Awful state of affairs obviously but weird use of the word ‘unprecedented’, but I guess you see it a lot nowadays. Every single day will have unprecedented levels of plastic in the oceans on the assumption that it’s still making its way into them.

It’s not gone forever. It’s part of a cycle (think it’s about 7 years for it to come around again?)

That’s just good writing. You don’t need to think Darth Vader would be a fun guy to get a beer with to think he’s a good character

This is the mentality that got me through raising a new born. Every day is a day in the bank!

How would anyone know that MD stood for Maryland in the context of the UK?

It’s like me saying there was a flood in Ohio the size of skem. Would you have any idea what I was on about?

It was obvious to anyone who was paying attention

You could have at least come up with a less outlandish lie!

Where’s the other half of that egg?

I’d have to see something to back that up but I would assume that on average when a copy of crooked house is being read that it’s being read for the first time.

I only got into Christie 3 years ago and have been making my way through her catalogue.

I don’t think it’s a problem having these discussions by the publisher in the book but if they could be at the end or even just mention ‘this foreword spoils the ending of the book, read with that in mind’ it wouldn’t take any more effort.

Yeah it’s maddening and I’ve stopped reading them.

I read a newly published copy of (I think) ‘crooked house’ by Agatha Christie last year and there was a foreword by either the publisher or another author that talked Christie’s inspiration for the novel and casually dropped in that ‘finding out X was the murderer was a really interesting twist in the genre at the time’.

And I’m just like; well it’s not interesting anymore is it!? Why wouldn’t you put that at the back of the book!

Yes! Thanks I just rewatched a few clips of it on YouTube. I think I watched it when I was 8 years old and got such terrible nightmares from that monster who got his hand cut off - was pretty horrifying!

I loved this movie as a kid. The monsters and animation was so imaginative.

Wasn’t there another movie in this same style but featuring Medusa/Persius or was part of the same film?

What’s that got to do with anything? The victims didn’t need their medical bills paying for, her money wasn’t going towards anything the state wasn’t covering. It literally just went to the victims families to help deal with the trauma of losing a loved one as well as giving to charities in Manchester.

Depends but in the UK it’s generally based on the ‘useful economic life’ of the asset (minus the land portion which doesn’t suffer depreciation).