poppyshake

Ooh .. that didn't take you long .. bet that box smells lovely Hope it is kind to you Look forward to finding out what the box decides Take your courage in both hands!

Yay!! .. I have won the eBay auction *takes bow*. Which means I have the first, third and last of the Malory Towers books or will have when they get here Might be problematic getting the rest but it's a start. Actually I saw the whole set yesterday for a very reasonable price but they'd only just come on and I'd already thrown my lot in with this one .. never mind .. there's always something better coming around the corner .. I expect Alan thinks that Can't wait to start now and I think we definitely should arrange a midnight feast at some point Bit tricky as our midnight's are not all the same but we should be able to figure something

That's one of the more famous Lord Peter Wimsey stories isn't it? Sounds great and right up my street being all vintagey and stuff. I've heard a few radio dramatisations but never read any of this series. They sound like the sort of reads I'd enjoy .. my purse is sorry to hear it but the rest of me is v happy You've got off to a great start Chrissy!

Happy Reading Tim Is Ulysses as frightening as they say?

Freezing cold, wet and windy! All the things nobody wants

Okay .. I've picked out my first book Was very nervous about it .. you'd think the jar contained an alligator Not sure if it's been kind to me or not .. I'm a little daunted but the jar is right .. I would probably never have got around to reading it and I'm sure it's going to be fascinating. I remember I bought it at Hay-on-Wye which must have been three or four years ago 1st Pick From the TBR A Writer at War: Letters and Diaries 1939-45 by Iris Murdoch Interestingly I pulled two out .. they had got tangled and I expect that'll happen a lot. I chose one .. but Alan opened the other one to see what it was before throwing it back in .. it was Wild Swans by Jung Chang .. I'm glad I didn't get that one this time as it's an absolute tome .. even though I've heard good things about it. The jar means business though I can tell .. I was hoping for another Pippi Longstocking

Bless him .. it was good of him Ha ha .. you must have known Janet Awww .. how sweet .. and so nice that you make her feel comfy .. lucky girl

Have you still got a balcony? .. you could threaten to throw it from there 354 is seriously hardcore .. you'll probably get wrist ache. Work up to it .. do a few a day There were some titles I had to force myself to write down They'll be out first I have no doubt.

Loved the original Suspicion .. though the ending was a bit of a cop out .. I didn't know there was a remake though. Which Rebecca did you watch Kate? .. Joan Fontaine? I love that film.

Thank you Kylie I am going to read it though this year .. with or without the jar's blessing

Yes .. The Road .. very grim and harrowing but excellent. I must read LOTR again one day .. I loved it .. all except the songs

Ha ha .. brilliant! Hope you do decide to do the jar Sari. We can support each other when the jar turns nasty I, like you, think it will help me to stop ignoring the TBR's .. and like Kylie said it will be exciting to see what the jar comes up with .. in theory How many have you on your TBR? .. I can see there's a long list but I ran out of fingers

I try to keep the non fiction separate .. but I'm not always strict about that either It's a free for all. Actually I can see your predicament. If you have a library then you have to know where the books are .. it would probably drive you mad otherwise. I have books in different rooms and I tend to get to know them. If they were all together then it would be more tricky. Makes sense to have a system. I can see also that it's tricky when you add books in if you have a system. I just go 'ooh .. yellow spine .. wonder where that'll go' I do that too I'd love to have a library .. I'd feel all Mr Darcey about it

I hope I'm successful .. there are more on there but I'd like to secure it TODAY!! You naughty minx

Yes .. exactly right. It could all go horribly wrong though .. like I might start thinking that if the jar says I should read it then I'd better continue. People often take advantage of me .. I doubt the jar will be any different

Yes .. quite right .. I meant to say that I do tend to plod on with a book when all hope is gone. I'm going to try not to do that this year and the cunning plan is the TBR jar. It will make me read books that would otherwise sit on the shelf for ages and possibly encourage me to read more or at least get me started on reading them. If they're duffers then it's better I know it and then the charity shop can have them and it'll be more shelf space for me Very interesting .. quite a handful .. you never knew what he was going to say or do on live TV. His books are very funny .. or at least from the glimpses I've had of them. As is often the case though he was very funny but he was also a manic depressive and had electric shock treatment etc He is in the jar .. more than once .. so he stands a good chance. I've only read The Little Stranger and that had no racy bits. Did I sub consciously choose that because I'm so boring? I've read her one non-racy novel .. go me!! The Paying Guests is quite saucy .. and it came at me from out of the blue. Well no .. it's not saucy really .. I was just thinking it was going to be all about a lady taking in lodgers and then suddenly .. monkey business I am listening to Juliet Stevenson read it too I have got over that feeling now as it was ages ago .. so hope to get to it this year even without the jar's help. We don't want things getting too exciting in the bedroom .. interferes with book reading that does Anyway .. Waters intends it always to be lady business from what I can tell and I haven't got time to learn a new skill Glad you like the bookcase .. I would quite like to be a decorator .. but only for people I know and like It's the scared of people thing again .. they'd have to talk to me and they mightn't like the things I chose .. ooh .. I can invisage a hundred mortifying situations. I'd have to ask them for money at some point!!

Today .. I've just checked it and I have seven hours to go. I'm the highest bidder .. well the only bidder but you know what some blighters are like .. they nick it from you at the last minute I will try and be vigilant but could get side tracked by biscuits etc Perhaps you should wait and see how I am affected by the book jar .. I don't mind having the nervous breakdown so you don't have to

Thanks Gaia I hope I don't live to regret letting the jar make the choice

I was bored yesterday Yes .. you think he would trust me Kylie .. but no But then .. I don't trust that he hasn't entered it several times over. I don't think you're awful .. I think it's hilarious and part of the fun of choosing. Maybe it'll be the best book I will ever read I am giving it a fighting chance because I was saying an all out no to reading it before but only to be pedantic I do admit Part of me did debate whether to include it .. but then I couldn't really leave it out. He trusts that I will be honest in my choosing .. but if he's here then I will get him to adjudicate When I finish my current book .. and I only have a chapter of so .. I will pick out my next book Be kind to me TBR jar!

If only people would realise .. it's torture for some people to attend events like that .. it's nothing personal. Yes .. I'm much better too now .. and can chat fairly easily to strangers although sometimes I'm tying myself in knots inside. I used to be so much worse. Have you ever watched Scrooge with Albert Finney? .. the musical? He does a song called 'I hate people' which I sometimes say is my theme song I don't hate people of course .. I love lots of people .. but if I go to town on a particularly stressful day and there are crowds and people just pushing and shoving and asking stuff (like shop assistants) then I get very stressed and want to hide away. If I come out of a shop Alan says 'what happened' .. did someone talk to you?' But I'm not unfriendly .. it's just I'm a bit of a nervous .. self conscious .. Nelly. Previous mortification has taught me to be ready prepared. If you get things that you can use (like in this house .. tins of biscuits or wine will never go to waste .. or choccy ) .. then you're not wasting money but then I never get the presents back anyway. Possibly if it was a nice box of chocolates then Alan would think twice about it .. but he is so generous .. and Christmas makes him even more so. And I am fine with it as long as I think the person/people won't mind .. but you can never tell who you're mortifying That's true .. who wants to be normal? It's obviously much more common though than I thought .. whilst not wanting to be normal I also don't want to be ... a freak!!

Ah well .. I have to agree with you there

Many thanks to Brian for this idea I have made a TBR jar!! Very time consuming as I had to write out 200 odd titles ... could have possibly read one of them in the time it took me In theory .. I will pick a piece of paper out at random and read the relevant book. This may well lead to me abandoning books because some of them are only in the house because they were the third or second book in a Waterstone's deal or because they were part of a set bought cheaply from The Book People etc. I will attempt to give them all a fair trial though. It's a large jar .. I can thoroughly shake it for shuffling purposes and I intend to plunge my hand in (possibly whilst looking away) and do a sort of spin cycle movement with it before picking one. It will be very Russian roulette though .. not least because .... Carter Beats the Devil is in this jar !!! Alan wrote that particular slip so that I wouldn't know the colour and therefore couldn't cheat (I wouldn't .. but some people are suspicious little blighters ) I have told him that if I find he has written it out several times then there will be sanctions involving dinner, making sandwiches and well .. other stuff!! I am working on the theory that the jar knows best. I will try and respect the jar's decision (whilst incanting 'Not Slytherin' ) It won't have lights on it all the time .. this is its debut and so I've gone to town a bit. I will continue to choose books from the shelves so obviously if I pick out a title I've already read then I will pick again. I promise not to throw any fish back into the sea though I suppose thanks must go to Alan who donated the jar .. it was full of Christmas tree marshmallows and enough can't be said about the sterling effort he put in to empty it Wish me luck peeps .. the first grand draw will take place soon. When the results come in I'd appreciate it if you didn't laugh

Thanks

I must say .. when I get a party invite .. it's like the invite of doom I'm usually okay when I get there but have a thousand mini breakdowns about it before the event But .. solo spot dancing was a new one on me and smething to add to the 'party pitfalls' list I'm sure they didn't mind at all but that's the thing .. people don't mind but WE do!! It is mortifying as you say .. I've been there and bought the t-shirt on that one. I try and remember to have things wrapped that I can take in case .. just like biscuits or wine or something. But I don't want to give it to them if they don't give us anything .. because I'd hate for them to feel as I would vice versa .. but then Alan always hands it out and says .. 'nah .. they won't mind' .. so inadvertently I've put other people in that situation but only with small gifts. I must say this is all very liberating .. I don't feel nearly as weird as I did .. we're all weird

Not in any pics I've seen Missy. But anyway .. the library is the most important room in the house .. who cares about the rest?