Chrissy

The charity anthology, Written In the Stars has not worked out as I would have hoped. I am three quarters of the way through, and think it likely that I will be giving up on it. Although I had expected a range of stories, from heartwarming through to crime story, I hadn't quite expected the crime ones to be quite so 'gritty'. I actually felt quite put off by the clumsy way rape and murder (or the threat of it) were being used as a twist. A few of the stories were ok, just a little cheesy, but I couldn't say there was any that stood out as really good. Such a shame. I will therefore be re reading the Christmas short stories of Jodi Taylor, centred around the characters from her Chronicles of St Marys series. I also bought (UK Amazon 49p) a humungous kindle book entitled '50+ Masterpieces you have to read before you die. Christmas Stories and Poems: A Christmas Carol, A Merry Christmas, A Letter from Santa Claus, Christmas Bells, The Gift of the Magi and others' We have Dickens, Chesterton, Yeats, Trollope, Tennyson, and so many more. This should see me through many a Christmas!

I have been reading my way through the book of Christmas related short stories, Written In The Stars, but I'm not sure that I will carry on with it. Some have been merely corny, while others have been really quite nasty little stories of rape and murder. And none have been so well written I have sought to look up more by any of the authors. Although I'm not uncomfortable reading gritty stories, I felt where such grit was included in these stories, it was mishandled, and being used as a (too) dark twist in the story. A week ago I bought (for 49p on Amazon UK) 50+ Christmas Masterpieces, that contains such writers as Dickens, Thackeray, Yeats, Hardy, Trollope and Chekhov. I may take a glance into this. To keep things lighthearted I have also decided to re-read the Christmas short stories written by Jodi Taylor, from her Chronicles of St Mary's series. I dunno.....what I do for a Christmas Reading Challenge. 😉

It snowed here yesterday, and settled. It made everything look magical, although driving in and out of the village was fun! Most of the local roads were pretty clear, and everyone was taking it quite slow in case of icy patches. It has been melting and drippy all day, and we are expecting freezing temperatures tonight. Driving out tomorrow should be stimulating especially as we have to collect a friend and drive them somewhere, on top of our weekly food shopping trip.

I'm glad you are enjoying it, I found it a quietly compelling read. That's what I thought! I have read three stories so far, and they are very short. Although I usually prefer my short stories to be a little longer (novella?), this selection means I can start and finish a story in a quick sitting, which has been useful so far.

Started and quickly finished The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. I had forgotten what a quick read it is. To carry on reading with a Christmas theme I bought a 'charity anthology' of short stories by various authors, called Written In The Stars. It was 99p on kindle UK.

As part of the Christmas Reading Challenge, I started and finished The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. I had forgotten just how short the book is, and just how annoying Edmund is! To keep on reading within a Christmas theme, I have bought for my kindle a 'charity anthology' for 99p, Written In The Stars. This collection of short stories should keep me going for a little while.

I only buy for a few people now, so the planning and peripherals are really simple, which is great. I managed to finish to last of my card writing today. I made some last year (very, very simple things with a star shape and a button - nothing like @lunababymoonchild 's wonderful creations), but this year just did not have the motivation, so have bought them. For the past few years we have taken to having our Christmas meal on Christmas Eve, and enjoying leftovers (especially bubble 'n' squeak) on the day itself. We really enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of doing things this way. This year we have been invited to join my son and his partner for the day, so will be travelling up first thing on Christmas Eve, and returning first thing Boxing Day. We have bought little gifts for them both, and some other 'bits' like crackers, and posh ground coffee and some special flavoured seas salt and that kind of thing. It should be a lovely visit.

My favourite fish recipe is for Kedgeree, where I poach in milk salmon, cod and smoked haddock pieces and then add them, along with chopped boiled eggs to a spicy curried rice. I have no idea whether this is a true recipe, as I have been known to mangle a recipe to suit tastes or resources! Another I enjoy is wrapping a piece of salmon in a foil or paper parcel with chopped leeks and sweet chilli sauce. Bake in the oven until cooked through. I usually serve this with salad or new potatoes and green beans.

I have just finished reading The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. This was for part of the Christmas Reading Challenge. The kindle version is currently 99p on the Amazon UK site, although I have shockingly had my (until this week, unread) copy since 2012! It is a retelling of a Russian fairy tale, set in 1920's Alaska. There is ambiguity within the story that I think enhances it, and I was captivated by descriptions of the landscape in which the story is set.

I read The Adventure of The Blue Carbuncle at the weekend. And enjoyable Sherlock Holmes short story. A typical tale in a familiar setting. As I have struggled with my reading over the past couple of year, I had wondered if I would The Snow Child hard work, so decided to get started on that. I finished last night, after a few days of really enjoying my reading times. It's a gentle read in many ways, and despite feeling like I knew exactly where the story would head, I enjoyed a couple of surprises. So onward to Narnia, and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. I may have to add more Christmas stories and books to my list, as this challenge has somewhat prodded the embers of my subdued reading.

Tiffany is a fave of mine too! I always loved Thursday Next from Jasper Fforde's series in which she is the central character. I prefer characters who are nuanced, their character faults as highlighted as their positive attributes.

I hope you are fully recovered now @Hux. Well done @Brian.. I'm glad the weather behaved itself for you. I met my great-niece for the first time yesterday. She is two, and an absolute sweetie. It was also lovely to catch up with my nephew and his lovely wife. They currently live in U.A.E. so it's been a few years since I have seen them.

I love Shetland, and having visited a few times, it's great to be able to say "We know that house / road / beach!" It speaks well of Ann Cleeves to say she is jealous of the inclusion of Tosh. And Tosh is such a Ann Cleeves type character too! It was nice to read that Steven Robertson who plays Sandy is a Shetlander.

Mystery wise I think I will join you with Sherlock, @lunababymoonchild and The Adventure Of The Blue Carbuncle, if you are OK with that. For the Children's story, if it is considered a legitimate contender, I would really enjoy a re read of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Father Christmas certainly makes an appearance! For the Snow covered / entitled book, I was thinking perhaps The Snow Child. It's a book I have had for a long while, but never got around to reading.

5 feet?! That is a very tricky amount to contend with in one hit.

Wow! Stunning work @lunababymoonchild In the best possible sense, you are very crafty!

I will write a novel about...the next steps in my heart and will look forward to seeing the rest. Wow! Mine is almost a fortune cookie read. Very vague and positive.

Floor Plan

My favourite pick-me-up song! Thank you muggle not! Thanks P! I have heard 'Bring Me Sunshine' at two funerals in recent years, and have been delighted by it. Such heart warming lyrics. I suppose I'd better post something on topic..... Ain't No Sunshine - Bill Withers

Oh, Poppy! You must have been feeling so rough with that, Glad you are home, and hopefully you are feeling better,

I should clarify that I have read the series previously, with the exception of the last one, so was planning on zipping through them to get to the final book with the story and characters firmly in my head! I LOVE the series, and look forward to doing as planned, just at a later stage. I will definitely be looking up Fly By Night though. Thank you for the recommendation. Trying to be sensitive to the needs of my temperamental reading mojo, but boy it's a chore sometimes. With this in mind, I decided on a detour into non-fiction, so am currently reading 'Shadowlands - A Journey Through Lost Britain' by Matthew Green. It was 99p on a kindle deal, and the first sentence of the blurb mentioned two 'lost' places I have visited and been intrigued by; Skara Brae, located on Orkney, and Wharram Percy a deserted medieval village in North Yorkshire. How could I NOT buy it. I also bought a recommended kindle version of Chaucer's 'The Canterbury Tales', plus a paperback version onto which I intend on making notes. The thought of reading this has been in my mind for absolute years, so I decided to get what I needed for when I am ready to dive in! This weekend is more of a paperwork weekend, so I will be sticking with suguru number puzzles and a cryptic crossword. That'll keep my brain busy!

A wonderful series of YA books that I regularly recommend is Angie Sage's Septimus Heap series of books, starting with 'Magyk'. I would say they are better than the Harry Potter *ducks in case of projectiles being thrown*: in the writing style, the themes, and the overall story that wends it way through the seven books that make up the series.

Hello Agnieszka. Not real crime related, but certainly suspenseful, I would recommend Sebastian Fitzek. I have read a few of his novels now, and they are gripping from start to end. I have read 'Therapy', 'Splinter', and 'The Eye Collector'.

I think this is a really nice idea. I have been feeling disconnected from the forum for a while now (my own 'stuff' - not to do with the forum AT ALL), and this would be a lovely way to reconnect. So a purely selfishly motivated 'Yes!' from me.

I have now had both my winter flu jab, and my covid booster. With both I just had a sore arm overnight, but was fortunate to have no other side effects, which I know can range from 'a bit yuck' to 'bloody awful' (< quotes from friends!) I hope that you and your wife enjoyed your Washington visit and that your annual physicals went well.