Ah, that is what I guessed at after a moment but thank you for confirming :-)

It’s A Spoonful of Murder by JM Hall; retired school teachers in Thirsk suspect a former colleague with dementia of being bumped off.

I’m reading a cosy crime novel from a few years ago and one of the characters is slogging through a misery memoir for book club called Broken Biscuits (set in Carlisle I think) and I keep forgetting and feeling bad on your behalf when she’s hating it!

My dad is currently reading and enjoying this book, and has recommended to me

Wow, I remember the novelty of it in the 80s. Our Price and EGS (?) records in the early 90s. The hours spent hanging around there when I was in 6th form (still got a dress from Bay Trading I bought in 1995) I haven’t been for 20 years though, I can imagine it’s pretty dated now.

Re-read it a few years ago. Utterly brilliant and it hit way harder than it did when I was 12, possibly because I have more experience of how terrible people can be, and mortality means more in your 40s than it does in adolescence

I look forward to my dad beginning another phone conversation with ‘Richard Smyth in New Scientist - is that the Richard you know?’
(The last one related to a crossword that had foxed him. To be fair I suspect he’s on your side on this one)

It was, of course, both amazing and great. Thanks for all the years of FMB.

Oh wow - I’d definitely missed that news. I hope it’s a brilliant adventure and the best of luck to you. I’ll be sad not to bump into you occasionally at stuff in Leeds, not that I get into Leeds much these days.
Gutenberg sounds like a good plan. In desperation you could always re-read something.

I’m a big fan of the BorrowBox app, library books but not as heavy. Depends how you are with reading on a screen.
Are you leaving Yorkshire? Can’t remember if you said.

My dad lives in a village near Selby and someone there does themed postbox cosies throughout the year, he sends me a photo every time there’s a new one. Xmas, Halloween, anniversary of the local Methodist church, you name it they’ve knitted it. Makes me smile every time.

I think I agree, but then I’ve just remembered the Winnie the Pooh LP from my childhood which I’m sure was Willie Rushton. So now I’m confused - surely he can’t reasonably be both!

Yes, same here. I thought the plastic sort would help, but no.

An older friend of mine asked this lunchtime if I was ‘on social media’. I said that I was, but mainly to chat to other writers, making it sound all highbrow. I’m hoping she doesn’t find out the truth :-)

In my opinion, only for the better. And I really dislike washing a potato masher so that might have something to do with my preference :-)

Frozen mash, like croquettes with no breadcrumbs. It has changed my life.