They danced a tango up and down until the yellow dwarf went brown (Mervyn Peake)

Rereading books is not really a thing for me. I can only think of one that I've read three times - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, as my readers already know.

Many years ago, when we left NZ to live in England for a spell, I sold a lot of stuff - books, records, CDs. From time to time I have regrets about that - when I go to find an album I know I own, DOH! or a book that should be on my shelves, DOH!!

The Gormenghast trilogy by Mervyn Peake was something I read back in the late seventies for pleasure, and then for study at Auckland University.

This week I read his A Book Of Nonsense (week 22 book 24) and had an urge to reread Titus Groan, and Gormenghast (and to complete the set Titus Alone - maybe I'd get the gist of the third book now).

I have a feeling that in this post-truth-Trump-Brexit world the coiled malevolence of the characters would make a lot of sense right now.

The lead up to week 22 was taken up by book 25 - Maestra (L.S. Hinton) - a potboiler about art swindles and femme fatales; appropriately bought cheap from the Warehouse. I'd started, so I had to finish.

Now tackling Philip Roth's The Humbling (book 26). Jacket says it's a 'thoughtful meditation about life and increasingly death'. Should be fun.

Love and peace - Wozza