tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63077045158097166362024-03-14T08:26:07.005+00:00Odd Socks and Pretty FrocksLife is too short for matching socks. As for the frocks, my collection is slowly growing...Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337968500120821387noreply@blogger.comBlogger692125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6307704515809716636.post-58116548227934593962016-04-07T22:48:00.003+01:002016-04-07T22:48:49.541+01:00A Blogging Good Read - April <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLs01sv8YGoCwr-FqfG0Lccf6qHfVsyND4qstEwEa14ssMcwWXEQ5o5BJ2Ndm32dst6MS-bPE6UFS_kvtlhNjJB3RjV8HEuTP0CC-swBZEiNXb6jRn7NZOyAZQtI-1otvsZbMolGI8GWa/s660/Final+-+Good+Read+Header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLs01sv8YGoCwr-FqfG0Lccf6qHfVsyND4qstEwEa14ssMcwWXEQ5o5BJ2Ndm32dst6MS-bPE6UFS_kvtlhNjJB3RjV8HEuTP0CC-swBZEiNXb6jRn7NZOyAZQtI-1otvsZbMolGI8GWa/s660/Final+-+Good+Read+Header.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
It's Blogging Good Read time again! This month I've been joined by Gwen from <a href="http://www.shuttersandletters.co.uk/">Shutters & Letters</a> and Kezzie from <a href="http://kerenzaallin-garner.blogspot.co.uk/">Kezzie AG</a>. Huge thanks to them both for jumping in at short notice! Yes, I am very forgetful and didn't remember to actually organise participants in time. I'm trying to improve. On that note, if you want to join in (new or experienced, all BGR folk are welcome!), please let me know.<br />
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Anyway, what did we read this month? <br />
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My choice was <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0751503843/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0751503843&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">84 Charing Cross Road</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0751503843" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Helene Hanff:<br />
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Janet mentioned this book in her <a href="http://wordsthatcanonlybeyourown.blogspot.com/2015/12/2015-year-in-books.html">2015 book review post</a> and I immediately whacked it on my to-read list. I love epistolary books. It doesn't matter if they're fiction or non fiction. Put a series of letters/telegrams/emails/diary entries in front of me and I'm a happy reader. Not only is this a book of letters, it's a book of letters about BOOKS. Could there be anything better?<br />
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It's an incredibly charming, easy to read book, consisting of a series of letters between Helene Hanff, an author living in New York, and the members of staff at Marks & Co antiquarian bookshop at 84 Charing Cross Road. They span twenty years or so and even though it's not a long book, the letters beautifully capture the relationships and personalities, whims and all, of everyone concerned. Most importantly, they all love books. I could listen to people rhapsodising about old editions and favourite authors all day, so this is like a little slice of bookish heaven to me.<br />
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What did Gwen think?<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">It's an unusual book, this. I often find letter- formed stories hard to read, so I listened to it as an audio book, which worked well. The upside of the letters is that, as far as we are aware, they are all real and the correspondents slowly come to life as the years go past. The downside? I can't help thinking they are edited. There are considerably more from Hanff to the bookshop than the other way around, and unfortunately I found the London characters much more interesting. Hanff comes across, despite her generosity to the staff in sending food parcels, as somewhat of a diva, and I often found myself rolling my eyes at her. It's a pleasant enough tale but unfortunately not quite up there with The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society, which I couldn't help but compare it to.</span><br />
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How about Kezzie?<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">I absolutely adore fiction written using the narrative technique of letters between characters and I think that 84 Charing Cross road was the first of this kind I ever read. There is so much opportunity to imagine the world and moments and occurences that are unwritten between the missives. This book is utterly gorgeous seeing Frank Doel and Helene Hanff start off so formally and relax into an easy familiarity. Hanff has a great sense of humour in her writing- eccentric and witty. I became a part of the affection which all at Marks & Co hold Helen in, through her generosity in sending the employees at Marks and Co and subsidiary characters food during the rationing. The book is one which attaches you emotionally quite early on and I spent this second reading of the book (it's been at least a decade since I last read it) willing Helene to go to England to meet Frank and co. The ending (no spoilers) made me react emotionally. I knew it was coming but still, that didn't change anything! This is a brilliant book which you can read in an hour or so- brilliant!</span><br />
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Kezzie picked <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00YAKIVSO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00YAKIVSO&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">The World According to Anna</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B00YAKIVSO" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Jostein Gaarder:<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">I chose this because I've enjoyed several other Jostein Gaarder books immensely. They are generally very thought-provoking, beautiful description, a new perspective on the world, compelling, excellent characterisation and potentially some other-worldly element. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">In this book, Anna is on the cusp of her 16th birthday and is taken to a doctor because she has dreams in which she is in other places and times and other people. At this time, she dreams she is Nova, possibly her own grandaughter in a barren world where global warming and animal extinction have reached a critical point. It is a cautionary tale in ensuring we do not pillage the earth to the detriment of our future generations. I like the message of it, everyone making a tiny difference or trying to make a big difference in order to effect change, but I found the narrative irritatingly disjoined between Nova's time and Anna's time. I also felt it lacked explanation WHY the events occur and I felt like the book finished far too abruptly. It felt a bit too preachy too, edven though I strongly concur with the message of the book to do something NOW about irrevocably changing our world through not trying to to take care. I'm glad I read the book, but in this case, I think it would be better read by a younger audience as it lacked the development I'm used to in Gaarder's writing.</span><br />
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I hadn't read any of Gaarder's books before this one. It came with a recommendation from Kezzie that although she hadn't read it yet, he was one of her favourite authors so she was expecting it to be a good read. Now we have fairly similar taste in books for the most part so I was fully anticipating liking it but I actually took violently against it. Sorry Kezzie! (although reading the above review, it wasn't a complete success for you either...)<br />
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It's just so preachy. So very, very preachy. Like being trapped in a corner at a party by the local bore who wants to tell you all about how not cycling to work means you're personally killing all the polar bears. On top of the preachiness, it wasn't very well written or even that interesting or well-executed a plot. I'm sure he is a talented author but this can't possibly be his best work. <br />
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What did Gwen think?<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">I was really looking forward to reading this - having never quite got around to picking up any of his other classics I was excited to see what the fuss was about. Oh, how disappointed I was. Gaarder's premise was interesting, but there was no explanation of how Anna received her messages, and the characterisation was, in my humble opinion, dire (particularly Anna's psychiatrist, who was a cartoon). I also found myself rolling my eyes at how far fetched and inaccurate some of his assumptions of climate change are. I'm not the biggest fan of YA, as done badly it can read like it was written by a YA, and sadly this fell into that category. Not for me at all.</span><br />
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Gwen chose <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1844080390/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1844080390&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">Jamaica Inn</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=1844080390" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Daphne Du Maurier:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh96OzBlMZeQh60Mlp6qQTO7dAGNQ2nft7shHlLedmHueV6QbJQXtJRQilZogFunM9ABJkMkl3wht88lOzkmmzVnzUq6ZNNuEmKG5i8vcxKQRasEROkyD78HfsFpjAYOcU066QEq3bNGi_K/s1600/Jamaica+Inn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh96OzBlMZeQh60Mlp6qQTO7dAGNQ2nft7shHlLedmHueV6QbJQXtJRQilZogFunM9ABJkMkl3wht88lOzkmmzVnzUq6ZNNuEmKG5i8vcxKQRasEROkyD78HfsFpjAYOcU066QEq3bNGi_K/s600/Jamaica+Inn.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="color: blue;">I read Rebecca years ago and enjoyed it, so I was intrigued by how different Jamaica Inn was - while the rather Gothic tension was familiar, that was the end of the similarities. Jamaica Inn isn't the most challenging book I've ever read - the plot is surprisingly simple - and at times I found myself wondering why it is so lauded. It's slow. Nothing much happens until the last few chapters. The "twist" isn't really that surprising... But it is incredibly atmospheric, something that I find a lot of more modern novels lack. I suspect I would have enjoyed it more if I'd been curled up next to a log fire with the wind and rain outside, but it was a good pick anyway.</span><br />
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What did Kezzie think of it?<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Wow, this was exciting!!! Such excellent description created a truly dark and disturbing backdrop. Mary is an intrepid, brave and loyal hero, stuck at the mercy of her wicked Uncle Joss at the Sinister Jamaica Inn on the Launceston Road in Cornwall. Smuggling and other such nefarious activities are ride and it is up to Mary to find a way to escape and free her much beleaguered and downtrodden Aunty. Mary's suspicions of who she can trust and who might help her are intriguing and as I have a suspicious mind, I realised who she must definitely not trust correctly immediately. It was certainly a compelling page-turner. Joss is rather a caricature of the evil tyrant, but that doesn't make him any less scary. I certainly want to read more Du Maurier after this. I feel her handling of the landscape, characters and storyline was accomplished and the suspense and tension was excellent. Thanks for making me finally read something by this author!</span><br />
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This was my first taste of Du Maurier. Overall impressions are favourable, methinks. As Gwen has mentioned in her review, it's not the most challenging novel in terms of plot but by heck, the atmosphere and sense of place will take some beating. If you're on board with a bit of Cornish gloomy melodrama (and frankly I am), this is the book for you. Smugglers and albino vicars and shady characters up to no good on the moors: it's got them all!<br />
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It is all underpinned with a very real sense of everyday menace though and the plight that Mary finds herself in must have been commonplace back then - if you were left penniless and had to go to whichever relatives would take you in, that's not exactly the guarantee of a secure, trouble-free future. I found myself really rather worried about if and how she'd escape the sinister relatives in the end, so despite the melodrama, it still had me hooked!<br />
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Thanks again to Kezzie and Gwen.<br />
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Next month for Blogging Good Read we'll be reading <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00LO1T1IQ/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00LO1T1IQ&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">Crooked Heart</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B00LO1T1IQ" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Lissa Evans, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00QPQNYFG/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00QPQNYFG&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">The Turning Point</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B00QPQNYFG" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Freya North and <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003NX6Y2O/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B003NX6Y2O&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">The Hare With Amber Eyes</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B003NX6Y2O" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Edmund de Waal.</div>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337968500120821387noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6307704515809716636.post-30726942335955284472016-03-30T18:30:00.000+01:002016-03-30T18:30:19.730+01:00A Knitting Update<br />
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I finally finished The Neverending Weasley Jumper. Oh my word, that took a long, long time. It was meant to be easy. In terms of knitting complexity I suppose it was - it's basically stocking stitch. I picked up a few new techniques about finishing off sections and doing necklines and so on but ultimately it wasn't hard. It just took soooooooooooo long to finish.<br />
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Then as is usual with me, I got complete post-craft ennui and hated it. I can't get over the feeling that it's too big and too shapeless and too rubbish. Catherine said she loved it and it's the perfect Sunday cosy jumper but ach, I wish I had made it a size or two down. It was meant to be oversized but maybe not quite that much?<br />
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I then had a prolonged rest. My current problem is that I don't have the right wool for all the projects I want to start and I can't find things that I want to do that suit the wool I do have. So I set to with a random pretty shade of wool and vague thoughts of attempting some sort of lacy, holey type pattern - Ravelry provided me with a link to <a href="http://creativeyarn.blogspot.co.uk/2008/01/cherry-red-handwarmerss-free-pattern.html">this</a> and away I went.<br />
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(If I were less honest I would skate over the fact that I was going to make handwarmers but they ended up so big I had to turn it into a snood. Ho hum. This is what happens when you don't know the size of wool you're using and pick any random pair of needles.)<br />
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End result: a cute snood!<br />
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I'm still super novicey at knitting so I'm taking every project as a chance to learn something new. In this one I managed k2tog and skp and how to do a yarn over properly. Woo! It was very pleasing to knit up as well - <i>anything</i> would seem fun after approx 6 months of chuffing stocking stitch but this was genuinely very soothing to make.<br />
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Up next...no idea! I need to investigate some patterns for all the wool I seem to have collected. Eventually I want to give circular and cable needles a try but they both scare the bejesus out of me at the moment, so give it time. </div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337968500120821387noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6307704515809716636.post-81036136457787227062016-03-09T18:00:00.000+00:002016-03-09T18:00:16.550+00:00A Blogging Good Read - March<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello everyone. Joining me for Blogging Good Read this month are my pal Lee who you can find on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/iodo_rice">here</a> and Becks who's on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/Shippers1983">here</a>. She hasn't blogged for aaaaages. Bring it back, I miss it!<br />
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What books did we read?<br />
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Lee went for <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0349118973/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0349118973&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">44 Scotland Street</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0349118973" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Alexander McCall Smith:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJEL0d8sr8p9yejZ_Ozw7dVTwFXEAMjXxvgF4LxsnkZV2TeuNaq9zqw2VV_KNd825MyzA4EehoLhzfSAli7HQ1LbT2JlrKafxb-5t_SmY4IGvesLTBVBQAjDwAgtMXnn92dzwlNyPt3WHX/s1600/44+Scotland+Street.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJEL0d8sr8p9yejZ_Ozw7dVTwFXEAMjXxvgF4LxsnkZV2TeuNaq9zqw2VV_KNd825MyzA4EehoLhzfSAli7HQ1LbT2JlrKafxb-5t_SmY4IGvesLTBVBQAjDwAgtMXnn92dzwlNyPt3WHX/s500/44+Scotland+Street.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">I first picked up this book as a real fan of Alexander McCall Smith's work. This is largely due to the style of his writing and the ease with which I found myself immersed in his worlds. This book was no exception, in fact it became my favourite of all the series that he has written, and when I was asked to participate in BGR, I thought it provided the perfect opportunity to revisit it.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: blue;">This book is the first in the Scotland Street series, based on the lives of a group of residents based in an Edinburgh building. The story revolves around their interactions with one another, and those they engage with outside of the building. The characters are what totally make this book for me, they are such a wonderfully diverse group. I really enjoy how the author presents a fully rounded, fleshed out story for each and every one of them. He lets the reader see them, flaws and all, with humour and affection, so even the seemingly less likeable characters feel fully rounded and believable and you understand their behaviour, even if you don't agree with it. </span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: blue;">I also really enjoy the book's depiction of Edinburgh, the city I've adopted as my home. I think it captures the spirit of the city and its residents beautifully, with a real warmth shown by the author that mirrors my own. I am happy to say I thoroughly enjoyed re-reading this book, and now plan to use it as the perfect excuse to continue on with the whole of the series (some re-reads/some first time reads.)</span><br />
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<br />
Ahhh, this was like revisiting an old friend. Lee tipped me off to the existence of these books years ago (we even went to see a performance of this at Fringe once, high up in an attic in a decrepit Edinburgh building). I glommed all the ones that had been published at the time, then eagerly hunted for the others as they turned up in the library. It's been a few years since I picked one up though and this was a really nice return into a world that's very pleasant to dip back into. I think the fact this story was originally serialised means it's got quite a different vibe to a traditionally written story - the chapters are shorter and the plot unfolds in a subtly different way to a more standard book - but the overall impression is really soothing and fun. <br />
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My thoughts on the characters always swither a bit over time but poor Bertie always breaks my heart. I know things change as the series goes on but he's so downtrodden and angry about it here that I want to climb into the book and slap his awful mother. Grrrrr. She's only just worse than Awful Bruce. I defy anyone to read it and not want to hit both of them with a(n organic, ethically sourced) kipper.<br />
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Did Becks enjoy it?<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;">I have to confess, I didn’t read this book for the review but that’s only because I’ve been a fan of the 44 Scotland Street series for years now. Having missed out on The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency I came a little late to the McCall Smith phenomenon and this was my first introduction to him. I fell in love immediately. I love books that are focused on people and this is all about the lives of the various residents of 44 Scotland Street. Pat, Bruce, Domenica Macdonald, Angus, Matthew and the absolutely brilliant Bertie. If you read this book and feel bad for Bertie and his overbearing mother, then don’t worry, Bertie can stick up for himself as you will discover as the series unfolds!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Easy to read, mostly due to the fact that the chapters are incredibly short (this book was originally published as a serial in The Scotsman) and mostly a heartwarming read. If you’re looking for a great series of books to read, you can’t go wrong with this one.</span><br />
<br />
Becks picked <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1853260274/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1853260274&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">Gulliver's Travels</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=1853260274" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Jonathan Swift:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7nYo3FlNwhq2c18QBCAz7kr8WxoNnf-QsP5IflOA-3I5aifGqpu_bX20gLbhQVUQvUalbijjr-XOeA62eeoVVoloGeI-b4Xyk3DH_v-UEsl-6aU17Etoh40kyp-zGIb8IJ8sCS1xvnnf8/s1600/Gulliver%2527s+Travels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7nYo3FlNwhq2c18QBCAz7kr8WxoNnf-QsP5IflOA-3I5aifGqpu_bX20gLbhQVUQvUalbijjr-XOeA62eeoVVoloGeI-b4Xyk3DH_v-UEsl-6aU17Etoh40kyp-zGIb8IJ8sCS1xvnnf8/s500/Gulliver%2527s+Travels.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Over the past couple of times I have taken part in Alex’s BGR I seem to have developed a reputation for picking truly heinous books. This time I was determined to make it better. Fail.</span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #6aa84f;">I’m always looking for ways to expand my reading and for the past few years have tried to make more effort to read Classics and non-fiction, as well as my normal fare. Somehow, and I can’t really understand how, I’d got it into my head that Gulliver’s Travels was a children’s Classic. I can kind of see what happened – I knew that there was something about a man stumbling across a village of tiny people and they think he’s a giant and tie him up – you know, I just assumed. I settled down to read what I thought would be a nice easy children’s read and was instead confronted by an almost insurmountable wall of text and a storyline that just confused the hell out of me. I spent my time battling through it (and trust me, ‘battling’ is the appropriate word here) feeling as if there was a much bigger meaning just hovering out of my brain’s reach that I just somehow wasn’t getting. And because I didn’t get the bigger picture I was left basically reading a book where some guy gets on a boat, gets shipwrecked, ends up on an island as a giant, escapes, goes back on a boat, gets abandoned on an island as a little miniature person, escapes…</span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #6aa84f;">There was definitely a point being made about politics in this book. But because I wasn’t quite grasping what that point was – mostly because I’m not an expert on the political atmosphere in the 1700s when this book was written. I can only apologise for inflicting this book on two other people.</span><br />
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What did Lee think?<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">When I first found out this book had been selected I was really pleased, as it is one of those books that has always been on the 'to read' list, but which I have never found/made the time to do so. Unfortunately, however, this book turned out to be one I really struggled to enjoy. I found it very hard to settle into the world and language of this book. After three attempts at reading this book, all of which ended in failure past the first few chapters, I turned to the David Hyde Pierce narrated audio book. Here, I must admit, the tale was made more bearable due to his marvellous delivery. Despite this, the book still felt like a slog and I must confess had it not been for BGR I do not think I would of persevered with it. </span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: blue;">I was surprised to discover that Gulliver's visit to Liliput is just actually the first in a number of travels that Gulliver makes throughout this book, but my overriding feeling, unfortunately, was that I wished he'd only made the one!</span><br />
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As for me, I don't think I'm being dramatic when I say that this was the sloggiest slog I have ever had to slog through for Blogging Good Read. I'd never read it before but I associated it in my mind with things like Lorna Doone and Treasure Island - classics that might be a lot more dense than modern children's literature but were still entertaining to read. Well, guess who was WRONG there?<br />
<br />
I just didn't get it. I <i>think</i> it was political satire or some sort of allegory about the failings of human nature. If I'd been reading it in the early 1700s when it was written then I'd probably have been chuckling about the clever in-jokes but as a modern reader, it didn't work on that level at all for me. So what you're left with is a man getting on a ship and having a horrible time in a weird, foreign land, then doing it again. And again. And again. STOP GETTING IN BOATS YOU FOOL.<br />
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<br />
I chose <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/045000242X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=045000242X&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">Murder Must Advertise</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=045000242X" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Dorothy L. Sayers:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8-I4dGrAbcESpujzVXFierka2h59iemxRPcfuUjn2er56TYetxg2OI_6-FXjCoGJU5yb0D57BhO8H8fFyJf46k2Hnstv6WJQlKZFhYDo9dyidi5ehfj_HUNNqgmDoACBL_8ZsaP1ArtC6/s1600/Murder+Must+Advertise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8-I4dGrAbcESpujzVXFierka2h59iemxRPcfuUjn2er56TYetxg2OI_6-FXjCoGJU5yb0D57BhO8H8fFyJf46k2Hnstv6WJQlKZFhYDo9dyidi5ehfj_HUNNqgmDoACBL_8ZsaP1ArtC6/s500/Murder+Must+Advertise.jpg" /></a></div>
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The usual BGR dilemma struck here. This isn't technically my favourite of the Wimsey novels (that's <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003LPUXJO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B003LPUXJO&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">Busman's Honeymoon</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B003LPUXJO" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> FYI) but I can't recommend the concluding book of a romance arc as what might be people's introduction to an author because you have to read the earlier ones first or it doesn't work. Murder Must Advertise is my favourite of the more standalone Wimsey novels and I think it's a really good blend of Sayers' mixture of solid detective fiction plotting, brilliant characterisation and erudite prose. Much as I love Sayers, I struggle with <a href="http://amzn.to/1ULck41">the bellringing one</a> and <a href="http://amzn.to/1QvR0N6">the Scottish dialect one</a>. Murder Must Advertise is a lot more accessible and a lot more fun.<br />
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Lord Peter Wimsey goes undercover at an advertising agency to investigate the death of one of their members of staff. There's a subplot about drug smuggling and some glorious evening romps along with the Bright Young Things at their parties and it all adds up to a very satisfying and extremely entertaining detective novel.<br />
<br />
Sayers worked in advertising and you can really tell - the office scenes are so vivid, funny and full of subtle details. Even though it was written and set in the 1930s, in some ways not a lot has changed and I really love that element of recognising the usual office characters and habits, even though so much time has passed. <br />
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What did Becks think?<br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #6aa84f;">This book was a much welcomed break from Gulliver’s Travels and I gobbled it up like the light tasty treat that it is. Crime is not my usual fare but when it’s served up with a dollop of 1930s fluff then it’s not hard to swallow. (I don’t know where the food metaphors are coming from.)</span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">This was easy to read, with characters that you can’t help but love and actually does a pretty good job at keeping you guessing until the end. I’m a sucker for anything that has a bit of Bright Young People in it and this has these guys in in spades. I’m pretty sure I would have made an excellent member of the De Momerie crowd featured in the book. I hadn’t read any other books of Sayers but she is definitely on the list now of ones to look out for.</span><br />
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How about Lee?<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Now this was a book I can say I liked, but not loved. I was impressed with the use of language, and I thought the author's style was wonderful throughout. However, I struggled to engage with the book at first. As the story developed though, I felt it built up a quicker pace, and I found myself much more involved from this point. One of the big plus points for me was that the book provided an interesting and electic mixture of characters. The asscioated inner office politics and rivalaries. I very much enjoyed the author's descriptions of the 'Bright Young Things' pack and their inclusion to the story. This helped to depict the era clearly in the mind.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: blue;">Before reading this book, I was not previously familiar with the Lord Peter Wimsey series, other than having heard of them from this blog's author. The character of Wimsey himself was introduced under an alias in this book, which provided the first of many interesting plot twists and turns occuring throughout. I would be intrigued enought to try another book in the series, but I cannot say it would be top of the 'to read' list.</span><br />
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TL:DR: we all hated Gulliver.<br />
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Thanks for joining in again guys! <br />
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I'll be back next month and the books we'll be reading are <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1844080390/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1844080390&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">Jamaica Inn </a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=1844080390" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Daphne du Maurier, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0297609734/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0297609734&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">The World According to Anna</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0297609734" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Jostein Gaarder and <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0751503843/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0751503843&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">84 Charing Cross Road</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0751503843" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Helene Hanff. </div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337968500120821387noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6307704515809716636.post-47487678611656944412016-02-23T12:30:00.000+00:002016-02-23T12:30:21.251+00:00(More) New Glasses<div style="text-align: center;">
My glasses addiction is getting nearly as bad as my shoe habit. I only used to have two pairs. For years and years, that was it, then at last count I somehow had eleven. How did that happen? And I'm <i>still</i> on the hunt for the elusive perfect green pair. Luckily <a href="https://www.glassesdirect.co.uk/">Glasses Direct</a> keep enabling me. Previously I've known exactly what I wanted from there and just ordered it but this time I was tempted by ALL THE THINGS. What's a girl to do but give the <a href="https://www.glassesdirect.co.uk/free-home-trial/">free home trial</a> a go?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUBfIo5gLCSuSaYBwXWHA_8DMA8alzRmJc-7oRGkzARZcqa2V45YkU1tVkSI1dyZk_F1GVEoLXGTFR716p-MyQrcod-9_1QvhnBJtNwwuHGjT_3DKgc_8p9c-hZbSjShQGb7cyA8Svygje/s1600/Glasses+Direct+Home+Trial.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUBfIo5gLCSuSaYBwXWHA_8DMA8alzRmJc-7oRGkzARZcqa2V45YkU1tVkSI1dyZk_F1GVEoLXGTFR716p-MyQrcod-9_1QvhnBJtNwwuHGjT_3DKgc_8p9c-hZbSjShQGb7cyA8Svygje/s600/Glasses+Direct+Home+Trial.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Yup, I mainly went for <a href="https://www.glassesdirect.co.uk/brand/scout/">Scout glasses</a> - they have such a nice colourful range that I always gravitate towards them when I'm browsing. The home trial option is super speedy and has the added bonus that you can do a mini specs parade in the office and get the team to help you decide which make you look most beautiful, rather than standing in an opticians and squinting blindly at the mirror. Score.<br />
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Alas my face was not playing ball when I tried to take trial pics of all the specs so you'll have to take my word for it that I looked extremely beautiful in all of them (naturally!). In summary, working from top to bottom in the above pic:<br />
<br />
- Lush!<br />
- Too big and chunky for my face.<br />
- Ok but not a wow.<br />
- Ace!<br />
<br />
So I'd narrowed it down to red specs and Stormtrooper specs: <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiII-PznrxNhIHxrjhmg0rmDorOS52zVMFUzq5gA-KWGxz84qKt-HCEJvBMNpg9Nl9alf9zkbKlOfjNIxIrpDd2S45VKGzYEm_bKZeoEBLX_yyGoUQeIqCf7qk8jUI9FArGDLkxglnGsxLo/s1600/Lovely+red+specs.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiII-PznrxNhIHxrjhmg0rmDorOS52zVMFUzq5gA-KWGxz84qKt-HCEJvBMNpg9Nl9alf9zkbKlOfjNIxIrpDd2S45VKGzYEm_bKZeoEBLX_yyGoUQeIqCf7qk8jUI9FArGDLkxglnGsxLo/s600/Lovely+red+specs.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnd9BTQx3qmbIvImn6Uw4I6hmzCLakumsCZd2hgAqghMXpmWaMz3kbuFZRaMLOJ3hJGbWkmv4tGlc0IQ7tBmhxH8h9cSLaF11Wc4nzw9Q7cRqMFiB6zOSMYjskUZ2pQcvkhUOpmimCBCJ7/s1600/Stormtrooper+glasses.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnd9BTQx3qmbIvImn6Uw4I6hmzCLakumsCZd2hgAqghMXpmWaMz3kbuFZRaMLOJ3hJGbWkmv4tGlc0IQ7tBmhxH8h9cSLaF11Wc4nzw9Q7cRqMFiB6zOSMYjskUZ2pQcvkhUOpmimCBCJ7/s600/Stormtrooper+glasses.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
It was a hard choice but I went for...<br />
<b><br />
</b> <b>RED SPECS! </b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.glassesdirect.co.uk/glasses/scout-emily/?prca=PRCA20140536&aspect=360-initial">Emily</a> by <a href="https://www.glassesdirect.co.uk/brand/scout/">Scout</a>, to be exact. They are super duper lightweight<span style="font-size: x-small;"> (so light that you put them on and think "huh, these don't feel like there's anything on my face")</span> with a lovely matt effect finish. It always takes me ages to get used to new glasses when they're a different shape and I battled for ages with not thinking I suited bigger frames but I was smitten with these straight away. All hail the big frames! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicwKJkFT_pa64XTpQVuT78zsjH2e_o6_oBxcoIHoYi15jqiWsaqF1JZdCkOtTQLLQiY_kaSjA44pe8k1TNpkdw6pV6-LQzQB3VbI2JbIpsp8KlerXWIP0DnRwbEYlg97mBvOht_uTOh6TQ/s1600/Face.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicwKJkFT_pa64XTpQVuT78zsjH2e_o6_oBxcoIHoYi15jqiWsaqF1JZdCkOtTQLLQiY_kaSjA44pe8k1TNpkdw6pV6-LQzQB3VbI2JbIpsp8KlerXWIP0DnRwbEYlg97mBvOht_uTOh6TQ/s600/Face.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
And while Glasses Direct were kind enough to send me this pair for review, because they're lovely like that, I do spend my own hard-earned cash with them as well. When their offers are that good, you kinda have to! I treated myself to a nice blue-framed pair of <a href="https://www.glassesdirect.co.uk/glasses/scout-firework/?prca=PRCA20135172&aspect=front">Scout Firework glasses</a> and this <a href="https://www.glassesdirect.co.uk/glasses/scout-festival/?prca=PRCA20120801&aspect=360-initial">Festival pair</a> with a sunglasses tint on the lenses just before my January holiday. Total cost £55. Is it any wonder I've ended up with so many pairs?!<br />
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*[]* <br />
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Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337968500120821387noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6307704515809716636.post-19765668744916207222016-02-14T12:00:00.000+00:002016-02-15T21:12:08.849+00:00A Treat For The Eyes<div style="text-align: center;">Huzzah. Tis Valentine's Day, aka time to rejoice over the sexiness of sexy men. Previous lustfests can be found <a href="http://oddsocksandprettyfrocks.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/men">here</a>.<br />
<br />
Topping my personal list this year are these two absolute beauts.<br />
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And posh boys with cats.<br />
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I much prefer Speccy Hemworth to Thor, don't you?<br />
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Soz, it's pretty much all actors this year. Have I been watching a lot of Netflix? Yes, yes I have. Suits is great btw.<br />
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If you don't like Stanley Tucci then I'm afraid there's something wrong with you.<br />
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As if Jurgen Klopp came to where I work on one of my days off. AS IF. (The volunteers were most impressed with how charming he was).<br />
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Oh Neville. You grew up fiiiiiine.<br />
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I have not one but TWO new favourite skinny wretches this year. Basically obsessed with The Flash and Tattoo Fixers right now.<br />
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I'm still extremely fond of a fit ginge.<br />
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And Matt Damon, specially as Jason Bourne.<br />
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Finally, the eternal loveliness that is Mr Cavill. I wish he'd bulk down a bit but you can't have everything. He is still <i>very</i> pretty.<br />
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Bonus: these two. Because ermagerd, The Man From U.N.C.L.E has some serious repressed sex appeal going on.<br />
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Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337968500120821387noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6307704515809716636.post-9756064003851301902016-02-08T22:13:00.002+00:002016-02-08T22:13:41.145+00:00A Blogging Good Read - February<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLs01sv8YGoCwr-FqfG0Lccf6qHfVsyND4qstEwEa14ssMcwWXEQ5o5BJ2Ndm32dst6MS-bPE6UFS_kvtlhNjJB3RjV8HEuTP0CC-swBZEiNXb6jRn7NZOyAZQtI-1otvsZbMolGI8GWa/s660/Final+-+Good+Read+Header.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLs01sv8YGoCwr-FqfG0Lccf6qHfVsyND4qstEwEa14ssMcwWXEQ5o5BJ2Ndm32dst6MS-bPE6UFS_kvtlhNjJB3RjV8HEuTP0CC-swBZEiNXb6jRn7NZOyAZQtI-1otvsZbMolGI8GWa/s660/Final+-+Good+Read+Header.jpg" /></a><br />
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Lack of internet has meant a brief hiatus over here - bet you didn't notice! All sorted now though and normal service can resume with the first Blogging Good Read of the year. <a href="http://www.trexesandtiaras.com/">Char</a> and <a href="http://www.lucyintheclouds.com/">Lucy</a> are back for more reading and reviewing.<br />
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I went for an old favourite - <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0099460874/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0099460874&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">I Capture The Castle</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0099460874" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Dodie Smith:<br />
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As you probably know if you've read more than about two BGR posts, my book tastes lean largely towards novels set in country houses. No surprise that I love I Capture The Castle then, is it? I'm just surprised I haven't chosen it already!<br />
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The Mortmain family are rather down on their luck - a castle might be a romantic place to live but when your entire family income rests upon the shoulders of an author with writer's block, life isn't exactly full of luxuries. The Mortmain's social circle expands when a rich American family inherit the local hall and move in. The two sisters naturally see the American men as their way out of poverty (in a romantic way, obvs) and their pursuit unfolds, complete with an infamous fur coat incident.<br />
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The story is narrated by Cassandra, the younger of the two Mortmain sisters, and as with all first-person narratives, if you don't warm to her voice then you're probably going to struggle with the book a bit. I love her and I adore the book. It doesn't tread the path you expect and it doesn't end on the obvious note either. The fact that the girls basically have no money and no real prospects to escape comes across as a rather grim reality (albeit in picturesque surroundings) rather than just being a plot point. The book is still a joy though. Read it.<br />
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(I'm also going to recommend the 2003 film, mainly for young Henry Cavill.) <br />
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Did Lucy like it?<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">This book has become something of a cult classic recently but I must admit that when I read it some years ago I was not enamoured, though on paper a book about a young woman living a secluded life in a tumbledown castle with her eccentric family should be right up my street. <br />
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But I just didn’t get the hype. I found the characters quite fickle and self-serving and not likeable at all, and I find the way Cassandra addresses the reader directly quite jarring (I never used to like the straight-to-camera bits on Blossom or Clarissa either). I would have liked to have chance to read this again now to see if I still felt this way or if I’d missed some nuance the first time round and not really understood it, but unfortunately life got in the way and I didn’t have the time. It will be interesting to see what the others say about it and if they can convince me of a re-read!</span><br />
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What did Char think?<br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;">I'm ashamed to admit that I only read this book for the first time in March 2015. Since then I've listened to the Radio 4 dramatisation, and then read it again and thoroughly enjoyed it a second time around, too. I love Cassandra's way with words as she makes the castle come alive in her descriptions. Obviously, I like the other characters as well, but Cassandra stands out to me with her wry wit and her outlook on life. Definitely a book I'll keep coming back to.</span><br />
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Char picked <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0099572796/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0099572796&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">Swallows and Amazons</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0099572796" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Arthur Ransome:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdX_s3ZE9KT6lL6OgtYD9rqEE24KZBgswZTbDBC19V7ohyphenhyphenKwrAw4imtIJPCFscdIMi_ld_hyphenhyphenk5NW6jhh_k0m8k33i6_6bnyg7BUQpnnnd5X3N0O6EuvN6pPA0MyeVn77UOeQqPkLbJq-Hb/s1600/Swallows+and+Amazons.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdX_s3ZE9KT6lL6OgtYD9rqEE24KZBgswZTbDBC19V7ohyphenhyphenKwrAw4imtIJPCFscdIMi_ld_hyphenhyphenk5NW6jhh_k0m8k33i6_6bnyg7BUQpnnnd5X3N0O6EuvN6pPA0MyeVn77UOeQqPkLbJq-Hb/s500/Swallows+and+Amazons.jpg" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;">When my Mum was young, she lived in the Scottish Highlands and had access to an island and their own rowing boat. She used to tell me of this and I was always super jealous. Not many islands in the Midlands! I think this is the reason that I went through a childhood phase of reading as many island-y adventure books as I could get my hands on. I loved Enid Blyton's The Secret Island and Swallows and Amazons was up there - a book I read so many times. </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;"><br />
It's probably been fifteen years since my last read, but picking it up again made me remember how much I enjoyed it. I did this time around as well, although this time the parents' comment from the end of the book rather resonated with me. In response to the children saying they are planning to come back to the island every year, forever, their parents tell them that this is what everyone thinks when they are young. A poignant reminder that things move on?</span><br />
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<br />
I love this book so much. Ok, so I'm not entirely captivated by all the sailing malarkey (boats are decidedly <b>not</b> my thing) but it's easy enough to skip over those parts and just enjoy the rest of this rollicking good yarn. As Char has already mentioned, it's very like The Secret Island in tone and that's probably my favourite Blyton book, so it's a good sign.<br />
<br />
Rereading it this time, I was struck by just how ace the parents are. The infamous telegram from their father at the beginning of the book has always really amused me but this time round I really appreciated how their mum lets them get on with their adventures. Obviously you'd never actually do this with your kids in real life (well maybe they did in the 50s, who knows?) but as a fictional scenario it works so perfectly and the conversations she has with them are utterly charming and adorable. In fact, all of the grownups are great. I'd completely forgotten the whole Captain Flint/Uncle Jim misunderstanding, apology and then the wonderful Battle of Houseboat Bay. Like the whole book, it's marvellous.<br />
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Did Lucy like it?<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">This was the only one of the three that I’ve not already read and -confession time- I haven’t managed to get very far through it, even though it was on my to-read list anyway. I gather it’s a bit “Blyton on a Boat”, telling of the adventures of four siblings who go off on a camping trip on an island by themselves, getting into all sorts of scrapes. It took me a little while to get into the linguistic style, and I really struggled through the first few chapters which were very heavy on the sailing terminology, but I’m actually starting to really enjoy it now and yearn for a simple life of camp fires, minnows, and vivid imagination!</span><br />
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Lucy chose <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0753823292/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0753823292&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">The Reader</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0753823292" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Bernard Schlink:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicafzd5ssZlT_oBSjnaVwSzgmnWGEsl8sB13hWe-HlrpX3gvzsIXMvQRURoOYb9GJeGDZnJRrnDEBsE6wq-rjobkFw_H68kLOXHTfPDZ3134FqSKFP4W1OYxMgr7NsLWBKD4DRZlsJK4F8/s1600/The+Reader.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicafzd5ssZlT_oBSjnaVwSzgmnWGEsl8sB13hWe-HlrpX3gvzsIXMvQRURoOYb9GJeGDZnJRrnDEBsE6wq-rjobkFw_H68kLOXHTfPDZ3134FqSKFP4W1OYxMgr7NsLWBKD4DRZlsJK4F8/s600/The+Reader.jpg" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: blue;">I’m a bit of a BGR veteran now and whenever I have to pick a book, I always try to go with one that has really affected me and remained in my consciousness long after I turned the final page. The Reader by Bernard Schlink certainly fulfils this condition, but I’m struggling to review it without giving away the entire plot. </span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br />
Our protagonist is Michael, a fifteen year old boy who meets an older woman by chance, and embarks on an illicit affair, in which he reads great works of literature and philosophy out loud to her in between bouts of passion, until one day she disappears. The first half of the book is the kind of writing I love, effortlessly simple and poetic, and dealing with the minutiae of the everyday.<br /> </span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">Years later, Michael comes across Hanna once more, as a law student observing a Holocaust trial in which she is one of the defendants. Suddenly the pace of the book increases, or certainly the pace of my reading did, as we find out more details about Hanna’s alleged crimes, the possible motivation for her actions, and the reasons behind her plea. I devoured the last few chapters and was left reeling, mind racing with questions about culpability, shame, hindsight, and Hanna’s own question to the judge and jury: “What would you have done?” </span><br />
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<br />
Did Char enjoy it?<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">I hadn't heard of this book before so was intrigued. When the library finally managed to track it down for me, I got stuck in and was surprised at how easy I found it to immerse myself in the story. In a weird way the relationship between Hanna and Michael was probably the section I liked the most, although I thought it was clear from Michael's account that we as the reader are supposed to dislike Hanna. Yet, his obsession continues to haunt him, even though he thinks he will never see her again.<br />
<br />
As for the reveal of the secret (I don't want to provide any spoilers!) I totally sympathised with Michael and the tough decision he had to make. I think he made the wrong choice, but can see his reasoning.</span><br />
<br />
This is the point where I hold my hands up and admit I didn't read The Reader. Shame. On. Me.<br />
<br />
I loved the film - does that count? No? Ach. I did have every intention of reading it, I promise. The library let me down with the copy I'd reserved and then I forgot to buy one and oh dear, I am rubbish.<br />
<br />
<br />
However, I've already read all three of the books for next month's edition! Woo me. If you want to join in with the chat and comments, we'll be reading <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002TXZRVS/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B002TXZRVS&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">44 Scotland Street </a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B002TXZRVS" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Alexander McCall Smith, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1853260274/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1853260274&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">Gulliver's Travels</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=1853260274" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Jonathan Swift and <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003LPUXHG/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B003LPUXHG&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">Murder Must Advertise</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B003LPUXHG" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Dorothy L. Sayers. <br />
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Thanks Char and Lucy for taking part this month. You rock.</div>
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<br />Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337968500120821387noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6307704515809716636.post-23364111977128123692015-12-31T17:40:00.000+00:002015-12-31T17:40:00.977+00:00Books Of The Year<div style="text-align: center;">I was pondering what I'd read during 2015 and struggling to decide on my book of the year, or even to narrow it down to a shortlist. Then, handily timed, came Janet's blog post about <a href="http://wordsthatcanonlybeyourown.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/2015-year-in-books.html" target="_blank">her 2015 reading</a>. So I've borrowed Janet's categories (I did check first to see if she minded!) and here are my results.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAQca_X8SGEOrGJgJdVZslFQvVCXJ2p28atAt_X7KzlOZEDT1s4ECy5cBJrkD74apMyFHQxz88CrkSsAQZJATyg4PQjEgl6MFFZFqDSD7R7g47Tf2f_ektWetcxlT9dcxW6b8O3AQuFAvH/s1600/Big+Books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAQca_X8SGEOrGJgJdVZslFQvVCXJ2p28atAt_X7KzlOZEDT1s4ECy5cBJrkD74apMyFHQxz88CrkSsAQZJATyg4PQjEgl6MFFZFqDSD7R7g47Tf2f_ektWetcxlT9dcxW6b8O3AQuFAvH/s600/Big+Books.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<b>Best Book You Read In 2015 (broken down by genre if necessary)</b><br />
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<b>YA fiction</b><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1406331163/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1406331163&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">The Rest of Us Just Live Here</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=1406331163" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Patrick Ness. This was easily one of the best books I read this year and it's a wonderful piece of YA fiction - clever, touching and dark.<br />
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<b>Crime fiction</b><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/071235770X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=071235770X&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">Mystery in White</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=071235770X" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by J. Jefferson Farjeon. Most of my crime fiction reading this year has been rereads so it seems a bit unfair to pick one of those. This was the perfect festive crime book - atmospheric, enthralling and very satisfying.<br />
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<b>Non-fiction</b><br />
I love Adam Nicolson's writing about nature - he's one of the few people who can really get the sense of a landscape onto the printed page - but I think on balance I liked <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0007335504/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0007335504&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">Gentry: Six Hundred Years of a Peculiarly English Class</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0007335504" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />best out of his books I read this year. It's more obviously about people than nature, but it's also very much about how ties to land and the duty of care towards a place you're only a temporary custodian of can shape lives. Honorable mentions to <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0099575450/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0099575450&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">H is for Hawk</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0099575450" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />(one of my BGR picks from earlier in the year) and <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0345534530/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0345534530&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">Empty Mansions</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0345534530" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />,which although it tailed off a little towards the end, was a fascinating glimpse into a lost world of unbelievable wealth.<br />
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<b>Literary fiction</b><br />
I read very little of this genre as a rule - recommend me some good, non-pretentious options please! - but <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0141191457/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0141191457&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">We Have Always Lived in the Castle</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0141191457" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />was a real highlight of the year. <br />
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<b>Romance</b><br />
I really must do a proper blog post or two about romance fiction soon cos it has so many separate genres within it that I could list about another 6 categories. Laura Florand is always brilliant and she writes super fast which is always nice! Her Paris books just edge out the new La Vie en Roses series for me, so my pick of the year from her goes to <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1943168016/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1943168016&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">All for You</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=1943168016" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />. Tessa Bailey's <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0062369105/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0062369105&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">Make Me</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0062369105" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />and <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0062369067/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0062369067&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">Chase Me</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0062369067" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />were both enormous fun and I am dying to read book 3 but it's still £6 on Kindle and I'm having a stubborn strop about it because on US Amazon, the bundle of the entire trilogy is the same price. SO UNFAIR. <br />
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And onto the more specific choices!<br />
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<b>Most Surprising (In A Good Way) Book of 2015</b><br />
I'm going to go with <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/144729890X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=144729890X&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">Carry On</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=144729890X" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Rainbow Rowell. I'm a huge fan of hers but I think Fangirl is possibly my least favourite of her books, so the prospect of a spinoff from it didn't massively thrill me. Also I was very wary of just how much of a Harry Potter ripoff it was going to come across as. I very soon forgot about that though and it's a book that totally stands (and dazzles) on its own merits. <br />
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<b>Book You Read In 2015 That You Recommended Most To Others</b><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1785031139/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1785031139&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">The Martian</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=1785031139" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />. Not that many of my friends and family have similar reading tastes to me but this was a great book with pretty broad appeal, so I tipped quite a few of them off about it.<br />
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<b>Best Series You Discovered In 2015</b><br />
The Game On trilogy by Kristen Callihan. I read book 3 (<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1519164904/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1519164904&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">The Game Plan</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=1519164904" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />) first, adored it and promptly snaffled up the other two. Turns out that if you tweet a book review which basically reads "NFL playing, tattoed, manbun-wearing, virgin, beta hero", I autobuy it. I love me a beta hero. <br />
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<b>Favourite New Author You Discovered in 2015</b><br />
I'd be tempted to whack Kristen Callihan on the list but it depends what she writes next - her previous books are all paranormal historical romance and I don't get on with paranormal. I had a massive <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jessica-Day-George/e/B001JP7S0U/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&linkCode=ur2&qid=1451581810&sr=1-2-ent&tag=oddsocandpref-21" target="_blank">Jessica Day George</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=ur2&o=2" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />moment in April (lots of her books were available via my Scribd subscription) and loved everything of hers - I've picked one of the Princess books for BGR but the Dragon series is also excellent and the Castle books remind me so much of Diana Wynne Jones and there can be few higher compliments than that!<br />
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<b>Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love But Didn't</b><br />
There weren't many huge disappointments this year but Janet has excellent taste in books so I was expecting her BGR choice, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0349001405/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0349001405&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">This is Not a Love Story</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0349001405" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />, to be good and I really didn't like it.<br />
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<b>Best Book That Was Out Of Your Comfort Zone Or Was A New Genre To You</b><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00G99SIO6/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00G99SIO6&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">S.</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B00G99SIO6" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst is probably out of most people's comfort zone - it's utterly unlike any other book I've ever come across. It's really worth the effort though. <br />
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<b>Book You Read In 2015 That You're Most Likely To Read Again In 2016</b><br />
Loads of them! If I like a book, I'm very likely to reread it so pretty much everything else I've mentioned in this post will get picked back up at some point. <br />
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<b>Favourite Book You Read in 2015 From An Author You've Read Previously</b><br />
Take your pick from several of the above! <br />
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<b>Best Book You Read In 2015 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else</b><br />
I think it's a tie between The Martian and S, both of which were BGR choices that I loved and would never have come across otherwise. Ooh, or possibly <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0552779512/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0552779512&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">Longbourn</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0552779512" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />which was just as good as I'd been told it was.<br />
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<b>Favourite Cover Of A Book In 2015</b><br />
I don't own them, but I really want the new set of Penguin Nancy Mitford books. Those covers are stunning. <br />
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<b>Book That Had The Greatest Impact On You In 2015</b><br />
Call me shallow but I can't think of anything that was a standout. <br />
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<b>Book You Can't BELIEVE You Waited Until 2015 To Read</b><br />
Nothing is particularly springing to mind for this...um, does it count to say Carry On and The Rest of Us Only Live Here? Both authors are autobuys for me but the books were released in October and August respectively and I saved them both until the post-Christmas period, I think that deserves praise on my part!<br />
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<b>Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc.) Be careful of spoilers!</b><br />
Wow, I really can't think of anything in particular. I quite often want to fangirl with others about things I've just read but I can't recall any particular scenes.<br />
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<b>Favourite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2015 (be it romantic, friendship, etc)</b><br />
There's no concealing my love for Dominique Richard, one of Laura Florand's French chef characters, and he popped up again in All For You. (Spoiler: he's still amazing. Treat yourself to a secondhand pb copy of his book, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00BPYGP0O/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00BPYGP0O&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">The Chocolate Touch </a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B00BPYGP0O" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />) His relationship with Celie is part boss, part big brother and completely lovely. <br />
Mikey and Jared in The Rest of Us Just Live Here are my new favourite pair of friends though.<br />
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<b>Most Memorable Character In A Book You Read In 2015</b><br />
Mikey from The Rest of Us Just Live Here haunts me a little bit. <br />
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<b>Genre You Read The Most From in 2015</b><br />
Romance. It's always romance and only in part because they tend to be shorter and easier to glom. Having said that, I read a <i>lot</i> of shit this year and I really need to start being more selective about what I spend my time on. <br />
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<b>Best 2015 Debut</b><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00Z6YMLV6/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00Z6YMLV6&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">Act Like It</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B00Z6YMLV6" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Lucy Parker was a very pleasant surprise and I'm really looking forward to seeing what she writes next.<br />
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<b>Book That Was The Most Fun To Read in 2015</b><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/184877799X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=184877799X&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">The Church Mice at Christmas</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=184877799X" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />is part of my Christmas Eve tradition and it is so much fun to read. Lovely story and inspired illustrations.<br />
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<b>Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2015</b><br />
Loads of them! It's not hard to make me cry. I had a bit of a meltdown near the end of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B007NMTHF2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B007NMTHF2&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">Adorkable</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B007NMTHF2" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />and the start of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00VRTCHMW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00VRTCHMW&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">The Shepherd's Crown</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B00VRTCHMW" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />made me absolutely sob. Heartbreakingly poignant.<br />
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<b>Book You Read in 2015 That You Think Got Overlooked This Year Or When It Came Out</b><br />
Hmmm. Maybe S? Just on the basis that I had never even heard of it before reading it for BGR and I feel like it should be a lot better known. Also on that tack, I wish a lot more people knew about the existence of Laura Florand's books. They are a complete joy.<br />
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<b>Total number of books read in 2015</b><br />
338. Busiest month was April (59) as I was on holiday for a week and in a car for pretty much four solid days driving to Orkney and back. Quietest month was July with a feeble 13 - work kicked off big style and I had zero free time.<br />
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<br />
I don't do resolutions but in 2016 I definitely need to read more quality and less rubbish. 338 is a lot of books but it's surprising when I looked back at the list of titles just how few of them really made a mark. It's not a good sign when you read the title and author details and recall nothing about the plot and characters. And no, I don't have a bad memory. They just weren't very good! I'm open to any and all recommendations so please send them my way.</div>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337968500120821387noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6307704515809716636.post-810398276927650992015-12-23T12:00:00.000+00:002015-12-23T12:00:15.661+00:00Christmas Is Coming<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJcKELsPyYCgR09hrX-TeBZTJ8SuS3K3BOI8iuryJgGrVqcTxynPZ0iLr6GqqtLgM351QRKZvtOvM7Pafis0phhUO1D0WTXxHMnaXoAoLB5xxzX12ElxtgsUnPJ9T3u0zl-V4lt2DWfHTS/s1600/Living+Room.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJcKELsPyYCgR09hrX-TeBZTJ8SuS3K3BOI8iuryJgGrVqcTxynPZ0iLr6GqqtLgM351QRKZvtOvM7Pafis0phhUO1D0WTXxHMnaXoAoLB5xxzX12ElxtgsUnPJ9T3u0zl-V4lt2DWfHTS/s600/Living+Room.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
The run-up to Christmas is always extremely hectic at work and this year it was no different - I clocked up 80 hours over Halloween week, took a mild breather at the start of November and then it was full festive steam ahead, culminating in several 15 hour working days. Oof. The plus side to all of this is that we shut up mid-December and I get to use up my annual leave by having three weeks off over the holidays.<br />
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It's not exactly peaceful to start with - I get no chance to do anything at home when I'm basically at work all the time, so when I'm finally off there's a lot of housework to catch up on! Also I don't know why but I <i>always</i> manage to forget about the pre-Christmas socialisation. I've been out for a party, a retirement meal, brunch, pub dinner and a birthday meal in the past six days! For shy old retiring me, that's quite some effort.<br />
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But the house is finally ready for Christmas and even if I do say so myself, it looks awfully pretty. My endless to-do lists are nearing completion and I am very much looking forward to a relaxing, fun, family time.<br />
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My stash of books to be read on Christmas Eve are waiting for me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTx9sLao7Qoo3HJdzBV384arcmRfSfkkA0PG8yOwGrsrfxL3NqowVXxAA0468vR7qFp1QE1GSQQQPQ9M7r98oNQeV7qusM9us8K8rKiTyg_CrUWGnpPbIgs8KztcW7s_MC82bJ1Yzfve65/s1600/Christmas+Eve+reading.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTx9sLao7Qoo3HJdzBV384arcmRfSfkkA0PG8yOwGrsrfxL3NqowVXxAA0468vR7qFp1QE1GSQQQPQ9M7r98oNQeV7qusM9us8K8rKiTyg_CrUWGnpPbIgs8KztcW7s_MC82bJ1Yzfve65/s600/Christmas+Eve+reading.JPG" /></a><br />
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As it consists of Wodehouse books this year, I've christened my book tree the Whathohoho Tree.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXYWwvDykUC7izXwnvwXBz6YyyOPgaKUDqjyWOP5r2XgZ3ny3sz8wtgU1MszutitJ0WuiajVG9sTBwtYPzJUQcymbn8jG9lS7gQmS7ixYXUSPA_AMLaDLKbF5dQFOc-8mYBLDDaNgbhejL/s1600/Book+Tree.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXYWwvDykUC7izXwnvwXBz6YyyOPgaKUDqjyWOP5r2XgZ3ny3sz8wtgU1MszutitJ0WuiajVG9sTBwtYPzJUQcymbn8jG9lS7gQmS7ixYXUSPA_AMLaDLKbF5dQFOc-8mYBLDDaNgbhejL/s600/Book+Tree.JPG" /></a><br />
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I've even put baubles in the bathroom. Well, why not?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3_2V5absx38monz-s3JCJbu89tPHSunnhnbxaSexSEJfROYJXpAtDC5B0Vcgn9ow6AVhjrhiCzIluD6fjKupZt0TU0YkJXMWRHZPsWxBg8rzL3CDZnpsAKkA8ebu2d7jWyRxdGC19eWHo/s1600/Bathroom+Baubles.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3_2V5absx38monz-s3JCJbu89tPHSunnhnbxaSexSEJfROYJXpAtDC5B0Vcgn9ow6AVhjrhiCzIluD6fjKupZt0TU0YkJXMWRHZPsWxBg8rzL3CDZnpsAKkA8ebu2d7jWyRxdGC19eWHo/s600/Bathroom+Baubles.JPG" /></a><br />
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The stairs are garlanded<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34XlL0A2rngkFUbDH54aTaP4Yo1cmUzp6SAttIP9wNbJ5xeYkbbvkw12FZJ3k-LBxjwDfOoBA7MmVr7Hsy51HO_JUOgzM0cklfET30tznyqon2ATqkhEbyIhZd5decb7dh_jwvOcVGm3U/s1600/Stairs.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34XlL0A2rngkFUbDH54aTaP4Yo1cmUzp6SAttIP9wNbJ5xeYkbbvkw12FZJ3k-LBxjwDfOoBA7MmVr7Hsy51HO_JUOgzM0cklfET30tznyqon2ATqkhEbyIhZd5decb7dh_jwvOcVGm3U/s600/Stairs.JPG" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.appleyardflowers.com/" target="_blank">Appleyard London</a> sent me this gorgeous <a href="http://www.appleyardflowers.com/christmas-gifts/christmas-flowers/advent" target="_blank">Advent Bouquet</a> which is brightening up the hall a treat. This is my usual spot in the house for fresh flowers but I was despairing of finding a Christmas bouquet I actually liked. This one is beautiful - the perfect solution!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimdIhfDk4XOR92S6szbFXtr6pImQE4_iAS-mbaJG1Pw9ZDDcsvZs9w49hNdyQoigvVykh4A_T142w_slqkusNT8gLU-SK46Qm0d04fKzMyBUlOd6i6qMyv3wIAHInjW8kmUbxDjgT0Afzn/s1600/Hall.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimdIhfDk4XOR92S6szbFXtr6pImQE4_iAS-mbaJG1Pw9ZDDcsvZs9w49hNdyQoigvVykh4A_T142w_slqkusNT8gLU-SK46Qm0d04fKzMyBUlOd6i6qMyv3wIAHInjW8kmUbxDjgT0Afzn/s600/Hall.JPG" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8BL_CmXiOdj_V3D6o5ifO9fyL1D6V-wZL0wwX-NyBtdcbSJjZzxSj_5HeA5Xz6S719FYlQYNP39VGg5xS6NVMTeMIfm-7L9QnYbfW72zTtrhobdsl6BcBpZgJ3gIiibZlmO7OF0BCfxYI/s1600/Christmas+Flowers.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8BL_CmXiOdj_V3D6o5ifO9fyL1D6V-wZL0wwX-NyBtdcbSJjZzxSj_5HeA5Xz6S719FYlQYNP39VGg5xS6NVMTeMIfm-7L9QnYbfW72zTtrhobdsl6BcBpZgJ3gIiibZlmO7OF0BCfxYI/s600/Christmas+Flowers.JPG" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEEp5Dlgsuq1U7_j0ueipkUapS1hAo9kiWUIIk41NqMQAjITLMBTuu1Ss2YQ1-FM1-g98V2EHEAdx2Uv08IfeHNDYMCBNk-x05NU3q2KAJ0AuFQMWIEQAm5hpOu4uVv0UIwvCs-4hKJgR6/s1600/Flowers.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEEp5Dlgsuq1U7_j0ueipkUapS1hAo9kiWUIIk41NqMQAjITLMBTuu1Ss2YQ1-FM1-g98V2EHEAdx2Uv08IfeHNDYMCBNk-x05NU3q2KAJ0AuFQMWIEQAm5hpOu4uVv0UIwvCs-4hKJgR6/s600/Flowers.JPG" /></a><br />
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Advent calendar has nearly all been scoffed<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-hrwIT4Sr620HtXg7H7QY6N9Bpn1qrnK-QyZgO7XJVwNwuCXJ_9UaG6hIF2tBRFdyzzNWIYacmQOwfs7B-3s1k_sPgEd-TnAQflLndItaOz1Z6rJuamO8kiEQX5jSW-sczMisFPmf1cX/s1600/Advent+Calendar.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-hrwIT4Sr620HtXg7H7QY6N9Bpn1qrnK-QyZgO7XJVwNwuCXJ_9UaG6hIF2tBRFdyzzNWIYacmQOwfs7B-3s1k_sPgEd-TnAQflLndItaOz1Z6rJuamO8kiEQX5jSW-sczMisFPmf1cX/s600/Advent+Calendar.JPG" /></a><br />
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Cards are up wherever I can fit them and Father Ted is being brightened up by some holly lights.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9XWc7ENhxkJONKgowZF6GAEQG_NWTSCE6ufozXRDTYSplcFYeeYwMLoyfuA-9O61WpeUg3B9XRIwIJ3ihPYy3JSe4KKB008DD5KNcAveSw0j3MAvN6-w6zhYqy_6R_obeO398s4cB2tyP/s1600/Cards.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9XWc7ENhxkJONKgowZF6GAEQG_NWTSCE6ufozXRDTYSplcFYeeYwMLoyfuA-9O61WpeUg3B9XRIwIJ3ihPYy3JSe4KKB008DD5KNcAveSw0j3MAvN6-w6zhYqy_6R_obeO398s4cB2tyP/s600/Cards.JPG" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3MMKOYky4hQfdPqmFyrQHQHRBHnAi3xXJ7YgToIh6CQX8715oeDHmfVz4-6dJ_aCRDs8OqTQDUjTdHNXEmFe4-Tmgq7T81qeA8hS-mEX8L8hYi-dyZcKJ2OmPdohINXB7IkEidZDhbGed/s1600/Father+Ted.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3MMKOYky4hQfdPqmFyrQHQHRBHnAi3xXJ7YgToIh6CQX8715oeDHmfVz4-6dJ_aCRDs8OqTQDUjTdHNXEmFe4-Tmgq7T81qeA8hS-mEX8L8hYi-dyZcKJ2OmPdohINXB7IkEidZDhbGed/s600/Father+Ted.JPG" /></a><br />
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Altogether, things are looking festive and jolly. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4S6Fi2YECEmjqY_cV3hM5eYzQpcYm1BgZnU_Wx4lKesgdl6Rx_XJXxBn2_rdb47TQf2i5bWywLO4wtv3ZnkEy-ccSAbu6oWmnH-ddi4-sCpSpFtB6O6DXSfKUuvfg15FAcWpu0-6PoYRS/s1600/Wreath+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4S6Fi2YECEmjqY_cV3hM5eYzQpcYm1BgZnU_Wx4lKesgdl6Rx_XJXxBn2_rdb47TQf2i5bWywLO4wtv3ZnkEy-ccSAbu6oWmnH-ddi4-sCpSpFtB6O6DXSfKUuvfg15FAcWpu0-6PoYRS/s600/Wreath+%25282%2529.JPG" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmoudyUGDCyBRPAImfbc0Zdmyg6G9GocZYrNHxzcS1bluiAYA3SIoreqPUYTPn4ojy6tHuu4x-KryT-YNYGDBzX7NmiyF1o4Qt2-jo7QE9IjWg-JI8ZT3JToha0pdkE6NTb3YHKpe8zC5T/s1600/Mantelpiece.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmoudyUGDCyBRPAImfbc0Zdmyg6G9GocZYrNHxzcS1bluiAYA3SIoreqPUYTPn4ojy6tHuu4x-KryT-YNYGDBzX7NmiyF1o4Qt2-jo7QE9IjWg-JI8ZT3JToha0pdkE6NTb3YHKpe8zC5T/s600/Mantelpiece.jpg" /></a><br />
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I'm now ready for a whole lot of loafing around, snuggling with Phil and reading books. Bliss.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtOg1O_Gqr1MCZkf85KQVhFr_-3vIjMmPFCWe-6vxIt7PBrpG1Ypjz-Xt6ls7Pw0Z6OkWcUHhUz4-bGEEJnlcy1uQXcJQipPVu3zTMIdB9aclTVIxkJP2xo-NsFFrwut55969Lchx5-srb/s1600/Me+and+Phil.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtOg1O_Gqr1MCZkf85KQVhFr_-3vIjMmPFCWe-6vxIt7PBrpG1Ypjz-Xt6ls7Pw0Z6OkWcUHhUz4-bGEEJnlcy1uQXcJQipPVu3zTMIdB9aclTVIxkJP2xo-NsFFrwut55969Lchx5-srb/s600/Me+and+Phil.jpg" /></a></div>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337968500120821387noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6307704515809716636.post-49638453658529408042015-12-22T18:00:00.000+00:002016-01-19T09:54:28.432+00:00Party Time<div style="text-align: center;">
Despite being a big old introvert who doesn't like parties, I made an exception for the work Christmas do. Well you have to, don't you? My colleagues are a lovely bunch, plus there was an open bar. Yoicks! I frocked up, whacked on some red lippy and went out.<br />
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If I were a proper organised sort of blogger, I'd no doubt have scheduled in a separate photoshoot outdoors, in daylight, in front of a colourful doorway to show off my outfit to optimum effect. Instead I completely forgot, got drunk and then flung my phone at someone at the very end of the night and shrieked "Don't take any pictures where I look fat!". Classy.<br />
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(Why, oh why, is red so hard to photograph? Admittedly we were in a fairly dark hotel lobby and both the photographer and subject had had a shandy or twelve but still, grrr.) This frock is the absolute perfect shade of red and I love it. You may have to see it in real life to appreciate what it actually looks like though.<br />
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London skyline tights FTW.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Dress - Dorothy Perkins</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Heels - Shelly's, <a href="http://www.spartoo.co.uk/Shellys-London-b814.php" target="_blank">Spartoo</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Bag - gift</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Jacket - vintage, from <a href="http://kinky-melon.co.uk/">Kinky Melon</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Tights - can't remember! They're epic though. </span><br />
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Despite my antisocial tendencies, I had a lovely night. </div>
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Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337968500120821387noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6307704515809716636.post-76071283647554584432015-12-21T21:17:00.000+00:002015-12-21T21:17:17.098+00:00#photoanhour - A December Day<br />
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Finally! I've been meaning to join in with #photoanhour for flipping <i>ages</i> now but I always manage to either only realise it's on at about 4pm, or I have the world's most boring day, in which case there's very little point recording it for posterity.This weekend I woke up at a reasonable hour, checked Instagram, realised that <a href="http://wordsthatcanonlybeyourown.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Janet</a> was taking part and decided to join in with the fun for once!<br />
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<b>8.55am</b> - I didn't really want to get out of bed so I spent a lazy quarter of an hour playing Hay Day on the iPad. That farm won't run itself y'know! <br />
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<b>9.55am</b> - Quick trip to the sorting office to collect a Mystery Surprise Parcel. It turned out to be a pair of earrings I'd forgotten that I'd ordered for my mum. Not quite as mysterious as I'd hoped for, but hey, at least that's all the presents here in time for Christmas.<br />
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<b>10.55am</b> - <a href="http://www.trexesandtiaras.com/" target="_blank">Char</a> had arrived by this point, so we set out to Lark Lane for brunch at The Moon and Pea, one of my favourite places. They're fond of a kitsch decoration at the best of times so this rather fab tree fitted in nicely!<br />
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<b>11.55am</b> - Brunch! (ok, may have fudged the timings slightly on this one - it didn't take an hour to arrive. But full plate is more scenic than empty plate.) Char and I are both big proponents of the two-drink brunch.<br />
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<b>12.55pm</b> - Home, and Char was busy making friends with Phil.<br />
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<b>1.55pm</b> - It was a lovely peaceful sort of afternoon and evening, deliberately so. We were both much in need of some quiet time after a hectic few weeks, and I was desperately trying to crack on with my knitting. This jumper is taking so much longer than I expected. I basically knitted for 9 straight hours and only managed about 8 inches of sleeve.<br />
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<b>2.55pm</b> - We managed to get through an impressive four films. Home Alone (which Char had never seen), Pretty In Pink (which I'd never seen), Cube (which was amusingly rubbish) and then About Time (awww).<br />
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<b>3.55pm</b> - Are you starting to tell that I didn't move off the sofa all afternoon? Phil came for snuggles (and to kill my tape measure).<br />
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<b>4.55pm</b> - WHY WON'T YOU END?? Oh god, it feels like I've been knitting this jumper my entire life. I am so slow. It's not going to be done for Christmas. Still 1 1/2 sleeves to go, a neckline, and an initial on the front.<br />
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<b>5.55pm</b> - I removed myself from the sofa and put up some cards. This glittery beauty is from <a href="http://www.lucyintheclouds.com/" target="_blank">Lucy</a>.<br />
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<b>6.55pm</b> - We were onto About Time by this point. Coffee, films and good company make for a very pleasant evening.<br />
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<b>7.55pm</b> - I'm such a rubbish hostess.<br />
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Me: "I totally can't be arsed cooking. Takeaway?"<br />
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This is Char's Pizza Consideration face. <br />
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<b>8.55pm</b> - Pizza was such a good call. And garlic bread. And sweet potato fries.<br />
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<b>9.55pm</b> - PRESENTS! I love seeing them all jaunty and colourful under the tree.<br />
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<b>10.55pm</b> - Still at the bastarding knitting and watching Match of the Day. <br />
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I did end up staying up for another couple of hours but it would have been exactly the same as the above photo, just with Hugh Grant's face on the tv (curse ITV for putting Notting Hill on at stupid o'clock). So there you have it: half an interesting day. Lots of knitting. </div>
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<br />Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337968500120821387noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6307704515809716636.post-82082709196552673132015-12-09T18:00:00.000+00:002015-12-09T18:00:02.623+00:00A Blogging Good Read - December <div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLs01sv8YGoCwr-FqfG0Lccf6qHfVsyND4qstEwEa14ssMcwWXEQ5o5BJ2Ndm32dst6MS-bPE6UFS_kvtlhNjJB3RjV8HEuTP0CC-swBZEiNXb6jRn7NZOyAZQtI-1otvsZbMolGI8GWa/s660/Final+-+Good+Read+Header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLs01sv8YGoCwr-FqfG0Lccf6qHfVsyND4qstEwEa14ssMcwWXEQ5o5BJ2Ndm32dst6MS-bPE6UFS_kvtlhNjJB3RjV8HEuTP0CC-swBZEiNXb6jRn7NZOyAZQtI-1otvsZbMolGI8GWa/s660/Final+-+Good+Read+Header.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Joining me for Blogging Good Read this month are Emma from <a href="http://misspond.com/">Miss Pond</a> and Lucy from <a href="https://booksandbrooches.wordpress.com/">Books and Brooches</a>. Without further ado, onto the reviews!<br />
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My pick was <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004K1EC1S/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B004K1EC1S&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">Rivers of London</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B004K1EC1S" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Ben Aaronovitch:<br />
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It's London, but not entirely as we know it... This books is set in what is essentially the modern-day capital city but magic exists there, and it exists in a somewhat old fashioned way. Our hero, PC Peter Grant, has a run in with a ghost and gets drafted into a very small and specialised branch of the Met. It's run by a wizard and he sets about teaching Grant how to solve magical crimes. <br />
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I love a good police procedural book so that side obviously appeals to me, but I'm not a big fan of urban fantasy. Well, maybe that's not entirely true. I like it when it's done well - Neil Gaiman and this series for example - but not so much when it's all people in leather coats running around chasing faeries. This is a lot more grounded in reality and I love how the author weaves in a real sense of the city. The mythology is equally grounded in the location - rivers are also people, each with their own distinct character. Altogether it's a book (and a series) that I find enormously entertaining and satisfying. <br />
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What did Lucy think of it?<br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;">I was so pleased that this had been picked as this is one of my favourite series. I used to live in London so really enjoy reading about all the places I knew (minus the murder of course!). I've always enjoyed fantasy fiction and like how this merges police work with the fantastical. The idea of the rivers being human, all with different personalities is such an interesting concept. I enjoyed re-reading this and am looking forward to the next in the series due in 2016.</span><br />
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How about Emma?<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">I must admit, despite loving Harry Potter, fantasy books are not usually my first pick since my teen years. However, I was intrigued by Rivers of London, as it describes itself as an ‘urban fantasy,’ which I’m still not sure what one of those is but I did catch on to the type of story… The story follows Peter Grant, starting out as a trainee wizard and a detective constable, which of course makes his job a little (a lot) more interesting than it was before. I love how Aaronovitch pulls you into London as the story is told, you feel like you can almost smell the city his writing is so capturing. For those of you questioning the magic thing, think sophisticated Harry Potter… I loved it so much I’m on to the third book now.</span><br />
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Emma chose <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004FV4T70/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B004FV4T70&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">The Rules of Attraction</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B004FV4T70" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Bret Easton Ellis:<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">So this was my pick, I have loved Bret Easton Ellis for years but I know others who don’t, his writing is very marmite and in cases not for the faint hearted (American Psycho). ROA is a story about a couple of college students (mainly Sean, Paul and Lauren) and their completely meaningless existence of sex, drugs and parties. This is Ellis’ usual writing style and it’s quite refreshing to read something from the people directly involved in the story. This means you get the different sides of the story of the people involved in the same love triangle and to see how the same situations, words and actions are perceived completely differently depending on what the person wants it to be. It’s not for everyone and I understand why, it is almost written as a nothing book, you get nothing at the end from it but somehow something during the duration. For those of you who can’t be bothered at all check out the film from 2002, with Dawson from Dawson’s Creek in it. I’m glad I’ve finally read it (it’s been on my shelf for some time) but it doesn’t beat Ellis’ first novel Less Than Zero or American Psycho.</span><br />
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If this is a marmite book, I'm afraid I fall into the "strongly dislike" camp. Sorry Emma! I gave it a fair shot but I had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't going to be my cup of tea and sure enough, it wasn't. He's clearly an accomplished author but it's not a style or genre I particularly enjoy and the best writing in the world isn't enough to get me beyond that.<br />
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What did Lucy think of it?<br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;">I did try to read this book, honestly I did. However after the first chapter I just couldn't continue. The occasional swearing and vulgarity don't bother me but this was filled with them and that's just not something I want or need to read. So unfortunately (for BGR) I did not finish this.</span><br />
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Lucy went for <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00VRTCHMW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00VRTCHMW&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">The Shepherd's Crown</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B00VRTCHMW" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Terry Pratchett:<br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;">I am a die hard Terry Pratchett fan since I first read Johnny and the Dead in Year 6 (a very long time ago!). His writing is always clever as well as funny and his characters are brilliantly written. Although I have no desire to go off and fight the fair folk, this book had me yearning for a stay in the countryside again. <br />
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Having grown up with his Discworld novels it feels like I know the characters personally, so some tears may have been shed whilst reading this. To condense how I felt about this book is extremely difficult, particularly as I didn't want to write any spoilers! Safe to say if you are a fan of the Discworld books you'll love it. If you haven't read any of them before I'd suggest starting with something earlier, as this has lots of inside jokes/parts which you may miss. I will miss the excitement of getting a new Terry Pratchett book and devouring it in one sitting, his death is a huge loss. </span><br />
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Did Emma enjoy it?<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">I read a lot of Pratchett as a kid, but grew out of it when gritty crime novels came into my hands as a teen (and my obsession with science began). So this was a bit of a reminder of how much I have missed reading his spell binding works and the sadness that no more Disc World novels will be released. I really don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t read it, but it was an emotional ride and I of course cried at the end. It is obvious from points that he had not completely finished the book, which was discussed before its release, but the story (beginning/middle/end) was there and still wonderful. A great book for the series to finish on I think!</span><br />
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I was a little bit torn before picking up this book. I love Terry Pratchett but I'm not a big fan of the witches books: my heart lies with the Guards series. As such, I haven't read any of the previous books featuring Tiffany Aching although I am familiar enough with most of the other characters.<br />
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In one way I got what I expected. I was irritated by the Nac Mac Feegles and I still don't love the witches the way I do the guards. And yes, there are certain parts where you can kinda tell that it wasn't properly finished before publication. On the other hand, it's an absolutely wonderful book. All the very best things about Pratchett's writing shine through the whole story - it's funny, enthralling and hugely imaginative. It's also really emotional. I don't know if the knowledge of his fate coloured my reading of one particular plot strand but I didn't expect to be crying by page 36! It broke my heart. <br />
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Thanks so much Emma and Lucy! It was lovely to have you both taking part.<br />
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The book picks for next month are <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0099572796/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0099572796&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">Swallows and Amazons</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0099572796" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Arthur Ransome, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0099460874/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0099460874&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">I Capture The Castle</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0099460874" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Dodie Smith and <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005GQ5HB0/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B005GQ5HB0&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">The Reader</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B005GQ5HB0" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Bernhard Schlink.<br />
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</div>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337968500120821387noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6307704515809716636.post-10016390675226148082015-12-02T18:30:00.000+00:002015-12-02T18:30:00.590+00:00The Chop <div style="text-align: center;">
I braved hell last week.<br />
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I haven't been to the hairdressers for I don't know how long. 18 months? Probably longer than that. I hate people touching my hair and I can't abide small talk. I'm sure some of you can think of nothing nicer than being faffed over but I loathe it. Two of the hairdressers came over and stroked my hair and said how lovely it was. TWO. I genuinely had to fight my punching impulse. Uninvited hair-stroking is not ok, people.<br />
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Also did I mention I hate small talk?<br />
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The deed had to be done though. I have quite a lot of hair and it's also incredibly tatty. I don't have to do anything, it just gets into enormous (and painful) tangles. When it's as long as it was, it was a neverending battle to de-tatt it. And yup, it had got <i>quite</i> long.<br />
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I got it chopped.<br />
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Better pictures will follow at some point but for now, yay, hair chop!</div>
<br />Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337968500120821387noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6307704515809716636.post-27558339028526417642015-11-30T19:00:00.000+00:002015-12-02T15:37:42.867+00:00It's Black and White Really <div style="text-align: center;">
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I was anti-leggings for a long time. That was the side-effect of being born in the 80s: you grew up wearing wildly patterned leggings and oversized tshirts and it wasn't the best of looks. Definitely not something I wanted to reprise in later life, so when they came back into shops a few years ago, I wasn't a fan.<br />
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Then I became a total convert. Of plain black ones, anyway. I have loads of long jumpers and too-short dresses (dunno how, I'm only 5'2!) and they were perfect to chuck on underneath. But then I bought a house and did all the redecorating whilst wearing my comfiest clothes. Et voila, all my leggings ended up covered in paint and I had no money left to buy new clothes. Wah wahhhh.<br />
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<a href="https://www.pertz.co.uk/default.aspx" target="_blank">Pertz</a> came to my rescue recently and asked if I wanted to try out a new pair of <a href="https://www.pertz.co.uk/pertz_leggings-list.aspx" target="_blank">leggings</a> to review. Obviously I did! Can't exactly get away with paint-stained ones outside the confines of my own home, can I? I dusted off a dress that is verging on far-too-short (in its defence, it is from the Petite range and I'm at the tall end of that) and gave them a whirl.<br />
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Now I must admit that initially I was a bit "oh god, they're shiny" when I got them out of the packet as I was expecting cotton ones for some reason. I wasn't expecting to love them but it took about two seconds for them to win me over. They're so comfy! Also I won't bore on too much about my weight issues at the moment but suffice to say I am not content with my size right now and my problem area is always, always my dreaded stomach. These leggings are cunningly designed and cut to suck all that in without killing you and the fabric smooths over any potential cellulitey areas too. Yoicks! I might have fat legs but they look considerably better when wearing these!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Dress - Dorothy Perkins</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Leggings - <a href="https://www.pertz.co.uk/default.aspx" target="_blank">Pertz</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Cardi - Gap</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Heels - Irregular Choice (a few years old but you can <a href="http://www.spartoo.co.uk/Irregular-Choice-b69.php" target="_blank">find similar here</a>)</span></div>
<br />Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337968500120821387noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6307704515809716636.post-67846168165849770402015-11-07T12:00:00.000+00:002015-11-07T12:00:00.090+00:00A Blogging Good Read - November<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLs01sv8YGoCwr-FqfG0Lccf6qHfVsyND4qstEwEa14ssMcwWXEQ5o5BJ2Ndm32dst6MS-bPE6UFS_kvtlhNjJB3RjV8HEuTP0CC-swBZEiNXb6jRn7NZOyAZQtI-1otvsZbMolGI8GWa/s660/Final+-+Good+Read+Header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLs01sv8YGoCwr-FqfG0Lccf6qHfVsyND4qstEwEa14ssMcwWXEQ5o5BJ2Ndm32dst6MS-bPE6UFS_kvtlhNjJB3RjV8HEuTP0CC-swBZEiNXb6jRn7NZOyAZQtI-1otvsZbMolGI8GWa/s660/Final+-+Good+Read+Header.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Joining me this month for A Blogging Good Read are Liz from <a href="http://distractmenowplease.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Distract Me Now Please</a> and Charlie from <a href="http://www.charliedistracted.com/" target="_blank">Charlie, Distracted</a>. I didn't pick them cos of their matching blog names - just a happy coincidence!<br />
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Liz went for <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B007NMTHF2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B007NMTHF2&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">Adorkable</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B007NMTHF2" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Sarra Manning:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOBvXwTI-ptrMuzGTZ5Fuo7nRmF39nDyxc5j3GV3bU0nBsh4IRyxAClkFRM_OGv8lVsY-f6xuYKCZWxxfydVwxhvJ6nweVkImlm2A7RZZYSstJOLXM0zUiReCiusj8cjSHdMoYmrcBVVeg/s1600/Adorkable.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOBvXwTI-ptrMuzGTZ5Fuo7nRmF39nDyxc5j3GV3bU0nBsh4IRyxAClkFRM_OGv8lVsY-f6xuYKCZWxxfydVwxhvJ6nweVkImlm2A7RZZYSstJOLXM0zUiReCiusj8cjSHdMoYmrcBVVeg/s600/Adorkable.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">Adorkable been on my ‘to read’ list for ages until I finally found it in a charity shop a couple of months ago. I was expecting good things because I love YA fiction and several people had recommended Manning’s books to me. Plot-wise, it charts the love-hate relationship of a kooky blogger and the most popular boy in school. I groaned inwardly when first I realised this, anticipating 2D characters and cringey descriptions of life online but luckily the novel contained neither!</span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #38761d;">The characters are incredibly well-crafted; I loved the way that Manning plays on the stereotypes, slowly revealing information about the characters in a way that kept challenging my preconceptions. I think the characters are what make the novel work so well; I found that I genuinely cared about what happened to them (even the ones I didn’t particularly like). It’s one of those books that’s very hard to put down, and the plot kept on surprising me until the very end. The ending made me want to punch the air and celebrate the fact that I’m a bit weird (I’m not usually known for my unbridled enthusiasm so that’s a big deal). It also made me really glad that social media didn’t exist when I was at school! I want to go and reread it NOW.</span><br />
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What did Charlie think?<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">I first read a Sarra Manning book when I was 15. My best friend was on the cover of Guitar Girl so it was obligatory. Having this book as part of this challenge was also obligatory or I would never have gone near it. This is the YA entry point for girls who grow into women who read Cecelia Ahearn and Victoria Hislop (aka my mum). It’s teenage chick lit which is just a bit too mushy for me. I have to say that the main character being a blogger felt totally disingenuous. It reminded me of the main character in Eat My Heart Out (which is the worst book I’ve ever read, so don’t take this as a recommendation), where the author chucked every modern day cliché in there to be ‘relatable’ but totally misses the mark.</span><br />
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Am I allowed to squee like a teenage fangirl? Because this book is BRILLIANT. Despite loving Sarra Manning's other books, I didn't have high hopes when I started it. The protagonist seemed like a British ripoff of Tavi Gevinson and having just read <a href="http://oddsocksandprettyfrocks.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/a-blogging-good-read-september.html">a fairly rubbish book for BGR</a> where the social media star heroine was not well written at all, I was anticipating more of the same. I shouldn't have worried. Manning really gets social media and more importantly than that, she gets consistent characterisation. With the aforementioned book, the main character seemed to have been given social media fame in order to give her some personality (it didn't work) and then it was forgotten about, but here Jeane rings very true thoughout (albeit with a forgiveable smidge of poetic licence when it comes to things like living arrangements).<br />
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It's hugely engaging - I stayed up far too late glomming it - and the story fairly rattles along. Yes, I'm a sucker for romance so I enjoyed that part of the plotline but the friendship elements were just as important and I must admit to having a proper cry near the end when Jeane was reading all the emails. It's a fab book and well worth your time.<br />
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And now for something completely different...I picked <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0007419449/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0007419449&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">Cold Granite</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0007419449" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Stuart MacBride:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBvyVdjD1Jwws7IX_ChTb3dc7hGWFb9Mp3nJSWs-g_chgS4WdyIVBG4pfBkkeZZOXQDV1I-aPo_WqoDv6GAKPyPvhqOgixeLJE4i26Z5dBDlnAXSwHyGlr7x_lLq_EWrFks6-r7UzyLsiV/s1600/Cold+Granite.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBvyVdjD1Jwws7IX_ChTb3dc7hGWFb9Mp3nJSWs-g_chgS4WdyIVBG4pfBkkeZZOXQDV1I-aPo_WqoDv6GAKPyPvhqOgixeLJE4i26Z5dBDlnAXSwHyGlr7x_lLq_EWrFks6-r7UzyLsiV/s700/Cold+Granite.jpg" /></a><br />
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The usual quandary about what to do when your favourite in a series isn't the first book applied here, but I went for Cold Granite. Yes, it's the first of the Logan McRae books but it's a really strong start to a series and I personally think police procedurals make a lot more sense if you start at the beginning rather than with book 3 or 4. McRae has just returned to work with the Aberdeen Police after a year off and then the dead body of a child turns up and well, it all gets worse from there...<br />
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MacBride's books are on the grim side but they're also really funny - even 9 books into the series I'm still chortling at some of the descriptions he comes up with for DS Steel. I've worked my way through a lot of crime authors and I can safely say that I enjoy this series more than almost any other. The plots romp along and that's not always something you can say about police books. They should be fast paced and gripping but I've read a lot that aren't. You can't chuck that accusation at this author. As an example of Tartan Noir, it's a really good 'un!<br />
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Did Liz like it?<br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;">As a Val McDermid aficionado, I’m no stranger to Scottish crime fiction, so I was excited about having the chance to try a new author. <br />
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I really enjoyed Cold Granite. I liked the way that McBride weaved the different plot threads together; the different cases gave the narrative variety and kept me engaged, without making the plot impossible to follow. I was surprised by some of the plot twists but I felt like they just about stayed within the bounds of realism. My only criticism is that I’d have liked more exploration of the main characters, because I found myself wanting to know more about their backgrounds and home lives. This might be something that will come with reading more of the books in the series though. I’m not ready to replace Val just yet, but I will definitely read the next Logan McRae book.</span><br />
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How about Charlie?<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">I’m 100% sure that if I wasn’t such a wuss, I’d have loved this book. The reason I’ve never read any Stephen King or watched many horror films is because I convince myself it’s real. The thing is, this story could be real and that just upsets me. I wanted to do a Joey style ‘book in the freezer’ thing at one point. Despite this, it did make me chuckle in places and I can see why people would read more in the series as the protagonist is a miserable sod but ultimately good with it. </span><br />
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Charlie chose <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00DI7HLDG/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00DI7HLDG&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B00DI7HLDG" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Claire North:<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">There’s something about time travel books that has a neverending appeal for me. It leans towards dystopian but doesn’t quite hit fantasy which is the perfect middle ground. This book is just magical. Somehow it is completely believable even though it’s literally impossible (or so I presume!). The main character has a back story and real heart that helps him really grow as a character, despite the fact that he’s technically hundreds of years old. The mortal enemy part is a bit James Bond but it does provide some much needed action. The whole thing is bizarre but beautiful; I’m totally obsessed!</span><br />
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I enjoyed this book, but with reservations. Most authors going with a time travel style plot are going to struggle to make their world and rules really stand out from the norm and although this made a good stab at it, it was ultimately a bit too reminiscent of quite a few other novels. The overall pace and plotting did noticeably dip after the halfway mark as well.<br />
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But having said that, I still whizzed through it and it was a good, entertaining read. Harry isn't exactly a likeable character but his lives and the way they unfold are very interesting to read about. You do really root for him to overcome the big bad as the world spins further and further into chaos. I just wish it had been accomplished in a way that matched the first part of the book.<br />
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What did Liz think?<br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;">Time travel books make my head spin, and this one wasn’t any different! I feel like I have a lot of unanswered questions about how the time travel rules work in the context of this book (although that might well be down to my own stupidity, rather than the explanations given by the author!). I thought the concept was absolutely brilliant, and the notion of ‘kalachakra’ (people who live their life over and over again) really excited me. Ultimately though I found the plot a little disappointing. For me the ending fell a bit flat; it didn’t live up to the promise of the concept and the build-up of the first half of the novel. Overall I thought it was good, but it could have been a lot better. <br />
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I now find myself constantly wondering, ‘What if I’m a kalachakra and this is my first life so I’m not aware of it yet?’ Just me..?</span><br />
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Thanks so much to Charlie and Liz for joining in!<br />
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Next month we'll be reading <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004FV4T70/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B004FV4T70&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">The Rules of Attraction</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B004FV4T70" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Bret Easton Ellis, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004K1EC1S/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B004K1EC1S&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">Rivers of London</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B004K1EC1S" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Ben Aaronovitch and <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00VRTCHMW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00VRTCHMW&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21" rel="nofollow">The Shepherd's Crown</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B00VRTCHMW" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Terry Pratchett.<br />
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</div>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337968500120821387noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6307704515809716636.post-13615876509544462652015-10-31T18:00:00.000+00:002015-11-06T10:23:54.303+00:00I Dislike Halloween<br />
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I am really not a fan of this time of year. Bonfire Night is my autumn event of choice. Halloween is just hectic and exhausting. It's super busy for us at work and that's kinda sucked most of the fun out of it for me.<br />
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I do join in with the spirit of things occasionally though. Wizardly robes and a wand over a mildly themed outfit and I'm good to go.<br />
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I do enjoy this jumper a lot.<br />
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And the trusty orange tights with brown fishnets over the top combo always cheers me up. Tis also good for distracting the eye away from how dirty my trainers are! <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Dress - H&M</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Jumper - The Orphan's Arms</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Converse - <a href="http://www.spartoo.co.uk/Converse-b5.php" target="_blank">Spartoo</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Cape - work</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Wand - borrowed from Luna Lovegood</span></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337968500120821387noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6307704515809716636.post-60080700293738693232015-10-21T12:00:00.000+01:002015-10-21T12:00:05.842+01:00Happy Housewarming<div style="text-align: center;">
I seem to be at that stage in life where everyone is buying houses. Sign of the times when you hit 30, I suppose. It's better than everyone being pregnant. I know what to do with houses and I am excellent at helping paint, decorate, buy cushions and haul lots of crap to the tip (I've had a lot of recent practice). I can also be relied upon to be v. enthusiastic about decor schemes and all things house. Babies I have zero idea what to do with. The whole process baffles me. I once distinguished myself by writing "Have a good baby!" in a card for a colleague about to go off on maternity leave...<br />
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However I think you'll agree it is <i><b>much</b></i> easier to buy a present for a baby than a house. All cute tiny things are automatically great so you're never short of options. I find housewarming presents much more tricky - trying to judge other people's taste in homeware is a lot more fraught than picking clothes, jewellery and the like. Hopefully you know their taste in most things but if there's a whole new house to decorate, you don't always know what look they're going for. There's nothing worse than landing someone with that deeply misjudged horrible present that they despise but have to hide in a cupboard and get out when you're due to visit. *shudders* I don't ever want to be that sort of giftgiver. Especially not when all my pals did so well buying me lovely (green) things for my place!<br />
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The obvious place to turn is somewhere like Not On The High Street but they're a smidgen predictable for my tastes. I prefer sites like Etsy and <a href="http://www.uncommongoods.com/gifts/by-recipient/gifts-for-couples" target="_blank">Uncommon Goods</a> (<span style="font-size: x-small;">especially as the latter has a cracking sustainability policy which you can read about <a href="http://blog.uncommongoods.com/2015/uncommon-impact-practical-design-meets-practicing-better-business/" target="_blank">here</a></span>) for the personalised touch and can merrily spend hours browsing through random things I've never have discovered otherwise. The more mainstream shops shouldn't be left out though - I'm a total convert to The Range (shop in store btw - their online CS is pretty dire) and have you been in Asda or Matalan recently? Woodland animals ahoy!<br />
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So what have I been buying/drooling over recently? <br />
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You don't know how hard I wish I'd known about <a href="http://www.uncommongoods.com/gifts/housewarming">this</a> mixtape doormat back when my brother and his wife last moved house! <span style="font-size: x-small;">(It's customisable, which is a good job, cos their surname isn't Smith).</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/190214215/game-of-thrones-slate-coasters-house?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=game%20of%20thrones&ref=sc_gallery_4&plkey=15333af07f4bbc0d5167fd8602fac69284f8a690:190214215">These coasters</a> are on order for a Game of Thrones-loving pal of mine. Not too in-your-face.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2yQW1RG63vcg2Cm7UIBo9trZRLjBsmLxaoU436nqzHfDPthjJBhsQeXNIk-xyRhHpQyLBIeh85tqheVLhUhjiaOwSaX166s6p69_4alCv5AIejMmdbk1GSpqEfun41etRpkLlRzI8uv3j/s1600/Bear+Glasses.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2yQW1RG63vcg2Cm7UIBo9trZRLjBsmLxaoU436nqzHfDPthjJBhsQeXNIk-xyRhHpQyLBIeh85tqheVLhUhjiaOwSaX166s6p69_4alCv5AIejMmdbk1GSpqEfun41etRpkLlRzI8uv3j/s600/Bear+Glasses.JPG" /></a></div>
I don't know where these little bear tumblers from Asda will end up but they were too cute not to buy! Someone will love them.<br />
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Is it weird to buy someone a clock as a housewarming gift? It probably is. But it's so lovely! Told you <a href="http://www.therange.co.uk/home_and_furniture_home_furnishings_home_accessories_clocks/dept/fcp-category/list?isInStock=true&isSearchFilterSuffix=true&visModel=CHANNEL&filters=Hierarchy_TOP_NAVIGATION_FILTER:/TOP_NAVIGATION/wc_dept_home_and_furniture_home_furnishings/wc_dept_home_and_furniture_home_furnishings_home_accessories/wc_dept_home_and_furniture_home_furnishings_home_accessories_clocks&page=1&results=26">The Range</a> were great at the mo.<br />
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I think I'm fighting (and losing) the age-old battle of buying things you secretly want for yourself. Must...resist...<br />
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Whilst I'm talking house, it occurs to me that although I moved in nearly a year ago, I never did do any celebratory welcome-to-the-new-abode posts. I've got this week off work and am attacking all those pesky little DIY jobs that I was too exhausted/lazy to do after moving in. It may well be ready to take some photos of by the end of the week!<br />
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Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337968500120821387noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6307704515809716636.post-80756126697246468572015-10-13T12:30:00.000+01:002015-10-13T12:30:02.904+01:00Meet Phil <div style="text-align: center;">
I went to the RSPCA cattery a couple of weeks ago for a wander round and rather lost my heart to this little fella. It's been nearly six months since Oscar went and although I'm still not over that (you never really are, are you? I'm going to miss my ginger bundle of fluff forever), the house needs a cat in it and I need something to spoil rotten.<br />
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Apparently poor Phil was very shy and bewildered about why he was in for rehoming. Everyone said he would take ages to settle in and probably be hiding underneath things for weeks. HA. Yeah, right. Took him about 20 minutes to get his paws well and truly settled in once he was through the front door.<br />
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His favourite things are:<br />
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Catnip mouse. Kills it dead at least three times a day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6li3lWnmLCzXzJLo9TTNRBWGGcGG8XVcVDxR4tuxG4i0Nf69x7wdW4tW5Uau9DMyJEwexXVT8vhQddbs31dO9M35f9gYR4gfb6SEUs6ubDaT2X3gBPb080d5e5nzwzbE05W98Ti0DjFMD/s1600/Sleeping+Phil.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6li3lWnmLCzXzJLo9TTNRBWGGcGG8XVcVDxR4tuxG4i0Nf69x7wdW4tW5Uau9DMyJEwexXVT8vhQddbs31dO9M35f9gYR4gfb6SEUs6ubDaT2X3gBPb080d5e5nzwzbE05W98Ti0DjFMD/s600/Sleeping+Phil.JPG" /></a></div>
Snoozing. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6R8Sou5raMTsNjhLI21QCojXM4e2CPLQ1OsiXZUCIVa0E4_6I-gi-U6Y0nZkNf9ywxuzhtBytQs2ZaakVIk68Z5Ea10fM2BpXy6c6oVNspYEluyJU0iksVSniXFuZtJw9br6izFrooO8z/s1600/Sitting+Phil.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6R8Sou5raMTsNjhLI21QCojXM4e2CPLQ1OsiXZUCIVa0E4_6I-gi-U6Y0nZkNf9ywxuzhtBytQs2ZaakVIk68Z5Ea10fM2BpXy6c6oVNspYEluyJU0iksVSniXFuZtJw9br6izFrooO8z/s600/Sitting+Phil.JPG" /></a></div>
Sitting on me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikXXWBbgIMu4wklxj8vgqBtBbDUFfdrYk_q5IAcQQQ6vC6MCSacvWry4DY8hIzvapPg0aDg118oRIxrxvu2tQYt6kb_D5ttwRjPvuwScfw6-a5z48V7YMIzUt-ZtJjO91eRacdGLNh1AGj/s1600/Photobombing+Phil.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikXXWBbgIMu4wklxj8vgqBtBbDUFfdrYk_q5IAcQQQ6vC6MCSacvWry4DY8hIzvapPg0aDg118oRIxrxvu2tQYt6kb_D5ttwRjPvuwScfw6-a5z48V7YMIzUt-ZtJjO91eRacdGLNh1AGj/s600/Photobombing+Phil.JPG" /></a></div>
Not standing still long enough to have his photo taken.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnM3L_24azaFqtJu4KYFCDm0sOa_o6Dn1DDou-YDkQJKiktL9oWfuNEDi9A1v7-d8LOJWqpd8KxFbkz3EWg-6PX9FjqyWoVR7bD9AGk2ZlFzyePKwxddTtR-mQUCD4qnev4v7UpuH8wDu_/s1600/Knitting+Phil.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnM3L_24azaFqtJu4KYFCDm0sOa_o6Dn1DDou-YDkQJKiktL9oWfuNEDi9A1v7-d8LOJWqpd8KxFbkz3EWg-6PX9FjqyWoVR7bD9AGk2ZlFzyePKwxddTtR-mQUCD4qnev4v7UpuH8wDu_/s600/Knitting+Phil.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_cF8EQS8JpLn7mnvBs8M2FQSlh6D3Dxy-L0U81z1uU3pRCUhJa99Cos3oS65ItQTrTKZZBEVBkCblEpiPPOb5Y5q7On-u93GyxdtIJ-Mp8p_gulThDKYnq3Q0C2lxhUH5pNXDG_dNE0K/s1600/Lounging+Phil+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_cF8EQS8JpLn7mnvBs8M2FQSlh6D3Dxy-L0U81z1uU3pRCUhJa99Cos3oS65ItQTrTKZZBEVBkCblEpiPPOb5Y5q7On-u93GyxdtIJ-Mp8p_gulThDKYnq3Q0C2lxhUH5pNXDG_dNE0K/s600/Lounging+Phil+1.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH6ZEt8UB758_wT7u8PnsrccO5xOJj_IylGg3HJpKxuBzF-4tSIcf4FKfojJ9YoUUCfexY4Ci3t39KpMa1IPKnRQIw8FPkHsXb0z75-2NHuW1J3aRLgp7hz6XN2bl8vEq3oyrVVMsyih_u/s1600/Lounging+Phil+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH6ZEt8UB758_wT7u8PnsrccO5xOJj_IylGg3HJpKxuBzF-4tSIcf4FKfojJ9YoUUCfexY4Ci3t39KpMa1IPKnRQIw8FPkHsXb0z75-2NHuW1J3aRLgp7hz6XN2bl8vEq3oyrVVMsyih_u/s600/Lounging+Phil+2.JPG" /></a></div>
Lounging around.<br />
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He's quite the dude. </div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337968500120821387noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6307704515809716636.post-62029890005625823012015-10-08T14:44:00.003+01:002015-10-08T14:44:41.905+01:00A Blogging Good Read - October<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLs01sv8YGoCwr-FqfG0Lccf6qHfVsyND4qstEwEa14ssMcwWXEQ5o5BJ2Ndm32dst6MS-bPE6UFS_kvtlhNjJB3RjV8HEuTP0CC-swBZEiNXb6jRn7NZOyAZQtI-1otvsZbMolGI8GWa/s660/Final+-+Good+Read+Header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLs01sv8YGoCwr-FqfG0Lccf6qHfVsyND4qstEwEa14ssMcwWXEQ5o5BJ2Ndm32dst6MS-bPE6UFS_kvtlhNjJB3RjV8HEuTP0CC-swBZEiNXb6jRn7NZOyAZQtI-1otvsZbMolGI8GWa/s660/Final+-+Good+Read+Header.jpg" /></a></div>
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Hello! Joining me for Blogging Good Read this week is AJ from <a href="http://www.writersblockandbrokenlenses.com/">Writer's Block and Broken Lenses</a>. Unfortunately our third person wasn't able to take part this month but we read her book anyway, so carry on to see what they all were and what we thought of them.<br />
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AJ picked <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0091956145/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0091956145&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21">The Martian</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0091956145" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Andy Weir:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTfc3GsGnLTHjMcgBvy_uuJvAlraLyW586ODjHE-hShP4KmZn1BX_vhC9mfjkjIplCcAUj6YCl__OklopKwICpFFJGdsI6LzI7DYoyX_goY0MxA9zrpZhxfe9wulezbZAjOvUJB0ptdEh/s1600/The+Martian.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTfc3GsGnLTHjMcgBvy_uuJvAlraLyW586ODjHE-hShP4KmZn1BX_vhC9mfjkjIplCcAUj6YCl__OklopKwICpFFJGdsI6LzI7DYoyX_goY0MxA9zrpZhxfe9wulezbZAjOvUJB0ptdEh/s660/The+Martian.jpg" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: blue;">My boyfriend doesn't read but this is possibly one of the only books he has gone out and bought off his own accord. After hearing his feedback I recommended it for this. The Martian (as some of you may know because of the film) is about an astronaut being stranded on Mars. Any other person would probably just give up and wait to die. Not Mark Watney. Despite circumstance (and the occasional explosion), Mark Watney has a surprisingly positive attitude on his situation and doesn't give up.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: blue;">What I love most about this book is how it read like a film script, if that makes any sense? It was tense in all the right places and as I was approaching the end of the book, I had to keep putting it down so I could breathe and calm down. It's just brilliant. Even if you're not into science and stuff. Read it.</span><br />
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I vaguely knew that a film version of The Martian was about to be released when I read this - good timing as I always prefer to read the book first! Other than that, I knew virtually nothing about it and was totally blown away by how inventive and enthralling it was. As you might imagine with a plot featuring someone stranded on Mars and battling to stay alive, there's a lot of science involved but I can honestly say that it's never done in a boring way. You're always utterly fascinated as to what engineering or botanical jiggery-pokery Mark is going to come up with to solve the next problem.<br />
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Not only does it do the virtually impossible for me and make science genuinely interesting, this book manages to be really funny too. Mark is such a great protagonist: brave, resourceful, clever but a wee bit narky and feisty and sweary enough to be just the sort of person I like. The format of the book (told mostly in mission reports to start, then branching out to share the story from Earth and also touching occasionally on his colleagues in space) could run the risk of getting a bit tedious but even when Mark is essentially reporting on himself for long stretches, it's still told in such a way that keeps you completely hooked. <br />
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ps - ignore the quote on the cover. Gravity was awfully dull. This is brilliant.<br />
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I chose <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00JLLD7TU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00JLLD7TU&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21">H is for Hawk</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B00JLLD7TU" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Helen Macdonald:<br />
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I missed out on hearing much about this book when it was first released but <a href="https://twitter.com/Shippers1983">Becks</a> was engrossed in it earlier in the year and she's always a good book barometer, so I pounced on a copy when I saw it in a charity shop. It's not an easy read, being as it is about the dual topics of training a hawk and mourning the loss of your father. I haven't experienced either of those things but the author really makes you feel the pain and bafflement of both of them. It's shockingly visceral in its grief but so beautifully written that my overwhelming feeling when reading it wasn't sadness, it was a sort of hopeful admiration that one person can feel that deeply yet be so eloquent in the way they share it with the world.<br />
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I'm always especially fond of books which feature something you don't really think you care about, then end up completely intrigued by. The Martian had me hooked on space exploits and this book plunged me deep into the mysteries of hawking and the natural world of the fens. I found it absolutely compelling.<br />
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What did AJ think?<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">I tried desperately hard to like this book. It's the first book in a while that I have had to force myself to read. I really didn't enjoy it.I couldn't connect to the character in anyway as it felt like she had absolutely no personality whatsoever, nothing to engage me and want me to read and MY GOD WAS IT SLOW. </span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">It's probably because I'm more of a fantasy girl and prefer the works of T.H White rather than rambling, what sounds like hatred, of his work and his life. In fact the character's attitude to White generally upset me.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">I honestly couldn't finish this book. I had heard good things but was so disappointed that I stopped making myself try to read it. It felt too much like a chore rather than reading for pleasure.</span></div>
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Our final pick for the month was <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00KHX5X6G/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00KHX5X6G&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21">Carsick</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B00KHX5X6G" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by John Waters:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzQex1K0MBqGjkAxos9UnCLdu0j7oIVor-QSscTZxWAsczwIqf1lHsjLEt2IAjKDbkxYE2mEBYyiwHfsKLYUpwwAh8hRaxizIpA6sTnHfy8RSiW7qstf4cQ5IpOB5NKIjv4pElvafrgbb0/s1600/Carsick.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzQex1K0MBqGjkAxos9UnCLdu0j7oIVor-QSscTZxWAsczwIqf1lHsjLEt2IAjKDbkxYE2mEBYyiwHfsKLYUpwwAh8hRaxizIpA6sTnHfy8RSiW7qstf4cQ5IpOB5NKIjv4pElvafrgbb0/s500/Carsick.jpg" /></a><br />
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This book has a simple enough premise: John Waters hitchhikes from Baltimore to San Francisco. Or so I thought until I read the last page of the intro, after which point it launches into two fictional novellas about the fantasy good rides and bad rides he could take on the journey. I got through about four of the former before coming to the conclusion that his fiction isn't my cup of tea and happily moved onto the final section which was about the actual journey itself and was much more interesting! I'd have preferred for the whole book to be a travelogue rather than this odd mish-mash of fiction and fact but it would have been a short book in that case as I don't think it could realistically have been stretched out any further. Anyway, that's how he chose to write it and I'm probably in the minority when it comes to not liking the format.<br />
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Did AJ enjoy it?<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">I hate being that person who doesn't enjoy certain books just because they're not what I would normally read but this is a memoir and automatically my brain switched off. I have multiple memoirs and biographies at home but the majority of them have been left unread (except fo <i>How to be a Woman</i> by Cailtlin Moran). </span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">I know of John Waters as a director but never knew about his plans to hitch hike across America let alone that he had written a book about it. This was the only swaying point to encourage me to read <i>Car Sick</i>.This didn't read like other memoirs I have tried and genuinely made me laugh. Compared to <i>H is for Hawk</i> this was a much more compelling read.</span></div>
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Thanks AJ!<br />
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Next month we'll be reading <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1907411003/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1907411003&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21">Adorkable</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=1907411003" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Sarra Manning, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0007419449/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0007419449&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21">Cold Granite</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0007419449" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Stuart Macbride and <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0356502570/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0356502570&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21">The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0356502570" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Claire North.</div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337968500120821387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6307704515809716636.post-78362734876637091042015-09-29T12:30:00.000+01:002015-09-29T12:30:02.658+01:00A Bit More Knitting<div style="text-align: center;">
Operation Get Less Shit At Knitting continues.<br />
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After the successful <a href="http://oddsocksandprettyfrocks.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/a-bit-of-knitting.html" target="_blank">snood</a>, I tried out a much more complicated scarf stitch pattern thing <span style="font-size: x-small;">(I'm totally down with all the knitting lingo)</span> which has gone quite bizarrely wonky. Yup, still shit at knitting.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Check out the slant on that!</span></div>
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I know I went wrong right at the very beginning because I was doing it on a train and people kept distracting me, but I recovered that and I don't <i>think</i> it was enough to cause such epic slantiness. Ho hum. Maybe it'll sort itself out when I eventually finish it.<br />
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(nb - old women LOVE young(ish) knitters, don't they? Actual quote: "It's so nice to see lovely young girls like you knitting." Bahahaha. Thanks lady. I will take the young compliment and run merrily into the distance with it.)<br />
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Anyway, Project Wonky Scarf is on hold for the time being. It's taught me how to do slip stitches and passing stitches over and digging up a stitch from the loop and all that jazz. I'll finish it at some point. <br />
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I decided to do something quick and easy to boost my spirits in the meantime, dug out the special needs needles and lovely chunky wool and whizzed my way through this <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/chunky-drop-stitch-cowl" target="_blank">chunky drop stitch cowl</a> pattern. It was <i>so</i> quick and easy to do.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ywbhSTt80J0uMcHvBJQN8gbeChEczpKyo_JAfTAi09Qfs_QpA1I3_Vo9jrfB3Lll1jKMg80FF3LCipsEqJcO1XBC6yp0etr-JwYAX1F-VnUiYlSiYvJ1NUsAa5mPLE9YU-vO8LjQ5eNI/s1600/Drop+stitch+cowl.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ywbhSTt80J0uMcHvBJQN8gbeChEczpKyo_JAfTAi09Qfs_QpA1I3_Vo9jrfB3Lll1jKMg80FF3LCipsEqJcO1XBC6yp0etr-JwYAX1F-VnUiYlSiYvJ1NUsAa5mPLE9YU-vO8LjQ5eNI/s600/Drop+stitch+cowl.JPG" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">It's pink so it's obviously not for me but you've got to model your creations, haven't you?</span><br />
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New skill added to the list: drop stitches. I'll definitely make it again but will probably play around a bit and make it thinner and longer as it does seem perhaps a smidge too wide and short. It's cute though!<br />
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Never one to massively overface myself with a project or anything, I've now started work on a Weasley jumper as a Christmas present. Current status: stocking stitching my life away.<br />
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Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337968500120821387noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6307704515809716636.post-21937390226650152152015-09-15T12:30:00.000+01:002015-09-15T12:30:01.614+01:00Gasp...I'm Wearing Something That's Nearly Pink<div style="text-align: center;">
Oh hey, what's this? An outfit post, in the new house? Woohoo!<br />
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Now admittedly it's not the best photography in the world as I still have to get to grips with the lighting - the green chandelier I absolutely *had* to have in the library is amazing but doesn't cast the most consistent glow in the world! But hey, how much better are LOADS OF BOOKS than a boring plain white wall? Pshaw, stylish bloggers, books will always win!<br />
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Actual house blog posts will follow at some point in the future. I know I moved in last November but I am a) extremely untidy and b) a world champion procrastinator so there are still plenty of bits that need fixing and/or tidying before I can record them for posterity on t'blog.<br />
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I felt rather sassy today though, so wanted to snap some outfit pics, dodgy lighting and all. My wardrobe has been somewhat lacking in #wardrobezoo recently and a horse print top is always a very welcome addition to the clan. It's verging on being pink but I won't hold that against it!<br />
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Love a good long top!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Shirt - from <a href="http://www.trexesandtiaras.com/">Char</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Cardi - Hawkshead</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Skirt - H&M</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Heels - Dorothy Perkins</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Ring - <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/MerCurios">MerCurios</a></span></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337968500120821387noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6307704515809716636.post-22903759701862744442015-09-07T20:00:00.000+01:002015-09-07T20:00:41.593+01:00A Blogging Good Read - September<br />
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Welcome to September's edition of A Blogging Good Read. Aren't we rattling through the year?!<br />
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Joining me this month are Gemma from <a href="http://considertheend.com/" target="_blank">Avise La Fin</a> and Janet from <a href="http://wordsthatcanonlybeyourown.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Words That Can Only Be Your Own</a>. What did we read?<br />
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Up first is Gemma's pick, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00CBWRYAY/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00CBWRYAY&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21&linkId=BKJVBXCNZGNFCWOM">Burial Rites</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B00CBWRYAY" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Hannah Kent:<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">I have always been a fan of historical fiction and, because of that, I’ve been recommended this book many times! I bought it a little while ago so when I was asked for my BGR choice I thought it was the perfect excuse to get reading it. The story is set in Iceland in 1829 and follows Agnes, a woman who is sentenced to death for the murder of her lover. While she is awaiting execution she is sent to live with Jón Jónsson, his wife and their two daughters, who are understandably none too impressed at the prospect of living with a violent murderess…</span><br />
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Life is hard on the farm in rural Iceland and every day presents a challenge for survival. Jón’s wife is battling ill health and I began to feel like Agnes wasn’t the only character in this book awaiting death. Through the tough farm work she and Agnes form an unlikely bond and slowly Agnes starts to unravel the events of the night that led to the death of her lover.<br />
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I actually found this book quite slow, but I was intrigued by Agnes. She’s never really had a home, nor really felt or experienced love and I was waiting for these things to happen to her in the story. She is originally portrayed as a monster and it was interesting to see how my opinion of her would gradually change the more I read. I won’t give anything away, but what I will say is that this book is based on the real life events, which, to me, makes it a fascinating read.</span><br />
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Yet again, I'm very happy that I started BGR. This is another of those books that I'd never have gone near in the library or a bookshop, gloomy Icelandic historical fiction not being my preferred genre. But blimey, this book is <i>really</i> good. More fool me for being the sort of person who'd overlook it at first glance.<br />
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It's the most evocative thing I've read in a long time. I've never been to Iceland and I obviously wasn't alive during the 1800s but this absolutely catapults you back in place and time until you can virtually feel the damp of the farmer's cottage and the dirt encrusted on everyone. I managed to completely miss the fact that it was based on a true story though - good one, Alex!<br />
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Did Janet enjoy it?<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">I visited Iceland in July, so it was absolutely perfect timing to read Burial Rites while I was there. I loved the detail that Kent gives of what day-to-day life was like for peasant farmers in rural Iceland, and she evokes a sense of the landscape perfectly. I had an enormous amount of sympathy for the character of Agnes, and although I knew the outcome was inevitable – the novel is, after all, based on the true story of the last executions in Iceland – I still found myself desperately hoping that things would turn out differently.</span> <br />
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Janet went for <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00UFXPKV6/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00UFXPKV6&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21&linkId=U56E2Z3OMTMBOM6U">This is Not a Love Story</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B00UFXPKV6" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Keren David:<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">I didn't know much about this book when I bought it, attracted by its cover and by the fact that it's set in Amsterdam (my partner lived in the Netherlands when we first met and we still visit there a lot). This Is Not A Love Story tells the tale, in dual first person narration, of two London teenagers - Theo and Kitty - who, for various reasons, end up at a college in Amsterdam for their A-Levels. The book begins the morning-after-the-night-before. There’s been a big party, Theo and Kitty have apparently argued, and Kitty is missing. From there, we’re told in flashback how the two of them ended up in Amsterdam and at the party, and the story continues beyond that once the ‘mystery’ (spoiler alert: it’s not much of one) is solved.<br />
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For me, the biggest problem with the book was that the third character, Ethan, (who befriends both Theo and Kitty, leading to all sorts of cliched romantic strife) is by far the most interesting of the bunch, yet we don't see anything from his point of view. Kitty, meanwhile, is introduced to the reader during Theo’s opening chapter as confident, vivacious, fascinating, a budding internet sensation... but turns out to be, in her own chapters, extremely dull and predictable, which is a fault of the writing not the character.<br />
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The plot was at its best when dealing with the unique pressures of being teenage and Jewish, and I found the musings on Jewish faith, identity and modern life fascinating; the sections when characters discuss the Holocaust - or the Shoah, to give it its Hebrew name - were the strongest in the book. However, the rest just didn't do it for me, with far too many issues crammed in and no time to really get to know or empathise with the characters. I also found it bizarre that a major plot point hinges on the reader being able to understand the phrase Ik hou van jou. Luckily, it's one of the few phrases in Dutch I do know, but I find it unlikely that the same could be said for most readers.</span><br />
<br />
Did Gemma like it? <br />
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<br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;">I’m not sure this is my kind of book. It’s not that it’s YA fiction (it is, isn’t it?), it’s that I found it… clichéd? I’m not sure that’s the right word. A teenage girl moves to Amsterdam with her mother, reinvents her image, posts pictures of her new amazing life on Instagram for all of her followers to see and be jealous of, meets two boys; the good boy and the bad boy (although both equally tormented by previous experiences). She also has a possible heart condition, so you know, could potentially drop dead at any second. At one point she compares herself to Anne Frank; I am sure there is some deeper meaning other than the fact that they are both Jewish and live in Amsterdam, but I didn’t get it. This one isn’t for me, but I can see teenage girls would probably relate to a lot of the issues raised in this book. But, sadly, I’m not a teenager anymore. Actually, I’m not that sad… </span><br />
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I feel a slight sense of guilt here as Janet had a shortlist of three when she was picking her BGR book and I steered her towards this as I thought it sounded interesting. Uh oh! There was a certain amount to like about it - I definitely enjoyed the perspectives into the Jewish faith and the expat lifestyle as they're not something I've read much about, and Ethan and Theo are interesting characters. However it was ultimately a rather disappointing read that promised a lot and never quite delivered on any of it.<br />
<br />
I found the insertion of all the social media stuff a little forced too. Perhaps I'm just an old fogey but the way it was written didn't seem to ring at all true with a character of that age and it wasn't consistent - there were constant mentions of Kitty being this budding Instagram celeb at the start of the book and then it was basically forgotten about after that. It irked me more than it should have done but then again, if the book had been better written overall, I probably wouldn't have noticed it as much,<br />
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<br />
I picked <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00PIOMGYQ/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00PIOMGYQ&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21&linkId=YA5XOHJNMLARNT7V">The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B00PIOMGYQ" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Gabrielle Zevin: <br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(although my version is the cover below, when it was originally released as The Collected Works of A.J Fikry)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNb0K4AON_udO12wse1lsu5Kn6FpkBdgqCe6YrpH-BQoKBUsEougeir2GUwjkWn0VZ2glTVzG1lmagOuWfw0EnBpkJBSHzUp_qVAjNR1BVp0RxAuPahRbd4j-UpDr-FkJoKt_C4OWL8hFi/s1600/Collected+Works+of+AJ+Fikry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNb0K4AON_udO12wse1lsu5Kn6FpkBdgqCe6YrpH-BQoKBUsEougeir2GUwjkWn0VZ2glTVzG1lmagOuWfw0EnBpkJBSHzUp_qVAjNR1BVp0RxAuPahRbd4j-UpDr-FkJoKt_C4OWL8hFi/s600/Collected+Works+of+AJ+Fikry.jpg" /></a></div>
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This is a slightly random choice but my BGR books are always books that entertained me and this did so. I found it on a shelf at my mum's house, started reading it for lack of anything better to do and really enjoyed myself. It's not an award-winning super work of literature but I was very pleasantly surprised by it at the time and I enjoyed my reread of it this time around as well.<br />
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Our title character runs a failing bookshop on an island. His wife dies, his most treasured possession, a first edition of Tamerlane by Edgar Allen Poe, is stolen and someone leaves a baby on the doorstep of the shop. This all happens fairly early on and the rest of the book is an entertaining whirl through a lot of books and the next 18 or so years. It's not as gloomy as the first couple of sentences of this paragraph make it sound - far from it - and there's a delightful amount of loving description of books and how important they are to people. I should add that I really don't like books featuring plot moppets but Maya is a character in her own right here and the relationships between her and the older characters are touching rather than cloying.<br />
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What did Janet think of it?<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">The Storied Life Of AJ Fikry isn’t a book I’d rush to read again, but I liked it nevertheless. I do think it lacked depth – there was a lot of reliance on telling the reader what kind of person protagonist A.J was, rather than taking the time to show us – and the plot was enormously predictable. I also felt it rushed through events quite quickly, taking us from Maya’s babyhood to her high school years in a breathless procession of chapters. However, any book that is so in thrall to the power of books and literature is ok by me.</span><br />
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Over to Gemma:<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">When I first started reading this book I thought it was going to be chick lit, I foresaw a romantic involvement and assumed there would be little else. I wasn’t terribly enthused after the first chapter, but, I’m pleased to say that I got it entirely wrong. What proceeded was actually quite a moving tale of a new (somewhat unexpected) father as he discovers how to live again after the death of his wife. It was a nice book, sad in places, funny in others. There was a slight mystery; a rare book of Poe poems goes missing at the start and if I’m honest I forgot all about it until it’s mentioned again towards the end! I guess since it takes place over, I think about 18 years, there is a lot to cram in! A nice story and one I’d thoroughly recommend. </span><br />
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Thanks so much to Gemma and Janet for their reviews this month.<br />
<br />
The book choices for next month are an eclectic bunch! We've got <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0091956145/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0091956145&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21">The Martian</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0091956145" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Andy Weir, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00JLLD7TU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00JLLD7TU&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21">H is for Hawk</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B00JLLD7TU" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by Helen Macdonald and <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00KHX5X6G/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00KHX5X6G&linkCode=as2&tag=oddsocandpref-21">Carsick</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=oddsocandpref-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B00KHX5X6G" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by John Waters.<br />
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Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337968500120821387noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6307704515809716636.post-1358041936543474842015-09-03T12:00:00.000+01:002015-09-07T13:20:43.523+01:00The Reason I Don't Do Daily Outfit Posts<div style="text-align: center;">
Pretty simple really. Most of the time I do not sport nice frocks, <a href="http://www.spartoo.co.uk/Court-shoes-women-st-10217-10134-0-extra-high-heels.php" target="_blank">elegant heels</a> or interesting/blogworthy outfits. <br />
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Most of the time I wear jeggings and <a href="http://www.spartoo.co.uk/Converse-b5-women.php" target="_blank">slightly ratty Converse</a>:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6TRnt1ZY3zgUq7l9Xy0fHEmWbZubcfKwjtWKJRGVl2owXb2jcxQU3smIkeUKg36wsOegH1Hus-nzvZRtmTFh-knQSGJgNzMgsKP0VJicvXhDaY6M-TAdYPIT8NCA3Y5HmzLF6dowVo6Tb/s1600/Converse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6TRnt1ZY3zgUq7l9Xy0fHEmWbZubcfKwjtWKJRGVl2owXb2jcxQU3smIkeUKg36wsOegH1Hus-nzvZRtmTFh-knQSGJgNzMgsKP0VJicvXhDaY6M-TAdYPIT8NCA3Y5HmzLF6dowVo6Tb/s660/Converse.JPG" /></a></div>
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Cosy jumpers:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEzoz3sfigeO4Owxf8Ha71qGKUhuHlOXzgVPLFAB6U33CYM1cJ1u07jjpRElMHysoTNikY-OG-zRxhBeOlqzOTTmW8Iv9L6vdDaNlaOgees852VAhv4rnH15i34TxYPKy6vuM0xgHf3X2o/s1600/Hair+%2526+jumper.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEzoz3sfigeO4Owxf8Ha71qGKUhuHlOXzgVPLFAB6U33CYM1cJ1u07jjpRElMHysoTNikY-OG-zRxhBeOlqzOTTmW8Iv9L6vdDaNlaOgees852VAhv4rnH15i34TxYPKy6vuM0xgHf3X2o/s660/Hair+%2526+jumper.JPG" /></a></div>
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No accessories whatsoever:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgydCPhpdKNq7haAVyYNZ2BSJJLIt1YHsix_YHUDWGH59amvdza5VnDCHfzjS29mejBvTVxadiuVBDBf-CbyuoTTp1vwY5yjDb716YqsmLJKuL5qyJW9sms1qujhE6dwu58RLyJC0zsS2eg/s1600/No+accessories.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgydCPhpdKNq7haAVyYNZ2BSJJLIt1YHsix_YHUDWGH59amvdza5VnDCHfzjS29mejBvTVxadiuVBDBf-CbyuoTTp1vwY5yjDb716YqsmLJKuL5qyJW9sms1qujhE6dwu58RLyJC0zsS2eg/s660/No+accessories.JPG" /></a><br />
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No makeup. Oh and I don't brush my hair that much either: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEign8Pf9rTur5n8neu99fq5gLBkMc394BMjTfN1WMbUYx3B-cJw1WBoa4nOlPlaaPjLxZQfE_MVuYzlSSBkjVT18_Ucl-w9M0jjaS1KEfZ_AV7HBgfsl2zPzGhTl01bmrycfentsj7z9jYQ/s1600/Big+specs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEign8Pf9rTur5n8neu99fq5gLBkMc394BMjTfN1WMbUYx3B-cJw1WBoa4nOlPlaaPjLxZQfE_MVuYzlSSBkjVT18_Ucl-w9M0jjaS1KEfZ_AV7HBgfsl2zPzGhTl01bmrycfentsj7z9jYQ/s660/Big+specs.JPG" /></a></div>
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I wear odd socks though. Gotta keep that personal brand strong:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Ej0jO-TpzR74nyoLeQkskejSSEOr2UEGj8GKAGExsG1-yuLyEXjcfq7x2zlVvCf0S9iUVCc537UwUhk1iV_bgZdSnyqFiwF1-VQJ4Mkm-yPJ1I7q5Pum-PsnTaIT0iyuucZ0_qNy3fSK/s1600/Odd+Socks+2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Ej0jO-TpzR74nyoLeQkskejSSEOr2UEGj8GKAGExsG1-yuLyEXjcfq7x2zlVvCf0S9iUVCc537UwUhk1iV_bgZdSnyqFiwF1-VQJ4Mkm-yPJ1I7q5Pum-PsnTaIT0iyuucZ0_qNy3fSK/s600/Odd+Socks+2.jpg" /></a></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337968500120821387noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6307704515809716636.post-76361138077703052912015-08-31T21:36:00.000+01:002015-09-07T13:19:26.853+01:00The Summer Party<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG5riokNEbe7XhjDvSEAFSVCbv8hJcDqKMX6tt-GK2jc7GCbwTo6Mjmjy3_cPHF1S2U2Gw13WCvMvV5cfcidEp7-qH3s_nHtptkHlyP3Lsx82y_d7CXxkF3DZ-Ev8cFRYt4O5sXRov5PjT/s1600/Rach%252C+Catherine+%2526+Me.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG5riokNEbe7XhjDvSEAFSVCbv8hJcDqKMX6tt-GK2jc7GCbwTo6Mjmjy3_cPHF1S2U2Gw13WCvMvV5cfcidEp7-qH3s_nHtptkHlyP3Lsx82y_d7CXxkF3DZ-Ev8cFRYt4O5sXRov5PjT/s660/Rach%252C+Catherine+%2526+Me.JPG" /></a></div>
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Last Friday saw the work summer party arrive. Planned by moi and my ever-awesome pal and colleague Catherine, it was a bit of a new venture for us. We have our respective Christmas parties for staff and volunteers but this was a chance to have a great big mid-year thank you for all our fabulous team and get all the staff and volunteers together in one place. We had a cracking year in 2014 and this year is shaping up to be even better (fingers tightly crossed for the next four months, obvs) so it definitely seemed like party time. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_MuxEVyIfi5N8VaAlVf3EgvYIzyr2PPWB5rpXLsGAGAd3uP2Bb2r2zCngbeOIZ9FEtwMuDhWQrGhB6Dmr_8Skx8Z9PpEiyN5GrGjAjL1ZKYyURA5_TlhHqd3_oxdATgGNtxUg3LNz3Tl/s1600/All+my+lovely+volunteers.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_MuxEVyIfi5N8VaAlVf3EgvYIzyr2PPWB5rpXLsGAGAd3uP2Bb2r2zCngbeOIZ9FEtwMuDhWQrGhB6Dmr_8Skx8Z9PpEiyN5GrGjAjL1ZKYyURA5_TlhHqd3_oxdATgGNtxUg3LNz3Tl/s660/All+my+lovely+volunteers.jpg" /></a><br />
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Look at that lovely lot! Volunteer management is not the easiest thing in the world but it's very good fun at times like these. The amount of conversations I had about petticoats was fantastic!<br />
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We had a photographer there to record the evening which was amazing (only partly because he captured the funniest photo <i>ever </i>of my boss) but on the unfun side, I loathe all the photos of me and have basically been looking through them in absolute horror about how much my arms look like ham shanks. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0IMhecMSEw5VH4jjJc_ZXuO9s9TMpvIj0pLno5BGrVlWEZc1xVQT_xjBIV-rxOQlitqG7wj9H69_9yygdtdukrER1SpXmnAP22242K5w2FirytUv2BS8Kd1DuzMqj2XOHcaUSiGlAtpi_/s1600/Bexi%252C+me+%2526+Catherine.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0IMhecMSEw5VH4jjJc_ZXuO9s9TMpvIj0pLno5BGrVlWEZc1xVQT_xjBIV-rxOQlitqG7wj9H69_9yygdtdukrER1SpXmnAP22242K5w2FirytUv2BS8Kd1DuzMqj2XOHcaUSiGlAtpi_/s660/Bexi%252C+me+%2526+Catherine.JPG" /></a></div>
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Note to self, don't stand between a glam babe of a professional singer and a glam babe who's the pretty brunette at work.<br />
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Oh well. My new dress is nice, right? And petticoats and <a href="http://www.spartoo.co.uk/Court-shoes-women-st-10217-10134-0-green.php" target="_blank">snazzy green heels</a> always make me feel spiffy, even if the pics don't reflect that.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUPLouFW_g-7l7HjkO9XRvPpkf6csVCdyBeG0aP8hXBEBSFf2qQinkQ7AIBAZHoJlWnM9EqaMeD3aarGAbdGWpWd28AiPeIzp-lKv_iToOQBeCQyMU5MhiNyBN4KZhdJI3nZJt1kp2So9w/s1600/Cakes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUPLouFW_g-7l7HjkO9XRvPpkf6csVCdyBeG0aP8hXBEBSFf2qQinkQ7AIBAZHoJlWnM9EqaMeD3aarGAbdGWpWd28AiPeIzp-lKv_iToOQBeCQyMU5MhiNyBN4KZhdJI3nZJt1kp2So9w/s660/Cakes.JPG" /></a></div>
We even had our own bakeoff competition but I was so busy hostessing and compering that I didn't get any cake. WAAHHHHHHH. This is most unfair. <br />
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I made one, mostly so that the fellow special-needs-food people could have something to eat, but I didn't get any of that either. Instead I got to do some tidying up and then get changed out of my party frock and go and scrub the loos with Catherine. Oh, it's a glamorous life...<br />
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Sparkly frog shoes one minute, scruffy Converse the next...<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Dress - Lady V London</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Petticoat - Vivien of Holloway</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.spartoo.co.uk/Irregular-Choice-b69.php" target="_blank">Party shoes</a> - Irregular Choice</span></div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337968500120821387noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6307704515809716636.post-24363942707189461852015-08-26T12:30:00.000+01:002015-11-06T10:58:59.432+00:00Beautiful Blooms<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7SeRYMG9fUg_ix6CPhwNRpTHyoHL3TkX1r4Jic-TF3_umCp8ARE1t1C-fC30kOXI_vnlgaF5WLL8CNJ7GboaKUWBau4EqdIkwG5pXOEvBQBrzQ3-TDLdGrH7rdyjrLpBskfnuvLLwgPLZ/s1600/Appleyard+Flowers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7SeRYMG9fUg_ix6CPhwNRpTHyoHL3TkX1r4Jic-TF3_umCp8ARE1t1C-fC30kOXI_vnlgaF5WLL8CNJ7GboaKUWBau4EqdIkwG5pXOEvBQBrzQ3-TDLdGrH7rdyjrLpBskfnuvLLwgPLZ/s660/Appleyard+Flowers.JPG" /></a></div>
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Remember when post used to be exciting? Nahhh, you're probably all much younger than me and don't remember a time before email. Nowadays I get hardly anything through the letterbox other than takeaway menus and when I do get actual post, it's all dull homeowner type bills. Bah. Being a grown up is not as much fun as it's cracked up to be. Getting a rather stylish flower delivery in the mail is a rare treat, trust me.<br />
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Appleyard Flowers sent me the <a href="http://www.appleyardflowers.com/flowers/seasonal-flowers/forget-me-not">Forget Me Not bouquet</a> from their seasonal range to review and when it arrived, it was exactly as promised - a super elegant selection of blue hydrangeas, avalanche roses, white germini and alstroemeria. Perfect to brighten up my living room! An awfully nice touch too, as no-one ever buys me flowers and it's somehow not quite the same when you have to buy your own in the supermarket.<br />
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My tragic lack of romance aside, what about the flowers? It's over a week since they arrived and the majority of them are still going strong and looking really beautiful. I had to remove the hydrangeas yesterday as they'd gone a bit floppy and sad-looking but a week isn't bad at all for a flower that's notoriously tricky to keep looking perfect! The rest of the bouquet is still looking great. Two large thumbs up from me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLbE5fdGG_8NJVhmKOb1OXrJs1DBXIQF9Eg6-C33a3Ib64ltHk5IBmZIshrs3Yc9MrhbvhAxWaw4ry_TXZJKJkiZVFFHa2mi4AnBGpPpKo4kdyZBbw0Wv3KRVdKKXQkgM2KvhfhF5ZmJW6/s1600/Flowers+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLbE5fdGG_8NJVhmKOb1OXrJs1DBXIQF9Eg6-C33a3Ib64ltHk5IBmZIshrs3Yc9MrhbvhAxWaw4ry_TXZJKJkiZVFFHa2mi4AnBGpPpKo4kdyZBbw0Wv3KRVdKKXQkgM2KvhfhF5ZmJW6/s660/Flowers+2.jpg" /></a></div>
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What makes them stand out from other companies? Well, I'm quite the connoisseur of internet flower shopping. I may have <strike>occasionally</strike> often been known to forget important dates and frantically had to organise something at the last minute (see <a href="http://oddsocksandprettyfrocks.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/10-things-im-bad-at.html" target="_blank">this post</a> - it's nothing personal if I forget your birthday, honestly!), so anywhere that does <a href="http://www.appleyardflowers.com/">next day flowers</a> is top of my list. I'll freely admit I'm a bit of a deal ho when it comes to choosing which company I use to send flowers though. It's always really hard to tell if what gets delivered will bear any real-life resemblance to the photo on the website so I'm more easily suckered in by a money-off voucher or Quidco cashback than I am by a pretty photo and hence I've worked my way through a good few companies.<br />
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Appleyard get top marks in this truth stakes - their photos are indeed pretty, but so are the real-life bouquets that turn up. Take my word for it: I'd tell you if they were disappointing and they're really not. Should you wish to take advantage of a discount code (and who doesn't love one of those?), use BLOG33 for 33% off their range of luxury bouquets. Bargain!! It doesn't include the flowers by post bouquets but there are lots of other beautiful options.<br />
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Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337968500120821387noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6307704515809716636.post-17660020160525768432015-08-11T12:30:00.000+01:002015-08-11T12:30:03.030+01:00A Bit of Knitting<div style="text-align: center;">
Operation Get Less Shit At Knitting commenced a few months ago. I've dabbled before - made a scarf and some mittens and <a href="http://oddsocksandprettyfrocks.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/in-which-i-knit.html" target="_blank">even a headband thingy</a> - but then for no particular reason I can remember, I put the needles down and didn't feel even remotely tempted to start again. I'm a very casual crafter.<br />
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The urge came back upon me a few months ago and a scarf seemed a nice easy way to get back into the swing of things. Armed with some green wool and jaunty needles, off I went.<br />
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Did a bit. <br />
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Then a bit more.<br />
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And quite a lot more - it was as long as my legs before I eventually I ran out of wool. I was gonna attach more wool and do the world's biggest and widest scarf but it happily ended up being the perfect snood length, so I stitched it together instead and voila!<br />
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I am very pleased with myself. It is SO COSY. Plus I can hide in it if people are annoying me or the world is getting too much.<br />
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Next up is some verra beautiful multi coloured wool (green, obviously) and I'm actually going to make a scarf this time. It's much more complicated. I have to slip stitches and pick up loops and all sorts of things that are bound to go horribly wrong when I'm not paying attention. If I manage not to cock it up then it'll be very pretty!</div>
Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11337968500120821387noreply@blogger.com8