ásgerður

Just because I like this sort of thing. From the Ross and Sutherland Constabulary Chief Constables Report for 1973. Lewis (but not the rest of the Western Isles) lies within the county of Ross.

Miscellaneous Fatal Accidents: Total 15, all male (ages given)

Struck by train (79)
Fire (32, 2, 69)
Alcohol poisoning (32)
Fall down stairs (36)
Falling beam (37)
Hotel fire (20)
Drowning (40, 29, 22, 48, 21, 33, 39)

Sudden or unnatural deaths: 98 
Suicides: 7 
Missing persons: 10 (all recovered)
Hill incidents: 14 (1 fatality)
Road accidents: 332 (24 fatalities, 533 injured)
Fires: 118

Stray dogs taken into custody: 170 
Incidents of sheep-worrying: 40 
Incidents of poultry-worrying: 5 
Dogs without licences: 7 
Pedlars certificates: 7

Special permissions for sale of liquor:
Ross 1159, Lewis 380, Sutherland 636

Licensed premises in Lewis
Hotels: Carloway 2, Stornoway 7 
Restricted Hotels: Barvas 2 
Pubs: Stornoway 5 
Off-sales: Stornoway 8 
Wine licences: Stornoway 1 
Restaurants: 0 
Clubs: Carloway 1, Stornoway 4

Dangerous drugs convictions: 6 (all cannabis, all young men, one girl not prosecuted)

Aliens: 291 on 31 Dec 1973, including Iran (1), Jordan (2), Morocco (1), Mexico (1), Syria (1), Turkey (1), USA (218), France (18), German (13).

The Force Badminton Championships were not concluded due to a number of players sustaining injury.

After the Booker longlist, I’m intending to read the Costa shortlists (Novels and First Novels - might or might not get to the other categories, but I’m lacking the  commitment for Biography, and the interest for the other two) and probably the NBA fiction shortlist too.  I think I’ll not bother with the Orange Prize though I have read a couple of them.  This list doesn’t excite me much (and one of the judges is a novelist whose work I think is dreadful) but Pure might be interesting.  There’s an overlap of two here with the Booker.  The decision will be announced on 4 January 2012.

NOVELS

Read

Julian Barnes The Sense of an Ending (Jonathan Cape)

Masterful but not that interesting, as I’ve said below. I may have more to say in comparing it to the others.

To Read

John Burnside A Summer of Drowning (Jonathan Cape) 
Andrew Miller Pure (Sceptre)
Louisa Young My Dear I Wanted to Tell You (HarperCollins) 

FIRST NOVELS

Read

Patrick McGuinness The Last Hundred Days (Seren)

I didn’t think much of this: see dismissal below.  Unlike the Costa judges I found it neither funny nor insightful and the only compulsion was to get to the end.  On the other hand I’ve just remembered I went to school with a Pat McGuinness… who I guess this can’t be.

To Read

Kevin Barry City of Bohane (Jonathan Cape) 
Chirstie Watson Tiny Sunbirds Far Away by Christie (Quercus) 
Kerry Young Pao (Bloomsbury)