Time for more Book Reviews!

Surprisingly, there are very few book reviews on this blog yet I read so many! These have included some by Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Ian Cummins and numerous others but I'll just review a couple of these books in this post. 

1. Terry Pratchett's Discworld Novels.

I'm just a couple of books from having the whole set. I re-read the ones I have in 2023. If you know and love Discworld, there is nothing I can add but, if you want to try a few, here is some useful information.

Death appears in many of the books. Obvious when you think about it, really. He is a weary old bag of bones with a strong sense of duty (well, except for that one time...) and has a grand-daughter Susan, a horse named Binky and a manservant, Albert. His speech is denoted in small capitals, such as I COULD MURDER A CURRY. 

Lord Vetinari is a dictator although that seems a bit harsh, considering how well he runs the main city of Ankh-Morpork by keeping ahead of everone and everything. He is also in many of the books. 

The Wizards of the Unseen University provide the mad-cap element and the Witches from varioius other regions of Discworld are generally practical and helpful within their communities. Rincewind is a failed wizard who travels throughout the Discworld and has many adventures, featuring in several of the books.

The Watch reports to Lord Vetinari, they are responsible for law enforcement and are, for the most part, let by Captain Vimes. There are also guilds who are allowed to control their own (otherwise unlawful) business within parameters set by Lord Vetinari; these includethe assassins guild, thieves guild, etc.. The Watch is featured in many of the Discworld stories, particularly those set in Ankh-Morpork. 

Moist Von Lipwig is featured in three stories. He resurrected the Post Office, ran the bank and was instrumental in the Rail system.

Ankh-Morpork is a truly cosmopolitan city, home to humans, wizards (including one orang-utang), dwarfs, golems, trolls, at least one werewolf and a vampire - you name them, you'll find them there. 

Gods have a following. Between them, they cover everything, including cutlery drawers, but are not usually significant in most of the stories. 

There are many other characters popping up now and then and the themes of stories are parodies of the world we live in but with a quirky, humorous twist.

 

2. Neil Gaiman - Good Omens (with Terry Pratchett) and a book of his short stories.

Perhaps you've watched Good Omens on TV? I had already read the original book and subsequently the script of the first story after the TV show. It was excellent. The sequel (without Pratchett) was not quite as captivating, in my opinion, as he seemed to have difficulty focusing on 'real' people rather than angels and demons. It left a cliff-hanger at the end which screamed, "There must be a Season 3" and, let's face it,we all want to see more of Crowley and Aziraphale.

Gaiman's book of short stories illustrates just how many weird ideas are floating around his head - not all happy thoughts, either. He's a good writer and, to be fair to him, I am not a fan of short stories, but if it's your way of escaping from your real life for a while, by all means give it a go. 

3. Ian Cummins - The Wrong Briefcase, My Time Again, Social Murderer.

Three different novels, three different genres. Take your pick.

The Wrong Briefcase is like a TV drama in that it's about people who you may know through work, the local pub, parents at the school, neighbours, etc.. It focuses on two characters, each with their own story, totally unaware of each other. One is an ambitious man, Mark, whose personal life is changing; the other is James, a family man and our link to his father Harry's business. The story begins with Harry deciding to invest all his cash for his upcoming retirement to secure his and his wife's future - but he leaves the briefcase full of money in a taxi. The next person to use the taxi is Mark who picks up the briefcase, thinking it's his own, forgetting that he didn't have one with him that day. Harry turns to his son, James, to help find the briefcase but soon dies, leaving James to 'tidy up' his affairs. The book follows Mark with his new found wealth and James as their lives change but never cross. Of course, there's a good twist at the end. 

My Time Again is about a man, Graham, who has lived for 70 years when he is transported overnight back to 1970, when he was starting at University in London. His body is now that of an 18 year old but his seventy years of memories are still in his mind. This leads him to make different choices second time around. The author uses real life events to guide the story along, with Graham occasionally trying to change outcomes. But what may happen when his seventieth birthday approaches again plays on his mind, and he is determined to unravel the mystery before it's too late. 

Social Murderer is darker than the previous two books. Whilst murder-mysteries are the most popular of genres, I prefer less death and more feel-good. That said, however, it's a well thought through story of trying to identify the murderer before he continues his killing spree. Eventually, the detective finds out that victims are randomly chosen from their social media profiles - hence 'social murderer' - with the qualifying criteria being that their names that can be arranged in a specific pattern to solve a simple puzzle. The murderer has promised a huge reward for the first person who solves the puzzle. Will he/she be caught before the puzzle is finished and the prize claimed?

So that's it. You can buy Pratchett's and Gaiman's books practically anywhere; Ian Cummins' books are all available on Amazon books and Kindle.

P.S. I posted this book review years ago and can only remember the first and last books mentioned! Sadly, my Kindle is over ten years old and has stopped functioning.

I Used To Be Famous - British film

A few years after Del-boy put Peckham on the map, along comes Vinnie D. 

Co-written, directed and starring Eddie Sternberg as Vince Denham who used to be in a famous band twenty years earlier, this story is a reminder that people are complicated creatures. 

Vince is down on his luck. Alone in his flat, he reflects on his life choices which led him here, mainly shaped by his inability to stand his ground and visit his younger brother in hospital, who died while the band was on tour. He is not happy with his life and dreams of becoming famous again.

While practising a new song on his electronic keyboard, sitting on a bench in Peckham market, a young man, Stevie, starts drumming along with the song until Stevie's mother arrives on the scene and takes him home. 

Long story short... Stevie is autistic and drums as therapy. Vince joins the therapy group and shows understanding, helping other members gain self-confidence. The two team up (against Stevie's mum's wishes) and get a gig at the local pub. They are well received until some guys wander in and begin to shout derogatory comments about the music and then start picking on Stevie. Vince protects his younger friend and a fight ensues. Obviously he is then banned from the pub. 

With various people posting short videos on social media of Vince and Stevie playing in the market and at the gig, Vince is eventually poised to make a comeback tour... 

Released 2022, currently on Netflix.

Indiana Jones - the fifth and final film

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny 

Everyone was excited about the next Indiana Jones movie until the studio started to shoot itself in the foot and put out negative vibes. Even after it was released, there was no love for the film at Disney. Unsurprisingly, one of the highest budget films was not a box-office success and, at the time, made huge losses. These factors niggled at an audience who wanted to love Indy's last adventure (bearing in mind that Harrison Ford must be nearly 100 years old by now). 

So we waited. We've now watched the movie and have our own opinion on it. Generally, the public awarded a 3.6 rating and we wouldn't argue with that but we believe it could have been higher with a better final cut. For example, it's a long film at 2h22m and much of the first half dragged on a bit therefore just removing 20 minutes or so from the first half of the film would have been beneficial. Possibly the scenes where old Indy became younger Indy, thanks to CGI, were only kept in to justify the CGI cost? 

That aside, once the action got going, it was entertaining.

Resurrecting the Nazi element as the antagonists was a terrible idea but the fantasy element of the franchise (e.g. Arc, Aliens) was topped by time-travel. The antagonists meet their doom in the distant past as Indy meets with Archimedes who, apparently, discovered how to time travel around 2000 years ago. 

All in all, quite entertaining and a must-see if you've seen the others. 

Personal ratings by release:

• Raiders of the Lost Arc ~~~ 5* 
• Temple of Doom ~~~ 4* 
• Last Crusade ~~~ 5*
• Crystal Skull ~~~ 4* 
• Dial of Destiny ~~~ 4*
  

 

Movies: Freelance, Witless Protection, About My Father - our ratings

We've watched three more films on three consecutive evenings, wow. 

1. Freelance

Genre: action and humour. If this had been made at the end of the last millenium, it would be starring Arnie and possibly co-starring Antonio Banderas. However, it was released in 2023 and stars John Cena, Alison Brie and Juan Pablo Raba. It's not a new plot but it was entertaining and for that, we give it 4 out of 5 stars. Cena and Brie were good and Juan Pablo Raba was excellent.

2. Witless Protection

Genre: comedy. We nearly abandoned this quite early on as it's cringey rather than funny but we let it run and there was some worthy humour. Added to that, the plot developed nicely, so we can award 3 out of 5 stars. For those of you who know of the comedian 'Larry the Cable Guy', the humour is probably typical but for the rest of us (especially Brits), this is a B-list movie.

3. About My Father

Genre: comedy. Based loosely on the relationshop between the writer/leading actor Sebastian Maniscalco and his father, played by Robert De Niro, this hardly believable plot is entertaining, with characters who you may like or loathe as the story unfolds. It's entertaining, so somewhere between 3 and 4 stars out of 5. 

Click here for more film info.

Film Review: Uncharted

 "Nuns. Why did it have to be Nuns?" 

I've been looking forward to seeing this film for such a long time. I'm not a gamer but I've watched some of the Uncharted stories from the games plus the fan-made short with Nathan Fillion as Nathan Drake - so I know a little but not enough to enrage me if there are deviations from the game plots. 

I watched this with someone who knew nothing about Uncharted at all. For example, he asked what sort of film it is and I said that it was a little bit like Indiana Jones. 

The main characters are Nate (Tom Holland) and Sully (Mark Wahlberg) whose connection is Nate's brother, Sam (missing, presumed dead). The film begins with the brothers as naughty boys, Sam leaves younger brother Nate to be raised in an orphanage by nuns. Eventually Nate comes of age, leaves the orphanage and gets a job as a barman, supplementing his income by stealing stuff. 

Sully finds Nate and, after some cat-and-mouse games, they team up to search for Magellan's gold. Of course, they are not the only ones on the trail so they encounter some rough enemies, including the woman who shot Sam. 

At the end, as with Indy's adventures, there is a wistful but not unhappy ending to the film, followed by a teaser for a sequel which, at the end of 2023, we are still waiting to hear if/when it's to be given the green light. I hope so.

I enjoyed this film and the person with whom I watched it also enjoyed it (possibly not as much as me though). If I had to name one thing that niggled me, it was the destruction of two perfectly preserved, centuries-old sailing ships. But then, I have to remember that it's not real, just a story.

 

It's CHRISTMAAAAS!

For so many generations,  it's great to see Noddy Holder return to the limelight every December. Slade's Number One hit from 1973, Merry Christmas Everbody, is still played relentlessly at joyous festivities throughout the UK, 50 years on. Who would have predicted that? Maybe Bing Crosby? Written by Irving Berlin, White Christmas was recorded by Bing Crosby in 1942, during WWII, and is still in the Christmas charts every year.

The leading contender for the 2023 Christmas Number One in the music charts is  Last Christmas by Wham, from 1984, presumably referring to Christmas 1983 which was 40 years ago and the same year that Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth reached No. 3 in the charts, a collaboration by David Bowie with Bing Crosby, six years after it was recorded, just a month before Crosby's unexpected death.

In the 2023 race, the leader is is closely followed by The Pogues with Kirsty McColl's A Fairytale of New York, released 1987. 

These are all great songs which we are happy to sing along to year after year yet, with the exception of Noddy Holder, the people who sang the main lyrics are no longer around. We're so lucky that they left us their voices to listen to every year.

If your favourite isn't listed, put it in thecomments!  

Merry Christmas, Everybody. 

Beebopalula

History (well, School Days in the 1960s)

Intro: I was a bit of a 'goody two shoes'. In junior school, I once had to write 200 lines "I must not talk in class" - I didn't mind the lines as I enjoyed writing. However, I hadn't been talking and I made a point of telling the teacher when, as an adult, I saw him at a bus stop in the rain and offered him a lift. I now laugh about how ridiculous that was! In senior school, I had one detention when the whole class was kept behind for something (not sure what as, once again, I wasn't part of it). It consisted of staying half an hour late in school, which was great because I managed to complete half my homework!

Part-1

In the summer of 1965, the pupils in class 4A (now Year 6) parted ways at the end of term. Although many would be attending the local comprehensive, Peter was accepted at the boys' grammar school in a nearby town and I would be starting at the girls' grammar school in another nearby town. I only mentioned Peter because, years later, I discovered that he and a friend's brother were in the same class at grammar school.

During the summer break, I was kitted out (at enormous expense) with the appropriate uniform of tweed skirt, tie, blazer, mac, white shirts, ash green cardigan and/or jumper, green beret, scarf, white science coat and PE kit: green culottes, big black gym knickers, white polo shirt, hockey boots and a hockey stick. There was also a summer dress in a specific fabric but this was deferred until summer term, a few months away.

In the first year (now referred to as Year 7), we were placed into classes by age and there were two other girls, Christine and Elizabeth, with whom I shared a birthday.

We were also assigned to 'houses' but, as nobody paid any attention to these, it was soon phased out. I was placed in St Winifred's, which warranted a yellow button badge and determined which musical I could see in London for a Christmas treat - it was Paint your Wagon. I think Oliver and The Sound of Music were on offer to the girls in other 'houses'.

The 'first-years' were housed in an old building with the science labs. There was a Christmas outing to the local church and we all had to wear our berets - the one and only time I ever did. It was very icy that winter and I slipped over and broke a tooth as I walked across the courtyard.

Once a week during autumn/winter, we played hockey and I was so useless that my hardly-worn, expensive hockey boots were as-new when I finally gave them away. I must also have had plimsoles to play tennis (also useless) and athletics (even worse) during the spring/summer; I wasn't too bad at gym. It's a shame there was no squash or badminton because I was OK at those when I grew up.

In the summer term, the girls wore a collared dress with optional cardigan. In June, our end-of-year exam reults determined our destinies for the following year. 

During that first year, I met Mo who, apparently, I was friends with as a baby when her parents and mine were neighbours, before both familes moved out of North London and lost touch (we're still friends). Anita was another classmate who was to feature in my life after we left school... more about that if I write a post about the 1970s. 

September 1966: arriving at school on the first day of term, my long hair in braids as per the rules, one of the prefects mistook me for a newcomer. Obviously, that hair was instantly set free! I soon realised that most of the rules applied to first year girls only and then, afterwards, nobody bothered!

Thankfully, I was placed in the arts stream rather than the science stream. The main difference being that we were not taught taught Physics and Chemistry but we did study English literature and all the usual lessons: English Grammar, Maths, French, History, Geography, plus Biology, Art and a choice of Needlework or Cookery. There were the compulsory PE and RE lessons too.

I was an average student, so we'll leave academia behind and concentrate on the fun side of being a young teen in the late 1960s. 

Update: Just remembered how fashionable my 11-year old self was! Christmas, 1965, my parents bought me a blue anorak and blue stretch trousers with a strap that looped under the foot to stop them riding up. A year later, my Christmas present was a sleeveless, polo-necked skinny-rib top in white with a mustard colour mini-skirt in crimplene ... CRIMPLENE!!!

Part 2.

1966-1970 were the best years to be a carefree teenager! As far as homework interfering with the social side of life, it didn't. Most of the time, I did whatever homework we were assigned during the morning during lunchtime and whatever was assigned in the afternoons was started on the bus journey and completed the following morning by getting in forty minutes before school started. Those were the good old days when pupils were trusted to be in their classrooms without supervision.

My school mac was originally designed to cover the knees but we turned up the hems by about 8" to be mini-length coats. Similarly, skirts were turned over and over at the waist to become mini-skirts. Outside of school, it was mostly mini-skirts, which got higher as stockings were replaced by tights, but I also had a lime green trouser suit which I wore endlessly!

As with many teens in the '60s, music filled my head. Having been introduced to Buddy Holly's songs by my older brother when I was about five years old, Beatlemania arrived soon afterwards. In fact, I was lucky enough to be taken to a Beatles concert in 1964 - how many people can claim that?! Some of the other artistes my parents took me to see were: The Moody Blues ("Go Now" with Denny Laine), The Tornados ("Telstar"), Susan Maughan ("Bobby's Girl") - I'll add any others as I remember them. 

My brother gave me my first ever record. It was a 78 RPM of Buddy Holly and The Crickets, "Think It Over" / "Fools Paradise" (he had started collecting the new 45 RPM 'singles'). In fact, he also gave me my second record - a single - "Can't Buy Me Love" / "You Can't Do That" by The Beatles, as he had bought their LP (33 RPM) and both songs were on it. For any young people who are unsure what RPM means, it signified the speed of the turntable - revolutions per minute.

Some of my other favourite bands in the 1960s were: Manfred Mann and The Animals, The Monkees, The Kinks, The Troggs, Small Faces, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Titch. Late 1960s: Amen Corner, The Herd, The Equals, Beach Boys; then a host of Tamla Motown artistes: Jimmy Ruffin, Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, etc. I'm sure I've missed loads. At age 13ish, a schoolfirend, Marina, and I saw The Small Faces (Stevenage Locarno) and The Monkees (Wembley Arena) and I went with another couple of schoolfriends to see The Amen Corner and The Bonzo Dog Do-Dah Band, both at Tottenham Royal, when I was around 14 or 15.

My introduction to politics was via The Marine and Broadcasting Offences Bill, which was put together by Harold Wilson's Labour Government in 1967/68. It's sole purpose (in my opinion) was to close down Radio Caroline and Radio London so that the music we listened to could be controlled by the government. I have loathed politics and politicians ever since. No wonder there are so many rebellions by teenagers.

As I have now mentioned Tottenham, another of my weekly past-times was watching football, mostly at White Hart Lane. I usually went with Gill, my best friend from school, and took my younger brother. This started in 1967 and continued for several years - my younger brother is a season ticket holder and hasn't missed many games since. Jimmy Greaves was my hero. I still follow the club but mostly from my cosy armchair.

In the summer of '68, I had a 'phone call from another schoolfriend, Pat, who was on a Caravan holiday with her parents near the Essex coast and was bored silly - am I free to spend the next week with her family? Oh, yes. My dad drove me there and I had a great time - it was the only the second holiday I had ever had (the other being Butlins in 1966 in wet Wales). I remember that my favourite song at the time was "Bad Moon Rising" by Creedence Clearwater Revival - it's still one of my favourites. 

Gill and I used to go roller skating every week at 'Ally Pally' and often went to discos at the weekends. I lived miles from anywhere and always had to find the best bus route to wherever I was going; sometimes I would arrange to stay over at one of my friends' houses instead.

When I was 15, I stayed with some 'cousins' in Essex, not far from Southend. They were actually family friends but I had always called their mum 'Aunty Vi'. They had a flat roofed house and the boys and I used to jump off the roof onto the lawn. Why? No idea! They also had a motorbike (a 350 AJS) which they were too young to drive but they walked it to some local wasteland and rode around. I tried but accelerated too hard and I fell off the back as the bike reared - no harm done but they wouldn't let me near it again. I remember that my favourite songs during that time were "Band of Gold", "The First Cut Is The Deepest" and "Don't Play That Song For Me" by Freda Payne, P.P.Arnold and Aretha Franklin, respectively. 

At some point during those football years, I had all my long hair cut off to within 1" in my scalp and started wearing jeans, which is still my staple to this day. I have a photograph of me looking 'hard' with my new haircut, jeans and a blue and white scarf. Hilarious!

As 1969 handed over to the next decade, I passed most of my O-levels and spent the summer waitressing in a café, which I loved! My favourite song at that time was David Bowie's "A Space Oddity". I started a real job in September and life was still fun but that's for another post, another time. Thanks for reading.

Bernie