"Four Souls" by Louise Erdrich

Novel, 2004

Family story of native American Indians and the dispossession and dissolution of their land and fortune. While this is a story which deals with gambling and drink, there's a sense of legends in the making, awe and power, often magical, in the rituals and activities of the women and the savage buffoonery of the men. If the switching of the narrative between characters occasionally stymies the overall flow, there's a wonderful atmosphere of loss, hope and retribution built and sustained throughout.

"They Made Me a Criminal", directed Busby Berkeley

Movie, 1939

Boxing movie which looks tired and dated, even if the opening premise, at least, is intriguing. After a while, the plot, acting and narrative all flop, leaving a pretty mundane picture with a few baffling scenes which do little to carry the action forward or comment on the main plot (borrowed from an earlier film). Difficult to know who this film was aimed for, and although not impossible to watch, it's quite a struggle. Some interesting character developments - not least in the central protagonist - though not enough to sustain interest.

"The Forensic Records Society", by Magnus Mills

Novel, 2017

A book, like others by the author, in which a scene is set - quite an odd, quirky but essentially familiar, humdrum scene - and then nothing really seems to happen in quite brisk, glorious fashion. The establishment, growth and fall of different shades of seven inch vinyl appreciation and their nuances and power struggles within and between give this novel more of an allegorical feel than some of its predecessors. This is glorious stuff indeed; easy, odd, perplexing in places and, for all its inbuilt mundanity, hugely entertaining.

"The Mystery of the Yellow Room", by Gaston Leroux

Novel, 1907

Early example of a locked room mystery and for all the labyrinthine plot twists, fairly easy to read and follow. The use of red herrings and characters not essential to the plot help measure rather than drag the narrative and the setting up of situations and cliff hangers makes for an absorbing read. Some may find the precociousness of the main character a little hard to entirely stomach, but the reminder of the boy detective helps with context and interest into wildly unfolding developments which often defy adult logic.

"A Damsel in Distress", by PG Wodehouse

Novel, 1919

A typical Wodehouse tale with all the stock characters and many set piece situations which appear all over the great man's work mean a thoroughly enjoyable, funny and reassuring read. This is a book relying a little more on chance than some of the others and one which also has a feel of a well-planned three act play, though in truth, little is lost as a result. Entertaining and twisting to the end, with characters more or less getting what they deserve except, possibly, a generous pay off for the main leads.

"I Capture the Castle", by Dodie Smith

Novel, 1949

A book tackling young love, a gloriously eccentric family and the very act and art of writing, which sets off at a furious pace, setting hints and hares running before settling into something more prosaic, but still pretty compulsive. The story itself is thin, but the settings, the family and the narrative are all sparkling and have a good deal of charm and originality. There's also an air of melancholy and a hint of the Empire dissolving into a new world, although the nostalgia is by no means overdone and the book not maudlin.

"Collected Ghost Stories", by MR James

Fiction, 1931

Supernatural tales, most of which stick close to established formulae (mysterious books and texts, eerie buildings) and can merge and blend a little into each other, but pepped up here and there with either humorous touches or the appearance and meta-fictional disruption of a narrator barrelling into proceedings. These are therefore stories to be enjoyed over a long period of time. More often than not, the stories are satisfying and, if a little old fashioned, can nonetheless conjure quite an atmosphere. There are, however, a few less powerful.