...and a book walked in!

Do books find you?

or

Do you find books?

I ask, because sometimes I will pick up a highly recommended 

book and no matter how I try I can't get into it

Three months later I try again and can't put it down!!

Go figure

Sometimes I have a craving for suspense

sometimes soppy romance

sometimes something historical

sometimes an old classic is all that will do 

but whatever I choose there is

one absolute criteria

It always has to be well written

*****

Whilst we have had a wonderful time with our UK daughter

it has been a sad few weeks here and

I desperately wanted something light and breezy to read

Now doesn't this cover just scream

Chick lit?

Well it did to me

 so I grabbed it and raced home.

Chick lit

it is not

Beautifully and magically written

 it is

Light and breezy

it is not

A book to bury yourself in

it is

But sad and funny and uplifting as it is

it turns out it was just the book I needed

When I finished

I was so entranced with this authors writing

 that I went searching for anything else she had written

and found

this

I wish I had read it first

 as the characters are the same

and Belong to Me follows on a few years later

But had I picked it up first

would it have been the book I needed now?

I don't think so.

I can only say if you haven't read either of these

 do yourself a favour and get them

 but it might help to read in the right order

Goodnight

I have to visit Guernsey!

This is just a quick word before I go of to visit the children,

drop in to the Sydney gift fair

have afternoon tea at the Queen Victoria building,

and help my daughter with plans for no 2 son's 21st birthday

but

I had to post to 

all you readers out there

if you have not read 

The Guernsey 

Literary and

Potato Peel Pie

 Society

by

Mary Anne Shaffer

do yourself a favour and go right out now and buy it

You will not be able to put it down

Mary Schaffer was 70 when she wrote this book

 and unfortunately didn't live to see it published

It is everything the written word should be and I am

 enthralled,

entranced,

amused,

and

amazed  

at the story,

 the writing and the

 sheer poetry of this written work.

Enough said

 go and get it now

Unless of course 

I am just the last person to read it

if so, I would love to hear

 what you all thought about it

 and if you loved it as much as I do 

Random house also have a lovely site here

Goodnight

           

one...two...three....

four...

five....

six...

 seven...

Oh sorry I didn't realise you'd arrived

You just caught me sitting here

counting my breaths and thinking of 

this

as I start my meditation

Better stop now while you are visiting

and tell you why.

I have a massive  slight, very slight stress problem so

 my lovely GP sent me off to do a course in

 'mindfulness for managing stress'

an 8 week program modeled on the stress reduction clinic

 at the University of Massachusetts Medical School

and right in the middle of the program I picked up this book

For all of you, looking for a good book,

 it is delicious.

The beautiful heroine counts....and counts

 and then counts some more 

its about OCD, love, mistakes and life and 

 I highly, highly recommend it.

Toni Jordan the author 

gave me permission to print a quote from the book

 that describes exactly what mindfulness is

"Most people miss their whole lives, you know. 

Listen, life isn't

when you are standing on top of a mountain 

looking at the sunset. 

Life isn't waiting at the altar

 or the moment your child is born

 or that time you were swimming in deep water

 and a dolphin came up alongside you. 

These are fragments. 

Ten or twelve grains of sand

 spread through your entire existence.

 These are not life.

 Life is brushing your teeth

or making a sandwich

 or watching the news

 or waiting for the bus. Or walking.

 Every day, thousands of tiny events happen

 and if you are not watching, 

if you are not careful, 

if you don't capture them and make them count, 

you could miss it

You could miss your whole life."

Isn't that just a magic quote?

We are into week seven and 

 my neck and back are more relaxed, the headaches are gone!

I have started painting again and

I have found my patience once more

Best of all I am noticing the little things,

 the beauty that surrounds us, the music of nature

 and food...food is wonderful!

Life is a sensuous experience when you live NOW!

if you want to know more about mindfulness you can find it here

Goodnight

        

The hidden talents of a friend....!

I have a friend,

 one of those lovely friends

 with whom you can talk about everything and nothing

One of those friends 

that you don't need to see all the time

 for them to still be a friend.

 We are not old friends,

 fairly new in fact, 

and are still getting to know things about each other.

Recently she and her husband called in

 and he mentioned that Mandy painted!

We hadn't talked about this and I was fascinated

 so this weekend I was at her home and asked to see her paintings.

"I paint faces" she said

I don't quite know what I expected

 but this is what she does 

and I am in absolute awe of her amazing talent!

I want this one!

(Mandy the line has gone!!!)

what character 

Oh Frieda!

And this one!

 reminds me of Mandy!

I am sorry my photography does not do these justice!

At the end I found a few more and Mandy said

"I tried water colours here"

TRIED!!!!!!

Top is the Chairman of our regional Arts Board

my Mother was a painter and I dally in the field 

without a huge degree of success!

so it is rather exciting to find such a talent

 and to be able to share this find.

 I hope you agree with me

Mandy you are a star.

Goodnight

          

I was waiting at the PO

 when it opened today

 and there it was

The brown cardboard box

from Borders Bookstore

I ripped it open

only broke three nails!

inside

569 pages

of

'The Girl Who

Played with Fire'

 and

602 pages

of 

The Girl  Who Kicked

The Hornets' Nest

I know the house needs dusting

the mulch needs laying

the ironing needs doing

BUT

it will all have to wait now

 whilst I read !!!

Will keep visiting briefly

 but may have a bit of difficulty

 getting my head out of these books 

before they are finished

Has anyone else read them?

Did you enjoy?

now 

Lisbeth Salander 

is calling me back 

 Goodnight

           

decisions again!!!!!

I am curled up here

with the sun streaming through the windows

 a small fire in the grate

and 

'the girl with the dragon tattoo'

in my hands

A friend lent me the book a week ago

  I was not going to read it

 I had far too much to do!

Sat down with a cup of coffee tonight...

picked it up to glance through...

so at least I could say I had looked at it!!

That was

 three hours ago!!!

when am I going to catch up with you all again?

it has to be Blogs or Books 

a decision must be made!

HOW?

goodnight

PS. Have you read it yet will I be able to put it down?