Non book stuff- the boy, Ashes to Ashes, London, Homesickness

Well, firstly it is half term :) I am loving being at home with my little man, but he is such hard work and definitely in a destructive phase. It is exhausting just watching him! He really is a bundle of energy and he needs less sleep than me which is leaving me feeling more and more zombiefied. He does counteract that by being great fun though and some of the things he says has me in stitches. He calls spaghetti 'forgetti'! And he says 'it's too big' about anything that he is unsure about- slides which are bigger than he is used to, Big Ben, giraffes....

We were in London over the weekend which was a lot of fun, but again hard work. We got to see a lot of the tourist sights and also went to some of the Ashes to Ashes locations. St Dunstans in the East (where Alex was shot by Gene in 2.8) is absolutely beautiful. I can imagine it is a bit creepy on your own, as the light is blocked out by lots of high walls, but it really is a stunning place away from the hubbub of the city. I don't think I could live in London, but I would love the anonimity of being there, and how anything goes.

Speaking of living places, I am getting really homesick again...I just feel really alone. I don't really have people that I can just 'hang about' with here, and it is hard.

I have no motivation for anything at the minute.

May 2010 books

Georgy Girl- Margaret Forster
I nearly gave up on this one, but it got a bit more interesting so I persevered. Interesting take on what makes a relationship work, and I always enjoy books that are set in or were written in 50s/60s. I see that it has been made in to a film so I might check that out some time.

Ugly Shy Girl-
Very short, modern take on being an outsider. Cried at one part as it was too close to home. The end got a bit ridiculous though.

The Jane Austen Book Club -Karen Joy Fowler
I did enjoy this book, it was about the book club but moreso about the people that were there, and each chapter had a focus on a particular character. Not sure how it worked a a film- anyone seen it? Might check it out if it is on Sky anytime soon.

The Tower Room- Adele Geras
Quite enjoyed this short teen read based on the story of Rapunzel. I liked the three girls in the story, Bella, Megan and Alice and it made me quite nostalgic about my own young friendships. A bit I loved was how you can talk about anything in the dark- made me think of late nights at sleepovers!

April 2010 reads

Anything Goes- John Barrowman
Mum to Mum- Coleen Nolan
Trust Me- I'm a Junior Doctor- Max Pemberton
Dear Teacher- Jack Sheffield
Random Acts of Heroic Love- Danny Scheinmann

I have also given up on A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth and will probably give up on Georgy Girl by Margaret Forster.

March reads (and the journey of a book)

Chicken Soup for every Moms Soul- Various

The Baby Diaries- Tess Daly

Noah's Compass- Anne Tyler- unfinished as it had to go back to the library! Will get it out again though as quite liked what I had read.

Rebecca- Daphne du Maurier- my best read of the month!

Rebecca was for my book group, and I absolutely loved it, it is a book that I am going to keep and there aren't many of those these days. I have had this book for a good few years just waiting to be read and one of the things I love about it is its journey. My friend Sarah passed it on to me, and she in turn got it from our friend Mark- so I know at least two other people who read the exact same copy as me-Do you remember where you got it from Sparks?!. At some point it has come from a charity shop, and it has a label on the back with the price. As much as I love new books, I love knowing that I am reading a book that others have read, it feels like it has lived.

February Reads

The Lost Symbol- Dan Brown Enjoyed it, and perfect for what I need, nothing heavy. Same formula as all the others of his!

The To Do List- Mike Gayle Good fun book about a guy aiming to complete his 1,277 item long to do list

How I lived a year on just a pound a day- Kath Kelly Not as good as I had hoped re:tips, but it was an interesting read.

Good Times- Justin Lee Collins Quite fancied this as find him quite funny and he is from Bristol, so not far from my neck of teh woods. Not overly impressed though.

The Time of my LIfe- Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi This is really touching, a proper love story. So heartbreaking to think of how awful it must be to lose a partner._________________

Things to make and do...

Well, new babies mean 'MAKING!', so I have been busy knitting for my newest niece. There are two nearly completed items, a bright orange cardigan and a pink flecked bolero. I will try and get a pic of them when they are finished. I also made a little taggie blanket/comforter/burp cloth, which turned out well for my first attempt at sewing in a long time! Definitely inspired me to do more craft.

My January Reads

Ooh! What a Lovely Pair- Ant and Dec
The Brightest Star in the Sky- Marian Keyes
Dear Sebastian- Christine Horgan (compiled by)
Chicken Soup for the Parents Soul- Various
The Thrift Book- India Knight
The Wasp Factory- Iain Banks
Breaking Dawn- Stephenie Meyer

No real stand outs there. My book of the month would be ' Dear Sebastian'- a collection of letters from notable Irish people to Sebastian, a little boy who's Dad died. Basically it is advice that they would give.

I am really into reading letters at the moment, maybe because my attention span is short!