Read One and Found Two More

Thank you to whoever mentioned this authors crime fiction books. I thought I wasn't going to get into it, as there was a bit of a slow start and I was rather put off by one of the celebrities recommendations on the front cover.......... 

"I am insanely in love with George Cross" says Stephen Fry. Nearly enough to make me not start it!

This is yet another police person with problems, this time Aspergers, and he tends to have no empathy or realisation of how to interact with people. Yet his very insistence at routine and being precise with everything has made him a brilliant detective so his bosses put up with him - he gets results and makes them look good.

The Dentist is the  first story in a series of eight so far which have been around with the covers below since 2020. Now the paperbacks have been reprinted with the cover above and similar.

From the library website

DS George Cross can be rude, difficult, and awkward with people. But his unfailing logic and dogged pursuit of the truth means his conviction rate is the best on the force. An outsider himself, having been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, he is especially drawn to cases concerning the voiceless and the dispossessed. Who was the unknown man whose weather-beaten body is discovered on Clifton Downs? Did the tragedy that led to a life on the streets also lead to his death? His police colleagues may dismiss it as a squabble among Bristol's homeless community, but Cross is not convinced. As he delves into the dead man's past, he becomes convinced that to catch this killer, he needs to solve a cold case murder from years before. A murder that someone has spent fifteen years thinking they've got away with. And they have no intention of letting one eccentric, socially awkward detective, change that now.

I was going to reserve the second -  'The Cyclist' -  but couldn't as I already have the upper limit of how many we are allowed to reserve but I  found Stowmarket Library had two others on their shelves so popped in to borrow them ......just in case I run out of reading before the mobile is round again. (There are already 13 (!) books ready for me to collect but the mobile visit is still 10 days away)

Hopefully it won't matter if they are not read in order. It's so good to hear about a 'new to me' crime author who has already written a few books.

Heading Into September.

 I wonder if Blogger will let comments publish today. What with this problem and the slow updating of blogs on reading lists I'm starting to wonder if Blogger is trying to fade quietly away.

This painting was on Tuesday's post but I like it, so putting it on here again.

Young September's Cornfield 1954

Oil on board

Alan Reynolds (1926-2014)

Below is ............................         Young September's Cornfield 2026 

                                                                 by me (1955 - ), 

                                                              with my big camera

 Already the field had been harvested, cleared and  disc-harrowed ready for whatever comes next - possibly oil seed rape which is often drilled straight in when a field hasn't been ploughed................or they might go back and plough ......I shall see later.

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I've started on the autumn garden clearing- although haven't tackled the four huge Buddleias yet. BiL cut one right back with his chainsaw last year but it  put on 8 foot of growth regardless. Each bit has to be chopped up to fit in the garden waste bin and takes an age. I raked up all the small fallen apples from under the Minarette trees - I thought to leave them for the birds for winter but seeing as so many had codling moth maggot damage they need getting rid of.

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The BBC have decided to end Ski Sunday after nearly 50 years of Sunday evening winter viewing for ordinary people who are never likely to go skiing- very sad. I liked to watch for the snowy views. Bad BBC!

On the other hand they had a brilliant programme from The Royal Albert Hall Proms - Bond Themes played by the huge BBC Concert Orchestra. It was really good. Most of the annual Proms festival is too highbrow for me but can you imagine the outcry from the rich and famous if the beeb were to stop broadcasting the Proms!

This week I've been watching some of the British Open Snooker and  something called Tout le Monde Ment. - It's French! - translates as Everyone Lies, crime of course. A short series of eight, originally shown between 2022 and 2025. It's on Walter Presents on 4. No details anywhere if  French TV are likely to make more. 

Have you seen the trailer for a new programme starting soon on Channel 4 called Apocalypse?

In this bold and ambitious social experiment, Channel 4 is sending a group of ordinary people to a jaw dropping, real world location - an abandoned town that bears all the hallmarks of being ravaged by an apocalyptic event. 

It sounds very odd - but apt for all the dire warnings of cyber attacks, weather abnormalities and wars!

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Compared to the week before, this week has been much quieter. I've only spoken to ladies at Keep Moving group, son on the phone and Kirsty who cuts my hair. There was some wild, windy and wet weather  for a while on Friday morning showing me the gutters need cleaning out. Not sure me and a ladder are a good idea any more - may need to get a man in - no one in the family would jump at the chance to clean out gutters either!

Another view of the disc-harrowed fields up the lane not far from home.

I can't decide which to visit today - car boot sale in one direction or a village garage/yard sale event in the other direction.

 Have a good weekend, I'll be back Monday

Flowers and Books Or Books and Flowers

 As mentioned the other day I went to the Flower Festival with stalls at Crowfield Church mainly for their second hand book stall. I also got some cheap plums from their produce stall, ate a few but added the rest to the freezer for the next batch of compost/mixed fruit jelly. It's mainly apple peels and cores but adding some whole cheap fruit means it makes a bit more jelly with a better colour.

Just found two books this time (I'm beginning to think that they save the books from year to year!) and it was threatening rain and so dark and gloomy in the church and very busy that I didn't take any good photos of the Flower Festival which had a theme of 'Desert Island Discs'

I've just finished the Evie Woods book - The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris-  borrowed from the library. I enjoyed it and had read another two of her books a few years back. They all have a bit of mystery and magic about them. This one sounds similar. All books were for sale for 50p each.

With the flower festival theme of Desert Island Discs, some people went for Islands, others for people who had featured on the radio programme and others choose their own music or a luxury item that they would take to an island themselves.

There was a leaflet with details of the villagers who created the lovely arrangements but I handed that back on my way out and the notes on each display with a number and  details were very small and I didn't get them in the photos. So apologies to the brilliant florists!

Just editing in to say that it seems Bloggers latest blip is not being able to publish comments anywhere! Hopefully short term.  I've tried to comment on several blogs this morning but no luck.