Kell

There are a few recipes in FWDGF too, but it concentrates moreon her own philosophy of life & how it so happens that French women don't tend towards getting fat, as well as how she struggled with her own weight when she first went to America, due to embracing America's food culture, & then how she lost the weight & kept it off.

I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did - it's certainly one of the best books I've read all year! And "Hitchcockian", well, it just fit - it was the one word I could think of that really did describe it.

I nearly broke my chair backing away from the computer desk when I saw it - LOL!

Have just sneakily ordered the sequels from GM - just don't tell Dale!

I was just saying to PP at the weekend, Ive never read the other two books in the series, but I'm going to have to!

It is indeed, PP - quite an interesting read.

AAAaaaRRRRrrrGGGgggHHHHHHhhhh! Spider on the screen! Eeek!

Looks like you've had a very good run of reading then! It's interesting to work all that out, isn't it?

I've never had a meal cooked by a celeb chef - I couldn't afford it & really, although I'm sure the food is delicious, aren't you really paying for the name attached to it? My Grom bakes the most beautiful cakes & egg custards I've ever tasted anywhere. I don't think she's ever entered a baking cometition, but she could walk away with the first prize every time if she did! And my Dad's pastry is to die for - pies & scones that melt in the mouth - mmm mmm mmmmmmm!

That's a shame - I really enjoyed her other book - French Women Don't Get Fat. Have you read that one?

Will be moving onto Gentlemen & Players by Jane Harris tomorrow: A new year has just begun, and for the staff and boys of the school, a wind of unwelcome change is blowing. Suits, paperwork and Information Technology rule the world and Roy Straitley, Latin master, eccentric, and veteran of St Oswald's, is finally - reluctantly - contemplating retirement. But beneath the little rivalries, petty disputes and everyday crises of the school, a darker undercurrent stirs. And a bitter grudge, hidden and carefully nurtured for thirteen years, is about to erupt. Who is Mole, the mysterious insider, whose cruel practical jokes are gradually escalating towards violence - and perhaps, murder? And how can an old and half-forgotten scandal become the stone that brings down a giant?

Wow this sounds like it'd be right up my street - I shall have to get hold of it!

You've been busy with your books, Tiger!

i used to work in an office full of Pratchett fans & come 10:30am & 3:00pm every day, someone would announce very loudly, "Stop working everyone - it's Te-ah-ti-meh!" & we'd all have a cuppa - LOL!

Jue - if you loved this one, you must read Geisha of Gion by Mineko Iwasaki. She was the Geisha with whom Golden collaborated on Memoirs & then she turned her back on it because she was so furious at the way he'd twisted things. Her own autobiography is wonderful & even more moving that Memoirs - I think you'll love it!

Well, if you're interested, Liz, I was just about to add it to my Sale or Swap list...

"... How's it going, pixie? Feeling better?" A fresh wave of rage washes over me, breaking the celebratory mood I've enjoyed for most of the evening. ~ The Nanny Diaries by Nicola Kraus & Emma McLaughlin.

This one sounds really interesting - I think I'll have to look out for it!

The Mistress of Spices Author: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni ISBN # 055299670X Publisher: Black Swan First Published: 1998 317 pages Rating: 7/10 The Blurb: Tilo owns a shop in Oakland, California, where she sells herbs and spices. But Tilo isn't just a shop keeper, she is also the Mistress of Spices. With her knowledge of their secret powers this high priestess of wisdom and magic helps customers find answers to the questions of love, loss and loneliness. But when Tilo herself falls in love with a visitor to her shop, she has to choose between personal happiness and keeping her mystical gift. The Review: There are books that, although nothing much happens, they still give the impression of many things bubbling under the surface

About the Author Author: John Colapinto ISBN # 184115640X Publisher: Fourth Estate First Published: 2001 254 pages Rating: 9/10 The Blurb: Cal Cunningham dreams of writing an autobiographical novel that will help him escape from his life as a penniless bookstore stockboy in upper Manhattan. Yet, after two years of living together, it is Stewart, Cal's studious flatmate who has finished writing a page-turning novel -- based on Cal's life. When a timely, fatal bicycle accident removes Stewart from the scene, Cal appropriates the manuscript as his own and places it in the hands of the legendarily ferocious literary agent Blackie Yeager. Soon Cal realises his most outlandish fantasies of literary success. That is, until he discovers that someone knows his secret. For Cal, this means plotting not just his second novel, but also his first murder. The Review: I may have found a new author to add to my list of favourites! This is the first book I

I'm really enjoying Mistress - it's absolutely charming & not dissimilar in tone to Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman - fillled with natural magic from the moment you start reading. I think I'll be tempted to try more of Divakarni's work...

I also love Susan's no-nonesense approach to things. For example, her employer asks how one should address the third cousin of a Queen, she replies, "We call him Jamie" (if I remember correctly!). Also, how she handles the kids smacks of how my Grandad used to be - I was never told there were no such things as monsters & ghosts - mostly because there are such things! And The Poker was something my Gramps would threaten to use on any bogeyman who tried to scare his granddaughters! The first time I read that whole section, I almost creased myself laughing - especially the "Susan picked a Bogey by it's nose!" She's like most people - someone trying to live a normal life under extraordinary circumstrances. i think we can all relate to that in some way.

I love how Pratchett's Discworld characters all have a basis in "Round World" history. In the case of the Hogfather, he's obviously done a lot of research into old Pagan beliefs & practices - the same basis from which we ended up with Santa Claus, just leaving it a step or two behind where we're currently at. Pratchett does this with many of his main characters - i think it's part of why his books appeal to so many people - there's a realism there that gets under our skin.

The 7th installment, No Humans Involved (starring necromancer Jaime Vegas) is out next year, as is the start of a brand new series, Exit Strategy - I can hardly stand the waiting!

They could have done it over Xmas Eve/Xmas Day - that would have been perfect! Waaahhh! Still, I'm looking forward to it, despite the fact that i've heard they've changed quite a bit of the plot (why? why? why?????)