31 March - Blogs & Boring

Forgot to say that on the Swiss excursion I brought with me a 50p charity shop copy of Petite Anglaise. For a while back in the heyday of blogs I wished I were writing a wildly checked one, leading to collation into book form and giving a few interviews and pocketing some cash. But having now read a few books originating this way I am relieved I never had anything remarkable enough to pulp a few trees for. Ok, Belle 1 is the exception.

I skipped back and forth on PA and could not find a single redeeming thing about it. Of course did not read all the words as that would have been a waste of my precious reading time. But it was dire. Maybe in small installment form it had a different bearing on a reader, but in one sitting or two, it was dire. Comment on dit 'dire' en francais je me demande...

Then again maybe am just in impatient/uncharitable moon phase or other. Since I bougth a £5 hardcopy of Margaret Attwood's 'After the Flood', read 30 pages and thought Maggie, you're back on Oryx and Craske territory and indeed she makes no bones about it but it feels a bit like a rehash. With her however I have learnt she has good surprises up her sleeves, so will persevere another 100 or so before giving up if indeed that's what I'll do. Which reminds me, Franzen's Freedom is not even half way through and I like it a lot. It's just impossible to find the time what with bits of TV, lots of going out and the general attention span decline that's befallen me.