Sarahrob

I love Roald Dahl. The imagination in his stories is fantastic. I love the Quentin Blake illustrations as well - they really bring the books to life!

Growing up we had no money at all, so my grandad used to keep ducks, rabbits and chickens. Being a bit thick, I never twigged that every time a chicken would go missing (it would run away, or would go back to the farm or one of a million other reasons), we would eat chicken for lunch. It never occurred to me that the missing chicken was sitting on the table surrounded by roasties...

I don't think I could eat a fish I'd caught. Much as I hate to buy fish from a supermarket, I would rather do that than have to kill it myself! All the scaling and gutting... bleurgh! :nono: I can't even bring myself to peel a prawn. My theory is: if it can see me then I don't want to eat it! I still haven't quite recovered from ordering half a lamb from a farm in Wales and receiving... half a lamb. Not a box full of joints and chops, rather a box looking like an unfinished Damien Hurst installation. :shock: Somtimes I like to entertain a little dream of escaping to the country and producing my own food. Then I remember my reaction on opening that box and suddenly urban living doesn't seem so bad!

Didn't confuse me!! I agree in some ways with Bad Food Britain - there isn't a fishmongers within 20 miles of where I live, and I live on the coast for goodness' sake! On the other hand, fantastic food, produced in an ethical way by people with a passion for it, is more available than it has been for decades - if you want to look for it. Most of the butchers and grocers I use operate delivery services, some even have websites and online shopping. It is still an effort. To find good meat I have to really hunt it down, but within 3 miles of my house there are 2 Macdonalds, a KFC, a Domino's pizza place, a Dial-a-pizza and more chippies than you can shake a stick at (not to mention 2 Somerfields, an Iceland, an Asda, an Aldi and 2 Tescos). It's hard to compete with such convenience!

I had never really had a "to read" pile until I joined RISI, so this was never an issue! Now I tend to read whatever is top of the pile. Unfortunately, I don't manage my books very well, so the book at the top of the pile is normally the last book I bought or swapped, and the books at the bottom will probably never be read.

You are right Inanna, it looks lovely. Let us know what you think (I might have a look at that one myself!).

I made the mistake of reading three in a row, and by the end of book three it felt whiny. Individually they were all great books though!

I used to love reading in the bath, but the bathroom in this house is tiny so we had the bath ripped out and a shower installed. Now I read anywhere: sprawled on the floor, on a sofa, on a deckchair, in bed...

I thought this had some good ideas, but I couldn't warm to any of the characters so didn't really enjoy the book.

Somewhere I have got a box set of records for The Hobbit. I used to love them and listen to them non-stop. Sadly, I no longer have a record player, but one day I'll get someone to put them onto CDs for me.

Yum - pasta with tomatoes and mozarella. Delish!

It was OK - reasonable but nothing fantastic. I was expecting something profound, which it certainly wasn't. Maybe my relationship with my mum is too good for me to appreciate it fully!

Finished the Third Victim and I loved it - it was surely my favourite of the three. 9/10 Have started Arthur and George.

I tried to listen to an audio book in the car, but ended up concentrating on the book and not on my driving :shock: I have listened to books on the radio, but prefer to read as I can then dictate my own pace.

I didn't think so, but now I'm not sure. I've got a 3-in-1 book with the Perfect Husband, The Other Daughter and the Third Victim. I'm about 3/4 of the way through the Third Victim, and I'm sure I recognise Rainie and Quincy. Maybe I've read others and just don't remember.

The Other Daughter by Lisa Gardner. I preferred this one to the Perfect Husband. 8/10

I like Troilus and Cressida, but my favourite is Othello - I love Iago as he is such a fantastic villain! The last time I went to see it was about three or four years ago in Manchester, where Andy Serkiss played Iago. It was a fantastic performance. I also love Macbeth. I bought a copy of Macbeth from a jumble sale when I was about 7 years old and just fell in love with it. I've been to see it many times. I like a Midsummer Night's Dream, Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing and the Merchant of Venice. Another favourite is Coriolanus.

The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory. Enchanting 9/10. The Perfect Husband by Lisa Gardner. Unbelievable in parts but the tension built well and the suspense kept me reading. 7/10.

This is the first time I have read one of Philippa Gregory's historical novels and I thought it was fantastic. I knew a little about Katherine, but didn't know of her childhood, and that part of the novel was a revelation.

I have read Perfectly Correct and the Constant Princess. I enjoyed them both, but preferred the Constant Princess.

sorry to hear that Tiger!! You will make agreat Ethel though, and we will be proud of you anyway! :that: That's not a completely bad thing Tiger, as you get to have a laugh and enjoy the production without the weight of the responsibility

Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem. Fascinating, memorable and incredibly touching. 10/10 Faithless by Karin Slaughter. Exactly as expected. 8/10

Me too. There are certain books I will always go back to as they are completely undemanding and have the comfortable familiarity of a pair of old slippers

I've never seen the film, but I did enjoy the book. I liked the eeriness of it and the relative simplicity. I wasn't convinced by the relationship of the main character and... can't remember the name... Edith? I read it a few years ago, but I still remember the atmosphere of it, where I have forgotten most of his other books.

Leftover salad: noodles, duck, peppers, spring onion and cucumber. Gorgeous