Blasts from the past

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Recently we have been getting into some series' on DVD. First of all, Nico got Lovejoy for his birthday and we are nearly through them already. I was a bit young to remember Lovejoy but we have enjoyed watching them. It's amazing how dated they seem sometimes. It makes me wonder how new series will look in thirty years' time.

It's also fun to see so many familiar faces in their youth. The first was Dalziel of Dalziel and Pascoe fame. We bought and watched series 1 and while I still enjoyed Dalziel's brash Yorkshire style and one liners, the narratives weren't as good as I remembered.

A couple of weeks later, another familiar face popped up in Lovejoy. Sam Ryan from Silent Witness. I started watching this one a few series in when it was originally broadcast so I've now ordered series one and am hoping it is as good as I remember.

Meanwhile, we'll be finishing up Lovejoy and looking out for any other viewing ideas.

Teaching Tip?

I'm seriously thinking of having this printed on postcards for my top set English group some time soon...

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The City of Dreaming Books

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In the first week of January I devoured this latest offering from Walter Moers.  I've read and commented on his two previous novels - The 13 1/2 lives of Captain Bluebear and Rumo, and the City of Dreaming Books follows on in much the same way - a children's adventure book for adults.  This time however, I connected better than ever with the subject matter - books, writers, libraries...basically everything literary.

The adventure is beautifully written and created.  There are so many unexpected twists and turns but by the end of the book, no loose end is left untied.  I was about fifty pages from the end wondering how he was going to finish everything off in time but he did it.  He did justice to all the characters and also brought in aspects from his other two novels as they are all set in his fantasy world of Zamonia.

Again, the work of the translator is almost equally amazing.  When Nico gets around to this novel, I really want to take a peek at the German to see how much was adapted for an English speaking audience but it is amazing how it still works so well in English.  A fantastic read.

Mother Tongue

Another book a read in November was Mother Tongue.  I've read some of Bill Bryson's books before and enjoy his style of writing.  Having read this book now, I'm surprised I never came across it before.  

The content of the book is very wide ranging.  Some things I was already aware of but most of the information was new to me.  Although it is a technical piece of writing, Bryson really breaks things down for the reader and makes the topic very accessible.  

He takes the read through the history, geography, differences and future of the English language and links it to other languages, including German which was the highlight for me of course.

Everyone who studies language should read this book.