Friday, January 01, 2010

ASK FOR THE MOON



Happy New Year, and best wishes for the new decade.
This morning we were able to continue the family tradition of walking on Budleigh Salterton beach, and I am no longer a climate change sceptic.
It is definitely getting much colder.
Although I think that has more to do with me getting older than any new ice age, but it was absolutely freezing in the wind.

I finished another John Lawton book, Old Flames, before the end of the year, and will review that in a few weeks as it will be one of my contributions to Kerrie's Crime Fiction Alphabet meme at Mysteries in Paradise.

I have now decided that Lawton makes a deliberate mistake in each book as a test to see if readers pick it up. That or he needs a new editor.

'We sat out the next dance. He bought me a martini and I was desperate for a ciggy by then, and he took out two from his cigarette case, put them in his mouth, just like Humphrey Bogart. Lit up both and passed one to me. I thought that was so good mannered. So romantic.'

Every movie fan will know that scene from Now Voyager [1942], but it was not Humphrey Bogart but Paul Henried, who famously lit both cigarettes and passed one to Bette Davis.
Humphrey Bogart and Paul Henreid starred together with Ingrid Bergman in another classic movie, Casablanca, so perhaps the confusion was understandable?

I have now moved on to read Dying Gasp by Leighton Gage, a powerful book that will be my first entry to Dorte's Global Challenge 2010.

10 Comments:

Blogger Maxine Clarke said...

And a very happy new year to you and your family, Norman.
We attempted to go for a walk in Richmond Park today but it was choc-a-bloc with cars. You just couldn't believe it. Nice not to live in a city!

Your reading sounds suitably stimulating. I've done very well this Christmas, having read already Death in Oslo (Anne Holt),The Vault (Roslund-Helstrom) and Blood Sunset (Jarad Henry). I am half way through The Reunion (Simone van der Vlugt). All highly enjoyable - in a dark way of course.

Yes, there may well be another ice age on the way - but not before we have ruined the planet via warming it up too much first! So we won't be around to witness it, which is probably just as well as it will kill us all off anyway, even if any of us do survive the mess we are making of our world.

Happy new year again, Norman, may it be a great one for you and your family.

9:35 AM  
Blogger Maxine Clarke said...

PS Good catch on the Paul H. mistake!

9:43 AM  
Blogger Uriah Robinson said...

Re; Paul H mistake-Thanks, Maxine I have a brain full of mostly useless information from watching too much television or reading history books.

Richmond Park brings back good memories and my youngest took his first real steps at Ham House.
I thought The Reunion was very good as a psychological thriller, and I have The Vault on the TBR pile. I am more than half way through Dying Gasp which is very "good" but Leighton Gage is probably not popular with the Brazilian tourist industry. ;o)
Best wishes to you and your family for very happy 2010.

11:26 AM  
Blogger Kerrie said...

Now I do like planning Norman! I take it this one will be for O?

1:42 AM  
Blogger Uriah Robinson said...

Yes, and I am reading M at the moment with Q next on the TBR pile. ;o)

2:58 AM  
Blogger Sunnie Gill said...

Budleigh Salterton beach?
And here's me half thinking it was a fictitious place.

I've listened to quite a few episodes of Giles Wembly-Hogg Goes off.

He's done for Budleigh Salterton what Ali G did for Staines.

5:17 PM  
Blogger Uriah Robinson said...

Sunnie I can assure you it is very real. http://www.visitbudleigh.com/

The literary festival there in the summer featured Val McDermid, HRF Keating and Simon Brett.

11:55 PM  
Blogger Lauren said...

Happy New Year!

You've reminded me that I could never understand why Bette Davis spent so long pining over Henried's character when she could have run off with Claude Rains instead! (I can just about understand Bergmann choosing Bogart and Cary Grant respectively in Casablanca and Notorious though.)

3:27 PM  
Blogger Uriah Robinson said...

Happy New Year Lauren. It is snowing again here and it is settling on top of the ice!
A day to stay in the warm and watch films with Greer Garson, Barbara Stanwyck, Lauren Bacall, Ginger Rogers and Jane Greer. I am showing my age.
Claude Rains was born in Camberwell in London so no wonder you think Bette Davis should have run off with him. Interesting that a Camberwell boy should be most famous for playing a Vichy French policeman in North Africa.

1:38 AM  
Anonymous Term Paper said...

Same to you Uriah Robinson ! I really enjoyed reading your post...

9:42 PM  

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