Books
Matt Haig, The Last Family In England
Suzanne Enoch, London’s Perfect Scoundrel
Nicci French, Losing You
Margaret Yates, Town And Countryside In Western Berkshire, c.1327-c.1600 – excellent content, let down by seriously sloppy proofreading
Laura Lippman, The Power Of Three – very good
Karen Rose, Count To Ten – formulaic but well done
F P Keyes, The Heritage
Jonathan Kellerman, Obsession – better than his other recent stuff
Tana French, In The Woods – pretty good, although I pegged the villain much sooner than the narrator
Phillip Thomas Duck, Grown And Sexy
Lisa Miscione, Twice
Julia Quinn, The Viscount Who Loved Me – charming romantic comedy, let’s ignore historical issues
Stephanie Laurens, An Unwilling Conquest – meh
Peter James, Not Dead Enough
Michael Connelly, Blood Work
DFB, Nancy Returns To St Bride’s

DVDs
Buffy 4.11-13
Angel 1.9-11

TV
End of Nashville Star
Without A Trace (very dull)
Olympics
The Truth About Pedigree Dogs
Who Do You Think You Are: Boris Johnson episode
A Man And His Dogs
Gone Country ep 1
X Factor

CDs
Jamey Johnson, That Lonesome Song
Gene Watson, Matters Of The Heart
Julianne Hough
Shannon Walker

Books
Jim Butcher: White Night and Small Favour; after rereading Death Masks to Proven Guilty
Maria V Snyder, Magic Study and reread Poison Study
Carol Anne Davis, Shrouded (sordid and not that good)
Linda Barnes, Cold Case
Hilary Bonner, Moment Of Madness and A Passion So Deadly (sordid and predictable)
Debbie Macomber, 50 Harbor Street
Lisa Miscione, Angel Fire
Nora Roberts, Public Secrets and Search For Love
Deborah Crombie, Leave The Grass Green
Susan Hill, The Risk Of Darkness
Peter James, Looking Good Dead
Jack Sheffield, Teacher Teacher

CDs
Miss Leslie, Between The Whiskey and the Wine: pretty good
Randy Travis, Around The Bend: great to have him back recording, I adore You Didn’t Have A Good Time
Sugarland, Love On The Inside

TV: Nashville Star (lamentable)
Crystal Palace athletics meeting
Without A Trace (dull)
The Making Of Me

DVDs
Buffy 4.5-10
Angel 1.5-8

Books
Reread (with some skimming) EBD, all the Swiss books
Susan Elizabeth Phillips: Fancy Pants (boring with unlikeable characters); Lady Be Good )much better), Natural Born Charmer (loved), Match Me If You Can (not bad)
Sophie King, Mums @ Home – dull and predictable
Sarah Webb, Take A Chance – less dull but equally predictable
Kate Elliott, Spirit Gate – enjoyed more than I expected
Reread Jim Butcher, Dresden Files up to Summer Knight

TV
Without A Trace 6.1-5 (I think) - rather dull on the whole
Heroes 2.6-10
Supernatural 3.13-16
Can You Duet (via Internet) (and I keep on rewatching Cheater, Cheater). Pretty happy with the winners, but I want to hear more from Joey and Rory.
Nashville Star eps 1-3: pretty awful so far

DVDs
Buffy 3.7-22; 4.1-6
Angel 1.1-4

CDs
Zac Hacker, Get Your Love On –good but a bit short
Charley Jenkins, Round Here and Ridin’ –not bad
Jeff Bates, s/t: not bad exactly, but a bit disappointing after the last two, which I loved
Carolina Chocolate Drops, Heritage – very good
Jeremy McComb, My Side Of Town – This Town Needs A Bar is great, the rest a bit so-so
James Otto, Sunset Man – not bad
Catherine Britt, Little Wild Flower – a bit disappointing
Jason Eady, Wile Eyed Serenade – great
Mark Chesnutt, Rolling With The Flow (reviewed)

I’ve always loved Mark’s smoky voice and pure country approach, and this is a great new album from him.
Things To Do In Wichita: beautiful measured slightly sad song, 9/10
When You Love Her Like Crazy: another beautiful sad song about lost love, 9/10
Rollin’ With The Flow: charming laid back feel to this song about growing older, 9/10
Going On Later On: OK uptempo feelgood thing, 7/10
Live To Be 100: quite amusing, 7/10
When I Get This Close To You: just lovely, swingy waltz I could hear George Strait doing, 9/10
Come On In (The Whiskey’s Fine): not bad, though not as funny as the writer thinks it is, 7/10
If The Devil Brought You Roses: very good and interesting song, 8/10
Woman: cheerful and engaging little song, 7.5/10
Man In The Mirror: touching tribute to a father, 9/10
Long Way To Go: good but not that memorable, 7/10
She Never Got Me Over You: saving the best for last, a classic lost love song, 10/10
Negatives: no songwriter credits.

Books
Peter James, Dead Simple – pretty good twists, must look out for more by him
Gaelen Foley, Her Secret Fantasy
Jack Sheffield, Mister Teacher
Reread EBD, Goes To It; Highland Twins, Lavender Laughs; Gay From China, Tom Tackles; Three Go, Island, Peggy, Carola, Wrong, Shocks, CS in the Oberland, Bride, Changes
Stephanie Laurens, All About Passion (hero was a total jerk); The Reasons For Marriage
Mary Laven, Virgins Of Venice
Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Heaven, Texas (another annoying hero); Nobody’s Baby But Mine; Dream A Little Dream (loved this one); Hot Shot (very dull)
Mary Balogh, Slightly Sinful (quite enjoyed this one); One Night For Love (why can’t they get the names and titles right?)
Jeremy Sims (ed), Thames Navigation Commissioners Minutes 1770-1790
Meg Rosoff, The Way I Live Now – one heartstopping moment
Kim Edwards, The Memory Keeper’s Daughter

TV
Heroes 2.2-5
AI – Best.Ending.Ever
I’ll Do Anything – best of a bad lot won
Can You Duet (via Internet); particularly loved Cheater, Cheater from Joey and Rory
Walk The Line – great
Frustrated by wait for remainder of Supernatural on ITV2

DVDs
Supernatural 2.18-22
Buffy 3.1-6

CDs
Listened to Andy Griggs' latest - utterly dull, I shan't be getting it.

I hate amazon. I really really hate amazon. They cancel my orders and don't bother to tell me, and keep my money without refunding it and LIE ABOUT IT.

Books
Reread: EBD, Exploits, Lintons, New House, Jo Returns, The New CS, Exile
Gaelen Foley, Her Every Pleasure – better than I was expecting, although not what one might call believable
Mary Balogh, A Summer To Remember – a little dull. Why do writers of historical romance give their characters such totally unhistorical names?
Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie, Half Of A Yellow Sun – very good
Ian McEwan, Enduring Love – OK
Maggie O’Farrell, After You’d Gone – OK
Stephen Taylor, Walking Ollie – dog memoir, slight but pleasant

TV
AI: love David Cook and Jason. I’m increasingly irritated by Brooke and David A.
Torchwood: last couple of eps. Fab season finale.
I’ll do Anything: meh.
Supernatural: wow at Mystery Spot. Funny in a black comedy sort of way, then really really dark. Even more stunned by Jus In Bello. Just as I got to like Henricksen… Impatiently awaiting its return at the end of May.
Heroes 2.1

DVDs
Buffy 2.11-22
Supernatural 2.1-17

CDs
George Strait, Troubadour (reviewed)
Aaron Watson, Angels & Outlaws – very good, he has a knack for picking interesting songs
Billy Yates, That’s Why I Run [out of good songs?]
Justin Townes Earle, The Good Life: excellent folk/country debut
Dolly Parton, Backwoods Barbie: good (reviewed)
Jim Lauderdale, Honey Songs: a little disappointing, apart from I’m Almost Back, which is great

Dolly Parton: Backwoods Barbie.

Dolly’s image tends to hide the fact that she’s actually an amazing singer and songwriter. This is her first straight country album for a few years although she put out some excellent bluegrass/acoustic work in that time. She’s written most of the material, including the best tracks. She is in excellent vocie, and she and co-producer Kent Wells have overseen some excellent playing. But what really matters, as always, is the songs:
Better Get To Livin’: OK but unremarkable, 7/10
Made Of Stone: ditto, 7/10
Drives Me Crazy: boring pop song (one of the outside songs), 5/10
Backwoods Barbie: I expected to hate this song, but it was actually extremely good, a classic tune and a wry self-aware lyric, 9/10
Jesus & Gravity: a little hackneyed, but not bad (another outside song), and she sings it great, 7/10
Only Dreamin’, nice song with a Celtic feel, 7/10
The Tracks Of My Tears: nice but who really needs another version of this song?, 7/10
The Lonesomes, good song, 7/10
Cologne: good cheating song but it gets a bit samey and doesn’t end up going anywhere, 7/10
Shinola: good uptempo kissoff, 7.5/10
I Will Forever Hate Roses: touching song, 7/10
Somebody’s Everything: good, 7/10

George Strait’s latest record, Troubadour, finds him in excellent voice. It doesn’t reach the absolute highlights he’s capable of, and it’s not quite as good as 2006’s The Road Less Travelled, but there are some fine moments nonetheless, and overall it’s well up to standard.

Troubadour: tasteful but not that interesting, 7/10
It Was Me: lovely waltz, may not break any new ground, and the tune sounds very familiar to me. The Chair, maybe? 8/10
Brothers Of The Highway: pretty good trucking song, 7.5/10
River Of Love: pretty enjoyable little chugalong thing, 7/10
House Of Cash: fabulous song (written by Leslie Satcher and Monty Holmes) about the burning down of the home of Johnny Cash and June Carter, sung as a duet with the always great Patty Loveless. I love both the song and the performances, 8.5/10
I Saw God Today: OK. Well meaning but I’ve heard far better songs on the theme. 7/10.
Give Me More Time: quite touching, but again, not the best song I’ve heard on the theme, 7/10
When You’re In Love: charming. 7.5/10
Make Her Fall In Love With me Song: pleasant, 7/10
West Texas Town: nice relaxed piece of western swing enlivened by being performed as a duet with Dean Dillon, 7.5/10
House With No Doors: Fabulous, slightly quirky song. Loved it, 9/10
If Heartaches were Horses: another lovely song, 9/10

Books
Lisa Gardner, The Killing Hour
Lisa Gardner, Hide: loved the premise, a few too many coincidences
Tina Reilly, Something Borrowed
David Baldacci, The Collectors: liked the setting, a little implausible perhaps
Margaret Biggs, Kate At Melling
Jenna Bailey, Can Any Mother Help Me?
Terry Pratchett, Making Money
M J Trow, Maxwell’s Mask
Elizabeth Mansfield, Love Lessons
Marion Chesney, To Dream Of Love

TV
Supernatural 3.6-9: episode 3.7 (the one where Gordon gets vamped) is a return to form, incredibly intense.
AI
Torchwood 2.7-12. Uneven.
World Indoor Championships

DVDs
Buffy season 2 eps 1-10; some of the best television ever made

CDs
Alan Jackson, Good Times (reviewed)
Ashton Shepherd, Sounds So Good (reviewed)
Trent Willmon, Broken In
Dailey and Vincent, s/t – nice bluegrass, no new ground broken, but well done
Jesse Dayton and Brennen Leigh, Holdn’ Our Own and Other Country Gold Duets – liked it a lot

Current Music: George Jones, Love Bug