What I've been reading

Where Did It All Go Right? Growing Up Normal in the 7os
by Andrew Collins

"With the help of his diaries (kept from the age of six) Andrew delves back into his first 19 years. With tales of playing out, bikes, telly, sweets, good health, domestic harmony and happy holidays, he aims to bring a little hope to all those out there living with the emotional after-effects of a really nice childhood."

This was a huge trip into nostalgia, as I was born just under a year before Mr Collins and have some of the same memories of Tempo pens, Mouse Trap, Haunted House, Colditz, and the Molesworth books. In fact, remembering the Molesworth books makes me want to get hold of them and read them agane. chiz. (a chiz is a swiz or a swindle, as any fule kno.)



Bellwether
by Connie Willis

"Sandra Foster studies fads - from Barbie dolls to the grunge look - how they start and what they mean. Bennett O'Reilly is a chaos theorist studying monkey group behavior. A series of unlucky coincidences leaves Bennett monkeyless, fundless and nearly jobless; Sandra intercedes with a flock of sheep and an idea for a joint project."

Connie Willis is an American author who mostly writes science fiction, and the first book of hers that I read was a present from sister D when I moved to Coventry, called To Say Nothing Of The Dog. I think D might have chosen it by using Coventry as the search term in Amazon, but it was a great choice, and I went on to search out other books by the same author. Doomsday Book is equally good, but others not so much - Lincoln's Dreams is about the American Civil War, and Passage is too long. I picked up Bellwether again to remind myself whether I like it or not. I'm still not sure if I like it enough to allow it to take up valuable shelf space.