A day in Hay...

What a day we had in Hay,yesterday! I can now scratch off one of my lifetime goals. I had the pleasure of meeting one of my favourite authors, Patrick Ness! He was as charming and delightful as I was expecting him to be! His talk was very entertaining and engaging, it was so lovely to see so many young people asking him such thoughtful questions about his work. He also read a snippet of his upcoming book and oh my, he is a master of hooking the reader on the first page! I personally can't wait for September.

I grabbed the opportunity to meet him and have him sign my two first edition books. Here are the photos my daughter took. I can only apologise for the facial expression! What a lovely day we had in Hay! Thank-you, Mr Ness!

Books, books update!

Well, April was spent in the fascinating world of Bryson's 'Home'. He really did have me captivated on the first page with his little anecdotes of strange facts. I love the Victorian era and a lot of this book tells you about the style of living during this time, which I really did find fascinating, some of which overlapped my literature knowledge of this time, too!

May brought me the delicious opportunity to delve into the extraordinary book, 'The Crane Wife', by Patrick Ness. I am nearly, nearly finished and as usual with Ness, I am trying not to rush it but to savour the escapist experience whilst all the while steeling myself for the emotional impact he is going to throw at me! I am very excited as I have persuaded my family to take a trip to Hay again this year, where a certain Mr Ness will also be! I can't wait......

Here is a little peek what is on my bedside table, oh what to read next?

Book shopping and a big project update!

Eeeeeeeee, I am quite excited today as I have bought a new book and a used one for my collection!
I try to curb my book collecting addiction but when it comes to my favourite author, a Mr Patrick Ness, I just can't resist! I read the first chapter of his new adult book a couple of weeks ago and have watched his various TV interviews and decided on a whim, to purchase it.

The Crane Wife looks like an intriguing read and I can't wait to dive into the story written for adults. I also picked up a copy of Bill Bryson's 'Shakespeare' in a charity shop (less guilt there!) as I have been really enjoying his book, Home!

Unfortunately, I wish I had the time to lounge on the sofa, (mmmmm,) to read! I have two more cushion covers to make before I can do that! They are coming along, albeit slowly. I can't wait for it to be finished, but I do have another little quilting project in the pipeline. Today was a good day, even if it was a bit of an unexpected spend day!

Off to do some sewing,

Catching up on a Sunday.

My Sealed Pot This week I have managed to squirrel away about £30 in my sealed pot - oooh I so hope we get enough money for our Iceland trip. Since making my sealed pot I have a few other pots which are not sealed for putting in our coppers and some small silver for parking fees in the summer which always seem to quadruple when the sun shines. (I know that is wishful thinking: Summer) My Book Last night I finished the journey that has had me in its grip for a few weeks now. It was such an enjoyable read and I wished I had read it sooner rather than leaving it for so many years. I know that I am a bit behind the hype and criticism of this book, so bear with me if you have been there and done it already! What really struck me about this book was the cleverness of the way in which it was written and presented to the reader. I haven't read a book with such a cyclical structure before and I felt that it worked spectacularly well. It contains in essence six stories all connected by the books overall theme but are also linked in some very imaginative ways which begins in the early 19th century and move on to various eras and follow different characters including the two set in our future. All the stories are abandoned in order to hop into the future and follow a different story until we reach the sixth story which is the furtherest in the future and then we move back through the ages in chronological order and revisit all the stories to see the conclusions until we end with the first story we visited at the beginning. For me, this book really did make me stop and think about how we live our lives and the impact our decisions will make to our Earth in the future. I really don't like giving any type of spoilers away when reviewing a book, because I don't want to ruin anyone's enjoyment of reading what will become their story. All I can say is if you like books that don't conform to what some may perceive as storytelling rules, then dive in and enjoy this book. It is so different from anything I have ever read before and I can't wait to see the film, just to compare visual images really and whether the big message I got from this is conveyed in the film too. Because we need a wake up call! I am now in that lonely place of not having an escape at hand, so I am looking for my next book to get lost in.... I have a few projects to finish, namely the sofa and a few others I'd like to re-start, namely the big chunky blanket for my bed. I'd better get on with it... Till the next time xxx

Books, books, books!

I am still striving to read as many books as I can possibly squeeze in my free time! I have a secret goal to read a book a month this year but I know that come September I may be inundated with other vital reading material! Anyhow, I have finished my book for February which I thoroughly enjoyed: The Woman in Black. This book came into our home because of first daughter reading it at school, but she unfortunately didn't read at home. I, however did and was utterly captivated by it. I feel that now, I can watch the new film of it with a clear conscience. I hate watching the film first, it spoils a good book. We recently watched the trailers at the cinema, and I had to close my eyes and ears when Cloud Atlas came on! This is a book which I have wanted to read since it came out but just never got round to it. Now that a film has been made I am determined to read it. It is now on my bedside table, waiting for me to have some time....

Isn't it funny how books come into our lives? I have always been fascinated by how we pick and choose books to read at particular moments in our lives that just seem to fit! I have also been very interested in the random but coincidental elements that tie works together. I remember when I was very new to the blogging world and was an avid follower of Lucy from Attic24 ( which I still am!) and reading about her devastating post about the unexpected death of a fellow blogger. Today when I arrived home, a little book was waiting for me, sent very kindly by Nikki, from Life at Holly Cottage as part of her giveaway! After a little bit of perusal, I realised that the author was the very same blogger that Lucy and others were mourning in Blogland some years ago. I feel especially honoured to own her book and moreover, I feel that this is exactly what I need in my life at the moment. We need to slow down a tad and take time to enjoy our time at the weekends together, instead of trying to fill them with tedious jobs! Don't get me wrong we surely need to work on the house at weekends as we both work, but we could spend it much more wisely. So a very big thank-you to Nikki for your greatly appreciated, thoughtful gift that will influence my family for the better!

It has been a while ~ I have neglected my little bit of creative space partly because I haven't had the time and partly because I have been dealing with some dilemma that has arisen in my life lately. I am not prepared to divulge but it will be enough to say I have had a knock back - and I am picking myself up ~ slowly!

A few days ago I came across the Heather Small song again - which has always been an inspiration!

' I step out of the ordinary

 I can feel my soul ascending

 I'm on my way can't stop me now

 and you can do the same

What have you done today

to make you feel proud?'

I have been busy with reading too - of course! I have finished the whole Walking choas trilogy, Junk (more of that later!), Instances of the Number Three, The other side of Truth and A monster Calls! I have become a rather big Patrick Ness fan, which I know I have already said I am not a fanatical type person but I think Ness is the exception. I bought A Monster Calls because it is longlisted for the Kate Greenaway awards this year and after reading the Monsters of Men trilogy, I thought it would be interesting to see how he wrote for a (little bit) younger audience. It is so good - the illustrations are superb and I think he might win it. Even though I haven't even seen the other books in the category!

I am on the last leg of this long race that is my degree. I have spent many enjoyable yet frustrating years studying for an English degree whilst also being mummy and wife and the finish line is finally in sight. I have two assignments left (5000 words worth) and then I am DONE! I feel sad but excited too, because it is something that I have been working towards for such a long time! I am not sure how I will cope with out deadlines and stress over too many words but I reckon I'll be okay because I have a list of creative projects as long as my essay. I can't think about that yet though, I have to stay focussed on my next task.....

Till the next time

I can only reiterate: Ness is Genius!

Monsters of Men

DONE!! It was a gruelling read but oh my goodness it had me in its clutches that I just couldn't escape. The end was painful to read, I  had to keep stopping, steeling myself to be brave and hoping against what seemed like all hope that Ness was going to be gentle with me - which he wasn't - at one point I was enraged with him - how could he???? But then he redeemed himself spectacularly. I really don't like to give anything away, but all I kept thinking was I would never, ever in a million years picked up these books to read and do you know what, I would have missed out! Never have a set of books moved me so emotionally before - the style is simple but the themes are HUGE, a proper young adult book that some power driven adults would do good to read! I can not recommend these books enough - I was in awe from an artists point of view how exceptional Ness is at gripping the reader, making them question what they know and be utterly devastated by the events that happen essentially through words printed on a page! My heart still aches when I recall some things from these books - they will live with me forever! And strangely as hard as they were to read, it makes them all the more special! Thank-you Patrick Ness!

The Knife of Never Letting Go - by Patrick Ness.

I did it! I finished:

I was thrown into the bizarre New World of Ness’s first novel because his last book in this trilogy won the Carnegie award in 2011 and thus forms part of my set reading for my course in Children’s Literature. Not wanting to limit my options for my final assessment I figured I had better get reading with the first two novels before I could concentrate on the final book, Monsters of Men. It took me months to get half way and days to finish it. I found the pace in parts slow although the praise that is heaped on this book in the first pages is contrary: “Ness moves things along at a breakneck pace..” (Financial Times critic). I found it sometimes repetitive and dragging its feet in getting to the truth of the story and so many times I was tempted to return it to the library so that I didn’t have to renew it, again,  but then it suddenly did pick up pace and became almost unbearable to put down – although I knew it was going to break my heart (which it did). I was glad that I bought the set for my sister as a ‘shared’ Christmas present so that I could start reading the second book straight away as it did finish on a cliff-hanger.

The style of writing is intriguing as it not written in standard English or with standardised spellings, ‘preparayshuns’ (p.4) and ‘cuz’ (for because P.5).

 ‘ “You can eff off, too,” I say, except I don’t say “eff”, I say what “eff” stands for.

          And I really, really shoulda looked round again. P.6

And then there’s the swearing which is always (except once I think) represented as ‘eff’ or ‘effing’, which I thought was good. I don’t like swearing for the sake of swearing in books but I think this really did help me to relate to the teenage character of Todd. The brave aspect of this book was representing what Ness terms as the ‘Noise’ which is the thoughts and feelings of the characters which can be seen and read by others and in the text of the book is represented with different fonts in terms of size and space on the page as pages 20-1 shows.

Overall, I enjoyed (that’s not quite the right word) the ending of this book and think it probably could have been cut down by a few chapters to get to the climax a bit quicker but who knows maybe there were details in the slow areas that are going to be imperative in the following books. I will have to wait and see.

I think that most teenagers will enjoy this book – there is violence, swearing, dangerous situations that remind me very much of the computer games they like to submerge themselves in nowadays, but there are also fundamental themes and questions of existence, identity, acceptance and tolerance which are subtly weaved through the story so that you are continually seeking for the ‘truth’. 

  

October's last day

I do not look forward to this one day a year as it becomes a battle ground of intentions in my family. I want to switch the lights off and hide behind the sofa and my children want to terrorise the neighbours. Striking a balance is very difficult, hopefully this year I may have cracked it! Allowing the youngest child only 30 minutes to scare and beg and then heading off to a friends for sausages cooked over a fire with marshmallows to finish. How could they resist? Only time will tell.....

On the book front, I have finished The Amber Spyglass and am glad that I finally have completed the trilogy. I was a teeny bit disappointed about the ending but overall did enjoy the adventures the children went on and some parts were utterly heartbreaking which make me ache when I think about it! I am now re-reading Little Women again - so that I can write another essay!

I have working like mad on my daughter's quilt and didn't finish it in time for her birthday but have made substantial progress and she is delighted with it. Now I can finish it at a more leisurely pace and she can have some input too. I can't believe she is 13! Time sure flies by when you are having fun......

Until the next time,

A quick update....

I have now read Northern Lights (again). I can't really say I enjoyed it any more than the last time I read it but I had forgotten how heartbreakingly sad it was! I also read it the second time with possibly a little bit more attention as it is a set book for my new course I have just started and I have to report I don't know what all the fuss is about. On one level it is a thrilling adventure tale and on the other level is a more sinister theme of competing interests between religion and science. But I still don't really see the big threat it supposedly poses to children - perhaps after I have read the other two books I may have a different opinion! So that brings me on to my next book: The Subtle Knife, which again I have read before but have forgotten so much of. So I am going to read all of 'His Dark Materials' one after the other and will report back my official opinion on all of them!

This is officially on my list of places to go and things to see!!!
Until next time....

Holiday days.....

We have been enjoying some lovely, lovely weather here in England and for once the sunny spell has managed to make it over the children's holidays too. We have been working hard as well as taking some much needed chillax time too. The garden looks beautiful and my Wisteria has burst into bloom (the earliest ever) which has made me very happy as I love sitting under it listening to the bees buzzing and the birds chattering as they like to have their daily conferences there which winds Bobby up no end.

My camping blanket is growing and I made a very rash decision late one afternoon and re-ordered my wool so that I could make it even bigger and could contemplate doing bigger borders too. And then what happened as I planned out how much wool I would need to finish off the last 100 or so rows and borders I calculated that I would have   plenty of wool left over so my brain quickly began to plan what I was going to do with the left-overs and before I knew it my I whipped my crochet hook out and began playing....

... a day later and I have a fully planned second granny camping blanket. I am  normally a 'one at a time' kinda girl and it is quite a strange experience for me to have two blankets on the go at the same time ~ the positive side is that when I get bored with making granny squares I go back to my stripy blanket and vice versa. The negative side to it is that I feel like I will never be done with both of them!

My book list is reduced by one! I got through Treasure Island ~ only because of necessity, pure grit and determination. I have now picked up Inkspell and am looking forward to being totally submersed in the fantasy of that story. Inkheart was a good read for me so I hope this one won't disappoint!