Growing up with Paddington & Paddington 2

Marmalade sandwiches all round!  Paddington is back in the cinema but before I get to talking about the film, I want to take you back in time.  Not far, just a couple of weeks, to half-term when we were in London.

Lucas happened across a mention of a props exhibition for Paddington 2 at The Museum of London while reading 'First News'.  (An excellent introduction to tough news stories for kids.). I looked it up online and discovered that not only was there an exhibition, there was to be a talk the next day by Karen Jankel, Michael Bond's daughter, all about growing up with Paddington!

Book Review: The Earth Hums in B Flat

Young Gwenni Morgan has a gift. She can fly in her sleep. She’s also fond of strawberry whip, detective stories and asking difficult questions. When a neighbour mysteriously vanishes, she resolves to uncover the secret of his disappearance and return him to his children. She truthfully records what she sees and hears: but are her deductions correct? What is the real truth? And what will be the consequences – for Gwenni, her family and her community – of finding it out? Gwenni Morgan is an unforgettable creation, and this portrait of life in a small Welsh town on the brink of change in the 1950s is enthralling, moving and utterly real. Mari Strachan’s debut is a magical novel that will transport you to another time and place.

I am not known for having my finger on the pulse of book releases, but even so I can’t quite believe that The Earth Hums in B Flat has been out since 2009 and I’ve only just discovered it!

Book Benches around London

This is another one of those woefully overdue posts.  We went up to London at the end of August for the weekend as an end-of-summer treat for Lucas.  One of the big draws for me was the Books About Town book bench art trail around the city and we decided to combine tracking down benches with seeing some of the sights I've somehow managed to miss on my previous eleventy-million (slight exaggeration) visits to London.

I love these art trails which are all the rage these days.  Gromit Unleashed was the highlight of our summer last year and as I love books even more than Gromit, I was all set to absolutely adore this one.

The trail is now over, however, the benches are all congregating for one last hurrah prior to the auction on the 7th of October.  For this weekend (4-5 October, 2014) you can visit all of the benches at Gordon Square Garden WC1.

St Paul's Cathedral

We found our first three book benches in the shadow of St Paul's.  I had really wanted to walk around the cathedral and visit the Whispering Gallery but oh my god, the price.  I'm still struggling with the concept of paying to go into a church, even more with the idea of spending almost £100 for a family of three.  Still, there was plenty of gorgeous architecture for me to admire from the outside and once I'd had my fill, we went book bench hunting.

Mary Poppins

Our first bench was Mary Poppins.  I almost wish we'd seen another one first, as this was such a disappointment to me.  She looks wrong and nice.  I appreciate that it's highly stylised--check out the cherry trees--but it just felt wrong for the book.  Lucas wasn't very impressed, either.

Still, things picked up dramatically with Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch just a few steps along the square.

Fever Pitch

And I cooed over the Peter Pan bench for ages before I got dragged off to see the rest of The City.

Peter Pan bench

Isn't it perfect?  So whimsical and the watercolours are perfect for the book.  I love the gilt-edged pages and Peter's shadow is sword-fighting on the back!

The back of the Peter Pan bench

There turned out to be quite a few book benches near St Paul's.  I bought the unofficial app as we strolled along to make sure we didn't miss any along the way.

Usborne's That's not my...Bench

Lucas grew up with the Usborne "That's not my..." books so we all went a bit gaga over this bench.  His crazy-obsessive meerkat phase may be be over, but he still does a great meerkat impression.  Simples!

We crossed the Millennium Bridge--did you know it was in the Guardians of the Galaxy film?--and headed towards The Globe.  Another place I've never been to before!

Shakespeare's London

From The Globe, we walked down the Thames Path, enjoying the sunshine and the hunt.

Great Expectations

Lucas was pretty damn excited to find the Paddington Bear bench.  Unsurprisingly it was really, really popular.  There was actually a queue to take photographs!

Please look after this bear

Another super-popular bench was Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's From Scarecrows to The Gruffalo.  It even had my favourite--Room on the Broom!

From Scarecrows to The Gruffalo

It was such a lovely walk.  I've never seen the Square Mile from the Southbank so I was happily fascinated all the way.  I didn't realise until the next day just how far we'd walked in our quest for the book benches!!

Such a great view!

After a pit-stop in Leon for lunch we started our quest again.  Just outside the restaurant was the War Horse bench.  I've never read the book or seen the play, but the bench was certainly very poignant.  Stark, simple and beautiful.

War Horse

Here's my favourite bench of them all.  The Librarian of Unseen University in Ankh-Morpork.  He seems to have the same approach to filing books as me.  Stack 'em high!

The Librarian 

There was a bit of a cluster of benches around City Hall...

Through the Looking Glass

Dr Seuss

How To Train Your Dragon

None of us had any idea that the How To Train Your Dragon movies came from a book!  I was really surprised when I googled and found that there were loads and loads of them!

Clarice Bean

I'm not familiar at all with Clarice Bean--I thought she was Lola from Charlie and Lola--but I agree with the sentiment.

On Sunday we intended to track down loads more lovely book benches, but just after we'd found our first two in Russell Square it started to rain.  Honestly, it was like the beginning of monsoon season.  So there we were, the three of us sheltering under a not-very-big tree with one very small umbrella, no coats, and the rain absolutely soaking my back.  We gave up on the benches right then and squelched off to Costa.  There's a slight possibility that we might be fair-weather adventurers!

So here are our last two.

Double-0-Lucas

Lucas and Dave loved this bench so much.  It's so wonderfully old-school Bond and super-cool.

Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folly

Our last bench was Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folly.  This was an early short story which got expanded by Agatha into Dead Man's Folly and the Miss Marple short story Grenshaw's Folly.  I'd love to read the original work at some point for fun!

I really wish that I could go up to London and see the benches all laid out together.  Hopefully a blogger or two will visit and take some beautiful pictures!

Book review: The Goldfinch

When we set off for Cornwall back in August, I carefully selected--well, loaded onto the Kindle--several books that I'd been really looking forward to reading.  And wouldn't you know it?  When I snuggled into the corner of the sofa, mug of coffee in hand after a lovely day of wandering around little villages, none of them appealed to me.

I started, and quickly closed, several books, frustration levels rising with every book that wasn't quite right for the mood I was in.  Tell me I'm not alone in this!  It's bloody miserable not being able to settle into a book.

After utterly wasting half an hour, I headed over to my Amazon wishlist and treated myself to The Goldfinch in the hopes that it would manage to hold my attention for at least five pages.

It held my attention for the next five days.

Aged thirteen, Theo Decker, son of a devoted mother and a reckless, largely absent father, survives an accident that otherwise tears his life apart. Alone and rudderless in New York, he is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. He is tormented by an unbearable longing for his mother, and down the years clings to the thing that most reminds him of her: a small, strangely captivating painting that ultimately draws him into the criminal underworld. As he grows up, Theo learns to glide between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love - and his talisman, the painting, places him at the centre of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle.


The Goldfinch is a haunted odyssey through present-day America and a drama of enthralling power. Combining unforgettably vivid characters and thrilling suspense, it is a beautiful, addictive triumph - a sweeping story of loss and obsession, of survival and self-invention, of the deepest mysteries of love, identity and fate.

Whist it was a definite page-turner I felt let down by Donna Tartt's writing.  The book is proudly proclaimed (on the cover) to be a Pulitzer Prize winning book and I expected a lot more from it than I actually received.

Don't get me wrong, it's a decent yarn.  I got caught up quite quickly in Theo's story, rolling my eyes as he did particularly stupid thing, and cheering him on when he was making something of himself.  (I spent rather a lot of the latter stages of the book wanting to throttle him, though.)  I loved both Andy and Boris, such total opposites but providing perfect foils for Theo's state of mind and age at the time we encounter them.  And Hobie!  A fantastic character and vividly portrayed.

Tartt does a fantastic job of capturing people and the minutiae of everyday life, but the book does rather get bogged down in long-winded descriptions of almost every piece of furniture encountered in the second and third acts, and other such little things.  Like Tolkein and J.K. Rowling, a bolder editor would have been a good friend to her...

Overall, the book is a coming of age story, with an interesting plot and about 100 pages of needless and paper-thin philosophy tacked onto the end.  I've encountered deeper and more meaningful philosophy in Terry Pratchett books, which he deftly inserts throughout the narrative, so I didn't feel overly impressed by afterthought tacked onto the end.  It felt very much as though Tartt suddenly remembered that she was writing "The Great American Novel" which must be philosophical and life-altering, so she tacked a bit on the end.

Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed The Goldfinch--I kept sneaking off to read more of it after all--I just didn't feel that it deserved all of the accolades that have been heaped upon it.  My advice is to take it out of the library and make up your own mind!

Book Review: The Language of Spells

When you are ready, seek, and you shall find. It is your gift.


Gwen Harper left Pendleford thirteen years ago and hasn’t looked back. Until an inheritance throws her into the mystical world she thought she’d escaped. Confronted with her great-aunt’s legacy Gwen must finally face up to her past.

The magic she has long tried to suppress is back with a vengeance but gift or burden, for Gwen, it always spells trouble. She has to stay – she has nowhere else to go – but how can she find her place in the town that drove her out after branding her a witch…?

I must admit that this really isn't my usual sort of book at all--I may be a bit snobbish when it comes to 'chick lit'--but it was a Kindle bargain at the unbeatable price of free, so I couldn't resist.

Much to my surprise it was really rather good.  I zoomed through it in two days, and that was only because I had to go to sleep.  It really is a proper page-turner; I haven't been so caught up in a story since I read A Game of Thrones for the first time.

I really liked that magic wasn't the main focus of the story.  It's definitely there, but it's not in your face.  (I've read some dreadful urban fantasy books over the years, so this was a welcome relief.)  This is a book about relationships.  Gwen's relationship with her ex, Cam, who is stiff and distant when she returns to Pendleford, her rather strained and fraught relationship with her sister, to whom she is pretty much a polar opposite, and her developing relationship with the townsfolk who either welcome her with distrust or expect her to fix all her problems, just like her Aunt did.

The plot flows well, and there were some twists and turns that came as genuine surprises--my favourite thing is guessing whodunnit or motive and I like to think I'm pretty good at it!  I've held off on reading the sequel, "The Secrets of Ghosts", until my summer holiday as I wanted to be able to relax and enjoy it; as you read this,. I'll be tucked up in a cosy cottage, iPad in hand, and a slice of cake in easy reach.  Bliss...

The Language of Spells is a satisfying and engrossing read; I'd give it 8/10.

Craft inspiration

Oooh!  Look at this exciting parcel that's just arrived for me!

It's the bundle of craft books that I won in a giveaway from Mathilde heart Manech, a couple of weeks ago.  How very exciting!  Let's unwrap it...

They all look wonderful, but I'm particularly drawn to Just Sew Stories--can't resist a good pun--and Make It and Mend It.  I think I'll spend the afternoon curled up on the sofa, flicking through all these lovely books and sipping coffee.  I'm going to have so much crafty fun with these for inspiration!

Thanks so much, Lisa! xx

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My Life in Books tag (#BEDM 6)

A couple of weeks ago the lovely Jenny from Sunny Sweet Pea tagged me in her Life in Books tag.  I've had a life-long love affair with books, so answering these questions has been an absolute ball!

1. What is the first book you remember reading?

I remember reading the Roger Red-hat books in Primary One.  (Wikipedia tells me that the series was actually called One, Two, Three and Away but I'm not sure I ever knew that as it doesn't ring a bell.)

We were pretty competitive about which books we were reading.  I seem to remember zooming through the series and going on to far more interesting books like The Garden Gang books I was reading at home.






2. What books make up your childhood?

I read so, so much as a child.  Our next door neighbour was the school librarian and she always made sure I had a huge trunk of books to get me through the summer holidays as well as frequent trips to the library!

I devoured every boarding school story I could get my hands on and was desperate to go to one where life seemed so much nicer and bullies were dealt with swiftly and sometimes even became your friend after they'd repented and Learned To Be a Better Person.  Mallory Towers sounded wonderful, especially the midnight feasts!

The Nancy Drew mysteries were an absolute staple on my bookshelves.  I think I must have read them all several times over before starting to 'borrow' my Mum's Dick Francis and Dennis Bagley books, much to her horror!  Crime fiction is still one of my big loves.

3. What's the first series of books you devoured?

The Chalet School books by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer.  I am five books short of the complete set and naturally, those books are astronomically expensive on Amazon!!  The exotic location in the Tyrol was a huge draw, and I loved reading about life on the continent.  Especially kaffe und kutchen, with EBDs loving description of cakes covered with 'clouds of whipped cream'.  I was convinced for years that the books were stories from a real school!

There is quite an active fandom out there for these books with organised trips to the Tyrol, touring around the book locations.  I need to win the Lottery so that I can take myself off on one!

Every so often I bury myself in nostalgia for a couple of weeks and read my way through the whole lot, accompanied by plenty of milky coffee and plenty of cake!

4. What books have you, or could you, read over and over again?

I've read the collected edition of The Dark Is Rising series by Susan Cooper many, many times.  It's quite an old book now, but it really does stand the test of time and the writing is fabulous with incredibly strong characterisation.

It's a familiar story...the battle between good and evil, with Arthurian legend and Welsh legend thrown in.  The innocence and strength (resilience, too) of children plays a huge role.  If you haven't read it, then you're missing out!  And whatever you do...do not watch the film version!!!

5. What books take you back to a certain point in your life and why?

Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowmen was the first Doctor Who book I ever read. I was probably about nine and didn't know about regeneration yet, so I assumed it was another story about the Fifth (or possibly Sixth) Doctor.

Stephen King's Four Past Midnight was the first book to properly terrify me.  The Library Policeman novella scared the living daylights out of me, so much so that I was too scared to take my one day late book back to the library and hid it under a chair in my bedroom for months.  It turned out that my Mum was far scarier than the Library Policeman when she eventually found it!

6. What book changed your life, or could at least change someone elses?

I'm not sure that it changed my life, but Sophie's World has played on my mind for a number of years.  Philosophy has never been something I've paid any attention to.  In fact, I've always been quite fond of this quote from Small Gods:

"What's a philosopher?" said Brutha.
"Someone who's bright enough to find a job with no heavy lifting," said a voice in his head.

I found this book intriguing, confusing and irritating in equal measures but there's something about it that keeps me re-reading occasionally.

7. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, which book would it be?

Today Lucas asked me what my favourite flavour of ice-cream was.  I actually stopped on the spot for five minutes while my brain simultaneously exploded at the idea of having to choose and also running through every flavour I'd ever tried.  I mention this because the same thing is happening again right now!  Choosing just one book is hard!

(Coconut ice-cream with a hint of lime, if you were wondering. Absolutely no flakes or bits of coconut in it though--smooooooth all the way.)

I think that I would read The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.  There's always some new subtle nuance to discover and they're just plain fun!

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If you're a bookworm, then feel free to join in with the fun!

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World Book Day

Today is World Book Day (although, in our house every day feels like World Book Day) and as ever, this means dressing up.

Lucas's class has been studying African folk tales so they were all asked to dress up as their favourite African animal.  Lucas, being Lucas, decided that he wanted to be a rhinoceros as he really liked Running Rhino by Mweyne Hadithi.

If you ever find yourself in the peculiar position of needing to make a rhino costume, then craft foam and a hot glue gun are your friends.  I think every parent should be issued with a stash of craft foam and a hot glue gun when their child goes to primary school--so many costumes!  I also made a short tail for Lucas to wear from duck tape--love this stuff--which he has loved swishing around.

The cutest rhino you'll ever meet!

To round things off, here's a #shelfie of Lucas with his latest book, in front of a couple of bookcases rammed full of comics and graphic novels.

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The Year In Books: February

Last month I read Eleven Doctors, Eleven Stories, an anthology celebrating the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who.  Aside from one dud story--really disliked the Fourth Doctor's adventure--I thoroughly enjoyed the book.  I'd recommend it to any Whovian.

This month, after a lot of deliberation, I've chosen Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers.  I've had this on my wishlist for ages and February seemed as good a time as any to delve into it.  Mary Roach covers everything from the life after death of cadavers in the anatomy lab, and the interesting yet respectful relationship medical students form with them, through to cadavers in Body Farms furthering our understanding of human forensics and helping to catch killers.

I realise this isn't everyone's cup of tea, but if you've got an interest in squishy science--on my first day at Uni, I gloved up in front of a full lecture theatre and was given a human brain to hold--medicine, or just love CSI/Bones/Dexter, then this may be a fun read for you!

Joining in with Laura's Year in Books meme.

Life lately...

Source

Well hello, there!

I seem to have been away with the fairies of late.  With all the horrid weather we've been having, I've opted to curl up on the sofa with a blanket and indulge in lots and lots of reading rather than do anything else, like, you know...blogging.  My poor little blog--consider this a big bloggy hug for it.

So, lately I've been reading...

I romped through half of The Husband's Secret last night and polished off the rest this morning.  It's a very easy read, but I can't really recommend it.  Yes, I found myself enjoying it, but what should have been a very complicated and emotional subject just wasn't.  There was some snappy dialogue but ultimately the characters felt like caricatures.  I wanted more and was, well, left wanting.

Prisoners of Time was the 50th Anniversary Doctor Who story.  It's taken a while for the collected versions to be available digitally, so each volume feels like a real treat.  I'm thoroughly enjoying the Fifth Doctor's encounter with the Rutans and Sontarans!  (And really looking forward to the Seventh Doctor story!  Might be a bit biased.)

I mentioned recently that I've been reading Cavewomen Don't Get Fat, and following its paleo detox protocol.  I managed almost a whole week of super-low carb eating before I succumbing to the charms of a Danish pastry and promptly felt dreadful.  I did lose 6 pounds which has stayed off and I feel much perkier after eating loads of green veggies.  I'm going to add in the occasional sweet potato and a little bit of cheese and keep on keeping on.  There's steak in the fridge, so I'm a happy girl.  (I should also note that my performance at the gym improved loads when I was eating uber-strictly which is a decent incentive.)

Mind The Gap is an ongoing comic series, which centres around the mysterious conspiracy surrounding the attack on Elle Peterssen on a subway platform by Jim McCann.  Elle's body winds up in a coma, but her mind ends up in a strange world elsewhere.  There are so many twists and turns, and few people are who they seem to be.  I've read all three collected volumes and I'm anxiously awaiting vol.4!  If you liked LOST then I'd totally recommend this to you!

* * *

I've taken to buying a bunch of flowers every week or so.  Here's the latest bunch that are brightening up our hallway!  I think it'll be a traditional jam jar of daffodils next time.

* * *

Lately I have also been window shopping for fabric!  I've signed up for a W.I. lampshade making workshop with an eye to making a shade for the upstairs landing light.  We've never managed to get around to buying a shade--it's not like we've lived here for six years...oh, wait... When I spotted the workshop it felt like it was Meant To Be!

I quite like this Heather Bailey fabric... I'll need to pop along to the fabric shop and see it in person this weekend and make sure the pattern isn't too overwhelming in volume.  If all goes well, I'll find some suitably geeky fabric to make a shade for Dave's Man Cave.  I'd forgotten that we don't have a shade in there either...whoops!

* * *

Talking of the W.I., I have signed up to join our choir!  I've wanted to join one for ages, but the local choirs have either been horrendously expensive or too far away for me to want to drive on a cold and wet evening, even for the sheer awesomeness of a Rock Choir.  This one is just right.  And yes, I'm well aware that I sound like Goldilocks!  I'm rather excited as I do love a good sing-song and I haven't done much singing since the Gospel Choir that I was part of at Uni.  Time to see if I can still hold a tune!* * *
I have also been chortling with glee over this rather fun thing I found on Facebook... Possibly only funny to other mums?  I couldn't possibly comment on my style... *cough*Godfather*cough*

* * *
Lastly, I am really, really looking forward to going on the Harry Potter Studio Tour in half-term!  I've wanted to go for ages.  They're having the animal actors visit during half-term which almost makes up for not getting to see a snowy Hogwarts!  I want some Butterbeer, pumpkin juice and pretty much every themed food on offer!!!
What have y'all been up to lately?
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The year in books: January

There's nothing better than a good book, is there?  Falling head-first into the pages of someone else's story and re-emerging several hours later, as happy as a pig in mud.  I love books, but in recent years I've found myself reading less than I'd like to.

I was delighted when I spotted that the lovely Laura from Circle of Pine Trees had recently shared that she was feeling the same way.  So much so, that she's set up a regular feature on her blog to share the books she's reading, and is inviting fellow bookworms to join in.

This month I have chosen to read the Doctor Who 50th anniversary anthology--that's quite a mouthful--which features a story for each of the incarnations of the Doctors.  I am particularly excited to read Neil Gaiman's effort as his writing is always a treat, but I am being good and not skipping ahead to the end!

I have just started the Fourth Doctor's story after loving the first three, especially the First Doctor's Victorian adventure.  I'm looking forward to more amazing adventures!

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Got the post-Sherlock blues?

Do you find yourself shuffling around muttering "but seriously, how did he survive the fall?"  Do strangers nervously back away from you when you randomly say, "Did you miss me?  How can they leave it like that?!"  At a bus stop.  Or is that just me?

If so, you may be suffering from post-Sherlock blues.

Fear not!  There is hope for you.  Series 4 has been commissioned and in the meantime, here are some suggestions to tide you over, in the hopefully-not-two-years until series 4 airs...

Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start

Re-watch the series from the beginning.   Enjoy Sherlock & John's budding bromance--Mrs Hudson is not alone in her assumptions--and see how fast you can solve it.  Netflix has the first two series, in both the UK and USA versions at the moment, or there are of course the DVDs and Blurays.  Spin them out for as long as possible, watching all the extras for once, and of course keep a notebook beside you to jot down clues!  Series 3 comes out on the 20th of January, if you deleted it by mistake.  Quelle horreur!

Read (or re-read) the original Sir Arthur Conan Doyle works

If you don't already have the original Conan-Doyle stories, then you should treat yourself to this gorgeous leatherbound edition which contains the four novels and 56 short stories.  At £16.25 it's a bit of a bargain!  To get an even better look at the book, which is quite frankly majestic, take a look here.  Go on, I'll wait... Isn't it gorgeous?

If you fear being crushed beneath the weight of this tome, then perhaps a Kindle edition might be less intimidating?  The Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection may be more up your street.  At £1.99 it's more expensive than some of the other Sherlock Holmes collections available on Amazon, but it's the only one I've seen which hasn't been needlessly fiddled with, or missing stories.

Go to the theatre

A couple of years ago Dave and I saw an amazing production of The Hound of the Baskervilles at the (now defunct) Brewhouse Theatre in Taunton.  Since then I've been rather keen to see more of Holmes at the theatre.  The Pleasance Theatre Trust in London, is putting on a production of The Final Revelation of Sherlock Holmes in February and March 2014.

Read a comic...

via SelfMadeHero

SelfMadeHero have published all four of the Sherlock Holmes novels in graphic novel adaptations.  (That's comics, if you don't speak geek.)  They're rather good; the depictions of Holmes and Watson are very close to the original drawings and the adaptation to comic art cuts out bits of (unnecessary) waffle.  Well worth a read--we've got three of them so far and I totally recommend them.

Visit the Sherlock Holmes Museum

If you're in London, then why not take a trip to the Sherlock Holmes Museum at 221B Baker Street?  I haven't been--yet--but Dave took a couple of friends there and they had a great time.  I wouldn't make a special trip, but if you're in London anyway, it's worth a look!

Watch the classics and the new pretender

Before Sherlock came out, I was always a staunch defender of the Jeremy Brett, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes series.  To me, it was the Definitive Holmes, just as David Suchet is the Definitive Poirot.  But then I fell in love with Sherlock, and his war-damaged John.  By the time Elementary came out, I was derisive and adamantly against John Watson becoming Joan Watson...you'll never guess what's coming.  I adore Elementary.  It may save brainache on my part if I just view them all as AU or Elseworlds versions...  They're all fabulous in their own way, and Watson has the patience of a saint, regardless of gender.

So there you have it.  Plenty of Holmesian ways to amuse yourself while you wait patiently (or not-so) for Sherlock to return to our screens.  Alternatively, you could curl up into a little ball and cry.

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Today I am elsewhere...

Via Pinterest

Today I am tremendously excited to say that I am guest blogging over at MissMelvis's fantastic blog, Me, Bookshelf & I with a book review of a recent read!  I'd love it if you popped over to have a read.

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