Flash Fiction

Last Wednesday (yes, I know I am a bit late with this, but it is still interesting), was Flash Fiction Day. I read a great article in The Guardian by an author of flash fiction, David Gaffney.  Flash fiction is a 150 word (very) short story. I love short stories, they can often be far more powerful than any novel. The idea of a 150 word story means the author has to work very, very hard to conjure a sense of place and character as well as have a beginning a middle and an end. Which normally means the author is partcularly skilled with language.

I have never read any flash fiction, so I have ordered up Gaffney's book, Sawn Off Tales, and I will report back on what it is like.

OK, I Admit Defeat...

The more observant of you will have noticed that the "currently reading" box on the right hand side of the screen has not changed in some considerable time. It was always possible of course, that in a reading frenzy, I had forgotten to update it. Sadly, it was accurate, I have been struggling my way through Cider With Rosie for several months. 

As a West-Country girl, born and bred, I did feel that I should have read this one, and everyone seems to like it. Cider With Rosie is the first of Lee's autobiographies covering his childhood growing up with his Mum and sisters in a small village in the West Country. 

The writing is beautiful, almost lyrical, and the descriptions of the stunning English countryside in the summer brought back a lot of lovely memories from my own time growing up in that region. It really does capture a time when village life was totally centred on the village itself, and there was no real need to stray far from it. 

It all sounds very positive doesn't it? The trouble is that it is almost too nice, I have only been able to read a chapter at a time as it feels like the literary equivalent of binging on an entire box of Quality Street.  A friend who has finished the book says it is worth persevering with it as the second half is a little easier to digest. I will return to it, but have set it aside for now in favour of other things. It isn't often I give up on a book, and I hope I will finish it some day, but it won't be this week...

Literary Links

More podcasts for your amusement and entertainment, enjoy the sunshine!

World Book Club - Amitave Ghosh talks about his novel Shadowlines (another one for the wishlist!)

The Arts Show - Joanne Harris talks about her sequel to Chocolat

Front Row Daily (22nd May) - Fantasy Author George RR Martin talks about his writing

The Book Cafe - Alexander McCall Smith is featured

The Thirteen Problems By Agatha Christie

Published By Collins Crime Club

We are back in St Mary Mead with Miss Marple for this set of thirteen short stories. The first six are set in Miss Marple's living room as she entertains guests on a Tuesday night. The group, made up of Miss Marple's nephew, Raymond, and an artist called Joyce are also joined by the standard characters no Christie story would be complete without: A solicitor, a clergyman and Sir Henry Clithering, formally of Scotland Yard. I always wonder how Miss Marple meets all these people!

As they sit around the fire, Miss Marple knits away, and the group decide to tell stories about mysteries or puzzles they have experienced and the others have to try and solve them. Of course, Miss Marple beats everyone hands down with her knowledge of human behaviour. The next six stories are set at the Bantry's house, where the game is played once again and Miss Marple astounds everyone by solving a number of strange occurrences.  The final story is about an apparent suicide which happens locally and Miss Marple helps to solve. 

I am not normally a fan of Christie's short stories, often they are too obvious and feel rushed. These are much, much better and several of them are very well crafted, especially "The Blood Stained Pavement". Several of the stories almost appear to be trail runs of plot mechanisms, as motives and methods reappear in some of her later, better known novels.

Christie stories are never very realistic, and you know in the real world they don't stand up to any sort of plausibility test, but it really doesn't seem to matter, they are charming, and the social interactions of the time are very well observed, and there is nothing  better than a good puzzle. 

Thursday Book Cover: F Scott Fitzgerald Penguin Editions

Penguin have a series of hardback editions of F Scott Fitzgerald novels and short stories. The books are so pefectly deco, it almost hurts. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

Find them at the penguin website (currently with discount!).