It's Monday - What r u reading?

                                                        Hosted by Sheila at Book Journey


Come along, join in or just browse to see what others are reading.

Last week I finished and reviewed

The Scarlet Kimono by Christina Courtenay here

In my postbox I received

India Black by Carol K Carr
Perhaps Tomorrow by Jean Fullerton

This week I am reading

India Black by Carol K Carr  and
Miss Julia Speaks her mind by Ann B Ross

What does your reading week look like?

Saturday Snapshot!

Spring has sprung!

The first crocus in my mum's garden. 
Not a David Bailey shot as I took the photo  on my phone!

carol

My week by AJ

It has been half term here this week.  I am keeping myself busy emptying every toy box I can.

On Thursday I helped C with her GCSE Catering revision.  She is trying to perfect her swiss roll and bread roll recipes.   I just couldn't stand by and watch her.  I had to get stuck in.

Mummy says don't look at the recycling box on the floor!

Mummy seemed quite pleased with my latest artist offering.  She has even put it up on the wall.  I am starting to realise that I can put lots of colours together without running all into one.

Daddy and mummy are taking us all to the cinema on Sunday. It will be my first time watching a film at the cinema.  We are going to see Gnomeo and Juliet in 2d as I hate those 3d glasses and won't keep them on.

It's Friday!

I started to get a little restless yesterday.  Thank goodness I had plenty of reading to keep me going.
Our internet and tv was down all day!

Blog hops for today are



Come and join the hops!


UK Bloggers check out the UK/Ireland giveaway (on left hand sidebar)  ending today!

The question at Crazy for books today is

"Do you ever wish you would have named your blog something different?"

I do like the title of my blog but do feel that "Little" is a little misleading these days.  Are you still with me? LOL.

I had seen so many fabulous looking blogs filled to the brim that my new blog seemed very little in comparison.  It is not looking so little now. :)

The DizzyC comes from a nickname at home that seems to have stuck.
I am quite forgetful and repeat myself several times when talking....so my partner called me Dizzy.

Quick reminder U K giveaway

Review: The Scarlet Kimono - Christina Courtney

The Scarlet Kimono by Christina Courtenay

Publisher - Choclit

Publish date -1st March 2011 - UK

ISBN - 978 1 906931 29 2

The Blurb
England, 1611, and young Hannah Marston envies her brother's adventurous life.  But, when she stows away on his merchant ship, her powers of endurance are stretched to their limit. Then they reach Japan and all her suffering seems worthwhile - until she is abducted by Taro Kumashiro's warriors.

Hannah is betrothed to a ghastly man, Mr  Hesketh.  She cannot bear the thought of her future with this man and decides to stow away on her brother's ship bound for Japan.
She manages to hide her identity by posing as a young boy, which brings problems of it's own. 

Meanwhile, in Japan,  Taro Kumashiro marries a beautiful woman, but she loves another.
Taro's adviser and seer has a vision of a woman visiting, on a ship, who could bring danger.

When the ship docks in Japan, Hannah, still undiscovered as a woman, is rumbled by a local and is kidnapped by warriors.

What is to be Hannah's fate in this foreign land and in the disguise of a young boy?

This fast paced, action packed story was exciting from the first chapter.  Bravery in the toughest of situations, relationships, love and loss.  A mix of emotions, all captured in a gripping storyline.

Well researched and full of interesting detail about early trading ships discovering Japan and the traditions of both England and Japan at that time.  i enjoyed reading about the different traditions and lifestyles. 

I really enjoyed this novel.  The Haiku was a lovely touch.


4 out of 5 for me! 

Choclit Publishers kindly sent me a copy of this book for review.  This did not influence my review in any way.

Monday non-reading memes

These are the non-reading memes I am joining in today.  Firstly, Mama Monday and scroll down for the  Over 40's meme .



I missed the first of these last week as I was so busy but glad to be joining in today.Pop along to Toddler awesome and join in the fun.

This weeks questions:
1. How did you come to have a 'mommy blog'?

I have book blog with a dash of mommy mixed in. A big dash sometimes.  Us mummies love to talk about our babies big and small. Plus not everyone shares my love of books.  :) 


2. What do you do? Do you WAH or homeschool etc?

I am stay at home at the moment.  You could say I am homeschooling my toddler until he goes to full-time school.  I gave up my job as a teaching assistant to concentrate on giving the youngest a good start like his older siblings.  I did try to juggle work with a toddler and teens but was spreading myself too thin.

Books and blogging are my only hobbies at present.  (Years gone by have seen me dabbling in cross stitching, sewing, knitting, genealogy and reading)

3. Have you read any parenting books or do you 'go it alone'?

I do consult parenting books when I feel I need extra advice and support.  I did buy the "Raising Boys" book when I had my 2nd child as I wasn's sure what to do with this alien species that was running amok in my house!  Boys are so different to girls.  Some great ideas in there and really helped me see how a boys mind works.

                                                   ***************************


 This weeks questions : 

 

1. Did you get any Valentine's Gifts?
No, we don't 'do' Valentines but my gorgeous partner did cook candlelit dinner on the Saturday .
2. What is your favorite topping on something toasted?
Marmite or Lemon curd
3. Do you pick out your outfit the night before?
If I have a special occasion but if not, it is whatever I can find that will suit the days activities.
4. What food item do you absolutely despise?
Nuts.  Hate the taste.
5. Righty or lefty?
Lefty.  My partner, my son, my brother and several cousins are all Lefties too.  I cannot use a can opener or scissors easily.  I have trouble with some doors handles too. 


A quick note.  Java at Never Growing Old has a message on her blog for all you followers of her community and memes.  Java is taking a break for a while. I shall miss the Over 40's memes.  Thank you, Java! All the best.  See you later!

It's Monday! What r u reading?

Hosted by Sheila at Book Journey

Come along, join in or just browse to see what others are reading. 

Last week

I am on the last couple of chapters of The Scarlet Kimono by Christina Courntenay.  Really enjoying this historical romance

 Check out the author article and UK/Ireland giveaway Here

This Week

I plan to put a dent in my TBR shelves.  I need more space for more delicious reads.

Miss Julia Speaks her Mind by Ann B Ross is my next read. 

I get some of my books from overseas.  Hooray for the internet!

What does your reading week look like?

Oldest mummy

Now, this is a fairly good photo of me,

considering I hate all photos of me,

and looking at my fabulous curls rather than the double chin,

there is a point to this ramble........oh, yes, I remember.......

it has dawned on me this week, only taken a whole school term, that I am the most senior mummy on the play school playground!

I don't just look older, I feel older!   Those yummy mummies are not only half my age  but also managing to chase after a toddler in heels.  I can only manage my heels on a 'once a month'  night out with my partner when there is no toddler in tow.

My Clark's loafers and extra padded coat are a dead giveaway of my advancing years.  I can no longer drop the kids off a school in a thin jacket and fashion shoes.  I kneel down to change AJ's outdoor shoes and take longer to get up.

I knew when I had AJ that, just as I had managed to escape the playground parade with the older children,  it would come around again.  Now it is here I am seeing it from a different angle and I need my glasses too.

I know I can rise above the politics of whether little "coco" is reading 2 levels ahead of the rest of the class or "has your little one been invited to such and such party?". 

Been there done that, got the t-shirt, t-shirt now too tight and not quite warm enough, but I thought I wouldn't have any worries in the playground 2nd time around.

Now, I worry if my grey roots are showing,

whether that outfit makes me look like a granny,

do they think I am AJ'S GRANNY?

This latest one popped into my head when I saw a new little girl starting at AJ's playschool and I realised I went to school with her Granny!

I am only a few years away from the possibility of being a Granny, Mummy in the playground. 

Blog Tour - Christina Courtenay and chance to win signed copy

Today is is an honour and pleasure to have Christina Courtenay as a guest, stopping off on her blog tour for her latest novel The Scarlet Kimono.

Hi Carol, thank you so much for inviting me to be a guest on your lovely site!



I thought I’d start by telling you a little bit about myself - like you, I’ve always loved to read. As a child, I was caught countless times reading Enid Blyton books under the covers with the help of a torch and told to turn it off, although of course I turned it back on again as soon as my parents had left the room. It’s still my favourite pastime and I love the way books transport you to another world. It never occurred to me to write novels myself though until I had my first child and decided I wanted to stay at home with her. What better way to earn a living at the same time than to write a book, I thought. And how hard could it be? Well, very, as it turned out. My first full-length novel was eventually published the same week as my daughter left home twenty years later – that made me laugh!

However, once I’d started to write, I discovered how much fun it was and I became hooked, so it didn’t really matter. Now I write historical romance with a hint (often more!) of the Far East and my second novel The Scarlet Kimono is out very soon. It’s the story of Hannah, a young English girl in 17th century England who envies her brother’s adventurous life. She decides to stow away on his merchant ship and ends up in Japan, but once there, she is abducted by a warlord, Taro, to whom she’s instantly attracted. He, in his turn, is equally captivated, but the path to true love is of course, never smooth. With the heroine’s brother desperate to find her and a jealous rival equally desperate to kill her, Hannah faces the greatest adventure of her life. And Taro has to choose between love and honour …


I’m half Swedish/half English and lived in Sweden until I was sixteen. Then my father was unexpectedly offered a job in Japan and we moved over there, which was wonderful. I very much enjoyed my time in Tokyo and fell in love with all things Japanese. It was an experience I wanted to share somehow with my husband and children, so in the last couple of years we’ve visited Japan twice. My family all loved it and it was great fun to show them all the things I’d been talking about.

We had some adventures too, among them a very memorable stay at a traditional Japanese inn, a so called ryokan. There you sleep on futons on the floor and eat only Japanese food served in your room by a maid dressed in a kimono (not the elaborate kind, but an everyday plain one). I’ll never forget the expression on my children’s faces when we were served a bowl of soup as a starter with a whole baby squid in it! Not quite what they were expecting, I think. Other than that, we all loved the food though, and it’s always beautifully presented in tiny dishes made of china or lacquer ware. At the moment, we’re saving up to go back again – can’t wait!

Until then, I'll keep writing about the Far East ...

Thanks again for having me!



The Scarlet Kimono is published by Choc Lit on 1st March, ISBN 978-1-906931-29-2



(For more details and an extract www.choc-lit.co.uk and if anyone would like to know more about me, my website and blog are at www.christinacourtenay.com and I also regularly blog in the Choc Lit Authors’ Corner at www.blog.choc-lit.co.uk


If you’d like to win a signed copy of The Scarlet Kimono, please leave a comment below  and tell me what is the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten? And was it as horrid as you thought? Sometimes you can be agreeably surprised!


This competition, for one signed copy of The Scarlet Kimono, is only open to residents of the UK and Ireland.

Please leave your email address so I can contact if you win


Closing date for entries is Friday, 25th February 2011. 

Best comment will be selected and notified after closing date.
(Please see giveaway/comps policy)

Review: The Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton

The Tapestry of Love

Rosy Thornton

  

Publisher - Headline Review

ISBN - 978 0 7553 4557 1

The Blurb

A rural idyll: that's what Catherine is seeking when she sells her house in England and moves to a tiny hamlet in the Cevennes mountains.  With her divorce in the past and her children grown, she is free to make a new start, and to set up in business as a seamstress.  But this is a  harsh and lonely place when you're no longer her on holiday.  There is French bureaucracy to contend with, not to mention the mountain weather, and the reserve of her neighbours, including the intriguing Patrick Castagnol.  And that's before the arrival of Catherine's sister, Bryony...

This is a novel not to be hurried.  There is so much detail to be absorbed about the landscape of the mountains, the forces of the weather, the beauty of the nature, the tastes and traditions of France.  These are all here and captured beautifully.

Catherine is a divorcee with grown up children, leading their own lives, who decides to emigrate to the rural France that she loved as a holidaymaker.  Soon she is to discover that the Mountains are not quite how she remembers from those holidays. 

Catherine takes her new challenges all in her stride and eases herself into the new lifestyle, but maybe a little too easily when she is faced with  the bureaucracy of Parc National.

Neighbours warm to Catherine and close neighbour Patrick Castagnol is welcoming to Catherine and her sister Bryony, but is all at is seems with the charming Patrick?

A turn of events in the neighbourhood and at home force Catherine to rethink her own future which, until recently, had seemed to be all mapped out.

I loved this novel from page one.  I have never visited France and this novel gave me a wonderful taste of all apsects of living in the French mountains.  I found it fascinating reading about the needlework and other, new, activities Catherine becomes involved in.  I do not want to spoil the story by going into too much detail. 

Rosy Thornton's detailed description gives such a vivid picture and is very informative and the story had a satisfying ending.

I will be seeking out Rosy's other novels.

5/5 for me!


Find out more about Rosy Thornton and her work here
 
Rosy Thornton kindly sent me a copy of her novel for review.  This did not influence my review in any way.

Paramedics and Prom Dresses!

Our house is never short of a drama or two going on but yesterday was a challenge

M, my eldest son had gone down the with stomach bug we all had the week before.  It was a nasty little bug and we were all laid quite low with it.

AJ had gone to playschool and I was due to pick him up at half past twelve. 

M started an asthma attack about 11.30am and we are no stranger to these, so wasn't too worried at this point.  Out came the ventolin and the usual regime of 2 puffs every 10 mins started. 

I left M with my mum whilst I picked AJ up from playschool, but M's asthma attack was still not under control.  Didn't cross my mind to get playschool to hold on to AJ a bit longer (all day playschool), I was on auto pilot. 

As soon as I got back and, by this time, M had been given a lot of Ventolin, I put the back up plan into action.  I called the doctor's surgery to be told docs were on lunch and was advised to dial 999.
Here auto pilot switched off and panic started to set in. 

I have never had to call the emergency services before.  Both the boys have had attacks I cannot control but usually I can keep their breathing going with hourly ventolin until I drive them to hospital myself.  M was getting no relief from the Ventolin.

A first response car and back up ambulance, 4 ambulance crew and an hour later, they had M's asthma under control.  We did not need to go to hospital.  It was a frightening experience for M and myself. 

Drama 1 sorted.  M slept the rest of the day.  AJ went down for his afternoon nap.  Mummy thought she would catch 40 winks, too.

Drama 2 started........C (eldest daughter) text me to say "can u come quick, I am trying on a prom dress."
This is the shop down the road from us.  I was expecting her to just go in a look and make an appointment to try on dresses at a later time. 

I did go and see the dress.  We are not 100% sure about the dress, but with the P-P-Prom in July, I have been informed by dear daughter she needs a dress, like, yesterday.

Drama 2 was not really a drama compared to Drama 1 but  to these hormonal 16 year old girls who feel the Prom pressure.  I cannot bear the thought of P-P-Prom talk in our house for the next 4 months.
C is saying some girls already have their dresses, and are paying around £300 for a dress!  My wedding dress 20 years ago was a third of that price!

 £300 for a dress for 4 hours! Then there is the put up hair do, for which hairdressers charge £30, the nails, the shoes, the jewellery and, silly me, I forgot the transport.  A taxi to town is about £3.50.  Last prom (yes middle school had one too) cost us £60 for C's share of a lift in a limo.

I am contemplating making her dress but she is not overly keen as she is worried others will know it is home made. I know then it will fit.  Shop dresses are not made for the average girl with curves.

I feel there is so much peer pressure for these events.
I don't want to be there when C is looking for a wedding dress! 

It's Monday!

It's Monday again!  What are you reading?

Hosted by Sheila at bookjourney

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

Finished
This weekend I finished The Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton  Review to be posted this week
 
Next
I am starting The Scarlet Kimono by Christina Courtenay
 
 
Coming up this week

• Look out for my review of The Tapestry of Love
• On Friday, Christina Courtenay will be stopping off here on the next stage of her Book tour for The Scarlet Kimono
• Plus, a UK/Ireland giveaway of a signed copy of The Scarlet Kimono

What are reading plans for the week?

Feb 14th - Not attending

I am romantic,
I love romance,

but I am realistic too, and my gorgeous partner doesn't 'do' romance. He is a wonderful partner, father, step-father and friend.  Like a majority of our men, he just doesn't like outward signs of affection.  When we are alone together is another matter....

...and that is good with me. 

In my younger days I would have been quite put out by the fact that
we are not buying Valentines cards and presents.
These days I much prefer the little gestures and private moments that we share. Saying that he does take me out for a lovely meal around the 14th.  (See last part of post)
I do not need him to announce to the world that he loves me, nor take part in the pressure that comes
every February 14th.

I feel terrible for all those lonely people who feel even more lonely by the media and commercial frenzy that Valentines Day has become. 

Droves of men standing in the card shops, sweating with fear that they may pick out the wrong card with sentiments that are, quite possibly, way too romantic for their liking.  Or choosing the cheapest or nearest card. Men paying well over the top prices for flowers they could buy any day of the year and it would have more meaning and impact. Then there are the cuddly toys that look cute or 5 mins but collect dust in the corner of the bedroom for a couple of years until boot sale season.

I worked in a lingerie department of a shop many years ago and you could pick out the men who have instructions from their girlfriend/wife that they were expecting something special to show their love on Feb 14th. 

They would look like rabbits caught in the headlights, as they came into the department. I would ask if I could help and they would mumble that they wanted something for their beloved. 

Many would have their partner's measurements to hand.  Literally to hand! In reply to my question of "what size is your wife/girlfriend", the hand gestures would come out, cupped hands with the well known phrase "about this big".  YES, men really do that!

So, although I love romance as much as the next girl, I am pleased that my man does not feel that pressure and that I am not getting 'forced' gestures on Valentines Day.  I know that the love I feel comes straight from his heart and not commercialism.

This was his own token this year

Dinner for 2 for £20 from M&S (special offer),  lovingly cooked by my man and enjoyed whilst the eldest kids were out doing their own thing and the toddler was asleep. 

As I was taking these photos and making a note of what we were eating, he suggested that I was making notes in case they are featured in M&S again.........I smiled and said nothing.... to which he replied
"you're gonna put this on your blog, aren't you?"    :)

Starter (I know, the tablecloth needed ironing)

 Thai style Salmon Fish Cakes

Steaks with Peppercorn Sauce

Mash and veg

Strawberry & Champagne Souffle

served with a glass of Cava

and chocs to follow

Oops, sorry, half eaten box of chocs

DizzyC

Friday Five!

I am not sorry to see the back of this week, I can tell you!

We have all been poorly and the dreaded P-word is topic of conversation in our house  (more on the P-word over the weekend)

so we are looking forward to a quiet weekend,

Oh, and a "romantic" dinner for 2 (if I can get AJ to sleep and C goes out with her mates) Saturday evening.  I have been to M&S and picked up my "Dinner for 2 for £20 including starter, main, side, dessert, bottle of wine and chocs.(Menu to follow, and maybe, photos in a weekend post).



Here are some articles I have come across this week that I would like to share with you

*Thursday,  The Romantic Novelist Association announced the short list for The Pure Passion Awards 2011


There are some great titles in there,  some I have read, some on my shelves and wishlist.  Take a look.

The winners are to be announced Monday 7th March 2011.



**One of my favourite Historical Fiction Authors,  Phillipa Gregory has an article on her Goodreads page entitled What are the differences between History and Historical Fiction? Phillipa Gregory 
 
 
***I had tears of laughter in my eyes when I read this next one, last night. 
Anne Dickens supplied the laughter.    Actual answers given by students on exam papers. 
 
Some of them deserved marks just for the sheer entertainment value. I was doubled up and could not read them aloud to my daughter (who is in the middle of her GCSEs).
 
 
***** Letters from a Hill Farm is a new blog to me this week.  Take a look at the impressive photos of Icicles
 
 
******This one is close to me Library cuts . We are losing 29 out of 44 libraries in my county alone.  The remaining libraries are starting to look quite sorry for themselves and the council want to sell off these libraries which include my town library.   :(
 
Will be back over the weekend to blog hop and catch up with everyone.
 
What are your weekend plans?
 
Have a good weekend, Folks!
 

Sweet award!

I was awarded the Irresistably Sweet award by book loving mommy  Thank you!  Please follow the link and check out her lovely blog.

In order to accept the award, I will be passing it along to six other bloggers, and I must confess to four guilty pleasures.

1. Chocolate, of course!  Bendick's Bittermints are my favourite.  We can only get them in the shops at Christmas time and my immediate family know that these have to be in my stocking. 
2. Cottage Pie.  Comfort food.  I add a can of baked beans to my homemade cottage pie.
3. Internet and blogging.  Being a busy mum of 3, I confess to sitting up in bed til nearly midnight some nights to catch up with blogging the my other favourite internet sites.  If my youngest has a nap in the daytime I can be found sneaking online.  I now have a habit of checking my emails and facebook on my mobile!
4. My guilty pleasure when I have some cash to spend on myself would usually be books and scarves. I try to buy clothes first but if I cannot find anything I like I end up in the book shop  :)  I buy a lot of scraves as they are a great accessory to any outfit.  I tend to wear a lot of black, so a scarf brightens me up a bit!

I would like to pass this on to

About happy books
High heels and book deals
momto2poshlildivas
see k read
sugarcreekcottage
isoundlikemymom

DizzyC

It's Monday!

Hosted by Sheila at bookjourney

On Saturday

I missed posting about the UK Save our Libraries event, didnt touch the computer at all or visit my library to read-protest. (I was feeling delicate on Saturday...and am still poorly today)

We are at risk of losing our local library in the long run. We have missed the first cull of cuts in our county but the govt want to sell off the library.  Another, once great, institution to be privatised.

We are also losing children's centres (free groups for mums and little ones), sport funding in schools (which was to help our children) and many other vital services, that unfortunately the powers that be do not realise we value.

I reviewed

Please dont stop the music by Jane Lovering   Review 

The Pursuit of Alice Thirft by                            Review

In my letterbox

The Scarlet Kimono by Christina Courtenay  (from Choclit for review)

This week I am reading

The Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton. Great interview with Rosy Thornton here  Author Q&A 

 was hoping to finish this over the weekend but had a lot of family activities happening and still sick too.

I am back off to bed now and will catch up with everyone's reading week later tonight or in the morning.
Night, Folks

What are you reading this week?

Guest Author: Rosy Thornton - The Tapestry of Love

I am honoured and delighted to introduce you to Rosy Thornton, Author of The Tapestry of Love.

With kind permission from the author

Hardcover: 352 pages

Publisher: Headline Review (8 July 2010)

With kind permission from the author

.



Welcome, Rosy.  Thank you for taking time out from your busy schedule to answer some questions for us. 

Firstly, can you tell us about yourself?

Like you, Carol, I’m an East Anglian. Brought up in a village in Suffolk, I have moved all of sixty miles and now live near Cambridge, where I lecture in Law at the university. I arrived as an undergraduate, nearly thirty years ago now, and just stayed. I still go home to Suffolk quite a lot – including fortnightly in the football season to follow the chequered fortunes of Ipswich Town FC. I live with my partner, two daughters and two completely lunatic spaniels.




When and why did you start writing?


Writing (of the academic variety) has always been a large part of my job, but writing fiction crept up on me unexpectedly in my forties. You might put it down to a mid-life crisis! It began when I watched the BBC’s adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell’s classic novel ‘North and South’ in 2004. It had always been one of my favourite books, and I loved the TV version – being (if I’m honest) especially taken with the delectable Richard Armitage in the leading rôle.




I went online to discuss the series, and in the process discovered ‘fan fiction’, a phenomenon of which I had previously been unaware. I had a go at writing some fanfic myself – and three months later found I had completed a full-length pastiche sequel to Gaskell’s novel! It was utter tripe, of course. But by then I had been thoroughly infected with the writing bug, and carried straight on to begin my own independent story – which in 2006 became my first published novel, ‘More Than Love Letters’.






Favourite childhood author/s ?


All the usual suspects, really: C.S. Lewis’s Narnia books, L.M. Montgomery’s ‘Anne’ series, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Gerald Durrell’s animal stories, ‘Black Beauty’. But my absolute favourite book was a tear-jerker called ‘Sajo and the Beaver People’, by Grey Owl. I think it was out of print for a while, but I’m glad to see it has made a comeback.






Then in my teens it was Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë – and Elizabeth Gaskell!






Where did the idea for 'The Tapestry of Love' come from?




The novel is about a woman who sells up her house in England and moves to a remote mountain hamlet in the Cévennes mountain in France to begin a new life as a seamstress and tapestry-maker. I suppose the inspiration was a family holiday I once took in the region. It was just for a fortnight, twenty years ago, but somehow the beauty of the place, those mountains, crept under my skin and stayed there, so that two decades later I felt driven to write a book about them.




At a wider level, though, it’s a book which taps into an escape fantasy I have – one I suppose many of us secretly harbour – about leaving behind all the demands of our jobs and busy urban living, and embracing a simpler life, closer to the earth and the rhythm of the seasons.






'The Tapestry of Love' is your fourth novel. Which was your favourite novel to write and why?




I think I had the most fun writing my second novel, ‘Hearts and Minds’. It is a campus satire, set in a fictional Cambridge college – a women’s college called St. Radegund’s, which appoints a man to be its new Master. Having worked in Cambridge University for twenty-five years, there was so much material to hand, for poking fun at the idiosyncrasies of the place, its quirks and traditions. It really was a gift; if anything I had to tone down some of the madnesses of the place to make it believable to outsiders! I also had all the pleasure of winding up my colleagues by telling them they were going to be in the book…






What are you reading at the moment?




I just finished a wonderful collection of short stories by Susannah Rickards entitled ‘Hot Kitchen Snow’, published by the small indie press, Salt. Each story was a gem – and I cried more than once. I’m now just beginning ‘Aphrodite’s Workshop for Reluctant Lovers’ by Marika Cobbold. I’ve never read anything by her before, and it promises to be a treat.






Thank you so much, Carol, for inviting me here to answer your questions.

Rosy Thornton has sent me a copy of her novel The Tapestry of Love for review.

Find out more about Rosy Thornton and all her novels at Rosy Thornton website


DizzyC






Enquiring minds and author news

Hosted by Lori at Dollycas's Thoughts

Lori says......

If you are just joining this feature

WELCOME!!!!!

We all become friends/followers but most of us will never meet in person, this feature is to help us all get to know each other better.

Each Thursday I will post 3 questions for you to answer

that you can copy and post on your blog with your answers.

You don’t have to be a blogger to participate either. I will be using a Linky List for the blogs to use to participate and follow each other around to get to know each other, but if you are not a blogger just answer the questions in the comment section following the post on your favorite blog. Please feel free to click on the links and visit other blogs too
 
This week's questions are


1. What was the first job your ever had?

When I was still at school, aged 14, I worked part-time in our local Co-op food shop.  I loved that job.
First 'proper' job when I left school at 16 was  an Office Junior.

2. What was the worst job you ever had?

Selling household goods through party plan company. Lot of work for little reward.


3. What is the best job you ever had?

That would have been my last job as Learning Support/Teaching  Assistant.  I worked with 4-9 year olds.  At the moment it is more important for me to be home for my own 3 children, but I had real job satisfaction helping the children to improve their Numeracy and Literacy.
 
 
BOOK NEWS!
 
Come by tomorrow for an Author Q&A with Rosy Thornton -  The Tapestry of Love
 
 

 
DizzyC

Review: The Pursuit of Alice Thrift

The Pursuit of Alice Thrift by Elinor Lipman

Publisher: Harper Perennial; (Reissue) edition (22 Aug 2009)

Paperback: 302 pages

Library choice read

Girl - Alice Thrift, Intern working in plastic surgery dept, meets Boy - Ray Russo - Fudge salesman.

The meeting sparks Ray to pursue Alice in a fairly old fashioned courtship. He is very attentive and always seems to be there at the right time.

Alice is known for her less than perfect bedside manner which spills over into her social life too. Is Ray the man to soften her heart?

Will Ray get his girl and will they live happily every after?

I loved the characters Alice, her flatmate Leo, Sylvie and Ray.

A very funny incident in the hospital accommodation and some strange events that lead to a surprising conclusion for Alice, all make for a great read.

4/5 for me!



No cold callers

I am on the telephone preference list and I have a sticker on my front door saying "No cold callers, we do not buy or sell at this door."

It does not stop companies from invading my privacy.

I was concerned by a call I had the other day asking to speak to "Mrs ******".  I told them no-one of that name lives here.  I was being truthful as that was my previous married name. Over 7 years ago! 

My details are being held, probably, in more than one place and being passed on to other companies.
I know this as the company who called were trying to get me to change my gas/electric supplier and it is a company that has never supplied me.

When I do actually hear the front door (lack of bell and tinnitus prevent me from hearing a heard of elephants at my door), I answer and I give a little silent sigh when I see a clipboard attached to a young person with a badge hanging around their neck.

I dread the fact that although, I immediately tell them "thank you, no thank you", and point to my polite sticker that they chose to ignore, I will have a battle to get my front door shut without one of us being a little rude!

I have had a foot stuck in the doorway or rude comments when I do finally shut the door .  I don't tar them all with the same brush and some are very polite after a "No, thank you."

If I want double glazing, to change my gas/electric/phone supplier, encyclopedias, or roof insulation I will seek out a supplier.

On a more serious note, if I feel a little ruffled by these unwelcomed visitors, what about the elderly? 
My Grandad is 89 and not in the best of health. He takes a long time to answer the phone and has trouble understanding me, let alone a stranger.  He gets several calls where the line is open but no-one there. I suspect these are the random computer generated calls that do not have enough operators to deal with them.

For the ones who do not give up or try to sell me things I do not need, I have a list of things I would love to do (but I am too polite to carry out)

1. When living in a first floor flat I used to get calls asking if I wanted double glazing or a conservatory. I would love to have given them my details to come and quote for a conservatory!
2. I would love to have invited the salesman to quote for loft insulation when I don't have a loft, I share a roof with my upstairs neighbour!
3. I would love to take their direct number and ask what time their lunch is an call back at their breaktime.
4. I would so love to ask them to hold.........disappear for half hour and then just hang up!
5. I would love to ask them security questions and see if they refuse too.  If they have called me I shouldnt have to answers security questions! 

Do cold callers annoy you too?