I have been re-reading Oscar Wilde. In awe still of all the witty one-liners he made up. Apart from that, what a difference a couple of decades make in an author. I thought Dorian Gray was more or less a children’s book when I read it first. Of course it must have been an abridged version. Then there was Happy Prince, lady winderemere’s fan and so on. All such light hearted books you see. And I read it today, and am like woah… That was some guy.

I look at the statue in Oscar Wilde’s wikipedia page, and it looks so apt. Such a beautiful man. I read Dorian Gray last night and I wonder how it will be if someone were really to live only for pleasure and beauty and one’s own self. Would it really be so bad so as to make someone a monster? But then, we are all so conditioned to be right. And am so unhappy about how it all ended for Wilde. Such an unfair world.

I have been hearing about Artemis Fowl here and there for some years. Finally I picked up one book to see what all the brouhaha was about. I picked up the sixth book first. Maybe I should start with the first.

It was not bad. But I did not read it through in one go as is my custom. Had to sneak a page here and there between shopping and work and stuff, with people in the house. The story has time travel, a genius criminal mastermind(though he wasnt exactly criminal in this one) and pretty elves. Very different from the Tom Sawyer books of my childhood.

As a child I read a short story with a title ” The cruel man who cut my hair.” Or so it must be if translated from Malayalam. I lost the book somehow, and from then on I was searching for it. It was part of a set of translated detective stories from around the world, and I knew the story by heart, except for all the names. There was a little girl who could lip-read and she surprised some thieves at a neighbours house, and they cut off her hair before taking away all the silver. Every year or so I do a google search on it. Yet, I never figured out which was that story. Till today. :)

It is a Judith Lee story by Richard Marsh. And the title is “The man who cut off my hair”. Unfortunately no Judith Lee stories online,though I found some other titles by the author on project gutenberg. So off I go to read a childhood favourite.

Someone is walking all over my head. To let of the steam I have made up new song.

There was once a fl****r guy, fl**** guy fl*** guy..
His kids are jumping on my head on my head on my head.

I know. Mean.. ;) But better than me going completely mental.

I sometimes sing it as Mary had a little lamb. Sometimes it is a march song….

This does not have any of Christie’s usual detectives, and most of the sleuthing is done by Emily Trefusis. Captain Trvelyan is dead, and the name Trevelyan reminded me of some Sherlock Holmes story. And right ho, that was the doctor in Resident Patient. Anyways, Trevelyan is dead, and a seance predicted it. Did not like it very much though.

With JustBooks now in the layout, I am reading a lot of books again. It is all about light reading now for me and I finished Theodore Boone last night. It is a children’s novel by John Grisham. Thankfully noone died. Other than the already murdered lady, of course. Grisham has kept to legal thriller genre even though it is children’s fiction and it is interesting reading. Reminded me I am not a child anymore. So deceptively “children’s literature”.. ;)

I might pick up the other title in Theo Boone next day, though…

I have been on a little experiment for some time. I can safely say the results are conclusive.

I like to shop for vegetables in Namdhari’s fresh in Kundalahalli gate. I prefer to just pick up packets of pretty looking food and drop it to cart. Also,it has strwaberries, it is on my way home, and it is right next to the ATM.

But every time, EVERY single time, there will be a couple of mistakes in the bill. Even if I only bought 3 items to begin with. Definitely intentional.

I am absolutely in love with the BBC series Sherlock.

Of course, I have always been absolutely crazy about the brainy detective from when I was a wee baby, but it is nice to see Holmes in a modern adaptation, with an actor who actually looks like Sherlock Holmes. Much better than Downey jr, and I really couldn’t stand a not very clean Holmes in the film.

I wonder when we will get to see the series 2 in India.

Wish you a very happy new year.