This picture doesn't have anything to do with this post, I took it a few weeks ago with the idea of writing about my interest in the weather but it came out really boring so I deleted it.
There was an article in the news today about underground supper clubs, apparently restaurants are doing badly just now and a lot are closing but these secret restaurants are popular. The person featured on the news had turned her sitting room into a restaurant, you can read about her here. I think this is a great idea, if I was younger I may have had a go myself but could only fit six in my dining room! I don't hold dinner parties anymore, it's hard work and I'm not up to it.
When I visited Nita's blog it reminded me that I've been meaning to mention my favourite books. Nita also runs this stitching swap blog that I'm a member of. Anyway, I read a lot, I can easily get through six books a month and I only read in bed and I'm not in bed a lot. My current favourites are Michael Connelly and Robert Crais. Michael Connelly writes about a police detective named Harry Bosch and Robert Crais about a private detective called Elvis Cole. They both write books with other characters too. I can reread their books over and over again, I have to do this because I can't afford to keep buying books each time I finish one. Also, I'm very particular about what makes a good story. When I was a lot younger I would read anything and I read some very boring books, the sort of books that would win prizes I can find are particularly boring. I like books that gets on with the story and have good characters that you can actually see in your minds eye. I did of course enjoy books by Dickens etc, writers from that time who gave a good insight into their era. When the French Lieutenant's Woman was made into a film and everyone raved about it I was totally puzzled - it was an amazingly boring book, I'd read it years before it was made into a film. I went through a sci-fi phase in the 1960/70s and a fantasy phase in the 1980s but now it's detective stories I enjoy. Oh, I did go through a Catherine Cookson phase too. One writer who is off my reading list now is Dean Koontz, I used to really enjoy his stories but in recent years he has tended to 'wax lyrical' and too many words that don't add to the story are a waste of my time. Same with Stephen King - I've gone right off him. Because I'm up to date with all the Connelly and Crais books I had to find a new author, I could list all the authors I've read but it's too many. So, I thought I'd try Jeffery Deaver 's Broken Window. I enjoyed it and it wasn't until I was about half way through that I realised he was the author of The Bone Collector. When I was in the Age Concern charity shop the other day I found two Jeffery Deaver books so I'm set for a couple of weeks - I hope! I only used to buy books as a treat when I was going on holiday, they used to be so expensive, but now I can afford to buy them from places like Asda or Sainsbury's where they price them reasonably. Our local library is quite small and I stopped going there years ago, I probably read most of the books they stock and there seemed to be a lot of the classic books I'd already read as a teenager.
Well, that was a bit of a ramble wasn't it - I had to get it out of my system though!
4 comments:
Hi Ann, the rolo cupcakes look good enough to eat,I think you are your own worst critic!
I like the this and tha tpost, I must say we have much the same taste in books.I have read and discarded the same authors.Lee Child is my favourite at the moment, I also liked Patricia Cornwells earlier books (kay Scarpatta)but have given her up now also.I have read dan Brown's books also and am waiting on my daughter to finish his latest one 'The Lost Symbol'.
I don't buy books new or even in second hand shops anymore, our local charity shop sells them for 1 euro or 3x 2 euro!
Our slug problem with the potatoes is actually a slug in the potato not the common or garden one. I think weather conditions have a lot to do with them.
I am glad you enjoyed your break to the seaside to recharge your batteries.
The underground restaurant idea appeals to my preference for eating in houses but I'd rather be a guest than a host (although I think I might find it hard to relax letting someone else do everything). Jamie Oliver's latest series about cooking in America featured supper parties when he visited New York. I think you can still catch it on the Channel 4 website - it's worth a watch.
Reading books ... sigh, can't remember the last time I did that - I used to be such a book worm. The last book I read was 'Tuesdays with Morrie' which is probably one of the most moving, uplifting and eye watering books I've ever read.
I grew up reading many of the "great classics", but these days I read mostly regency romance, whodunit mysteries (As I "find" them), and japanese comics.
Other than that, it's non-fiction; mostly crafty/cooking things, I suppose. Do blogs count, lol?
But, it is true that in my youth I was known to be a "Great Reader".
Books ARE expensive, however...I'm lucky to have a pretty good library (augmented by an online system that lets you search and request loans from other regional libraries) and a kindle, thought I use it rarely, and then only in spurts.
I enjoyed reading the comments almost as much as did reading Ann's post...I've read Dickens and Patricia Cornwell (Kay Scarpetta)...and find that I read in phases...mysteries/detectives, science fiction, novels, crafts, home decorating, art, etc. I finally have a Kindle...new enough that the glow hasn't worn off...*smile*...I haven't signed up at our local library, but intend to do so...my time is limited what with caring for DH...I enjoyed your thoughts regarding types of books and authors you've read and some you've gone off of...thanks for sharing
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