poppyshake

Very happy to hear this Claire Sounds like you've got some great books to read .. I noticed Rooftoppers when I last went in to Waterstone's .. very eye catching cover with the Eiffel Tower on it if I'm not mistaken .. I'm intrigued already Have you heard of/read The London Eye Mystery? .. again the cover caught my eye .. I've looked it up since and the reviews are good so I'm tempted.

Birthday books ... so far The book at the bottom was unhelpfully postcard sized in that it had it's spine on the short edge so wouldn't sit well with the rest. As it's a book solely about crochet edgings I knew you wouldn't mind if I turned it round Lovely Kylie sent me The Groucho Letters: Letters to and from Groucho Marx and The Worm Forgives the Plough by John Stewart Collis which you may remember me licking a few weeks ago when I saw it advertised on the back of On the Black Hill My niece sent me The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion and whilst I have already read it .. I only heard it read and would like to read it in my own head as didn't like the narration (though did like the story) .. so I think I will keep it even though she sent me a gift receipt. She also sent me an Amazon voucher so I'll be off there soon to fill up my basket Mum & Dad sent me the crochet book and also The Darling Buds of May by H.E. Bates which is part of the county challenge and Alan bought me The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer and Idiopathy by Sam Byers which I know nothing about but it looks promising (says 'savagely funny' on the front so we're bound to get along )

Thanks Gaia Having a great day! I think the font problem was caused (somehow) by the spoiler .. I should have just blabbed

Very odd to see myself talking in the wrong font .. like an impostor. Not sure I wrote that last bit of the review .. though it's very much in my style (that's what impostors do though isn't it? )

Apologies for the differing fonts in above review ... have tried editing but can't sort it even though switched off the BBcode. It doesn't matter .. it wasn't a particularly good review even with the correct font .. it's just that these things matter more to me than they should The trying thing is that it looks perfectly fine on preview ... probably my rubbishy old computer which has been asking for trouble for ages now and will get it as soon as I can wield a sledge hammer (still have a slight case of Kindle arm .. so violence is out for the time being ) Taking deep breaths and considering my options .. alcohol looks favourable

Mr Pye by Mervyn Peake Amazon's Synopsis: Equipped with love, Mr Harold Pye lands on the island of Sark, his mission to convert the islanders into a crusading force for the undiluted goodness that he feels within. The extraordinary inhabitants of the island range fromthe formidable Miss George in her purple busby to the wanton, raven-haired Tintagieu, 'five foot three inches of sex'. Mr Pye, however, is prone to excess and in the increasingly personalised struggle between good and evil, excess is very nearly his downfall. Review: Quite a simple tale that gets progressively weirder and darker. When Mr Pye comes to Sark he's all sweetness and goodness. He wants the islanders to convert to Christianity and sets about trying to achieve this by leading by example. Not everyone falls under his spell but it's not long before he's gathered about him a trusty band of devoted followers. He heals long festering rifts and generally tries to instill a bit of harmony. Everything is going swimmingly but then all this goodness starts to manifest itself in a thoroughly disagreeable way. It's not quite Titus Groan (this will be seen as a positive plus to some of you ) however, he still writes deliciously and seems to find all the right words .. the ones that make me relish his sentences more than anyone else's (well .. almost more than anyone else's then ) Very readable .. not anything like as detailed as the Gormenghast trilogy (I imagine .. I've only read one so far =D) and much shorter but really compelling and beautifully descriptive .. especially as regards the island. I know there was an adaptation of this many years ago now with Derek Jacobi .. I remember being a bit boggled by it but I was young (ish ) and only really up to figuring out the plotlines of Dallas (not even that .. I got the shooting all wrong for a start ) ... would love to see it repeated now though. 4/5

Having so many allergies must be tough best to be aware though I guess and make changes .. though pollen and dust etc must be impossible to avoid. I've not heard of choco-butter and never seen it .. it's probably just as well Chocolate cake is always good .. even the ones I've made that haven't been brilliant have been saved by liberal amounts of chocolate icing

Ah, I'm glad she ages but also glad that it's not by much

I only squinted at your Alan Bradley review as I'm hoping to get around to the Flavia de Luce series soon (really enjoyed the first one but that's as far as I've got .. though I now have the next two) but very happy that you 'highly recommend' it Must get my skates on and continue on with them .. I'm sure I'll pick up the thread again though it was ages ago that I read the first one .. can remember Flavia (what a girl! ) but am hazy about everyone else Btw .. does Flavia remain the same age throughout the series Kate? .. or is she getting older?

Yes .. thoroughly enjoyed it and intended to read all her other stuff but haven't yet

I Capture the Castle ... very good

Woohoo! .. sounds like you've got a very busy and very cultured time ahead Kylie .. awesome. I've always fancied seeing a Shakespeare play in an outdoor setting .. only that's harder to do (and enjoy ) in Britain than you might think Hope you have a marvellous time .. enjoy the bookstore tomorrow. Can't wait to find out what you've bought

Great review of The Little Stranger Julie ... so glad you enjoyed it

I love lamb .. so it was a very good idea to mention that you didn't Janet I ate a piece of cake with stem ginger in it once .. terrible .. just bit on a big piece of it ... awful. I do like ginger in all its other forms .. though I don't like accompanying my cuppa with a ginger biscuit as it makes the tea taste like pepper. I have to put a good half an hour between them I like liver .. that is I like lamb's liver ... I think some of the others are too strong for me but I like all liver in pâté. I wouldn't eat liver in chocolate though

I had a feeling it might be Kate .. I've been trying to convince myself that it's horrible .. it's the only way I can walk past it at the supermarket There'll be no getting away from it now I'm not a big fan of the true connoisseur stuff either .. too bitter .. but yes .. if that's all there is I try and arrange this .. though Alan will always remind me that boys should have the lion's share because they need more calories Strangely .. he never brings this up when I'm dishing up vegetables

Thanks Gaia I think Tony was just a typically boisterous twelv(ish .. not sure his age was confirmed) year old .. full of his own opinions and not quite old enough yet to understand that it isn't polite to talk over people. It was more enthusiasm than anything and also a perceived superiority as he thought he could do anything and knew best .. quite often breaking things as a result but bouncing on regardless. He regularly got told to 'pipe down' but his mother was a bit indulgent .. him being the youngest and the only one left at home .. by her own account she was worn out with bringing up boys so he got away with more than his brothers. I love nuts in chocolate .. it's probably my favourite combination. It must be awful to have an allergy .. I don't think I'm allergic to any food thankfully. I used to be told not to eat jam or cheese because of bad migraines but I didn't find cutting them out that effective. I eat them like anything now and hardly ever suffer from migraines. I'm glad .. cheese and jam are favourites Don't think I'd be open to cheesey chocolate but then I've just remembered Philly chocolate cheese (which I still haven't tried) and also chocolate cheesecake in general and of course that's delicious .. however cheddar in chocolate .. can't see that working

High Rising by Angela Thirkell Amazon's Synopsis: Successful lady novelist Laura Morland and her boisterous young son Tony set off to spend Christmas at her country home in the sleepy surrounds of High Rising. But Laura's wealthy friend and neighbour George Knox has taken on a scheming secretary whose designs on marriage to her employer threaten the delicate social fabric of the village. Can clever, practical Laura rescue George from Miss Grey's clutches and, what's more, help his daughter Miss Sibyl Knox to secure her longed-for engagement? Utterly charming and very funny, High Rising is irresistible comic entertainment. Review: This is a perfect book to read during the winter, it's just the thing to accompany your afternoon cuppa and slice of cake .. as long as you are happy in the land of Pym that is and luckily I am Thinking back to a conversation we had somewhere .. it may have been here .. though I think it was somewhere else .. we are also a little bit in Enid territory here in as much as most of the main characters are well-to-do and the few working class characters are servants .. and as such quite wickedly caricatured. Still I'm okay with that .. never had a problem with Jane Austen or Virginia in this regard and didn't have a problem here either as Angela tempers the slightly snobbish tone with wit. The main character is Laura and she's a novelist .. her husband is dead though it appears we haven't missed much as she describes him as an expense and her friends allude to him as stupid She has several children but only one at home (though he boards at school) .. this son Tony is the main outlet for Angela's wit. He's an extremely boisterous and verbose child who will literally talk you to death convinced, as he is, that you're as besotted with model railways and battleships etc as he is. Most of the grown ups swat him away like an annoying fly but he barely notices .. . even his mother wonders why nobody has killed him out of annoyance yet. Extremely enjoyable, though I thought a murder wouldn't have gone amiss (because we're also not far from the land of Agatha ) There is intrigue though in the form of Miss Grey who has come amongst them and is scheming to become the next Mrs Knox (George Knox is a great friend of Laura's and also a celebrated writer.) Laura and her friends have to put their heads together to avert this catastrophe (because Miss Grey is a little bit common .. no actually she's a bit deranged and totally the wrong wife for George.) This plotline reminded me of one of Enid's .. the jolly decent girls getting together in order to thwart the seemingly pious girl who is in fact a bit of a beast A tiny bit snobby but saved as I said by Angela's considerable wit. Many thanks to Claire for buying it for me .. it totally cheered me up during all the horrible gloomy weather. Written back in the 1930's it was interesting to see how life was lived then, obviously it's not a life I would have known anything about .. most of it is set in drawing rooms etc but I like looking back through vintage curtains so to speak 4/5 Christmas at High Rising by Angela Thirkell Amazon's Synopsis: Originally published in the 1930s and 1940s and never before collected, these stories by the incomparable Angela Thirkell relate merry scenes of a trip to the pantomime, escapades on ice, a Christmas Day gone awry, and an electrifying afternoon for Laura Morland and friends at Low Rising, not to mention the chatter of the arty set at a London private view. Charming, irreverent and full of mischievous humour, they offer the utmost entertainment in any season of the year. Review: This is a collection of Angela's short stories .. some of which involve the characters of High Rising (actually, I didn't much care for the stories that weren't about High/Low Rising .. I couldn't quite engage with them.) Quite simple stories but made hugely entertaining by the inclusion once again of Tony .. who is probably at his absolute worst and therefore funniest here. 3/5 Both of these books have absolutely beautiful covers .. well done Virago!

Haha .. this is luck Janet. I'm sure we didn't mention stem ginger as one of our food dislikes but thankfully we are of the same opinion Having just said that I didn't think they could have come up with a combination I'd hate .. it seems they have I don't like Marmite much and can't see that giving it a chocolate coat would change my mind. I'd try it though It makes you realise that there's nothing they won't consider dunking in chocolate

Well on the one hand yes .. but if I'd have been his mother I'd have appreciated a bit of extra dedication in the shower afterwards Yes .. something they must have foreseen back when they were inventing the language Well .. I confess .. it made me smile a bit Well done Finland! .. and well deserved .. congratulations! Well done the Netherlands too for completely dominating the speed skating

But it is a race ... it seems a bit much that you can't actually take the initiative anywhere. I can see if you send a skater sprawling or give them a shove then it's wrong but a little jostling for position should be fine .. in so many events it would be fine. Elise said that the ref said she pushed the Chinese girl over .. I can't see that she did .. I still think it was too harsh but the way to keep out of trouble is to hit the front first and Elise wasn't able to do that. I'm just hugely disappointed that she never got to try for a medal .. it does seem like such a lottery getting through those speed skating heats.

I love white and dark chocolate .. but then I love all chocolate I don't think they could come up with a flavour combination that could make me dislike it .. though having said that I draw the line at ginger .. stem ginger in chocolate that is. Yes .. they would be the only choccies Alan could safely nosh all to himself

True .. not our fault though .. most roads lead to it Gracious! I bet his Mum hasn't got that pic on her mantlepiece Lord we could be so good at it .. d*mn .. why wasn't my sister an Olympic medallist? Do you know .. I think the Finns must be immune. I've definitely been cheering them on but haven't jinxed them yet .. but I think you need to say the name in your head .. it's all part of the jinx process and, as you rightly say, I can't pronounce any of the Finnish names Fanny Smith didn't remind me of anything

I have no idea why he didn't just pee behind a tree .. it's not as if we're a refined family or anything. Maybe it would have been the same but like you say .. he could've just peed as he ran .. what with the sweat and everything who's to know? How have we found ourselves here? No .. but we know what we know Yes .. it's more relaxing .. and you would probably be the laid back sibling and the jolly good fun sibling (or the very cross and resentful sibling .. one of the three anyway ) I do feel bad I tried to fixate on someone else in the small final but it was no good .. the jinx fairies were already at work. Come on Finland!

In her first race she (unintentionally of course) crashed and took out one of the Korean favourites .. the Korean nation weren't happy and they took to Twitter along with the trolls of course that feed on misery This wouldn't have happened in the old days .. it takes too long to send someone an abusive postcard .. all the fire's gone out of you by the time you've reached the postbox. I long for those days

I hasten to add that he only wanted a wee But I think it's important to keep hold of vital fluids .. perhaps the German skier did a little wee when he fell over .. just a theory Yes .. I saw his sister's race too so brilliant achievement for them both. I guess you would be a little bit peeved if you were the under-achieving sister. But then .. like you say .. bask in the glory without having to get up at 3am for training etc I feel a bit sorry and more than a touch responsible about Switzerland's Fanny Smith coming a cropper in her ski cross races. I so liked her name that I decided she was to be my favourite .. consequently .. despite looking comfy and leading .. she crashed and burned I thought the medics would have to come on and treat her for severe disappointment. She had to race for the minor positions and her heart wasn't in it. So sorry Fanny Smith .. if you'd have been called Susan I would never have pinned my hopes on you and probably you'd be polishing your medal now