I'm reading all sorts of things at the moment. After Potter I picked up Hexwood to reread as I wanted something fantasyish but not too over the top. I then reread her latest book The Pinhoe Egg which means that in the next few weeks I'll probably go through all of the Diana Wynne Jones books.
I also read Flora Segunda of Crackpot Hall which Campbelli had a proof of. It was ok, took a while for me to get into it and it's made me want to read some Sheri S. Tepper which I'll probably move onto after I've finished all the DWJ books.
I've bought, but not read yet, the fantastic reissues of Just Another Angel, Angel Touch and Angel Hunt by Mike Ripley. I can still remember when the third one of these had just been published and dad found it in Chelmsford library. The grin on his face as he said "Look what I've found" and flashed the front cover at me. I'm so glad they've been reissued at last.
They also have nice introductions by him which talk about how he started writing them, the tv rights and all sorts of other interesting asides. (This more than makes up for the fact that the insides are not as beautiful as the covers).
I also shot through Lean Mean Thirteen last night, Janet Evanovich's latest Stephanie Plum novel. All good fun as usual, shootouts, Grandma looking for a man and the eternal dilemma of Morelli or Ranger...
Extra: Keris has an essay in Perfectly Plum which I'm planning to buy in August.
My reading matter yesterday affected my brain...no honestly! I've been rereading Books, Baguettes & Bedbugs and The Child That Books Built and reading The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop for the first time. This means that I had a fabulous dream this morning.
I was walking down a little arcade alleyway when it started to rain. I ducked into a dress shop that I'd been in before to find a prom dress (not in real life, in another dream. I seem to have a remarkable internal world in dreams, places pop up repeatedly). I looked at the clothes for a while and then wandered through a door into this huge bookshop (again, I'd been in there before). It's in a huge stone market hall and most of the stuff is second-hand. Big old bookcases just leaning against the stone walls and everything all mixed in.
I walked through the halls looking at the shelves and found copies of all three of the books above, then I turned out into a small courtyard. I asked if I could take the books into the stall on the other side (it's like lots of separate bookstalls in there) and then went over there for a look around.
I found a large box of Chalet School paperbacks, 60's Armada covers (the ones I love) and all brand new and shiny - and all 10p each! I handed my sister (who'd just appeared) the list of the ones I already own (which I don't actually carry with me, I'm not quite that bad) and then spotted a big shelf of foreign children's books.
On there were a selection of Moomin flashcards (which I'm pretty sure don't exist) and lots of Babapapa books. I was just about to take my armfuls of books to the counter when my flipping alarm went off and they were lost to me! I shall get back into that shop at some point and try to sit and read them!
I have a craving for a visit to a second-hand bookshop now, not one of the charity shops that never have anything good, a proper twisty stair cased shop with treasure waiting to be discovered. Now I just have to find one, I wonder if Anthony would like to go on a drive on Saturday...
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Saturday, July 21, 2007
The End of Harry Potter...
Well, that's it. The end of Harry Potter. Three hours of overexcited customers including two of frantic bookselling, and then 2 and a half hours of reading and it's all over.
It was bloody good though.
The two major characters that she said died...it was more like 5 to me. One death I knew was going to happen from the minute I finished the Half-Blood Prince, one was totally totally unexpected and had me shaking and in tears. Another was a surprise but not such a shock, and the other two were so linked that if one was killed the other had to be.
There were actually quite a few characters who didn't make it to the end but couldn't really be described as major really. They were kind of accumlative deaths if you know what I mean. Big huge fights have to claim more than one victim and they need to be named characters.
I can't quite believe it's all over. But it very much is. That last chapter that she's had written for years is sort of a "happily ever after" one, it leaves the way open for a little more, but also means that you leave characters happy and getting on with life rather than just after the fighting has stopped and the dust is clearing.
Ah well.
Right then, I'm due back at work in 5 hours so I'd better go and get some kip. I wonder how many plot hints I can drop at Campbelli tomorrow before she thumps me?
It was bloody good though.
The two major characters that she said died...it was more like 5 to me. One death I knew was going to happen from the minute I finished the Half-Blood Prince, one was totally totally unexpected and had me shaking and in tears. Another was a surprise but not such a shock, and the other two were so linked that if one was killed the other had to be.
There were actually quite a few characters who didn't make it to the end but couldn't really be described as major really. They were kind of accumlative deaths if you know what I mean. Big huge fights have to claim more than one victim and they need to be named characters.
I can't quite believe it's all over. But it very much is. That last chapter that she's had written for years is sort of a "happily ever after" one, it leaves the way open for a little more, but also means that you leave characters happy and getting on with life rather than just after the fighting has stopped and the dust is clearing.
Ah well.
Right then, I'm due back at work in 5 hours so I'd better go and get some kip. I wonder how many plot hints I can drop at Campbelli tomorrow before she thumps me?
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Black Dog
I'm having an attack of the Black Dog at the moment which means I haven't been doing a lot of anything.
It's ridiculous really. My life is good, I'm not in debt, I have a great job, cool friends, fabulous boyfriend...but something in me just wants to sit in a corner and cry. I've put a few bits of paper saying "it's a chemical imbalance" in places where I'll see them if I get too blue, but otherwise I'm just trying to chill and ignore it. Unfortunately that's not really working. So I've been coming home exhausted, half-heartedly checking my emails and then slouching on the sofa watching CSI or the Dukes of Hazzard. Half the time I'm on the sofa I can't even be bothered to do any sewing. Anthony understands which helps immensely. He gets it too sometimes and knows when to prod me to go and make dinner (which helps cos then I've accomplished something) or when to pass me the icecream and give me a big hug.
I did manage to blitz it yesterday afternoon, I had a half-day and left work feeling like crap. I went and bought a load of M&S Bucks Fizz and then treated myself to a cab home and an afternoon in the sunshine drinking the Fizz, reading Harry Potter and going slightly pink. I plan to try and do a little bit of this again today.
That afternoon "out" of life has helped me get excited again over the fact that I get to see Emily tomorrow! She is coming to visit for Harry Potter night and we are going to have a great time! Yes, she will have to put up with Anthony and the cats on her own on Sat as I'll be at work (after very little sleep), but she managed to put up with the Yeti last time so this time it'll be a matter of stopping talking to read the book rather than reading the book cos there's no-one to have an intelligent conversation with.
Before I go and do some housework in honour of her visit, a list of some things that are making me smile:
My gorgeous new shoes
Sexy chocolate buttons
My new waterbottle
lolcats
This strange creature, which apparently Katie W. has something to do with...
It's ridiculous really. My life is good, I'm not in debt, I have a great job, cool friends, fabulous boyfriend...but something in me just wants to sit in a corner and cry. I've put a few bits of paper saying "it's a chemical imbalance" in places where I'll see them if I get too blue, but otherwise I'm just trying to chill and ignore it. Unfortunately that's not really working. So I've been coming home exhausted, half-heartedly checking my emails and then slouching on the sofa watching CSI or the Dukes of Hazzard. Half the time I'm on the sofa I can't even be bothered to do any sewing. Anthony understands which helps immensely. He gets it too sometimes and knows when to prod me to go and make dinner (which helps cos then I've accomplished something) or when to pass me the icecream and give me a big hug.
I did manage to blitz it yesterday afternoon, I had a half-day and left work feeling like crap. I went and bought a load of M&S Bucks Fizz and then treated myself to a cab home and an afternoon in the sunshine drinking the Fizz, reading Harry Potter and going slightly pink. I plan to try and do a little bit of this again today.
That afternoon "out" of life has helped me get excited again over the fact that I get to see Emily tomorrow! She is coming to visit for Harry Potter night and we are going to have a great time! Yes, she will have to put up with Anthony and the cats on her own on Sat as I'll be at work (after very little sleep), but she managed to put up with the Yeti last time so this time it'll be a matter of stopping talking to read the book rather than reading the book cos there's no-one to have an intelligent conversation with.
Before I go and do some housework in honour of her visit, a list of some things that are making me smile:
My gorgeous new shoes
Sexy chocolate buttons
My new waterbottle
lolcats
This strange creature, which apparently Katie W. has something to do with...
Monday, July 09, 2007
More holiday
My second holiday week was just as relaxing as the first, but had the added bonus of Anthony.
We went shopping a couple of times, including buying some heavenly choc drops in Hotel Chocolat, and also went and looked at fish tanks. We saw some lovely ones that doubled up as coffee tables, which we could actually picture in my front room...with Foley doing her best to get into them! So the fish plan is on hold for the moment.
We stayed at Anthony's house a couple of nights, and he made himself very happy by managing to get WoW on both computers so we could both play. This was part of his cunning plan to get me to level 70 before the end of the week, cos otherwise I'd tell him to play while I worked on finishing my cross-stitch.
Both of these tasks were achieved!
I've also picked out and started a new cross-stitch project. So far it looks like this ---->
Obviously it's a work in progress, but it has a deadline so I plan to photograph it each week to encourage me to work on it!
I loved both Grand Prixs during my holiday, not just because Kimi won both of them...honest! Although it was a little scary when I phoned home yesterday to natter about them, to have my dad say "I hear you have a kitten blog" (!!!) I think my sister has been talking about me behind my back (which isn't hard when she's in Essex and I'm up here!).
I'm back to work tomorrow which I am actually looking forward to. I have a few things to sort out that I can't wait to get my teeth into now I'm all refreshed, plus it's less than two weeks until Potter!!! (I have been practicing staying up to read it, at least that's one of the excuses I used when I went out for a night on the town and didn't get home until 4am).
We went shopping a couple of times, including buying some heavenly choc drops in Hotel Chocolat, and also went and looked at fish tanks. We saw some lovely ones that doubled up as coffee tables, which we could actually picture in my front room...with Foley doing her best to get into them! So the fish plan is on hold for the moment.
We stayed at Anthony's house a couple of nights, and he made himself very happy by managing to get WoW on both computers so we could both play. This was part of his cunning plan to get me to level 70 before the end of the week, cos otherwise I'd tell him to play while I worked on finishing my cross-stitch.
Both of these tasks were achieved!
I've also picked out and started a new cross-stitch project. So far it looks like this ---->
Obviously it's a work in progress, but it has a deadline so I plan to photograph it each week to encourage me to work on it!
I loved both Grand Prixs during my holiday, not just because Kimi won both of them...honest! Although it was a little scary when I phoned home yesterday to natter about them, to have my dad say "I hear you have a kitten blog" (!!!) I think my sister has been talking about me behind my back (which isn't hard when she's in Essex and I'm up here!).
I'm back to work tomorrow which I am actually looking forward to. I have a few things to sort out that I can't wait to get my teeth into now I'm all refreshed, plus it's less than two weeks until Potter!!! (I have been practicing staying up to read it, at least that's one of the excuses I used when I went out for a night on the town and didn't get home until 4am).
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