bobblybear

Instructions for a Heatwave - Maggie O'Farrell Maggie O’Farrell is one of my favourite authors so I was very excited when I heard she had a new book coming out. I’m always a bit nervous when an author I like releases a new book in case I will find it disappointing. Instructions for a Heatwave is set in London during the drought of 1976. Robert and Gretta are a married couple in their sixties, with three grown children – Michael Francis, Monica, and Aofie. As a routine, Robert goes out every morning to get the newspaper, but one particular morning he doesn’t return. Further investigation makes it apparent that he has intentionally left rather than ‘gone missing’. The story is more about the interactions between the three children, as they are key to the family dynamics which may or may not have contributed to Robert leaving. They are each at various stages of unhappiness in their lives or trapped in circumstances they feel are less than ideal. On the whole, it’s a fascinating character study; people are so much more interesting to read about when they are flawed. I found Aofie to be the most interesting character and the one that I felt had more of a voice in the story. Maybe because she was so much younger than the others, she was always somehow separated from them. Anyway, I won’t give away any plot points, as many little details are quite integral to the characters and their behaviour and stories. This is in the same vein as The Hand Which First Held Mine and The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, in that you know the end point at the start and then the story backtracks to reveal what led to the conclusion. 4/6

Not sure, I think chicken kiev with roasties and green beans.

Reuben seems to be on the mend and has perked up so much. He's back to being a typical lab and constantly begging for food, but unfortunately for him he's stuck with chicken and rice for now. Chalie, 15 is a very grand age! Glad to hear she's feeling better Miss Mabel, I've always thought spaying was quite a major operation. So sorry that she suffered through the anaesthesia; it must have been terrifying to see. Thanks, Pontalba. It's is very worrying when they are not well. Here are some 'before' and 'after' pics of Reuben: Sad Reuben: Happy Reuben (can always tell he's back to his usual self when he runs around collecting socks!):

I liked Needful Things quite a bit, though I think it seems to get slated by many readers. Not sure why, as it's quite fun (and cringeworthy) to watch the events unfold.

Thanks. I hope everything goes well for your Mabel too. Sounds like she is on the road to recovery. Did the vet say what cause the stomach infection? Might be the same as Reuben, with the medications from the spay throwing the natural bacteria out of balance. It's very very worrying, especially because they can't tell us where they hurt or how they feel.

Thanks Miss Mabel. Just a quick update. Reuben went to the vet and they suspect it was either the anaesthesia or pain-killers that have mucked up his digestive tract. His temperature's a tiny bit raised, so they gave him an antibiotic injection as well as an anti-sickness one. It must have done something because as soon as we got him home he was at his water bowl drinking away. He's eaten a bit of chicken and rice - not his usual portion size but better than nothing. We have a full course of antibiotics to give him, plus some antacids, and probiotics to put the good bugs back in his guts. He also has some electrolyte supplements, in case he wasn't drinking. His diarrhea will probably take a while to clear up; the vet didn't seem to think the blood was a huge problem, as long as it wasn't black and tarry. We're taking him back on Saturday for another checkup. Poor thing, I'm surprised he doesn't hate going to vet as he's been poked, prodded and injected to an inch of his life. He's on our bed at the moment, catching up on some sleep. Fingers crossed he will be better.

I'm about 7% through as well, though it is a re-read for me. I had forgotten about that style of it; I agree, it is unusual.

I didn't mean to offend anyone either. I had heard the phrase a couple of times on Seinfeld (which is why I referred to an American sitcom) but certainly didn't mean to insinuate or generalise about Americans as a whole. Apologies if it was taken in that way; it wasn't intended.

I don't mean to turn this into a 'poor Reuben' thread, but he's going back to the vet this afternoon. He was up all night, pretty much every hour with diarrhea. By early morning, he was passing watery blood. He threw up in the early morning after licking some ice cubes, but he has managed to keep some water down at about 9am. He hasn't touched his chicken and rice, either. We let him out about half hour ago, and he passed more blood. I'm hoping it's just a burst vessel or something from all the straining; it's very scary to see.

Thanks Pontalba. He's not doing very well today. He had us up several times in the night with diarrhea. He saw the vet this morning as a post-op check, and we mentioned it and he seemed a bit surprised by it. Then, when we brought him home from the vet he vomited several times. We're not going to feed him for the rest of the day (vet's recommendation) and then tomorrow start him off on a bit of boiled chicken and rice. It must be reaction to the surgery/anaesthetic surely? Or maybe we made the mistake of giving him rich food the following day? He seems perky enough, and his temperature is normal. Hopefully he'll be better tomorrow.

Finished The Big Necessity: Adventures in the World of Human Waste by Rose George. On the whole a very worthwhile read.

Great stuff. I have now downloaded the pamphlet onto my Kindle. Sounds like interesting and quirky reading.

I've been threatening him with an old pair of undies ( ), but he seems to be leaving the stitches alone for the most part. I do have to keep an eye on him though. Thanks, Athena.

Update to reading plan: The Big Necessity: Adventures in the World of Human Waste - Rose George - 2 chapters to go, so will be finished this week Wolf Hall – Hilary Mantel - Gave up on it Human Remains – Elizabeth Haynes - Finished last night Pure - Julianna Baggott The Rats - James Herbert - Finished The Devil Wears Prada - Laura Weisberger 1950's Childhood: From Tin Baths to Bread and Dripping - Paul Feeney Bridget Jones's Diary: A Novel - Helen Fielding - Finished Now then Lad: Tales of a Country Bobby - Mike Pannett Worm: The Story of the First Digital War - Mark Bowden I need to catch up on reviews before I forget the details of those books! I'm currently reading The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber, for the May Reading Circle. After I finish The Big Necessity, I'll pick up 1950's Childhood: From Tin Baths to Bread and Dripping as my next non-fiction.

Oh no!!! You're right, see this is what I was afraid of! Don't know what happened there!

Hi - thanks for the well-wishes for Reuben! The vet rang at about 1pm and said he was quite distressed so we could pick him up at 2pm instead of the usual 5pm. Poor thing - I could hear him over the phone yipping and whining. When we got there at 2pm, I could hear him as soon as I came in - he must have been driving them potty, bless him. He was all groggy, but I was so relieved to see him. He was whining and shivering all evening (which was so stressful) and pacing, but he didn't try to lick his stitches. He ended up on our bed in the night, even though he's not meant to jump up on anything!! He stayed up on the bed all night, whining (and husband ended up sleeping on the sofa, because he didn't want to move him), but he seems a lot better this morning. No more whining and his eyes don't have that glazed dopey look anymore. He ate some food (well, he wolfed it down) and he's lying down snoozing now. We haven't put a lampshade on him yet, as I think it would stress him out (he's quite high-strung). He goes back to the vet tomorrow for a post-op check, and then his stitches will be in for another week or so. I suspect he's going to drive us bonkers, as he's only allowed on short leash-walks, and he's used to off-leash runs several times a week. Miss Mabel, I hope your lab gets better. Sounds like she's having a rough time of it at the moment.

I'm waiting for this to come available at the library, but it has quite a few reservations against it. I finished Human Remains last night. Good, but not great. I really need to catch up on my reviews as well. I must be 4 or 5 behind. I have about 2 chapters to go of The Big Necessity: Adventures in the World of Human Waste, so that should be finished this week. I think the next fiction I shall start will be The Crimson Petal and the White. It'll be a re-read for me. I was planning on reading something else before I got to it, but then I read the first few sentences and it's reeled me in again.

'I could care less' irks me too, but like others have said I have only heard it on American sitcoms or TV shows. Everywhere else seems to use 'I couldn't care less' which seems to make much more sense!! 'I could OF' instead of 'I could HAVE' also irritates me. Mixing up 'there' and 'their', and also 'then' and 'than' is another thing that gets my goat. I don't mean to be OTT about grammar, but if it's your first language and one that you use every day in various forms (and have done for years), then you should get it right! However, I do have to admit to misspelling 'definitely' wrong as 'definately' for years. It wasn't until someone was ranting about how often people misspell it that I realised. Now I'm constantly aware of it whenever I see the word. I also have a tendency to overuse commas. I often have to preview posts/emails and end up taking out about half the commas! (I've just re-read this looking for grammatical errors. Wouldn't it be oh so ironic for me to rant about grammar but make errors of my own!) Edited to correct shockingly bad grammatical error! D'oh!

We're dropping him off in about half an hour. I have a knot in my belly from nerves. They'll keep him for the day to monitor him afterwards I guess, so we won't have him back till tonight. It's the first time he's been away from us for a day, so I'm worried he'll be distressed; I'm worried about the anaesthesia as well. I'll be glad when it's all over.

Reuben is going to the vet tomorrow to be neutered. I'm nervous!! Poor Reuben!

I have the first Walking Dead Compendium. It's quite different to the TV series, and I found it a bit confusing as I was reading it whilst watching the series. It would have probably been more enjoyable if I hadn't watched the series (at the same time) and wasn't comparing the two or visualising the TV characters in my head.

I love that title!! My reading hasn't been going too well. I wouldn't say it's my mojo, it's more a case of feeling I should be studying instead (but truthfully, I've spent far too long on Candy Crush Saga ).

Hi Fox, and welcome.

Welcome Emily! Small Island is a great read; I've read it twice.