poppyshake Posted February 24, 2014 Author Share Posted February 24, 2014 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. 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 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. 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 24, 2014 Author Share Posted February 24, 2014 (edited) Mr Pye by Mervyn PeakeAmazon'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. Mr Pye begins to sprout wings! .. little nubs at first but they grow and grow and become fully fledged angel's wings. He's disconcerted .. not to say embarrassed. He hides his wings .. literally strapping them down and tries to think of ways to reverse the situation. What he eventually decides to do (and to be honest .. I always thought it was a rubbish plan ) is to be wicked ... at least until the wings disappear. He is pretty good at being wicked as it turns out .... much better than a mere novice has any right to be. The islanders are perplexed .. not only is his behaviour abominable but his appearance is growing so too .. he appears positively hunchbacked and scuttles furtively around the island .. mostly at night (there were some pretty disconcerting midnight visits to a goat .. however, on reflection, I think I read too much into this .. I hope I did anyway ) Eventually however, his dire behaviour produces the required result .. his wings recede and seemingly everything returns to normal. Phew! .. panic over. The only thing is, doing evil has become somewhat habit forming and Mr Pye finds it harder to give up than he imagined. There's an additional problem too ... Mr Pye is sprouting horns What follows is a nightmarish battle between good and evil with Mr Pye struggling in vain to find the right balance. 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 Edited July 25, 2015 by poppyshake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 24, 2014 Author Share Posted February 24, 2014 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 24, 2014 Author Share Posted February 24, 2014 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? ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Nice review ! It is strange, seeing part of the review in a different font. You were your own imposter! Happy Birthday to you, Kay ! I hope you have a great day . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 Thanks Gaia Having a great day! I think the font problem was caused (somehow) by the spoiler .. I should have just blabbed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 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 ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Not your own special copy of Carter Beats the Devil from Alan?! Great haul. I looked at The Shock of the Fall when Peter and I were away recently - it sounds good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Great haul! Happy Birthday I have 'The Shock of the Fall' and The Rosie Project' to read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 I hope you like your new books ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 Happy birthday again Kay! Jealous at all the books you got. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 27, 2014 Author Share Posted February 27, 2014 Not your own special copy of Carter Beats the Devil from Alan?! Thankfully not Janet Great haul. I looked at The Shock of the Fall when Peter and I were away recently - it sounds good. It does doesn't it? I'm really looking forward to it Great haul! Happy Birthday I have 'The Shock of the Fall' and The Rosie Project' to read. Thanks Paula .. we have great taste in books I hope you like your new books Thanks Gaia I'm pretty sure I shall Happy birthday again Kay! Jealous at all the books you got. Thanks Deborah I'm very fortunate indeed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 27, 2014 Author Share Posted February 27, 2014 Went for a coffee with lovely Claire today Had a great time as always and Claire bought me some gorgeous books for my birthday all wrapped in spotty paper with spotty ribbon and a gorgeous card which had spots and chocolate and a heart on it (how she guessed I liked all those things I'll never know .. though she is a bit of a genius ) Availed myself of the little shelf in Costa's coffee shop to display my beautiful presents which were .. The Middlesteins by Jami Attenberg The Panopticon by Jenni Fagan The Franchise Affair by Jospehine Tey Many, many thanks Claire I can't wait to get started Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 I'm glad you had a lot of fun and that you got some great presents (even the wrapping paper was fun!) . I hope you enjoy your new books . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inver Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 You make you photos such fun to look at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 Beautiful presents ,Kay ,and great shopping, Claire ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted March 1, 2014 Author Share Posted March 1, 2014 I'm glad you had a lot of fun and that you got some great presents (even the wrapping paper was fun!) . I hope you enjoy your new books . Thanks Gaia .. I'm sure I will You make you photos such fun to look at. Thanks Diane It's a bit of an obsession really .. I spend far too much time messing about with pics when I should be reading Beautiful presents ,Kay ,and great shopping, Claire ! They are aren't they? I agree ... Claire is a brilliant shopper .. if I wasn't already married I'd marry her Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted March 1, 2014 Author Share Posted March 1, 2014 Today was going to be a good day calorie-wise but Saturday's are perfect for bun eating and book reading .. it'd almost be a sin not to I'm sure Monday will be better (but then .. Monday's are renowned for being depressing and practically forcing one into the arms of cake ) .. or Tuesday Bought this book with birthday money, bought a couple actually and have some on order also so will photograph them when they come but haven't been able to put this down since picking it up yesterday. I didn't think Caitlin Moran would steer me wrong and she hasn't Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Yay for new books! I'm glad you're enjoying your book . I do love your slippers / shoes, not sure what you call them in English. The bun looks delicious too. I'm glad you had a nice time reading . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie H Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 Ooh, some lovely birthday book there poppyshake , (Idiopathy is one I keep looking at in the bookshop). Great reading there, and the Tracey Thorne one is great, and while reading that I felt really nostalgic for the early days of Everything But The Girl and indie jangly pop. *sigh* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted March 3, 2014 Author Share Posted March 3, 2014 Yay for new books! I'm glad you're enjoying your book . I do love your slippers / shoes, not sure what you call them in English. The bun looks delicious too. I'm glad you had a nice time reading . Thanks Gaia Yes .. they're slippers or 'slipper boots' to be precise .. I've got a few pairs now but it's always wise to stock up with them in the winter because you can't get them in the summer .. even though it's usually still cold enough for them .. in this draughty old house it is anyway. The bun was far too delicious for it's own good .. or mine Ooh, some lovely birthday book there poppyshake , (Idiopathy is one I keep looking at in the bookshop). Great reading there, and the Tracey Thorne one is great, and while reading that I felt really nostalgic for the early days of Everything But The Girl and indie jangly pop. *sigh* I've already gobbled up the Tracey Thorn .. I do love reading music biogs though not all of them are good .. this one was though and, like you say, instantly has you reminiscing. I was wondering about the Morrissey biog .. Tracey's love for The Smiths .. not to mention my own .. made me think of it but I think I remember you saying you were disappointed with it? I wonder if it would be better to listen to him reading it? I might consider that when my next Audible credit comes in. However, I've been reading the reviews and one criticism seems to be that he spends too much time being negative about various people he's worked with etc and that it gets repetitive and boring. Did you manage to plough on with it? Am re-reading The Book Thief at the moment having just seen the film adaptation and also The Groucho Letters which lovely Kylie sent me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted March 3, 2014 Author Share Posted March 3, 2014 * meant to add also that Tracey's book has made me not only re-visit all the Everything But the Girl tracks but also all the Marine Girls tracks .. that is I was visiting them for the first time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Am re-reading The Book Thief at the moment having just seen the film adaptation and also The Groucho Letters which lovely Kylie sent me Aw, yay! Hope you're enjoying it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted March 3, 2014 Author Share Posted March 3, 2014 Aw, yay! Hope you're enjoying it. Yes .. very much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie H Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 I was wondering about the Morrissey biog .. Tracey's love for The Smiths .. not to mention my own .. made me think of it but I think I remember you saying you were disappointed with it? I wonder if it would be better to listen to him reading it? I might consider that when my next Audible credit comes in. However, I've been reading the reviews and one criticism seems to be that he spends too much time being negative about various people he's worked with etc and that it gets repetitive and boring. Did you manage to plough on with it? Oh yes, the Morrissey Autobiography....I put it down months ago and haven't touched it since then . I've just looked it into my e-reader and I see that I only got as far as 1% of it. But to be brutally honest, I wouldn't advise it to anyone as I found it dire! The prose is reminiscent of a depressed teenager, who thinks he is the new Oscar Wilde, but he is not. It's like a very dull The Smiths lyric, without the good tune. I was just so disappointing, and I regret that I bought it. Morrissey was negative about absolutely everything, and he does it in such a bad way. I found it excruciatingly embarrassing that he wrote it. *shakes head and shudders* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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