[Music's Best Decade??]

'60s for me, no contest. Beatles, Stones, Dylan... what more could one want?

[World Cup Crisps]

I shall update this with my thoughts as I experience each flavour:

 

American Cheeseburger

Argentinean Flame Grilled Steak

Australian BBQ Kangaroo - bizarre but rather nice, makes me want to try real kangaroo

Brazilian Salsa

Dutch Edam Cheese

English Roast Beef & Yorkshire Pudding

French Garlic Baguette - yummy!!!

German Bratwurst Sausage

Irish Stew

Italian Spaghetti Bolognese - ok, but tastes nothing like Spaghetti alla Bolognese

Japanese Teriaki Chicken - scrumptious if a bit spicy

Scottish Haggis

South African Sweet Chutney - completely mislabelled, too spicy for my tastes

Spanish Chicken Paella - ok, but tastes nothing like Chicken Paella

Welsh Rarebit

[Old Books? Dickens]

If you're looking for an evaluation, AbeBooks should be your first port of call I volunteer in a second-hand bookshop and when pricing books we always refer to Abe when in doubt.

[Help please - Indian love poem or quote]

No problem happy stitching incidentally, the rest of the (small) book is just as lovely, Gibran's got a gift of saying oh so true things with startlingly stunning simplicity so it's a definite recommendable!

[Help please - Indian love poem or quote]

In The Prophet, Kahil Gibran has this to say on marriage - I think it's beautiful :

 

You were born together,

and together you shall be forevermore.

 

You shall be together when the white wings

of death scatter your days.

 

Aye, you shall be together even in the

silent memory of God.

 

But let there be spaces in your togetherness,

And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.

 

Love one another, but make not a bond of love.

Let it rather be a moving sea between

the shores of your souls.

 

Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.

Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.

 

Sing and dance together and be joyous,

but let each of you be alone,

 

Even as the strings of a lute are alone

though they quiver with the same music.

 

Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.

For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.

 

And stand together, yet not too near together.

For the pillars of the temple stand apart,

 

And the oak tree and the cypress

grow not in each other's shadow.

[84 Charing Cross Road / The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff]

Though it's at 108 Charing Cross Road, the remainder shop Bookends is considered the heir of 84 for some reason... I used to know the reason but I've forgotten it I'll have to go and refresh my memory on site one of these days, then I can report back.

[Why I love books?]

They take us away from ourselves and our inherent narcissism

Wonderfully put !

[World Cup Crisps]

Alright, I own up to not having actually seen these around. Where does one get hold of them *observes nonchalantly as diet dives headfirst out of the nearest window*?

[84 Charing Cross Road / The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff]

I reviewed this for my 2009 book log glad you enjoyed it too Janet.

[Why I love books?]

I love books because they feed the basic, instinctual need which all of us have to be told stories; because within their pages I always find freedom, inspiration, and hope for mankind; because through them I can enter into communion with the soul of another and emerge with a mind more open, as well as a heart more full; because, for better or worse, masterpiece and dross alike, every book I read helps shape me into the person I'm meant to be.

[What do you want on the shelves?]

Agreed on both counts, Nienna - much as I love pink and glittery things, I don't particularly want to read pink and glittery books about a lifestyle I couldn't be less interested in; and, if a revival of Frankeinstein-esque freaky fiction happened, I'd be a very happy bunny indeed.

[Favorite Poet?]

PoeT, hey_books, not PoeM .

[What's for dinner?]

I forgot to defrost anything for tonight:lurker: so I had to call the lovely Sardinians down the road that they might rescue us with real pizza! I'm having a Quattro Formaggi (mozzarella, gorgonzola, pecorino - mmm, sheep's cheese!!! - and parmesan), and OH a Sfiziosa (tomato, mozzarella, fresh sausages, pepperoni and ham). Nom nom nom !

[Never ending BOOK titles: words in common]

White Fang - Jack London.

[What really bugs you?]

That sucks Giulia. Does this colleague know you're supposed to be sitting down whenever possible?

She does, I'm afraid when she came to ask me if she could have the till I dithered a bit and explained about my leg before getting up when she said she wasn't feeling well; when I came to see if she was feeling better I told her I was having difficulty moving around and she said she would rather stay sitting down - which is not the problem, I'm injured rather than ill and wouldn't want her to have fainted, but a little gratitude would have not gone amiss...!

[Wicked - Gregory Maguire]

There's also a sequel to son of a witch, A Lion Among Men !

[What really bugs you?]

People who, having been on the receiving end of considerate behaviour, return none me and my manager (who wasn't in today) are agreed that I should man the till if at all possible given that I have serious problems standing up and climbing stairs. Today I'd barely sat down when a colleague I've never met asked me if she could take my place, as she was feeling ill and dizzy. I left her my spot and, when she told me with less than an hour to go till the end of the shift that she preferred to stay there until the end, I told her it was fine and proceeded to stand and climb stairs once more. Did I receive a 'thank you' for having sacrificed my own physical wellbeing for hers, d'you think?

[Jewellery Thief]

This is a wild stab as I've only read the blurb of this one, but The Coral Thief by Rebecca Stott might fit your bill.

[A Fantasy book for a psychopath girl...]

I shouldn't think Stardust would be a problem, Gaiman's pretty big The Book of Flying might be a bit harder to get hold of but if you can, I assure you it is worth the wait.

[A Fantasy book for a psychopath girl...]

Hello off the top of my head, my recommendations to you are (both are standalone books, you'll be happy to hear!):

 

- Neil Gaiman, Stardust (about a young man who crosses into the world of Faerie to catch the falling star he's promised to the girl he loves)

- Keith Miller, The Book of Fire (about a librarian of books only he reads on a quest for a pair of wings so that he may win the heart of a winged girl)

 

The Book of Fire is a bit mature in places - I thought I'd mention this as I don't know how old you are - but it's one of the most beautiful, moving, meaningful books I've ever read so I couldn't not suggest it.

[Migraines / Headaches]

Best of luck with your new treatment Madcow, I hope it works out for you .

[Your Book Activity Today - Thread 10]

I skim-read The Suspicions of Mr Whicher in work today, I've never been a fan of crime true or otherwise but this was rather interesting and Kate Summerscale sure can turn a pretty sentence.

[What are you listening to? (part 3)]

Empty Chairs at Empty Tables - Michael Ball aka the singing teddy bear (from Les Miserables: The Complete Symphonic Recording).

[Book Condition]

... that's inexcusable, and to my mind your boyfriends BFF should have the decency to buy you a new copy/the book's RRP so you can replace it!

[Sara's reading]

Delighted to hear you enjoyed Hercules Barefoot, it was an impulse buy of mine back in the day and I ended up loving it as much as I had fallen in love with the title; I've been recommending it to all and sundry ever since .