Bekka in 2014

So... first? A pic:



This is how I get a great deal of my reading done these days... but my friends still don't get how I read so much. Yeah they haven't met you lot...

Anyway last year I read 78 books, of which 5 were re-reads. I won't be counting re-reads this year (if I do any) and I doubt I'll hit 75 in 2014. There are a number of chunksters on the radar.

My spreadsheet tells me I averaged books about 343 pages, which I guess is about right - lot of long, lot of short! My favourite reads of 2013 were (I think - I go back and forth) and in no real order;

The Girl who circumnavigated fairyland in a ship of her own making
Life of Pi
Like Water for Chocolate
1Q84 (though I still think it wasn't Murakami's best)
When she woke
Tale of Two cities
The Shining

2013 also introduced me to Kevin Hearn's Atticus series and Henry Neff's Tapestry series - both excellent.

Real horrors of the year? Crash by J.G Ballard - still haunts me, and Elizabeth Costello was just plain off.

And here about my proposed reading in 2014... when the kids let me...

Hi Bekka! Happy New Year to you all. I will cross my fingers for the ferry on Sunday.

Happy New Year, Bekka, and Happy Reading! Crossing fingers for the ferry, too...

Edited to add: I just downloaded the first part of Cecilia (I had confused it with Camilla which I had on my Kindle now for a while, but I think you read that one a while ago and loved/hated it if I remember well?). I will however have to finish at least 2 more of my currently read book before I can start it. So maybe by next Tuesday/Wednesday I'll join you.

Welcome back!

Look who sneaking in without telling me! Well, I won't sulk but I will wish you and those gorgeous kids of yours a lovely weekend.

Stay safe from all those nasty looking storms that seem to be plaguing you all at the moment too. Sure to be an interesting ferry ride.

9 hours on a rough boat. 9 hours. Just got back (fast boat - 4 hours, was cacelled and an extra long boat put on).

But I'm back!

Will update stuff and things tomorrow and report on the first two books of the year shortly :)

Poor you! 9 hours...I would have died. I saw some pictures of the storms in the UK in a news magazine today and thought that they'd sure cancel your ferries.

Found and Starred! Congratulations on your boat adventures :D

Nine hours of anything is No Fun. *smooch*

Thanks guys - it was pretty grotty. And I feel sort of boat hungover - even now I feel like everything should be moving.

Pretty eventful day back at work...promotion to Manager finally sorted with a nice chunk of pay rise. Pretty happy that they finally sorted it all :) Yay me!

And books... finished off my light reads which I was reading at the end of 2013.

#1 Raising Steam - Pratchett

Latest Pratchett - entertaining but not his best Discworld by a long shot.

#2 The Maelstrom - Neff

What i thought was the final volume of the Neff series. It totally wasn't. Love his universe, though I thought this one was not as good as the first three. It just felt less well put together to me - as if he rushed it somewhat.

I think it's going to be a bit of a slow year since I am reading Cecilia, which is three volumes and also participating (ish) in the 1,001ers group read of In search of Lost Time.

Congratulations on the promotion! (and yay for them getting the pay sorted).

I get that feeling when I've been flying - like I'm still on a plane, with that vague motion. It must be even more pronounced in a boat. Nine hours! I hope the kids didn't get seasick. At least no-one set it on fire, like that idiot up North.

How apropos Bekka that you read The Maelstrom whilst braving the channel home. xx
Happy and a little relieved to see you back on terra firma.

Congratulations on promotion and payrise, Bekka! What a great way to start a new work year!

Ooh, congratulations for the promotion and the hefty, future, pay-cheques!

Ha, found you! Hi Bekka!

Bigger paychecks = more books! Yay for Bekka!

Thanks guys :)

Actually a bit of a rollercoaster day. Had a stomach scan this evening to see if they can find the root of my stomach issues. Turns out I have gallstones (rather a lot of them) - which is galling (see what I did there...) when the doc I saw a year ago said it wasn't gallstones. At least we should be able to get it sorted now.

Can I go to bed for a week now?

Congrats on the promotion!

Sorry to hear about the gallstones, but I can tell you that I had my gall bladder removed a few years ago and it was a piece of cake. Hope you have a similarly easy time of it.

Thanks Scaifea - I'm hoping it'll all be an easy fix. Will be a relief to have it sorted too.

Bekka, it's good news that you finally have a diagnosis. Not good news about last year's doctor, though, fobbing you off like that. I hope you're soon feeling better.

Have a wonderful weekend, Bekka!

Trust that you'll be fine without the gall bladder. Amber must have been surprised when her problem instead turned out to be a piece of cake!

Have a lovely weekend.

>23 PaulCranswick:: *snork!*

Thanks guys - its good to know, just frustrating cos I am running out things that don't make me ill when I eat them.

And Paul, I tip my hat - you are truly the daddy of the bad pun ;P

Bekka!!!! Promotion ~~ big yay!!!! Pay raise ~~~ bigger yay!!!!!

Gallstones ~~ not so good news, but at least they found the root and maybe you will get some relief now!

Honestly, I've never had an easier fix that a gall bladder removal. Laparascopy is da bomb! And the relief is *incredible*.

>27 richardderus:: Agreed!

#26 Hi Tina - it's def a bit of a relief - well hopefully. We're thinking about private school fo Cass so if she gets in it'll most likely flow out faster than it comes in :/

#27 +28 I want, I want! :( bad day.

And no *BLEEEEP*ing reading done due to my other half feeling 'not so good'. Seriously? Seriously???

5.42 and counting down to the time I can skip dinner and take a cup of tea to bed to read. Finished volume two of Auster's New York Trilogy last night and would like to start the last seciton. Also way way way behind on the 1,001-ers GR of Proust. Ah well - I was never going to keep up with that!

Maybe I just jack it all in and read Trapped instead.

Hi BekkaJo- Happy New Year! I hope your books are treating you well. I NEED to read some Auster. I have several on shelf.

Hi Mark - and thank you :) This is my first Auster and it is really rather odd. But I like it.

Really sorry you're feeling so bad and I hope the diet (or not eating at all?) will at least give you some relief until the surgery.

I am only on page 120 with the Proust, so also way behind. But slower is better in this case. I made the experience that you shouldn't have breaks between volumes. It's better to read slowly but steadily through all 7 vols. Too many characters, at least from book 2 on. And I didn't read a single page of Cecilia this week. I enjoyed the Auster when I read it about 3 years ago but don't remember a single thing, only that it was strange and I didn't "get" it.

The only thing I really remember about The New York Trilogy was that it was strange and that I wouldn't read anything else written by Auster. Memory stalling badly I bought his Leviathan last year but haven't stumped up the courage to brave it yet.

Hope you are feeling a bit better and that your stomach has eased a little. No punning today because stomach pain isn't very funny. xx

I found Auster to be tricksy, and didn't enjoy my readings of his books. (Two, to be precise.)

Hiya all! Tummy is just a painful mess and I'm fed up of whinging about it - sorry about all the whinging I do!

Hmmm Auster seems to divide the ranks. I really like it, but I do wonder if, like Nathalie, I'll find that it's faded badly in a few years.

So sad about the internal woes, since I'm sharing them at the moment. Yuck.

Whingeing is great Bekka it always makes us feel a bit better to share our ills and woes. Hope you (and RD) are soon in the very pink of health.

You may feel a tad better if you visited my poor neglected thread once in a while. xx

Sorry to hear you are not feeling well, Bekka. I hope you feel better soon!

When is surgery? Do you have a date yet? It might help if you had a definite day (even tentative) to help you focus on for pain relief. (((Bekka)))

Aww you are all sweeties! Worst thing is that it's all just making me so tired I get a few pages read at bedtime and fall asleep. BOOK WOE!

#36 Sorry you are feeling cruddy Richard :( Your body is so mean to you.

#37 Neglected! Ha! (*insert mocking laughter*). And I'll have you know that you and RD are the main ones I keep up with. Mostly lurking though I will admit... I will try and post more, promise!

#38 Hi Stasia - thank you for your thoughts, and a very Happy New Year to you.

#39 Not yet Tina, trying to get my doctor to call me back but he still hasn't. So I don't know whether to see him or someone else. I think the frustration is a big part of it to be honest!

Bekka, see another doctor. You're in pain, and it sounds like it's easily fixed so there must be someone else who can get the process going. There, that's my bossing round for the morning :-)

Bekka - I think that Susan is right - you need to be a bit assertive in order to get the medical attention you need. SWMBO is an infamous hypochondriac but she is excellent at forcing doctors to examine her irrespective of the non-plussed looks I get in sympathy as a result.

Re: Thread visits. I love all the visitors to my threads and when I don't see one of them for a while I start getting edgy because I do have the habit of putting my foot in my mouth somewhat. xx

#41 Aww thanks for the bossing :) He finally rang this afternoon - he's referring me to a consultant who will book the op and stuff like that. My main worry now is that the recovery (provided its keyhole) is 3-4 weeks before I get back to work. Slightly untenable at present. Eeep! I guess work will have to manage but its not going to make them happy...

#42 LOL! Poor maligned SWMBO ;) My doc split from the main practise and I had the hard decision of following him or going with the others to the swanky new surgery. IMO he's by far the best with my kids so I stayed with him. And at least he has this sorted rather than fobbing me off. He's possibly somewhat over busy though. Jersey healthcare is, well, odd. You pay for appointments (around £40 for an adult) but not for prescriptions. Luckily I have private through work so hopefully all will be fairly quick from now on.

Oops, went on a bit there...

And don't worry about visits - just a habitual lurker :) Plus its all been very cheese heavy lately and I'm sulking cos I haven't had cheese in months.

Also, today I decided that I am actually completely certifiable. I booked the kids birthday party. Bit last minute (booked for the 1st Feb). Turns out I can extend the hall usage and the bouncy castle is for the whole day and... well, why not just do them seperate parties consequtively? 11.30 set up, 12-2 15-20 3 year olds, half hour clear up, 2.30-4.30 15-20 6 year olds, 4.30 clean up.

Oh my god what have I done...

Good news about the doctor! Work will just have to like it or lump it. Three to four weeks is better than long-term sick leave because you're in so much pain you can't work. (Gosh, it turns out that I still have some bossiness left). Also is that an average for everyone (including people doing hard physical work)? You might find that you can go back earlier to an office job. I had an operation a few years ago and was back at my desk job in a third of the time they said it would take. But I certainly wouldn't have been if I'd been a builder or a nurse, on my feet all day.

What a price for a doctor's appointment! (I sound like my father now - that is his typical reply to anything about the cost of living in London :-) ). People here go mad when politicians suggest a £10 charge for GPs.

3-4 weeks sounds like an overestimation for gall bladder surgery. I bet you'll be back to pretty much normal much more quickly!

Thanks Susan - I know, the cost does keep me from going until it's desperate I'll admit!

And agreed - I don't think it'll be that long either. I think my doc is playing it safe - hopefully the consultant will be able to give me a clearer idea. He also knows I have to field the kids in the afternoon though so he may be trying to help me out ... ;)

Finally finished a book...

#3 The New York Trilogy - Paul Auster

Yup. WEIRD! But I thought brilliant. The narratives that sort of inter-lock and sort of don't and warp the bounderies of reality and fiction. Highly recommended - but it does leave you feeling somewhat nervous about life and rather paranoid...

Is someone watching me? I mean, really it someone spying on me? that person over there...

And if not...do I really exist?

Bekka - I have a friend who had the same procedure and he was up and at em in about a week. Nothing wrong with your doc playing safe though. All medical care here for foreigners is private and you wouldn't want to be ill in a government hospital anyways. That said the bills at the clinic are reasonable - typically about $15 including the consultation and the medicines. No appointments are necessary and many of the clinics operate 24 hours!

Have a lovely weekend and I agree that you have bitten off quite a lot to chew with the parties on 1 Feb.

I am less needy this weekend and I see that the absence of cheese for a few days over at mine prompted a post. xx

$15 sounds more reasonable! I'm hoping I get a good consultant. We have somewhat of a variety - to be awfully snobbish, generally you do get a much better job done on private.

And never needy lovely man - just concerned, which is why you are, as aforementioned, a lovely man :)

My problem is that I dip in and out, so I'll read a thread and then think about it for a few hours, come up with a comment, finally get back on... and be 100 posts behind!

Oh and I miss cheese :(

Due to having to stay in bed most of yesterday I read, amongst other things, the whole of Hearne's 5th Iron Druid book...

#4 Trapped - Keving Hearne

This felt a bit more disjointed than the previous - don't get me wrong, still great fun and with sime prime Oberon quotes. Just not quite as well put together.

It's got a killer cliff hanger though. Luckily for me I have the 6th one waiting :) Though when that's done there is the shocking abyss of emptiness before the next one is published.

Bekka, a shocking abyss of emptiness is the perfect way to describe the gap between books in a must-read series!

Sorry to hear you were poorly yesterday and I hope you're feeling a bit better today.

Thnks Susan :)

Feeling better - just new kittenish after a few days of pain. Off work and feeling stupid guilty since my girls (aka my team) are all having a cruddy time too. Methinks team meeting and all cards on the table tomorrow.

OOoh! I am an Auntie again today. Hope everyone will join me in welcoming Katherine (not sure on spelling yet, to be know as Katie) into the world!

Unexpectedly breach but safe and sound though Mummy is pretty sore, 8lb6 and 61cm long! 61 cm!!!! My sis is nearly six foot tall but 61 cm is the longest baby I've come across in real life.

Can't wait to see her tomorrow :)

Yay, congratulations Auntie Bekka! I always wanted nieces, at least until I found out what my s-i-l was planning to call them. Then I decided to be careful what I wished for. Katie is a lovely name and she sounds like quite an impressive girl! I hope it's true that mothers quickly forget their labour :-)

Thanks Susan - yup, Thomas and Katherine. And Alexa is my s-i-l's step daughter. Not bad so far :)

You've got me intrigued though... what on earth was she planning on calling them?

Oh Library Thing friends have pity upon me... for tonight I go to the ball!

Okay it's not that pitiable. But bearing in mind a) I can't eat the food (fancy and too fat filled for me at the mo), b) I feel/am enormous and have to wear a fancy dress, c) I HATE shoes and d) I am going to have to socialise with work people other than my department who I like.

UGH! Oh and my hair has gone frizzy. And it's raining. And... and...

And I just finished Vol 1/Book 3 of Cecilia and would rather be snuggled at home with a glass of wine readin gthe next volume...

Oh no! I thought party season was safely over. (But I have never been to a "do" in the 12 years I have worked for my firm and they haven't fired me yet - maybe a point to consider next time?). I hope that there is at least something to eat that isn't too fancy.

On the names - the names themselves were normal enough - it was the weird phonetic spelling I objected to. But the boys got normal, properly-spelled names thank goodness, although one of them has an abbreviation of the full name and he is cross he didn't get the whole name so he could choose for himself.

LOL - Cass couldn't believe when she was younger that her full name was Cassandra. She found it hilarious!

Also... I survived! It wasn't too bad but I feel deathly today (no not hungover, just stomachy). I was banned from abstaining from the event - part of this whole making our department part of the business thingy. Free bar though... there were some seriously messed up people even when I left at 11.30.

And now cos I'm feeling brave... and because it's exceedingly fuzzy since Cassie took it and you therefore can't see my face... and please ignore the disaster zone created by my son behind me... this is me in my dress.



And becasue she is terrfyingly 6 today, one of my baby girl...with her birthday trifle!

That is quite a Valkeryish pose! (Less baring of a breast and a spear)

My best wishes to Cass on her 6th.

Bekka -

Much better being an Aunty than being Antsy.

Thanks for your kind words above which I don't often feel I merit.

Will repeat what Hani said yesterday - Cass is adorable and she gets all the tropical hugs she needs and a happy birthday wish from across the oceans.

Finally. Her mum is far too modest. You have no need to get her to blur the image. xx

Oh and by the way this is for you:

And this is for Cass

#58 Thanks Piyush (I think!). Wasn't intended to be posed - was more me saying 'Cass don't put your fingers across the lens' a lot and then trying to stand still!

#59 Thanks Paul but blurring is my friend... and we rather like her - though she was somewhat of a brat yesterday. Too much anticipation methinks! Now I just need to get through her party next weekend.

Also thank you for the food gifts :) Though I thought cheese was banned from my thread?

Ooops I forgot. Take a share of the trifle then.

Also banned. But a big slice of hypothetical trifle never hurt anyone, right? Nom nom nom...

:D

Bekka, you look lovely. I hope Cass had a great day and enjoyed her trifle. Someone else looks pretty interested in it from that photo :-)

Thanks Susan - and yes I think he ate more than Cass!

Also...

#5 The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - Baum

I started reading this to the kids on the stupidly long boat journey and ended up finishing it for myself :) I think it was probably a re-read but I don't exactly remember reading it before. Either way I've been meaning to read some of the rest of the series after ummm...'accidentaly' downloading about 15 from Gutenberg...

Oh, goodness - so much going on here!

Congrats on becoming an aunt! Yay! And yes, 61cm is long! I thought Charlie's 21 inches was big (he was also 10lbs even!).

You look stunning in the dress! Wowza!

And, finally, happy 6th to Cass! Charlie will be 6 next time round - how are they getting so old?!

Aww - thank you, thank you and thank you!

Though the second is a blatant fib :)

And yes - seriously just too old already. Will is going to be 3 on 14th Feb as well!Seems like yesterday I was announcing on here that I was pregnant!

I started reading Cassie The Enchanted Wood tonight, which is one of the few Blyton I don't remember reading as a child. Fun to find something that we both enjoy (I tried Stardust on her the other day and it was far too old for her!) since I have made her start reading the Rainbow Magic fairy books herself.

Oh yay... nits...

NITS?! No! NONONO! How horrible. Are you positively utterly 225% sure? Ugh, no no. Boo!

Oh dear! Just one (child, that is - I know there are multiple nits in these situations) or both? I think you should at least be able to count any books you read aloud whilst combing :-)

Billion percent sure - her head was crawling with them. Fingers crossed just her - everyone else has been checked (though my head is itching like mad in reaction) and appears clear.

I feel like dreadful mother because a) she thinks I'm satan since I wouldn't let her go to ballet, b) I let them watch tele all afternoon whilst I scrubbed/combed her hair and c) I then re-combed all her hair with a metal nit comb (MUCH better) to get the eggs out and her head is all red now.

Poor brat. I'm off to hear her school book and read her some Blyton.

Here in the US, you can get an electric nit zpper - it's basically a battery operated metal comb. When a nit bridges two teeth, the electric current kills it. We used one on my son and it worked very well. Any cahnce something like that is available?

That sounds awesome! But no... not heard of anything like that. The metal comb has taken a load of the eggs out - fingers crossed and I'll keep checking like mad!

oh no. Nits. We had a mercifully brief encounter with them last year, but my sisters kids were plagued by them repeatedly. EW. (and *sigh* what a royal pain in the....)
Good luck, and all I can say is be vigilant.

Every time I read That Word my head itches like crazy. Which is silly because I'm pretty darn bald at this point so where would nits live?

#78 It's our first time and the little devils are...well...devilish! I've killed off all the live ones but getting out the eggs is a nightmare. Her hair looks like somehting from the 70s/80s - think a massive frizzy blonde fluff! I foresee a lot of grooming from now on :(

#79 I know! I keep checking, combing, itching! Nothing on anyone else so far. And I don't think you can catch them via t'internet :)

In advance of tomorrow's bake-off, I have baked the three tier chocolate cakes for Will's b'day cakes (+a dozen cupcakes from leftovers). Leaves me only Cassie's vanilla big cake + marshmellow cupcakes to make tomorrow. And all the icing. And probably some carrot cake muffins. Y'know. The usual. Luckily I have taken the day off work!

And the year of comfort reads continues...

#6 The Last King of Texas - Riordan

Third in Riordan's adult Tres Navarre series. Great fun - in fact I think my favourite of these so far. One of the twists I saw coming a mile off, the other came as a big surprise (though in retrospect it should not have). Great fun to read - linguistically rather like Hearne (iron druid) but with no magic and a lot more mexican references...

Oh my, nits! I had *very* long hair in grade school, so, well, yeah. It happened. It was awful.

Sending nit-free thoughts your way...

Thank you :) My Mum has picked us up some leave in conditioner/nit repellant (???) which we will give a go. She still has a couple of eggs every time I check it :/

Today I survived throwing not one, but two children's parties - Will was 12-2, Cassie 2.30-4.30. Bouncy castle, lot of cake, gave the kids lots of books. Both went really well - I am now on my knees though, having a very stiff drink.

But I survived!!

Wow. Two children's parties. You. Are. Wonder. Woman.

I remember when Erni first arrived from her little Indonesian island (13 houses and only 11 of them occupied, no electricity either) 13 years ago she imported a healthy quantity of head lice at the same time. Poor girl had the most luxuriant hair imaginable and those nits loved her to bits. Hair trimmed slightly and patiently treated she was fine in a couple of days but I know the feeling of having your head crawling even when there is nothing there. Washed my hair with dettol a time or too. Bloody stings too.

Have a lovely weekend and I hope your company leaves soon!

#84 Wonder Woman is hanging up her cape and grounding her invisible plane :( Feel deathly today. The kids are thoroughly spoilt now as well - they've just opened at least a dozen presents each. It looks like a toy shop threw up in my lounge!

#85 Poor Erni! Cassie's hair thick but still not too long. Its just the curl that makes the combing painful for her. She has been very good but I think she is bored of it now! I'll forego the dettol for now - eeep!

Bekka, this should make you feel better: Repeat "I do not have to organize any more parties for a whole year" as often as necessary. Add a "woo-hoo!" if you like :-)

Oh yeah that most definitely helps :)

Couple of pics from the birthday parties :)

Pirate Cassie!



Cutting Will's cake



Cass blowing out her candles

Bekka, I agree with Amber - you are Wonder Woman! I love Cass's pirate girl costume, and the cakes look excellent. Everyone looks like they're having a great time (and remember, no more parties for 363 days :-) ).

I hope you're feeling better today.

Thanks Susan :) Cakes turned out alright, though the island on Cassie's so looks like a kiev...

Stomach update...Appointment done. Consensus? Whip it out and whip it out now. Not just the thick layer of gallstones but a chronic inflammation in the gall bladder as well – which is why I can’t eat much and everything makes me feel sick (and why I've lost half a stone since New Year). I’m thinking next week from the sound of it – though there is a slender chance of Friday which is a bit scary! Sounds like the recovery is shorter than first stated (as long as all is straight forward) and may be back at work in under week depending on healing etc. I may take longer purely so I am definitely okay to have the kdis in the afternoons.

Cannot wait to get rid of this damn thing.

>89 BekkaJo: *baaaaaawwwwwwwwwwww* so sweeeeeet

Bekka, that's great news! (And Friday would give you an extra weekend as part of the recovery period). Not long either way!

Nice pics, I see that the boy kiddy wanted his mother and the girl kiddy wanted her father with the cake.

#92 Thanks love :)

#93 Indeedy - and it will now be Friday. They rang me today - I've been running round trying to sort childcare and various and sundry things out. Glad it's going to be soon but a bit gulpy about it being on Friday. At least I'll get some reading done I guess.

#94 Thanks Piyush - not intentional. Though thinking about it, it is the way things normally fall out!

Lots to say since I've been gone a bit!

You look fantastic in the party dress way up top!!

Sorry about the nit nightmare!! I hope that is all over now.

So glad to hear you are getting the surgery scheduled and taken care of! I'm sure you will feel 100% better after recovery!

Agree with all of the above Wonder Woman comments! I can't believe you managed all of that!

#95 Indeed! That is the reason I pointed (the obvious) out, boys want their mommies and girls want their daddies, I think they subconsciously understand that a parent of the same sex is likely to be aware of all the tricks and mischief their pretty little minds can come up with.

Friday, that's Friday this week? Crossing all crossables for a very quick recovery. Soon you'll be able to eat those cakes again and not just have to bake them.

Nits, poor Cassie! And poor Bekka for having to kill those little beasts.

Great, great pics of the birthdays and also of you in that party dress.

#96 Aww thanks Tina - and after your traumas lately you have a definite pass on being 'gone a bit'!

#97 LOL - it works up until Cassie gets jealous about not having me adn they fight and cry adn Daddy gets in a huff cos nobody wants him...

#98 Thank you Nathalie :) Though I'm thinking of pulling the dress photo - I like it less each time I look at it! And yup, Friday 7th. Eeep! I still don't have many details - hopefully they'll let me know when I go for my bloods/pre-op tomorrow morning.

It is a super-simple procedure, Bekka, and you will be *so*relieved* when it's over that any anxiety about it will vanish in a puff. I know it feels rushed. The issues you're having to sort out are stressful, but it's all a management issue and we all know you're a top-flight manager.

*smooch*

I know I'm over reacting - its just sort of jumped up on me!

Kids are sorted - massively stressed about work but I figure I get what I can done and everyone else will just have to pick up the rest which, yes, does make me feel like the world's biggest bitch.

But think about all the reading time I'll have next week!

Oh, I *love* all the birthday pictures! And that pirate costume! Love it!

>100 richardderus:: What Richard said - you'll be fine and it'll go smoothly, and you'll be relieved. That's the way it happened for me, and I was so scared going into the surgery that they gave me Happy Meds on the way in... Ha!

Bekka, good luck for tomorrow! You'll feel so much better afterwards.

And as for work, consider the following:

1 You have covered for other people plenty of times in the past
2 You are not ringing in with a hangover
3 You are not my secretary who managed 10 days of sick leave with a COLD just before Christmas (suspiciously)
4 You are not going to the funeral of your seventh grandparent
5 You are *proper poorly* (to use a quaint English phrase)

And soon you will be fixed and everything will be back to normal.

And I haven't even suggested what you might like to read next week but I could.

...

(arr)

#102 Aww thank you :) I rather like my brats. Cass is lucky since she is pretty...well...pretty, too. even if it is her mother who says so ;)

Happy meds sounds fun :) I'm not really scared about the surgery per se - have been chopped up a bit before. Well I wasn't till they mentioned that I'll probably have really bad trapped wind from them blowing up my abdomen - and I remember that from my previous surgery as being the most horrendous pain. So looking forward to it less I guess.

#103 SNARF! No - there will be no pirate romancing. Sorry! And yes and thank you and I know...but...but...

And really - 7th grandparent? Pushing it unless one has a very strange/complicated background!
I did have to have the suspicious 'headache' conversation with one of my team - never fun. Somehow I left it feeling the bad guy...

Bit less stressed about work now that I have finished - I think I managed to just slide in under the wire with all my handover stuff.

Happyland whammyings flying Jerseyward!

Right back at you Richard love.

Okay, so today! Today! I shall be comfort reading fantasy. Any old excuse right? I figure I'm going in at 11 and I'm way down the afternoon list so I shall make a good stab at devouring the entirety of Hunted, continue with Arms-Commander (though at nearly 600 pages its a bit of a beast so I dip in and out) and maybe Stardust for good measure.

Actual book query whilst I think of it. What everyone's view on Naipaul? I'm reading A Bend in the River and whilst parts of it are evocative and rather excellent, I'm finding it drags. A lot. Thoughts?

I remember A Bend in the River as an extremely well written book, with a story that moves at a rather slow, but consistent pace.

Will be thinking of you Bekka. Won't make any silly remarks like hoping you have the stomach for it or anything like that.
I am sure that everything will be fine and you'll come out the other end feeling like a new pin. xx

#107 Hmm thanks Piyush - I'm finally getting into it (albeit now only 40 pages form the end!). The language is excellent.

#108 Thanks Paul - depends if said new pin feels like it's been beaten into a flat squishy mess? Will be fine soon I'm sure.

All done though - sore as hell and have been suffering from incredible pain in my shoulders (apparently the nerves are the same ones as linked to your gall-bladder. Which is odd I think) which is why it's taken me so long to get back, even briefly, to the computer. Op all went fine, but had a fairly horrendous night in hospital when my oxygen saturation dropped etc. Yucky - I officially hate those up the nose oxygen thingys. Feeling much better, if wobbly, today - main thing that is giving me gype are the stitches in my belly button.

So books...

#7 Hunted - Hearne

Partly for Fantasy February. And partly cos these just rock... more Iron Druid please! Oh no the next one isn't out for months...

#8 Cecilia - Frances Burney

Turns out this is the ultimate soothing read whilst nervously waiting for an op! Must have read 200 odd pages of it on Friday morning. Well this is pretty much a soap opera - a lot of the characters are purposeful characatures and are hilarious, one or two are unbearable and I'll admit to skimming some of their conversations (Mr Hobson and Mrs Belfield spring to mind), the heroine is beautiful and virtous and there is a whole catalogue of mistakes and misunderstandings adn swoonings and such like. Great fun read!

I am also expecting to finish A Bend in the river and The Ocean at the end of the Lane today.

Hi Bekka! I was just thinking of you this morning on the bus and hoping you'd be back with us soon. It's great news that it went well but I'm sorry to hear about all your pain and I hope you'll soon be feeling better.

Yay for Cecilia being such a good read!

Hi Susan :)

#9 The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Gaiman

Gaiman rules. And also, don't read this at three in the morning on your own... slightly freaky.

#10 A Bend in the river - Naipaul

Beautiful and worrying. Slow but steady. More comments but can't think of them right now...

Yay! It's over! Sorry about the oxygen annoyance, and I remember the belly button stitches, too (I was scared that I'd rip them open somehow). But you'll be up and at 'em in no time!

#111 Looks like you did end up liking A Bend in the River :)

Good to know, you are done with the surgery, you will be up and about in no time, I am sure :)

#112 Thanks Amber - they do seriously feel like they are going to tear don't they! I know they wont - and that it's my own fault for having such a wobbly loose tummy but it's decidedly irritating.

#113 Hiya Piyush - I think I did... it's one of those books that just sort of ended and I felt a bit lost and unsure. I'm up and sort of about, albeit slow walking!

I had Cassie's half year parent's evening thingy today. My husband thinks it's irrational but MAN I do not like her teacher. I don't know why - I can't put my finger on it - a number of the other parents have issues with her as well, that she just doesn't like your kid (which I could understand for one or two kids, but it seems to be the whole class). Not sure if it's paranoia or not, but the sooner Cass is out of her class the happier I will be. That said Cass got a pretty good report, though plenty of things to work on. Sigh...

Some people just don't come across well, I fear, sounds like Cass's teacher is one of them. *smooch* for relief from belly-button anxiety.

#114 I'm up and sort of about, albeit slow walking!

How about you give Faith's belly dancing exercises a try? *suggests helpfully, innocently*

#115 Thanks RDear - and smoochies backatacha. I know it's prob just a 'way you put yourself' thing. I shall overcome it. Maybe.

#116 *cries at the idea of belly-dancing*....maybe in a while... like... 40/50 years?

#11 Arms-Commander - L.E Modesitt

Fantasy Feb read - I decided to finish off the last in Modesitt's Recluce series. I wasn't really looking forward to this. The last few have been less than excellent and at over 500 pages, less than excellent becomes a slog. But this one is much better - it's not his best but far and away better than the last 3 or 4. Chronologically it fits in about 12 years after Nylan leaves Westwind and deals with Saryn, the Arms-Commander of Westwind, and her attempts to stop Lornth falling into rebellion.

Not liking the teacher is a though one. Does Cass like her? I am sure you are keeping your reservations about her to yourself....Wilbur has just started a new year, new teacher too, and it is Lenny who is obsessed about where the old teacher went!

Happy Birthday Will!

That I am (though venting to hubby) - I really wouldn't want Cass to go prattling back to her about what Mummy thinks! Cass likes her but by no means as much as she liked her reception teacher. They have been having another teacher for science and her, Cass adores and is really sad they aren't having her anymore.

Did that make grammatical sense? I'm not sure. It's early and I haven't started my coffee yet.

Thank you for the birthday wishes - Will seemed to have a great day. Since I'm still not walking too far hubby got his present and it involved a lot of Spiderman...

Having a teacher you don't like is not good at all. We have been lucky really with our three mostly that the teachers are accommodating enough with the terrible bunch they have to face every day.

Have a lovely weekend and it is good to see you on the mend. xx

Hi Paul - hope you have a lovely weekend too :) And yes - I should have more sympathy for the teachers to be honest. I could not do it myself - I'd have thrown things at a LOT of her class and gotten myself into all sort of trouble! Patience is not one of my main attributes...

#12 Sanctuary - William Faulkner

Faulkner february... I picked at random whilst scrolling through my 1,001 bookshelf of my e-reader. This, well, this is not for the faint hearted. Not for anyone who doesn't like the more disturbing side of life portrayed for them. It's essentially, as always with Faulkner, a depiction of the stupidity and veniality of human kind and could be used as an extreme object lesson in why you shouldn't go out with boys and why you should never have a drink ever. Bad things happen. BAD things which gradually peel out showing more layers of bad things underneath.

Still, impeccably written and it will stay with me. I can't say I enjoyed it because it wasn't supposed to be enjoyable. I can say that I was captured by it and that it is well worth reading.

Oh my catalguing is useless. It's not a 1,001. Should be IMO. Still glad I read it - may in fact try and shoehorn another Faulkner into Feb.

Brave lady.

Or crazy. Both apply methinks. Just realised that I alos completely screwed my numbering up. Now sorted.

Bekka, I'm sure all the Spiderman was well received :-)

Gotta love a bit of Spidey!

One of my biggest worries is that Charlie will get stuck with a bad teacher. Ugh. Here's hoping that the next teacher is much better!

Thanks Amber - me too. A few things about it are niggling me more and more as the days go by. Trying not to be that parent. But afraid I might be...

#13 The Devil went down to Austin - Riordan

More Tres Navarre! Yay! This was rather darker than the previous ones and the plot is centred around Tres' brother Garrett. Well, sort of. When it looks like Garrett murders his business partner and sometime friend... you get the idea. Tres jumps in, high jinks, shenanigans and some terrifying under water descrpitions. It may be a while before I want to go diving again.

Next please :)

Try reading Sartoris next, Bekka! *smooch*

Finally found the time and occasion (okay, work...) to check how the op went. Can I say you sound/read much better already? I hope the shoulder pain has subsided in the meantime..

You did some interesting reading. I managed to get through the 1st half of book 2 of Cecilia on my way to Venice, but then stopped again. It's entertaining, but I can only take it in small doses.
Trying to find my way through my first Faulkner for the AAC, on audio which takes forever. It's Absalom, Absalom, which is also multi-layered with bad things happening. Whenever I think the story must be finished and wonder what the narator is going to do with the remaining hours, a new aspect is very slowly brought to light. Quite fascinating.

#129 May well do - looks ummm interesting? Though it may fall down the line somewhat since I have three other Faulkner's on the ready. Smoochies back atacha :)

#130 Hi Nathalie - thank you :) I feel more positive, though I'm finding the land of instant better/gravy is not quite all it's cracked up to be. I think I need to find the foods that are my new triggers (i.e over 0.1% fat milk - though that has always been one) and then I'll be on fighting form! Just slightly stressed about putting weight back on - I've lost two stone since last August (the first one through my own hard work) and I'd really really like to keep it off!

Faulkner...he was a singularly odd man. His imagery and his understanding of depravity - how he functioned with all tha tin his head I'll never know. Probably by writing it out I guess. Absolom, Absolom and Light in August are tying at the mo for next Faulkner read. They may have been gazzumped by William Trevor though - I read half of his Felicia's Journey yesterday. I seem to be on a trauma kick...

#14 Felicia's Journey - William Trevor

Right. That's it. I am due something light and fluffy.

Mild spoilers...

The writing is, as I have found from Trevor, exceptional. The characters are well drawn, the plot is interesting - but it's all wrapped into an exceedingly disturbing bundle. The story threads around Felicia, a young irish girl who runs away to find her lover - only he hasn't exactly given her an address or been honest with her. And then there's Mr Hilditch and he's just a whole terrifying bundle - for a while you think, maybe he's just after attention, maybe he is just an odd man...

Love William Trevor. Have you read The Story of Lucy Gault? His collection The Hill Bachelors is also marvelous.

His writing is awesome, isn't it! Yes, I read Lucy Gault last year (year before? I lose track). I will def be reading more but just need a break after this one.

I can certainly understand that need. Oh my heck yes.

*smoochies*

I'm instead about 70 pages from the end of Rivers of London (blaming Tina for that particular book bullet). Rather good and I have a feeling that subsequent ones will be even better.

#15 Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch

Another urban fantasy. Good fun with a slight edge lurking under it somewhere. If you are an urban fantasy fan, then def give this one a try.

Now... should I pick up the next one or go for something more 1,001-ey...

Next one.

Bad influence :)

L'etat, c'est moi.

So. Half term. My 6 year old daughter just got sent home with a thick book for parents entitled 'Sex and Relationships'.

I have cried for the last half hour and I don't see it stopping. I'm sorry, it's just feels so so wrong.

What's the book for? It's not for her to read, is it, because that's just ridiculous.

I agree with Richard, that would be beyond ridiculous. Have you looked at the back jacket and the index to figure what the book is about, hopefully it is just a case of a sensational title (though I don't know if I would want to read an author who would choose such a title for a parenting book). A call to the other parents and the school authorities would help too, I guess?

What definitely won't help, is crying, of that I am quite sure.

Right. I've calmed down now.

Aimed for the parents - a parents toolkit apparently. I still think she is far too young for this to relevant for us/her and I feel that it shouldn't have been sent home in her bookbag. She can read for goodness sake. In particular it's annoying since I was in the school last week for her parents evening. Surely discuss this sort of thing when she isn't there and check whether we would want it?

And crying totally helped - catharsis about the state of the world etc. I'm also going to play the girly hormonal card too :)

Whatever helps. And I agree that the time to bring this up (!) is when the parents are there for meetings. What a cock-up (!)!

Wow. Just, wow. No warning?! And, yes, too early!! What the what is that school system thinking?!

#144 Pffft! Yeah, sure :P

#145 +146 Thanks guys - and I seriously do wonder if the school/education system think at all sometimes. Sigh...

#147 :P

Back to work today. Ooouf. Catch up is going to be hell. I think it's not going to be work that's going to hurt me, more all the running round grabbing kids before and after. Shoulders are already aching. Ah well - back in the harness!

I'm going to really miss the reading time though :)

So I took Richard's advice...

#16 Moon over Soho - Ben Aaronovitch

2nd in the Peter Grant/Rivers of London series. Jazz, magic and policemen. what more can one want? Excellent fun (though a little freaky in one place - he doesn't shy away from some grim imagery) and I have the next two lined up.

I must make myself take a break though and finish some of the MANY other things I have on the go. I appear to be a bit out of control (again);
Part read/ongoing....

Golden Notebook - Doris Lessing (3/4 done)
Hawksmoor - Ackroyd (less than 1/2 read)
Under the Yoke - Bulgarian dude (why are the touchstones not working!) (1/3 read)
Tirant lo Blanc - some dude... (1/2 ish read)
In Search of Lost Time- Swann's Way - Proust (1/4 read)
Assassin's Quest - Robin Hobb (1/4 ish read)
Coraline - Gaiman (3/5 read)
Marius the Epicurean - Walter Pater (1/4 Volume 1 read)

Okay so Coraline wasn't intentional... I was in the kids section of the library anad they were entertaining themselves and I only had Hawksmoor and I felt rough and didn't want to read it...and...and... why am I making excuses for reading Gaiman!!

Bekka, I hope work/running around wasn't too awful yesterday.

That is very odd about the school sending that book home with Cass. And at 6? Even if it was for the parents to read, does that mean that the 6-year-olds have some sort of lessons on that sort of thing (holy moly I sound like my mother. In my day, there was "the talk" at school when we were 12, the girls in one place with their mothers, the boys in another with their fathers, a film and the school nurse. My best friend Melanie and I went with our mothers. At the end of it, my mother said to me "Do you understand everything now?" and I said "yes" and that was sex education in the early 80s. We never spoke about any of it again. Ever.)

Sounds pretty familiar from the early 90s too be honest! Except we didn't have our parents in. So weird... Someone's mis-guided idea of trying to help I guess, but I just think it's presumptuous (I can't spell) and also completely insane.

Work - also completely insane. Not going well :/ Am nearly on my knees by the time I get Will home in the afternoons. Poor lad's not getting much play attention at the mo, though we are cuddling up and reading a lot. The position at a work desk - leaning slightly forward on a desk chair which wont lean back, is agravating my stomach and making my shoulders ache like mad. One of my directors pulled me in before I left today cos I looked so dreadful - basically gave me a get out of jail free for tomorrow if I still feel shoddy. I said I would be in but I'm not too sure right now.

Shheeesh! I've gotten rid of the damn thing and I'm still whinging! Sorry :(

why am I making excuses for reading Gaiman!!

Because, as a Person of Taste, you would naturally find it a bit déclassé to read suchlike gubbins.

#151 Do you have an occupational health person who could at least swap your chair over for a bit? (We have to fill out a form online and they appear quicker than anyone else in the building, funnily enough.)

Or (and I realise this sounds a bit odd) alternate sitting down with standing up? My roomie does this (albeit for lower back pain). But it's a change of position at least, if it wouldn't hurt your stomach, and you're not tied to a phone.

What an agued and sanguine world we now live in to have your six year old bring back such a book.

#152 Pah! I like Gaiman. Sorry to disagree :)

#153 In the move last year I lost my nice back chair - and was told that I could no longer have a special chair nor have my desk raised. It's been somewhat like returning to the dark ages... I've been having quite a few meetings so that at least lets me shift position etc - they'll just have to get over me wandering around a bit I guess!

#154 Yup. It's a lovely place isn't it? See this is why I prefer not to live in reality...

#17 Coraline - Gaiman

Gaiman wrote (and I roughly paraphrase here) that kids consider the book an adventure and the parents have nightmares. Agreed! This is definitely a freaky book - parallel worlds, creatures masquerading as fake parents with buttons for eyes, weird maggot like creatures, a land of fog and emptiness, bugs, rats, a whole host of odd characters, some ghost children and an evil hand.

Need I say more? Excellent book - though I still think I prefer Ocean at the end of the lane...

#155: That's terrible! Are firms not subject to the same H&S laws in Jersey as they are over here?! And how shortsighted to refuse those easy, cheap measures and risk someone being off sick long-term. You'd think from an insurance point of view alone they would want to keep everyone healthy and at work, never mind common human decency. Do get up and move around, and remember shoulder-rolls and neck stretches. Also maybe print this out and leave it somewhere prominent: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-26338889

Oooh, Coraline! Love that one! But, well, I love all things Gaiman. The man can do no wrong, despite Richard's grumblings. Ha!

#156 Not exactly - they are trying to match up but there are less requirements. I'm pretty sure we do have someone in charge of H&S but it's very much on the quiet. My department are in the dog house as it is due to our massive sick record - we've just had a big spate of necessary surgeries (open heart, a couple of knees, one spine, some feet, my tummy...) I think HR are tearing their hair out! We're still profitable damn it - so they can jump!

#157 I have to agree - I've only read a few so far - American Gods, Ocean at the end of the Lane and now Coraline but I've loved all of them.

A book about sex at 6???? No wonder you were upset! You had / have every right to be!!

Rivers of London?... You're welcome! But I have to thank Roberta for that one. I just started listening to Moon Over Soho today, so I won't finish it this month, but I am going to extend Fantasy February a bit, I think. ;)

I may have, you know, accidentally started Whispers under Ground too...trying to take that one a bit more slowly though. Must must must get some other things finished!

Gaiman's writing is fine. It's his "plotting" that I object to. Doesn't know how to end a book.

#161 Strongly disagree.

- An anonymous Gaiman fan

#161 He does like to leave things up in the air :)

#162 Mumble mumble... may have started Stardust already...

And also started McEwan's Black Dogs. Seriously? I have a problem!

>162 PiyushC:: Sing it, Oh Anonymous One!

Bekka: I'm about halfway through M Is for Magic and it's *amazing* - short stories, which I usually don't like, but, well, Gaiman. He does them so well. Last night I finished one and just sat there in my rocking chair with my mouth hanging open for a good 3 minutes. It was *that* good.

>163 BekkaJo: Bekka normally suffer from similar problems of having too many on the go at the same time but not quite at the epic Amber proportions (sometimes 16!).

I am a little closer to RD's views than Piyush's based only on American Gods which wasn't bad but could have been so much better.

#164 I'm not normally a short story person either - but, to be honest, the Gaiman I've been reading at the mo prob all fall in that category - all les than 150 pages. And now I must try M is for Magic too! I've also procured a copy of the Guardian books from your thread. Le sigh... those are mainly to read to Cass. Of course they are...

#165 I'm currently on 11...

I love Gaiman's kids books - and I loved American Gods. I must read some of his other adult novels to ensure sufficient sampling ;)

Back to work has slowed my reading down drastically. Also I had to go back to the docs about the shoulder pain - which is apparently more likely still trapped CO2 from the inflation of my abdomen during the op. Anyway, I saw an exceedingly yummy temporary locum who gave me a prescription for some lovely strong painkillers. Unfortunately I find that I can't exactly read on the diazepam!

So sorry to see you're still having pain after your surgery.

You're encouraging me to try American Gods... I've seen some mixed reviews & I'm still up in the air here!

Thanks Tina. Do try it - it's good!!!

Insult to injury rant coming up...

So last night, out of the blue... had what felt like a gallstones attack. Two hours. Agony, sweaty mess. Ummmm.... I have no gallbladder. WTF??? Anyway texted a friend who'd had the same op this morning to ask if she'd had anything similar, since I remembered her going to A&E after the op. And believe me I was a gnat's breath from going last night.

Yup. Turns out it's a codeine intolerance caused by the gallbladder removal. So basically caused by the drugs the doc gave me. I totally renounce you yummy doctor! Anyway, just about to head to get Cass, then back to docs to get a prescription for some tramadol, then to the chemist. On the plus side, at least there is nothing further wrong.

Rant done.

I may actually talk about books again at some point, should I ever manage to finish any :) Though saying that, I do need to create a witch from the room on the Broom costume for Cassie for world book day on Thursday. If I spray her hair orange it'll wash out, right? ;)

You have every right to rant and I would certainly me moving to a new doctor! Hope things go smoothly from now on. I had my gallbladder removed years ago (shortly after they started the micro-procedure for it) and have never regretted it for a second. That was the most horrible pain ever...including childbirth...and now I can eat and do what I want with no repercussions. Hope you're there soon too.

Bekka, I am also disappointed in the yummy doctor, who sounded so promising! Thank goodness it's something that is easily fixed.

I picked up a prescription today, only for Boots to tell me the two drugs were contra-indicated (although to be fair I saw the pharmacist shrug off the little slip of paper when the assistant showed it to her, so I don't think I'm in any immediate danger). What I didn't understand was why they hadn't said anything since last June, when I started these medicines! Still, I suppose someone has ticked a box now.

About the hair - does she like the orange colour? Because then it wouldn't matter...

#169 Thanks Reba - I really want to be one of those people (hopefully soon!) who can confirm it's made everything better! And agreed - it's not something you can explain about how much it hurts.

Though I have to slightly save the doc - it's not everyone who has the reaction, but saying that he could have warned me! Funny thing about the whole situation is that the part of the body that gets this intolerance is called the Sphincter of Oddi, which really means one cant keep a straight face when talking about it!

#170 He was awfully pretty...
And really? Surely the doc should have said? Amazing what gets past them these days - maybe check in with them? We don't want bad things to happen to you! (I'm thinking growing an extra arm or something here).

Hmmm orange hair... eep! I'm only worried cos her hair is so light. I guess it'll grow out eventually if it does stain. Her school reading book today... The Worst witch - woop! At last I'm getting school books that I can cope with her reading to me.

>168 BekkaJo: Pfft! That's what happens when you refer to your docs as "yummy"! Looks like you are better now?

Oh, yuck to the codeine-induced pain! I hope you're feeling better now!

#172 But he really was awfully good looking. Tall and young and yummy.

#173 Indeedy - I'm just so glad to know what it was. It was like the gallstones were back and I had that fear that I was one of the 1% or whatever it is that gallbladder removal doesn't fix and that I'd be stuck with it forever!

I'm getting there now - still feel like someone's trodden upon my shoulders but I'm def better than I was.

Happy pancake day everyone! I've just made a MASSIVE amount of batter with which to make toad in the hole and pancakes. It's a happy day :)

Happy world book day everyone!

Amber's wish is my command... ta da! Witch from room on the broom :)



A close up - quite like the ginger to be honest.



And my fave latest of Will, just because - rocker boy!



And another for Amber - he wouldn't stay still for a good photo, but sharing the minion love.

Very cute! I think the orange would be fine even if it didn't wash out :-)

>175 BekkaJo: So adorable! *sigh* you'll miss these days...treasure them!

Codeine intolerance?! I had my gall bladder out and (thankfully) no such side effect for me! *whew*

So give Yummy Boy a partial pass. Apparently it doesn't happen to all of us gall-bladderless folk.

#176 Thank you :) To be honest I think her colouring would take most hair colour, lucky devil!

#177 I'd give him a full pass to be honest *small swoon*. Glad you don't have that side effect - with everything else you have to deal with it would be a nightmare to have to be opiate-less.

And agreed - I may have sworn rather a lot getting the outfit together, but I'll miss it when she doesn't want me to make them anymore.

#18 Whispers under ground - Ben Aaronovitch

Okay, so despite my absolutely sincere intentions to ensure I read a 1,001-er next...yeah I failed and finished this instead. I have to say, IMO, not as good as books 1 +2. Still great fun. Murder, mayhem, police, sewers, magic. I'm hoping that book 4 is a return to form though - Ive loved these and I'd hate to start getting disappointed now.

On a different note and furtehr to my rant of last month re the 'Relationship' guide sent home in my daughters bookbag. Well it made the BBC news for my area. Seems like I was by far from being the only one pissed off at this. Hopefully this will make them think twice about it next time.

It was a remarkably tin-eared thing to do, send this to people with no rhyme or reason, no preparatory statements, no warning, just *plop* there it is.

::verschmeckeled::

Yup indeedy... though verschmeckeled? I've missed something again, right?

*smoochies* nevertheless.

Ha! I just looked up the story. I was momentarily confused that I had to pick a "local area" and yours includes the Isle of Man. Even I know that the IoM and the Channel Islands are nowhere near one another!

In other news (from elsewhere in the UK) a head teacher has defended her decision to allow 14-year-olds to smoke.

I am despairing about our education system! Ridiculous!

Isle of Man and Jersey classed as in the same local area is typical English administrative arrogance I am afraid.

Like the red hair but the golden locks are too, too adorable to change for good.

>175 BekkaJo: Oh, lovelovelove!! You did a wonderful job! And what cuties-patootie you have! Thanks so much for sharing the photos.

#184 Yup - Islands. They must be close to each other! Snarf! And agreed - not really looking forward to her wanting to dye it all sorts of colours. Though you seem to have dodged a bullet - Yasmyne's new ombre looks lovely (and very sensible - not bright pink or anything).

#185 Thanks Amber :) I rather like them. Some days anyway ;) Just restraining myself from spurging my latest photos from our first picnic of the summer yesterday (I flooded fbook instead). I got some lovely ones of Cass with a daisy chain headband. I can't believe our weather this weekend - it's short sleeve weather - the beginning of March, when last year it was snowing. I think it was 13/14c and supposed to be the same today. Yay for spring!

#19 Black Dogs - McEwan

The last three McEwan I have read I have really enjoyed (Black Dogs, Atonement and The Cement Garden) whilst the first three I read I loathed (Saturday, Enduring Love and Amsterdam)!

Makes me realise quite why he has so many books on the 1,001. He really does have a talent. Not quite as much as everyone seems to think, IMO, but a definite gift. This one is a layered narrative, the first section on the narrators youth, the second about him collating the tale of his estranged in-laws honeymoon and the final section the actual tale of what happened to them on their honeymoon. All about the development, the uncovering of the idea - not so much about what happened to his M-I-L, but about how it changed her. Also about memory and the ability of the individual to corrupt/change what actually happened.

Short but good.

>186 BekkaJo: Oh, come on and show us the photos! I've love to see the daisy chain headband! :)

*taptaptap* Hellooooo *taptaptap* heeellllloooooooooooooo?

Gorgeous kiddos in the dress-ups!! And glad to see you were reading Coraline with children's eyes, I was reading it with adult eyes. Didn't love it to be frank.

>186 BekkaJo: I would love to see which category On Chesil Beach falls in then....I loves Saturday and Black Dogs. Well, quite liked anyway.

#187 Well... since you ask... I'll sort them in a mo :)

Ta da!



#188 Sorry Richard love - an exceptionally unbrilliant week that has occasioned much lurking and very little posting. And unforgivably little reading to be honest.

#189 Thanks Megan - Cass is a pretty brat. She lost her first tooth on Friday though so now most of her pics are her doing a weird grin to show off the new gap :) Re Coraline - I think I did read with adult eyes (as per Gaimans definition anyway) - it freaked me out! But I still loved it - I'm also reading Stardust which is just lovely.

Re On Chesil Beach, it's one that I've been meaning to pick up since it came out! Mainly becasue I know the Dorset coast line really well (my Grandparents live down there) but because I read the disliked McEwan's first it's always been a push to start a new one. I think (read hope) that I am on a roll with them now :)

Booky update...
Golden Notebook - Doris Lessing (4/5 done)
Hawksmoor - Ackroyd (1/2 read)
Under the Yoke - Bulgarian dude (why are the touchstones not working!) (2/5 read)
Tirant lo Blanc - some dude... (10 pages to go - why am I not reading those rather than rambling on...)
In Search of Lost Time- Swann's Way - Proust (1/4 read)
Assassin's Quest - Robin Hobb (1/4 ish read)
Stardust - Haiman (1/2 read)
Marius the Epicurean - Walter Pater (1/4 Volume 1 read)
Three Lives - Gertrude Stein (1/3 read)
Broken Homes - Aaronovitch (1/4 read and I'm struggling to read it slowly since this is the latest in the series)
The Road - McCarthy (for American Author month thingy - barely started and having issues. Hoping it will grow on me)

#20 Tirant Lo Blanc - Joanot Martorell

Written by a knight, about knights. Published in 1490... you get the idea? There's a lot of fighting. And a LOT of killing - at one point I did have to wonder whether, if they killed as many thousands off as they said, there were any men left in Greece/the Ottoman/Turkish empire.

There's also a whole section where one of the maidens is encouraging Tirant to essentially rape the love of his life which I found rather unpleasant. Chivalry is an odd thing.

Anyway, parts are fun and parts drag like crazy. But it's another 1,001 down, and not an altogether bad one.

>190 BekkaJo: Love the daisy chain headband! Cass looks so grown up in that picture!! :)

Listening to Whispers Underground now...if I don't get too many work calls, I should finish it on drive home tomorrow (I'm about 2.5 hours or so away from home)... I'm enjoying it so far. What is it that you liked less in this one?

Thanks Tina :) She's getting so big, it terrifies me.

I can't really put my finger on it re Whispers Underground. I think it just felt less put together. Or possibly I read it in more bitty bits... I think these work better when I read them in one big chunk.

#21 Stardust - Gaiman

Just so sweet, so cute and so lovely. A wonderful fairy story with that extra Gaiman magic. My Gaiman glut continues... either Neverwhere or Anansi Boys next.

Hope those part completed books continue to grow on you Bekka. Too many uncompleted books becomes a chore doesn't it? I have about four at the moment which is just about OK.

>190 BekkaJo: The daisy chain princess looks are charming as always.

Have a lovely weekend. xx

Hi Bekka! How are you coming with McCarthy? Soaring or diving? LOL. I am a Gaiman fan too but still haven't got to the Anansi Boys. I need to remedy that.
Have a great weekend.

#194 Snarf - 8 is fairly usual for me :) I just have some serious hanger ons wight now - I've just started tracking them here in the hope that I might name and shame myself!

And thank you - she is honestly less charming with her new big gap.

#195 STRUGGLING! It's not that the writing isn't excellent, because it really really is. It's just the sheer unceasing depression of it...

Lovely weekend wishes to you both too - we are predicted lots of rain so I'm feeling it'll be a soggy one.

*Happy weekend wave*

Thanks Diana - it went far far too quickly!

#22 The Road - McCarthy

Read for American Author challenge. And also picked under the missguided impression that it was a 1,001. So...this was without a doubt the most depressing thing I have ever ever read. Yes, I can admire the writing, yes this was undeniable important, yes images and ideas from this will haunt me for a long time.

But... but... SO depressing.

I simply do not get the cult of McCarthy. I think he's adequate but pretentious and waaaaaaaaaaay too full of himself. Not using quotation marks isn't Style, it's affectation. It's not Modern, but Modernist (from the 1920s-1930s).

But then again, I've disliked everything he's written, so permaybehaps I'm just not on his wavelength.

LOL - I don't think I'm joining the cult to be honest. I did like the writing Illl give him that - but I'll be the first to acknowledge that sometimes I fall for a bit of pretension :)

I'll read some more of his and report back.

But not till I've purged my mind slightly with something much MUCH lighter.

A most sensible plan indeed. Even Gaiman would be an improvement.

Even Gaiman would be an improvement.

*snerk* And I'm a McCarthy fan... :)

I get that he's a bit pretentious and that he tends to be pretty dark. But there's something about the images he paints that I really dig. But it's not for everybody, that's for sure.

I read The Road and I think I'm glad I did. It certainly stuck with me...so much so that I don't think I'll ever read a McCarthy again.

#201 I have Neverwhere lined right up :)

#202 Agreed - he definitely immerses you in his world. I think I'll try either Blood Meridian or All the Pretty Horses next. Which would you suggest?

#203 LOL! I can also see that side of the coin - it's certainly put me off post-apocolyptic narrative for some time!

#23 Broken Homes - Aaronovitch

Book 4 in the truly excellent Rivers of London series. More police, magic, music and, in this one, architecture. Loved it as always, but apropos of my messages with Tina (up a bit) I think these work better when I devour them. If try and stretch them out I find I miss things.

Ohhhh and the twist.... ooooohhh!

This one was only published in 2013 - I'm off to find out when the next one is out!

>204 BekkaJo: All the Pretty Horses would be my choice.

>204 BekkaJo:, >205 drneutron: Bekka, be prepared, there is a LOT of untranslated Spanish in that one.

#205 Thank you :)

Though... apropos of 206...my spanish is NOT good! Hmmmm.

Bekka, have you read Gaiman's Blueberry Girl? I suspect that you'd love it...

>206 richardderus: true, I was able to get through it, but there is a bunch.

#208 ooooh - no... will look out for it :)

#209 So I need Blueberry Girl and a spanish:english dictionary... the list gets ever longer ;)

#24 Three Lives - Gertrude Stein

Liked the first one, loathed the second one, found the last one blah. Not really sure why this is a 1,001.

>210 BekkaJo: Gertrude Stein = Ugh. I'm demonstrably *not* a fan.

Bekka, I had a hard time with The Road because of how dark and bleak it was too. It isn't / wasn't just you.

So glad to see Broken Homes worked better for you! My next audio after my current one has to be an Iron Druid (I'm in Oberon & Atticus withdrawal), but after that, BH is next!

As a pretentious young literato, I read The Making of Americans.

Horrible horrible horrible.

Never never never again.

#211 Can't say I'm keen! I liked the first 40 or so pages though... It was just the middle 120 that made me want to claw my hair off.

#212 Me too me too - Iron Druid withdrawal that is. But I'm up to date! Nooooo. Though I haven't read the shorts - I'm annoyed because I feel I should have read them in order and that if I read them now it's going to confuse me. I need to deal with a bit of 1,001 backlog but then I'm going to have to find another urban fantasy series to tide me over.

Saying that... there is a new Dresden, a new Hearne and I think another Aaronovitch out later in the year. Let alone a new Riordan and a new Neff. Life is good. :)

#213 Oh bummocks. That's a 1,001. Well it can darn well wait. *Smoochies*

In breaking book news (and speaking of pretentious)... I'm so close to finishing the bloody Golden Notebook. After three bleeping years. Will be so happy to have it done! Lessing wrote one of my favourite books The Diary of Jane Somers - but this is just painful to me (though painfully accurate in places I still detest it). It will be finished before April - LT vows are binding.

Hi Bekka! I hope you're enjoying the hottest weekend of the year so far (apparently). There is a chilly wind racing along the river here but it is sunny, which is cheering. I was, I will confess, a tiny bit worried about fog :-)

Hi Susan - was beautiful earlier. Now its cold and yucky. But this is a plus for us since we've been painting Cass' room this avo and have an excuse for sticking the kids in front of the tele ;)

Fog-begone whammY! At least Gatwick is generally pretty reliable unless its catastrophic. You'll get out :)

920 pages, dear. Count your eyeblinks carefully before embarking on The Making of Americans. Your inner self will not famish away for lack of Gertrude.

#217 Okay. On to the not in this decade pile it goes.

Also...

#25 The Golden Notebook - Lessing.

Finally finished the bugger. Comments to follow when I have had a less supremely shite evening/day. And they will most probably not be happy comments, just fyi.

Well, dang. I hope today is less crappy for you, Bekka, and I've already added the Lessing to the Don't Add to the TBR Pile Pile, if that makes sense...

Thanks Amber. Cruddy couple of days - mainly my hubby going down with a ridiculously high fever whilst I had both kids sleeping in one room whilst I painted Cass' bedroom... you get the idea. If it had been one of the kids with that high a temp I'd have had them in A&E in a heart beat - after 48 hours of his skin burning to the touch it finally broke though. Ooof.

On the plus side Cassie's room looks really nice (barring a couple of little re-touches I need to do) and we really needed to paint over the bright blue + cartoon fish + disintegrating window frame if we want to sell.

SO... Golden Notebook... yeah... hmmm. Nope. I got nothing. Upsetting, disturbing, head-ache making and in places too accurate. And in others mind-numbingly tedious.

In a nutshell, don't read this, read Lessing's amazing Diary of Jane Somers instead.

Wow, that *does* sound like an over-the-top stressful couple of days! I'm glad that your husband is feeling better, though.

Thank you - I'm hoping to get a good sleep tonight without freaking out everytime I touched his skin!

#26 The Return of the Soldier - Rebecca West

1,001. Really? Yes it was sweet and wonderful... but... really this is a novella (less than 100 pages) and whilst complete in itself, it felt like you needed more.

Still, as a short, exquisite, painful read - yes yes yes. Plus it's free on Gutenburg so no-one has an excuse.

Sorry to read your hubby was so sick. I hope he's well by now!

Will NOT read that Lessing! Thanks for the warning.

Hope all is well in Bekka-land...

Yikes, sorry about the Lessing. I have a favourable impression of her based on The Fifth Child, which I liked. That is all of hers that i have tried though...

Reiterating what Tina said.

Sorry for being awol guys - just over-loaded plate :/ I've been lurking a lot.

Also not gotten a lot of reading done - shamefully I have not finished one book yet this month. Ooof.

Oh and all, read other Lessing - other Lessing is good, even brilliant. This is just... traumatic and dull in equal measure.

Right - back to afore-mentioned over full plate. Will try to actually post when I visit you all, rather than writing said posts in my head and never on screen :)

Happy Easter!

#227 Thanks Diana :)

We had a lovely BBQ and egg hunt at my sisters today - kids, chocolate, PIMS cans in the trees... what more could one want!

The rationale being that my hubby is taking my kids to his parents in the UK for 6 days from tomorrow, so we couldn't do the hunt etc on Sunday. I'm staying home to paint the downstairs of the house (and de mould it + varnish the wood in our room + plaster various things + paint the back gate + + + ad infinitum...).

I love my kids but I'll admit. I NEED the break. In 6 years, the longest I have evr been away from Cass is 3 days - and I had Will with me during those. Longest I have ever been away from them both is arounnd/under two days. Little worried I'm going to go insane with the freedom.

Oh and also... I've still not finished a book.

Ha! Enjoy your temporary freedom!

Smoochings for a happy Eastertide!

Love to you all Bekka... Wishing you a very

Happy Easter, Bekka, and I hope you haven't gone insane with all that freedom :-) I bet you're missing them already.

Happy easter everyone!

Def odd here without the brats. I'm getting there with the decorating but it exceedingly knackering! I am currently sitting in the middle of the lounge with the computer, sofa next to me and TV only two foot away from me. Sorry Stephen Fry but that's a bit close even for you (I'm watching QI in case you were wondering). May have to escape upstairs shortly away from the white gloss paint fumes - I've just finished a load of internal doors.

Yesterday I managed to (drum roll please)... finish a book! Woooo!

#27 Under the Yoke - Ivan Vazov

A 1,001er. An okay 1,001er. A Bulgarian revolutionary tale and, as you can guess from the genre, nothing good really happens to anyone. Worth a read if Bulgarian revolutionary stories are your cup of tea.

"Worth a read if Bulgarian revolutionary stories are your cup of tea."

A sentence that, while perfectly grammatically correct, carries no meaning to me. I'm not certain I've thought enough about Bulgaria, including the fact of its existence, to know if suchlike would be my cup of *shudder*.

I thought I might be appealing to a small portion of the reading community :)

#28 Neverwhere - Gaiman

Gaiman-athon continues. And this was as excellent as always. The quote on the cover of my book was 'The sort of book Terry Pratchett might produce if he spent a month locked in a cellar with Franz Kafka' - which about sums it up for me!

#29 Blind Man with a Pistol - Chester Himes

1,001, read for book group. though I don't think anyone else in my wee book group is actually going to read it - and it's probably for the best since I don't think this is really their thing. Basically a racial commentary set in Harlem, it's part humourous (darkly though!), part scathing commentary on the racial divide, part detective novel (sort of). Definitely an interesting read, though I'll admit I got somewhat lost in places...

Chester Himes is a wonderful writer, but his hobby-horse needs to be to one's taste for it to be obvious how good he is.

#237 Oh he's definitely good - and I wouldn't say no to more of his work. But I'm thinking an acquired taste - as you say, it would be a hard read if you didn't agree with his point of view!

Family are all home. House looks sparkly clean (place bets on how long it lasts here...) and I'm pretty happy with my paint work. Kitchen, dining room and lounge all done - and a lot of internal wood re-painted, the white gloss for which has given me headaches for days. It'll teach me to mask up all the windows and doors before using solvent based paint... Now I just need to finish off the last few bits and finish clearing our room, then hopefully get the house on the market in May. I am ruddy terrified!

Book wise... devouring Just one damned thing after another (thanks Richard) which is pleasingly light and great fun. I SHOULD be finishing my Atwood, but I think it might roll till next month. Ditto my Morrison for the American authors challenge (I'm on page 5).

Heh. Can't say I'm unhappy with the news of what you're devouring! *smooch*

Consider it devoured:

#30 Just one Damned thing after another - Jodi Taylor

After all the comments on LT I probably don't need to review (though fyi it was excellent fun) - I'll just sit here and wave my St.Mary's flag and bask my time travel pom-poms.

And wait for the next one...

Hi Bekkajo- I am almost finished with Just one Damned thing and I agree it's been a lot of fun. I am about halfway done with Cat's Eye. Which Atwood are you reading?

Blind Assassin - and its really good, but perhaps slower going than I expected. I picked up The Bluest eye this morning and that seems like it'll be a quicker read.

I've not read Cat's Eye - how's it going?

Cat's Eye is very good. Atwood really takes her time, letting the story unfold but the writing is gorgeous.

I liked Blind Assassin. I hope you continue to enjoy it.

>240 BekkaJo: Bekka, I have that one on my Kindle. I must get to it after the library books, because I have seen a lot of LTers raving about it!

I have the new M&S fish and chip pie for dinner. Shame on me. And some Easter eggs that my stepmother sent over after I left. I'm not going to look too closely at the GDA figures on anything until tomorrow.

I don't want to be a downer but Blind Assassin isn't everyone's cup of tea. I hated it so much I didn't think I would ever read another Atwood. Last yea, however, r The Handmaid's Tale was on a reading list I follow so I read it and liked it very much.

#243 I'm finding that with BA actually - much slower to unfold than Handmaid or Alias Grace. Her writing really is brilliant isn't it!

#244 LOL! I know the feeling - whilst I was painting I had about three days with very little access to the kitchen - I could get to the fridge and sink but no oven or pans or anything. I have NOT been eating well. It's also reminded me why I banned myself from chocolate a few years ago - I'm an addict and the kids came back with SO much chocolate from the UK. We will still have some this time next year.

Oh and read it read it read it read it. Pretty sure you'd love it. On that note, I went off to check when the next one was out after I wrote the above... and lo and behold! There are two (and a half) more out already. Guess who has these all ready and waiting... Oops!

#245 Hi Reba - I'm liking it, but I don't think I will love it as much as Alias Grace, which I adored. Sorry you didn't get on with it. The Handmaid's Tale seems to be one of the only ones universally enjoyed, I have to say.

>246 BekkaJo: So you think I should read it? :-) I'm sort of tempted to sneak it in among the library books. Maybe as a bus read, or should it all be read at once in a gluttonous booky fashion?

The pie smells divine. I'm not sure I can wait until the end of the 35 minutes, although I suppose it would be cold fish before them. Those Gastropub things are wicked. But I did have an apple this morning...

>247 susanj67: Mmmmm pie....

And yes definitely - its one that you may try to eek out, but I found myself just glutting on it. About 11 last night I forced myself to put it down and go to sleep (yeah that's late for me!).

>248 BekkaJo: 11 at night is virtually tomorrow for me. I think I'll save it for the end of the library books and then go for it. It's good to know there are two more ready and waiting. I do love a series :-)

Hi, Bekka!

*Does a little happy-Gaiman-love dance and then skips out*

>250 scaifea: Waves Gaiman banner :) Actually since I finished Neverwhere I don't have a Gaiman on the go - which is sort of letting down the Gaiman-a-palusa...

Also...

See, this is why I love my husband - because he bookmarked as a favourite this article, stating that he thought my 'library thing people' would appreciate it...

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/science/article4071079.ece

Neat article - and awesome husband for thinking of us!

Nice article, even if access to the entire article needed subscription.

Did I tell you I won a complimentary American Library (maintained by the U.S. Consulate General) annual membership? And a coffee table book, which I would need to go and collect.

That was very sweet of your hubby!! Like Piyush, I couldn't see the whole thing but it's awesome that he thought of us!

Love that library visiting is worth over a thousand pounds. I reckon mine is worth nearly 2 ;)

Hi all - Yeah sorry about the subscription thingy - I am a twit sometimes! And he is a sweetie, bless him.

>253 PiyushC: That is an odd prize! The coffee table book I mean... what was that in relation to?

#31 A Symphony of echoes - Jodi Taylor

Now IMO, not as good as book 1. But then it had a lot to live up to...

And saying that. Well I devoured it pretty darn quick and enjoyed it thoroughly and am currently trying to find an epub of the third... yeah okay, call me hooked :)

This one has time travel to the future St.Mary's and it delves into the mystery of the wrong play and... if you've not read the first one nothing will make sense so go away and read it. Now!

>256 BekkaJo: Won a Twitter contest, the US Consul in Mumbai was running for the National Library Week. The question was, an author who won the Nobel Prize in 1993 (I had no clue!) and her book, Beloved won the Pulitzer prize. After seeing the word Beloved, it took me less than 5 seconds to send in my answer, as you can imagine. So there was some benefit to my reading Beloved after all!

I, as a rule, never win anything, never! So, it was a pleasant surprise to win this one, even though I replied, more like an involuntary reaction, even before realising that I was entering into some contest.

>256 BekkaJo: *preens*

>257 PiyushC: Piyush: Wow - very cool! Congrats!

Morning, Bekka!

>257 PiyushC: Well done you! Add me to the never win anything pile :) I totally didn't know that Beloved won the Nobel Prize either...

>258 richardderus: Yeah yeah, you did it again! I'm peeved though - I can't seem to find the third book on epub anywhere! It only seems to be out on kindle. Poop :(

>251 BekkaJo: hahaha our spouses are long-suffering yet still supportive indeed. Mine has the occasional groan about book induced widowhood which I studiously ignore but overall she is great about my time on LT.

Have a lovely weekend, Bekka.

>261 PaulCranswick: Book induced widowhood is a great phrase & I'm going to have to start using it!! :)

I started Symphony of Echoes last night & had to force myself to go to bed!

Thanks for your kind words over on Amber's thread. I'm not sure why comments from mothers sting so badly, even 25-30 years later. I just wanted to say thanks for the support.

#261 LOL - my hubby would have more traction to whinge if I hadn't seen the three car loads of comics/graphic novels we shifted to my sis' loft (part of our clearing the house to sell malarkey).

Hope you have a lovely weekend too Paul :)

#262 Glad you are enjoying the St.Mary's stuff too - they really are the sort you prop your eyes open to read, knowing you'll regret it when you are out of it the next day. But you do it anyway...

I felt weird posting it I'll admit... I dithered a few times about deleting. A lot of the time I'm more open on here than in real life, but I still find it hard. I'm lucky in that I am on good terms with my Mum. But mainly because I've come to grips with the fact that she just never saw what she was doing to me - mainly because she has way way more problems than I realised as a kid. Growing up sucks :/

I keep thinking I've turned a corner with my body image/weight and then it all goes to hell again. Still, I saw a photo of myself from a do I went to last night - and for the first time since... probably my wedding 8 years ago... I didn't hate it. Gotta be a good thing, right?

Waffled for longer than intended again...

This long weekend thing is brilliant :) I was just sitting here, and realised I felt awfully chilled. Realised it was because I lacked that sick feeling of 'work tomorrow'. Even though I will have to work from home tomorrow for some of it - it's not the same!

Plus our weather has been stunning - there was a 'Discovery day' at one of our heritage sights, so I got to loll in the sun and tickle Will whilst Cassie dashed about doing crafts and finding the answers to questions. I honestly LOVE our heritage people!

It might also be that Will is reading upstairs, Cass is in the kitchen doing Hama beads and I am chilling and listening to Clapton.

Tired brain needs it.

Yes, it is lovely, isn't it? Another WHOLE DAY! I am reading things while half-watching some apparent marathon of programmes on Yesterday about mega-volcanoes, tsunamis and disappearing cargo ships (freak waves). (Less hunger-inducing than the Food Channel).

Okay that just doesn't seem a cheery chilled idea to me ;)

I'm just hoping that we are late enough in the year that we still have sun on our little back strip of concrete after Cass is in bed. It's nice to sit on the bench with a book and a white wine in the sun.

Maybe not cheery (the current episode about the tsunami which will wipe out the east coast of the USA at some future time is a bit grim) but later on there is one about the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs so they're interesting. Or maybe I'm just a big nerd :-)

Definitely sound interesting :)

It got too cold to sit out :/ So I finished my book inside instead:

#32 A King Lear of the Steppes - Ivan Turgenev

A short 1,001 which does a sort of re-telling of the Lear story in pastoral Russia. Interesting and a quick read but a bit short and one dimensional for me.

#33 The Bluest Eye - Toni Morrison

I take back all my earlier comments. About 2/3 through you suddenly realise exactly where this is going and why it is going there. And all the sickening broken fragments come together and makes a tortured painful whole. And you wish you didn't have to see it, but know that it reinforces her point.

Actually there are lots of points. Crudely put and in brief, everyone is beautiful, never make anyone else feel ugly, tell the damn truth because lies hurt everyone, man hands on misery to man. There are lots more.

I will say that this made me cry. There is an end section that I wont detail too much because it's spoilery, but the innocence of children renders the comments of the adults so painful. What they say is so wrong and Morrison's portrayal so accurate.

A painful yet excellent read. Altogether what I would expect from Morrison.

#34 Southtown - Rick Riordan

Yay! More Tres Navarre PI. Gotta love a bit of my favourite San Antonio sleuth. Less fighting in this - which I did miss. More well... it's darker. Human trafficking darker. I also missed the trade mark twist at the end - I mean there was a sort of twist, but the reader saw it coming from halfway through the book.

Still, Riordan's writing is glib and fluid as ever and these are great fun. Now do I read the next one... or do I pick up The Optimist's Daughter for May American Author read (plus its a 1,001). Or finish The Blind Assassin, which I seem to have staggered to a stop on...

Okay, if you insist. All three it is :)

nice reviews, Bekka. I especially like your comments on The Bluest Eye

>271 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks Reba :) My reviews are generally more word vomit than anything else!

You know... life is sometimes really crud. My sisters little girl is not 4 months old. 12 weeks of that she has spent in a harness due to hip problems. Today Ell flew to Southampton with her to see the specialist. It is not good news. The poor baby will have to have an operation, spend a week in traction and then be put into a cast (for up to 12 weeks). My heart is breaking for my big sis. I know it's not life threatening, its just nightmarish for all concerned. I feel helpless because I can't help them.

Sigh.

So sorry about your niece and your family. It's so hard to see tiny ones have to suffer. I hope the outcome will be good though.
Hugs to you all.

Bekka, I'm sorry to read that too. Poor mite - is it "clicky hip" or something more complicated? I hope they don't have to wait too long for the operation.

>272 BekkaJo: Oh, the poor wee thing! And your poor sister! I'll be keeping them in my thoughts, Bekka.

Thanks guys - its just so cruel - she's the cutest little girl. But fingers crossed a few months of hell and it'll fix it for good. It is clicky hip Susan, but 12 weeks in harness have done nothing. Still better now than when she is bigger I guess.

Here's a little pic of my sis with the cute girl (she's still in the harness at this point);


And because I'm photo-ing... one of Cass reading to her bro and cousin;


And one of Cass from the Easter egg hunt my sis organised. She'd hidden some special grown up treats for us...

Bekka, those are very cute photos :-) I love how orderly the boys are in the second one. Cass must know how to keep them in line! Your niece is gorgeous. What a shame the harness didn't work, but at least they can fix her. A friend's daughter had it many years ago (I'm so old!) and the soft cast worked for her (maybe that was the precursor of the harness) but they were told that it might not.

Here is some temporary light relief for you - a quiz marking the ten years since Friends finished. I saw it and thought of you...http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/quiz/2014/may/10/friends-how-much-know-quiz

>276 BekkaJo: Thanks Susan - I'm gutted though... I only got 7/10! ;) Sis is bearing up but I suspect a massive breakdown in the offing before she actually comes to terms with it all.

Tonight is Eurovision! We adore it - ongoing theme for many years. Lots of cocktails and generally a hollowed out and alcohol filled fruit or two. Due to the arrival of all the kids we are partying by streaming facebook messenger... tonight I shall be supporting Switzerland (there is a banjo and some whistling).

xoxo

>278 BekkaJo: Well this year has made the news over in South East Asia for a change with the Austrian Bearded Lady winning and pissing off the Russkies in the meanwhile. Also noticed that the British public strongly disagreed with its own voting panel opting instead for the curvaceous and skimpily-clad polish entry. Didn't see much mention of any singing involved.

I hope you had a great Mother's Day, Bekka!

>279 richardderus: Back atcha RDear - hope you are on the road to recovery X

>280 PaulCranswick: The Polish entry was soft porn. Nuff said. Conchita Wurst was excellent! My friend who had picked Austria to support got absolutely mashed on douze points shots during the scoring. TI did feel for the 17 year old twins who were the Russian entry - Russia got so much booing.

>281 msf59: Thanks Mark :) Mine was back in March though.... ;) I did the same to Amber back then...

#35 The Optimist's Daughter - Eudora Welty

Gentle, beautiful, poignant. All of those and more - a short read but it covers a lot of major themes (life, death, love, family - the usual). Highly recommended tale about coping with loss and the effects of memory and time on state of mind/pain.

Slightly cheating this was both a 1,001 and my May American Author novel.

>263 BekkaJo: That takes guts and I LOVE it, Bekka!! I'm with you on the being much more open here than in "real" life. Or, especially on Facebook. There's something special here. I'm proud of you for not hating your picture! There are very few I can say that about...so I know what kind of progress that is!!

Now, you're going to make me go read The Bluest Eye!!! :)

Keep the faith about your niece. Medicine can do wonders these days. I know it must be killing your sister though. :( ((((Bekka & niece & sister))))

>283 TinaV95: Smoochies! Too sleepy... will write more later...

I don't count most of the books I read with/to Cass and Will since... well, I lack Amber's dedication :) But occasionally I will/do, when either they are things I should have read as a child or are over 200 pages. This is both!

#36 The Enchanted Wood - Enid Blyton

Somehow I never read this - not sure how/why. I think I jumped straight into famous five etc. Anyway Cass loved this - it's the first of the series about the adventures of three children in the wood next to their new home. In the wood stands the Magic Faraway Tree - at the top of which a ladder reaches into a mad variety of different lands. Many adventures ensue. Expect mild peril.

Cassie would now like us to read the next one. Much as I enjoyed this, I may try and barter with her to see if I can read her The Hobbit after the next one ;)

>285 BekkaJo: Bekka, I *loved* the Magic Faraway Tree series when I was a kid. I had a set that belonged to my aunt, I think, so they had all the old illustrations. Years later I saw a set with new covers, and they'd drawn Moonface with a crescent moon for his face. Noooo! I also loved the Five-Find-Outers (who had Buster the dog) but I was never much of a Famous Five fan. I just don't think I inherited any, and back then the libraries didn't stock them. My real faves were the boarding school stories. I suppose they must have been the Harry Potters of their time (in terms of presenting boarding school as somewhere exciting to go).

I was addicted to the school stories too - I still have all of the Blytons and all of the original Brent-Dyer chalet books. Also Digby's Trebizon series :) They are all sitting in a box waiting for Cass. Sod's law she'll probably bypass the school book phase, but I think she'll like them in a year or so.

>285 BekkaJo: *snork!* I think you misspelled 'insanity'...

>288 scaifea: Aren't the words interchangeable? ;)

>289 BekkaJo: Fair point...

#37 Mission Road - Riordan

More Tres, more, more! Nuff said - and actually I basically can't say more without giving away info form earlier books! But these are awfully enjoyable :) Brain candy in the best way.

First valuation on our house today. I'm terrified that it'll be too low for us to get finance/somewhere bigger. Hubby is terrified that his slightly gammy credit history will stop us form borrowing enough to get anywhere better.

Oh yeah, we're chilled and calm and not at all getting on each others nerves...

Plus, we are INSANELY busy at work and my assistant manager's son has gone down with chicken pox. Bleep bleep bleep! I feel for her - its such a damn pain. But I'm also trying to re-allocate workloads and drawing a blank. Especially since she hasn't had the darn thing - here's hoping she doesn't get it and shingles and end up off for 4 weeks...

Oh yes. That's why there is wine.

And, as I always seem to do when mad stressed, I have started a whole gamut of new books - yesterday I started I, Claudius, The Elegance of the Hedgehog and today added Flowers for Algernon. I seriously have a problem.

Bekka, I hope the valuation comes back OK.

Boo for the chicken pox! Gosh it's unusual to find an adult who hasn't had it, I would think. Fingers crossed he only has a mild dose and it doesn't spread.

I, Claudius is one of those books I have always had at the back of my mind to read, so I'll look forward to your review. I still always think of Flowers for Algernon as a children's picture book - I wonder what that book actually is?! Flowers for someone.

I know right! Sod's law she'll get it, then shingles... She's a completely lovely girl and it'll all be crud :(

Ditto on I,Claudius - I was waiting for something the other day and did some of those silly facebook book quizzes. One of them I came back 48/100 which I was a little upset on! But it reminded me about I,Claudius. So far (only about 20 pages) its sort of interesting...

I'm thinking a different Flowers for Algernon! Can't imagine it making a good picture book :) Maybe a Graphic Novel?!

Doesn't shingles come along years later, after the virus has been dormant for a while? I think if she gets it at this stage it will just be chicken pox but it is supposed to be worse for adults than for kids.

The book I am thinking of was about a pig, and some flowers - I'll never remember what it was called. Not Flowers for Algernon, and yet somehow the title sounds like it *should* be a kids' book!

I think if you get chicken pox as an adult it can quickly turn into shingles - the virus is all there, rather than lying dormant and being reactivated, if you see what I mean?

Either way I need her in - she uttered the fated words 'I have capacity' three weeks ago. We have been absolutely slammed ever since!

Pig, hmm... flowers... nope. Sorry :) And I read a LOT of kids books! All my own fault for making bookies, but still!

#38 Flowers for Algernon - Keyes

Wonderful. If you haven't read it, you should. Pretty sure everyone knows the vague outline so I'm going to be careless with the spoilers...

Written from the first person viewpoint of Charlie, a mentally retarded 30 something, working as a sweeper in a bakery. His writing and thoughts are child like. And he has been offered an operation that will make him smart... an exploration of so many things, not leas the obvious 'does intelligence make you happy', but some upsetting family thoughts, ideas of love and friendship, freedom, humanity, our role in society.

So Charlie becomes a genius. Then Algernon, the mouse on which they based his treatment, starts to regress... to have the world torn away form you when you've just discovered it... and then the old Charlie emerges again, and there is in there a sense of hope and warmth because Charlie himself was a sweet man before and a sweet man after. Anyway, that was a very rambling review of this short but involved novel. Legitimate modern classic.

I hope things with the chicken pox scare don't happen as you fear they might!

>297 BekkaJo: I've never read Flowers for Algernon, but will have to now, because it sounds wonderful!

Oh, is it a 1001 book, by any chance?

Bekka, I've remembered the book! It wasn't about a pig, but a dog, and it was No Roses for Harry. We loved the Harry books.

I'm glad I cleared that up :-) I'll have to read Flowers for Algernon now, just so I can remember that it's different.

>297 BekkaJo: Despite my disaffection for the genre I have to admit to liking Flowers for Algernon, Bekka.

I loved on the other hand I, Claudius which is every bit as gossipy as I am myself! Look forward to your comments on it.

>298 TinaV95: Me too... fingers crossed her little one is one the mend and no signs for her yet, so I'm hoping I was just being a pessimist!

Not a 1,001 but I think it should be. It definitely has something.

>300 susanj67: That sounds familiar. I think...
It's nice when it finally comes to you isn't it? Like scratching an itch :)

>301 PaulCranswick: We'll convert you yet! And so far I, Claudius is fun - but I'm only 20 or so pages in. I am DETERMINED to finally finish Hawksmoor - the end of the damned thing is in sight. Finally.

House news - our valuation came back pretty decent, so we are happy with that. We've had two and they were within 5k of each other. Next step, speak to the bank and get it on the market. Oh and keep looking for a new one. It's all a bit of a nightmare to be honest, because built in with all that is hidden 'keep house spotless so that prospective buyers don't turn noses up in disgust'. In my house that is fighting against the tide. Ah well. Head down I guess!

#39 Hawksmoor - Ackroyd

FINALLY!

All I can say is ugh. Not a fan.

Also, 3rd valuation 20k lower and, I suspect, probably more accurate. Sigh. Life does like to kick you in the knackers doesn't it?

Hmmm, I think I'll give Hawksmoor a miss. Not that I'd heard of it before, but still...I am known for reserving things I've only heard of in an LT review.

Sorry about the valuation but you never know - property prices are supposed to be going crazy, so the other two may well be right.

Fingers crossed for the earlier valuations to be realised when you get an offer on your property.

I am just about in time - time differences considered to wish you a wonderful birthday my dear. xx

>304 susanj67: I need to stop stressing about the house. I've done the silly thing where I've picked a pretty much arbitrary number and said 'we must hit that'! Then fooled myself into thinking it wasn't arbitrary.

Okay that made way more sense in my head!

>305 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul :) Hubby and I went for an AMAZING curry. Yummy! Then walked home in a torrential rain storm, which was actually kinda fun too.

Oh dear, I missed your birthday :-( Belated happy birthday wishes anyway, and your curry and storm walk sounds great!

>306 BekkaJo: Living here I am spoiled for curries but somehow the ones we get in the UK (and its island neighbours, ahem) can't be beaten. Walking together in heavy rain is as romantic as it gets especially when you dry off as a couple.

I thought you might get a new thread for your birthday!

>307 susanj67: It's quite alright - I'd have missed it if possible!

>308 PaulCranswick: They had lots of Bangladeshi specialities - I think I had a Satchaka? Something like that. Also bottles of King Cobra beer that are opened like champagne bottles.

Walking in the rain would have been more romantic if, when we got home, the babysitter (aka my sister's hubby/my hubby's best mate) had realised that we might want some alone time... eventually I went to bed alone and left them drinking bourbon. Sigh...

Sigh on the valuation...don't stress too much and let it interfere with your mojo!

Happy belated birthday! Sorry to have missed wishes on the actual day... You should get to go buy yourself an extra book since your hubby pulled the bourbon and friend routine after dinner. He owes you one (or 2-3)!

We went to see some houses today... they went as follows;
1) Okay but we wouldn't gain that much space. Very dated;
2) Even smaller (fridge in the lounge?) and stupidly over priced;
3) Lovely. Sigh. Really lovely - weird garden at the top of a really tall spiral staircase! Would love it, but its top end price wise and I suspect it will go before we can get our ducks in a row;
4) Held together with insulation tape...
5) Not held together by anything. Needed hazmat gear.

Sorry about all the house related updates - sometimes just helps getting my thoughts down!

>310 TinaV95: No worries, I miss everyones! And I do have a couple of vouchers waiting to be spent. Hmmm....

#40 Rebel Island - Riordan

So sad - this was the last Tres Navarre book. Without giving away anything from previous books... he goes for a short break to an island he used to holiday on with his family. A hurricane that was supposed to have past swings round and hits. Murder, mayhem and a lot of who dunnit and whys. A great end to the series (though I'm hoping Riordan might revisit Navarre at some time).

garden atop spiral stairs sounds intriguing. hope that can happen.

Thought you guys would like the sound of that one ;) *smoochies* Rdear.

>276 BekkaJo: adult easter treats! Love it.

>311 BekkaJo: even smaller, fridge in lounge, overpriced: uh oh. I wouldn't go near it. Hazmat gear needed? Yikes. Sounds like a tricky market!
Our neighbour just sold her house for $410,000 (a 4 bedroom place with a lot of lawn) and got a 2 bedroom place with a tiny garden for $390,000. There is something wrong there if you ask me, I would have expected a lot more profit from offloading the large family home!

>311 BekkaJo: Was the fridge in the lounge the main fridge? Or, you know, a beer fridge? :-) Not that you would want to set that precedent! Number 3 sounds intriguing - maybe you could start lining up those ducks and then they will be lined up regardless, even if you miss out on it. If number 3 goes, house 6 could be The One!

Still raining here, although we had some sun (or actually an absence of rain) for a bit yesterday, so I ran (not literally) to the supermarket for a few bits and pieces and brought home a box of Oreo cornetto things. Hmmm.

>314 LovingLit: Hi Megan - nice to see you :) Hope things are better at your neck of the woods? And that does not sound like a good business investment... Prices over here are mad. London prices :/

>315 susanj67: The main fridge! The kitchen was THAT small. And yes - we aren't in a mad rush I guess - it's not like we have nowhere to live. Still thinking about no.3 though...

Oh no for the rain! We had a lovely albeit a little windy day yesterday. I even have pink shoulders and we managed a belated birthday BBQ at my parents, even if it was a little chilly.

Also, Oreo cornetto? Someone is a GENIUS!

Now today... today? We go to the Castle! Another Jersey Heritage discovery day - it's time for Knight School :)

Best of luck on the house selling/buying bit - I remember all too well how stressful that can be, and we'll likely be doing it again in a few years. *sigh*

Ooops - I awoled again. Sorry. Had the work week form hell and did double my hours most days. That much vdu usage and my brain is scrambled. And it has SERIOUSLY impinged on my reading time :(

>317 scaifea: Thank you Amber - I was supposed to get it on the market this week but haven't had a chance to do anything but work. Next week it is then! We are just hoping to get something we can stay in for the forseable future.

House selling and buying is a very stressful thing but, once it's over, it can be great. Best of luck with the whole process!!

Ouch, sorry to hear about the week from hell. I hope the weekend is compensating, but maybe not if you are doing house stuff. I'm just about to start Just One Damned Thing After Another so I might be up late!

No need for apologies for awols here! We understand... Your plate is a bit full at the moment, Bekka!

Good luck! Keep your faith and stay positive! :)

Thanks everyone - I'm still up to my elbows, but that's a more reasonable level of madness. Last week I think I was at least 20 foot under it all!

The house is now officially on the market. I'm terrified! It makes it all that more real for some reason. But my incredibly tidy and anal colleague thinks it looks neat and clean so I must have done something right ;)

If I could just finish a darn book...

Oh and on that note!

#41 Death of a Naturalist - Seamus Heaney

I've been picking away at this since Heaney's death. And after a long time in my bag had put this away for some reason. On opening my volume I remembered that I had several pressed leaves and flowers in it that my kids kept bringing me.

I though Heaney would have liked that.

I read a lot of these for GCSE, but some of them were new and the vast majority excellent. I've always loved his imagery and this was the same. Plus I found this little gem which, whilst probably more smooshy than his normal writing, I fell in love with;

SCAFFOLDING

Masons, when they start upon a building,
Are careful to test out the scaffolding;

Make sure that planks won't slip at busy points,
Secure all ladders, tighten bolted joints.

And yet all this comes down when the job's done
Showing off walls of sure and solid stone.

So if, my dear, there sometimes seems to be
Old bridges breaking between you and me

Never fear. We may let the scaffolds fall
Confident that we have built our wall.

>323 BekkaJo: Yes, Bekka, that is a lovely little poem from Heaney's first anthology.
You now officially have the most posts of anyone with only one thread this year. I am going to speak to Jim and Mark and have the thread police pay you a visit. xx

Have a lovely weekend if you can give 'em the slip.

Oops - sorry thread police ;)

I was figuring I only ever do two a year, so one for Q1/Q2 and one for Q3/Q4! I'll admit its slipped a bit on me...

I need to go an shell/prep some scallops - provided I don't chop any fingers off with my new uber sharp knife, I'll do one later. Probably... Can't promise - it's beautifully sunny and there is beer.

Okay so I lied in the above. Not about the scallops and beer, just about getting round to setting up a new thread....

#42 God Bless you Mr Rosewater - Vonnegut

My June American Author read - and once again brilliant. In fact I think my favourite Vonnegut so far. Maybe... oh I don't know I like them all!

To take it down to brass tacks, this one deals with a millionaire and how he spends his money. But, like all Vonnegut, it's actually a commentary on society, socialism and class. And humanity. And lots more.

Anyway, it's worth a read.