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Poppyshake's Reading Year 2016


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Hello dear poppyshake!  Goodness me, Jänet's the last person to have commented your thread and that was back in September! I did read your latest reviews earlier and added some titles to my wishlist (namely these: Old Wives' Tale and The House at the End of Hope Street. I was also going to add Wake Up, Sir! but found that I'd already done so, based on Goodreads' recommendation), but I somehow never actually commented on the reviews and earlier posts! Will do so now. Ever so sorry for resurrecting this thread if you'd already celebrated the fact that it's been so long since the last time, that you don't need to feel obliged to continue with the reviews :blush: 

 

Culling your emoticons, because I can't cull mine, hehe! (Actually, had to cull a few of mine, too!)

 

Bother .. I've gone off the boil already. My computer is still limping on one leg with a blindfold and limited speech 

 

For the life of me I can't remember if I've already asked: how's the computer these days? :unsure: 

 

   Thank God my oven doesn't behave in this way .. refusing to cook a pie because of a full memory, binning things at will and trying to trick me into revealing my bank details   

 

:lol: The amount of hours you spend by that oven and your bakings inside the oven, you would've already gone mental! Yes, just as well that your oven doesn't lure you into revealing your bank details :D 

 

Well ... I definitely won't hold that against you as I do the same. Not sure you're wise to have faith in my choices.. that's led you down the garden path before but I'm very touched that you do Here's hoping that one day you'll read The Bees and enjoy it. 

 

I don't think I can remember one single instance where you've led me to unpleasant places, by choice :D We've disagreed on a few books, but I think those are ones that we each read without knowing the other one was reading them, too...  Anyhow, I had too many library books on the go back in July and so I never got around to reading The Bees. I'm somewhat hesitant about the book nowadays. It intimidates me :blush: 


Did I really advocate that? :lol: 


You tend to advocate a lot of odd activities, missy!  (And as I'm replying to you so late, you won't even have any idea what it was that you were advocating :blush: If you want to know, you'll have to scroll back :blush::giggle:)

 

 Ooh .. just looked them up .. they look far more enticing than a Werther's. Having said that .. I do enjoy a Werther's every now and then. Dad has a tin full and it's a red letter day when I get offered one  Just think, I might amount to my own tin one day! 

 

It's important to have goals in life! :D 


Well, no. I can't agree with that. But probably best to read it in its original language. Really tough job though to translate I would have thought ... such convoluted sentences .. and such personal feelings expressed by the author. Really, it must have given the translator a migraine! It gave me one .. and I was just trying to read it 

 

That is very true... I don't know how they do what they do. Especially when it's poetry and prose. Non-fiction is a day at the park in comparison! 


Do you know, I have no idea why I didn't give it full marks now. There wasn't anything that annoyed .. it might just have been my mood on the day of reviewing Yes, it really does come down to that. Some days I am benevolence itself and some days I would knock a point off of Pride and Prejudice .. for not including the scene whereby Darcy jumps in the lake .. and gets all wet and whatnot .. and comes out squelching and tousled (good word ) .. and bumps into Lizzy! ('and your parents are in good health .. and all your sisters?' ) Very remiss of Jane that!  

 

:D That's a good scene right there... It's been too long since I've watched P&P! On New Year's Eve I saw a friend and I told her a still had her copy of Girl with a Pearl Earring (the movie). She couldn't remember which movie that was, and I said, it's the one with Darcy and paintings. She had no idea what I was talking about! I then said that actually, that's Colin Firth. She still had no idea :o 
 

Not so sure you'll like this It's one of those ones that I like that are deeply gloomy among the laughs .. in fact there aren't many laughs   She's an interesting character though .. unique and damaged etc. Quite feisty .. yes actually .. I think you might like her after all 

 

:D Gotta love your meandering 180s!

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Peter and I kept looking at Don't Point That Thing At Me when it first came out in that gorgeous cover!  We did talk about downloading it to listen to in the car (if it's available).  He only reads one book a year so I daren't buy the book!  :P

Sorry Janet, I should have answered this long ago  :blush2: 

Claire bought the book and read it and then lent it to me. She didn't really enjoy it that much and kindly gave me the book when I said I was going to continue on with the series (I must admit .. part of the reason I wanted to was because of the gorgeous covers!! :lol:  :blush2: )

I'll happily lend them to you if you're interested. They're a bit madcap and totally un-PC (so a bit excrutiating in places) but funny too in parts. 

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Hello dear poppyshake!  Goodness me, Jänet's the last person to have commented your thread and that was back in September! I did read your latest reviews earlier and added some titles to my wishlist (namely these: Old Wives' Tale and The House at the End of Hope Street. I was also going to add Wake Up, Sir! but found that I'd already done so, based on Goodreads' recommendation), but I somehow never actually commented on the reviews and earlier posts! Will do so now. Ever so sorry for resurrecting this thread if you'd already celebrated the fact that it's been so long since the last time, that you don't need to feel obliged to continue with the reviews.

Hello dear frankie  :hug: I've culled your emoticons too :lol: 

I'm so glad I've had people popping in to keep an eye on the old place. I've only managed to generate 11 pages for this book blog!! :o Shocking!! The year before I gabbed on for 44 pages! MUST TRY HARDER!!!!

I might be able to s-t-r-e-t-c-h it to 12 if I knuckle down and write some of the missing reviews! If I can remember the books that is  :blush2: 

Alan hated Wake Up Sir! :lol: That's of no consequence obviously but I thought I'd mention it. He's seldom stirred into such an aversion but it made him quite angry  :giggle: The story didn't go anywhere apparently!!  :D 

For the life of me I can't remember if I've already asked: how's the computer these days? 

Limping on both legs now. I feel like I'm its carer! I do everything for it but it doesn't reward me with as much as a smile! Ingratitude frankly. If I was richer then it'd be history and boy would I enjoy dismantling it!! :lol:  

The amount of hours you spend by that oven and your bakings inside the oven, you would've already gone mental! Yes, just as well that your oven doesn't lure you into revealing your bank details.

My oven is an absolute saint compared to this computer which, when you consider how it turns my cakes into pancakes when it feels like it, is saying something!! :D

I don't think I can remember one single instance where you've led me to unpleasant places, by choice. We've disagreed on a few books, but I think those are ones that we each read without knowing the other one was reading them, too...  Anyhow, I had too many library books on the go back in July and so I never got around to reading The Bees. I'm somewhat hesitant about the book nowadays. It intimidates me.

It's not intimidating at all ... it's easy peasy! :yes: I took six books out of the library before I went to Mum and Dad's and had to take all six of them back unread  :giggle: One was partly read. I'll have to check it out again although I've mostly forgotten the bit I did read so it'll be back to the beginning again  :banghead: 

I think we disagreed over Nina Stibbe's book (was it Man at the Helm??) It wasn't a violent disagreement or anything .. it never came to blows  :D 

You tend to advocate a lot of odd activities, missy!  (And as I'm replying to you so late, you won't even have any idea what it was that you were advocating. If you want to know, you'll have to scroll back .)

I know .. I'm a great advocate for odd things. Odd is good!! I know it was something about knickers!  :blush2: 

It's important to have goals in life! 

I'll say. Unless it's on Goodreads .. then it's bad :D They just nag you to death  :D  

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That is very true... I don't know how they do what they do. Especially when it's poetry and prose. Non-fiction is a day at the park in comparison!

I take my hat off to them  .. must be a rewarding job but one to give you brainache! 

That's a good scene right there... It's been too long since I've watched P&P! On New Year's Eve I saw a friend and I told her a still had her copy of Girl with a Pearl Earring (the movie). She couldn't remember which movie that was, and I said, it's the one with Darcy and paintings. She had no idea what I was talking about! I then said that actually, that's Colin Firth. She still had no idea :o

:o Oh My Word!! :o People don't know about Colin Firth!?! .. let alone the wet shirt and the lake and that! Poor people :( I know there is a lot of deprivation in the world but I didn't know that some people haven't even had a dose of Colin. Sad!

:D Gotta love your meandering 180s!

Haha .. yes! One of the most common features of my reviews is the ability for me to completely change my mind by the end of them! It's not fair on a book really .. to have me review it. It shouldn't really be allowed and that's probably why it hasn't been .. on this book blog :lol: 

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Well! What a dismal reading year :( The total isn't too shabby (though I expected to do much better .. I told Goodreads as much in January and they basically laughed in my face for the rest of the year  :blush2: ) but I just didn't get time to read in Oct/Nov/Dec and that made me feel out of sorts and basically annoyed and resentful!! It was like not eating or drinking (except it couldn't kill you but then I think it might have had it gone on for ever .. one would just pine away!) My mojo didn't go missing .. that is more acceptable because then you don't feel like reading .. I just didn't get the opportunity to read and it was like hell (winter but never Christmas and all that sort of thing!) 

 

Hope you've got your violin ready!

My lovely mum went in to have a hip revision op in October and I needed to up sticks and go and live with her and my dad while she recovered. My lovely dad is disabled .. he has Cerebellar Ataxia and is confined to a wheelchair with limited movement so needs a lot of daily help which my mum normally provides. We didn't know how long it would take for her to be on her feet again or what was going to happen (initially Dad went into respite care for two weeks and I walked to see him everyday) so although I had a date for going I didn't have a date for coming back!! I didn't get home for six weeks and then only for a few days to recharge and go back again. I actually came home for good (although I've been back since) the week before Christmas. 

 

At the beginning it was pretty hard going but then we settled down into something like normality .. though a million miles from what I'm used to. I slept on a sofa bed and had about five to six hours sleep every night as needed to be up early and couldn't go to bed until late (Mum got anxious about bedtimes and delayed going for as long as poss.) There is no quiet place there .. they have TV on LOUD as Dad is a bit deaf and usually the radio on in the kitchen at the same time. Mum read the Daily Mail/Mirror out to me every day .. though I pulled my best 'I'm not really interested' face :D and they have an open house policy where their neighbours are in and out all day .. like Piccadilly Circus!! Also there was just so much to do there with cooking and cleaning and washing and ironing and whatnot. I don't mean to say that I live in a hovel and sit in unwashed clothes all day .. but somehow my system is not like theirs. I seemed to be forever dragging bins out the front of the house and putting them away again and mopping floors.

 

I began to miss home really badly .. I didn't know when I'd get to see it again. We'd given Al's mobile number to a neighbour, in case anything went amiss and one day .. about five weeks in .. she rang it when Al was out driving and he didn't notice until later. We then couldn't get hold of her .. we rang and rang and it just said the line was busy .. leave a message. Left a message. Left another message. Panicked. Rang again. Tried for hours. We never did get hold of her but imagined all sorts of horrors. When we eventually came home we found that she'd just called to talk about the parking situation :D .. she had no idea why her phone wasn't working  :banghead:  

Mum and Dad have always been a great support to me and Al so I was happy to be able to pay them back in a small way but all the same I got a bit cranky and, as I said, missed home and Cirencester and going out for walks and reading etc (didn't even read one sentence!!!!!! :o) and quiet times. I had to develop a thick skin (Mum and I have opposing views on Brexit .. I was happy to keep mine to myself .. Mum ended up shouting at Question Time!! :lol:)

Eventually my cousin said to me that I was probably hampering Mum's progress and that she'd probably get on better without me which has proved to be the case really. Understandably she was making the most of having some permanent help .. never having had any .. but it was making her fairly immobile which wasn't good for her hip/leg. They do have carers coming in now and that's settled into a routine that's helpful to them which is good.

 

So basically that's one of the main reasons why this blog has been so neglected and why I've read next to nothing for the last three months of 2016. It doesn't really account for the lack of reviews .. it just put the tin hat on it!!

I might try and write a few thoughts down on some of the books read. If I can remember. I'll poke my mind with a stick and see if anything useful or even relevant falls out. 

 

I've missed you all .. hope you had a better reading year  :hug:

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Wow Kay, it was nice you were able to do something back for your parents, but I can imagine it must have been difficult. I wish your mum a speedy recovery and I hope you'll feel more rested soon and that you'll enjoy being in your own routine again :). I'm sorry you didn't read anything for three months, I hope 2017 will be a better reading year for you :hug:. Do you plan on making a 2017 book log in due time? I miss your reviews.

 

I hope you have a nice day :friends3:.

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We have missed you Kay... :friends3: nice to see you. You did good going to help look after mum and dad...xx I'm sure they appreciated all the help (but you def need time out for yourself). Hopefully you are back to your own routine now. :D 

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I'm so glad I've had people popping in to keep an eye on the old place. I've only managed to generate 11 pages for this book blog!! Shocking!! The year before I gabbed on for 44 pages! MUST TRY HARDER!!!! I might be able to s-t-r-e-t-c-h it to 12 if I knuckle down and write some of the missing reviews! If I can remember the books that is

 

11 pages vs. 44 pages last year??  :roll2:  I think you may have to make up for it this year! :D  Looking forward to those stretches :D 

 

Alan hated Wake Up Sir! That's of no consequence obviously but I thought I'd mention it. He's seldom stirred into such an aversion but it made him quite angry  

 

:lol: It got him angry? :D Bloody hell :D I think that might actually be more incentive for me to read the book :D 

 

Limping on both legs now. I feel like I'm its carer! I do everything for it but it doesn't reward me with as much as a smile! Ingratitude frankly. If I was richer then it'd be history and boy would I enjoy dismantling it!!    

 

Oh boy :(  When I win the lottery, I'll buy you a new one and then I'll come over and I'll watch you hammer the crap out of the current one  :empathy: 

 

 

I think we disagreed over Nina Stibbe's book (was it Man at the Helm??) It wasn't a violent disagreement or anything .. it never came to blows   

I know .. I'm a great advocate for odd things. Odd is good!! I know it was something about knickers!  

 

No blows :DThe Man at the Helm I don't think was a huge disagreement... I liked the book okay but just not that much. I'm sure there is some other book we've disagreed on more than that one. But I think we can still count those disagreeable books with only two hands (if not one!), and that's saying something. 

 

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I take my hat off to them  .. must be a rewarding job but one to give you brainache!

 

I suppose they are the sort of intelligents that thrive on that sort of brainache... Something I wouldn't know about :D  

 

Oh My Word!! People don't know about Colin Firth!?! .. let alone the wet shirt and the lake and that! Poor people I know there is a lot of deprivation in the world but I didn't know that some people haven't even had a dose of Colin. Sad!

 

The thing is, she knows Colin Firth just fine and loves P&P as much as the next person, but when she had to try and think what movie The Girl with a Pearl Earring was, it didn't ring any bells, not even after I told Colin was on it! :o I mean, he was very hot in that one, too!!! :o 

 

Haha .. yes! One of the most common features of my reviews is the ability for me to completely change my mind by the end of them! It's not fair on a book really .. to have me review it. It shouldn't really be allowed and that's probably why it hasn't been .. on this book blog :lol: 

 

:lol: I'm glad you've finally realized what it was that was keeping you from writing all those reviews! :D 

 

I've now read the details about your stay at home-home, and many huggles to you for getting through it  :hug:  :hug:  You did a splendid job! But I'm also happy that you are now back home, and have time for yourself. I'm so happy to hear that your parents have carers to help them around, and that things are finally getting back to normal for them!  :friends3:   

 

I'm also happy for your cousin's good eye on what's what. Sometimes we are too close to things to be able to see it from an object point-of-view.  :friends3:

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