Little Pixie

Which of those first 3 books would you recommend ? Looking at your reviews, I`m wondering if the strawberry one would be the best one for me to read ?

Aw, shucks. I`ve got a tree copy ( not read it, going to see the films first ) , but I do like to get a Kindle copy too.

Free today on Kindle - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

I think it`s a feline version of that motorcycle wall of death.

More on literacy - this might be the most adorable cat article ever. Kitties `n` books.

Ooh, that books sounds really good ; I`ve put it in my ` buy it some time` list on Amazon.

Thank you. She`s playing outside atm; for once, it isn`t drizzling or overcast, so she feels it`s safe for a wander about.

No, this is a more genteel version ; she catches sight of her tail and goggles at it, like she`s never seen it before, then takes a couple of turns at catching it.

Wot, no new chip comments today ? Bah. I hope you enjoy Running Blind. The TV series of the book made me want to visit Iceland ( which I did, 20 years later ).

Non ! Ne pas de squishing !! Her eyes are actually green, but they look yellow when the flash goes off. She`s my Precious Girl.

Thanks. Xiao -Xiao`s never even been near a sink, though she plays ` catch my tail` in the shower sometimes.

Xiao-Xiao looks out through the grill too, but I think the smell of dogs is such that she`s aware of what else is happening in the waiting room. Poor Girl`s still skittish today, but has spent the past three days back sleeping on my bed, so she`s getting there. Hee, that`s one of her favourite spots to perch ; the SKY box gets quite warm, so she uses it as a bottom warmer ( plus, those Pet Humans of hers always look at the TV, so she makes herself noticed ).

Fries and chips - that`s the same as in the US, isn`t it ? I wonder if that`s `cos of New York originally being New Amsterdam and some of the Dutch language stuck around. Fascinating.

Thanks so much for the help, Gaia ; I`ve uploaded a new pic of Xiao-Xiao, sitting on the SKY box. I`d never clicked on that ` more reply options` button.

Ta Da ! Thanks for the help, Gaia.

Just had a look at the novella on the US site - I didn`t realise it was an adult literacy type of book - I think that`s laudable that the author is writing for different levels of reader.

Thanks. If you like urban fantasy ( like Harry Potter, His Dark Materials, the Abhorsen trilogy ), I think you`ll enjoy the All Souls Trilogy - I re-read the first two books before reading book 3, so maybe that`s why the differences stood out for me so much.

Aw, lovely books. Gaia, how do you upload your photos so you get a clicky thumbnail ? I use photobucket to upload my pics, then have to paste in a http thing for a full size photo ( unless I`m doing it wrong ? )

But how bad can anything with chips be ?? One of my neighbours comes from the Isle of Man, and they do a version of it there.

Booo ! And grrr. I`m reading a couple of series where a different publisher has picked it up midway - it`s the not-knowing which is so irritating.

Just how scary does poutine look in real life ??!

Book #114, 115, 116 The All Souls Trilogy ( A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, The Book of Life ) - Deborah Harkness This is one continuous story. Science historian Diana Bishop from New England, is working in Oxford`s Bodleian Library on a research project when she comes across an ancient alchemical manuscript. It seems to be talking to her and shimmering, but no-one else notices it. Diana`s parents were Witches ( in a World where Witches, Daemons and Vampires co-exist secretly amongst regular people ) and Diana herself has some witchy power but has chosen to ignore her heritage and concentrate on her academic work. Once she accesses the manuscript - which turns out to have been lost for centuries - the Magical World is after her ( though she doesn`t understand why ) and she`s forced to turn to her slight Witchy abilities to protect herself. Also, there`s a vampire - Matthew - who starts to follow her and gradually she talks to him and they become friends ( and more... ) , which is frowned upon since the magical beings are supposed to segregate themeselves. He helps her to protect herself and they investigate why the manuscript is so important to so many people. Book 1 and 2 are brilliant. It`s mostly in the first person from the point of view of Diana, so you feel what she`s going though and enjoy the journey of her becoming empowered and exploring her abilities. It`s swooningly romantic, but not at the expense of the fast-paced adventure. The problem is Book 3. It turns from the point of view of Diana to the point of view of ...everyone. Having Diana speaking in the third person feels wrong after the first two books, and I wasn`t as invested in her journey. Plus, 5 or 6 times, I had to re-read a line to work out what was happening. It`s not as exciting as before, there seem an awful lot of characters, and it goes from Diana in danger all the time to Diana pootling around , talking about danger, but it just doesn`t feel dangerous. Book 3 is the sort of book where you struggle to pick out the good bits, but the first two books are sooooo good, that you`ll put up with a so-so read just to finish off the trilogy.

The Furry Princess has been quite skittish today and outside a lot. It`ll just take time for her not to look upon her Mummy as a traitor, I suppose. I`m sorry to hear that you`re down to two cats now. Has your vet got a separate kitty section ? There was a sign at the Vets` this time saying to ask at the desk if your cat wanted a quiet room to wait in, but Xiao-Xiao had seemed to settle down and wash her paws by the time I saw the sign. Good luck for the vet`s visit, when it comes. Maybe if you grab one cat each at the same time, the cats won`t realise what`s happening till it`s too late ?

Ooh, thanks for the heads-up ; I hadn`t heard of that one. It`s on Amazon for £1.91 atm, which I think is too many for a novella ( especially considering a lot of my book recently have come used from the US for all of £2.81 ). Shall keep an eye on the price.

Oof, that`s dreadful. That`s good advice to be aware of exits ; around the same time, we had IRA bombs in our tiny town. No-one injured thankfully.