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Finally got round to reading this after almost a year ignoring it's "haz mat" yellow spine glaring at me from my shelves.  Now that I have done so, I'm surprised that I didn't read Stuart Jeffries, "Mrs Slocombe's pussy: growing up in front of the telly" sooner.   It's one of those books where you can't help but think YOU should have written it. After all, I too had spent a good part of my life watching the telly.  All those years should have accounted for something.   The majority of the programs are, of course, British and so to those unfamiliar with such television may not take much pleasure in his recallections.  The American shows are mentioned, but with so much written about them already, it makes most of what he says seem superfluous.

Jeffries,S "Mrs Slocombe's pussy" ISBN 0-00-655175-0

RANDOM QUOTE: "Through this ruined landscape wandered Seth Armstrong, once grumpy old cuss of the Woolpack, the oik with the ludicrous moustache whose sole function in happier days was to be patronised by Henry Wilks."

My  sister gave me this book to read, shortly before she left for Korea.  I gave it the once over and put it on my "to do" list.  Unfortunately my "to do" list is actually my "might do one day possibly" list.  Well now it's done!  Hurrah!   Dare I say it... she was right!  Although, if asked, I'd say I prefer the horror genre, I secretly like detective fiction.  Openly I'm dismissive of contemporary crime fiction and its attendant TV programs as merely "bubble gum for the eyes" and mind, coloured as they are by outre criminality, violence and cliche.   Unfortunately I'm not doing woman's studies, literary criticism or popular culture studies at Uni.  So the use of the book is limited.  But I enjoyed this study of the role of women in the thriller.  Especially as it balances the other studies about women and sci-fi, horror or what not.

Craig & Cadogan. "The Lady vanishes: Women detectives and spies in fiction"  ISBN 0-19-281938-0

RANDOM QUOTE:   "Valerie Drew might well havw owed something to Nancy Drew, as her name suggests, and indeed her first mystery, like Nancy's, concerned clocks."

I haven't read any Dickens, Bronte or RLS... I've never tried or even seen the point of it.  Perhaps this bigotry against the greats of literature, has something to do with teachers and pompous bores (not mutually exclusive, I dare say!) who always go on about the importance of such works.  One isn't well read unless you've read all of Mr.Dickens you know!!!!  Well, I don't and since there are many TV adaptations available, I'll make do with that thank you very much.   But lo, this old copy drew me in.  Maybe it was the clear print, the hardback cover or the fact I was sick of Ally McBeal type characters, but I really enjoyed this book.  There was also the fact that I hadn't seen the TV version.

Alcott, Louisa M.  "Little Women"

RANDOM QUOTE:  Beth hurried on in a twitter of suspense; at the door her sisters seized and bore her to the parlour in a triumphal procession, all pointing and saying at once, "Look here! Look here!".

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