Thursday Thirteen #70

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The French Atlantic Affair  by ERNEST LEHMAN   If you belong to a bunch of men and women who are hungry for money then what you need to do is board a luxury cruise liner as passengers then when you’re far out at sea you take over the ship, rob everyone on board and then make your escape, with all the loot, on a waiting boat.  That’s the plan.  Read the book to see if it runs smoothly.  Buy it here

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Flashman  by GEORGE MacDONALD FRASER   This is the first in the Flashman series – there are twelve in all and alas there will be no more because George MacDonald Fraser died earlier this year – and was the first one I read.  I knew at once I had stumbled onto something wonderful, and I devoured each new novel as it appeared.  I have read them all more than once, but this one more times than any.  Buy it here

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Bix, Man And Legend  by RICHARD M. SUDHALTER and PHILIP R. EVANS   Those in the know say that Bix Beiderbecke was the greatest white jazz musician ever.  I go further and I leave out the word “white” and that means <gasp!> I think he was better than Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington.  In this excellent biography Sudhalter and Evans tell us of Bix’s short life and all-too brief career.  The musical genre, and Bix in particular, fascinate me, so I have read this many times over since I bought it in the 1980s.   It’s out of print and copies change hands for outrageous prices now but if you want to you can buy it here

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Pet Sematary  by STEPHEN KING   When this one came out there was a lot of hype about it and a story was circulated that this was the novel that Stephen King was so frightened of that after he had finished writing it he put the manuscript away for several years, not wishing to see it published.  That turned out not to be true.  It’s a scary story, about a sacred Indian burial ground and people coming back from the dead, but not that scary.  If you’re a King fan and you haven’t read this, you should.  You’ll enjoy it.   But it here

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The Complete Yes, Prime Minister  by JONATAHN LYNN and ANTHONY JAY   This was one of the most, if not the most, intelligent, entertaining and beautifully crafted sitcoms ever to be shown on British TV.  The subject matter sounds very dry – the working relationship between a Prime Minister and two civil servants – but in fact it was brilliant.  Years after the final series came to an end (and there can never be another because two of the three principal players are now dead) they published the original scripts in book form, and they stand up every bit as well as the TV shows.  I have spent many delightful hours reading this volume.   Buy it here

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The False Inspector Dew  by PETER LOVESEY   Another of Lovesey’s period detective stories, this time set in 1921.  A married man and woman having an affair plot the murder of the man’s wife and then flee the country together, and for one reason and another, the man pretends to be Detective Chief inspector Dew (who was a real person).  Lots of fun in this light hearted tale.   Buy it here

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Peter Sellers: The Mask Behind The Mask  by PETER EVANS   This is an interesting portrait of a very talented actor who left a wonderful body of work behind for us.  Very likely he was not the most sympathetic of human beings, but then the gifted often aren’t.  The argument of this book is that it is difficult, maybe impossible, to discern what Sellers’s true nature really was.  I met him briefly once and found him taciturn and unapproachable.  Buy it here

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1066 And All That  by W.C. SELLAR & R.J. YEATMAN   This book, complete with this cover design, has never been out of print since it was first published in 1931.  It is a comic history of England, beautifully succinct and illustrated throughout.  A charming, amusing book and it has been my pleasure to read it several times over the years.   Buy it here

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The Chilian Club  by GEORGE SHIPWAY  This book is a product of Britain as it was before the era of Margaret Thatcher, when a succession of strikes by trade unions in the hands of a handful of demagogues crippled the country and the economy.  The Chilan club of the title is a gentleman’s club among whose members we find a group of old soldiers who are fed up, and decide to do away with militant union leaders.  The first time I read this I really enjoyed it. And the second and third.  I reread it a few months ago, the first time in many years, and I just couldn’t feel the same way about it for some reason.   Buy it here

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High Citadel  by DESMOND BAGLEY   This is one of my favourite Bagley thrillers.  A passenger plane makes a crash in the mountains in Latin America and the survivors are menaced by a group of rebel guerrillas who want to capture a politician who was among the passengers.  A large part of this story is of a siege, with us sympathising with the defenders.  Like all of Bagley’s novels, this moves at a tremendous pace, keeps you guessing about plot twists and is a lot of fun.   Buy it here

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Cole Porter  by CHARLES SCHWARTZ   This is an excellent warts-and-all biography of the most talented composer of popular music of the 20th century – which is to say, of all time.  If you saw the movie De-Lovely (which I reviewed here) a few years ago, you’ll have some idea of this man’s life, but this book doesn’t glamorise for the sake of Hollywood.  This account doesn’t mince words but tells us all about the life of the rich kid with the enormous talent who, through his music, took us all to the party with him.   Buy it here

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Roman Go Home by ADAM FERGUSSON   The cover blurb calls this a joke brilliantly sustained, and it is.  Ostensibly about the departure if the Romans from Britain in the fifth century, but the writer manages to fill the story with characters who sound more twentieth century than fifth.  The dialogue and situations are a satire on modern post-colonial politics.  A number of genuine historical figures from early English history are included (I had never heard of Hengist, Horsa or Vortigern before I read this) and there is a bittersweet love story too.  Buy it here

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The Penthouse by ELLESTON TREVOR   Better known for his novel The Flight of the Phoenix which has twice been filmed, Elleston Trevor wrote this one about 25 years ago.  Set in a high rise bock of luxury apartments, it’s essentially a hostage drama, with the occupant of the luxury penthouse being held against her will by a desperate criminal who has become fixated on her.  Very entertaining.   Buy it here

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Comments

[Sue]

The only one I've read on the list is Pet Semetery, which I liked in book format. :) The film I was not so enthusiastic about. Happy TT!

[On a limb with Claudia]

What do you think draws you to Pet Sematary? It seems out of your usual genre. Do you like other Kings?

Great collection as well! I've enjoyed hearing your voice these last couple of weeks as well!

[Michelle]

What a wonderful list of books. There's a few hear that I'd like to read. I have read and seen the movie Pet Sematary. What a scary read! Thanks for sharing and stopping by my place.

[AnthonyNorth]

It is my suspicion that Stephen King is one of the few published novelists around today who will be read in coming centuries. He combines the two essentials - he describes his time perfectly, but his stories are timeless.

[Adelle Laudan]

I've only read Pet Cemetary, but the last one looks interesting lol Happy T13!

[Ann Bruce]

Your library is so much more extensive than mine.

[FickleMinded]

i really do want to read SK's Pet Sematary but the last book of his that i read really scared the hell out of me!!

[SandyCarlson]

That's quite a list. 1066 and All That looks like a good read among good reads.

[julia]

'Flashman'! I love that book!
'Yes, Prime Minister' - also a fave.
'1066 and All That' and 'Roman Go Home' would be wonderful to read - I'm a big King Arthur fan, and the withdrawal of the Romans is the backdrop to the story of Arthur.

[Lori]

Well, Ive seen Pet Sematary more than 3 times. Does that count? You know, you have an awesome voice. Have you ever thought about doing audio books? Happy TT sunshine...I hope you have a great week.

[colleen]

I was trying to guess the theme before listening to you audio, but I couldn't figure it out.

You're a better reader than me!

[Teena in Toronto]

Thanks for stopping by mine :)

[yasmin]

great TT...and I read Pet Sementary...scared the bejesus out of me...lol.

[Journeywoman]

Never read Pet Semetary, and yet I usually like King.

[Marina]

Cool podcast widget, I will have to check it out.

I've missed out on all of these, but I really want to read Pet Sematary and 1066 and All That.

Here's mine (not very inspired, but...):
http://texasbookwoman.blogspot.com/2008/11/thursday-thirteen-11-13-jumps-of-blog.html

[Alice Audrey]

Hey, you don't have to worry about me. I always comment. I still love your voice BTW. You could be a voice actor.

[Kealie Shay]

1066 And All That, and The Penthouse look pretty good. I'll have to add them to my TBB list. Yet another great list, hon.

[BorednTalkative]

I'm surprised I haven't read Pet Semetary. I like all that scary stuff. I'm getting some new books this weekend, so I may just pick it up.

[orneryswife]

The most interesting conversationalists are readers, in my opinion. You must be fascinating to visit with! Thanks for dropping in at Miller Manor. It's been a long time since I went visiting TT's. Life seems to draw me away from my computer more than I'd like! Happy TT!
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[Darla]

I used to reread books a lot more often. Now I have so many books in my to-be-read pile, it seems wasteful to reread. Sometimes I can't resist, though.

I've only read Pet Sematary, but I'm not a fan of King's short choppy sentences, so it's not one I'd read again.

[Brenda ND]

I read Pet Sematary a long time ago. I haven't read any of the others. :) Happy TT!

[Carol]

Only Pet Sematary here, too.

Roman Go Home sounds like one I might like.

Have you considered doing an all vodcast T-13? You have such a nice voice.

[Mary]

Hmmm, the podcast kept telling me "feed not found", but of your list, the only book I've read is Pet Semetary. I love the fact that King can truly scare you as you look at words typed onto a page.

[Janet]

Pet Sematary was a horribly scary book and the movie was as well. Poor Gage.

[Jennifer]

Pet Sematary! Great book! I really like Stephen King. Thanks for stopping by my TT :)