BLOG TOUR: The Bookshop Book by Jen Campbell

I was so excited when I was asked to take part in the blog tour for The Bookshop Book as what could be better than a book about books? If you are an avid reader, sniffer or stroker of books, blogger, independent bookshop champion then this book is for you! 

Every bookshop has a story...
The Bookshop Book explores bookshops in barns, disused factories, converted churches and underground car parks. Bookshops on boats, on buses, and in old run-down train stations. Fold-out bookshops, undercover bookshops. this-is-the-best-place-I've-ever-been-to-bookshops.
Meet Sarah and her Book Barge sailing across the sea to France; meet Sebastien, in Mongolia, who sells books to herders of the Altai Mountains; meet the bookshop in Canada that's invented the world's first antiquarian book vending machine.
And that's just the beginning.
From the oldest bookshop in the world, to the smallest you could imagine, The Bookshop Book examines the history of books, talks to authors about their favourite places, and looks at over two hundred weirdly wonderful bookshops across six continents (sadly we've yet to build a bookshop down in the South Pole).

This book is simply lovely. I have already bought several copies to give as gifts as I think it is the perfect present for book lovers.
Jen Campbell explores over two hundred bookshops all over the world and I now have a very large list of all those I want to visit. The descriptions are brilliant, I could picture these wonderful places in my head and I loved reading about the people who own and run them. The Bookshop Book really does emphasise the power of books and reading. People have been worried about the rise in e-readers but I think this book demonstrates why we will always have physical books too. There is something so powerful about being in a shop full of books, new or old, the possibility of new adventures and new characters to meet.
Jen Campbell has included interviews with bookshop owners and also several authors and it is interesting to see their different perspectives on what makes a good bookshop and also to hear their book recommendations.
The Bookshop Book is a fantastic read and it made me want to go and visit a physical bookshop rather than relying on the convenience of on-line book shopping. I highly recommend this book and as I said earlier it would be a lovely gift for anyone who likes reading or simply as a treat for yourself.

Many thanks to Emily for inviting me to review this book as part of the blog tour. 

BOOK TOUR: Q&A with author Leah Fleming

I am very pleased to be taking part in the tour for Leah Fleming's latest book, The Postcard, I reviewed the book earlier this week here. I was able to ask Leah some questions about the inspiration for the book and also what she has been reading herself:

1. How did you research the Gaiety Girls?
I researched the story of the Gaiety Girls first through their postcard images online and then some biographies especially one of a famous beauty: Lily Elsie: a working class girl, child  artiste who was spotted by George Edwardes , the impresario for her looks and talent on stage. She married a wealthy heir as did many of the IT girls of that era. She was the inspiration for Phoebe Faye.

2. What was your inspiration for this book?
The inspiration  for this book was the idea that one lost postcard could change lives down the generations. Also I was inspired by those brave women SOE agents who put for Callie.

3. Where did the idea for the animal sanctuary come from?
There's an northern animal sanctuary not far from me called : Only Foals and Horses. The Brookes Donkey sanctuary has always touched me. Now  animals provide therapy for both man and beast. Cruelty to any dumb animal makes me physically sick but they only got going in the UK circa 1960s. That is why there was one around to help Callie.


4. Could you describe your typical writing day?
My typical writing weekday begins with the usual chores around a house followed by sitting down to write 3 pages in my Journal of whatever comes into my head.  This sort of meditation releases the " must dos" of the day and any frustrations fears or ideas that pop up. I then go to my "plotting shed" in the garden with just a pen and paper and write for 2 hours. I may do researches in the afternoon, read, shop, play out with friends or grandchildren after that. I try to turn up at the blank page most days when I have a deadline.

5. Could you recommend any books that you have enjoyed recently?
I've just finished Milly Johnson's:  The Tea shop round the Corner It is  a warm, compassionate funny and moving read.
I love well researched historicals. I can recommend Catherin Czercawska's The Physic Garden . For any body who loves their garden and history you just have to read The Morville Hours. by Katherine Swift.


Many thanks to Leah Fleming for answering my questions and to Diana at Ruth Killick Publicity for organising this post. Please take a look at the blog tour poster at the top of my page to see where the tour stops next.

I opened a book...

I just came across this lovely poem by Julia Donaldson about reading and I wanted to share it with you. It sums up exactly why reading is so important to me:

I opened a book and in I strode,
Now nobody can find me.
I've left my chair, my house, my road.
My town and my world behind me.
I'm wearing the cloak, I've slipped on the ring,
I've swallowed the magic potion.
I've fought with a dragon,
Dined with a king.
And dived in a bottomless ocean.
I openened a book and made some friends,
I shared their tears and laughter,
And followed their road with its bumps and bends,
To the happily ever after.
I finished my book and out I came,
The cloak can no longer hide me,
My chair and my house are just the same,
But I have a book inside me.

Books Are My Bag Campaign

Have you heard about the BOOKS ARE MY BAG campaign yet? I think it's something we really need to get behind in order to champion our local independent book shops. I am very much guilty of buying from Amazon, mainly because it is quick and convenient but I do try to buy from a local book store as often as I can. Nothing beats wondering round a beautiful book shop and finding something new to read, the staff are often incredibly helpful and enthusiastic and we must do all we can to keep these shops going. So all you have to do is visit your local book shop on Saturday 14th September and buy a book, tweet about it, facebook it, blog, just let people know that you are supporting the campaign! 

Here's a little more information plus the website address:

Booklovers across the UK & Ireland are being encouraged to join an unprecedented nationwide campaign – BOOKS ARE MY BAG – that celebrates high street & campus bookshops. BOOKS ARE MY BAG is a collaboration between publishers, bookshops, authors and agents, devised by advertising agency, M&C Saatchi, to champion the passion for books and bookshops and celebrate their cultural importance on the high street.

For many people bookshops conjure fond images of book readings, in-store cafes and delight at the discovery of a new author. In fact, 56% of all book buying decisions are made by consumers in a bookshop and high street bookshops (both chains and independents) still account for almost 40% of books bought by consumers (by value) (Bowker Research 2013).  Yet, many high street bookshops are under threat from punitive rates and rents, as well as pressure from the internet book retailers.

BOOKS ARE MY BAG aims to reverse this process by reigniting the nation’s love of bookshops, calling on book lovers to show their support by visiting and purchasing a book from their favourite bookshop on Saturday 14^th September. A full list of the events can be found at the BOOKS ARE MY BAG website (www.booksaremybag.com).

BOOKS ARE MY BAG was launched to the bookselling industry in April at The London Book Fair and has since recruited around 100 high profile UK and international authors, broadcasters, models, sports stars, actors, politicians, chefs, journalists and comedians willing to lend their image to the campaign, to be photographed with the iconic canvas bag which has been designed as the centrepiece for the movement.

The BOOKS ARE MY BAG bag carries a simple and powerful message allowing readers to display their love and support for local bookshops while encouraging others to do so.  Over a quarter of a million bags will be distributed from 14^th September to Christmas at over 1,800 chain and independent bookshops from across the UK & Ireland.

The Bookshop Strikes Back by Ann Patchett

In case you hadn't realised, it is Independent Book Sellers week, right up until 6th July. I received a lovely little booklet from Bloomsbury last week which contained an essay written by independent bookseller and novelist Ann Patchett:

One morning Ann Patchett woke up to find her city no longer had a bookshop. Surely, she thought, someone would open another. So she waited, daydreaming all the while about the bookshops of her childhood: ones that valued books over muffins; where staff passionately introduced readers to new writing; where buying a book was a social experience. And then she decided to take matters into her own hands and open her own bookshop. A prize-winning novelist turned champion of independent booksellers, Ann Patchett celebrates the joy of local bookshops. 

I really enjoyed Ann Patchett's essay and more importantly it made me realise how little I use independent bookshops even though it is one of my favourite things to do. To be completely honest, I am a huge fan of Amazon, I work from home with a one year old so trips to the shops are not that often. Yet this author brought a lot of lovely memories back for me of wandering around local book stores, reading booksellers reviews, reading the first few pages of several books and coming home with something unexpected that I certainly wouldn't have found on Amazon. My daughter Darcey is only one yet she already loves books and will happily sit and look through her growing collection or bringing them to me to read to her. After reading this essay I know I will make much more effort in using my local bookshops rather than the internet and also taking Darcey along too so she gets to begin building the same memories as I have.

The Bookshop Strikes Back is available in independent bookshops and is only £1.99, it's a very interesting read that will have you thinking of the huge positives of these lovely and important places compared to the convenience of a huge, faceless website.

Many thanks to Eleanor at Bloomsbury for sending this essay for me to read.

The Folio Society, Beautifully Illustrated Books

I don't normally do posts to endorse products but I really wanted to share my excitement about The Folio Society with you. I love books, especially beautiful books so I was delighted to see just what The Folio Society had to offer, they would make stunning and thoughtful gifts for any book lovers in your life. Dr S is an avid reader too, we have completely different tastes but he nearly always buys hardbacks so we have a massive collection in our house. The very lovely Kate from FMcM Associates kindly allowed me to choose a book from the society that I would send as a gift on Father's Day. It really didn't take me long to choose, Dr S is a huge Patrick O'Brian fan so I picked Master and Commander which is the first in the series. I was too excited to wait for Fathers Day when the book arrived so Dr S got an early present and has decided that he would like to collect them all!
The book arrived in a lovely gift box and as you can see from the pictures, it is very special. The cover is very eye catching with the blue and gold and it feels nice to hold. Inside the book has pictures that relate to the story and the history at the time so these just add to the overall reading experience.

Here's what The Folio Society have to say about themselves:

Great books should be outstanding not only in literary content but also in their physical form: this has been the philosophy of The Folio Society since it was founded in 1947 by Charles Ede, with a dream of publishing beautiful books that would be affordable to everyone. Our pleasure in reading is enhanced by the book itself, in which typography, illustration, paper, printing and binding all play a part in creating a harmonious whole. In a world of declining publishing standards, where most books are cheaply printed, and bound using low-grade materials, The Folio Society resolutely sets store by traditional values of excellence; for our designers and production personnel the term 'quite good' means 'no good': only the best is good enough.In our 64-year history, Folio has published an astonishing range of works; fromMoby-Dick to Pather Panchali, and from the Qur’ân to Kerouac’s On The Road. The quality of our books as tactile and aesthetic objects has been a constant hallmark, but members (some of whom have been with us from our inception in 1947) have long looked beyond our exceptional covers, to the standards we uphold for each and every text. From introducers who make up the great names of modern literature and academia, and editors and picture researchers who ensure unrivalled standards of research and textual work, to our artists who have swept the board in so many illustrations awards – Folio offers a complete experience for the book-lover.

I love to give books as gifts and I know that The Folio Society is going to become a firm favourite, I highly recommend you go and have a look, especially if you are looking for that extra special gift or maybe just a treat for yourself!

Dot Scribbles Needs You!!

UPDATE: Both books have now been requested but check back in a few weeks for another reviewing opportunity! 


I love this blog and I love reading but there just aren't enough hours in the day. I am so incredibly lucky to be sent books to review but with a one year old, a job, a stressed husband and a life, I don't always get chance to review them all. This is where you lovely lot come in! I am going to give away two books a month in return of a review. Comments will be disabled on this post so it will be whoever emails me first saying which book you would like to read. Here's the 'rules':

1. If you want to review one of the books then please email me on dotscribbles@googlemail.com and tell me which book you would prefer. If you have a blog then please include a link to it in the email, if you don't have a blog then you can still review.
2. Please try and review the book within 3 weeks of receiving it.
3. I certainly don't expect to like every book that I read but all I ask is that you provide an honest, fair and respectful review.
4. Send me your review and I will post it on Dot Scribbles and Twitter. If you have your own blog then we can agree a date for it to go on at the same time.
5. This is only open to UK residents.

Obviously I can't make you agree to these rules but hopefully people won't ask for a book and then do a runner! You do not have to write your own blog in order to review on here but if you do have a blog then we can feature the review at the same time and include a link to your site.

So here's the first two books that you can choose from:

Perfect Strangers by Tasmina Perry (Headline Review- 23rd May) How well do you know the man you love? When Sophie Ellis agrees to house-sit at a Knightsbridge townhouse, it's as if she's walked into a dream. At a glittering party she is swept off her feet by American businessman Nick Cooper and the two begin a passionate affair. But when Nick is found dead in his hotel suite and Sophie becomes the prime suspect, she realises her lover was not all he seemed. In order to clear her name, she must trust a mysterious stranger and travel with him across the globe in search of answers. The truth will change her life completely...








Melting the Snow on Hester Street by Daisy Waugh (Harper Collins_ 4th April) October 1929: As America helterskelters through the last days before t

he great crash, the cream of Hollywood parties heedlessly on. Beneath the sophistication and elegance, Hollywood society couple Max and Eleanor Beecham are on the brink of divorce, their finances teetering on a knife's edge after a series of failed films. As the stock market tumbles it seems they have nowhere to turn but to the arms of their waiting lovers. Hope is delivered in an invitation to one of the legendary weekend parties at Hearst Castle, where the prohibition champagne will be flowing and the room filled with every Hollywood big-shot around. They cannot resist one last chance of making it. Scandalous and absurdly glamorous, the Hearst party is the epitome of Golden era decadence, but for Max and Eleanor the time has come to make a decision that will change their future. Will they sacrifice everything for fame and fortune or plunge into their hidden past and grasp one last chance to love each other again?

Developing Miss Darcey

Darcey is now three months old and I cannot believe how quickly that time has gone! Thought that I would update you all as to how we are getting on so I'm afraid that this isn't book related. I have thought about writing this post for a while, I am always completely honest in my reviews so I am going to be completely honest in this post too. I have found being a new mum really hard. I hoped that I would be a natural but I have to admit that things haven't come that easily. I can now hold my hands up and admit that I have had full-blown post natal depression, the past month and a half have been extremely difficult and without the support of Dr S and my family, I don't know how I would have coped.
I really wish that people would talk about these things more as it is so, so easy to feel that you are the only one that is experiencing it. I am definitely coming out of the other side now and I love being a mum to Darcey and seeing how much she changes every single day; she has her moments but on the whole she seems very happy and content and we get lots of smiles now which is just lovely!
Once again though, reading and blogging have helped me through a really difficult time, being able to escape into a book, if only for 20 minutes or so has done me the world of good. As you can see from the picture of Darcey in her chair, we have started her early with the books, she loves looking at them and I can't wait to be able to read her a story, the tough part will be deciding what to read to her first!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! I wish you all the best in 2012! It's going to be a pretty big year here at Dot Scribbles as we are expecting our first baby in just over three weeks! Normally I like to make some kind of reading resolution but this year I am just hoping to read and blog as much as I possibly can. A few people have already assumed that I will stop blogging once the baby arrives but that is definitely not my plan. I am sure that there will be days when the last thing I feel like doing is picking up a book or writing a blog post but reading is such a huge part of my life and as I have said before, this blog has opened up a whole new world to me! So please bear with me in 2012, it may be a little bit of a bumpy start but normal service will hopefully resume at some point!

Dot

xxx

New to Dot Scribbles Shelves

Wow, I haven't done one of these for ages so I shall have to give you the edited version or we would be here for a very long time! Okay, here goes:

Panic by Jeff Abbott (Atom 28th July 2011) Evan Casher had a perfect life: great parents, his first girlfriend and a huge online following for his films. But when he comes home from school to find his father missing and his mother dead, Evan's going to learn the hard way that the people he trusted most were the people he knew the least. And that a 16 year-old kid might be the only one who can bring a murderer to justice.

Bad Sisters by Rebecca Chance (Simon and Schuster) Deeley is the girlfriend of a Hollywood hunk- a secretly gay Hollywood hunk. But when her 'girlfriend' contract is up, his cut-throat publicist wants Deeley out. Dejected and penniless, Deeley heads back to London, where she hopes to re-establish links with her two estranged older sisters- only to find herself struggling with a forbidden attraction.
Devon is married to the nation's favourite rugby hero, and has a successful TV career as a seductive, voluptuous presenter of her own cookery show. But behind her perfect facade, Devon is lonely and frustrated. When a live celebrity cook-off goes disastrously wrong, she flees to Tuscany- and learns a few lessons in the bedroom as well as the kitchen from an Italian master...
Politican's wife Maxie is fiercely ambitious. She's furious when Deeley sells the sisters' childhood story to a gossip magazine, revealing their impoverished roots and their mother's criminal past. Maxie must use all the weapons in her armoury to preserve her image as a future PM's wife and avoid the devastating fallout. But Maxie is only too aware that there are many more secrets Deeley could yet reveal...

The Look of Love by Judy Astley (Transworld) Bella has given up on men. Her latest boyfriend 'forgot' to tell her about his current wife so she is single again. And then her ex-husband turns up, wanting to sell the family home in which she and their two teenage children are happily living their lives. The Bella sees a chance to stay in the house and earn some money from it. She rents it out for a reality TV fashion makeover programme and it turns out that the house isn't the only thing that will benefit from a change...

Destiny by Louise Bagshawe (Headline) Orphan Kate Fox is determined to make her mark in the world. Life hasn't been easy and when she attracts the attention of media mogul Marcus Broder- sophisticated, powerful and wealthy beyond measure- it seems as though all of Kate's dreams have come true. But marriage to Marcus isn't everything she imagined. A closet filled with designer clothes and nothing to do with her time but shop, lunch and be beautiful, does not bring happiness. Before long, Kate wants out of her marriage, a career of her own, and a chance at love. But Marcus has other ideas, and he will stop at nothing in his attempts to destroy her...

Baby Be Mine by Paige Toon (Simon and Schuster) Meg is terrified. She lives in the South of France with her doting boyfriend Christian and their beautiful son Barney who has just turned one. Life should be idyllic. But she is living a lie- a lie that will turn their lives upside down and inside out. Because, as every day goes by, Meg's son looks less and less like Christian. How much longer can she keep her devastating secret from him, from their friends and family, from Barney? How much longer before the whole world realises that the father of her child is none other than Johnny Jefferson, wild boy of rock, constantly in the headlines, constantly in Meg's thoughts?

Always on my Mind by Colette Caddle (Simon and Schuster) With only weeks to go until her Dublin wedding, Molly Jackson is happily anticipating married life. She has everything she ever wanted: her perfect job, as an agony aunt for an online magazine Teenage Kix, Declan, the love of her life; and, in Belle, Oliver, Rory, and Laura, a loving and warm, if slightly eccentric family. Then Declan drops his bombshell: he has to go abroad, on business. The wedding must be postponed. Hurt, and reeling from the shock, Molly is seeing Declan off at the airport when she bumps into her childhood sweetheart, Luke Fortune. Luke left the country when they were both eighteen. Seeing him again, Molly realises that she has a window of opportunity, while Declan is away, to put a few of the ghosts in her past to rest...

Last Dance With Valentino by Daisy Waugh (Harper Collins, 4th August 2011) 1916. Leaving war-ravaged London, Jenny Doyle sets sail for New York where she is to work for the de Saulles family. Their home, Gatsby-like in elegance, is rife with intrigue and madness. Only Jenny's friendship with dancer Rodolfo offers escape...until, one tragic day, the household is changed forever.
1926. America booms, prohibition rules and Rodolfo has taken his place on the silver screen as Rudolph Valentino. Will the world's most desired film star and his lost love have their Hollywood happy ending, or will the tragic echoes from their time with the de Saulles thwart them one last time?

Until Thy Wrath Be Past by Asa Larsson (Quercus Books, 18th August 2011) In the first thaw of spring the body of a young woman surfaces in the River Torne in the far north of Sweden. Rebecka Martinsson is working as a prosecutor in nearby Kiruna. Her sleep has been disturbed by haunting visions of a shadowy, accusing figure. Could the body belong to the ghost in her dreams? Joining forces with Police Inspector Anna-Maria Mella, Martinsson is drawn into an investigation that focuses on old rumours about the disappearance of a plane carrying supplies for the Wehrmacht in 1943. Shame and secrecy shroud the locals' memories of the war, with Sweden's early co-operation with the German's still a raw wound. And on the windswept shore of a frozen lake waits a killer who will kill again to keep the past buried forever beneath half a century of silent ice and snow. The physical courage of Martinsson is remarkable, and her at times uneasy collaboration with Inspector Mella- two women confronting murderous criminals- is dogged at every step by an unflinchingly chauvinistic police establishment.

I was hoping that things would have got a lot busier on the blog this week but I came down with an awful cold at the weekend and so have spent the last three days in bed, no reading for me unfortunately. I am much better now though and normal reading speed seems to be resuming! Let me know if you have read any of these or heard anything good or bad!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! Hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas! Apart from Mr S and I having horrible colds we still managed to have a really good break. I have to admit that I have already taken the tree and decorations down and I am looking forward to the year ahead!
Santa was extremely kind to me this year as you can see from the pile of books that were waiting for me under the tree. Here's what I received:

• The Behaviour of Moths by Poppy Adams- I have heard many good things about this, I shall probably read this next.
• Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor- I have wanted to read this for so long, it always seems to appear on lists of must read books.
• Dear Me, A Letter To My Sixteen Year-Old Self edited by Joseph Galliano- my lovely sister bought me this for Christmas and it is lovely, I've been dipping in and out of it, certainly makes a lovely present.
• The Time of My Life by Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi- this is the slightly embarrassing acquisition but I am a bit of a Swayze fan so this made it's way on to the wish list!
  

I managed 64 books in 2009 and I am going to aim for 100 in 2010 so wish me luck!

Wedding Readings!!

I have spent the last few weeks scouring books and the Internet for a suitable reading for our wedding which will be read by my future brother-in-law. I have to say that it has not been easy, there's so many out there to choose from! However, we did find one so I thought that I would share it with you, I think it really sums up what marriage is all about:

Marriage Joins Two People in the Circle of Its Love by Edmund O'Neill

Marriage is a commitment to life, to the best that two people can find and bring out in each other. It offers opportunities for sharing and growth that no other human relationship can equal; a joining that is promised for a lifetime. Within the circle of its love, marriage encompasses all of life's most important relationships. A wife and a husband are each other's best friend, confidant, lover, teacher, listener and critic. There may come times when one partner is heartbroken or ailing, and the love of the other may resemble the tender caring of a parent for a child. Marriage deepens and enriches every facet of life. Happiness is fuller; memories are fresher; commitment is stronger; even anger is felt more strongly, and passes away more quickly. Marriage understands and forgives the mistakes life is unable to avoid. It encourages and nurtures new life, new experiences and new ways of expressing love through the seasons of life. When two people pledge to love and care for each other in marriage, they create a spirit unique to themselves, which binds them closer than any spoken or written words. Marriage is a promise, a potential, made in the hearts of two people who love, which takes a lifetime to fulfill.

Recent Acquisitions

Sorry that it has been a bit quiet at Scribbles this week, I was away at the weekend and this week I have been trying to get a little bit more organised for the wedding which isn't far away at all! Anyway I thought that I would let you know which books are currently hovering at the top of my TBR pile:

• A Spring Affair by Milly Johnson- this sounds like a really good, light read. All of the reviews have said that it is very difficult to put down so I may have to wait until I have a whole day free!
• The Gift by Cecelia Ahern- I have borrowed this off my lovely sister and it is the only Cecelia Ahern book that I haven't read. I love the fairytale element to her books so I'm looking forward to this one.
• Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel- this was recommended to me by the lovely Kim over at Still Reading. Kim said that it was a little bit scary which I do like every now and again so I shall let you all know what I think.
• Running in Heels by Anna Maxted- I swapped this with somebody as I had heard many good reviews, I might save this one for the Summer.
• Night Train to Lisbon by Pascal Mercier- my lovely sister bought me this and I am having to stop myself from starting it straight away as it sounds so good. I am going to try and use all my willpower to save it for my honeymoon reading pile!

This is going on the wish list (which seems to be quite long at the moment!)

I was talking to Mr S last night about my plans for the glorious summer that I am sure we are going to have in the UK! These plans mainly consisted of myself, a large pile of books and an even larger jug of Pimms with all the trimmings. This got me thinking about suitable reading chairs for the garden, we have a table and chair set but that doesn't seem right so I thought the perfect solution would be a good old deck chair so I had a look this morning and found this wonderful one:

This site has some lovely ones, I really like the Penguin design ones too! Perfect for a day of reading in the garden!

Who would you invite to dinner?

Thought that I would do a little meme today to warm those brain cells up!

1. If you could host a dinner party with 5 literary characters, who would they be and why?

• Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice- I would want to know what Mr Darcy is really like and I think that she would be quite opinionated on most things!
• Precious Ramotswe from The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency- I love her character and she would hopefully bring us all some Bush tea.
• Mr Rochester from Jane Eyre- I would be quite happy just to sit and watch him brooding all night!
• Bridget Jones- I know this is probably a bit predictable but I think we would get on very, very well!
• Scarlett O'Hara from Gone with the Wind- I think that she would be a very entertaining dinner guest, plus I could ask her to tell me the story and then I wouldn't feel so bad about not finishing the book!

2. Who is your literary role model?
Hmmmm I don't think that I really have just one role model from literature. I think that you like and dislike different aspects of all the characters that you come across, there is not one person that I would like to emulate.

3. Which literary house would you most like to live in?
This would definitely be Manderley for me from Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca. It sounds like a beautiful house surrounded by land leading to it's own private beach yet it is steeped in mystery and secrets; it would definitely be one to go snooping around in.

4. Which literary couple would you most like for parents?
Mr and Mrs Bennet from Pride and Prejudice, I'm sure that I would soon get fed up with the neurotic mother but I think that Mr Bennet is just lovely, he wants his daughters to marry well but more importantly he wants them to marry for love.
5. Pick 3 literary characters that you would like to have as siblings?
I would pick Tony, Sean and Ned from Lisa Jewell's A Friend of the Family. I am blessed with a lovely sister but I have always wondered what it would be like to have a brother; this way I would have 3 very different ones!
6. Who is your favourite literary villain?
I would have to say Mrs Danvers from Rebecca, she is such a good villain. I just love how sinister she is, that scene where she nearly gets the new Mrs De Winter to jump from the window shows the sheer power that she has. I have also seen the Hitchcock film of this book and Mrs Danvers is brilliant in it; the way she just appears silently and appears to glide across the room as though she is inhuman!

7. Name a character that most people dislike but you do not. Why do you like them?
Snape from the Harry Potter books, I think I might have a thing about dark, brooding villains, especially when they turn out to the good guy in the end.

8. If you could go into a novel, which one would it be and why?
Oooh this is a very Lost in Austen question! There are so many that I would want to be in, Pride and Prejudice so that I could meet Mr Darcy (I do have a bit of an obsession!) and give Lydia a slap for being so annoying! Rebecca so that I could meet Maxim De Winter and wonder around Manderley. There are so many more that I could mention, that is the thing about books though, you get to imagine standing in the character's shoes and seeing life through their eyes.

After completing this meme I have discovered that I may be slightly obsessed with Rebecca and Pride and Prejudice, I promise that I have read and loved other books too!

Booking Through Thursday: Library Week

This weeks Booking Through Thursday was suggested by Barbara and I think it's a really good one!

I saw that National Library week is coming up in April, and that led to some questions. How often do you use your public library and how do you use it? Has the coffeehouse/bookstore replaced the library? Did you go to the library as a child? Do you have any particular memories of the library? Do you like sleek, modern, active libraries or the older, darker, quiet, cozy libraries?

I am very lucky in that I have a public library literally at the top of my road! It is a very old Victorian building and houses a small children's and adults library; it does not have a massive collection of books but there is usually something to be found! I think I prefer older libraries like this to be honest, I think they are cosier and more inviting. We have lived in our current house for nearly two years now but I have probably only started using the library in the last few months. As I have written on this blog before, I kept putting off going in as I had a fine from the library where we previously lived due to being very late taking my books back. However, my other half nagged me to join this new one and I am glad I did and as it is only at the top of my road, I have no excuses for books being late!

My parents always encouraged me to read and I can remember that the hairdressers that I went to when I was little was right next to the library so once my hair had been cut I would go next door and read and pick some new books whilst my Mum had her hair done.

I think we can often take libraries for granted but when you think about it they provide a marvellous service. All you need do is join and then you have access to all of those beautiful books and it is free! I know that I will definitely encourage my children to use the library so that they can discover the wonderful world of reading for themselves!

Take5 Tuesday!

Needed something to kick start my brain this morning so decided to do this little thing:

1. 5 things you've read recently

• Wedding magazines
• A Friend of the Family by Lisa Jewell
• Lovely cards off my beautiful sister and best friend
• Trashy Heat magazine
• Guide to where to seat people at weddings so as not to offend anyone (was not helpful).

2. 5 sites you've signed up for

• Glad that I have discovered Simon Savidge's blog- very good!
• Signed up for the newsletter from Marian Keye's website- very excited to hear that she is working on a new book!
• Have become addicted to this- fuels my trashy celebrity gossip reading addiction.
• Loved this- some of these photos are very scary whilst others have clearly been photo-shopped
• Also loving Nicole's blog over at Linus' Blanket- great new look too!

3. 5 TV shows you've watched lately

• Watched The Great Sperm Race last night and I have a whole new respect for the little blighters- that is one HUGE journey they have to make. Jokes aside, it was a really well made programme; Mr S concurred in his medical student opinion!
• Am heavily addicted to Gossip Girl, think that I am actually bit old to be watching this but it is so good, Chuck Bass is a true hero!
• I watched the new Horne and Corden sketch show but was a little disappointed as I really like these two but there are only so many fat man jokes to be made.
• Enjoyed The Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency on Sunday night, still not a patch on the books but still good, cosy, Sunday night viewing.
• Old episodes of Black Books- always cheers me up!

4. 5 things that you want right now

• More sleep
• More time to write
• Winning lottery numbers
• A cleaner
• A newly decorated bathroom

5. 5 things on your grocery list

• Kitchen roll- Alfie seems to have forgotten that he should go to the toilet in the garden and not the kitchen
• Fruit- I am very good at putting it on the list every week and buying it- just need to work on the actually eating it bit.
• Custard Creams- they are a regular on the list and also on my hips.
• Fresh Beetroot- these are for Mr S, he eats them as a snack, he is trying to eat 5 fruit and veg a day and put me to shame.
• Air Freshener- again for Alfie, think he is probably due a bath and a blow-dry!

What to read?

I am suffering from Reader's Block at the moment! It is a new type of illness that I have discovered in that I just don't know what I want to read. I thought that I fancied a good, long epic like Gone With the Wind but I have given up after the first two chapters as I was extremely bored! I have a whole shelf of books waiting to be read but I just cannot decide which one to pick, so at the moment I seem to just be re-reading through Twilight until something grabs me!

To believe or not to believe??

Hmmmmmm, my lovely sister and I went to see a spiritualist yesterday for a reading; I have only ever been to one before but I do quite strongly believe in them. Mr S thinks they are all evil tricksters! I think I go expecting too much though; no I don't expect them to give me the winning lottery numbers but I would like them to be a little more specific. At first I thought this lady was ok, she was spot on about how I was feeling at the moment and the kind of person that I am (Mr S would say gullible here), and she told me things about my parents that I still cannot work out how she would have known. She did the whole, 'You have two guardian angels, one sitting on each shoulder' thing, now some people might find that quite comforting but personally it just freaks me out, are they there all the time; do they look away when you are on the loo?? Anyway, I had my reading first and then I had to go and pick Mr S up and so my lovely sister went next and I didn't get to speak to her until later. She was of the opinion that this woman was really not very good, she had not picked up on the fact that we were sisters even though you can clearly see that and then she told my lovely sister completely different things about our parents then what she told me! So unless one of us was adopted or the milkman's then I think this lady probably was having us on! She also told me that I had THE GIFT and that I could do her job; at the time I laughed but now that we know she was a bit dodgy I am starting to consider it as a possible career move!

Booking Through Thursday: Time is of the Essence

1. Do you get to read as much as you WANT to read?
(I’m guessing #1 is an easy question for everyone?)

The easy answer is NO! I would quite happily sit and read all day but obviously have to work and do other things like actually talk to people! I have stepped up my reading this past year though- I tend to take my book with me everywhere I go so if I have a spare 10 minutes then I can have a quick read! I'm really looking forward to Christmas and having time off so I can sit and read all day if I wish!

2. If you had (magically) more time to read–what would you read? Something educational? Classic? Comfort Reading? Escapism? Magazines?

I would just read the kinds of books I do now which is a real mixture of classics, drama, chicklit, children's books, the list is endless! Magically having more time to read would be great, it would also be the perfect excuse to buy more books!