Poppyshake's Reading Year 2014

[poppyshake]

I seriously needed a cheer-me-up, and then I remembered I have loads of your new posts on your reading log to read through, and voila! Two birds and a few Finnish flies with one stone! That is, I cuddled them with the stone. I didn't feel like harming any animals today. Today? I mean ever.

I should say not .. though the flies are asking for it   

I see you have posted a review of the Dear Lumpy book... Do you mean to insinuate that mine wasn't all that good? =D

I preferred yours but couldn't plagiarise .. that's a new rule for this year  

So your Mum's not much of a reader, but when she does read, she goes for gigantice books like WH and BUtB? Very modest =D Too bad she didn't like the bio, though. Has she found anything new to enjoy? Is historical fiction her cup of tea? I know very little of that genre and have read even less so I am no help there!

I think I was an influence as far as WH and BUtB are concerned  .. I don't mean to sound conceited but she probably wouldn't have thought of them otherwise. Come to think of it though it probably had more to do with an item on breakfast TV. Nearly everything she reads has been recommended on TV. I remember now that it was touch and go for Hilary for a while as she had been disparaging about dear Princess Kate .. that is she was perceived to have been disparaging and there were her books sitting on Mum's shelves and for a while I thought that's where they would stay but then she got over it and picked them up. She thoroughly enjoyed them and so went on to read more as I said and this is where she sometimes falls down. She likes to stick with what she's enjoying or the subject matter anyway and then she comes a cropper and gives up reading again until tempted by something else on daytime TV

I wonder actually if she will read the last part when Hilary has written it as she was so disappointed to find out what a sh*t he really was .. I doubt she could buy into it now

Okay, I'll tell him to put the book on the tray on which he brings you your morning toast... =D I wonder how many times he would have to do that before you started the book. Maybe it would become another Carter book for you. We don't want that to happen, do we.

No .. definitely not  Imagine having two books to avoid? .. I might get confused and CBTD could sneak in via the back door so to speak.  

Oh don't you just sigh at books that make you take notes... It's so bloody tedious. It interrupts the flow! Very inconsiderate on the part of the author...

Sometimes I don't think they think of their readers at all .. very shabby of them. I get a bit annoyed at footnotes (unless they're very cleverly done) .. always jabbing away at you (especially endnotes) but when you have to make the notes yourself  ... and then .. who gets all the money?

[poppyshake]

Yes, one feels a certain fondness for books about books/libraries/bookshops/toast, doesn't one. And dogs (although for you it's about the cover, for me it's about the dogs, ha!). When I move to Lahti, I'm going to see if there's room for a second bookcase, and if so, I want to get all my books really organized, and then I'm definitely having a special section for books on books/libraries/booshops/. I can't wait!!

Yes .. I need to do that too. They would look wonderful all together .. they wouldn't need colour coding even .. just gorgeous .. even if they're clashing.

Oh the cover is absolutely gorgeous! The colors, the dog, and everything!

I know, I know. I never saw a more perfect cover and it annoyed me that I couldn't enjoy the book as much as I was wanting to. Now, to my mind, a writer should have a responsibility to make his/her book live up to a cover like that. It turned out the illustrator was the one with the talent though. I read it a long while back and I wonder .. having read some Ginny .. whether I would get on better with it now as it is written with her sort of flow I think. I may go back to it and see if I can't make the inside match the outside more. Even if it doesn't though .. the book is safe

That's odd from A. S. Byatt... Maybe somebody'd done a

 

Rochester to her and made her go up in the attic like Bertha

,

and she only got one book per year, and that one book was The Lost Dog.  Rochester was all sorts of horror, wasn't he. A book disabler! *spits in disgust*

It is very annoying though to have a lunatic wife .. when you thought she was the ordinary sort. I can see it might have made him tetchy  

As clever as you are, I think you'd be lost if you started the Phantom Tollbooth midway, yes. Coincidentally, I promised Kylie I would read the book in the next three month's because she's been reading so many of my recommended books lately, and if you are up for it, we could read it together. But there's no pressure, of course! =) We mustn't toy with our mojos...

Well quite .. the slightest thing can tip them over. I will read it soon .. though now I have bumped into the same time of year again and so I need to get past it because if the book and the time of year collide again I'm not sure what might happen

Oh dear! I didn't remember you aren't always too comfortable with that sort of thing, sorry! But I do wonder... Okay, it's been a few years since I read the book, but I don't remember there being anything all too gut wrenching. But maybe I'm wrong. I really ought to re-read the book, because I'm recommending it to everyone and harassing people with sent copies of the book and then I can't really say anything about it myself.

Oh no! .. don't worry at all   For one thing it's good to be shaken out of a rut. I've been in it for too long and I could just carry on reading different versions of the same book for the rest of my life and so I need new challenges. I love being harrassed by books don't you?  I'm sure I will be fine with it.

Rebecca's underclothes? Is that the Rebecca-Rebecca? I've not read the book yet, I'm afraid. But I'm happy to know there are panties involved.

Oh dear .. I didn't know you hadn't read it. I knew you were Daphne familiar so I guess I just ASS-U-ME'd  I don't think I've given away anything key though  

I think you will never be able to read one of the frankie recommends -books. The Exquisite Corpse by Poppy Z. Brite. Well, that only means you are going to live forever, because you won't be able to finish the challenge.

You never know .. literarily speaking I could be all into corpses by next year  

[poppyshake]

I was checking out your wishlist (I won't say why! ) and I noticed that Paper Boy by Christopher Fowler is on there, and I'm just wondering why that is? Sorry if I've asked you the same before, my memory's just awful these days.

Now you're asking. I saw it in Waterstone's many moons ago .. before they had a refit (surely you remember that? .. I specifically remember moaning about the new carpet ) Anyway I know the blurb had some magic words in .. like library and 1960's etc. Actually now that I've read the synopsis again I can't imagine what I'm waiting for .. it sounds amazing.

(Another thing I noticed when on the first page of your reading log, was that your post for books bought/acquired is way, wayyyy down the page. Is that a calculated thing? Or is it there because this year you are trying to really not buy that many books, and conquer the Mount TBR instead?)

I think I always place it fairly low down the page .. possibly so I don't feel embarrassed about it. It seems much further down thanks to the interminable length of the 1001 and my TBR (which isn't 1001 strong yet .. but may well be if I don't get a grip )

I had no idea who this Roger person is and what the book was going to be about (well, apart from letters, duh), so I had to google Roger Mortimer. I found this:

 

"He's the sort of man who reminisces at 80: "There was a boy called Peel at Eton with me who went off his onion later and sawed the head off his ever-loving wife. He was very odd when the moon was full.""

:D I love that quote. I think I used it in my review for Dear Lupin.

I read that before starting on your review, and I was immediately intrigued And your wonderful review has convinced me I must add this to my wishlist (and Dear Lupin, of course). I have a feeling this is my kind of reading. You know, reading the quotes, I thought he's almost as funny as you! Well not really 'almost', that's too generous for him, but he makes a good effort!

He was very funny .. and always wanted to make people laugh. Even when he should have been seriously p*ssed off with his offspring (as in Lupin) he can't help but look on the bright side. He's much funnier than me .. I am a mere novice. Perhaps if I had troublesome offspring? .. though I think that would have flattened my sense of humour rather than the reverse   The thing I loved most about the books was the expoits of his wife Nidnod who always seemed to be being pulled from a hedge drunk (though this seems horrifying .. it was viewed as commonplace and she was always up to ride to hounds the next day.) She also showed a couple of housebuyers around the house wearing a moth eaten bathing suit (must have been aged about sixty) .. Batty as anything but gold-dust as far as memoirs are concerned.  

You know... The poor man must've pulled a few muscles in all the years he's been hauling books to your door... I dare say you ought to invite him in for a cuppa some day yourself! Although it's best that Alan's at home at the same time... We don't want the postie to get any ideas... He might think you didn't mean books at all!

He's not being invited in until he learns to treat my books with respect. He keeps shoving them through the letterbox .. even when I'm sitting about a foot away from the letterbox. He bundles them up with the rest of the post and just sort of shoves  Luckily no casualties as yet but if there is .. he will be a casualty I can tell you  

[poppyshake]

The Library Of Unrequited Love sounds awesome, I'm definitely gonna have to read that!

Hope you enjoy it Noll

[poppyshake]

Yay!! Valentine's Day turns up trumps again. All the nagging paid off (let no-one ever say otherwise  )

 

Will hopefully get around to reading it soon .. have flicked through to look at the pics of course

[Kylie]

Yay! Alan is such a good husband.

[Athena]

I hope you enjoy your new book !

[Janet]

My Mum read the first book last year and loved it.   I must get round to it sometime...! 

 

Alan is a true star.      I had a lovely card and some of my favourite chocs, so I was a happy girl.

[poppyshake]

Yay! Alan is such a good husband.

Well .. he knows I'll photograph the stuff for putting on blogs etc so I think this is helping me  He's always been quite a romantic soul and therefore has made a rod for his own back

I hope you enjoy your new book !

Thanks Gaia I'm looking forward to it.

My Mum read the first book last year and loved it.   I must get round to it sometime...! 

I loved the first one too so here's hoping

Alan is a true star.      I had a lovely card and some of my favourite chocs, so I was a happy girl.

I pinched some of the chocolates that I'd bought for Alan .. all's fair and all that  

[Athena]

I pinched some of the chocolates that I'd bought for Alan .. all's fair and all that  

x

My boyfriend and I have always shared the chocolate(s) we gave each other, I don't think Alan minds it?

[poppyshake]

x

My boyfriend and I have always shared the chocolate(s) we gave each other, I don't think Alan minds it?

No .. as long as he gets the lion's share it's fine

[Devi]

I share mine with my partner too.

 

Unless its white or dark chocolate, he doesn't like those.

Edited February 18, 2014 by Devi

[poppyshake]

I share mine with my partner too.

 

Unless its white or dark chocolate, he doesn't like those.

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  

[Janet]

Ugh, stem ginger!

 

I bought Peter some Marmite chocolate a few years ago.  He loves chocolate and he loves Marmite... but oddly he didn't like that!  

[poppyshake]

Ugh, stem ginger!

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  

I bought Peter some Marmite chocolate a few years ago.  He loves chocolate and he loves Marmite... but oddly he didn't like that!  

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      

[poppyshake]

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!  

[Athena]

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  

x

I like all three too (dark, milk, white)! Though I'm not keen on too many nuts in chocolate, since I used to be allergic to them, so the taste doesn't appeal to me. It's only more recently that I've been liking dark chocolate too, I used to not like it.

 

Great reviews of the two books ! They sound quite interesting. I like the idea of the character of Tony, since many children who have Asperger syndrome tend to ramble on about the things they love. This interests me because while I don't have Asperger's Syndrome, most other traits of it are similar to my autism. I'd have to know more about the character of Tony though, I don't know if he has AS or whether he just has this trait. The story sounds interesting too.

[poppyshake]

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

[pontalba]

  I can highly recommend the Philly cheese chocolate stuff, Kay.  'Tis delish. 

 

Great reviews above, sometimes that's just the ticket!

 

I love chocolate as well, although the strong, dark chocolate is not a favorite.  But if it's all that is in the house,  Well, you know. 

Charles and I share equally, some even might say meticulously. 

[poppyshake]

  I can highly recommend the Philly cheese chocolate stuff, Kay.  'Tis delish.

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 love chocolate as well, although the strong, dark chocolate is not a favorite.  But if it's all that is in the house,  Well, you know. 

I'm not a big fan of the true connoisseur stuff either .. too bitter .. but yes .. if that's all there is   

Charles and I share equally, some even might say meticulously. 

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  

[Janet]

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      

The thing with stem ginger is that if someone put it in front of me (and it was in something - like a cake or whatever) then I could eat it to be polite.  But I couldn't do that with lamb (not even in cake!  ) - there are different degrees of 'ugh' I think! 

 

I've skipped past both the Angela Thirkell books because they're both on my wish list. 

[pontalba]

The thing with stem ginger is that if someone put it in front of me (and it was in something - like a cake or whatever) then I could eat it to be polite.  But I couldn't do that with lamb (not even in cake!  ) - there are different degrees of 'ugh' I think! 

 

I've skipped past both the Angela Thirkell books because they're both on my wish list. 

 

LOL re lamb, I've tasted it and hardly remember anything about it.  But I do remember liking it ok.  Of course you probably can't judge by me. I like liver too. 

Don't care for ginger in any form.

[poppyshake]

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  

[pontalba]

 

I wouldn't eat liver in chocolate though  

 

 

 

Mental image. 

[Athena]

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

x

I'm glad to hear you're not allergic to any food. It used to be more of a problem when I was younger, these days things are quite managable. I also used to be allergic to all apple juice, nowadays I still can't eat a whole apple usually without getting a stomach ache. I don't like apple juice much so I won't drink it though I do like apples. My body also seems to have problems with certain herbs and foods the past few years but I haven't been able to single out what it is/was. Lately it's been going better so perhaps it's something I don't eat much any more. I'm also allergic to dust, cats, horses, certain pollen and most fabric softeners and most washing liquids.

 

I had Philadelphia Chocolate by Cadbury once in the UK, which was very nice. In the Netherlands they sell one by Milka but I didn't like it as much. I love 'choco-butter', which is something they sell here in supermarkets on occasion (but usually most don't sell it anymore). It's very delicious. It doesn't seem to be sold in the UK, at least I haven't seen it there. It's a spread for on bread, but it tastes quite different from things like Nutella and Duo Penotti (which both have nuts in them). Chocolate cheesecake sounds very good, I've never had it (I don't think they sell it here). I do love chocolate cake and chocolate icing.. My boyfriend and I have been planning to make this chocolate cake with chocolate icing (we bought the flour etc.) but we still haven't done so. I'm looking forward to having it though as it's always delicious.

Edited February 24, 2014 by Athena