Sometimes I think I might delete this blog to free up the tiny bit of internet space it takes up... especially since I only manage to do anything with it about once a year.

This is going to be a quick run through everything I've read this year (don't worry all the PhD related stuff has been left out) which turns out to be not very much at all, due to PhD stuff, and being chained to a laptop everyday all day. Titles with very brief reviews, in no particular order:

Bonnie Greer - Entropy: sad, joyful; introspective, retrospective; and like the author, full of ideas.

Adam Foulds - The Quickening Maze: beautifully written, but a bit too slight for everything packed into it.

Ali Smith - The First Person and Other Stories: I'm not reviewing this - as far as I'm concerned Ali Smith can do no wrong when it comes to books.

AL Kennedy - What Becomes: Yes I read it again. And again. And before the year is out I might yet read it again. Do I need to explain...?

Stuart Hall - The Raw Shark Texts: Mad, mad, book about ... well, I couldn't even begin to explain. You'd think I'm insane. Go away and read it.

Nathaniel Rich - The Mayor's Tongue: The ending, sadly, lets it down.

Mohammed Hanif - A Case of Exploding Mangoes: This one surprised me - a serious book which is having too much fun to take itself seriously. Go away and read it.

Peter Ferry - Travel Writing: Can't remember if I read this at the end of 2009 or not, I seem to remember that its about storytelling and obsession and love and travel. Or something.

Stig Larsson - Millenium Trilogy: Ok, I gave in. Last week. Oddly compulsive. Run of the mill prose, needed 500 pages cutting from the total of about 2000, and a sharp editor, but hats off for creating a character who can kick that drivel which is Twilight out of the water (and no I haven't read those, and I won't be. Ever. Anyone caught reading them should be put on a compulsory and intensive course reading the likes of Virginia Woolf)

Back to the typing now.

What sort of debate needs 76 rules?

Love the fact that there are 3 rules about the set.

And is one minute really enough time to respond to a question?

Clearly the people involved in this haven't watched the live debate episode in series 7 of The West Wing.

Meanwhile the sun is shining and I've been deciding what penstemons to put in my garden this year. And tomorrow I'm off to buy myself a colour wheel because I can't find a decent one online to print off.

You can tell I haven't done any work today can't you...

I obviously had a moment of PhD avoidance at some point recently and ordered the above and then promptly forgot I'd ordered them. So it was a pleasant surprise to find a parcel in the letterbox this morning. I'm looking forward to reading these.

Next on my list of things to buy are two plays by Fin Kennedy and whatever I can get my hands on by David Rudkin, which is easier said than done as Methuen seem to have let all his plays go out of print. It is, however, possible to get an in print of his first play - Afore Night Come - from Oberon Books. For all the rest I feel a trip to Skoob coming on.

A very fine new bookshop - The Book Hive - has opened on London Street in Norwich. So if you happen to be in or near Norwich, do go in and have a look.

Turnips

And just in case you were wondering about the erstwhile turnip theme ... Last years turninps got eaten by bugs, and it is too cold to sow this years crop. So I dug out this.

It made me smile.

Period Comedy Podcast

I you have half an hour, or if you have no time at all but are able to brilliantly multi task in a way which means everything gets your attention, then have a listen to this: Fanny Goodboddy