first things first

The first of April.

The first day of a new week, a new month, and it feels like a new season as we start to adjust to the clocks going forward too!

The first time here as a mum of two boys, as our second son was born in December. There feels like too much to write to know where to start, so all I will say for now is that he is wonderful, happy and healthy, I found the pregnancy tough but the delivery went really well, and T has taken to being a big brother brilliantly. We are very lucky, if also a little exhausted.

The first trip to the library today in a few weeks, only to find that one of our favourite librarians is leaving. We first met him when I was on maternity leave with T, and the library became one of the first places I visited regularly, a haven to a new mum, and brimming with nostalgia as I attended story and song sessions in the same room that I had loved to visit with my own mum many years ago. T knows him by name and talks about him every time we pass the library, he encouraged me to attend the book group, where I made my first real "mum friends", and he will be sorely missed.

It has taken me far longer than it would seem to write the above, interspersed as it has been with multiple episodes of settling the baby back to sleep! I am going to leave it there, with a hope to be back again soon.

wonderful wednesday #10

It's time for another look at some loveliness from the past week, and it's been a great one.

Marvellous Millie: That gorgeous little hound turns 4 years old today. We have celebrated with sunbathing in the garden and a trip to the park for a meet up with my friends, their children, and most crucially their dog who is Millie's playmate of old. They had a happy reunion, and I'm sure there will be treats for tea later too. She's such a wonderful companion, and has coped so well with the turmoil of a baby brother in the house. All she ever wants is company and cuddles (food obviously goes without saying), and I do enjoy the fact that now T has a more predictable bed time, we can have a couple of hours curled up with her just like the good old days.

Sunshine: It has been glorious here, although that has made me realise that I urgently need to purchase some suncream in order to be a responsible parent. The weather makes such a difference though, I've been walking T everywhere, and it feels so good to get out and about.

Cooking: The book I chose for this month's Cookery Calendar Challenge is proving to be a real success, I've already made three recipes from it and am planning a few more before I have to return it to the library! Everything I've made has turned out really well, and it has felt really good to be in the kitchen and making some more unusual dishes.

Getting Muddy: I took part in a Race for Life Pretty Muddy event over the weekend. I signed up on a whim, and then completely forgot about it. I was chatting with my mum's neighbour about starting going running with her daughter, we have grown up together over the years, and our two families are incredibly close. I suddenly realised the race was this weekend, got in touch to see if she fancied joining me, and three days later we found ourselves scrambling through cargo nets, bouncing on space hoppers, sliding down inflatables, and crawling through mud, mud and more mud, in the glorious sunshine. It was brilliant fun, all the better for having company, and felt like a real achievement. My family all came along to cheer us round (and take some brilliant pictures), and we are already thinking about doing a 10k one in June. My legs have been aching, and I've bruises everywhere, but I still get a huge grin whenever I think about it.

Impromptu Visits: The Husband's best friend from uni got in touch out of the blue to see if we were around. He lives a long distance away but happened to be in the area this weekend, so once I had managed to de-mud myself, we went for Sunday dinner followed by milkshakes, then had good chats over coffee at home. It was lovely to see him, really good for him to spend time with T, and it was also one of those occasions where we realised how happy we are where we live. It was so nice to be able to walk two minutes and have lots of options for things to do, yet also to be able to retreat back to home after and sit in the peaceful sunshine. A lovely weekend all round.

I think that's plenty of wonderfulness for this Wednesday, I feel like I could go on and on, I haven't mentioned photography, or stationery, or free gifts from fabulous companies, but instead, go and read some of the other wonderful posts:

Sally is the originator of the idea, you can search for #wonderfulwednesday and these lovely folks all post too: Jo, Helen, Michelle, Sarah, Kate, Cat, Sam, El , Kerri, Mimmi, Martina, Isabelle. 

wonderful wednesday #9

I hope May is treating you well so far, it's time for another round up of some of the loveliness that's been going on round here:

The Breakfast Club: I met up with some close friends for breakfast in Manchester and it was lovely to see them and put the world to rights. As with last week, I'm finding that the early starts that come with parenthood are finally suiting me, and I was home just after 12 feeling like I still had most of the day left, while already having spent a good few hours in good company.

Impending Middle Age: My friends and I were reflecting on how life has changed since we were at university together, over 12 years ago. One friend was off to look at bathrooms that afternoon, while I was relishing in having no weekend plans. I did then manage to outdo her in the grown-up Saturday afternoon activity stakes by visiting a garden centre, and as I told them, taking an active interest in a rack of fleeces and waterproof jackets. There then ensued a conversation about the necessity of a good fleece and the joys of potential national trust membership. At least I am in good company!

Gardening: Just to further fit the stereotype, we returned from the garden centre and spent a happy hour in the garden. The Husband did some weeding, and I planted up our hanging baskets with plug plants we had ordered online. I also added some basil to my much-adored new herb pot, but this is my second attempt at planting a basil plant in amongst all of the other herbs, and it is looking like it may have failed again. 

Running: After a month's absence I have finally been back out on a few runs. The longer it goes the less inclined I am to start again, convinced that I will have lost any progress made, but actually, my pace has remained quite consistent with where I was at previously, and it has been rather enjoyable to get out for a quick burst of activity in the sunshine.

Library Love: I have always had a thing about libraries, my mum used to take me regularly when I was younger, at at University, I always felt most studious if I took myself over the library and holed up there. I love libraries, the peace, the sense of endless books to be read, and in the case of the university libraries I have visited the history within the walls. Having dropped out of using the library since starting work, yet reading more than ever in recent years, I have now rediscovered my love for them through T. I started by taking him to a session of songs and a story, which is twice a week at our local library. It is a brilliant activity, free, half an hour, and is one of the things we have done most consistently since he has been born. It was first attempt at any kind of baby group, and helped me build my confidence as a new parent venturing into the terrifying world of interacting with other parents! Since then, I have started to realise what a wealth of things I have been missing out on, and last weekend came home with a new recipe book and a DVD on loan. My favourite thing, though, is that it is the same library my mum used to take me to, and although it has changed in many ways, the layout, and the bright, welcoming children's room where we got to the class is the same one I used to spend hours in as a little girl. I love the fact that history is repeating in the nicest way.

f you would like to visit some of the others (highly recommended) then Sally is the originator of the idea, you can search for #wonderfulwednesday and these lovely folks all post too: Jo, Helen, Michelle, Sarah, Kate, Cat, Sam, El , Kerri, Mimmi, Martina, Isabelle. 

first things first

The first of May.

I love it when the first day of a month is a Monday, it just feels like everything is nicely lined up, but when the first day of the month is a Bank Holiday Monday, well hurrah, that's an added bonus, with the promise of an extra day as a family, and a shorter countdown until the weekend.

The first morning waking up after a sleep in fresh bedding, with a day stretching ahead, and no real plans.

The first day today, when I can indulge my sweet tooth, after sixty days without sugar (or crisps, or alcohol). More on that in another post, but I'm intrigued to see whether chocolate will hold the same appeal now, I feel like perhaps I have beaten the craving, but I'll see how the next few days go!

Unfortunately, while my diet has improved drastically, I haven't kept up with the running. Having taken a week off when I got poorly, it stretched on into two, and then three weeks, and now it is over a month since I have had the trainers on. Last night I ventured out on my first run, just a mini one, determined to get fit for the 10k I have planned in a few months time. It wasn't horrendous, and I've been walking 3-4 miles regularly taking T out and about to the park and the library, so I'm hoping that has helped. After my sister-in-law ran the London Marathon this year, I casually suggested to The Husband that we could look at doing one together, maybe in October. I might be mad, I don't think there is anything casual about a marathon, but we have both wanted to do one for a while, and I wonder if signing up might be the prompt we need. The Husband has started looking at running watches today, so I'm wondering if I may have tempted him. Watch this space!

This month also brings with it our first family holiday with our extended family. My cousin and his family, and my aunt and uncle are joining us, my parents and my grandad for a week in a holiday rental property. It seems to have come around quite quickly, and I am very excited, especially as the property has a swimming pool, games room, and cinema room. T might be a little young for table tennis or movie nights, but he loves swimming and I can't wait to be able to take him for a splash each day!

Saturday was the first time I had a girly meet up with my close uni friends since T has been born. Once they got over the shock of me, queen of the all-nighter and steadfast night owl suggesting meeting at 9am (oh motherhood, thou hast changed me), we arranged to have breakfast in Manchester. It was a beautifully sunny day, I made it to the train in plenty of time, had a glorious few hours catching up, and was home before T woke from his nap ready for his next feed. It felt like everything went to plan, and it is still a revelation for me to be able to go out for a few hours and not worry that he might be hungry, particularly as he was never great a taking a bottle. It was a long leisurely breakfast (much to the chagrin of the staff I think, as the place was packed!) and a brilliant catch up. 

Finally, on the train home, I started the first few pages of Elizabeth Gilbert's Big Magic. I haven't read her previous books though I had obviously heard of Eat Pray Love, but had read about this one a few times. It kept appearing in magazines, and I kept thinking it sounded interesting, and then I read a blog which referenced it, that I now can't for the life of me find (if it was you please tell me as I have hunted for it, and would love to link it back). I decided on a whim to buy it, and I'm glad I did. I did rather too many embarrassing snorts of laughter on the train, and the words have been popping up in my head, making me itch to pick it up and carry it on. It reminded me that the joy of being creative, in whatever guise that takes, is enough reason to carry on writing here, to carry on dusting off the calligraphy pens, to carry on trying to catch up with my camera projects. Not through a desire for comments, or approval, or popularity, but just through the joy that it brings me, the small pleasure I find, and so here I am.

Wishing you all a wonderful May, whether it be full of firsts, or enjoyable familiarity. 

wonderful wednesday

Having very much enjoyed Michelle's wonderful wednesday posts in 2016 I thought I'd try my hand at joining in with Sally's project. It seems like a good idea to make an effort to take stock of the good stuff so here I go!

Reading: generally just getting round to picking up books for the first time in ages, being on my second since the new year, but particularly my current one, Nobody Told Me by Hollie McNish, a brilliant Christmas gift. I think I'll be telling everyone I meet about it, I'm trying to read it as quickly as possible so I can pass it on to someone and then bend their ear off about it. It is as though someone has written down my every thought about being a new mum in a far more witty and eloquent way than I ever could.

Cooking: or at least planning to. I'm just starting to get back into the habit of cooking again. I figure if we can manage Christmas dinner for seven I can manage to try a few recipes here and there and hopefully I'll be able to join back in with Penny's project again this year after a few months hiatus.

Hardy herbs: on a related note, I found a recipe I wanted to try and realised that the only ingredient I didn't have was parsley. Having long ago planted some herb pots that have been neglected for months I found that the parsley and chives were still alive and happily growing in the corner of the garden. I haven't made the recipe yet but I'm guessing if they've lasted this long they'll make it for a few more days.

Winter sun: the above picture was taken on a walk to the park today. It was a beautiful clear day, and it was lovely to get out in the fresh air with the pram (and the baby too of course!).

Ikea hauls: some people's idea of hell, I realise, but The Husband uttered those magic words "I'm thinking of rearranging the storage in some of the cupboards" and I couldn't get him there quickly enough. Hurrah for compartments and boxes and storage tubs and spice racks for the cupboard door and hangers that hold scarves, ties and belts, and candles, always a packet of candles. I resisted the gigantic bag of Daim bars though that may have been an error in retrospect.

I shall leave it there for my first attempt, but if you would like to visit some of the others (highly recommended) then Sally is the originator of the idea, you can search for #wonderfulwednesday and these lovely folks all post too: Jo, Helen, Michelle, Sarah, Kate, Cat, Sam, El , Kerri, Mimmi, Martina, Isabelle.

the year in books: february

Due to the recent gallivanting, I'm afraid the February post for Laura's The Year in Books project is quite late in the month. The summary of the books I read in January feels such a long a time ago now, and the part on the books I plan to read in February is a bit of a cheat as I already know I've read two of them! However, I shall write on, and endeavour to be more prompt next time!

"I doubt this book will ever disappear in huge numbers from supermarket shelves, or that people will scuffle over the last discounted copy in a frenzied Black Friday riot. Neither is it the leaden, pan-generational epic I pitched all those years ago. It’s something in the middle. Mid-ranged. Comfy. The sort of book that would turn up to a meeting covered in mud and shit having not changed into something more appropriate. Something a little more me."

I really enjoyed this book, and the style of writing was exactly what I expected, dry wit, often self-depreciating but also warm and well-written. I think a memoir is a good way of describing it, as it feels like a collection of anecdotes rather than a full-scale autobiography. The chronology moves around a lot, and some personal events seem to be only half-mentioned, or turned into a funny aside, which can make it feel a quite light hearted rather than being an in-depth life story. If you come to the book with that in mind, then it is a great read, with some incredibly funny writing, but also some moving sections too. She also writes of her family with a very tangible fondness, and their dynamic is incredibly well-captured. There were some poignant sections, and for me, the writing about her beagles really resonated. Despite my obvious enjoyment of Great British Bake Off, this book included some interesting background to the series, but was about much more than just that programme, and had a really broad appeal.

"I was gawky and she was gorgeous and I was hopelessly boring and she was endlessly fascinating. So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was hurricane."

The Husband bought me a few John Green books a couple of years ago, I think when The Fault in Our Stars came out, and one Sunday in January I picked this one off the shelf and escaped for the afternoon into it. I found it very similar in style to an Abundance of Katherines by the same author, I book I read last year. I enjoyed this one more, but still felt that the main character being given a "quirk" didn't flow well within the novel. In this case, it was a knowledge of people's last words, a subject which is really interesting, but again it just felt a little forced to keep mentioning them in the plot, as though trying to combine a reference book with fiction. I think because I find the last words interesting in their own right, it again felt like a distraction. The plot was about teenagers at a boarding school and was a coming-of-age novel in my mind. The chapters were numbered in terms of a countdown to an event, and I found this an engaging structure, which helped to keep the plot moving, without making it obvious what it was leading up to.

In February, I have a number of books I want to read. The Trouble With Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon has been suggested by Laura this time, in case people were interested in reading the same book as others taking part in the project. There will be a separate twitter chat, in addition to the normal one, for people who chose to read the book, and I was lucky enough to receive a copy through the giveaway Laura ran last month. That will definitely be on my February list, and there are plenty of others on the to-read list too.

the year in books: january

As happened in 2014 too, my year in books contributions seemed to tail off towards the end of the year. I did read quite a few more books though, and will definitely be joining back in again with the project this year. It really has made me rediscover my love of reading, and our family has started a mini book club, sharing books between my parents and I, with recommendations and discussions, including text updates from Mum as she reaches particularly moving or shocking parts!

I am very happy to say that Laura is running the project again this year, and you can take part on instagram, via a blog, through the monthly twitter chats, or a combination of them all. For now, I plan to do a blog post still, but I may move over to instagram alone as the year progresses! Laura is also suggesting a single book in February that people could choose to read, which seems like a lovely way of uniting us all virtually, in an informal way.

So, books that I didn't get round to writing up last year were:

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte - I didn't know much about the plot, but had a notion of Heathcliffe as a doomed romantic hero wandering the moors. It was a lot darker, and more in the realms of a ghost story at times, than I expected, and I didn't find many of the characters particularly likeable. I did enjoy reading it, and thought the writing was excellent, and I would be interested to read some of the analyses of the text, and possibly see how it has been adapted for screen too.

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins - After seeing lots of mixed opinions on this, I was a little wary, but I couldn't put it down. Again, there isn't much redeeming about any of the characters, and I had sussed some of the plot turns quite early on, but I did find it compelling and it definitely made the commute a little more thought-provoking!

The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson - I bought this on a hunch after seeing a poster, and what a good hunch it was. Much like Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train it was filled with suspense, and the characters failed to evoke much sympathy, but there was a macabre fascination with the plot and how it would progress. I loved the ending of this book, and thought it was the most gripping one I've read in a while.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman - Another one I had seen mixed reviews of, but I adored everything about this novel, even if it did have me laughing and weeping at far too regular intervals. It was a lovely, beautiful plot with very believable characters and one I will definitely revisit.

Kate's Wedding by Chrissy Manby - I found this in the holiday cottage we stayed at in December, and spent a lazy few hours devouring it. It was light-hearted, based on two women getting married the same weekend as the royal wedding, with a few plot twists along the way. Much of it was predictable, but it was fun, and there was enough going on to keep it interesting, exactly my kind of holiday read.

I can't think that there are any others, but I'm sure my parents will be in touch if I've missed any out!

Having got lots of wonderful books for Christmas, my first choice has been Sue Perkin's memoir, which is so far proving to be a brilliant read. Do pop over to Laura's blog if you fancy joining in, and hopefully catch some of you at the first twitter chat at the end of January.

project 365: week 34

As with last week, quite a few of this week's images have also been for the #31DaysofPaper and #AugustBreak2015 daily photo projects I have been joining in with over on Instagram, so a few of them may be familiar!

228. This notebook was the inspiration for the #31DaysofPaper project, as the prompt was "pretty". This notebook lives in our hall table, and is most often used for shopping lists.

229. This was the first of The Husband's two batches of biscotti this week. He isn't a fan of dried fruit (or any fruit!), so they look a bit monochromatic, but they were a lovely flavour.

230. Visiting Grandad's house for dinner, and these beautiful gladioli were on the table. You can't quite make it out in the picture, but they were in a teal vase which made the red stand out beautifully.

231. Another #31DaysofPaper photo. The prompt was "old" and after some searching, we think this collection of poems we bought in Oxfam is the oldest book we own, there is an inscription inside that shows it was given as a Christmas gift in 1891, a year after it was published.

232. After a struggle to find a photo for #AugustBreak2015 when the prompt was "two" inspiration came in the form of our bedside clock.

233. I had an attempt at baking the baguettes from Great British Bake Off. As you can see, they weren't the most uniform collection, but they tasted quite good! The full post will be coming before Wednesday!

234. We went out to test-drive a car, having narrowed it down to a few possible options. We ended up being quite near the venue we had for our wedding, and so we popped in for a late lunch. This mini fish and chips was a perfect portion, and tasted lovely.

the year in books: august

"As always happened when I thought or heard of anything to do with babies and pregnancy, I thought back to my birth mother. This woman I didn't know. This stranger who I could have quite easily walked past on the street and not recognized as the person who gave birth to me. Nor would she have recognized the baby she gave away."

I only finished the one book in July, and it was Jonathan Harvey's The Girl Who Just Appeared, the first I have read by this author. It was an interesting plot. and though I thought I had the ending sussed quite early on (I was on the right lines but not exactly right!), it actually kept coming up with further plot twists to keep you intrigued.

It was one of the first times I have read a book that described in detail a city I know reasonably well. For me this was a bit distracting, a bit like when you have seen the film before reading the book, and it becomes more difficult to imagine the characters separate to the actors who played them! Obviously for me part of the enjoyment of reading must be from getting lost in imagined worlds, and I noticed a difference here when I kept being drawn back to reality. It was interesting to have it written with two different narrators, describing the same place at two different periods, and it felt like the history of the city was woven through the story.

Similarly, some of the accents and dialect written into the novel caught my attention, because they represented voices I have heard many times. It was an unusual experience reading a book with a frame of reference that wasn't many miles from home. What did surprise me was the introduction of the second narrator, as I wasn't anticipating it, and actually the voice, and the story suddenly shifted to become much darker. It was quite discomfiting initially, having started out feeling it was quite a light-hearted handling of the subject matter, I found myself caught unawares when the style and the plot changed so dramatically.

I finished the book quite quickly, and would like to read more from the author. It was an interesting plot that kept me engaged. This month is another classic novel that I have never read before, Wuthering Heights. So many people have told me that they adore this book, so I'm hoping my expectations aren't set too high!

Linking up with Laura and The Year in Books

the year in books: july

'The Savage nodded, frowning. "You got rid of them. Yes, that's just like you. Getting rid of everything unpleasant instead of learning to put up with it. Whether 'tis better in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them… But you don't do either. Neither suffer nor oppose. You just abolish the slings and arrows. It's too easy."'

Another slow month, and the first of my five classic books. I hit a slightly rough start with this one as there were a number of introductory essays both by an academic and then by Huxley also. I think I should have avoided these and read them afterwards, as it gave me a particular perspective on the novel that probably framed my reading of it. It also meant that I had passed a good few days of commuting reading the book without actually starting the novel so it felt quite slow going to begin with.

Once I got properly into the story it was a compelling read, and from the point at which the population of savages was introduced it became a particularly thought-provoking exploration on the nature of civilisation. I loved the references to Shakespeare written into the text, and somehow thinking of the setting and context of his plays heightened the contrast with the modern world presented by Huxley.

It wasn't a pleasant read, and as with many dystopian novels, it's power came from the fact that it didn't seem to be an entirely implausible vision of a not too distant future. It was interesting to see, though, that while many elements of the world Huxley described felt recognisable, at the time of writing, the incredible advance of mobile and computerised technology was not foreseen, and they are notable by their absence in the world he has constructed.

The progression of the plot was not surprising but still managed to remain engaging. I felt like I wanted to know more about what happened after the point at which the novel ended, but in some ways the impression it leaves is embodied by how you continue to wonder about the world beyond the final page.

For this month I will be reading The Girl Who Just Appeared by Johnathan Harvey, which is a find from the unread pile on the bookshelf that sounded appealing.

Linking up with Laura's The Year in Books project.

the year in books: june

"In the countryside near Shanghai, almost all of the peasants could read and write, but here 90 per cent could not. I realized now that I had been lucky to have lived in such good conditions near Shanghai"

I read the sum total of one book in May. This book was sat on the shelf and I mistakenly thought it was one The Husband had purchased, but later discovered it was one we had been given in a box coming from  a relative. I found it interesting, but hard-going. It is the autobiography of Anhua Gao, who grew up in communist China. It gets brilliant reviews elsewhere, so obviously many people enjoy it, but I found the writing a struggle. The history of China was fascinating and horrifying in equal measure, and the stories she shared of her experiences painted a desperately sad picture of life in those times. It certainly made me want to understand more about the cultural history. I found the structure of the novel difficult at times, key things seemed to be missed out and then mentioned much later. I can't honestly say I enjoyed this book, but perhaps that is a reflection on the dark content. I'd be interested to know what others think of it.

I've started reading Brave New World by Aldous Huxley for June, and hope to get a few more books read too. 

On a slight aside, and because I suspect book people are generally word people, have you ever seen this website? It is a website listing unusual and interesting words, and it is a treasure trove of fabulous terms and definitions. I was reading Lottie's post last night, and she mentioned once reading a word which was defined as the feeling of diving in to water, and never having been able to find it since. Being the person I am, that was all I needed to set off on a hunt to find the word, and I came across that site, and the word "curglaff" which means " the shock felt when plunging into cold water". I'm not sure yet if it's the word Lottie was looking for, but I love it. My favourite find so far though is the brilliant "chork" which is defined as "to make the sound that feet do with shoes full of water". It almost feels like an elaborate April Fool, but I sense many happy visits in the future finding weird and wonderful words.

Linking up with Laura's The Year in Books

the year in books: may

It has taken me forever to get around to finishing this post. I started it ages ago and then lost part of it, and after a successful month of reading in April, I haven't quite got round to writing it and now I realise it is nearly the end of May. I partly blame the fact that I am plodding through a book that I'm not really loving, and it has curbed my enthusiasm somewhat. However, April was filled with some fabulous reads, so hopefully finally getting this published will reignite my enthusiasm!

“The early days of any relationship are punctuated with a series of firsts - first sight, first words, first laugh, first kiss, first nudity, etc., with these shared landmarks becoming more widely spaced and innocuous as days turn to years, until eventually you're left with first visit to a National Trust property or some such.” 

I really enjoyed this, the main character almost reminded me of Don from The Rosie Project in twenty years time. A brilliant combination of a tour through Europe, descriptions of art, and a great plot. I can heartily recommend this book, and thought it was wonderful, a very believable account of a family at a critical juncture, with superb characters.

“Olivia Joules liked hotels. She liked hotels because: When you went into a new hotel room there was no past. It was like drawing a line and starting again. Hotel life was almost Zen-like in its simplicity: a capsule wardrobe, capsule living. No debris, no nasty clothes you never wore but couldn't throw away, no in-tray, no dishes full of leaky pens and Post-it notes with chewing gum stuck to them. Hotels were anonymous." 

In early April I was having a few sleepless nights. When it gets particularly bad (thankfully not often) rather than lie in bed mulling things over I take myself downstairs and dig out a book. I tend towards ones that I have read before, that aren't too taxing, but that have enough of a plot to keep me engaged, and on this occasion this one was the book of choice. I've read this a few times over the years, and find it quite funny, with the brilliant ability to satirise life that Helen Fielding has. It is a little dated now in terms of the plot, but it did the trick and The Husband came downstairs to find me asleep under a blanket on the sofa in the study. 

“He liked the idea of coffee quite a lot—a warm drink that gave you energy and had been for centuries associated with sophisticates and intellectuals. But coffee itself tasted to him like caffeinated stomach bile.” 

The plot had the potential to be interesting, but I found the writing style really grating. The author (John Green who wrote A Fault in Our Stars) put footnotes on every page explaining foreign terms, mathematical equations and specific facts that he had included in the text and it became really distracting. As well as constantly looking to the footnotes, it gave the sense that the author was constantly trying to show the breadth of his knowledge and it really spoiled the book for me.  It seemed quite a jarring way to include the information in the narrative, and drew me away from what was otherwise a good plot. Added to the main character being a prodigy who was particularly keen on doing anagrams, it just felt like one long display of skills and information, and wasn't that enjoyable.

“Your hope lies in accepting your life as it now lies before you, forever changed. If you can do that, the peace you seek will follow. Forever changed.”

After the previous book, I wasn't as enthused about starting this, another novel written about teenagers finishing school. As it was I thought it was brilliant, some great writing, and really gripping. I liked the shifting narrators, and the story. Also, I can highly recommend reading the author notes at the end of the book, I actually read them down the phone to my mum, weeping as I did!

“This was how it could be done. This was how you lived with a terrible secret. You just did it. You pretended everything was fine. You ignored the deep, cramplike pain in your stomach. You somehow anesthetized yourself so that nothing felt that bad, but nothing felt that good either.” 

Another brilliant pick by The Husband. I don't know what I expected from the cover, but this book was so much more than I anticipated. A really engaging read, with lots of intertwining storylines, and darkly witty in places. I thought at first it might be tricky to follow, but the characters were so clearly written that it was easy to keep up with the switching plots. I will definitely look out for more of this author's work.

My first (and only) book so far in May has been To The Edge of the Sky by Anhua Gao. As I hinted at the start I'm battling with this one, so it will likely be a much shorter, but hopefully earlier, post next month!

Linking up with Laura's The Year in Books project.

project 365: week 17

I did warn you that this is a spectacularly unexciting week of photos, so apologies for the lack of inspiration over the last seven days!

109. Ready for a run in the sunshine, having got out of the habit while in Brussels it was good to get back into it and realise I hadn't lost all of the improvements I had built up over the previous weeks.

110. The blossom on the tree in our garden caught my eye as I let Millie out in the morning. 

111. So very, very close to missing a day. After travelling to London and then getting back late from an evening with colleagues, I completely forgot to take a picture. I was so disappointed to think I hadn't managed to keep it up, and then found this screenshot on my phone from this article I was reading. I took the picture because I was struggling to read it on my phone, and thought zooming in might make it clearer, as you can see it didn't (the link takes you to an easier to read one), so I apologise for the appalling contribution to day 111 but I was so very pleased to realise I had a contribution at all!

112. Dark chocolate, a good book, and an early night to cheer me up in the midst of a very busy week.

113. Another by the bed shot, and another blurry shot I'm afraid, of my bedtime cup of tea.

114. On the road with The Husband after work on Friday, to go and meet up with a big group of friends from his university days. Lovely weather, and a lovely journey, chatting, reading and enjoying the views.

115. Just by means of a change, a by the bed shot from the hotel room, after a great night out with friends. This book was brilliant, absolutely captivating, and has brought me lots of enjoyment this week.

Linking up with The Boy and Me

word of the week #16

We went to Brussels without a guidebook, figuring that having been before we wouldn't need to buy one. We were wrong. Turns out that for us, part of the holiday is in reading about the places we are visiting, finding out some history, and also that we tend to need the maps and phrase books! So it was that we managed to find a Waterstones in Brussels, and spent a happy half hour sat on a windowseat flicking through guidebooks and picking one to purchase for our weekend. 

While we were there, we spotted the Little Black Classics range that Penguin have just brought out, and had a bit of a spur of the moment idea that we would love to buy the set of 80 books for in our study. They are little pocket sized books, from a whole range of authors. When we got back to the hotel we found them for half price on the Telegraph book shop - they are still on offer but not half price now. So on a whim we ordered them, they arrived this week, and other than the dodgy delivery in which they were left on our drive in the rain (thank goodness for lovely neighbours who know us, know my parents, and let them know so they could bring them inside) they are fabulous.

 It's like a little pick and mix, and they are the perfect size for commuting. Seeing them on the shelf makes me smile every time. The only trouble is, I found out about all the other sets Penguin have done over the years, including this recent set which I have entirely fallen in love with. They seem to be in America, and at $22 each rather than 80p, I won't be buying the full 26-book set any time soon, though it is rather tempting in view of number 6 on my recent list!

Linking in with Jocelyn's #WOTW project

the year in books: april

Such good books last month, and all really different too. I seem to have had a good run of books so far this year.

“When I am optimistic, I choose to believe that every life I lead, every choice I make, has consequence. That I am not one Harry August but many, a mind flicking from parallel life to parallel life, and that when I die, the world carries on without me, altered by my deeds, marked by my presence.” 

I wasn't sure how I would find this book, I thought it sounded similar in concept to Life After Life, as I mentioned here. I got more into this book as I went along, and was really engaged with it by the end. As with Life After Life, something about the repeating life plot wasn't overly appealing to me, but I felt this novel addressed it differently and it caught my imagination more. I have handed this one on to The Husband, as I definitely think this would appeal to him.

"I have an awful feeling I’m supposed to know, and that this is some kind of treat. I don’t think it’s my birthday, but perhaps an anniversary. Patrick’s death? It would be just like Helen to remember and make it a “special occasion.” But I can see from the bare trees out on the street that it’s the wrong time of year. Patrick died in the spring."

I thought this book was fabulously written, with an excellent plot. It was such an interesting concept to have the narrator as someone in the early stages of dementia, and the overlapping timelines were really effective. It was written in a really empathetic way, with moments of dark humour, but also a really captivating presentation of the experience of being affected by the condition.

"Melanie thinks: when your dreams come true, your true has moved. You've already stopped being the person who had the dreams, so it feels more like a weird echo of something that already happened to you a long time ago."

This is absolutely not a book I would ever have picked, it was one The Husband bought me having read good reviews, and I was so glad he did. It was absolutely gripping, I couldn't put this down, and it was one of those books that actually made me look forward to the commute just to carry on reading it. It is apparently being turned into a film and that doesn't surprise me. 

My first book of April, which may, ahem, actually already be finished thanks to an Easter Sunday afternoon reading in the sunshine, is Us by David Nicholls, writer of Starter for Ten and One Day.

Linking up with Laura's The Year in Books Project

project 365: week 14

88. Sunday night and ending the weekend curling up in bed with a new book.

89. Another book, I'm afraid taking photos seemed to fall by the wayside this week. I managed to take one or two each day but very few were taken intentionally for the photo a day project, so apologies for the somewhat dull content.

90. And as if to prove my point, here is an attempt, as I mentioned, to get a vaguely interesting picture from a bunch of photographs I had taken at a conference. I couldn't quite bring myself to put up a picture of a powerpoint slide, and so somehow thought a close up of the projector in the corner of the shot was an improvement. I can only apologise!

91. Two tone flowers adding some colour to the bedroom.

92. Out to dinner with Mum, and a quick snap of the plant on the table before an evening catching up.

93. Friday night doing my word of the week doodling with Millie for company, looking somewhat unimpressed. 

94. Beautiful silhouettes at sunset.

Linking in with The Boy and Me