Nostalgia ain't what it used to be . . .

Sharon Wheeler

It’s been a busy few weeks with end-of-term marking and meetings, so forgive me if I rush in, smile manically at you all, twitch a bit and then scarper in a cloud of dust. Here’s the product of my scrambled brain:

1. The ongoing saga of British MPs and their dodgy expense claims is exactly why we should be fighting to preserve our newspapers. Can you imagine TV stations or online sites putting in the amount of time and resources and legal toothcombing that the Daily Telegraph has? I don’t think so …
2. I now know why reality TV should be re-named ‘train wreck TV.’ Over the years I have managed to dodge various manifestations of Big Brother, Celebrity Come Dancing, Pop Idol and the like (but still remain tediously up-to-date on them through the occupational hazard of reading the British red-top tabloids!) But this weekend, thanks to my ten-year-old nephew and six-year-old niece, I ended up watching one of the semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent. Actually, that’s a slight fib, as some of the time was spent in the kitchen when the ten-year-old poppet started bawling when she forgot her words. I have a low embarrassment threshold. And while adults should know just what they’ll be getting themselves in to on shows like this, kids (especially if they’re aided and abetted by pushy parents) sure as hell don’t. Keep the under-16s well away from the circus …
3. Doesn’t the discovery of 47 million-year-old Ida piss on the Creationists’ strawberries? And will she get her own reality show?
4. Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be! But there should be a law decreeing that The Specials re-form every 25 years when the country’s going to the dogs. I seem to be humming Ghost Town ever such a lot these days (and doing the sound effects for the spooky bits). Two-Tone, your country needs you!
5. I’ve never had much time for those internet sites where wankers roar out “RTFM!” every time some bemused newbie dares to ask a question. But I am seriously thinking of developing a template email for the writers/publicists who email asking us to review their latest religious mystery ebook from a self-publishing company. Um, that’s why we have a very clear link on the home page which says: “For guidelines on how to submit books for review, please go to the  ABOUT section of our site.” And guess what, the ABOUT section provides dos and don’ts for submitting review copies. Gah!
6. Why is it that authors who teach on creative writing courses are the ones who have no idea how to handle point of view?
7. Are there any humorous Scandinavian crime novels? If not, would someone like to remedy the situation to save what’s left of my sanity?

Comments

[Maxine]

(7) some have funny bits in them, eg Ake Edwardson.....Have posted your quetion to Friend Feed crime fic group so hope someone will come up with a more completely humorous example!

[Lartonmedia]

Thanks, Maxine! I'm reading Yrsa Sigurdardóttir at the moment, and she has some good throwaway lines, but I'd love to know if there are any that are consistently funny!

[bookwitch]

Bo Balderson is (was) very funny, but I suspect not translated. Scandinavians can be funny. There were some other one that I used to read that were funny. Think his name was Thomas Arvidsson, and it was about a teacher and his friend who embarked on a life of crime.

[Lartonmedia]

Ooh, wonder if they have been translated, or if they're in the pipeline . . . Thanks for the names!

[Maxine]

Agree with you about Yrsa S., Sharon. Norman (Crime Scraps) mentions Hakan Nesser, who is dark but certainly funny - I always laugh when reading his books. Four translated so far - and if you haven't read any of them yet, you can actually now read them in order! (They were translated in order 3, 2, 1, 4 or something like that.) There are 10 altogether in his van Veeteren series. Recommended.

[Lartonmedia]

Thanks, Maxine! I've read two of the Nessers and thought them very nicely off-beat. I have the rest somewhere -- must root them out. And thanks to Norman for the suggestion -- he's a star!

[Maxine]

Barbara Fister suggests Jo Nesbo. Norman provides an example: "Sharon how about this little gem from Harry Hole: How's it going with the report on the neo-Nazis?" he asked as he saw Harry in the doorway. "Badly," Harry said, sinking into the chair...The E on my keyboard has got stuck," Harry added."
Very funny, though in toto I would say that Nesbo's books (I've read two) are definitely not amusing!

[Lartonmedia]

LOL! I've read two or three Nesbo books and liked them a lot, although they're not what I'd call amusing either! Thanks for Barbara and Norman for the suggestion!