One out of six ain’t bad?
Like a bloke proposing to his missus on reality TV, when I posted my Christmas wish-list on a public forum, I was fairly confident of a particular outcome. Someone was going to buy me The Sense of an Ending. My confidence stemmed from a conversation that followed an earlier conversation in which I’d modestly said I didn’t want anything special or specific for Christmas. I followed this by yelling across our (not altogether large) flat that there was one thing I should, at all costs, be got, please. I’m sure I said please...
So The Sense of an Ending, I got. The others, I did not, not got. I did however receive three additional unlisted, not wished for specifically but interesting (in the good sense) books, from three separate Santas.
According to the back of the book and reviewers from lots of prominent papers whose reviews are, in part, listed there (on the back), this is a ‘captivating, beguiling, mesmerising and whimsical’ book. Set in Essex, Cornwall and then later New York it’s not a memoir but it’s supposed to have that sort of feel (I read the note from the author at the end of the book and it says so). I’m sort of surmising from skim reading a few pages that bad things happen to good people and good people deal with them. Luckily there are avenging fairy Godmother style lesbian aunts and rabbits. It sounds witty and charming. Thanks Santa!
'What the Dickens? This wasn’t on my list!’ I snorted – displaying very little gratitude to my real benefactor. It was the exact moment I realised that The Sense of An Ending was my lot – and that all my big hopes and Christmas library dreams were dashed. And that an older man dressed in red, year-round was not the giver of gifts at all. Dash it all. But I should still very much like to read the book – the description of Miss Havisham alone should make it worthwhile. Good one Santa!
Bird Typo – Yukina Narita
Little art book, you’re so fun! Bird Typo does what it says it will on the label. It’s an alphabet-slash-art book with a bird for each letter (even X gets a proper bird – xenops anyone?). Nice work Santa!
Oh, and in case you’re wondering… my birthday is in February.
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