Book reviews (part 15)

Charles Fudgemuffin reviews a selection of books from the genres of light humour, general fiction, comedy and historical fiction.

Friends, Lovers, Chocolate by Alexander McCall Smith

Friends, Lovers, Chocolate by Alexander McCall-Smith - 4.2 / 5.0

Nothing much seemed to happen in the first couple of chapters of Friends, Lovers, Chocolate, but once it got going I found myself really looking forward to my daily reading sessions.

Isobel Dalhousie meets a heart transplant patient who believes his new heart has brought with it memories of its previous owner, and Isobel's curious nature means she can't help herself from investigating further.

I have to admit I found the ending slightly disappointing, but overall this was an enjoyable book with some interesting ideas.

A question for fans of the Great British Bake Off

Charlotte Fudgemuffin (Charles' sister) revealed as new X Factor judge.

Although I'm not personally a fan, reality TV shows attract some very dedicated fans, so it's perhaps not surprising therefore that fans of reality TV shows often get quite passionate about the singers, dancers, models, cooks and other contestants that they feel most deserve to win their particular favourite show.

Now I can understand for example when fans of X Factor or American Idol have passionate opinions and strongly want a particular singer to win. You listen to them sing, then vote for the best singer or performer, so I can understand comments like, "She's an excellent singer!  Did you hear her sing 'Who Let The Dogs Out?' It was beautiful!' and it makes sense that you would favour one contestant over the others.

Funny football quotes (part 8)

Football. The inspiration for many silly quotes.

Another season of football starts today, so as has become traditional on the Charles Fudgemuffin blog, here's another batch of funny football quotes from players, managers and pundits.

1) “There was nothing wrong with his timing. He was just a bit late.”
…Mark Bright


2) “Hodge scored for Forest after 22 seconds … totally against the run of play!”
…Peter Lorenzo


3) “I don't want to be playing in the Under 21s forever.”
…David Bentley

Cool sayings from around the world (part 2)

A camel can't see its own hump, but it can see
its own tongue, as demonstrated by this rude camel.

Previously on the Charles Fudgemuffin blog I've featured a round-up of five 'Cool sayings from around the world'. However, after doing some research, it's come to light that the world in fact contains more than five cool sayings, so here are another five, featuring camels, cucumbers, and combs...

1) "A camel cannot see its own hump."

This is an old African saying which is basically a way of saying we can see the faults in others, but not our own faults.

I can totally agree with this, because I know quite a few people with loads of faults who are always criticising others ... unlike myself. #irony

I don't know of an English saying with the exact same meaning, but I suppose a vaguely related expression would be, 'The pot calling the kettle black.'