well, as the title suggests, yes i have indeed read some more books. novels, to be specific, look you see. and, as ever, just the two (2) gone done most recently, hence this post being a thing.
for the usual sort of thing i would write right here (perhaps i should just copy and paste from a previous, rather than future, post), coming up is a picture of the 2 (two) novels completed, along with a brief overview sort of thing which isn't quite an executive summary, but still. beyond that be warned that there is every chance things people call "spoilers" may appear.
going from left to right (i think), and the order in what i gone read them, The Hotel Avocado off of Bob Mortimer is, at very best, "meh". i am indeed sad to write that, but more later. next was We Solve Murders off of The Tall One Formerly Of Pointless and celebrated Sonia dancer, or if you like the brother of the bass player out of Suede. he also gets called Richard Osman, fact fans. despite this one not featuring quite so many retired people as in the Thursday Murder Club novels, all the same this is similar, comfortable and ultimately enjoyable reading.
provenance of the copies of my novels is, i suspect, the part most of you readers find interesting. to dispense with the usual style here i can confirm both were purchased when "book of the week" or what have you down at Tesco, with each costing £4.50 thanks to me waving my club card at the machine when purchasing. my apologies to those of you who(m) prefer to learn this only when looking at one of the two novels read, but i just felt like a change to the norm.
on, then, to where i started with these two, which is The Hotel Avocado off of Bob Mortimer. it is indeed his second novel, and is also a sequel to the peculiarly named The Satsuma Complex, which wasn't all that good. better on reflection (or in retrospect) than it felt when i read it, but still. absolutely nothing at all of the initial (or original) novel suggested more of the characters was either wanted or needed, and ultimately this novel succeeds in proving that to be true.
it more or less picks up where that one finished. so i kind of (i guess) need to be double careful with spoilers for that one and this. of the (main) returning three (3) characters, ostensible protagonist Gary finds himself under pressure not to testify on a certain matter (as spoiler friendly as i could), Emily is getting the titular hotel ready to open and Grace is, pretty much, Grace.
you have to be exceptionally careful with what you say about anything off of Bob Mortimer. if not universally so he is at the least deeply (and widely) loved and cherished. quite rightly so, for he is a wonderful bloke. but this novel is just awful. mostly it lacks any "identity", as i was left wondering ok, is this actually meant to be comedic with some dark elements or is it supposed to be "serious" with a sprinkling of light (and unfunny) relief. it gets to a point where all each new chapter has you wondering is which character will call Gary a "sh!thouse" in this one, and will he be forced to eat uncooked meat once again.
enough in the novel (just about) suggests Bob Mortimer can write really well, and has all the capability of translating his erratic, often absurd, humour to a novel. the sections about general corruption within the realms of local councils, for a start, genuinely held interest. it is not so, alas, that this novel reflects what he can do fully. i believe his next novel, which has only just come out in hardback, has all new characters. yes, will give it a go in paperback, and i do hope it turns out that these first two novels of his were all just him finding his feet. yes, he would respond to that by saying he had checked and they are very much on the ends of his legs.
next was We Solve Murders, which sees (or saw) Richard Osman briefly depart from the wonderful and wonderfully selling books of The Thursday Murder Club. wasn't all that much of a surprise to see him elect to try doing a different kind of story, but also it was no surprise at all to see him not stray all that far away from the same kind of style or theme.
this novel, in short or in terms of the plot, features a bodyguard (or personal security type) teaming up with her father in law (a retired copper) by choice and a client (a wealthy novelist) reluctantly to both stop her getting murdered and to solve some murders what she is being framed for. which involves going to all sorts of exotic places and getting chased by all sorts of interesting people.
at first it was tempting to dismiss this all with the characters being simply too much of an absurd, if not preposterous, mix to make for feasibly believable reading. then, on reflection, i thought hang on, i have more or less met someone meeting the description of everyone here, so why not all at once. leaving that aside, this is indeed really, really good reading, with the story almost holding its steam all the way to the end, only starting to run out of it (steam) towards the last few chapters. maybe like The Thursday Murder Club novels it possibly should not all work, but via the deft talents of the writer it does.
certainly this is all (the novel) quintessentially quaint, it is the personification of all the ideals which for the very much middle class idea of the English way of doing things. one could indeed argue, or state, it being that Richard Osman is the most middle class writer of middle class perspective stories ever to exist. whether you take that as a compliment or a slight has more to do with your view of such rather than me simply saying it.
no real qualms about having read either book, although i do just deeply wish the Bob Mortimer one was much more better. as has been the case of late, my reading indeed (more or less) limited to a chapter or two on a morning, awaiting some medically obliged cream to dry. i am (kind of) due a trip to the laundry rather soon, so no doubt i will take the book what i am reading at that time with me to get a good hour or so of reading in.
unlikely, as would be usual, that much or any of this has been of any practical value, for i suspect that anyone wishing to read either of these novels (or determined they had no interest) would have done so long before this turned up online. still, my thanks, as ever, for reading this. or just looking at the pics.
be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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