Madame Depardieu and the Beautiful Strangers by Antonia Quirke

Antonia and her tome

My current enthusiasm to spread the word about my recent read about pooch Maf and screen goddess Marilyn led to another book recommendation to two film lovers I work with: Madame Depardieu and the Beautiful Strangers by Antonia Quirke.

The Life and Opinions of Maf the Dog and of his Friend Marilyn Monroe

It was on my must read list for 2011 as a high priority read, and I can happily say that this is one of the most delightful books I have ever read. Fun, witty -- all good. Thank you Andrew O'Hagan, I look forward to reading your next book!

Maf was indeed Marilyn Monroe's canine companion in the latter few years of her life, and a gift to her from Frank Sinatra. Maf's happy and wise philosophical perspective about art and Marilyn constantly amuses and enlightens.

The smell of books

I have to admit, as much as I am a convert to reading on my iPhone (even more so than my iPad), I do miss the sensory response I have to books when I am in a bookstore, browsing through the pages of a newly discovered novel. Could this be the way to relive that experience?

This news published in The Independent: According to the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), Lagerfeld - who is known for his love of books and says he stocks more than 300,000 of them in his famous personal library - is already working on the fragrance with his publisher of choice, Steidl, which distributes most of the designer's photography books.

Writing book reviews

I know, I know. This is a book blog. Part of my responsibility as a blogger is to REVIEW BOOKS. And I admit I am a bit half-arsed about it, linking to someone more qualified's review and merely noting whether I liked the book, a whinge on whatever is my current thorn in my side, and a few hopefully useful comments.

Perhaps I should make more effort in my reviewing habits, as outlined in this really useful article in The Guardian on how to write a book review? It goes back to basics (it's for kids). I will try to apply myself more in the future. Maybe.

The People of the Book

Next I am on to reading (for my book club) The People of the Book by Pulitzer Prize-winning Australian author Geraldine Brooks.

So far The People of the Book is an excellent read, beautifully written using simple but evocative writing style. If I continue to enjoy it as I am now (and I am sure I will), then I will be very keen to go and read her other work.

Inattentional deafness

I knew it! I hope my mother now realises that all those times when I ignored her because I was steeped in an amazing story was not because I was being rude, as I was accused, but because my absorption in the book had resulted in "inattentional deafness".

According to  the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London: Becoming engrossed in a good book or a crossword really can block the ability to hear, a study has found. Scientists demonstrated that when someone focuses their full attention on something, they can become deaf to normally audible sounds.

So there!