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David McK (3557 KP) rated Just William (Just William #1) in Books

May 15, 2021

The first in Richmal Compton's classic 1920s comedy series, about a young child who causes chaos wherever he goes, all the time whilst thinking that he is helping.

Yes, it's very much a product of its time - complete with clear distinction between the Upper, Middle and Lower classes and, yes, this particular entry (the very first) is really more a collection of short(ish) stories rather than having an over-arching plot but, for all that - and once you get into the right frame of mind - there is a reason these are enduring stories!

(Oh, and if you want to see the impact William has had on English literature? Try Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch and tell me you don't spot the similarities ...)

Kudos

Thomas Keller recommended Ma Gastronomie in Books (curated)

Ma Gastronomie

Fernand Point | 2021

(0 Ratings)

Book Favorite

"I cite this book as the cookbook that most influenced me as a young cook. First published in the United States in 1974, but long out of print, Fernand Point’s page-turner cookbook was republished in 2008, and I was honored to contribute a foreword to that edition. The book is half recipes, half stories, and the stories about Point himself are remarkable and beautifully told. I recall the day I learned about this book very clearly. I was working at the Dunes Club in Narragansett, Rhode Island when my mentor Roland Henin loaned me his copy. He said it was a special book—his favorite. I found it extraordinary. I took it everywhere with me for two years throughout France and read it whenever I had a moment to spare"

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Kudos

Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories in Books

Jun 24, 2019

It's getting a bit late to post these festive reviews so I'll keep it short. It's only a short book, anyway.

This book contains four short stories, all crime/detective tales, starting with The Mistltoe Murder. My personal favourite was the final story, The Twelve Clues of Christmas. Every story was great, though, and A Very Commonplace Murder was particularly surprising.

James manages to include a fantastic little hint/twist at the end of the stories, changing your whole perception on what you've just read. This made the crimes so much more interesting and real. They were relatively simple crimes - stabbings, poisoning - but there's always a lot more going on under the surface than you'd expect.

A fantastic little collection, with a foreword by Val McDermid too. 4 stars.

Kudos

Awix (3310 KP) rated From Beyond the Grave (1974) in Movies

Sep 1, 2019 (Updated Mar 6, 2020)

From Beyond the Grave (1974)

1974 | Comedy, Horror

7.3

(3 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Final Amicus portmanteau horror sticks to the format very agreeably. Peter Cushing runs a junk/antique shop; ghastly supernatural fates afflict everyone who tries to swindle or steal from him. Starts off relatively seriously but becomes increasingly camp and tongue-in-cheek as it continues; the usual strong cast helps to lift some slightly schlocky material, and the familiarity of some of the stories is offset by something approaching an actual plot twist.

The hard-to-describe segment with Ian Bannen and Donald Pleasance is probably the best, the one with Ian Carmichael and the elemental the weakest, but the stories are more consistent than in many films of this type. Does what you expect from this kind of film; also very good value if you enjoy watching actors called Ian.