poppyshake Posted March 6, 2015 Author Share Posted March 6, 2015 Just find a hole in the woods and place a sturdy stick on top of it and make them sit on it. I like the way your evil mind works He's determined to win over Mr Darcy? No .. he's just determined to win. Darcy is just a means to an end .. a victorious end Actually I call the game .. 'Marrying Colin Firth' Ah, didn't realize it takes so long. And I'm kind of sad to know that with you two I will never have a shot at Darcy. Maybe I will not want to play. Maybe we'll play Finnish Scrabble instead Finnish scrabble!! eek!! I'm done for! Do you mean the Triv containers? Hm... I don't think I've ever really thought about what it might be called. This is going to bug me. Might have to buy cake, pie and cheese to resolve the mystery! Yes .. side by side comparisons Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted March 6, 2015 Author Share Posted March 6, 2015 We'll call it even then! I see my role as the facilitator … I give you the book to read, you write the great review, people buy the book from your review … everybody wins! We is a brilliant team Claire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted March 6, 2015 Author Share Posted March 6, 2015 Poor thing, he seems to be falling over a lot of times these days what with laughing so much at things... To be fair he lives with me .. you either laugh or despair I'm very thankful to know no dogs were harmed in the book! But I do hate it that psychopaths prefer dogs to cats. If that's okay to say... Obviously, in an ideal world, they'd only resort to harming themselves. I can't imagine it's based on anything concrete. You can make statistics say anything you want. I think what they meant was that psychopaths .. for whatever reason .. prefer the temperament of a dog and were more likely to be dog owners. Perhaps cats freak them out. And yes, I've heard that dogs yawn when anxious. I would never have realized it had I not heard about it on TV. I think it's rather curious! Isn't that odd .. I always thought .. like us .. that a dog was tired if he yawned. They'll hire you at the bingo soon! I'd be rubbish. I don't like shouting out when I win I've only been a couple of times with my Mum but it's a scary place Wonderful review of the book! I've seen it at the library, and like you, I hadn't known Lynne Truss writes novels, and I picked the book up to see what it was about and I was going to take it to the correct non-fiction section, but alas, it was a novel and in its right place! I wasn't interested in the novel before (I do like cats but you know I prefer dogs, personally) but your review has changed my mind! Thank you, that's good .. Claire and I are doing our job Like you I had put her in a category .. but it turns out she's versatile Ooooh, what a great haul! I love the covers. And haha, it's well promising to see an illustration of a midnight feast even before you've started reading the book! Hurrah! Isn't it though .. I'm well encouraged. I'm going to buy some potted meat on the strength of it That's just rotten luck!!! I took a look at a few Finnish and Nordic sites just in case they would have copies, but nope Aww .. thanks Not to worry .. it'll be like a quest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted March 6, 2015 Author Share Posted March 6, 2015 What a bargain for books in such great condition! Yay you! Great review of Cat Out of Hell. I have almost everything Lynne Truss has written, except of course this one, which means it'll be added to my wishlist! Thanks Kylie I think you'll love it and it's not so bad if you have a ginger cat. A tabby cat was the cat not to have and also a black cat .. Molly is halfway there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 What a bargain for books in such great condition! Yay you! Great review of Cat Out of Hell. I have almost everything Lynne Truss has written, except of course this one, which means it'll be added to my wishlist! Wouldn't you just love it if you found a grammatical error in the novel? I see my role as the facilitator … I give you the book to read, you write the great review, people buy the book from your review … everybody wins! That's complete and utter rubbish! I'm pretty sure I've added tens of titles on my wishlist based on your reviews Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 I like the way your evil mind works I don't know what you mean by evil It's the way it's been done! If you feel for the lads, you could make it a little nicer. Oooh, this is the nicest I've seen so far! And there's a dog to keep you company! Actually I call the game .. 'Marrying Colin Firth' Ooooh I wish winning would make it real To be fair he lives with me .. you either laugh or despair I hope he doesn't consider you a 'thing' though I can't imagine it's based on anything concrete. You can make statistics say anything you want. I think what they meant was that psychopaths .. for whatever reason .. prefer the temperament of a dog and were more likely to be dog owners. Perhaps cats freak them out. Hm... Now I'm puzzled. Do you mean they like the company of dogs better, or do they like harming dogs more than harming cats? Isn't that odd .. I always thought .. like us .. that a dog was tired if he yawned. Yep, that's what I used to think, too. Serves us right, us anthropomorphizing dogs I'd be rubbish. I don't like shouting out when I win. I've only been a couple of times with my Mum but it's a scary place Well, instead of shouting you could show the numbers and letters on spreadsheets. Walk around them like in a boxing ring Isn't it though .. I'm well encouraged. I'm going to buy some potted meat on the strength of it You shouldn't read the books before the reunion Aww .. thanks Not to worry .. it'll be like a quest I hope there's a con to the quest in the end! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted March 6, 2015 Author Share Posted March 6, 2015 That's complete and utter rubbish! I'm pretty sure I've added tens of titles on my wishlist based on your reviews There speaks the voice of reason .. you tell her frankie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 (edited) There speaks the voice of reason .. you tell her frankie! I'm the voice of reason and rhyme, oh how I wished you'd be my Valentine! Edit: That doesn't even rhyme! Edited March 6, 2015 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted March 6, 2015 Author Share Posted March 6, 2015 I don't know what you mean by evil. It's the way it's been done! If you feel for the lads, you could make it a little nicer Oooh, this is the nicest I've seen so far! And there's a dog to keep you company! Oh .. my eyes Ooooh. I wish winning would make it real. What do you mean? .. If I win I'm keeping him to it I hope he doesn't consider you a 'thing' though. Hmm .. there are worse things to be considered and I expect he's considered me those too Hm... Now I'm puzzled. Do you mean they like the company of dogs better, or do they like harming dogs more than harming cats? No. They prefer their company. Lord I grinned after that comment .. I wouldn't have done that if I'd meant harming All the psycho's I read about preferred harming people Yep, that's what I used to think, too. Serves us right, us anthropomorphizing dog. Perhaps they do it with us though .. maybe when we yawn they think we're anxious! Well, instead of shouting you could show the numbers and letters on spreadsheets. Walk around them like in a boxing rin. In my shorts That should clear the hall anyway and then I could run off with the winnings .. and the cake .. there's always cake in the village hall You shouldn't read the books before the reunion. Very true and not just for that reason. I never have much to talk about and it would be very unfortunate if I got stuck talking to one of the high flyers and the only thing I could claim as a recent achievement was the finishing off of an Enid Blyton book. I hope there's a con to the quest in the end! Yay!! .. I ain't afraid of no book! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted March 6, 2015 Author Share Posted March 6, 2015 I'm the voice of reason and rhyme, oh how I wished you'd be my Valentine! Edit: That doesn't even rhyme! Yes it does Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 Oh .. my eyes I'm sorry, I couldn't resist What do you mean? .. If I win I'm keeping him to it Shush, my love, I didn't mean anything. There there. Have a nice lie down, don't get yourself worked up... No. They prefer their company. Lord I grinned after that comment .. I wouldn't have done that if I'd meant harming Oh! No worries, I got it completely wrong the first time. I didn't think it was an odd comment from you in any way. We're talking about psychopaths, so anything goes! Perhaps they do it with us though .. maybe when we yawn they think we're anxious! Nah, I bet they are smarter than us In my shorts. That should clear the hall anyway and then I could run off with the winnings .. and the cake .. there's always cake in the village hall. Better not run too often, or you'll end up with nice athletic thighs and shins and then it'll get really crowded at the bingo hall and Alan will have to come with you to protect you from all the oggling men! Very true and not just for that reason. I never have much to talk about and it would be very unfortunate if I got stuck talking to one of the high flyers and the only thing I could claim as a recent achievement was the finishing off of an Enid Blyton book. That made me laugh out loud! I'm so happy flatmate's not home. Better stop reading your posts before she comes home.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 Yes it does Your vice is that you're too nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Lovely, lovely, lovely, book parcel today Quite good condition, in original slipcase and all for 99p plus postage : I hope you enjoy your new books ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted March 8, 2015 Author Share Posted March 8, 2015 Nah, I bet they are smarter than us Would be difficult not to be Better not run too often, or you'll end up with nice athletic thighs and shins and then it'll get really crowded at the bingo hall and Alan will have to come with you to protect you from all the oggling men! He'd be too busy laughing. I might get away with it .. their eyesight isn't what it was That made me laugh out loud! I'm so happy flatmate's not home. Better stop reading your posts before she comes home.... Best she knows from the start .. how will you explain the incontinence pants otherwise? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted March 8, 2015 Author Share Posted March 8, 2015 Your vice is that you're too nice. Nah ... I deliberately gave Alan the smaller of two cakes last week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted March 8, 2015 Author Share Posted March 8, 2015 I hope you enjoy your new books ! Thanks Gaia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted March 8, 2015 Author Share Posted March 8, 2015 I had forgotten all about ordering Peter Reich's book A Book of Dreams. It's been out of print for a while and copies were being sold for astronomical prices but last year, due to all the Kate mania no doubt, news came that it was being reissued and I pre-ordered it at Amazon. Actually when it came its cover was all rucked up .. frustrating really ..I'm annoyed enough with Amazon as it is but cannot be dealing with sorting out the exchange so I think I'll let it pass. It's not too bad anyway. A Book of Dreams was the book that inspired Kate to write Cloudbusting. Amazon says this about it .. This famous book, the inspiration behind Kate Bush's 1985 hit song Cloudbusting, is the extraordinary account of life as friend, confidant and child of the brilliant but persecuted Austrian psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich. Peter, his son, shared with his father the revolutionary concept of a world where dream and reality are virtually indistinguishable, and the sense of mission which set him and his followers apart from the rest of the human race. Here, Peter Reich writes vividly and movingly of the mysterious experiences he shared with his father: of flying saucers; the 'cloudbuster' rain-makers and the FDA narks; and of the final tragic realization of his father's death, which woke him up to the necessity of living out his life in an alien world. Already regarded as a modern classic, A Book of Dreams is not only a beautifully written narrative of a remarkable friendship and collaboration, but a loving son's heartfelt tribute to a loving father. Sounds like it might be a challenge Hope I can rise to it. Anything that inspired this wonderful song though must be worth persevering with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted March 8, 2015 Author Share Posted March 8, 2015 I meant to say that the other books in the pic are not mine .. but I intend to read them My Mum and Dad bought Alan, Cathy .. a book of photographs of Kate (mostly childhood photo's) taken by her brother, the photographer and poet, John Carder Bush. There is accompanying text too. I bought him HomeGround .. 'This is a unique book, a labour of love for hundreds of music fans who have contributed to HomeGround over its thirty-year existence. The book includes an enormous amount of information about Kate Bush, accounts of every release, album, single, pop promo and appearance, as well as memories and accounts of music fandom (such as conventions, meetings, hikes, stage door encounters and video parties). It also includes material on many other pop acts and events. It features poetry, stories, letters, reviews, interviews, memoirs, cartoons, drawings, paintings and photographs.' .. it's about six hundred pages and takes you from Wuthering Heights to The Sensual World .. there is a second volume which I'll get for him later this year. My niece bought him some Kate Bush Club newsletters which date right back to her early days. It's all great stuff for dipping into. I didn't dare rush in and start dipping earlier because Alan hadn't read them and I didn't want him to think that I had my eye on them or that it was at all a consideration when I bought HomeGround or asked Mum to buy Cathy He has read them all now though so I can dip in to my heart's content Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted March 9, 2015 Author Share Posted March 9, 2015 The Curse of the House of Foskett by M.R.C. KasasianSynopsis: 125 Gower Street, 1882: Sidney Grice once had a reputation as London's most perspicacious personal detective. But since his last case led an innocent men to the gallows, business has been light. Listless and depressed, Grice has taken to lying in the bath for hours, emerging in the evenings for a little dry toast and a lot of tea. Usually a voracious reader, he will pick up neither book nor newspaper. He has not even gathered the strength to re-insert his glass eye. His ward, March Middleton, has been left to dine alone. Then an eccentric member of a Final Death Society has the temerity to die on his study floor. Finally Sidney and March have an investigation to mount - an investigation that will draw them to an eerie house in Kew, and the mysterious Baroness Foskett.Review: Very happy to be back in Gower Street with March and Sidney I liked this almost as much as The Mangle Street Murders .. it was a little more grisly and stomach churning so .. being of a squeamish disposish .. I had a bit more trouble with it. Animal lovers will particularly find it upsetting Everything to do with the sleuthing though and the relationship between March and Sidney I loved. If anything, Sidney is even more brusque, rude and objectionable this time. When the first victim starts choking in his house he exclaims 'Do not die in my house .. I absolutely forbid it!' He's especially rude to Molly his poor well meaning, but slightly dotty, housemaid. 'Why did you give that letter to Inspector Quigley after my strict instructions?'Molly twisted her fingers. 'Oh but, sir, but he made me.''Did he knock you unconscious and wrench it from your bleeding fingers? if so, you have made a remarkable recovery. If not, you should have returned the letter to me.''No, sir. It was worserer than that. He said as he would tell you about my abdominable past if I didn't. So I did.'Her employer groaned. 'Molly, has your brain been completely vulcanized?'Molly considered the question. 'I like to think so, sir.''The only thing Inspector Quigley knows about your past is that, like everybody else, you have one, whereas I know more about it than you do.' He pointed the way she had come. 'Go down and ask Cook to broil your head.''Boil, sir?''Broil.''Thank you, sir.' Molly dipped lopsidedly.'And I have warned you before about trying to curtsey.' He looked at his hair in the mirror. 'Stop it or I shall replace you with the jackdaw you so closely resemble. March stands up to him .. not that he takes much notice but she is a match for him and is getting braver all the time .. she's also getting cleverer at solving crime. I wish they wouldn't keep saying how unattractive she is though! Sidney, though as grumpy as ever, does show signs that he's capable of feeling an emotion other than disdain for his fellow man and there's a hint dropped about his involvement in March's sad past which makes you eager to know more. Pretty gruesome as I said before, perhaps also a little far fetched as far as the murders are concerned .. certainly the writer has come up with some ingenious and frightful ways of dispatching people I'm so enjoying the interplay between the two lead characters though that I can bear being made to feel occasionally uneasy. There's something both comfortably familiar and completely unique about their partnership. Already looking forward to the next installment The narration by Emma Gregory is excellent so that's why I decided to stick with the audio version. Rather more difficult when it came to the murders though as I couldn't just squint .. Emma does full justice to them Despite this .. Loved it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted March 9, 2015 Author Share Posted March 9, 2015 The Girl on the Train by Paula HawkinsSynopsis: Rachel catches the same commuter train every morning. She knows it will wait at the same signal each time, overlooking a row of back gardens. She’s even started to feel like she knows the people who live in one of the houses. ‘Jess and Jason’, she calls them. Their life – as she sees it – is perfect. If only Rachel could be that happy. And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Now Rachel has a chance to become a part of the lives she’s only watched from afar. Now they’ll see; she’s much more than just the girl on the train.Review: Totally gripping. The book is narrated by three women, Rachel, Megan and Anna. It's three sides of the same story. I really don't want to give away too much about the plot (don't faint )The page turning brilliance of it (well .. I was listening but you get the drift) relies on you not knowing anything key in advance.Rachel is a character that will stay with me for a long time, I don't know whether I've ever read a book with a more convincing narrator .. which is all the more astonishing as Rachel is a most unreliable narrator .. a bit of a fantasist .. or so we're led to believe. She certainly is one damaged individual.Though the narration is split .. we are mostly with Rachel. We don't hear a lot from Anna (though we hear a lot about her) which is just as well as I liked her the least .. very unsympathetic character though. I was a little disappointed by the ending, you go on this long journey with these characters and you hope you will be rewarded by a good ending. I guessed who was behind the .. well .. .. ermm .. who was the villain of the piece, but not until late on and I think I was meant to by then. I wasn't disappointed by how it turned out .. just in how it was written. BIG SPOILER AHEAD Tom turned into a bit of a cliché villain .. sounding most unconvincing and doing that thing which most ham villains do of spilling all to his would be victims in a cape wearing, moustache twirling, type way. I couldn't quite believe in him anymore .. he just became insubstantial .. I gave him a mental shove and he fell over. Having said all that it was still heart in the mouth time .. and I was still frightened by what he might do. I think the author was better at writing from a woman's perspective. None of the men were that convincing .. for the most part they didn't really have to be as they hardly featured, except for in the minds of the women. I heard it read most excellently especially by Clare Corbett who voices Rachel and Louise Brealey who is Megan. Anna's narration (India Fisher) was more irritating but the character was so it was in keeping.I would highly recommend the audio anyway .. there was only one tiny problem in that two of the girls narrated the same male character differently .. one using quite a strongly accented Asian voice and the other with no hint of an accent at all. Wish they had had better direction on that. Also this is a book you don't want to put down and that's harder to do with an audio .. especially for me as I only like to listen when walking or doing chores. I have other books I'm reading. I do believe anyway that this book encouraged me to go on much longer walks Looking at other reviews it seems a lot of readers had trouble distinguishing between Megan and Rachel .. and of course that just isn't a problem when you're listening to different people narrating. It gets compared with Gone Girl a lot .. so it'll be interesting to see what I make of it when it comes out of the jar Outstanding thriller .. this is the book that everyone is talking about and for good reason imo. It's suspenseful, it's full of twists and turns and it keeps you guessing until the end. Have they written the screenplay yet? They will Loved it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 Damn it, Kay, stop writing fantastic reviews!!!! I haven't even gotten to The Mangle Street Murders yet, and you've already got me wanting to read the sequel as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted March 9, 2015 Author Share Posted March 9, 2015 Gatsby's Girl by Caroline PrestonSynopsis: Just as Jay Gatsby was haunted by Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fizgerald was haunted by his own great first love — a Chicago socialite named Ginevra. Alluring, capricious, and ultimately unavailable, she would become his first muse, the inspiration for such timeless characters as Gatsby's Daisy and Isabelle Borge in This Side of Paradise.Review: This was an okay read. A re-imagining of the brief love affair (if it can be called that) between F. Scott Fitzgerald and his first love Ginevra .. the girl who provided the inspiration for Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby as well as several other characters in his novels and short stories. It begins well enough .. Ginevra meets Scott at a bob party (?!? ) and they steal a kiss in a bobsleigh .. there follows a rather intimate correspondence especially on Scott's side but when he comes to stay during the holidays, Ginevra becomes rather quickly bored and embarrassed by him (even at this early age Scott is drinking heavily) and she breaks off their relationship. We lose Scott from the story then, we only hear about him when his novels are published to critical acclaim. Ginevra is a little peeved by this, she's now married to someone else and has children but all that seems a little unexciting compared. She's a character it's hard to like actually although she does improve towards the end of the story. I love the period, I particularly loved Ginevra's trip to Paris and her (totally fabricated ) conversation with Sylvia Beach in Shakespeare & Co. But the story .. though readable enough .. seemed far too flimsy. It was clear that hardly anything was known about Ginevra after the relationship ended and so a great deal was made up. Scott appeared later in the book, down on his luck and definitely the worse for wear .. Ginevra meets him for dinner and I think that actually did take place. I would far rather have read about him though .. each time he walked out of the story I wanted to follow him Liked it! .. but with a little L. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted March 9, 2015 Author Share Posted March 9, 2015 Damn it, Kay, stop writing fantastic reviews!!!! I haven't even gotten to The Mangle Street Murders yet, and you've already got me wanting to read the sequel as well Well, I'm pretty sure Claire .. that once you start you'll want to carry on .. regardless of anything I say Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 Well, I'm pretty sure Claire .. that once you start you'll want to carry on .. regardless of anything I say That's your "Get out of jail free" card, isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted March 9, 2015 Author Share Posted March 9, 2015 That's your "Get out of jail free" card, isn't it? Yes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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