Brummie Blogger

Books read in October

I seem to have been on more of a reading binge than a blogging binge in October with fifteen books read verses three posts blogged. Or maybe I was just so busy reading that I had nothing interesting to blog about. That and the fact that I've been busy sorting things out for my holidays which are now very close indeed. Whoo hoo!

But, back to the books, and last month's stats:
1 library book
3 bookrings
3 1001 library books
6 Big Read books
8 1001 books
3 of the books were kid's books - they were for The Big read - honest
2 were lovely comfort-reading vampire books
1 was a sci-fi time-travel type book loaned to me by a friend at work.

Fifteen in total, a very nice mixture, and not forgetting that I've also been reading a few chapters of War and Peace most nights as well. The print is excruciatingly tiny, which is slowing me down more than the style of writing which I'm actually liking a great deal.

The Shell Seekers - Rosamunde Pilcher  (The Big Read, Library book)
This was huge, over 650 pages and not something I'd normally have chosen to have read. I do say that I'll try anything though and it's in the top 50 of The Big Read so I got a copy from the library and started reading. And, was surprised when not only was it tolerably readable, but I found myself actually enjoying it. So yes, grudgingly I'll admit that it was ok. Not a bad book. Sniff.

The inheritance of loss - Kiran Desai  (1001 list, bookring, Booker prize winner)
I really expected to like this one more than I did. It was really three stories, two set in the present, in India and in the US, and one set in the past in England and India. Two of the stories did engage me but the present day story in India, which was the part intended to draw everything else together, I just didn't enjoy as much. In fact, I wanted to give the characters a good shake as I found them so annoying. Not an author I'd seek out again.

Rites of passage - William Golding (1001 list, Booker prize winner)
This was the second book by Golding that I'd read, the first being Lord of the Flies, which I'd really enjoyed. Rites of passage was something completely different, but I actually enjoyed it far more. It had the same darkness to it as Lord of the Flies, but was much more subtle about it. I liked the way it was written as a journal, so that you were dependant on what Edmund Talbot saw and heard and the condition he was in at the time of seeing and recording it. Also I liked the deepening mystery of what actually happened to the parson. 

Dead and gone - Charlaine Harris
This is the latest in the Southern Vampire series and is out in hardback. I don't buy hardbacks. I have almost two hundred books on my 'to be read' pile. I cannot justify buying hardbacks or trade paperbacks. Actually I can't justify buying any more books at all but we won't talk about that. So, why did I buy Dead and gone? Simple really. I was about to pre-order the paperback at a cost of £5.79 for when it comes out in spring next year, when Amazon sent me an email offering me the hardback for £4. To have now. With free postage. Not a difficult decision really.
And the book? I got home from work and the book was there, I had it out of the packet and half read before I'd even got my coat off. Read it straight through. Loved it! Just a shame I've got to wait so long before the next one now.

Persuasion - Jane Austen (1001 list, The Big Read)
I needed to read this for the top fifty of The Big Read which is one of my challenges for this year. No hardship really, I love reading Austen when I'm in the right mood for her and I really enjoyed Persuasion.

The drowned world - J. G. Ballard (1001 list, bookring)
Sometimes a book just grabs you straight away and makes you need to keep on reading. This was one of those books. Set in a future when the ice caps have melted and the earth is flooded, it tells a tale of three people who choose to stay behind when the rest have gone for high ground, but they have their solitude rudely interrupted. There are wonderful descriptions of the flora and fauna, you feel the danger they're in, and the whole concept of the book just enthralls you. This was another book that didn't last the day.

Vernon God Little - DBC Pierre (1001 list, bookring, Booker prize winner)
I'd been thinking about reading this for a while but wasn't sure if I'd like it or not. It was, however, part of two of my challenges so when it popped up on a bookring I signed up. I'm really glad that I did as it was an absolute gem of a book. Just like The drowned world the day before, I got completely sucked into this and read it straight through in one go. It's the story of a teenage boy who gets caught up in events, through no fault of his own and they just spiral out of control. It's sad and funny, the characters are brilliant. The ending is superb. Everyone should read this book. I've read some corkers this month but I nominate this one as the best one of them all.

The Successor - Ismail Kadare (1001 list, 1001 library)
I'd been looking forward to getting my hands on this one. One of my friends on BookCrossing had reserved it for me and sent it to me. I'd read the author's Broken April earlier this year and was completely blown away by it so I was very keen to read more by him. This wasn't, in my opinion, as good as Broken April, but I did enjoy it very much. I loved the black humour, the intrigues, and the insights into Albanian politics. Now I'll continue my quest for more books by Kadare.

The Harlequin - Laurell K Hamilton
My second dose of vampires for the month. I realised that I'd got behind on the Anita Blake books so remedied that with a quick visit to Amazon. (remember we don't talk about the book mountain in the living room). I couldn't resist reading one of them straight away when they arrived (yes there were two of them) and as usual, thoroughly enjoyed it. What can I say, it's got vampires, it's got weres, it's got supernatural high jinks going on - what's not to love?

The story of Tracy Beaker - Jacqueline Wilson (The Big Read)
Yes, yes, I know it's a kid's book, but why should the kids get all the fun. I needed to read it for The Big Read. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

Fantastic Mr Fox - Roald Dahl (The Big Read)
Yup, another kid's book. Enjoyed this one too.

George's Marvellous Medicine - Roald Dahl (The Big Read)
And another kid's book, and yes Big Read again. Excuse wearing a bit thin yet? They never had these books when I was a kid you know.

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - Muriel Spark (1001 list, 1001 library)
This was a very short quick read, but quite enjoyable.

The old man and the sea - Ernest Hemingway (1001 list, 1001 library, The Big Read)
Another quick short read but this one I really loved. I don't think I've read any Hemingway before but after reading this I really need to do something about that. This was absolutely gripping from start to finish.

Thrice upon a time - James Hogan
I hadn't heard of this author until a friend at work mentioned him. We both seem to like books that deal with time travel or time paradox so he thought I might enjoy this one, and I did. The premise is that a machine is invented that allows messages to be sent back into the past. A global disaster threatens and a message is sent back that will allow the disaster to be averted but will also reset the present so that anything after the message is received will be altered. You then follow the main characters altered life from the receipt of the message until a second message needs to be sent, allowing a chance for things to be put right.
What I always like about these type of books is how they highlight how a chance event can completely alter a persons life. A turn to the left instead of the right. Going into that shop instead of that one, asking this person directions or that person for the correct time. Tiny things but they have the potential of making a huge impact.

So, plenty of books read last month and mostly good ones. I anticipate quite a long list for this month too as the holiday pile has grown slightly since my post about it. Of course, I still have to sneak them all into the cases, but as I do the packing, I don't anticipate too much of a problem. If the cases are too heavy I'll just take out some of Stephen's clothes...

Books read in September

Only eight books read in September but two of them were absolutely huge. Both very good though. Of the eight books, five were 1001 books and two were Big Read. One was a 1001-library book and four were bookrings. One was read because I wanted to trade it. Only three were taken from Mt. TBR. Oh dear.

Listed the order in which they were read:

House of Orphans - Nothing at all to do with any challenges, I just fancied reading it. Set in Finland, a country about which I know very little considering how close it is to the UK, and very good indeed. (bookring)

The Pillars of the earth - 1075 pages and quite daunting until I picked it up and started reading it. The Big Read challenge looks an awful lot more do-able now that one is out of the way and I really enjoyed it. I must have - I flew through it during the week, going to bed early to get an hour's reading in before reluctantly putting it away to go to sleep and then staying in bed until 9.30am on my first day off to finish it. The historical period was familiar to me from reading the books by Ellis Peters, although I did keep expecting Brother Cadfael to pop into the priory for a chat with Tom and Philip.
It also reminded me of the books that Peters wrote under the name Edith Pargetter, in particular The Heaven Tree trilogy which is about a master stone carver and has made me fancy re-reading those again at some point. I might just tackle Follett's equally huge sequal to Pillars one day too. I'd quite like to know if that's as good. (big read list)

The Magus - 570 pages and very small print. This one took me over a week to read but it was well worth the effort. Every time I thought I had the book figured out it went in a completely different direction. I had the greatest sympathy for Nicholas as I had no idea what was being done to him either. A few times I wanted him to just walk away but I don't think 'they'd' have let him, and would he have been able to have anyway? A very compelling book and makes you wonder just how easy it is for someone to manipulate you. (1001 list, big read list, bookring)

The comfort of strangers - Oh I did enjoy this. I've read quite a few by McEwan recently and liked them all but this one especially was very good indeed. It was quite creepy in places and reminded me of those horror films where you find yourself shouting at the screen for the heroine not to go into the basement alone - you know it's just not a good idea. (1001 list, 1001-library)

The Amulet of Samarkand - A young adult book, and I've nothing against reading kid's books if they look as interesting as this one did. I probably wouldn't have got around to buying it but it was a freebie when I pre-ordered the last J. K. Rowling, if I remember correctly. It'd been sitting on my TBR pile ever since until I was asked if there was any chance I would loan it out. It seemed much more sensible to read it and trade it so that's what we did and the generous Bookcrosser I traded with has sent me not one, but two rather nice books in return. He seems very happy with the deal and I'm delighted, especially as the surprise extra book looks fascinating and I can't wait to get my nose stuck in it. Oh yes, and the Amulet of Samarkand? It wasn't half bad for a kid's book. Rather long but it kept me interested enough. I doubt I'd bother to read the rest of the trilogy but I'm happy enough to have read this.

Sexing the cherry - This was a fairly short read and was excellent. Quite odd in places, very whimsical, strange. All things I like in a book. There was a bit in the middle that was the story about the twelve dancing princesses, and it was what happened to them after the popular folk tale. That was brilliant and I also Ioved the dog woman character. I think this is a book that not everyone would like, you have to be someone who likes their books to be a little bit offbeat, but if you do, you'd love this. (1001 list, bookring)

Like water for chocolate - I doubt very much I'd have read this if it wasn't on the 1001 list even if given the opportunity. It's just not my cup of tea. It's only redeeming feature was the mystical, whimsical element which stopped it from being, dare I say it, a dressed up Mills and Boon. And that's probably the worst insult I can give to a book. Sigh. It was ok while I was reading it, but when you sit back and analyse the story afterwards, it was actually pretty dire. (1001 list, bookring)

The Midwich cuckoos - Now this was absolutely splendid! Classic sci-fi and just what I needed to read next. The story was excellent and kept me gripped the whole way through. The ending was shocking and also superb. Some of the issues discussed were so relevant to the present day, it made me realise how little some things have changed. An absolute corker of a book. Must read more Wyndham! (1001 list)

And that takes my total books read for the year so far to 135.

Another doorstop

I mentioned a week or so ago that there were a couple of books remaining on my The Big Read challenge that were somewhat on the large side. One was The Pillars of the Earth, which I have now read and the other was War and Peace which is still TBR. Also in the top fifty is The Count of Monte Cristo which looks huge but is less than 900 pages so isn't quite as bad as Pillars and W&P. The rest didn't look too bad at all and I have nearly all of them in the house ready to read, apart from about three which I've started to round up as it's getting close to the end of the year now. Yes, I know it's only September but I like to be prepared.

So, I did a search on BookCrossing to see if there was a copy of Gone with the wind in the 1001 library so that I could request it. There was one, I requested it, and early this morning, as I was sitting in bed with a cup of coffee and a copy of The Magus, the postman knocked the door in order to hand me a very thick parcel. It was the book I'd requested. It's big. Much bigger than I'd realised. Another doorstop in fact at over 1000 pages. Gah!

I thought I was doing quite well with my challenge but had no idea that I'd left so many ma-hoo-sive books till the last minute. Three doorstops still to read, plus five classics - no hardship there as I am looking forward to those - plus an Irving which could well be a doorstop, a kid's book which I have to source and The Shell Seekers which I also still have to source. I may well have to purchase that one as it isn't a 1001 book. Or, I suppose I could always use the normal library...

Now there's a plan. Think I'll go online and order that one now. Please let it not be a doorstop!

That solved that little problem

I have this bookcase which is pretty much just for books that are waiting to be read. The top shelf has a section for BookCrossing books, mostly 1001-library books that are waiting for someone to ask for them or for me to read them, but also any rings or rays that I currently have. The rest of the top shelf and the other five shelves are all TBRs.

My problem was that it was overflowing a bit. Well, quite a lot really. I had odd books stashed away anywhere they'd fit. There were some squeezed in between some classics on another bookcase where they looked a bit odd. Paperback Dean Koontz and Tess Gerritsen next to leather bound Hardy and Austen? Not what I had planned when I designed the room. Then on the other side of the room where I have the paperbacks that I'm particularly fond of there were unread books squashed in there too, but double stacked. Eeek. Not allowed!

So, something had to be done, and as I seem to be buying the darn things faster than I'm reading them at the moment it needed to be done quickly. I mean, I am reading them, just not the ones off mount TBR. Not enough of them to make a difference.

Now, I'll be taking a fair few on my holidays as I'll get through quite a bit of reading while we're away so as a lot of the books I've been buying have been earmarked for 'The Holiday Pile', it occured to me that if I pulled those out of the TBR pile, it would then look a bit smaller. Good plan, huh? Now, what I hadn't realised, and I really should have after last year, is just how many books I've bought for 'The Holiday Pile'. Hmm, It made an awfully big dent in Mt. TBR.

So, I've finally whittled it down to a sensible number. Sensible being the most that I think I can sneak into the suitcases without Stephen blowing a gasket. And now all of the TBR pile is back in one bookcase.

This is the holiday selection, until something else new comes out and I change my mind of course.

For the journey there, bearing in mind that this has to cover an overnight stay in a guesthouse as well as a few hours in Gatwick plus a very long flight. Quite a varied selection, eh? Sway looks really good.
Sway - Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman
Remember me - Sophie Kinsella
Dear Fatty - Dawn French
Odd hours - Dean Koontz

For the return journey when I'll have less time to read as it's a night flight so we're hoping to sleep.
Folly - Alan Titchmarsh
Two caravans - Marina Lewycka

For the actual holiday. They may not be read in this order but this was an attempt to mix them up a bit. As much as you can when you're only taking light reading with you that is.

 Wk 1
Kill for me - Karen Rose
Wedding season - Katie Fforde
Bad things - Michael Marshall

Wk 2
Keeping the dead - Tess Gerritson
The Beach house - Jane Green
Out of the blue - Belinda Jones

Wk 3
Change of heart - Jodi Picoult
Too close to home - Linwood Barclay
Rumour has it - Jill Mansell

Actually, I'm worried that I might run out but there are some lovely bookshops and I know where they all are so not really a problem. There's supposed to be a rather nice used bookstore in Key West and I thought I might see if they had any Hemingway in there. Seemed appropriate somehow and I'll take any excuse for a browse amongst some smelly old books.

Right, I'm just about to make sure all of these are registered on BookCrossing as I doubt any of them will be making the return journey across the Atlantic. Their suitcase space will be needed for other things...

Books read in July

I read fifteen books in July and managed quite an interesting mix. There were four bookrings, and three from the 1001-library. Seven books were from the 1001 list and one was for the Big Read challenge. Seven were by the same author.

I have to start by talking about the Charlaine Harris books. I'd had the new book in the Southern Vampire series, From dead to worse, on pre-order for a while and as soon as it arrived I pretty much sat straight down and read it. I just love that series. I'm enjoying the adaptation on TV as well, although there's rather more 'adult' material there than I remember in the books...
Once I'd read that, I just fancied more by Charlaine and I had her Aurora Teagarden books, which Tree had loaned me, so I read all of those. All six of them. One after the other in the space of a week. I really did enjoy those. So much so that I went and ordered books seven and eight. Sometimes you just need a bit of comfort reading, and these books fit the bill nicely.

One of the bookrings this month wasn't a 1001 book for a change. I'd signed up for it almost a year ago before I started obsessively joining rings and rays to read the books on the list. The book was worth waiting for, though. It was A thousand splendid suns by Khaled Hosseini, the author of The Kite runner. I'm fascinated by the subject matter so was keen to read the book for that. Fascinated and horrified at the same time, I should say. The story was so well told, it was hard to put the book down. I'd definitely recommend this one.

The other bookrings were Empire of the sun by J. G. Ballard, which took me a couple of chapters to get into, but then I started to really enjoy it. The Monk by Matthew Lewis was a delicious Gothic tale of love and lust set in Spanish monastaries and castles. It was easier to read than I'd anticipated -sometimes gothic novels can have rather flowery language - and I flew through it. Superb! The Passion by Jeanette Winterson was short and sweet. It was mystical, magical and just beautifully written. I loved it.

I read an excellent sci-fi book, from the 1001-library on BookCrossing, by John Wyndham called Chocky. Not quite as good as Day of the Triffids, perhaps, but a very good read nonetheless. The other two 1001-library books were both by Ian McEwan. The first was The Cement garden which was short but very interesting if slightly bizarre. The other was The child in time which was much more complex and thought provoking. I loved them both.

Finally, I did actually manage to read one book from my ever expanding 'to be read' pile. Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks. I felt that perhaps I should throw in a token Big Read book as I'm falling down on that challenge, and after a shaky start I surprised myself by thoroughly enjoying the book. I'm determined to read a couple more off my TBR pile this month as the bookcase that houses it has now overflowed onto some other bookcases. Reading fifteen books in a month is all very well, but if they're not off my TBR pile it does't really help, now does it?

 

A good post day

is when books arrive and today not one, but three books came via the postman.

Yes, I know I said I wasn't going to buy any more books for a while...

One was a bookring, a book from the 1001 list, and is a gothic novel which looks very interesting. It's called The Monk and is by Matthew Lewis.

One was a pre-order from a while back and is the latest Southern Vampire novel from Charlaine Harris. I may be putting Birdsong on one side for a few hours so I can dive straight into that. And not long until the TV series based on the books hits our screens. Can't wait for that!

And the third book? Oh I just can't wait to read this one either. No excuses for buying this other than it's one of my favourite books with an interesting twist. Just look at this...

 

How could anyone resist it? The famous opening line has been amended to "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains."

Oh this is going to be so much fun!

June's books

June was another slow month for reading with only 12 books read. Only four of those were from the 1001 list, five were bookrings and none were from the Big Read. Five were teen vampire novels and two were cozy detective fiction so those seven were very quick reading. On the plus side, I did do a fair bit of scrapping but I also seemed to spend a lot of time in bed with migraines so that didn't help...

So, out of those twelve books, nothing stands out and shouts 'fantastic literary experience' but I did really love the new Mary Janice Davidson - Undead and Unworthy. Actually, I've just realised that when you add that one to the five teen novels that means that half my month's reading consisted of vampire novels. Sometimes I just feel like something bloodthirsty, ok?

Those teen books, the series by P. C. and Kristin Cast were really rather good. I started Marked on a Saturday night, finished it on Sunday morning, read Betrayed by the afternoon and finished the third one - Chosen by bedtime. Then I read Untamed and Hunted over the week. Lots of teenage angst, lots of vampirey lore that was shiny and new, and I can't wait for the next installment which I have on pre-order.

The 1001 books were a mixed bunch again this month. Fugitive pieces by Anne Michaels was enjoyable, as much as a book concerned with jews and the holocaust can be, but I really wasn't that keen on Elfriede Jelinek's The Piano Teacher. I found it quite difficult to get into and didn't enjoy it much at all. An artist of the floating world by Kazuo Ishiguro was enjoyable but it still took me quite a while to read. I just wasn't in the mood for it, which is a shame as it was a lovely book. Last but not least is The nine tailors by Dorothy L Sayers. It's a shame there aren't more of hers in the list as this was the one that I most enjoyed reading this month. Great plot and a fab ending.

I must have been in the mood for lighter reading this month, probably due to all the stress at work, as the two cozy needlework mysteries by Monica Ferris were the most enjoyable out of the bookrings. I have several more of those to come as I'm reading them on a spiral so I'm looking forward to getting those. And that's it for the month.

Now if I could just stop buying books faster than I'm reading them we'd be ok, but currently several of my favourite authors are bringing out books that are just screaming 'holiday reading pile' at me. The problem here is that I had enough books to take on holiday several months ago yet still I keep adding to the pile, with three being purchased last week and two the week before.

We don't go until November...

 

Books round up for May

Not a particularly impressive month for me with only ten books read. I supppose that's not bad considering I averaged 12 books per month last year but I have been reading a lot more this year so far. I don't seem to have read as much since we moved downstairs though, and I suspect my new proximity to the computer may have something to do with that. Facebook and Bejewelled have a lot to answer for...

But, back to the books that I did manage to read. I had a break from the 1001 list books for a while as I had a gap in book rings but still managed to get through six from the list, two of which were my own books and were also on The Big read list. One book was just on The Big read list and three were read purely because I liked the look of them.

One of my favourites from the month was Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. I'd been meaning to read this for ages as it just sounded an interesting concept. It was funny, sad and tragic by turns. You'd be laughing at something, then turn the page and stop dead in disbelief and sorrow. So well written and very thought provoking without being preachy. I liked it a lot.

Enduring love by Ian McEwan was another one that stood out. I think that's the third one of his books that I've read now, and all because of the 1001 list. This one was excellent. It starts with a bang and then settles down before slowly getting creepier and creepier, and building up the tension to an interesting climax. There's a side story going on that provides some much needed relief at the end. What I like about his books is that they feel lifelike. As if they could happen - no larger than life characters. Not that I have any objection to lots of heroics and stuff in books, but sometimes you like to read about real people. McEwan has a lot of books on the 1001 list so I have a great excuse to read more. I do like this list malarky...

Ok, what else - Lord of the flies by William Golding was everything I expected it to be and more. Gruesome, creepy and quite scary - and I don't scare easily. I think it was the way the boys just gradually lost all sense of rational behaviour.

Tree loaned me Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, which I kept for a disgracefully long time before reading. What a marvellous book. One that I'd probably never have picked up by myself but Tree must have known that I'd love it. Thank you Tree! I did. It was just a lovely, lovely story.

There were two kid's books - Charlotte's web, sent to me by Lucy from BookCrossing, and The 13 clocks which was a bookring. There are so many great kid's books that I missed so it's lovely to have the excuse of all these challenges to catch up on them.

Andrew Davidson's The Gargoyle was a gorgeous looking book, with it's embossed jacket and black-edged pages. It started out with some very gruesome descriptions of burns and wasn't a bad story. If it hadn't been hyped up so much I think I'd have really loved it, but as it was I was expecting so much more.

Then there were a couple more bookrings - Dubravka Ugresic's The museum of unconditional surrender which dealt with exile from the former Yugoslavia, the conflict between the Serbs and Bosnians, and how it felt to have your entire life in a suitcase. One thing that came up a few times was that there are two types of exiles - those that have photos, and those that don't. A very sad, and touching book. The other ring was Flaubert's parrot which was interesting but didn't really hold my attention that much.

The last book to be mentioned for May is a Richard North Patterson - Eyes of a child - and the first one of his that I've read. It was a good thriller/detective/courtroom drama. A few years ago I'd have lapped it up but my tastes have changed a bit since then so although I enjoyed it, it's a style of book I'd have to be in the right mood for.

And, that was May.

Reading not walking

The good intentions with the walking ended abruptly on Tuesday when the dreaded migraine struck and settled in to stay for the next three days. I should have been watching the season finale of Buffy while doing today's walk, which is a damn fine episode and one which I've been looking forward to. But, I haven't walked for four days now and I don't actually have much of an excuse for today other than slightly wobbly legs and a slight blur on everything.

I'll get back on track tomorrow but it's disappointing to not even manage one 12 episode season without flaking. I did just clean the kitchen floor quite energetically, mind. That has to count for something, even if I did reward myself with a vanilla latte afterwards...

While I was recovering last night and this morning I read a couple of books. Both have been on my 'To be read' pile for a while but kept getting pushed back to the bottom. I'm so glad they finally made it to the top as they were both well worth reading and I've no idea how I've gone all these years without getting my nose stuck in them before.

The first was William Golding's Lord of the flies and the second was Joseph Heller's Catch 22. Very different books but both very good indeed. Happily they're both on the 1001 list and also on The Big Read list so ticked two boxes as well as being very enjoyable.

I fancy something light and fluffy next although I do have a bookring waiting. I think I can sneak in a Dorothy Sayers before starting the bookring though. I do have the whole weekend ahead of me, after all.

Where did those two weeks go?

Is it really that long since I blogged? I know things have been a bit hectic but I didn't think I'd neglected my blog for two weeks. Oops.

This month so far, I've had two mad selling sessions on Ebay and raised enough for one basic laptop or half towards the one that I actually want. I think I'll see if there's anything else I can sell before making a final decision there.

The new TV finally arrived and I spent most of a day playing with lots and lots of wires. The back of the new cabinet looks like a plate of spaghetti gone mad, but at least it's all out of sight. In the process of moving the TV decoder boxes around I managed to kill my broadband connection. As I wasn't sure that it was the move round that had caused my internet to vanish, I waited a while to see if it was just down, then went through the routine of rebooting the modem, fiddling with all the connections, running diagnostics, crying etc. I couldn't check the status to see if there was a problem as I couldn't get online and I couldn't call the broadband helpline as the number is on the bill and I have online billing - and I couldn't get online. (I have since made a note of that number.)

That was on Friday. On Saturday morning at 7.30am, on the verge of a nervous breakdown, I phoned Virgin Media. Within three hours an engineer had been to the house and fixed it. Virgin Media are Gods. Neil Herring, Virgin Media engineer, is a genius and if his boss is reading this can you please give him a bonus. He deserves it. Ok?

Tuesday a migraine struck, so it was straight to bed when I got in from work. I made it in to work on Wednesday but I don't remember a great deal about it. Back to bed when I got in and there I stayed until yesterday lunchtime. Luckily I had a lieu day yesterday as I'd have had to go in to work but I have no idea what they'd have done with me as I was even worse than on Wednesday.

Another migraine struck this afternoon which is an an absolute bummer as we were supposed to be entertaining for the first time in our new living room. Jo and Kan were coming over but I had to cancel at the last minute. We had a lovely dinner planned and I was really looking forward to seeing them both. The migraine hasn't quite gone yet but quite frankly I'm getting a bit sick of being in bed, hence the blog updating.

I entered the book that I finished earlier this week into my 'books read' page this morning and realised that it's halfway through the month and I've only read four books. Looks like blogging isn't the only thing that I haven't found time for. I haven't had any bookrings yet this month, until now that is. Two arrived yesterday and one today, along with a RABCK from Finland. Thank you to Bookwormess for sending me Les Miserables. I've been after reading that for ages.

Oh, and I sent for my tickets for Mickey's very merry Christmas party for when we go on our hols, and they arrived by courier six days later. My ticket has Goofy on it and Stephen's has Mickey on it. I can't wait for that. They make it snow on Main Street you know. And you get hot chocolate and cookies. I love it!