What I'm reading ...

I have started Le Grand Meaulnes by Alain-Fournier. An example of classic French literature, written about a century ago. Not my usual kind of reading matter, but it's the next Bookclub book. So I'll give it a go. Needless to say, despite the suggestions on the programme to the contrary, I am not attempting to read it in the original French. The translation I have seems an easy enough read.

Harry Potter and The Half-blood Prince - by J K Rowling

As I expected, I did have some trouble remembering some of the "history", but it mostly came back to me. I found it an easy enough read, being able to get through 100 pages at a sitting without undue effort.

Although it was easy to keep reading, I guess I didn't really find the story exciting - at least not until the last 50 pages or so and then it all seems to be over at once. I wasn't very happy with the ending, feeling that it just fizzled out. There are plenty of threads to pick up in Book 7 and I guess I'll read that when it appears.

What I'm reading ...

I have started Harry Potter and The Half-blood Prince by J K Rowling.

I was coerced into turning out at Midnight on the day this book was published. This was so my daughter Emmeline could get her hands on it before her sister took it off to the US for the week. 24 hours later, Emmeline had finished reading it. I am, of course, the last in the family to get the chance.

This is the sixth book in the series. I have read all the prior ones, having got them straight after publication [from 3 onwards]. The only problem is that they come out at approximately yearly intervals and I really can't remember the details of the story so far. Life is too short to re-read stuff. I guess it'll all come back to me. I am sure that Em will enlighten me, if I have problems.

Blood Rain - by Michael Dibdin

The story is about the hero being on Sicily investigating a Mafia- related case. His daughter Carla is also there and becomes friendly with a judge and suspicious about some tampering with the computer system that she is working on.

For the most part, I enjoyed this mystery story. It has a good pace and wasn't hard to read. Also, there is a dramatic turn of events in the middle of the book [start of part 2]. I am motivated to read other books in the Aurelio Zen series, but I do have a few concerns:

Most significant was the ending. The book has one, but I am unsure that I understand it. I also don't know if there is a further volume in the series that will clarify the matter.

The author is prone to giving rather more detail at times than I feel is strictly necessary for the progress of the story. In one place we are told about Carla's upcoming birthday [p51]; we are told again about the birthday shortly after [p65].

I am always concerned about technical inaccuracies. On page 300 we hear about the use of a "stick of plastic explosive". I don't think that plastic explosive comes in sticks.

What I'm reading ...

I have started Blood Rain by Michael Dibdin.

This is the next Bookclub book. It is odd to be reading a detective story set in modern Italy having just read the one set in the Roman Empire. So far the book seems interesting - quite intricate, but that's fine. It seems to change viewpoint quite often, but I will be OK with that, so long as I never get confused about who's "speaking". I have slight doubts about the name "Aurelio Zen" ...