Reading is sometimes an ingenious device for avoiding thought - Arthur Helps

So the Olympics are over.  My little stay-at-home holiday is drawing to an end.  And the summer sun has finally come out to stay.  What on earth will divert my little mind now?

On top of which, I’m still struggling to get back on form and find my pre-January self again.  The frustration is, well, frustrating.  I look fine, I’m almost up and running in my everyday activities, and I thus should be fine.  I’m not.  I try not to think about it.  But I do.  And I’m not.

I have therefore been trying to cheer myself up by throwing myself into guaranteed mirth.  And Saki has been my chosen vessel.  Although it must be said that he can be a tad dark at times and I do wonder at the wisdom of my choice.  But I have persisted.  And have absolutely delighted in his eloquence.

Saki is the master of the short story.  I think I’m stuck in the genre.  But that’s not always a bad thing.  I was actually introduced to him during my A-levels many moons ago. The Open Window was part of a collection of short stories we were studying at the time.  It stayed with me.  The collection I’m now reading confirms it was not a one-off. 

Featuring heavily are animals with colourful characters and youngsters with vivid imaginations, who artfully execute their playful and sometimes horrifying plots. Clovis is a staple character from one story to the next, injecting a particular brand of wit, and undermining all innocence. He is, it must be said, worse than a rogue.  It’s bizarre, and yet somewhat comforting, that he turns up so consistently.  Like the proverbial bad penny.  Bad.

But my endeavours at distracting myself from my wallowing do not end there.  I have to admit that I have finally been buying a Kindle.  I know!  Despite all my former reticence, I am very excited.  It's been somewhat of a process, but I was not to be rushed.  The three versions available required much mulling over, as did the variety of covers in the variety of colours. I finally did it though. It's now purchased but not yet delivered.  Five days and counting.

I have also allowed myself to take a sneak peek at the literary delights available to me now that I've joined the Kindlers.  Therapeutic cyber window shopping.  There is a whole new universe of the written page out there just waiting to eat up my salary.  And at jolly interesting prices too, I might add.  Did I mention that I was excited??  Little things, little minds, and all that. This will not be the last you hear of this...