tadorna | Sunshine!

I'm having a bit of a holiday. I wasn't meant to be, but then the sun came out, and so I've been pretending my house is a hotel, and spending a lot of time outside in our ~~patch of concrete~~ garden, pretending it's a balcony, and that the traffic noise is the sea. This is helped by the fact that every few hours an open-topped tour bus goes past, complete with amplified commentary. I've been trying to learn local history from it, but so far have been unable to make out anything due to distortion. I have, however, turned an attractive shade of pink.

I haven't bought any books lately. Well, except I bought two, but I bought them in WH Smiths so it doesn't count. My philosophy is this: WH Smiths is not a proper bookshop; it's just a stationery shop that happens to sell a few books. So buying books there doesn't count. The books I didn't buy were Good Omens (because of people talking about it, and it being there in front of me suddenly, and well, because Neil Gaiman) and Holes by Louis Sachar (because of people talking about it, and it being there in front of me suddenly, and because, as

lobelia321 pointed out, it does have a lovely lizardy cover.) Anyway, so those are the books I didn't buy, in any real sense of the word.

Speaking of Neil Gaiman, I had a dream last night that I was mentioned on his fantastic blog. Admittedly, he was a kind of composite person in this dream, made up of himself, Martin Millar, and Andre Schneider (no, I have no idea either), and the blog was less a blog, and more a magazine designed rather hideously in pastel colours, but it was still a bit of a disappointment when I woke up and realised it wasn't true. Although it was a relief to realise that, if that was just a dream, then so was the thing about a tiny alligator coming out of the tap, growing to an enormous size and chasing me up the stairs.

Speaking of Martin Millar, he is a nice man who answers emails from fans, and it's a disgrace that his earlier books should still be out of print. So there.

Note to self: For God's sake, will you please stop starting new stories and finish at least ONE of the old ones? Please! Thanks.

Naughty

hjartadhas been trying to make me write My Fair Lady Lotrips AUs and songs for Boromir to sing in the LOTR musical. It's just a good thing she writes things like this, that's all I can say! ;)

Am also rather happy that Six Feet Under is back on the box of televisual excitement. Yes. It's helping me with my ongoing frustration with BBC2, and its strange reluctance to show Buffy, ever, if it can possibly help it.

I've been eating a lot of apples lately. Uncharacteristically healthy of me.

And I'm sorry I didn't put any of this behind a cut, but that's life, so there you go.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

WH Smiths? WH Smiths????????!!!

Heathen!

It's nothing more than a stationary shop that sells books!

Oh yes, you said that.

And it's nearer your house.

And next to M&S and near GAP.

We've got BHS and Laura Ashley - not quite the same, I spose.

*Goes off to sulk.*

Oh my God. I'm so sorry; will you ever forgive me?

But you see this is precisely the point. If I came to your (fabulous, lovely proper) shop, I would have been forced to confront the reality of my actions, and face up to the probable effects on my bank account. And then I wouldn't have been able to buy the books, would I? So you see, this was the only possible way.

I went to Waterstones last Sunday. Obviously I wasn't going to buy any books. I just went there because my son needed to. But they had this offer on, buy 2 get 3rd free. So it was my duty to buy wasn't it? We won't talk about the 4th book that wasn't in the offer. And I paid by Switch so it wasn't real money anyway. Alison :)

Ah, now that's skill. You've got the book-buying art down to a T.

I will have to learn from your example, or that I Am Nonymous chappie will come after me with the price gun next time I see him.

I deserved something new after getting through The Manuscript Found in Saragossa. That took me weeks! Alison

The Manuscript Found in Saragossa

I've never even heard of that! (I'm assuming it's a book, rather than a manuscript you found in Saragossa...)

Then you can't be reading Neil Gaiman's blog carefully enough! It's something he recommended a couple of months ago. Written in the 17th Century by a Polish writer called Jan Potocki (translated into English, that goes without saying!). It's stories within stories (met a man who told me his story and he met a man who told his story etc etc). A bit confusing when your memory's going like mine is.....but I got there in the end. I'm reading a Diana Wynn Jones book now, really for kids, which is a nice change. I'm all for variety. Alison

Ah - must have missed that. I get him delivered straight to my Friends page now, so it's more difficult to miss juicy stuff like that. Sounds interesting - did you enjoy it?

I'm reading a Diana Wynn Jones book now, really for kids, which is a nice change.

I found myself scanning the 'teenage' section when I was in WH Smith. Don't know what that says about me... Although, have you ever read Margaret Mahy? I read her books when I actually was a teenager, and they're still good. Being reissued this month apparently, so I'm happy about that.

"Enjoy" might be a bit strong. It was a challenge because it was so long (each chapter was a day, 65 days long) but I was determined to finish it. I can't see me reading it again though. LOTR is long but I've still read that several times. I haven't read Margaret Mahy but I'll note the name for the next time I'm in Waterstones not buying any books.

LOTR musical! Wonderful! I had a dream about an LOTR ballet production. For some weird reason it was also Lotrips.

Have fun with your fic!

Yes, apparently they're actually going to do this! Although I'm not writing the songs... I don't know why they didn't ask me.

I had a dream about an LOTR ballet production. For some weird reason it was also Lotrips.

That sounds great! My last lotrips dream consisted of me desperately trying to explain to Elijah what I was doing writing silly stories about him. And him laughing his head off at all the things we get wrong.

My little cousins created their own LOTR musical...they perform it for us whenever they're bored.

"Frodo, Frodo, you must take the Ring!"

"Gandalf, I beg you, do not give me this thing!"

Not very creative rhyming, but the eldest is only nine. ^_^

Can we read your musical when you're through?

Noooooo, don't make me actually write it! I don't wish to go any further than my attempt to write Boromir's death scene song, which ended with the line "give us a snog, quick". I do not think we need to delve any further into this dark place.

And I'm not writing My Fair Orli, either. ;)

Your cousins' LOTR musical sounds much better anyway.

My Fair Orli?!?

You are a tease and a wicked one, madam.

"The rain in Spain..." Orli as cockney! Mwahahahaha!!!

hjartad can be blamed for this, of course. See that naughty comment further down the thread? Pure badness, that is.

Tripped over and fell right near a Highsmith anthology. As I looked up a double set of Vasari Life Of Everyone In Florence beckoned me.
We have no defences against books, except a well-aimed firehose.

Poule x

We have no defences against books, except a well-aimed firehose.

How true. That was rather beautiful, Poule; please come back and do it again some time. :)

I feel a supreme case of "I am not from your country" coming on.... ;P

Ah, the shop talk. Sorry. Just ignore it, it means nothing...

Holes! I have not started to read it yet because am still on Jeffrey Eugenides' "Middlesex" which I *love* so far (am on p. 180).

And who the fuck is this Neil Gaiman fellow?

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Thank you for the recs! Will scuttle off to check out.

Am reading The Real Place and liking it *a lot*. More when I've finished! :-)

Oh, I must read Middlesex too, it's been on my imaginary list for months.

And who the fuck is this Neil Gaiman fellow?

Neil Gaiman is a graphic and fantasy novelist; I actually came across him through his very informative and fascinating journal (which has an RSS feed you can sign up to so he turns up on your Friends list), and then I read his (non-graphic) novel American Gods, which has been one of my favourite things this year, I think.

With a little bit...with a little bit... With a little bit of bloomin' fuck!

Erm... ignore that.

Hahahaha!!

You bad girl... ;)

Sunshine!

I Am Nonymous

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I fell into the bookshop

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My Fair Orli

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