G K Chesterton - Father Brown Short Stories - Arcturus - 2018
This volume brings together two of Chestertons` Father Brown collections, The Innocence of Father Brown and The Wisdom of Father Brown.
I read one or two of the Fr Brown short stories in younger days and as I recall, enjoyed them. I`ve watched a number of screen adaptations, both recent and not-so-recent, and enjoyed those.
When I saw this book in my local library, I borrowed it straight away, never doubting for one second that it would provide a few happy hours.
In that I was mistaken. The problem with these stories, for me at any rate, is not necessarily the plotting, but more with the great mans` storytelling style. In fairness, these stories were hugely popular in their day, so it may be that our expectations of writers has changed.
This is not helped by the way he punctuates his stories with odd, sometimes mystifying, observations on spiritual matters that must have been puzzling to readers of any era.
Some have found him a dogmatic, sometimes xenophobic, writer. This wounded him and he spent much time and energy attempting to answer those criticisms. I would say those elements can be found in his writing. I suspect the root cause is not so much malice or prejudice so much as that he tended to be a rather unworldly character with little experience of the world ; a bit "off with the elves and pixies" as one of my uncles used to say.
At one time I would have persevered and finished the book, but I must admit that once I reached `The Sins of Prince Saradine`, which contains the phrase "a bittern sounded in the distance like an elf upon his dwarfish drum" my patience began to run out. I tried a couple more stories and then gave up.
Johnny Orlando - Sing a Song for Free -Pye - 1972 - Promo Copy
NB -This is the original Johnny Orlando, not the other one.
This is a recent addition to my music collection and one that I prize very highly.
I cannot tell you a lot about him, other than the fact that he is a long-established and well-respected singer of reggae/pop/soul. He has a knack for songwriting and concentrates mainly on love songs.
His real name is Leslie Alexander Vassell, and in younger days he did sometimes record as Al Vassell.
Now in his 70s, he is still active in music today, based in the UK, and has recently performed in Spain and England.
Sing a Song for Free has a `60s pop/soul feel to it. Some might find it a bit lightweight but not me.
Amazingly, I had no trouble finding a copy at a reasonable price and in fact there were a few copies about when I bought mine, most apparently in decent condition and not expensive.
Usually I don`t collect major label releases much, but it`s kind of a period piece being on the Pye label, and I like that fact that it`s a promo copy.
To really appreciate the great Johnny you have to hear him sing his own songs, but this is a good starting point for a collection.
Fergus Hume - Professor Brankel`s Secret
This was the follow-up to Fergus Humes` first novel The Mystery of a Hansom cab.
It is very different to his detective stories, being in every way a 19th century Gothic novel. Some would say it is rather derivative, perhaps too heavily influenced by some of the better-known works in that genre. Perhaps it is, but I don`t really care about that !
The eponymous Professor, described at one point as looking "the incarnation of an arch fiend - a modern Mephistopheles", seeks "the heart blood of a pure maiden" - you will need to read the book to find out why - reconciling himself to his grisly mission with the thought that "the killing of a person in the case of science is no murder". He is just a touch obsessional !
In pursuit of this goal he is soon producing "a long steel knife, the edge of which he felt with a hideous smile". The young woman he has selected seems rather reluctant to participate, despite his promise that "you will have a short life but an eternal fame.". Perhaps she sees no point in eternal fame if she will not be around to enjoy it, but in any event her response as he advances "with a vacant smile" is to throw a bottle at him.
To avoid spoiling the tale for potential readers, I shall just point out that you should know by now whether this is your sort of thing or not.
Clearly it is whole-heartedly gothic and just a little bit over the top. I personally enjoyed it immensely !
