More books and book news

Look what came home from my shopping trip last last week:

I had all sorts of items on my shopping list: Essential oils, socks, Xylitol ... but not BOOKS! Not sure what happened really ... : )

My own book is making progress.The line edit is done and dusted and this week my novel is to be sent off to a copy editor. So I now have a rest  from that novel for a while. I've resumed work on my second novel, which still has a long way to go. I have 52k words and I'm on my fourth draft. I need to beef it up a bit, polish, edit, edit again... and it may be ready to send to my agent. I'd like to have it ready by this time next year. We'll see : )

I did a spot of planting in the garden today, lovely to be out in the sunshine.

Book, books, everywhere ...

I've read two further books from TBR pile, and my mum has borrowed a couple ... does that count?

Anyway, it's down to ten books now. I read Maggie and Me by Damian Barr, which is a funny and moving memoir. It's about the writer's childhood, growing up in Scotland in the 1980s under Thatcherism. It's a very personal, honest and moving account of the author's formative years, and the spectre of Maggie hovers over everything. I finished it last Sunday and the following day Maggie herself died. Can't help but feel her death and the re-awakening of all those strong feelings on all sides is serendipitous indeed for Maggie and Me. One of those things that just happens and that you can't plan for. That aside, Maggie and Me is a great read, a memoir both funny, horrifying and sad. I almost exclusively read fiction (and poetry), but this memoir was gripping from the start and I really enjoyed it. Especially the amusing mention of the incident with the "ill-advised Action Man".

Last night I stayed up until 12.45am (and I'm an 8 hours per night person so it was rather silly of me) to finish One Day by David Nicholls. Oooh. I loved it. You really get to know the characters, Emma and Dexter, inside out and you feel immense sympathy for them. Just like real friends, they annoy the hell out of you too and sometimes you just want to give them a good slap! Dexter is a bit of an arse, Emma is mostly lovely. I love all the late 80s and 90s references, and none of the period details were obtrusive. I get annoyed with novels where the research "shows", but it didn't show once in One Day. If I have a niggle, it's a bit too long for my taste and there were some needless repetitions, but they're small gripes.

Yesterday I received this in the post from Persephone books:

A catalogue, the latest magazine, and a free bookmark. I love Persephone books. I only own two of them, so I feel a shopping spree coming on. I like the fact that the work of forgotten or ignored women writers is being resurrected and made available. The books are beautifully produced, and the magazine and catalogue make delightful reading in themselves. I think I may visit the shop too next time I'm in London...

... which will be at the end of April! I'm going down there to meet my editor and my agent for lunch. I get ridiculously nervous about such occasions, but of course I'm looking forward to it too. I'm still working on the line by line edit of my novel. It's been tricky fitting in the work while the children are on their school holidays, but tomorrow school starts again so I should get it finished this week.

That's it for now. I've heard a rumour that the sun is going to shine very, very soon. We'll see!

Spring cleaning

Or should I say late winter cleaning? Either way, Ian and I have had a good go at the house today.We even washed the net curtains. Cleaning always turns to "going through" things, with a view to getting rid. Neither of us are hoarders, but in a household of seven it's easy to become cluttered. We periodically give/throw away toys, clothes, DVDs, CDs, and ... books.

I used to keep them all, but in the end I realised I had far too many, so I toughened up and filled a box or two. It was surprisingly easy to do and now I have no compunction. I always take them to charity shops, which makes me feel better. I now welcome the extra space on my shelves for, well, new books. One thing I will never do is stop buying them :)

My TBR shelf, pre-sort out. Books now ensconced on bookshelves proper (apart from one which is in a bag destined for Oxfam) 

Do you get rid of books? Or do you keep any and every book you have ever owned? How does giving away a book make you feel?

PS, in my last post I talked about Black Narcissus by Rumer Godden. It jumped right to the top of TBR pile! I couldn't resist and it was a truly wonderful read, highly recommended if you like literary, quite short, simply but beautifully written, subtle stories. The descriptions are so evocative and the characters subtly drawn. One of my very favourite writers. And this book has a very "modern" feel, despite being written in 1939.  I must now watch the film, which I've not seen.

Happy Easter. Let's hope the sun shines!

Twitter love and a new book

I have 19 books on my TBR pile and I promised myself I wouldn't buy any more until they are all read. Ah-em:

 

I just couldn't resist! 

I wanted to give Hive a go ... http://www.hive.co.uk

So I ordered this book last week and collected it today from my local indie bookstore. And it gets even better ... I Tweeted about Rumer Godden and  her great grand-daughter Tweeted me, saying how nice it was to hear people praise Rumer Godden's work. I am thrilled by that. You really can't beat Twitter for surprise interactions with interesting people. 

So, now I have to decide where Black Narcissus fits into my TBR pile. I just can't leave it languishing at the bottom ... I get the feeling this one will push in. And what about that title? It's great isn't it? Black Narcissus. It's mysterious, intriguing and beautiful. Can not wait to read this. 

First Review

I finished reading this novel on Saturday morning and I'm still thinking about it today (Monday). I think that is the sign of a very good book.  

 The View on the Way Down by Rebecca Wait. 

This is one of those novels that begins quietly, with just a hint of what is to come. We are introduced to a "normal" family - mum, dad, two sons and a daughter. As the tragic story reveals itself, we can see how this family is struggling to come to terms with the awful tragedy that affects them all. They are dysfunctional at a deep level, made all the more dysfunctional by the veneer of normality that the mother in particular tries to project. I won't go in to too much detail about the plot, as this is one of those stories that needs to be read with uncluttered eyes, but I think by the end you will be weeping like I was. Along the way there are flashes of humour too, and it's not at all gloom and doom; it is incredibly uplifting and moving with a happy-ish ending. Do read it, it's a wonderful novel. 

(I was fortunate to be given a proof copy; the hardback will be published in April 2013)

First Post

Welcome to my new, deluxe writer's blog. I'm going to talk about books, reading, writing, will probably review a few books that I particularly enjoy, and I will definitely update progress on my forthcoming novel Mrs Sinclair's Suitcase. 

Now, I need to figure out Blogger and try to add Following buttons and all that kind of thing ... very complicated! I am so not a techy type of person and it takes me hours to work this sort of thing out ... why so complicated, Blogger??

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