins
117. Harry Pearson
118. Martin Kelner
119. Roy Hattersley
120. Country Diary (various contributors)
If there weren't so much other nonsense in the paper it could easily be made a much more economic and manageable size. I could certainly do without the weekend colour lifestyle/food/sport/women's sections which make it impossible to fold into a Tesco's plastic bag.
Tomorrow is weigh day again. I had a sneak preview today and am not optimistic about tomorrow. Some of you are a bit sceptical about my diet but I am now firmly established on the meat, nuts, vegetables, yogurt and beer diet and I am predicting a satisfactory weight loss by the end of the year. Do I hear any bets about that?
Quite glad really that I didn't go far south to Australia . We are used to the taking of the beating but snatching defeat from the jaws of victory is unpleasant fare. Next stop will therefore be New Zealand. Do they have fictional detectives?
Although "Tainted Blood" was described on the cover as being a chilling read, I didn't think it was a bit chilling. It was quite readable and moderately intriguing, but never exciting. Furthermore, only one decent meal was eaten but no real description was given. There seems to be a marked contrast between the detectives from Mediterranean shores and those from Scandinavia, the former taking time and care to get the best food and enjoy their lives, and the latter forever gloomy with dyspepsia, take-away or ready meals and dysfunctional families. Maybe its all to do with the climate and I should be looking for detectives nearer the Equator to get the most relaxed types with the best recipes. Is there any detective fiction from Sumatra, Borneo, Gabon, Congo, Zaire, Uganda,Kenya, Somali Republic,Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and the Galapogos Islands? Send your answers on a postcard etc. etc.. I was surprised to meet someone else who had read Arnaldur Indridason's book but forgot to ask how they had chanced upon it and whether they had read "Night Bus" by Giampiero Rigosi which is the one which is described as a savagely funny crime adventure with an Italian twist. There may be no food and no detectives but I will of course let you know as it is today's read.
According to Germaine Greer, "Most reasonably educated Guardian readers would, I faintly hope, have recognised the phrase 'unsynthesised manifold' as an English version of a basic concept in Immanuel Kant's Critique of Judgement.......". She had used the phrase in an article in the Guardian on October 23rd. and had been awarded the Golden Bull by the plain English Campaign. I had been prepared to give Germaine Greer the benefit of the doubt until she gave the response quoted above. I wonder how many Guardian readers either understood the phrase or recognised its origin and, it follows, how many were insulted about their education? Its rather odd that the Guardian gave her a whole page to defend herself in an article in which every paragraph is worthy of inclusion in Private Eye's Pseuds' Corner. Actually there is a lot in the Guardian with which I am most displeased. One of my biggest complaints is with the cartoons. Does anyone find them either funny or illuminating? Thank goodness the wretched Tamara Drew has come to an end but will she be replaced by an even worse invention?
There are of course good things about the Guardian or I wouldn't read it, so to show that I don't moan all the time, I offer the following ten contributors that I enjoy:-
110. Sam Wollaston
111. Nancy Banks Smith
112. Mike Selvey
113. Mark Lawson
114. Simon Hoggart
115. Polly Toynbee
116. Simon Jenkins
117. Harry Pearson
118. Martin Kelner
119. Roy Hattersley
120. Country Diary (various contributors)
If there weren't so much other nonsense in the paper it could easily be made a much more economic and manageable size. I could certainly do without the weekend colour lifestyle/food/sport/women's sections which make it impossible to fold into a Tesco's plastic bag.
Tomorrow is weigh day again. I had a sneak preview today and am not optimistic about tomorrow. Some of you are a bit sceptical about my diet but I am now firmly established on the meat, nuts, vegetables, yogurt and beer diet and I am predicting a satisfactory weight loss by the end of the year. Do I hear any bets about that?
Quite glad really that I didn't go far south to Australia . We are used to the taking of the beating but snatching defeat from the jaws of victory is unpleasant fare. Next stop will therefore be New Zealand. Do they have fictional detectives?
# posted by Bob @ 2:17 pm 
