Warsi on Griffin

I love the time of year between Christmas and New Year. I'm still lazing about, and I'm at my parents house which means there is loads of food, wine and newspapers.

And, I love the review of the year sections which come in all the papers, which we get aplenty. The Observer says it well, and Baroness Warsi's look back on that famed episode of Question Time this year is worth your time.

The Bookseller

Normally I'm a fan, but this annoys me.

'The Guardian went as far as Islington for its report'...

The snobs. I've never seen any out of London coverage from them.

But they go to Oxford and Cambridge sometimes you say.

Of course, I forgot about that...how provincial!



Jealously amongst the journos.

Books, mostly

Hello.

It's been a while.

There are many things to share, but let's begin with this: books to look out for in 2010, courtesy of The Independent.

I've got to say, I haven't been overly impressed by the books I've read recently. My last read was Sarah Waters' The Little Stranger, which was fine, good even, until the end, which was bitterly disappointing. Perhaps my views were slightly marred by the 'Horror' sticker carefully placed on the text by the excellent librarians at Shoreditch library. If we are never going to find out who the ghost is, indeed if it even exists at all, then that is disappointing for a 'horror' story in my view.

So, I hope this list will yield something cool.

I shall wander to Shoreditch library to take out Yann Martel's new venture, certainly.



I'll read McEwan if I have time. I probably won't have time, unless it gets really good reviews. Like, rave reviews, that come on the TV and everything.

I have read one of Carlos Ruiz Zafón's books - I must make an effort to finish this new one. I got half way through The Shadow of the Wind, but my problem with reading books set in Barcelona (I've only read this one) is that they remind me of the time that those Spanish pickpockets stole my money and my pride.



European holidays are good though.

I have been to see a film recently, but only the one. Paranormal Activity, which has been on in most large cinemas across the country. I don't go to see scary films that often, and after seeing this I still can't understand why people do.

There was nothing wrong with the film, I quite enjoyed the film, it did what it meant to do very well, but I wouldn't do this sort of thing very often. I think the fact that I don't do it very often makes it better when I do.

The last real scary film I watched was Saw, and whilst it makes a lot of money, and I can see the point, it does feel pretty wrong to get off on something that you are only watching because it is more depraved and gross than anything else you've ever seen. Johann Harri's story is better than mine, also courtesy of The Indepdent.

Not done anything else interesting this month at all. I've been making presentations and writing essays. Dull. Must make a note to do more interesting things in the future, for the purposes of the blog only.



And I went to see this woman, it's all coming back to me now.

This is good too:



And this:



But Drowned in Sound says it better than I do.