Polka Dot Rock

Ditto, Judy! I hate it when I don't have one in mind. Planning your next book is kinda cool too, as sometimes I'm quite surprised by what I fancy. I really want to read The Crimson Petal & the White, and last week I was starting to worry I wouldn't get around to reading it!

Mood and subject is a big thing with me: I'm quite an instinctive person so I tend to pick up what I fancy at that time. Although, ahem, new books do have an occasionally sneaky way of pushing to the front of the queue It doesn't mean I abandon the others tho'!

List Updated In celebration of the centenary of Daphne du Maurier's birth, I have embarked upon My Cousin Rachel. I was really tired last night, so I've only managed Sally Beauman's introduction and the first chapter but what a first chapter! Very eerie and atmospheric. Tonight, I'll be off to watch BBC2's du Maurier-tastic programming (and hopefully have a glance at Eurovision too!). I've decided to order Rachel Cusk's Arlington Park from GreenMetropolis as I read a really good review this afternoon (plus it's been nominated for the Orange Prize so that means there will be all but one of the shortlist in the house!). Years ago, I read a short story of hers (which was beautiful) then her first novel (Saving Agnes, thought it was okay), so I'm definitely up for exploring more of her recent work

Ooh definitely! I even lost it a bit at the beginning of this week, but have now found it again. I think reading a really cracking book helps the mojo along

Ah, how lovely! Belated Congratulations, by the way! (On the fashion theme: I really enjoyed your article that featured in Elle magazine last year. Like I always thought, being a writer and an interest fashion can go together, lol) Funnily enough, this has just reminded me of another question I've been meaning to ask: Throughout all your novels, 'family' is a strong feature, both narrative-wise and thematically - especially the bonds and secrets between certain members. As well as Esme and Kitty, I'm also thinking of Alice and her sisters, as well as Anne and Elspeth in After You'd Gone, and the sisters in The Distance Between Us. Has your own family influenced this or do you mainly seek inspiration in others? (As you mentioned in your reply to Gyre's question about the "grandmother's cousin") Has your perception of writing families changed since you started a 'new' one with your son and husband?

I finished The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time last night: I absolutely loved it! I can completely understand why it's been so successful. I thought Chris a wonderful character, and the narrative is so strong that it really made me see everything from Chris's point of view. Really, I want to write more about it as I just thought it was so brilliantly written

I have a non-literary question, but one that I find equally important... Have you bought any more Vivienne Westwood shoes lately, Maggie? I once read an interview where you were showing off a gorgeous pair of red ones!

Wahey! It's going to be a DdM-tastic weekend! Paula - you're in for a treat! Judy - persuading people you know to read DdM will work just as well

Ah yes, I love holidays for reading time!! It's like my own personal annual challenge

Aw Jules! I thought everyone would laugh at me suggesting this! Have you read Rebecca before? (BTW: The Hitchcock film of Rebecca will be on BBC2 in the afternoon on Saturday. But tape it if you're reading the book! )

Once I finished my current book, I'm thinking of picking up My Cousin Rachel in honour of Ms du Maurier's birthday Anyone else care to join me in starting to read a Daphne du Maurier this weekend, in time for the celebration? (I'm getting sentimental aren't I? Oh well!)

Yes, I know what you mean: if it's a cheap copy then I can usually get over it, but I like nice font and thoughtful spacing! I think it sometimes has something to do with me being mildly dyslexic. Or just incredibly fussy!

Y'know, I never realised that! Great point!

Weekdays, I tend to read in bed every night. When the weather's better, I often read in the evenings in the nice armchairs in the conservatory bit of our house. On weekends, I can go insane and read for hours which is really how I read a book-a-week!

Hello again Maggie! What inspired/prompted you to write Esme Lennox? Was there a specific issue that you thought was interesting and wanted to explore? (The review in the Guardian talked a lot about 'the Orphans of the Raj', which Esme certainly appears to be a part of - was that something you heard about first or did that come with research?) Also musicians always get asked who/what inspired their new album, so what particularly inspired Esme Lennox? Lots of questions there, sorry! Think of me as a fluffy, bookish version of Jeremy Paxman And amateur

I've heard good things about the biographical drama on Saturday night (Daphne, BBC2) :eek2: Apparently she comes out of it quite well, which makes a change from most literary dramas! The Rick Stein documentary has had mixed views, some say it's a bit low on substance. But I'll still watch it. Apparently, at one point he states that "she was absolutely heterosexual"... Which isn't exactly the view the drama takes! Oh dear, Rick: are we a bit uncomfortable discussing these things?

I'm with you h&d I read it last year and really, really, erm... enjoyed is too weird a word for it! :eek2: But it made it into my top 5 books of 2006 as I was completely gripped by it. One of my good friends read it very recently and she loved it! Couldn't read it at night tho'...

What's tempting you, Jules?

Thanks O's, for your powers of resurrection I've just finished Watchmen by Alan Moore & David Gibbons and I loved it! Thought it was extremely powerful and a beautifully constructed novel, graphic or no. I'm also continuing to enjoy Joss Whedon's new Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8 comic series. It's so popular that I've had to place a standing order from now on!

I finished Watchmen this afternoon and I think it's amazing: the ending is completely devastating and unexpected. Incredibly powerful stuff... I'll write more on it once I've had chance to mull it over a wee while, as it was quite an intense read (but entertaining too). Still not sure what to make of Norwegian Wood, so I picked up The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon (which I found last week in a charity shop for 50p!). John Mullan referred to it quite a lot on How Novels Work (see above), so I thought I'd give it a whirl. I'm really, really enjoying it so far. It's two of my favourite things in a novel - funny and poignant, and Chris' narrative voice is incredibly strong. I feel protective of him already! One of my oldest friends' has a cousin who has Aspergers Syndrome and I know she has Dog in the Night Time, so I'll be interested to know what she thinks about the way it features in the book.

Virago link for The Big Fat Bitch Book For Girls I'm not sure what else she has written, but I've read through a few chapters of The Big Fat Bitch Book and I think it's great! Very funny and very thought-provoking. I'd highly recommend it for anyone with teenage daughters, too It's a double-sided book: one side is a polemical/philosophical discussion for women, and when you flip it over, it's an advice book for teenagers. It's great! I wish it had been around when I was at school.

I finally finished How Novels Work by John Mullan as I was dipping into it over the last few months: WONDERFUL book, a must for anyone who loves their fiction. He makes things so easy to grasp, and the range of novels he uses to demonstrate his point is fabulous: I also loved the way he used 18th and 19th Century texts alongside modern novels to further explain his points. Incredibly readable: it should be a set text from A Level, methinks. Watchmen is continuing to live up to the hype: incredibly complex graphic novel that still compels you to read it. I can see why the film is stuck in pre-production hell - I have no idea how anyone could do it! Beautiful artwork too, and the gory bits aren't in-your-face, so that pleases me (Me and fictional violence: Violent text - fine, violent images - haunted for weeks!) I've cracked on with Norwegian Wood too, but I'm not actually sure if I'm enjoying it. I feel it's too reminiscent of other novels I've read and I don't know if I care enough about what's happening to continue. It seems to mythologise women too, which is fine but boring - I feel like I've read it all before. I have a sneaky suspicion that it was actually quite groundbreaking at the time of release, but that it's been a bit too influential (hence reminding me of other novels). It's a bit humourless too, so I don't feel like I'm getting much enjoyment from it. So, I don't know whether to carry on. It's very readable but I don't know if I'm in the right frame of mind...

I have to say, I'm not entirely sure! I really want to re-read it at some point, so I'll have to keep that in mind. I imagine it's one of those books that really pays off with repeated reading.

Aw, brilliant! I really hope you like it Paula, it was one of my reading highlights of last year (I read it during the heatwave, of all times ). Please keep us updated on what you think of it as you go along

I read it last summer and LOVED it! Wonderful novel, definitely want to read it again I'm reading Watchmen by Alan Moore & dave Gibbons at the moment, which is one of Susanna Clarke's favourite books and I can see already how it inspired her own work. The ending of Jonathan Strange made me cry! Very unusual for me