The Pothunters - P.G. Wodehouse - 1902 ***

I've decided that the first fiction book of the year (although it's May!) has to be a Wodehouse. Usually I don't read them in any paricular order and just dive in to the nearest one to hand. However I decided that actually it might be good to start with the very first Wodehouse, all the way from 1902 where he was just a mere slip of a guy at 21 years old.
It's one of those books where you might praise it for being Wodehouse, but if it wasn't him you wouldn't give it a second thought. It was moderately funny, and reminded me a bit of Billy Bunter and 'old boy' stories with the lovely descriptions of a traditional school, and I love the dialogue from that long ago (although sometimes I must admit I can't undersand what he's actually talking about!). It wasn't anything special though and I actually found the story rather weak compared to some of his later ones. It seemed to me to have a somewhat 'darker' tone than others I have read which I didn't like.
However, as a big fan of Pelham Grenville I'm glad to say that I have read it and can tick it off my list.

Started 15th May
Finished 17th May

Houses of Death - Gordon Kerr 2011 ***

It's the middle of May and this is the first book I have read all year which is utterly shameful. I need to get my modjo back for reading, as it seems to slump when I have things on my mind and can't concentrate and I can go for months before I get it back.
Usually when I hit one of these slumps the first thing I reach for is something true crime related, usually because I am continually fascinated with stories like these and also because I can only deal with non-fiction if I am stressed out in other areas of my life.
Not a bad book (got it cheap for my kindle) but I felt the stories were rather rushed, and there wasn't really much here that I didn't already know from more in-depth books.
Good to get me back in the swing of things however, and a 'taster for true crime' for people who don't read this sort of stuff regularly.

Started 12th May
Finished 15th May