I don't do book reviews.

I have never done a book review on this blog and I'm not sure if this will count as one.  I do read books but unlike people like Matt Hosier I am usually just pleased to finish and move on without writing about them afterwards.  However, it is summer and therefore a great time to read so I am reading a few books.  In fact my wife who reads lot recently had a kindle for her birthday and the slightly strange thing is that when I look at what she is reading it is more often looking at the online bookshop rather than reading a book! 

I went to the newly refurbished library on Torridon Road yesterday which is very nice although it appears that there are far less books in the library than there were before the works. (I don't think the library was looted last Monday)  I found a book called 'Violent London' which is the story of 2000 years of riots and revolutions in London.  I read a quote in this book "What is the world coming to when you can't go to the country fair without people smashing windows", it's almost a 2011 quote!  However this book didn't feel like a summer read so I left it on the shelf.

Instead I found a book called 'Curing Hiccups with small fires' which is a totally bizarre book. 'From the endearingly odd to the dangerously maniacal, the British have always had a reputation for breeding eccentrics, Karl Shaw describes over 200 of the most hilarious, outlandish and occasionally downright weird examples.'  I have only read a handful of the characters in it but already it makes modern eccentrics seem very mild.  If there were tabloid journalists around in the 1800's they would have had more than enough to write about.

Take WG Grace, the grandfather of cricket, a Doctor, noble and upright, playing a gentlemans game.  Yeh right!  He refused to be out, famously saying "they have come to watch me bat not you bowl", ignored the umpire, one bowler got him out 4 times before the umpire dared give WG out.  His brother used the stump to threaten the officals if he didn't like the decision.

CB Fry, a remarkable sportsman, was offered to be the King of Albania, others claimed outrageous expenses, many wore shocking clothing, some delighted in being naked, many were arisocrats who took advantage of their wealth and position.  But what is amazing is that many have made such an impression on British society.  The Revd William Archibald Spooner (1844-1930) name lives on due to 'spoonerisms', when parts of two words get mixed up.  My favourite of his is when he announced a hymn 'Kinquering Congs their titles take ...'.  The Revd John Wesley, father of Methodism, wrote lots of poems to suplement his income with many odd titles including Maggots: or Poems on several subjects never handled before.

Poets, sportsmen, adventurers, polititians - this book shows that firstly there is nothing new in odd behaviour, it has been done before, but secondly it does suggest that being slightly odd is part of making an impression on British history. 

Enjoy your summer reading!