Author's B sides

Looking at my nightstand last night, I noticed 3 books each by a famous author, none of which too many people are familiar with.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote two historical novels about knights and chivalry and a man named Nigel Loring. The 2 books are "Sir Nigel" and "The White Company". Sir Nigel is the first book chronologically, but the White Company was written first and published in 1891. The books are set in the mid 1300s, take place in Southern England and Normandy and include swordplay, drinking, battles, dying, plundering and some blunders by our hero Nigel. He's a bit of a hot head in the novel Sir Nigel, but tries to do right and in the end things work out for him. Both of the books I have include maps so that's a plus right there. I would recommend reading Sir Nigel first.

Michael Bond is well known for writing the Paddington Bear series, but has also written a series for adults about a french ex-detective named Monsieur Pamplemousse. Mr P. is now working as an inspector for a Michelin guide type organization called Le Guide. He has a bloodhound named Pommes Frites who goes with him everywhere and usually gets Mr. P out of sticky situations. Monsieur Pamplemousse finds himself in plenty of sticky situations and if it wasn't for Pommes Frites, his goose would have been cooked years ago. Pommes Frites also helps Mr. P. with food and hotel inspections and investigating the unusual circumstances that they somehow always find themselves involved in. Pommes Frites, like Monsieur Pamplemousse is ex-police and quite the gourmand as well. The books are a quick read and get quite risquè in spots.

There is also Ian Flemming, the Bond series author who also wrote Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. I haven't read the book, but watched the movie many times with the kids. It is a long movie. A really, really long movie. There are plenty of high points and you can always blow past the parts you don't like. I think I have read all the Bond books and they are definitely worth a read.

I know there are other authors with B (I am not equating B side with Bad) side works, but these three were just there on the floor.