Pages and Pages

We had a really busy day on Saturday and I was so tired on Sunday so I curled up on the sofa with a couple of books. I finished Jane Eyre which I absolutely loved and I cannot believe that I had not read it already. It just has everything and obviously the writing is excellent, I really did not want it to end and will definitely be reading it again in the future. I decided to read something a little lighter after Jane Eyre and so started 31 Dream Street by Lisa Jewell; I have read all of her other books and this one is just as good. I have only got a few more chapters left so I shall write more about it later.

I liked this Booking Through Thursday! Following up last week’s question about reading writing/grammar guides, this week, we’re expanding the question…. Scenario: You’ve just bought some complicated gadget home . . . do you read the accompanying documentation? Or not? Do you ever read manuals? How-to books? Self-help guides? Anything at all? Definitely!! It really annoys me when people discard the manual and then complain that they do not know how something works! My future husband is a prime example of this; whenever he has a new mobile phone he discards the manual and then gets frustrated that his phone does not do what it says on the box. I'm not sure if maybe I am just a bit of a control freak but I just think that reading the instructions nearly always ends up saving yourself time. I don't mean to be sexist but I do think it is mainly men who have a problem with manuals and instructions as they do not like to admit that they do not know the answer; this is evident in the w...

Affinity is based around the mysterious world of Victorian spiritualism. It is much darker than Waters' other books; Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith . The author has said herself that It was a very gloomy world to have to go into every day The story follows Margaret Prior, a lady who becomes a visitor at the dark and opressing Millbank Prison. She becomes increasingly close to one inmate, Selina Dawes; a disgraced spiritualist who soon encaptures Miss Prior's heart and mind. The book jumps from the present relationship that the women have to the events leading up to Selina's imprisonment. The reader is given the task of deciding whether Miss Dawes is a fraud or if she does truly have spiritual powers. The imagery in the book is excellent and the description of Millbank with it's dark corridors and damp, limestone walls really do make you feel quite stifled. I think that this is why I found the book quite difficult to read; it may sound strange but it really did not f...

I missed Booking Through Thursday last week as I wasn't very well but thought that I would have a go this week so here you are: Writing guides, grammar books, punctuation how-tos . . . do you read them? Not read them? How many writing books, grammar books, dictionaries–if any–do you have in your library? Well I have just had a quick scan of my shelves and the only thing I can see is a Dictionary and Thesaurus which to be fair is always by my desk and regularly used. I think that the only time I have had a writing guide was when I was trying to write my university dissertation but to be fair it really did not help much! I did English at University so I probably did have a lot of grammar guides a few years ago but they have since gone to better homes. I believe that the English Language has SO many rules and regulations that it is just better to learn th e basic rules and then try and get on as best as you can; you do not want to have to keep picking up a book to check. I am sure tha...