Onion Budgie

My Tesco Christmas order just arrived, and everything was there, phew! Imagine the horror of no brussels sprouts. Now I can relax. The only things I'm making in advance are the veggie meatballs for Christmas Eve. On the 25th, I'll be baking a cake in the morning, and making the nut roast from scratch in the afternoon. It's going to be intense (but fun!). I can't wait. I hope everyone is enjoying the run-up days!

I always enjoy this topic, too. Here are my answers for the year: Favourite read? - Q's Legacy by Helene Hanff. Favourite author? - Patrick Suskind. Most read author? - It's a tie between Agatha Christie and Patrick Suskind, at three apiece. Favourite book cover? - The Fantastic World of Kamtellar by R. Chetwynd-Hayes. It brings back happy memories of the first time I read it in my teens. Book you abandoned (if there was more than one, the one you read least of)? - N/A Book that most disappointed you?
 - Whiskey Galore by Compton Mackenzie. It was horribly unfunny. Funniest book?
 - Not Whiskey Galore, that's for sure! I'm going for Up Against It by Joe Orton, a film script written for, but rejected by, The Beatles. Favourite literary character? - Hercule Poirot, with his wonderful, plural, moustaches. 
Favourite children's book?
 - N/A Favourite classic?
 - Where Angels Fear to Tread by E.M. Forster. Favourite non-fiction book?
 - Crystal Skulls by Judy Hall. Favourite biography?
 - N/A Favourite collection of short stories? - The Fantastic World of Kamtellar by R. Chetwynd-Hayes. 
Favourite poetry collection?
 - N/A Favourite illustrated book?
 - The Arrival by Shaun Tan. Favourite publisher?
 - N/A Favourite audiobook? - N/A Favourite re-read? - The Fantastic World of Kamtellar by R. Chetwynd-Hayes.

The League of Gentlemen is back! Ep. 1 was earlier tonight. It was great.

Here are mine: Q's Legacy by Helene Hanff. Warm and witty, as always. The Pigeon by Patrick Suskind. A fascinatingly odd main character in this short novella. Days Without End by Sebastian Barry. Absolutely compelling. Brutal and beautiful. Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane. A solid psycho-thriller. Loved the twist at the end. Lord Edgware Dies by Agatha Christie, at her most twisty. One of the better Poirot mysteries.

I finished The Man With a Load of Mischief. Urrrrgh, I retract my two-thumbs-up. The reveal/conclusion was botched and unconvincing. It would have been a 4-star read otherwise. Now on to Tied Up in Tinsel by Ngaio Marsh -- and after that I think I might take a break from murder mysteries for a wee while! (Unless I get tempted by Poirot again.)

I'm just past the halfway mark with The Man With a Load of Mischief by Martha Grimes, and it's REALLY good! If anyone's looking for a Christmassy, snowy, murder mystery, then this one gets two thumbs up.

That's lovely, Athena! I'm just about to start cleaning the main living area so I can put up my own decorations.

I'm about to start The Man With a Load of Mischief by Martha Grimes. I hope I enjoy it.

We had snow too! Being on the coast, we don't often get it. It fell on and off for a couple of hours, sometimes quite thickly, but didn't really settle as the ground was so wet from last night's rain. It made me smile to look out at it, though -- probably because I didn't have to go out in it!

33 as of today, and I should hit 35 by the end of the year. I'm pleased!

Nice one, Talisman. Today I had some leftover veggie bolognese sauce, so I turned it into a cottage pie, and had that with some steamed veg. All sprinkled liberally with tabasco, which is my replacement for Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce now that I'm one of them there vegetarians! Wonderful comfort food on a cold day.

I really enjoyed the Joe Orton documentary that was on BBC2 last night. I've been a fan of his since my teens, and appreciated that the Beeb decided to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his death. Also still watching Robot Wars, and Grand Designs House of the Year!

I'm almost done with Carson McCullers. I just wish that her stories had proper endings. They have a tendency to fizzle out with a damp plop. In addition, they're relentlessly miserable. That's not necessarily a bad thing.

Today: double fried egg, chips & baked beans. But, being me, I'm also adding a pile of other stuff, because vegetables, and because iron. Today, I'm throwing in some marinated tofu, steamed broccoli, sprouts and carrots. It sounds an unholy mixture but it's v. toothsome.

For the first topic, I'm going to be utterly predictable and say Sherlock Holmes, as Sidney Paget drew him. (I can hardly recall a point in my life when SH wasn't in it, in one form or another!) As for books I'm thankful for, that would generally be any LGBT+, and in particular: Maurice by E.M. Forster Queer by William S. Burroughs Sucking Sherbet Lemons (and the other two books in the trilogy) by Michael Carson Other Voices, Other Rooms by Truman Capote All first read when I was in my teens/early 20s.

Well, so far I've had to replace not only the gingerbread cookies, but also the penguin shortbread, oriental rice crackers, and pretzels! OINK OINK. This is not what was supposed to happen! Time is whizzing by. I'll put the decorations up on the 1st, and do my wrapping then as well. My Christmas Eve/Day menus are all sorted. I'm making my 'fancy' veggie nut roast again, the same as last year. The last time I made it was at Easter, so I'm really looking forward to it! How's everyone else getting on?

I finished Shutter Island -- and oh boy, I enjoyed that twisty ending! I was thinking maybe a double twist, but no. Good stuff. 4/5 I'm just about to start The Ballad of the Sad Cafe by Carson McCullers. It's the Penguin Classics edition with other stories included, but it's still fairly short, so I'll easily finish it before the end of the month.

I have two murder mysteries lined up: The Man With a Load of Mischief by Martha Grimes, and Tied Up in Tinsel by Ngaio Marsh. I'm looking forward to them. I haven't read Ngaio Marsh before, but I've heard her style is similar to Agatha Christie, so we'll see. Inver, I've read both Hercule Poirot's Christmas and Mystery in White. Both were enjoyable -- although the former didn't feel particularly Christmassy! I'll also be re-reading The Gift of the Magi at some point. I bought a beautifully illustrated edition of it last year.

I'm just past the halfway mark with Shutter Island, and am enjoying it, although some of the dialogue is strange and unrealistic. (If I find fault with a book, then it tends usually to be with the dialogue. Perhaps that's because I'm a dialogue writer!) It won't take too long to finish, so I'll be able to squeeze in something else before my Christmas reading.

It's a common deficiency, according to a lot of health articles that I've read. Vitamin D is the one supplement that I take every day -- speaking as a fellow shivering Brit! I guess we'll next see the sunshine some time in June!

Midnighter and Apollo was a quick read, and a good one. I've just started Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane, which is a psycho-thriller.

The Monster Club was a fun re-read for me; I'd forgotten a great deal of it. So now that my Halloween reading is over and done with, it's on to Midnighter and Apollo for some superhero action. After that -- I dunno. I'll have to scour my shelves, see how the mood takes me.

@Virginia Mac and cheese as part of a Christmas dinner sounds really strange to me! I've seen it mentioned elsewhere too. It seems to be more of a US tradition. (Good luck with the house move!) @Nollaig Starting your own Christmas traditions with your partner sounds like a wonderful idea.

Clocks going back gets a thumbs-up from me -- until later on today, when it starts getting dark at 5pm! What's cheered me up today: replaying a favourite old PC adventure game -- NiBiRu.

Currently enjoying some of the paranormal programmes showing on the Really channel over Halloween. Ghost Adventures, Ghost Chasers, and Most Haunted. They're a little ridiculous, but I do like them. I've been watching more TV in these past few weeks than I have done in years!