Chrissy

This made me snort, as I 100% understand what you mean.

Let me start with a WOO! Then let me add a HOO! As in ................................................. Congratulations, what a long process to have gone through, what a brilliant and well deserved result!

I think you should come and tell us about what you ate as it sounds like sucha terrific variety of food.

Neil Gaiman's 'Neverwhere' was a novel based on his television series, and is wonderful. I think so long as the writer has creative vision and loves his subject matter then a 'novelisation' (yep that is an awful term) can be really good.

I sometimes have dreams that are so vivid I find it hard to distinguish between them and reality ~ although I usually get there! I make a terrific own-version Chicken Biryani. I get up at 4 am most days. I love to dance, but married a man who hates to. Go figure! I don't believe I am yet the person I was meant to be, although I do feel I am closer to being that person.

Nothing beats this Muggle Not. I am putting forth another word, although LOVE is definitely THE WORD! My word is SMUDGE. How squidgy and grubbilicious a word is this?

The audio book is utterly wonderful. The bring-it-to-life reading by Lyndam Gregory is magical and I found it so easy to invisage what was taking place. I don't know whether having read the book many years ago helped with my joy at listening to the book, but I thoroughly recommend it ~ and am happy to lend you my copy if you like. I found my hours of gardening flew by while listening to this.

26) I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett I have so enjoyed reading the Tifany Aching series of YA books by Terry Pratchett, and I just wish they had beem around when I was younger, as I could have doen with reading their wisdom. In this story, Tiffany faces The Cunning, an evil entity that spreads hate and discord against witches. He has targetted Tiffany and she must face him, in addition to dealing with the emergence of a new witch, Roland's marriage and the Baron's death. I have heard that this is the last of the series, and although I appreciate an author stopping at a great point where the future awaits the characters and we are in hope, I am sad to say goodbye to this remarkable character.

Thanks for the recommendations Raven, I am looking forward to reading more by him. I really enjoyed the read, and great questions asked!

It's terrific isn't it? You should pop along to the Reading Circle section and maybe give Maureen's questions on The Graveyard Book a go.

Oh that's fab, and the great thing is that the people that do attend will be fans like you, not just random walk-inners! Are you going to get a book signed? If so, which one?

I think covering them would definitely prevent this from happening. You can get archiving bags and sheets specifically to keep paper documents etc 'safe', but in a domestic environment I would think that a thick or lined curtain would be more than adequate. My husband has some very old books and documents, and instead of displaying the on book shelves, he keeps them safe and flat in a chest of drawers. This appears to work.

I had been reading and loving The Chronicles Of Narnia for some time before I heard someone else say the name Narnia, and I was floored. For some reason my head had alwayd read the word as Nar-Rar-Nia. Not much in it I know, but enough to send a shiver of doubt through me. PS that E in Enid always bothered me, although I like the use of a signature.

7) Which group do you think were right, and would you have joined them? I didn’t feel that any group had it completely right. The Isle of Wight group were the closest for me by thinking logically while taking into account human nature, but additionally the saw the enemy as the Triffids rather than any future potential other group. I think I would have wanted to remain at the house in the country, a small group that get on and work together. 8) Are women portrayed well in Triffids? What do you think are their strengths and weaknesses? The women are all pretty weak and feeble, seen to have little contribution to make to discussions, decisions and planning. I like to believe that this reflects the era in which the novel was written rather than the heartfelt viewpoint of Mr Wyndham. Josella was perceived to be a rather racy writer, although she comes across not so much as a sexy feminist as she does a woman who had indulged an aspect of herself through her writing and had since moved on. She seeks security in the novel, through her attachment to Bill and her desire to make her friend’s home her destination. Susan was well written, although a tad to sparsely for me. She is practical and calm and determined from the start. She doesn’t want to leave her brother until she knows he is definitely dead, but once this happens she looks toward the next step. Her observations on the Triffids are treated dismissively by Bill until he sees for himself that what she has noted about their behaviour is true. She just gets on with life without philosophising about it or bemoaning her fate. 9) The Day of the Triffids was first published in 1951, and a lot has changed in the world since then. How do you feel the book has dated? Does it show its age, or is it a timeless classic? The portrayal of women is dated, but beyond that I think the book could be set at any time in the last 60 years. If you wrote in a few mobile ‘phones and the internet it could be set in the present. How people might behave is captured well in the book, although to a degree more people now would not necessarily agree with blindness being an end to usefulness. Changing attitudes have positively taught us that the blind are differently abled rather than disabled. Despite the horror felt at the outset, this would have been replaced with a concerted effort to get the blind organised and trained. As discussed here, Wyndham neatly sidestepped any long term problems with the massed blind by sending a plague in to slice through the entire population. 10) Bill and Josella hit things off pretty quickly; the day after they first meet they are contemplating having children together, is this convincing? (do you think it would have taken longer, or do you feel a real-life Josella would have ditched Bill when they met up with a larger group?). I agree that this reflects the post war attitude, but also I think it indicates that here are two fairly like-minded people whom circumstance has thrown together. They get on well enough, a fact that is established straight away, so from their perspective it is prudent to stay close to each other both for survival’s sake and companionship’s sake. This situation didn’t jar as much as it might have had this been a story about a normal boy meets girl scenario. Desperate times lead to haste in decisions. 11) Is this the first post-apocalyptic you have read? If yes, would you read another? I have read a number of different post-apocalyptic and dystopian novels, and enjoy the genre. The Day of the Triffids is a worthy addition to my P-A reading. 12) Is this the first John Wyndham novel you have read? If yes, would you read another? I have read The Midwich Cuckoos, and plan on reading more John Wyndham.

I was ok with TTTW adaptation, as I went into it feeling that it would be so difficult to get across what it needed to from the book there would be cuts and changes all over the place, and there was. My biggest gripe with the film was that I felt it made Clare too weak and pathetic, whereas she is feisty and strong in the book.

I love 'The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd' and used it as part of my dissertation many years ago. A very clever book.

OK, I only have the one word to use, and I think I just invented it ~ Yummajammalicious!

Sorry I wasn't able to stay beyond an hour ~ but I really enjoyed what I did join in with, and have a list of 14 MUST SEE films now. Thanks Chesilbeach for organising it.

What an extraordinary video ~ visually stunning. The music is not what I expected to hear at all, but I really enjoyed that ~ reminiscent of early Massive Attack with great compelling lyrics and a beat and melody that slays you.

My husband sends cards to male friends and family members, although he usually gets me to buy them! He and his brother tend to get funny or rude cards for each other, while he has a friend who loves Japanese art, so will often seek those out for him. Different people do different things don't they? Sometimes it's a cultural thing, and other times it's just what one person chooses to do while another wouldn't. For example, you think it is quite a strange thing to do, and so does my Dad, whereas both my husband and my brother do send them.

This is how I feel. It's the writing, not the nationality, and I have many of each on my shelves.

This mad gorgeous wonderful woman has sent me 'Girl Meets Boy' by Ali Smith ~ Thank you Chesilbeach. It is sitting next to me on the sofa ~ I won't be letting this one reach the TBR shelf.

I didn't realise that you liked JLS, you've never indicated that you do!

Hugs to you all as individuals , and hugs especially to you Hyzenthlay . The incomprehensible has taken place in Norway, and as a nation it will take time to heal. There truly seems to be so much hurt in the world right now, through war, famine, terrorism. Global prayers / thoughts / vibes are needed, heartfelt and often.

You will cope Ben, it wil just take a little time and some proper positive action and thinking. Break ups are horrendous, and you do feel like you will never again have someone in your life who 'gets you' the way that person did, but you truly truly will. Don't allow yourself to wallow too much (a little is healthy, too much and you are likely to keep yourself from moving forward), and remember that you have life changing experiences heading your way that may well have triggered the end of this relationship anyway. She isn't the love of your life, she was the love of this stage of your life. Remember that all things evolve and change. Be gracious in any dealings you have with her from now, and allow yourself to be dignified and calm. I promise you that you will move forward from this, life will not only feel better but will be better. You are at the beginning of the next stage of your life ~ embrace that. In the meantime, you have lts of virtual shoulders to lean on and lots of ears into which you can talk.