Karsa Orlong Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 Not the next six Malazan books, then? Brilliant present, though. And great photos - can you come and take photos of mine please? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted December 28, 2013 Author Share Posted December 28, 2013 Oh it does: very, very exciting! I'm sure you will love reading them, and what a fabulous Christmas present! I have a set of my own, and they make for absolutely fascinating, almost mesmerising, reading. There's something very special about letters; I think it's because it's the person's own raw words - somewhat unguarded, highly personal, not reworked as books are. Woolf's published work is so polished, that to read something as close to her as these is a real privilege. Well I knew you, at least, would share my excitement I loved reading the selected edition but this will be far more insightful. I agree with you about letters ... or at least I did .. until I read Virginia's words .. 'letters are always written with one eye on the recipient, to spray an atmosphere round one' and I knew instantly what she meant. However, I don't think you can help giving large chunks of yourself away in letters .. especially if you write them so often and so detailed as she did. I haven't picked up why you're so anti, but TBH you're not missing much. It was an OK read, but for me nothing more. I was quite disappointed in fact, especially as, being so chunky, it really began to drag in the second half, and really couldn't see what some people were raving about. Personally, I wouldn't bother! It's all just nonsense. The book belongs to me but Alan read it and raved about it (so he is one of the ravers ) and since then he's been nagging me (there can be no other word for it) to read it and I have started to feel so resistant as to be positively anti. The size puts me off and bless him .. his synopsis of it has put me off further .. it always sounds less and less like a book I want to read. Yet .. it's madness to be put off a book for such ridiculous reasons and because it's on the shelf I will look into it one day (though .. I'm not in a hurry ) Because of the ongoing banter about it .. I had a suspicion (which others helped to embroider ) that he may have bought me six copies of it .. as a practical joke. To be then given these beautiful books instead was just amazing (not to say a huge relief ) though I did feel guilty at the same time .. for five seconds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted December 28, 2013 Author Share Posted December 28, 2013 Not the next six Malazan books, then? Brilliant present, though. And great photos - can you come and take photos of mine please? Yes .. that was the second relief I am hopeless at taking pics of people but not so bad when it comes to books (they look good from every angle ) Did you get a good haul then Steve? I need to check up on all the blogs .. bloomin' Christmas .. it steals so much of your time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted December 28, 2013 Author Share Posted December 28, 2013 (edited) Now this is all going to look very greedy but .. in my defence .. I don't ask for anything but books for Christmas (apart from spotty things .. heart things .. stuff with birds on and chocolate ) I'd much rather have a large pile of books than an iPhone 5 or whatever number they've increased it to since I was last paying attention Plus .. three sets were from The Book People so all bought for the price of three normal books .. that is not to say that I'm not an incredibly fortunate girl/woman/old crone with lovely friends and family My Christmas Book Haul 2013 Six volumes of The Letters of Virginia Woolf Dear Lumpy - Roger Mortimer (from Mum & Dad) Dickens at Christmas (Vintage collection) (from Alan) Love Nina - Nina Stibbe (from Alan) The Woman Who Died a Lot - Jasper Fforde (from Claire ) High Rising - Angela Thirkell (from Claire ) The Library of Unrequited Love - Sophie Divry East of Wimbledon - Nigel Williams (from Alan) They Came from SW19 - Nigel Williams (from Alan) The Wimbledon Poisoner - Nigel Williams (from Alan) Mr Pye - Mervyn Peake (from nephew) Sisters By a River - Barbara Comyns (put Janet's voucher towards this and The Library of Unrequited Love ) Christmas at High Rising - Angela Thirkell (from Alan) The Birds and other stories - Daphne du Maurier (from Alan) My Cousin Rachel - Daphne du Maurier (from Alan) Jamaica Inn - Daphne du Maurier (from Alan) Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier (from Alan) The House on the Strand - Daphne du Maurier (from Alan) Going to Sea in a Sieve - Danny Baker (from niece) Cannery Row - John Steinbeck (from Alan) The Pearl - John Steinbeck (from Alan) Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck (from Alan) The Red Pony - John Steinbeck (from Alan) East of Eden - John Steinbeck (from Alan) The Red Tree - Shaun Tan (an amazingly beautiful illustrated book that Claire sent to us ) There is still money to be spent and a certain proportion of it will go on books of course. Edited December 28, 2013 by poppyshake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 That's a lot of books! They look great, I hope you enjoy them . P.S. All these photos of books make me kind of wish we still celebrated Sinterklaas here. But then again, I did buy myself some books not too long ago, so.. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 Lovely books Kay Looking forward to hearing what you think of The Wimbledon Poisoner, i remember watching & enjoying the TV programme with Robert Lindsay many years ago & of course the Peake....what a lovely nephew you have I have a couple of Steinbecks in the house which actually belong to the children as they studied Of Mice & men at school but i've never read any of his books myself yet. Happy reading Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie H Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 Ooooh, great Christmas haul there ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 Wow, Alan really is a keeper, isn't he?! Lots of interesting books there, definitely presents that keep on giving. Happy reading! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted December 28, 2013 Author Share Posted December 28, 2013 That's a lot of books! They look great, I hope you enjoy them. P.S. All these photos of books make me kind of wish we still celebrated Sinterklaas here. But then again, I did buy myself some books not too long ago, so.. . Thanks Gaia It's lovely exchanging presents but I would really like to be a child again and just have all the pleasure and none of the pain of Christmas Tbh I make it hard work for myself .. but now I can hopefully get some time to look at all my things and enjoy them. You have a lovely family celebration on the day and I'd love to do that .. make it all about spending time together etc. That's not to say that I don't love my books/spotty things etc though Lovely books Kay Looking forward to hearing what you think of The Wimbledon Poisoner, i remember watching & enjoying the TV programme with Robert Lindsay many years ago & of course the Peake....what a lovely nephew you have. I have a couple of Steinbecks in the house which actually belong to the children as they studied Of Mice & men at school but i've never read any of his books myself yet. Happy reading Thanks KM My nephew is rather lovely and I had no idea that he knew his way around an Amazon wishlist I remember seeing The Wimbledon Poisoner advertised on TV but I didn't catch it (and there wasn't catch-up then ) I read Of Mice and Men this year (borrowed it from the library) and enjoyed it so this set was too good to ignore. Alan said 'order what you like and I'll get it for you' and I don't need telling twice Ooooh, great Christmas haul there ! It is isn't it Marie ... lots to play with Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted December 28, 2013 Author Share Posted December 28, 2013 Wow, Alan really is a keeper, isn't he?! Lots of interesting books there, definitely presents that keep on giving. Happy reading! I think I will keep him Claire and I'll definitely keep you Thanks for all our lovely gifts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 Now that is a great pile of books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 Wow what a huge pile of books, Happy reading Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted December 31, 2013 Author Share Posted December 31, 2013 Thanks ladies ... it is a positive mountain I was supposed to be going to my sister's this evening to see in the New Year and stay over etc but my brother-in-law was rushed into hospital this afternoon with terrible stomach pains .. very worrying .. my niece did text later to say that he has some sort of blockage and they are going to investigate with a camera etc but in the meantime morphine has made him more comfortable. Also my mum fell over today and is feeling very sore I am counting all of this as 2013 .. and good riddance to it I didn't like it from the start Anyhow ... bit disorganised here as had nothing in for tea (though .. it's Christmas .. the fridge is still packed) and at a loose end obviously so just had a couple of huge glasses of Buck's Fizz and finished one of my Christmas books .. Danny Baker's Going to Sea in a Sieve .. very good and just the sort of raucous stuff to be reading on New Year's Eve. Happy New Year everyone and all the best for 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 Oh dear. I hope your brother-in-law is on the mend very soon and feeling better. And I hope your Mum is feeling better now and taking it easy. A very Happy New Year to you and Alan, and to the rest of your family. Much love to you all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 Sorry to hear about your brother-in-law and Mum, Kay. Wishing you and Alan a happy and healthy 2014 xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 I hope they both feel better soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 I'm very sorry to hear of BIL and Mum's problems, Kay. I hope all is mo' bettah verra soon! You are right, that's all in the Old Year. On with the New! Happy reading, happy times, to all of you and yours. Spotty slippers are adorable. I'm seeing more and more spotty things in the stores, so you are IN my dear! Gorgeous pile of books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 Sorry to hear about your family, Kay, and wish them all a speedy recovery. Hope 2014 is a more positive year for you all. Pleased to see you enjoyed the Danny Baker book - I love his radio programme, but I think he is a marmite broadcaster, you either love or hate his style. I'm not very good with biographies and memoirs, but I imagine his would be very interesting. Maybe I should try them as audiobooks - I might get on better with them that way. P.S. Just realised something … you've got that whole trifle to eat between you now. Looks like you'll be eating it for pudding for the rest of the week! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 Poppy Sorry to hear about the health problems with your BIL and Mom. Hope they are both soon on the road to recovery . I, too ,think it was the bad luck of 2013 . On to a better year for 2014 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 Sending healing thoughts for Mum and B.I.L, hope they are much better today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted January 1, 2014 Author Share Posted January 1, 2014 Thanks for all your messages BIL is still awaiting the results of some tests. I got my Mum's message all wrong though .. she hadn't fallen over at all it was my Dad When I called her back she said that Dad had fallen out of his wheelchair (they're not quite sure how .. Mum wasn't in the room ... but she thinks a mat got caught in the spokes .. the mat is now in the bin.) Dad's legs are only for show these days so he couldn't get up .. and he's not little so Mum couldn't get him up either. Two neighbours thankfully came and got him upright again (so humiliating for poor Dad) and then they pressed his panic button which is the wrong way around of doing things but still .. I know that most people with panic buttons would rather suffer in silence than press it (thinking they will be carted off because they can't look after themselves or something.) The people that came out were very good and dressed some cuts that Dad has to his head Oh .. poor Dad .. his muscles give him so much pain anyway and now he will be feeling awful ... and he has a bad cold too bother and blast!! Mum has a dreadful cold and can hardly speak. I just want to wrap them up in cotton wool and keep them warm and snug until Spring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 Poppy So sorry for your dad. He really does look like such a robust person from your holiday pictures ,so it probably did make him feel embarrassed when others had to help him , but it's ok, that's what they are there for ,to help those in need. It was good of their neighbors to come help your mom til help arrived . I'm glad he wasn't injured any worse . Wintertime is rough on the elderly people. Staying indoors so much, getting all the flu-bugs and colds . It'll be nice when spring arrives and they will feel better . Is your dad able to sit outside a bit when the sun is out and it's nice outside ? That'll help him to feel better too . Have them drink some orange juice for some added Vitamin C to fight off their colds . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted January 1, 2014 Author Share Posted January 1, 2014 Pleased to see you enjoyed the Danny Baker book - I love his radio programme, but I think he is a marmite broadcaster, you either love or hate his style. I'm not very good with biographies and memoirs, but I imagine his would be very interesting. Maybe I should try them as audiobooks - I might get on better with them that way. Well he is someone that usually slightly irritates me I haven't listened to his radio show (though I hear good things about it) but whenever I see him on TV he goes on so much ( ) that I get bored. So I wasn't expecting to be all that bowled over .. and maybe there are parts that irritated a bit .. but on the whole it's really interesting and very funny. Caitlin Moran wrote positive things on the blurb so that encouraged me to make a start on it ... it says Vol 1 so there's obviously going to be more .. I think he is only about 24 at the end of this one. Particularly fascinating to anyone interested in the British music scene late seventies, early eighties He interviewed Michael Jackson for NME just before Thriller was released and what he (Danny) had to say about it gave me more insight into Michael and his state of mind than anything else I've ever read on the subject. P.S. Just realised something … you've got that whole trifle to eat between you now. Looks like you'll be eating it for pudding for the rest of the week! It's actually worse than that (there are few times when leftover trifle would be unwelcome in my fridge but Christmas-time is one of them ) The trifle was to take to my cousin's on Boxing Day .. which we did .. but we were supposed to meet other family there etc and they didn't come because of illness and whatnot so there was still a lot of trifle leftover .. some of which came home. I made a huge (9") apple and caramel cheesecake to take to my sister's and have ended up with all of it. Again usually this wouldn't be at all a problem .. and I expect Alan will be heroic in his attempts to make it disappear but all the same .. I am craving chicken noodle broth now I guess I could freeze it? There's not a lot of space in the freezer but I could portion it up I suppose .. that's only just come to me my brain is completely fuzzed by carbs etc Spots are indeed IN Kate ... which doesn't help my bank balance at all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 Sorry to hear about your Dad Kay, is there family local to them that can keep an eye on them for you? I wish we lived closer, my children are dab hands at helping out with leftover pudding, actually so is Steve! It's funny how dinners fill them up yet 5 minutes later they can eat their bodyweight in sugar.. My daughter has always said she has 2 stomachs, a small one for dinners and a larger one for puddings! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted January 1, 2014 Author Share Posted January 1, 2014 Poppy So sorry for your dad. He really does look like such a robust person from your holiday pictures ,so it probably did make him feel embarrassed when others had to help him , but it's ok, that's what they are there for ,to help those in need. It was good of their neighbors to come help your mom til help arrived . I'm glad he wasn't injured any worse . Wintertime is rough on the elderly people. Staying indoors so much, getting all the flu-bugs and colds . It'll be nice when spring arrives and they will feel better . Is your dad able to sit outside a bit when the sun is out and it's nice outside ? That'll help him to feel better too . Have them drink some orange juice for some added Vitamin C to fight off their colds . Thanks Julie Dad was always so strong and 'Desperate Dan' (that might not mean anything across the pond .. DD was a character in a comic who was immensely strong and ate cow pie with two horns sticking out of it ) and so he hates feeling helpless and remains as strongly independent as he is able which sadly now is not much as Mum has to do so much for him. He does love the sun but doesn't fare so well in the winter. He wasn't able to have his flu jab this year as he had a bad cold .. and now he has a second bad cold so I doubt he will get to have the jab at all Mum has lovely neighbours thankfully Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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