A CODA to the hugely successful Tales of the City series in which, 17 years later, a much heavier Mouse, improbably shacked up with a hunky furniture-maker 21 years his junior, tells us what has happened to Mary Ann, Brian, Mona and Mrs Madrigal. The
plot involves a trip to Florida where Mouse's mother is dying of emphysema, but there is no shortage of wisecracks or breathtakingly frank sex-talk. Some things never change and San Francisco remains a beautiful, blissed-out Sodom-by-the-Sea.
EATING FOR ENGLAND NIGEL SLATER(Harper Perennial, £7.99)
NO-ONE takes the biscuit better than Slater and they're all here in his teatime assortment: Abbey Crunch, Mint YoYo, Nice and Lemon Puff. Even Brussels sprouts act as madeleines in this Mad Hatter's picnic, which is as much about memory as the munchies. Each piece is a tasty morsel that will provide sustenance for hungry commuters across Britain. Whether teasing out the associations of brand names – Quality Street, Branston Pickle, PG Tips – or lamenting the passing of the village shop, Slater leaves you wanting more.
VIRGINS: A CULTURAL HISTORY ANKE BERNAU(Granta, £8.99)
"MAIDENHOOD is the treasure that once lost can never be found," said that prolific author Anonymous. In her intriguing survey of virginity Bernau poses the questions: Is it physical? Spiritual? Is male virginity different from female? What does it mean to be a virgin? Why does it fascinate us? Is it still relevant? Can you lose it more than once? The answer to the last is, thanks to modern plastic surgery, apparently yes. Art, literature, politics and film are all studied to reveal that "while virginity can mean many things, those meanings have never been innocent".
The full article contains 320 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
