I have just bought all the books by Deric Longden. I have no idea what happened to the collection I had before I moved, but I have a vague memory of a box sitting forlornly in the garage ...
Anyway, the first book is called "Diana's Story" and is the story of his wife's battle with what they subsequently have decided must have been a form of M.E. It is a very humourous book, even though the subject is not. One enduring memory from the book is a medical person asking him "How are her periods" when she is sitting right there as well.
Diana's struggle in life, and her subsequent death, are told with love and humour which shine thru the pages. Her death is told so well that you feel the numbness yourself, and then as Deric experiences his grief, you are right there with him.
The next book in the series is "Lost for Words" in which his mum takes the starring role, and it tells of her eccentricity, and her eventual stroke and then her loss. Another humourous book - he has the sort of point of view of life that sees the funny side.
He then goes on to write :
I am a Stranger Here Myself
The Cat who came in from the Cold
Enough To Make A Cat Laugh
Play on Words
Paws in the Proceedings
which cover his life and adventures, meeting and marrying the author Aileen Armitage, and the cats that move in with them.
All the books are very amusing and entertaining, and aren't hard or deep reads.
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