The debonair Basil Marigold's

It is without doubt a very personal list, these things by their nature must be. Yet, 6 years ago the Guardian published an article here  by a journalist who listed what he believed to be the 10 best book shops in the world. It is as I've mentioned, a truly variable love and one man's goose...etc.  The point is that I have now visited the bookshop that stands proudly at number 6 in the list. Scarthin books in the Peak District (Cromford to be exact, geographically!). I had never been before until a few weeks ago. My wife took me, she is aware I have predilection for book shops (of any variety, unless of course, Cheryl Cole opens a shop only selling her books). I have visited very many in my life so far and indeed, I plan to visit an awful lot more in search of the continual bargain that needs to be be bought and brought home with me, as its new owner.  I have, however, become more disciplined with my book buying. It really has to be something 'exceptional', as opp...

My, Poirot, novel reading challenge is going well after what has been a fruitful period in the month of March. I have managed to read from, Dumb Witness to Hercule Poirot's christmas. (in total 4 books so far, read from the 4th to the 20th March. I know this because my chronological list is dated when they are read. Yep, it's that methodical (or anorak-ish) depending on your opinion about lists. I may, just may be able to shoe horn number 5 in before the end of march (perhaps, if I'm being wildly ambitious, 6?). However, March has been the most productive reading month since I started! It has also meant I have come to a major milestone. The half way point in my challenge! Hercule Poirot's christmas was number 17 of the 34 I am too read. I have managed to read a christmas story with Easter coming up on the horizon. But the joy of reaching the half way line has resulted in quite a euphoric feeling (I am not focusing on the fact that I have another 17 books to go, for e...

Until this past weekend. I had in 37 years, visited 18 World Heritage sites. It is more than I thought, though looking at the list I realise that it is also not quite enough to be happy with. Last saturday, however, I turned this number into 19. Strangely enough, the site was only 16 miles from the front door, in the rolling dales of Derbyshire. I have lived, 'up north' for nearly 14 years now and yet, for some reason had never visited, Cromford Mills, before. I guess the location (didn't drive before I got married), lack of buses, company, etc all meant that I never really explored off of the main bus routes and to be honest I tended to go away more often than I do now, abroad, mainly, Italy, really Rome, the most beautiful city in the world. The one place I love the most.  So, on Saturday, with the family in tow we headed out into the rural beauty that is Derby. We went past mine and my sons favourite Derbyshire attraction, Crich Tramway Museum. As we pulled into ...

I kind of had an inkling before I set out on my path to the Poirot challenge achievement, mentioned, previously, that a lot of my issue for never reading any until I reached 36 years of age was an ingrained prejudice and perception on my part. This, I believed I had overcome. Well, tonight a little part of that false perception has come true. Perception has become truth. I have been supplied by both Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire library services for my book requests and with all challenges, I have discovered a friend, who I name 'Challenge ally' who has their own vast, Poirot Library, which I am now fortunately a member of and plundering regularly.  However, in my over eagerness to get ahead, after the delivery of 3 new books for me. (As a digression, I will now describe the last transaction; I had three books to return and three books to receive and it involved me handing a bag into an open car window to our go between (her husband, but 'go between' suits the sto...

So, my wife went out last night and I had some free time to burn. I burned them with my books, those that I have read from July 2013 to January 2014. The total amount was 32. Which seems a good number for 6 months. Equating too around 60 or so a year, this will always vary depending on the thickness and complexity of the book being read! The results were not particularly surprising. I have been hammering, the Poirot novels of Agatha Christie and this has been borne out by the fact that 31% of my reading time was spent reading Crime; the only other crime book that I read that wasn't Agatha Christie was by, Ian Rankin, the creater of 'Inspector Rebus' character. This bought crime up to the level of history books, my usual number 1. These tend to be thicker and heavier reads, so theoretically the 10 history books I've read, although the same in number with Poirot mysteries, are probably the equivalent of 30 poirot novels in all honesty. A good example of how statis...

Recently I came across a song on the radio, this is a little unusual as the radio station I listen to doesn't play much in the way of music. Sometimes however my radio station also drops out of reception on the way to and from work, so something being better than nothing I have to get hit search, at least for 5 minutes until the signal comes back or i'm not listening to my itunes tracks. Unless I am lucky enough to wander into range of, Kerrang or Planet Rock then most music I hear is not particularly my 'cup of tea'. At this moment in time it was. While continuing to work and trying to remember the artist and song name so I could write it down (which ironically puts me in the minority of drivers who do actually, only drive when they get in the car, as oppose to the majority I pass on motorways, who seem to think they can; use mobiles, add make-up, read, eat pies and train dolphins to catch unicorns.) With the task completed I returned home and 'googled'...

... For those interested (essentially, this is me, I am guessing). My recently discovered obsession with, Agatha Christie's, 'Hercule Poirot'. The most arrogant Belgian, since, the waffle. I deliberately, decided that my next plan of attack, after my experience with, 'The ABC Murders', was to read the entire collection of Poirot (after a beer I seem to remember)... ...when the printer had finished printing the last of the three pages of A4 paper with all the books and collections that, Christie had written involving the Belgian detective! I looked with some trepidation at the task in hand (sobriety does this!). I immediately divorced from my conscious any attempt to do all the novels and all the short stories in chronological order (there are 10 short story collections!). So they were removed which left the novel canon of Poirot. All 34 books, starting in 1920 finishing with, 'Curtain', in 1975 (Yes, pedant, I am aware that, 'Curtain' was written...