The Character Of Cricket (Tim Heald): It was very tempting to continue with Lewis Trilogy book 3 immediately after book 2, but I decided that I needed a brief breathing space. I bought this book for 50p at Taunton cricket ground… published in 1987, it’s a rather gentle, nostalgic reflection on the pleasures of the English cricket season. However, it’s a little different to the usual cricket book in that Heald decides to visit various cricket grounds (26 in all) around the country – taking in obscure village pitches to the grandeur of Lord’s – and reporting on his experiences (including such observations as his journey from the railway stations to grounds, the local tandoori restaurant or church, the architecture of the various cricket pavilions and grandstands, his conversations with programme sellers, groundsmen, club secretaries and ancient supporters). All gentle stuff (and frequently very amusing), but fascinating from the perspective of an aged cricket-lover like me! Despite our different backgrounds - Heald (listed as a ‘journalist’ and writer of mystery novels in Wikipedia – although I’d not come across him before) hailed from a middle-class, prep school/public school, Balliol College, Oxford – he was only five years older than me and so many of his cricketing recollections echoed my own childhood memories. An integral part of the book’s charm were the beautiful, quirky, distinctive illustrations of Paul Cox.
The Chess Men (Peter May): Wow. Just brilliant (and, again, finished within a couple of days)! Poignant, compassionate, brutal, intriguing… and a bit of a thriller. So impressed. Intelligent, tightly plotted and with believable characters… and all set against rugged landscapes of the Western Isles. Trouble is that it’s left me feeling somewhat bereft and in mourning – that was the last in the trilogy. The only option is to search for his other books (eg. Enzo Files and China Thrillers).
The Diary Of A Bookseller (Shaun Bythell): Our friend Alan lent us this book and it’s an absolute delight. It will almost certainly feature as one of my top five books of the year. It’s exactly what the title suggests… it’s a bookseller’s diary. Bythell owns and runs ‘The Bookshop in Wigtown (it’s Scotland’s largest second-hand bookshop) and he writes candidly (and disparagingly!) about his customers and about his staff (especially Nicky!). It’s a lovely, lovely book – very funny and yet also beautiful, charming and passionate at the same time. Amazon’s role in book selling is slated and, after reading this book, I’ve decided to persevere with ‘real’ books rather Kindle or whatever… but maybe I’ll get a local second-hand bookseller to cast his/her eye over our list of books – with a view to creating more space on our packed bookshelves for yet more books? I found this book an absolute delight… and I felt VERY empty (almost grieving!) once I’d finished reading it… but, hey, I’ve signed up to their facebook page in order to retain a link.
The Spirit Of Cricket (Christopher Martin-Jenkins): Another purchase (for £1) from the Taunton second-hand bookshop (I love the cover photograph of two captains tossing a coin at the start of a game – both in their team blazers, one immaculately dressed and very ‘dapper’, the other rather overweight and with shabby cricket shoes. It’s a personal anthology encompassing extracts, articles and contributions from a whole host of well-known (and some not so well-known) cricket writer)s and enthusiasts. As one would expect, they include accounts and reminisces of famous matches… but, amongst my favourites, is the more bizarre stuff such as these: Firstly, Wisden (the well-known cricket ‘bible’) apparently includes obituaries of all ‘first class’ cricketers and Martin-Jenkins’s book includes a reference to one individual who gained an entry on the basis of his appearance in a game that, due to bad weather, was curtailed to just two overs… the player didn’t bowl or bat, merely fielded for 12 balls. Secondly, a wonderful tongue-in-cheek essay entitled “The Art of Being Captained” – tips on how to avoid the captain’s eye eg. “how to slip down the batting order when the wicket’s a shade too green; and how to drop catches off the captain’s bowling and still stay in the team”. A rather lovely book for cricket oldies like me!
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