The spotlight shines on .....Timmy

Random Facts about Orange Two

Do you have a middle name?

Yes, it's Robert

My formal name is Timsley Robert but my friends call me Timmy

What is your favourite food?

Hot chicken with a hint of gravy

What is your favourite drink?

Water, heavy on the milk

What was the last thing that was bought for you?

A furry blanket of my very own, I meowed with joy

What is your favourite book?

Cat in the Hat, I'm a huge fan of Dr. Seuss 

What is your favourite colour?

Farrow and Ball

'Charlotte's Locks'

Do you have any pets?

I have two new humans, my old ones had to leave me 

Where is your favourite hideaway?

Anywhere in the garden suits me

Do you speak another language?

Tous les chats parlent plusieurs langues !

Do you have any siblings?

 Who knows - it was so long ago

Where is your favourite place to lie and wait?

On the table so I can watch for stray bits of food

When was the last time you meowed?

Today, I'm just so happy to have my own spotlight

What is your favourite blog?

My aim is to have my own blog and I will call it

Timmytripsup

What is your favourite past-time?

Sleeping, of course!

What is your favourite TV programme?

Game Of Thrones. 

I'm a huge fan of the one-eyed raven

Do you have a friend?

Jaffa will always be my friend

Do you have a secret?

Far too many to reveal

What is your specialty?

I am a master of disguise

Anything else to, say, Timsley Robert?

 I hope that you all have a very happy Christmas and a joyous New Year

and may your bowls overflow with food and prosperity.

Christmas Read ~ A Maigret Christmas by Georges Simenon

Penguin Classic
23 November 2017

My thanks to Ruth Killick Publicity for my copy of this book

From 2013-2019 Penguin is publishing new translations of all 75 Maigret novels, the work of a team of the world's top translators, This unprecedented translation project offers readers a new opportunity to discover the 'extraordinary master pieces of the twentieth century' (John Banville).

In November for the first time, Penguin published the three stories together, in a new translation by David Coward. This seasonal collection features Inspector Maigret and other characters from the Maigret novels in three separate cases:

A Maigret Christmas

Seven Small Crosses in a Notebook

The little Restaurant near Place des Ternes: A Christmas Story for Grown Ups


I have to admit from the offset that I haven't read any of the Maigret stories before. Having got that confession out of the way, let us concentrate on this selection of three Maigret Christmas stories which have been newly translated.

Perhaps slightly longer than a short story and more of a novella, A Maigret Christmas, sees the indomitable Maigret involved in clearing up a mystery right on his doorstep and whilst the great man has been looking forward to a lie-in on Christmas morning, it would seem that fate has decreed otherwise.

Again more of a novella, Seven Small Crosses in a Notebook, gives us an insight into the workings of Maigret's police department as the action takes place on Christmas Eve in the police control room. And whilst Maigret does not make an appearance in this story, there is still evidence of  his influence in the way the operation works. To say more about the Seven Small Crosses in a Notebook would, I think spoil the effect.

And the third and final story, which is much shorter is The little Restaurant near Place des Ternes: A Christmas Story for Grown Ups which sees a festive charitable gesture turn into something far more significant, and which heralds some important changes. Again, Maigret doesn't make an appearance in this story but as ever the characteristics of this author's fine skill with words is in evidence.,

For anyone, like me, who haven't read any of the Maigret stories before then this taster is a good introduction to George Simenon's most famous detective and to his unique style of writing and sharp observation of the human psyche. The classic nature of the stories stand out and it is testament to the strength of the original writing that the stories continue to be so successful. The order of Maigret's sleuthing belongs to that golden age of crime detection when everything seemed to be concluded with no jagged edges or blurry boundaries and as such makes a welcome change from today's more grittier crime investigation novels.

A Maigret Christmas is beautifully translated by David Coward, and is elegantly produced with an evocative cover, which is so reminiscent of France. Without doubt, this is a lovely introduction to classic crime and to a worthy hero.

About the Author

Georges Simenon was born in Liege, Belgium in 1903. Between 1931 and 1972 he published five novels and twenty-eight short stories featuring Inspector Maigret. This trio of festive tales,Un Noel de Maigret, was originally published in 1951 when Simenon was living in the USA. He died, in Switzerland in 1989.

~****~

Review ~ 1,423 QI Facts To Bowl You Over

Faber and Faber
October 2017

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

The eye-popping, gob-smacking, rib-tickling phenomenon that is QI serves up a brand new selection of 1,423 facts to bowl you over.

Christmas isn't complete without one of these intelligent and immaculately researched little books. I love the downright obscure, the amazingly factual, and the mind boggling stupendousness of the variety of facts which never fail to entertain.

It's a great book to have on stand by for that lull in the Christmas proceedings, you know the one, it's after the main course, and before the pudding, when guests are girding their loins for the next onslaught of calories. So stop and digest a while and keep everyone entertained with 1,423 facts that you never knew you needed to know.

Here's a little appetiser:

No centipede has ever been found with exactly 100 legs...

The most misspelled word in the English language is seperate .....oops, Separate...

Dragonflies can see directly behind themselves...

And after that little snippet you can go off and discover the other 1420 QI facts for yourselves...go on, treat yourself, it's a perfect gift for Christmas.

Easy to read in just a couple of hours, with the added inclusion of a source finder so that all the facts can be verified, make this an ideal resource for anyone who has an interest in discovering just a little bit more about any of the facts contained in the book.

Go to qi.com/1423

Website

Follow on Twitter at Quite Interesting @qikipedia 

1,423 QI Facts To Bowl You Over is complied by John Lloyd, James Harkin and Anne Miller

~****~

Review ~ Rocco and the Nightingale by Adrian Magson

The Dome press
9 November 2017

My thanks to FMcM Associates for my copy of this book

Inspector Lucas Rocco returns in the fifth chapter of this author's popular detective mysteries which are set in 1960s Picardy. Inspector Rocco has been sent from his home patch in Paris to the small village of Poissons-Les-Marais, as part of a nation wide initiative to broaden police operations. But whilst his new patch may be rural, its certainly not uneventful. As Rocco discovers , violence is the same anywhere whether on the elegant streets of the French capital or the murky backwaters and deadly marshes of the Somme valley.

What did I think..

Whilst this is the fifth book in the Inspector Rocco Mysteries, it is the first to be published by The Dome Press. This is also my first meeting with Lucas Rocco, and to be honest, I feel like I have stumbled across a series which I wished I had started earlier. The Rocco Mysteries are set in the 1960s, in rural France, around Picardy, and Inspector Rocco appears to be that still small voice of calm in a police department which, at times, seems to be at odds with itself.

When the body of a man is found at the edge of a remote road, near the sleepy village of Poissons-les Marais, Rocco is called into investigate, little realising that the man, a Parisian street criminal, was actually on his way to warn Rocco about something which could have devastating consequences. What then follows is a convoluted crime thriller, which will see Rocco and his investigative team having to race against time as they try to thwart the actions of a group of unscrupulous individuals.

The mystery at the heart of the novel is well explored and I especially liked the way that Inspector Rocco went about his investigative enquiries. That he commands the respect of his fellow officers is obvious in the way that his contemporaries react to him and I think that the author has done a great job of allowing Rocco enough confidence to get on with the business at hand. As a new reader there was enough background information for me to get to know Rocco although I suspect that readers from book one will understand him an awful lot more.

It was really refreshing to have a mystery which was set comfortably in the pre-digital age, so no mobile phones, no computer wizardry, just good old fashioned police work and detailed sleuthing. I had to smile when Rocco, at the height of all the action, had to pull up at a road side bar-tabac to use the public telephone.

This has been an enjoyable first visit to the world of Lucas Rocco and such is the charm and charisma of the man that I am sure I will be catching up again with his adventures before too long.

About the author

Adrian Magson is a master of the detective thriller , with more than twenty crime and spy thrillers to his name. He has also written short stories, a YA ghost story and a writers' help book, entitled, Write On! He spent much of his childhood in France, which inspired the Rocco series, and now lives in the Forest of Dean.

Visit the author's Website

Follow on Twitter

Connect on Facebook

Amazon UK

~****~

Review ~ Forgotten History by Jem Duducu

Amberley Publishing
15 November 2017

My thanks to the publishers for my review copy of this book

About the book...

Not all history is recorded in school textbooks or cast into towering monuments that shape city skylines. Quite often the most intriguing (and most bizarre) bits are forgotten and fall away into obscurity. In this fascinating book, Jem Duducu shines light on the almost forgotten, wonderfully strange, and often hilarious moments of history that would otherwise be lost forever. 

Forgotten History tells in delightful detail the stories of the hard-to-believe moments, people or inventions from history. Split into four main eras–ancient, medieval, early modern and twentieth century – this light-hearted and easy-to-read fact book is full to bursting with the bits from history that even history enthusiast may otherwise have never known. 

Covering a wide variety of topics, from the time a Pope put his dead predecessor on trial all the way up to the awkward moment when the US Air Force accidentally dropped nuclear bombs on Spain, take a journey through time and discover the weird and wonderful history that you didn’t learn about in school.

My thoughts...

If you are interested in snippets of 'forgotten history' then this little gem of a book will really appeal to you. 

In an easy to read format, the book covers:

Ancient History - where I discovered more about Aliens v Smart Humans:the Nazca Lines..

The Medieval Era - where I discovered more about the strange history of chocolate..

The Early Modern to the Victorians - where I discovered more about the most expensive dress disaster in history..

The Twentieth Century - where I discovered that in 1943, IBM didn't think there was much a future for computers..

It is often said that the truth is stranger than any fiction and whilst some of these forgotten moments seem to be shrouded in myth and legend, there is no doubt that we share a rich and varied history, and  that no matter how much you think you know, there is always something new to learn.

The author has done a great job in bringing these forgotten moments of history to life in one slim volume. And reading never becomes a chore as there is always a fascinating fact or two to capture the imagination. So, if you like to learn about history in bite size chunks, from the bizarre to the the genuinely obscure, then this little book would be an interesting addition to any history book shelf.

And you never know, when that pub quiz question asks who was Jonathan Wilde..well.. you'll be able to answer ...in 1718, he was the first self proclaimed Thief Taker General of Great Britain and Ireland ...who knew !!

About the Author

Jem Duducu has been in love with history for as long as he can remember. He went to UWCC to read Archaeology and Medieval History. He is also the author of several history books from the ‘100 Facts’ series for Amberley.

Follow the author on Twitter @HistoryGems.

Amazon UK

~****~

Sunday WW1 Remembered...

The Fallen

by

Diana Gurney

Shall we not lay our holly wreath

Here at the foot of this high cross?

We do not know, perhaps a breath

Of our remembering may come

To them at last where they are sleeping,

They are quiet, they are dumb,

No more of mirth, no more of weeping,

Silent Christmas they are keeping;

Ours the sorrow, ours the loss.




There are few references about Diana Gurney other than she is recognised as one of the 
WW1 War Poets.

Her book of poems The Poppied Dream was published in 1921

Hist Fic Saturday ~ A Winter Love Song by Rita Bradshaw

On Hist Fic Saturday

Let's go back to ....1928

Pan Macmillan
November 2017

My thanks to the publishers and edpr for my copy of this book

When the story opens in 1928, Bonnie Lindsay is ten years old and living with her father as part of a travelling-fair community in the north-east of England. Life is really tough for Bonnie, and when things start to go badly wrong for her, she relies on her wits and her ability to sing to see her through the worst of what life throws at her. When Bonnie is fifteen she is forced to flee the travelling community in order to make her own way in life. However, this is not an easy decision and Bonnie soon finds that if she is to put aside the memories of her past she must make some tough choices.

The shifting time frames and locations are written with fine attention to detail and throughout the novel there is a real sense of time and place. I especially enjoyed watching how Bonnie progressed during the years of the Second World War when the story takes her to Burma and her life there as an musical entertainer.

At times the story is quite an emotional read as it covers some heart rending topics, particularly in Bonnie's early years when she lives with her maternal grandmother. However, ultimately the story is about the power of redemption and how, even in the most desperate of circumstances, the human spirit rises above adversity.


A Winter Love Song is a heartwarming family saga which just perfect for this time of year.

About the Author

Rita Bradshaw was born in Northamptonshire, where she lives today. At the age of sixteen she met her husband - whom she considers her soul mate - and they have two daughters and a son, and six grandchildren. Much to her delight, Rita's first novel was accepted for publication and she has gone on to write many more successful novels since, including the number one bestseller Dancing in the Moonlight.

Follow on Twitter #AWinterLoveSong @ed_pr @panmacmillan