30.1.09

I am officially old!


I think that you have a moment in life where it hits you that you are no longer as young as you thought you were. I am not exactly ancient at the age of 26 but I realised this morning that drinking on a week night is no longer a good idea! Mr S, myself and our sometimes-lodger went to open-mike night at our local bar last night. This is every Thursday and always a really good night, I don't always go but felt like getting out of the house last night so off I went. Yes off I went and drank 3 pints (I know, I know not very lady-like) and talked to lots of people and even joined in with one open-mike session and was safely tucked in bed by 11.45 feeling fine. That was until my alarm woke me up this morning and since then I have felt as though a small man with a huge drum kit has climbed inside my head, not good, I have learnt my lesson.

Friday Fill-ins!



1. I'd really like several biscuits right now but they have been banished from the house.

2. Ow, is the word you'd most often hear me say if I stubbed my toe and then I usually sing for some reason, very odd.

3. Possession is dangerous, you have to hold on to what you have got without being possessive.

4. I find Captain Jack Sparrow to be the only attractive pirate that I have come across and not just because it is Johnny Depp and I did not fancy him as Willy Wonka.
5. Marshmallows and fire go together like toast and jam.

6. My hangover seems to be going on and on.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to housework, tomorrow my plans include looking for a new bathroom floor and Sunday, I want to try on dresses and eat Sunday lunch with my 3 favourite people!

27.1.09

The Secret Countess by Eva Ibbotson


The Secret Countess by Eva Ibbotson was initially published as A Countess Below Stairs, which after reading it I think would be a better title. Eva Ibbotson was born in Vienna, Austria in 1925 but when the Nazis came to power, her family escaped to Britain. Many of her books allude to the struggles and loss experienced by people during the war and obviously she had first-hand experience of this.
The Secret Countess is the story of Anna Grazinsky, a Russian Countess who has to flee to Britain after World War I. Anna has come from a life of wealth and privilege, she was doted on by her father and had everything that she could ever have wished for. Her father is killed fighting and she and her mother make their way to Britain with Miss Pinfold, her governess. Anna's family has lost everything and she is too proud to live off the charity of Miss Pinfold and so she seeks a position as a housemaid at Mersham; family seat of the Westerholmes. Here she tries to fit in and works hard but it is clear to all that she has come from greater things. Ibbotson describes Merhsam in a very detailed way and the house is very much part of the story. Anna soon meets Rupert, the new Earl and he is totally mesmerised by her. However, Rupert has agreed to marry Muriel Hardwicke, an orphaned heiress who will provide the finances to secure Mersham's future. Hardwicke is the opposite of Anna; she is a snob and totally obsessed with Eugenics and the staff and Westeholme family members do not take kindly to her ways.
Rupert eventually finds out Anna's true identity and he is already in love with her, the situation seems hopeless with his impending nuptials fast approaching. However, the others surrounding Anna and Rupert devise a plan to save the future of both of them and also the house. The story is very reminiscent of Jane Eye except that Rupert has a much more affable character than Mr Rochester! I am so pleased that I have discovered Eva Ibbotson, her books have this fantastic romantic, fairytale quality to them but still have a lot of substance.

25.1.09

Brrrrrrrrrrrr it's too cold!!
























It is so cold today; we took Alfie for a walk this morning and I will not be going back out again, it is freezing! I already have my pyjamas on and a big pot of tea brewing, I think this is the best way to spend Sundays! I am reading The Secret Countess by Eva Ibbotson at the moment and really enjoying it. Ibbotson is a new author that I came across on another blog and I personally think she is brilliant if you like that sort of thing. Ibbotson writes children's books and there is a slightly childlike quality to her adult novels also. They are very much damsel in distress stories with adult themes and emotions thrown in; there is a definite fairytale edge to them.

21.1.09

39 Questions

Little bit tired today so filled this in instead!

1. My uncle once: completely let me down.
2. Never in my life: have I stroked a penguin.
3. When I was five: I was blissfully unaware.
4. High school was: shit until the 6th form.
5. I will never forget: singing All Saints songs in the car with Kerry as we didn’t have a stereo!
6. Once I met: no-one actually- don’t think I have ever actually met anyone famous!
7. There’s this boy I know: who was so lovely to me at a time when I needed it the most and I don’t think I ever told him how much I appreciated him.
8. Once, at a bar: in town we used to pretend that it was one of our birthdays in order to get free vodka, we even had a flashing birthday badge!
9. By noon, I’m usually: very hungry and looking in the fridge!
10. Last night: I watched the whole first series of Black Books and laughed a lot and then got cramp in my foot and actually screamed!!
11. If only I had: curly hair!
12. Next time I go to church: will probably be the day I get married.
13. What worries me most: is well pretty much everything at the moment and then I worry about worrying so much!
14. When I turn my head left I see: My garden which looks very cold.
15. When I turn my head right I see: Alfie having his morning nap.
16. You know I’m lying when: I blink ALOT.
17. What I miss most about the Eighties is: Kerry singing (actually she still does this) so maybe the Carebears!
18. If I were a character in Shakespeare I’d be: Juliet, I love that whole star-crossed lovers thing!
19. By this time next year: I will hopefully be a Mrs.
20. A better name for me would be: Dot, maybe I should change it when I get married then I would have no link to my poorexcuseforparents.
21. I have a hard time understanding: Dave when he is using really BIG words, I nod a lot.
22. If I ever go back to school, I’ll: probably would not be so well behaved.
23. You know I like you if: I giggle a lot.
24. If I ever won an award, the first person I would thank would be: whoever was handing it out!
25. Take my advice, never: accept free peach schnapps, EVER!
26. My ideal breakfast is: a big pot of tea, some eggs, a newspaper and someone to share it with.
27. A song I love but do not have is: Lullaby by Billy Joel.
28. If you visit my hometown, I suggest you: bring a book or something as there is not much to see.
29. Why won’t people: acknowledge that things aren’t always going to get better?
30. If you spend a night at my house: then I must quite like you.
31. I’d stop my wedding for: no-one.
32. The world could do without: Sponge.
33. I’d rather lick the belly of a cockroach than: have an injection.
34. My favourite blondes are: non-existent, I tend to stick to my own hair colour kind.
35. Paper clips are more useful than: those sticker things that you put round holes in paper.
36. If I do anything well it’s: usually a fluke.
37. I can’t help but: watch trashy, pointless TV, I love it.
38. I usually cry: when I have been bottling things up for a while.
39. My advice to my nephew/niece: Ask Uncle Dave, he knows everything.

20.1.09

The Ups and Downs in the life of Dot!


Arrgggghhhh I feel like I am all over the place at the moment; feels like there is so much happening and my head is already full!!



  • Mr S got his exam results yesterday and passed with flying colours, very, very proud of him as he has worked so hard for them.

  • I am so full of anger at the moment over everything that has happened and that seems to be infringing on every day life which is not fair on me or the people who have to put up with me.

  • Mr S' parents really want to go ahead and start planning mine and Mr S' wedding for this year.

  • I want to marry Mr S more than anything but I really don't know if i feel strong enough to plan something like that at the moment.

  • I cannot stop eating eating biscuits (especially custard creams)

  • I feel extremely let down by one of my best friends and this too is making me really angry.

Oh dear it's all very negative isn't it apart from the top one! I am having a couple of days off at the end of the week so I think that I am going to use the time to have a good think about everything and also eat lots of biscuits.

17.1.09

Remember Me? By Sophie Kinsella


This book is a really easy read, think it only took me just over a day but it is still very good! I was looking for something really light to read and this was perfect for that. The story is quite simple really; Kate wakes up from an accident suffering with Amnesia; she has literally cannot remember anything from the past three years of her life. It seems a lot can change in three years in Kate's life; she has gone from dates with Loser Dave to being married to the seemingly perfect Eric who is gorgeous and also luckily a millionaire property developer. So Kate initially believes that she has woken up to a new, dream lifestyle but then the questions begin, was she truly happy before the accident? Then she meets a handsome stranger who knows far too much about her and there are even more questions to address.
I did really enjoy this book, it's all very lovely and perfect but you occasionally need a book like that don't you?

15.1.09

You have to love 3for2!!

Mr S has just taken me on a trip to our local Borders to cheer me up!! It is one of the things that I love the most about living in Leicester; we have this massive Borders about 10 minutes from our house with a big Starbucks and it is open until 10pm every night! It's nice to go and look at all the books and have a hot chocolate and a chat. I am very lucky in that Mr S is quite happy having a look around at the books too; I wonder if I would ever have been able to have a relationship with someone who didn't like reading as well? Hmmmmm I have never really thought about that!
Anyway I decided to take full advantage of the 3for2 offer that they had on; they had loads of books to choose from and it took me a while but eventually I decided on:
1. Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella (really fancied something nice and light at the moment)
2. The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold (I loved her other two books so instantly picked this up when I saw it, although I have just looked on Amazon and there are some very negative reviews so we shall see)
3. The House at Midnight by Lucie Whitehouse (This looks really good, I love books centred round houses with lots of mysterious secrets).

So they should keep me going for a while! I am going to make a return visit to the library at the weekend; I went last week and was not really that impressed but I shall give it another go.

14.1.09

Nearly finished!


Mr S' last exam is today, I will be very pleased when they are all over! Our house has been a bit stressful over the past few months with books everywhere and me pretending to be a patient! He has worked really hard so it will be so good for him to have a bit of a rest before he starts going into the hospital properly in February. I am so glad that I no longer have to sit exams; you do so much work and preparation for them but so much rides on the actual day doesn't it? If you haven't slept well or if you get a bad question then it can throw you right off! Of course I said none of this when I pushed Mr S out of the front door this morning; I know he will be fine anyway he just gets really nervous!

The new year is going well so far; we had a really nice weekend, saw my best friend on Friday night for a catch up and then had lunch with my lovely sister and her husband on the Saturday. I think this weekend is going to be a very chilled out one; we need to decide if and where we are going to go for a little break and sort bits and bobs out in the house, very boring!

13.1.09

The Love of her Life by Harriet Evans


I have read Harriet Evan's other two books and enjoyed them so I was really looking forward to this one. I was not disappointed and read this one in two days as I just could not put it down!

The central character is Kate Miller who has lived in New York for the past three years, however, she has to return to London to see her father who is very ill. By returning she has to face up to everything and everyone that she ran away from. It is ultimately a story of love and friendship, it explores the bonds that we create with people and how love and true friendship can stand most tests of life.

Evans is very good at drawing you in with little snippets of information so that you keep turning the pages to get more. This was a very good story, very poignant in places but also extremely light hearted. I would recommend this and any other of Harriet Evan's books.

12.1.09

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer


Right this is not going to be a lengthy review as it is too easy to give the plot away and that is not fair to those who have not finished it yet. I really wanted to like this book; as I have said before, Twilight really grabbed me and I have really enjoyed the others in the series, especially New Moon. However, Breaking Dawn just didn't quite do it for me. I loved the beginning part with Edward and Bella's wedding and honeymoon but to be honest it went downhill for me then. It wasn't that I didn't want a happy ending as I really do not have a problem with Meyer's conclusion to the saga. It is just that for me personally it all got a bit too ridiculous. I know that sounds strange as the whole Twilight world is pure fantasy but for me I felt that I could not believe in the final book. Everything was a bit too convenient; after all the questions and worries that Bella had about changing throughout the other books, it all seemed stupidly easy when it did happen.
I did enjoy the way that Meyer has split Breaking Dawn into three books, two of which are narrated from Bella's perspective and one from the perspective of Jacob Black. The plot moves as well as it did in the previous books and the characters are just as well developed. I have loved this series of books and the story of Bella and Edward will stay with me for a long time. Meyer has created brilliant characters and I know that I will read Twilight again in the future; I am glad that I know how the story ended but I do not think that I will be picking up Breaking Dawn again.

9.1.09

Friday Fill-Ins!


1. It's January; which means a fresh new start which for me could not have come sooner!.

2. Reading is what I crave most right now, I think I am definitely going to have to join the library so that the books are free!.

3. Cork and wine go together like tea and biscuits!

4. Food is so nourishing, but my diet has started, supposed to be getting married this year so will need to fit into a dress.

5. Let us dare to dream, otherwise life would be very boring.

6. Mr S is my home; I have come to realise that it does not matter where we live, as long as he is there then that is my true home.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to seeing my lovely best friend Lisa who is coming to stay, tomorrow my plans include having my hair cut and lunch with 2 of my favourite people and Sunday, I want to make some stew (it's for the diet!)

8.1.09

Booking Through Thursday: The Best?

Ah it's my first Booking Through Thursday of 2009- Happy New Year everyone!!

It’s a week or two later than you’d expect, and it may be almost a trite question, but … what were your favorite books from 2008?

Well I had a good think about this and there were 4 books that really stood out for me in 2008. I am in no way saying that these are the best 4 books ever written but they are the ones that brought me the most enjoyment, see what you think:

  1. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini- I had really put off reading this because there was so much hype surrounding it and I was worried that I would be disappointed. However, I think it is one of the best books that I have ever read! For quite a short book there is so much in there; Hosseini is such a wonderful story teller and this book stays with you for a long time after you have turned the last page.
  2. 31 Dream Street by Lisa Jewell- I loved this, it is chick lit really but Jewell has this brilliant way of drawing you straight in. I read this book in one night and everyone who has borrowed it has said that they couldn't put it down either.
  3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte- I cannot believe that it took me until 2008 to read this book. I will undoubtedly read this again and again and get something new from it each time. The character of Jane is so complex however plain and simple she appears to the outside world. Mr Rochester is a brilliant creation and the love he has for Jane survives against all odds.
  4. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer- I was put off reading this as I thought I was perhaps too old but I wanted to see what all the hype was about. I think it is actually my favourite book of 2008. I get totally drawn in by a good old love story and this is exactly what this book is about. Yes there are vampires and werewolves and it is all very unrealistic but at the end of the day that is what fiction is all about. Many people have knocked Meyer's writing and no it is not the best, however she is totally character driven and I love that. So much work has gone into creating her characters that the reader can completely believe in them and that is what kept me turning the pages!

5.1.09

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer


Eclipse is the third book in the Twilight saga by Stephenie Meyer. Bella and Edward are back together after their confrontation with the Volturi and are trying to have a reasonably normal relationship. Eclipse sees the character's laying out their wishes for the future; Bella wants to become a vampire as soon as possible and Edward wants them to marry before this takes place. As in the previous two books, Bella and Edward's relationship is extremely intense and I know that this irritates some readers but I think it is probably what I enjoy most about the books. Due to Edward being over 100 years old, it is quite an old-fashioned romance and it is interesting to see how he and Bella try to compromise on what they think are the correct values to live by.
This book also explores Bella's relationship with Jacob Black. She gradually realises that she does love him but it still does not compare to her love for Edward. I think that the character of Jacob serves to highlight all that she is willing to give up. Yes, he is a werewolf but she could still have a reasonably normal future with him. By choosing Edward she would literally be giving up her life, her family and everything she has ever known apart from him.
Eclipse also sees the return of Victoria who is pursuing Bella in order to avenge the killing of her mate James. Victoria has created an army of reckless, new-born vampires who she has rampaging and murdering their way through Seattle before setting off for Forks. The danger that Bella is in leads the werewolves and the Cullens to put their hatred aside and work together in order to bring Victoria down.
I did enjoy this book; I personally found some of the parts about the werewolve's history quite boring but I do understand why it was included. I felt that this book was really important in developing Edward and Bella's relationship and putting things in place for the future. Meyer has created amazing charcaters in her saga and I think this is what draws me into the story and makes me want to read the next book.

3.1.09

Do you have a secret?

As I mentioned before, my lovely sister bought me a really interesting book for Christmas called Postsecret by Frank Warren. Warren initially set up the idea as an ongoing community art project which in many ways it still is but it has also become so much more. It is based on the simple idea that most people have a secret so Warren handed out blank postcards in many different ways; the postcards invited the recipients to decorate the postcard with a secret that they had never told anyone and then they could post it back anonymously. Warren created the website in 2005 and since then he has received over 2,500 pieces of original art from across America and around the rest of the world.
The secrets range from criminal admissions; secret desires; guilty pleasures; lost love, regrets and dreams. I sat and read the book in the space of a couple of hours and I know that it is something that I will go back to again and again. Some are hilarious and some brought me to tears but the profound feeling that I took from the book was one of hope in that you hope that the person who sent in their secret will now find life a little easier now that their secret is out there. On the website many people have emailed in to say how liberating they found the experience of putting their postcard in the postbox and walking away.


Warren's project which encompasses the website; many books and now travelling exhibitions really makes you stop and think. It is true that we all have secrets; I know that I do and it makes you think about the burden that we place upon ourselves by carrying them around with us. They can be events from childhood; behaviour that we are embarrassed about; dreams that we keep to ourselves and regrets that we do not wish to share. I think that Postsecret is a fantastic project, it's brilliance comes from it's simplicity. Obviously Frank Warren deserves the recognition for the time he has devoted to this project but the real stars are the people who were brave enough to write their secret down and send it out into the world, knowing that they would never be able to get it back.


All change here!

I have made the decision to stop doing written reviews on here for a little while. I shall keep this page open but for the time being I sha...