84 Charing Cross Road

Theatrical poster
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/84_Charing_Cross_Road_(film)

I think I just watched the best film, ever. 84 Charing Cross Road. It is a movie about books, friendship, London and New York and I think I fell in love with it. I was feeling a little low and blue. I was tucked up in bed, feeling the chill (although not as cold as home, which is stuck in the big freeze, sorry!). I am suffering from an attack of nostalgia and homesickness and after watching, "The Young Victoria" which was a nice enough film, Netflix suggested I might like, 84 Charing Cross Road. And I did. It stars Anthony Hopkins and Anne Bancroft, it is a love story, but a love story over correspondence, letters and books and over the Atlantic ocean.

I loved this film for the love and joy found in books, letters, lives and not least of all for the scenes of London and New York (cities I love) and brilliant lines; like:


"What would we do without our cups of tea. Life would be insupportable, would it not?" 

"I love inscriptions on flyleafs and notes in margins. I like the comradely sense of turning pages someone else turned and reading passages someone long-gone has called my attention to."

Understated and witty, lovely and warm, nothing overdone and everything said; just right. It is the sort of movie I aspire to be, witty and warm but just enough. Bitter but sweet, like the best dark chocolate. It reminds me of my other favourite films, Remains of the Day and Sense and Sensibility. These are of course the English stereotypes, of formality and reserve, but it is something I admire and respect. Maybe ever more as we over share and provide TMI (Too Much Information) all over the place. I am guilty as charged of both crimes. But aspirations are needed, and maybe one day I will be just as witty, warm and understated as this movie.

Even better; I see it is based on a book and it is based on the author, Ms Helene Hanff's real 20 year correspondence with Mr Frank Doel of Marks & Co. What I cannot understand is how I have never seen this film before?

Seven more books – the last seven of the year?

Stanley Middleton - Necessary Ends

Had never heard of this author before. A nice read contemplating a man's approach to older age, decisions he makes and the changes in his life.  This is the kind of book you pick up at a book sale, enjoy and forget easily. 

Tim Collins - Diary of a Wimpy Vampire

This is a funny take on the diary of a wimpy kid books.  Enjoyable silly read. 

Terry Pratchett – Jingo

This was a re-read. Love this book, funny story with Sam Vimes et al.  

Danyal Mueenuddin – In Other Rooms, Other Wanders

Eight short stories all centred around the same stories, intertwined but not linked explicitly.  Not cheerful, but intense and interesting, these stories see different aspects of the same world through the eyes of different people from different parts of society.

Sue Townsend - Number Ten

Another re-read, this is Sue Townsend, a staunch left winger, expressing her concerns and poking fun at 'new labour' and the machine that surrounded the last government. 

Manju Kapur – The Immigrant

Captivating story about an immigrant couple adjusting to Canada and more importantly to one another.  This book is not your typical clichéd fodder from the Indian sub continent - it is instead a well written, interesting and unusual story.   

Blake Morrison - South of the River

This was a strange book about the end of Thatcherism and the intertwined lives of a group of South London middle classes. The characters are quite shallow but it is interesting and keeps you captivated.  Being a south Londoner its always good to read about books that reference your area!

Where in those from Old England experience New England

We recently returned from our Thanksgiving trip to Boston. We had a wonderful visit, the Thanksgiving feast was prepared primarily by our wonderful hostess and it was amazing! I think there was only one American at the table, but the turkey, cranberry, sweet potatoes; pie etc would have made any American proud! Thanksgiving in the US celebrates the Pilgrims at Plymouth Colony giving thanks for surviving their first brutal winter in New England. But as ever with traditions and legends, history is often a lot more complex and controversial. If you care to; you can scroll down to the section headed, “Controversy” in the above wiki leak. Also an interesting BBC podcast about the issue can be found here. We did listen to this podcast on our trip to Plymouth, Massachusetts 

The trip to Plymouth was interesting for all of us, including our 6 year old companion (nephew of our friends) who had just been learning all about the pilgrims and Thanksgiving at school. The weather was beautiful, it was a little chilly but the blue skies and the sunshine did little to remind us of the brutal winter the first pilgrims would have given thanks for back in the 17th century. It is always an interesting reminder that these first pilgrims came out of Oliver Cromwell’s religious separatists and puritans. The Native Americans story is now no longer relegated to the footnotes of history as it once may have been. The pilgrims would have encountered the Wampanoag tribe when they disembarked from the Mayflower, although their encounter did little to remind them that this New England was not an unpopulated land. We did do the tourist thing in Plymouth and visit the Plimoth Plantation. An open air museum, which is slightly expensive and a bit contrived but an interesting experience nonetheless.The Mayflower II was the second old boat we saw in Boston. The first was the USS Constitution, we were shown around by a US Navy Sailor. The USS Constitution the world's oldest floating commissioned naval vessel. The HMS Victory is the oldest naval ship still in commission, but she sits in dry dock in Portsmouth, UK.

Our friends are active and interesting tour guides, even more impressive as they have only just moved to Boston. There is no need for an official guide when you have well informed friends; as we walked parts of the Freedom Trail. We climbed the 296 steps of The Bunker Hill Monument , we were rewarded by the pretty views of Boston from the top. The Bunker Hill Monument (A National Park) marks the first major battle of the American Revolution, this is the site of one of the most famous battle orders; "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!" Another famous quote from the American Revolution is the cry, “The British are coming.” This warning was provided by Paul Revere and we stopped by his house near Little Italy.

Whilst in Little Italy or North End we enjoyed a delicious warming Italian feast and splurged on cannelloni’s from Mikes Pastry Shop. And the food did not stop there, I think I had the best hot chocolate ever as we walked around Cambridge. The nicest surprise was that we discovered that Boston is not home to one but two Wagagmamas. Of course we indulged and it was superb! The other reminders of home were the terraced red brick houses, Quincy Market similar to Covent Garden, Boston Common and Boston Public Garden similar to the parks in London, and the shopping; Hotel Chocolat, H&M, Zara and French Connection UK. On a side note I decided to boycott FCUK due to their sexist window display which read, “The Man endures the holiday season and the Woman prepares for the holidays.”

We also made it to the venerable academic institutions that are MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) where we saw the Frank Gehry building and Harvard. Finally but not least we also went to the JFK Presidential library. Living in Dallas for the last (gasp) nearly 4 years, we have visited the Sixth Floor Museum  a few times. So it was really nice to spend so much time at JFK’s library, which is a must see; if you are ever in Boston. (As a side note I am still trying to locate President Bartlett's library?)

We also returned to the Library to listen to a very interesting lecture on, “Voting Rights in the Kennedy Years.”  It was a fascinating and moving talk by Judge Gordon A. Martin  who discussed his new book Count Them One by One:  Black Mississippians Fighting for the Right to Vote, about the 1962 court case that resulted in one of the first victories for voting rights in the South.  Judge Martin was joined by John Doar, who worked for the Justice Department under Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and successfully tried the case.  

And so ended our wonderful tour of Boston, New England a historic, beautiful and fun place; our friends provided the warmest welcome and whilst we are sad that they are no longer around the corner from us here in Dallas we are very thankful that they were able to host us in their new home, Boston.

why cheese is great - or 'just one cheese'

Jigna's post about supper clubs has inspired me to do another 'why *** is great' post.  CHEESE is brilliant.  NO really stop and imagine a life without cheese.  There are so many different kinds of cheese, unique and different and yummy, can be eaten by themselves, with bread, biscuits, crackers, as part of a main meal, starter or dessert, paired with fruit nuts chocolate and booze. its brilliant.

Now ask yourself this question:

If you could only eat one kind of cheese for the rest of your life, which cheese would you pick and why?

I ask this as it is something I have often discussed with many of my friends, and everyone has a different answer....

some say Mature Cheddar - cos its so versatile, melt it, sandwiches, etc

someone said Hallumi / Helim - because its salty goodness is unrivalled

another person said Stilton - just cos its a fave

someone I know said they couldn't live without feta

I think I'd go with Camembert - gooey ripe and perfect.  But it would be an incredibly difficult decision really cos I LOVE all cheese.

I have been surprised by some people saying they'd pick Parmesan (parmigiana), smoked cheese, Boursin, Edam, Gorgonzola, mozzarella - but there is of course so much choice and people all have different favourites!  

It is getting wintery and cold here in London and perfect cheese and biscuits weather  - my favourite right now is some Stilton, Brie and Port Salut with a yummy glass of red wine or port. Delicious, I am so glad I don't have to pick just one cheese!   This year I am going to get cheese from neal's yard  at  Christmas - I am really looking forward to it!!

Books 2010 - Five books in Two weeks

in the last fortnight i have read five books - that's what being at home and not able to do much does to you!

Amitav Ghosh - The Hungry Tide
A book I kept hoping would get better as I read on - alas it did not. A shame really as I have enjoyed other books by this author.

Christopher Brookmyre - A Tale Etched in Blood and Hard Black Pencil
Funny in a dark kind of way - I have never read any Brookmyre, I probably will look out his books again in the future but it wasn't a 'wow' book, just an intriguing, funny book that kept you guessing till the end.

Kate Morten - The Forgotten Garden
This was a book Jigna mentioned that she had read at a book club and I might like - she described it as ' a bit like A Suitable Boy so of course I had to give it a go.  It is like A suitable boy, but only in the sense it is written form the points of view of 3 women from different generations of the same family.  I liked it, it was a real page turner, but I am not sure I'd read it again.

Sarah Waters - The Night Watch
I have heard people mention this book before, so was pleased a friend brought it round and lent it to me. It was good - bleak and sad and heartbreaking, brilliantly written. Gives the reader a feeling for how so many different women were effected by the second world war.

Neil Gaiman - The Graveyard
This was a gift from a friend who went into a shop and said 'what books can you recommend for someone who likes Terry Pratchett' - how lovely!  Its a childrens book and its fantastic - this video shows some of the lovely illustrations in the book and gives an outline of it the story.

Supper clubs

Picture credit: 

http://dublinbusdisco.blogspot.com/2009/06/

neal-schtumm-guestmixes-for-dancing.html

-stay-healthy/

Traditionally Supper Clubs have different meanings according to where and when in the world you are, at least according to Wikipedia . We went to a “Supper Club” last month, hosted by the fabulous: Light Bulb Oven. The modern take on a “Supper Club” where a professional chef cooks and entertains guests at a private residence or space, there is a “donation” but it is not a restaurant and it is not permanent, the menu, location and times vary, chefs get to experiment and show off their skills without having to make a long term investment in a restaurant and the guests get to chow down on a yummy feast hopefully amidst great company too. The concept has become hugely popular in major cities, across the US. When I mentioned to Dhara that we were planning on attending a Supper Club, she was excited, apparently it is becoming popular in London too, and so a promise was made that we would try to go to one next time we are home. It is a strange concept, part private dinner party, with people you do not necessarily know, and part restaurant, a strange hybrid. We have to admit we were a little nervous going to spend a precious Saturday evening with strangers. We have experienced pretentious foodies in the past and so we were a little wary. But we had committed so we went along and we are so glad we did. The feast was indeed fabulous and we did indeed luck out on the seating as we ended up sat with the host and her friends, who were lovely and we look forward to seeing much more of them all! The chef was brilliant and she taught us how to present a cheese plate. Your cheese plate is set out like a clock face and you start with the mildest at 6pm and then onwards around clockwise ending with your strongest, which is usually the blue, in between the cheese you have the pair-ings, grapes etc. The chef had paired a blue cheese with dark chocolate which sounds weird, but is really good. Love cheese! Our first Supper Club was a very satisfactory culinary experience.

Picture credit: http://www.wdexpo.org/2010/05/28/eat-cheese-stay-healthy/

Books 2010 - Jonathan Coe

When i said I was going to be stuck at home for a while recovering from foot surgery, a friend pressed two books on me by her favourite author, Jonathan Coe. She could not believe that I had never heard of or read any of his books. Well, now I have read two of his books - The Rotters Club and The Closed Circle.   I think you can safely assume I won't be reading any more books by Jonathan Coe.  Nor will I ever make it as a book critic - because I just cannot understand why these novels were so well received and critically acclaimed. Seriously - I found The Rotters Club really frustrating reading and it left the characters in limbo - so I am quite pleased I did persevere and read The Closed Circle, because it picked up where the first novel ended and gave me some closure on those damned characters!

Both novels were fine really, one story  across two novels about a group of very different individuals, their lives and the political climates that they have lived through.  The attitudes toward Thatcher and then Blair I think do well to describe the feelings of a generation that the Labour Party (or New Labour) has let down, shattering  everything they believed in.  BUT I think because both books are covered in acclaim and adoration from all sorts of newspapers (including the Times) and individuals (Nick Hornby, Jeremey Paxman, Paul Meron) I expected more. I expected a lot more.

books 2010 - more from two authors I like

I am currently recovering from some surgery so I have been able to read a bit, but am mostly feeling a bit lazy and enjoying easy reads, crosswords, magazines etc. I promise my next blogpost will be something unrelated to books.

Susanna Clarke: Ladies of Grace Adieu and other short stories.

(Don't you think this book has a gorgeous cover?)

A collection of short stories by the author of one of my favourite novels, this is a lovely collection of stories featuring some of the same characters that appear in Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell.  All of the stories are easy reads, fantastical and slightly sinister at times. Good escapism.

Sue Townsend: Adrian Mole - The Prostrate Years.

I haven't read an Adrian Mole diary for years and I got through this in two days - love his inane ramblings. I dont want to go on about Adrian Mole as everyone has heard of the diaries, suffice to say they always make me laugh out loud and I feel a special bond with the loser, mostly cos he is from Leicester. When I'd finished this, the most recent diary, I looked at the back and thought that I hadn't read 'the weapons of mass destruction' and promptly ordered it online.  A few hours later, looking at the bookshelves what do I see, with a 'happy birthday note' in it from mum...? you guessed it,  Whats wrong with me?! so unlike me not to remember a book! I am reading it now, and I'm currently in the throes of trying to cancel my amazon order. What an idiot.

Post script: just finished Sue Townsend - Adrian Mole and the weapons of mass destruction - I did enjoy it a lot, I couldn't remember much of it to begin with, but that explains why I tried to buy it again!

Books 2010 - from Malgudi to 221B Baker Street

A Malgudi Omnibus - RK Narayan
This consists of 3 novels, all set in the fictional town of Malgudi.
1 - Swami and Friends, 1935
I liked this story of a young boy getting into scrapes at school and with his friends. It's nice and easy to read, and quite funny at times.
2 - The Bachelor of Arts 1937
This was an interesting read, I always like stories about Indian university campuses, pupils and teachers seem much better read than they do at UK campuses, with classic literary references scattered throughout the dialogue. This story was captivating with an inconclusive ending.
3 - The English teacher 1945
This was my least favourite. depressing and a stupid ending. No idea why I bothered reading it to the end!



Arthur & George - Julian Barnes
Jigna left this book here at Christmas and I am so pleased she did, as I don't think its the kind of book I would ever pick up in a shop or order online. I loved this story of two very very different men and the way that it unfolds. It is written in such a way that every paragraph reveals a little more and makes you want to read on to find out about the characters and the outcome. This is based on actual fact. Brilliant, I'd recommend this to anyone.