chesilbeach

Hello!

Sort of in the news, in that I found it on the BBC News website, here's some photos from the Envrionmental Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Absolutely stunning images. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-21899535

Thanks pontalba. If you could roll up all the female voices into one person, you would have a view of all the aspects that a woman was supposed to bring to the society of the time - innocence and virginal before marriage, passionate and excitement as a wife behind closed doors, religious faith outwardly but in private the entertaining gossip - was it possible to be all those things? Do you think you could see all those conflicting elements as a single person? I've read the suggestion that this is a morality tale against the way the aristocrats of pre-Revolutionary France. Do you think this is about the lack of occupation of the filthy rich with nothing better to do with their time, or do you think it's more about the role of women in the society of the period? Personally, I had been thinking it's much more about women's role but as I consider the morality tale, it does seem to work on both levels. These people have nothing to do, and use their servants abominably to better play their games with others affections, when the servants are even mentioned or considered that is.

Due to a bit of a stressful time the last couple of weeks, the giving up sugar went by the wayside, but I have kept up my diet otherwise, and have managed to lose three pounds.

Busy Saturday planned with lots to do. Just having 10 minutes to myself before it all kicks off! Off to deal with lots of paperwork - never a good thing for a weekend, but needs must.

I've seen a few people I follow on Twitter mentioning a YouTube series called The Lizzie Bennet Diaries - a modern adaptation of Pride and Prejudice - so I thought I'd have a look at them. It's like a video blog but made with real actors, each episode about 3-4 minutes long. I've watched the first five and it's quite good, so I'm going to dipping in and out of those, as it fits in nicely with my Jane Austen challenge.

http://blog.waterstones.com/2013/03/waterstones-week-in-books-quiz-22nd-march-2013/ After the highs of last week, it was a low of just 4/10 for me today

After abandoning To The Lighthouse and a bit of a nightmare week last week, I've been comfort reading all weekend, indulging in fluff and nonsense. Today though, I'm going back to something a bit more meaty with a Persephone book, Little Boy Lost by Marghanita Laski, I've downloaded the Kindle Daily Deal, A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar and I've got my book group choice for next month, Room by Emma Donoghue.

Miranda

We've been watching it, but will be recording it to watch later. My profile photo is taken at the café one cliff away from the caravan park featured in the programme! The police station and town are in the village just before the first cliff, then after the cliff you get the caravan park, then another cliff, then my favourite café.

I would agree with a re-read of a favourite book, and one of my other methods is to go for the next book in one of the series I follow in my "pure escapism" selection, such as a YA or paranormal fantasy book, something I know will be entertaining and light, and will have a bit of humour - I usually find something that makes me smile helps my mojo enormously.

Pointless

Just snuck a home made almond biscuit - bit naughty as we'll be eating dinner in just over an hour

You were lucky then! When I left for work at 6:30am, it was just above freezing and I had to scrape the ice off my car

I think the songs that have won from animated films might have a bit more longevity, purely because animated films tend to have longevity as subsequent generations continue to watch them. Two of my favourites from the winning songs would have to be: The Way You Look Tonight - by Fred Astaire (Swing Time) Secret Love - by Doris Day (Calamity Jane)

One thing that interests me, is that the majority of letters are written by the female characters, with the only male voice in the majority of the book coming from Valmont (although there are a few other male letters, these are in the minority). How do you feel this affected the novel? The more I think of it, the more I feel that Valmont is just a catalyst for Laclos to delve into the role of women in the society of the time. I think he's written, with the exception of Merteuil, a host of women who are generally expressing one aspect of the female role at the time, the young innocent girl, the mother seeking security for her daughter, the religious conformist, all to show how their lives were predestined to be wrapped up in the role of wife and mother without any occupation, and that when a woman had the intelligence and potential of Merteuil, it can end up contorting and twisting the individual within the confinements of the strictures of the society she lived in. I think this ends up with essentially one dimensional female characters who describe the condition of women at the time, while Valmont is allowed to be the full character and is allowed to change and almost have redemption by his "sacrifice" in the duel at the end. On the whole, I think Laclos writes the female voice well, but that Valmont is still perhaps the more successful character.

I think you're right that she doesn't say why, but I think the writers implication is that girls aren't told about what to expect from marriage and, in particular, sex. They are brought up away from society, then brought out and expected to marry without any life experience. When someone like Merteuil, who is obviously very bright and intelligent, is left to her own devices with nothing to occupy her, and her only purpose is to marry, this is why she used her time in observation and her own "education". She will have seen what happens to wives and widows, and has obviously decided that she won't conform to what her mother expects and to enter a convent after the death of her own husband, but to ensure she is able to live as an independent woman. In order to do that, she has to maintain the outward appearance of a respectable widow, but she is still only a young woman and wants to find some pleasure in life, and with no close family or friends, she becomes more and more isolated from any influences towards love and companionship, and veers towards the physical pleasures of sex, as well as the pleasure of feeling superior to the rest of society by projecting the outward appearance of elite respectability.

That's been my favourite of the new flavours - I found all the others a bit sickly and I think I even threw the choc fudge one away after two bites!

This weeks quiz: http://blog.waterstones.com/2013/03/waterstones-week-in-books-quiz-15th-march-2013/ A whopping 9/10 for me this week!

After a bit of respite during the day, it's now pouring down again. Still, I've just lit the fire, so it'll soon be nice and toasty here!

I haven't read this one, so I can't recommend it as such, but I love Peter Ackroyd as a writer and if I was looking for something in this area, I'd try his book Tudors: A History of England Volume II

Sorry to hear about your eye problems, Devi.

Just wanted to post a link to this Guardian article to remind myself of this top ten from Saci Lloyd: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/mar/15/teen-book-club-saci-lloyds-top-10-political-books I've read some of the books on the list already, and I've read most of Saci's books too, and enjoyed them all, so this top ten could be the catalyst to add the rest of the books she's mentioned onto my wishlist.

Yippee! I'm not alone Me too

I didn't even know they'd adapted it for television. Although I enjoyed it, and it worked perfectly as a holiday read, it's not a book I'd want to read again to be honest.