In loving memory - Sir Roger Moore

In loving memory -  Sir Roger Moore

Its more than likely that the world will never agree on who the best James Bond is. But if you ask someone who their favourite bond is chances are you’ll get one name come up. Sir Roger Moore.

That's certainly true of me, as a90's kid Pierce Brosnan is 'my bond' and yet for some reason he just isn't my favourite, don’t get me wrong I love pierce as bond but I prefer Roger Moore. Why? Who knows, I think it’s the fact he quite famously didn’t take Bond too seriously and just embraced it. Even long after he'd left Bond behind. Unlike a certain Scotsman....

It’s for those reasons then and more besides that the news of his death on Tuesday was something of a hammer blow. Celebrity deaths normally just wash over me but Sir Roger's passing? That stings a bit. Which is funny when you consider I never met him as much as I would have loved to.

Now I've got to be honest here as with the other fellas I haven't seen much of Roger's non-bond films or TV shows. In fact, the only one I can think of is cannonball run in which he plays a ridiculous man named Seymour Goldfarb. JR. A man who thinks he's Roger Moore. It’s as ridiculous and brilliant as it sounds and if you haven't seen it I urge you to buy the Blu-ray.

As for my favourite Bond moment from the Moore era? That’s a hard one. Those films are shot through with iconic moments and brilliant one liners that only roger could pull off without looking or sounding like a tit.

There is one that stands out though. And I’ll give you a clue ... “can you swim?” yes, it’s the submarine lotus from the spy who loved me, my favourite film of all time, and I’m not just saying that for the purposes of this post. I mean it.

So How am I going to remember the big man then? The simple answer is I’m going to enjoy watching his bond films over and over again, as well as diving into his non-bond work, reading his books and when I can donate a couple of quid to UNICEF the charity he was an unpaid ambassador for decades.

I’m rambling here so I’ll sign off by saying. Rest in peace sir roger, you'll be missed forever but you will never be forgotten.

Nobody does it better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isAUOa50wdA

Please donate what you can to UNICEF.

Book Title Q+A

A little while ago i was contacted by author Andrea Darby asking me to answer a few questions about book titles . I was included alongside two other bloogers : Sally from http://www.salsworldofbooks.co.uk/and Cleopatra from https://cleopatralovesbooks.wordpress.com/. Im reposting my answers here as i have no reviews to share right now. Thanks again to Andrea for asking me.

Is the title a significant factor when it comes to choosing a book?

Absolutely, but cover art comes first for me I think.

What do you look for in a novel title and what do you see as its function? 

It must be short and snappy; 5 words maximum. Apart from the cover art, the title helps you to form your first impressions of the book and, fairly or not, determines whether you buy it.

What novel titles have particularly impressed you?

 The James Bond novel that came out in 2015: Trigger Mortis, which is obviously a play on rigor mortis and an obscure Only Fools and Horses reference. I like one word titles too; simple, intriguing words like goldfinger, thunderball, scorpius, personal, tripwire etc. Paula hawkins new novel into the water intrigues me aswell

Any titles you’ve not liked?

50 Shades of Grey, sounds like a range of emulsion or something.

Has a book title ever put you off reading a book, or even turning it over to look at the back cover blurb?

No, I always look at the back cover or read a few pages. Even if the title’s awful it doesn’t mean I won’t buy the book.

Have you ever bought a book based on the title alone?

A Wanted Man By Lee Child. That book kicked off my love of the Reacher series and pretty much got me back into reading , so in a not insignificant way A Wanted Man is the reason this blog exists.

My novel is called The Husband Who Refused to Die. What are your thoughts on this as a title?

 It’s intriguing. Good title.

What genre would you assume it to be?

Psychological thriller.

 If you wrote a book about your reading life, what would you call it? 

 The Wanderer