The wombles go round the world by Elisabeth Beresford

I am delighted that people are still looking at Pilchard Books. I am sorry that we haven't posted for quite a while. We still have not opened our bookshop and there are no plans to do so at the moment, as I am working and P is writing. Who knows what the future will bring, but for now, we will try to be more regular with our book reviews, and if you have any book recommendations, then please do share.

So, I have been reading about the wombles. For those of you who do not know who the wombles are, they are gentle, furry creatures who live on Wimbledon Common in London, and collect and recycle all the rubbish that humans leave behind. There are a series of books about the wombles and their various adventures, and they were originally written in the 70s. They are children's books, but beautifully written, and very suitable for all ages. The wombles in England are led by Great Uncle Bulgaria, the oldest of the wombles. All wombles are named after place names, so you have Orinoco who loves food, and does a lot of thinking and resting, Tobermory, who takes all the rubbish that the other wombles find, and recycles it, Madame Cholet who is the much-loved chef, and many others. There is even a womblegarten for the youngest wombles. These books are so clever, and have wonderful insights, such as "cor blimey", frequently said by Tomsk, which actually means God blame me. 

The book I have just read is called "The wombles go round the world" and it is about the wombles travelling around the world to other womble burrows to create a new volume of the womble history. Their experiences are so brave and exciting, and the tales so creative! Four of the wombles travel in two hot air balloons to America, Japan, Germany, Russia, Australia, and New Zealand, experiencing the wonders of the world and collecting stories and recipes to share with the rest of the wombles in Wimbledon. They are lovely stories, but they also have such strong messages for today's world, and it appears that we have learned nothing about protecting the environment in the past forty years. Womble wisdom! Here is a quote "Our big problem is the objects we tidy up, most of which are some sort of plastic. Plastic is not an easy kind of material to make good use of." Further on in the book, they talk about the issues with air pollution. So sad, that forty years on, we are still using plastic and polluting the air. I wish these books could be read in every primary school so that perhaps the next generation can take better care of our planet. Better still, I wish it could be compulsory reading for the decision-makers of this world.

Book or film - Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

So, which is better, the book or the film. Personally, I love them both. I love reading Agatha Christie's books. She had four series - Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, Tommy and Tuppence, and the stories with no leading person. Agatha Christie is such an amazing person besides being such a creative author. She lead a very exciting life, learning to surf, accompanying her husband on archaeological digs, and she shares her experiences in her books. She is total genius, and it is so interesting reading her books through her whole history of writing, because you can see the changes in time and lifestyle, the decadence of the twenties, through the austerity of wartime, followed by the new freedoms discovered in the 50s. And her ideas for murder, so creative, and while the Poirot and Miss Marple, have a certain light-heartedness, the ones without a leading character, are altogether rather sinister, and sometimes quite macabre.

I have seen five films, and I like all of them, although The Mirror Crack'd with Elizabeth Burton, Rock Hudson, and Tony Curtis, was a bit too showy for me. I think I like the films, because they introduce me to a time which I will never experience. Death on the Nile and Murder on the Orient Express are both so decadent, and beautifully shot. I cannot imagine travelling through Egypt or Europe at such an elegant pace, drinking cocktails, admiring the scenery without the crowds, and experiencing it all without social media. I do love my gadgets, but I would also like to travel in a slower world. And the actors chosen for the roles are superb. Peter Ustinov and Albert Finney as Poirot, Bette Davies as a cantankerous old spinster, and Angela Lansbury in several different roles...just divine. I find that often, films with many famous actors, can detract from the story, but the casting choices hugely enhance these productions.

The story told in Death on the Nile is just fabulous, and only slightly different in the film, which loses three of the book's characters, or rather integrates them with the remaining ones. Nothing is lost. It is almost as though the book is being read to you, enhanced by the most beautiful scenery following alongside. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about a couple on their honeymoon, being tormented by a former lover. The plot is laid as each character's juicy background and potential motive, is described and you just get engrossed in all the connections and scandal, and the varying characters of all the people participating in this exotic trip. And, while we know there will be a murder, it doesn't actually occur until almost half way through the book. I won't spoil it, but it is a jolly fine read, and quite unputdownable!