Okay, there must be something you read that’s a guilty pleasure . . . a Harlequin romance stashed under the mattress. A cheesy sci-fi book tucked in the back of the freezer. A celebrity biography, a phoned-in Western . . . something that you’d really rather not be spotted reading. Even just a novel if you’re a die-hard non-fiction fan. Come on, confess. We won’t hold it against you!

Absolutely! I’m a complete sucker for crime fiction, particularly Agatha Christie. It took me about ten years to collect every one and I have read them all dozens of times. Curling up with a Hercule Poirot favourite is like lazing around in your jammies or having a whole packet of tim-tams to yourself - it’s comfort food. The thing is, as discussed last week, new books steal my sleep and make me late. They damage my relationships (”Huh, yes dear? You’ve been calling my name for three hours? Really…?”) and deplete my knitting time. Hence the re-reads which I can put down at will.

So, do I read them in public? Well … on the tube I tend to carry a French translation. No-one can ever tell ;-)

Bedside Table: “The Historian” by Elizabeth Kostova (new)

This was first recommended to me by Kate and I have seen it mentioned several times since. It kept me up. My fault for picking what I knew was a gripping read in a week when I had deadlines to meet.

I felt the ending was a bit rushed: The story moved solidly along with plenty of meat to it, and then the climax suddenly came and went with a speed unequalled by teen first-timers. I catch myself thinking occasionally that I’m still reading it - as if there were more there that I somehow missed out on. Apart from that though, it was worth the very late nights, grab yourself a copy soon!

Holiday Reads: I picked up a copy of “The Game” by A.S. Byatt the other day and thought I might take it along as it’s nice and small for carry-on. Anyone read it? There’ll also be “Wuthering Heights” in my iPod and maybe even a French AC or two ;-)

Au revoir!

7 Responses to “Guilty Secrets”
  1. Kai says:

    Mine had to be Judith McNaught.. Found here while I was at Uni and she writes romances where the heroines have real spine. :)

    I have The Historian waiting to be read and I plan on doing that sometime soon.. looking forward to it now.

    Have fun on holiday missy..! :)

  2. Mum says:

    The Wife of Martin Geurre (?spelling) can be tucked in anywhere but is full of meat. Also Katherine Mansfield.
    If we weren’t reading escapist fiction we might be playing Bingo - perish the thought - and enjoy your down-time in your jammies.
    Have a great holiday and don’t forget the travel log for the vicarious enjoyment of your rellies.

  3. Bernice says:

    Hiya,
    Just had to comment, there’s nothing wrong with a good old Agatha Christie.
    Read them in public and be proud.
    I recommend Cadbury’s chocolate to go with them!
    Yours in admiration (for having collected them all).
    Bernice
    My hidden reads are Kathy Reichs and Terry Pratchett.

  4. Helen says:

    You can’t beat a huge rollercoaster of a novel about gypsies and pirates… even if you have to hide it behind a copy of The Guardian ;)

  5. Badger says:

    I felt exactly the same about the ending - it’s unfortunate when a book like that raises your expectations so high but then fails to keep up the standard at the most critical part of the book.

    And everything I read is great.

  6. Katie says:

    Happens to me all the time, my fiancee is forever telling me to turn off the light, my standard response is I’ll just finish this page, 10 pages later… you get the idea.

  7. Carrie K says:

    I don’t feel very guilty about any of my reads either.

    I love Agatha Christie! Poirot, not so much. Carrying a copy in French? Good idea!

    One of these days I have GOT to read one of my A S Byatt books. I finally read Margaret Atwood…..

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