William Boyd, Any Human Heart

I gather that they are making a film about this, so glad I got in first.  Basically, a game of two halves, held together with a weird Bondsian interlude in the middle.  Astonishingly believable, and rather upsetting in a way, although anyone would give their eye-teeth to end up like Logan Mountstuart, pottering about France with a couple of dogs for company.

Another plus, a lot of worrying about money and the day-to-day, to balance all the walk on parts by Hemingway, Fleming, etc. etc. (though we all love to name drop).

There's even an index.

Would read more Boyd if the covers didn't have his name plastered across them in the same way.

Scott Pilgrim Vs The World

A increasingly rare trip to the cinema by myself (found myself almost at sixth-form levels of embarrassment finding a seat, etc.), essentially because I thought 'what the hell, let's see what's on'.

Turns out there was something starring the likeable chump from Superbad (Michael Cera) and written/produced/directed by Wells' finest (sister-in-law excepted), Edgar Wright.  His first Hollywood vehicle seemed well formed, and he must now be seen as the Starsailor side of the Verve/Starsailor equation in relation to Spike Jonz.

But it did mix a clever amount of sincerity, and perhaps a way past irony, etc., in the comic book self-referential form.  A homage to David Foster Wallace, perhaps.

I am also reading Any Human Heart, which has managed to get its hooks into me - indeed, I can't remember being so affected, not since Gilead.