29.10.09

Beautiful, Sparkly book in the post!!!

This came in the post yesterday and I have to say that I am a little bit in love with it!!!!

It is sparkly and there's pink bits and it's by one of my favourite authors!!! I am very excited about reading it and seeing what Marian has in store for us this time but for now I just like to keep looking at it!!

28.10.09

The Dog who Came in from the Cold- What do you think so far?


Have you been reading along with the Telegraph's online novel The Dog who Came in from the Cold by Alexander McCall-Smith? I am 31 chapters in and still very much enjoying it, I really look forward to taking 10 minutes out of my day to find out what is happening to the residents of Corduroy Mansions.
The last few chapters have focused on James and Caroline's relationship and we are left wondering if he will leave Caroline for Dee after taking her out for dinner in Caroline's place. I think it should be more a question of whether Caroline should finish with James as he is a little too strange for my liking!
I chapters 29-31 we have followed Barbara as her suspicions and dislike of Rupert have increased. However, she is tyring to put this to the back of her mind as she sets off on a trip to the Scottish highlands with her fiance, Hugh. But is Hugh as perfect as Barbara believes him to be, can you truly trust a man with holey socks and missing shirt buttons? What do you think of Hugh? Do you think Barbara is setting herself up for a fall?
I've really enjoyed all these developments but I have to say that I want more Freddie de la Hay! I want to know about his mission for MI6 and whether William will entrust his loyal companion to the secret service?
If you haven't been reading this then there is still time for you to catch up with the story. You can click the link at the top of this page and it will take you to the Telegraph's site with all the chapters listed. It really is lovely to read everyday or if you want to be lazy then you can listen to the brilliant Andrew Sachs reading the story to you, perfect!

27.10.09

Book Review: The Book of Tomorrow by Cecilia Ahern


Well, I am not really sure what to say about this book as I am yet to make my mind up. It would be too easy to give the plot away so I shall give you the blurb:
Tamara Goodwin has always lived in the here and now, never giving a second thought to tomorrow. Until a travelling library arrives in her tiny village, bringing with it a mysterious, large, leather-bound book locked with a gold clasp and padlock. What she discovers within the pages takes her breath away and shakes her world to the core.
A mesmerising story about how tomorrow can change what happens today.

Firstly, I will say that I have read all of Cecilia Ahern's books and really loved them. As I have said many times on this blog, I really enjoy the fairy-tale element that she brings to her writing. However, something about this book just did not sit right with me. It took me quite a while to get into the story but I honestly think that has more to do with how distracted I have felt lately, rather than the book not catching my attention.
The main character is Tamara Goodwin and she is only sixteen. I think this is perhaps what I struggled with, obviously I was 16 once but I really found it difficult to identify with the character and I didn't really understand why Cecilia Ahern had chosen such a young protagonist.
The fairy-tale element of the book was my favourite part; I can't really go into detail as it will spoil it for those who haven't read it yet. I thought it was a brilliant idea but I feel that she could have done so much more with it.
As with all of Cecilia Ahern's books, I think there will be mixed opinions. I enjoyed it but I like her other books much more! You will have to give it a go and decide for yourselves!

22.10.09

Booking Through Thursday: One Question



If you could ask your favorite author (alive or dead) one question … who would you ask, and what would the question be?

My favourite author is Daphne Du Maurier and I would ask her if the character of Mrs Danvers definitely dies in the fire at the end of Rebecca. I'm sure she does but she's such a sinister character and it makes me shiver sometimes to think that she could pop up again!
What would you ask your favourite author?

21.10.09

Apologies and Birthdays!!


Dot Scribbles has been very quiet of late! For one reason or another I just have not been reading as much, I am really enjoying the new Cecelia Ahern book but I feel like it is taking me ages to get through it and I have been very lax on the blogging front! Hopefully this shall change this week and I will be posting a bit more!
I celebrated my birthday yesterday and it was really lovely, everyone made a big effort and I had a brilliant day! Mr S completely spoilt me and got me an e-reader, it's an Elonex one from Borders and I LOVE it!! It came with a 100 books already loaded on to it, ranging from Shakespeare to Beatrix Potter, there's quite a few that I have been meaning to read so I already have plenty to choose from. As soon as I have finished my current book, I am going to download something and read it on the e-reader so I shall let you know how I get on. I don't think that I will have any problems though as it is ever so light to hold and I can't quite believe how much the screen does actually look like the page of a book! I am never going to stop buying books but I think that I am going to get a lot of use out of this present, it will be great for on holiday, no more over-weight luggage charges for me!

13.10.09

The Telegraph's Online Novel: The Dog who Came in from the Cold by Alexander McCall Smith


I was asked on Friday if I would like to take part in the Telegraph's online book club for Alexander McCall Smith's latest online novel, The Dog who Came in from the Cold. McCall Smith began writing serial novels in newspapers six years ago and this new one is part of his Corduroy Mansions series which proved highly popular with Telegraph readers last year.
I am a massive fan of the author's Ladies No.1 Detective Agency series but I had not read any of Corduroy Mansions and I am very much looking forward to reading the book which is now on its way in the post. However, back to the present! I spent the weekend catching up on The Dog who Came in from the Cold which you can find here. The Telegraph are publishing a chapter a day on-line and we are already on to chapter 19. I have never read a serialisation but I have to say that I think that it is a fantastic idea. The Telegraph gives you the option to read the chapter or you can listen to an audio clip of the lovely Andrew Sachs reading it to you.
Many of you may be completely new to the story like me so I shall try and give you a brief outline. Corduroy Mansions is block of flats in Pimlico and we get to follow the varied lives of its inhabitants.
The first character I met was William French, he is a 51 year old wine merchant. William is a widower who would like nothing more than for his grown-up son Eddie to move out. His companion in life at the moment is Freddie de la Hay, his ever faithful Pimlico Terrier. Freddie is one of my favourite characters so far and even has his own Twitter page that you can follow!
Marcia Light is one of the female tenants of Corduroy Mansions. She has her own catering business and very much has her sights set on William, however he is not interested as she is too much like his mother!
The next characters I came across were Caroline Jarvis and her boyfriend James. She lives with three other women at Corduroy Mansions, including Dee who runs a vitamin health shop. Caroline is working as an assistant to the photographer Tim Something but is extremely preoccupied with her worries over James' strange behaviour. This leads her to speak to Berthea Snark, another resident who happens to be a psychoanalyst- she believes that James has OCD and that Caroline probably has it also.
Barabara Ragg of Corduroy Mansions is a 31 year old literary agent, she is the fiance of the impossibly perfect Hugh and is having problems with her business partner, Rupert, who is deeply resentful of Barbara's Pimlico flat which he believes should rightfully be his due to previously being owned by his father.
The only other character I have met so far is Basil Wickramsinghe, a 44 year old accountant. He is a strict Anglican and very much keeps himself to himself.
The Dog who Came in from the Cold follows these people's lives and I'm sure we shall meet other characters along the way. In terms of plot, there are a few significant points. William has been visited by Angelica Brocklebank who is now working for MI6 and says that the government needs William's help and he must bring Freddie de la Hay to St James' Park which is all very intriguing! Meanwhile there will surely be fireworks with Caroline as James arrived to take her for dinner to find that she had already gone out so he invites Dee out to dinner instead.
I really am enjoying this and I hope that you take a look on the Telegraph's website to see what it's all about. McCall Smith presents every day life interspersed with fantastic characters and intriguing events.

9.10.09

The Woman in White

Well I spent the day in bed yesterday feeling very sorry for myself with an awful sore throat, temperature and aching limbs. It did allow me to finish The Woman in White though who was very good company, I shall be posting the review on November 8th as I read the book as part of Simon's Sensation Season over at Savidge Reads and I really had not expected to have finished it already.
I am going to read something a little lighter next, The Book of Tomorrow by Cecilia Ahern, I am so excited about this as I have loved all of her books and I am hoping that this one does not disappoint!

2.10.09

Super Thursday!


So it was Super Thursday yesterday!! Apparently nearly 800 books have been published just in time for Christmas! So what took your fancy then? I didn't go to the shops yesterday but I did have a good look on the Internet to see what might happen to accidentally fall into my shopping basket at the weekend! At the moment I have quite a few books on my wish list, it's my birthday this month though so I am hoping that some of them will be finding their way to my bookcase!
Top of my list is The Book of Tomorrow by Cecilia Ahern, I have loved all of her books so far and this one sounds just as good, she brings a real fairy-tale element to her stories yet they are still entirely believable. I am really looking forward to reading Heaven Can Wait by Cally Taylor, this hasn't been published yet but it sounds like it's going to be a really good read and the cover is gorgeous! I've heard really good things about Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger so that is on the list too, as well as Kate Harrison's The Secret Shopper Unwrapped and of course Marian Keye's new book which is out at the end of the month, The Brightest Star in the Sky!! It's going to be a good winter for reading this year, lots of lovely new books to choose from!!

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...