DIFFICULT QUESTIONS EASY ANSWERS -Robert Graves

Another collection of speeches and essays from Robert Graves.  He covers a wide range of topic's, religion, drugs and religion and ancient history.

He has an opinion on everything.  This from an interview in 1970 by Edwin Newman:

Mr Newman:  You once said " If I were a girl, I'd despair.  The supply of good women far exceeds that of the men who might deserve them."  Do you...

Mr Graves:  Oh yes I do... The fact is that for one reason or another homosexuality among men has gone so far that its difficult now for a woman to find a man who isn't in some way tainted with it.  I suppose that its partly due to heredity, partly to environment, but largely because men now drink too much milk.

Mr Newman: Really?

Mr Graves:  Its a fairly widespread medical view.

So very entertaining, the above exchange is only part of it and its not world class trolling he attempted to argue his point as if it were fact.

THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN - Ian Fleming

I love James Bond, the novels, the movies and have done since my teens.  I re-read the books every now and again when a quiet afternoon pops up but this is not one of the good novels in the series.  To be frank its appalling.  "The Man With The Golden Gun" was the last one written by Fleming and was published posthumously.

It has no plot, shallow and reads like it was written by different people  ( there is a rumour that it was finished by Kingsly Amis).

There are some good books in the series ,Goldfinger, for example but this is rubbish.

CATACROK - Robert Graves

A collection of 35 pieces that Graves wrote for Punch and The New Statesmen.

Most of them concern what took his fancy on the day, and mostly they are all humourous.  He is a wonderful writer.

POISON FOR THE TOFF - John Creasey

John Creasey, a favourite from my teen's. A basic who dunnit from 1947 with The Honourable Richard Rollison solving a nasty poisoning incident at his birthday party.

A good short read, Auckland to Blenheim and return by plane.