Pigeon English

I'm reading Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman.  I bought the Kindle version from Amazon for only £1.99.  

Amazon Book Description

Newly arrived from Ghana with his mother and older sister, Harrison Opoku lives on the ninth floor of a block of flats on a London housing estate. The (second) best runner in the whole of Year 7, Harri races through his new life in his personalised trainers - the Adidas stripes drawn on in marker pen - unaware of the danger growing around him.

But when a boy is knifed to death on the high street and a police appeal for witnesses draws only silence, Harri decides to start a murder investigation of his own. In doing so, he unwittingly breaks the fragile web his mother has spun around her family to keep them safe.

Harri will come face to face with the very real dangers surrounding him. A powerful, unforgettable tale, importantly relevant for young adult readers of today.

Have you read it?  What did you think?

a good read

For the last couple of years I have been in a book-club but I have let things slip and I haven't been to a single meeting since our Christmas 'do' in December.  I was going to try to turn over a new leaf and make an effort to go to each meeting this year but it's already the end of April and I've not been to any.  I do find it harder to go out in the evenings during the winter months, once I'm home after the school run I get all cosy and warm and find it such an effort to go back out again (maybe I'm just lazy).  Now that the spring weather is with us and my get-up-and-go has returned (or my laziness has lapsed) I will still not be able to go out to the meetings because I am moving away.

I always have a book on the go.  I always read before I go to sleep as I find it the best way to rewind at the end of the day.  I love it when a story grips you and you really feel for the characters.  The 'girls' in the book-club opened my eyes to reading books that I wouldn't normally have chosen myself and I did enjoy most of them.

My recent reads include...



The lady in my local card shop was so engrossed in this book that she didn't notice me standing at the counter ready to pay for my cards.  She said it was a great read.  The blurb said that it is 'an adorable book', 'the funniest, quirkiest romance of the year' and 'brilliant'.  I'm afraid I don't agree.  Quirky, yes.  Brilliant, no.



I saw this one on a blog (sorry, I can't remember which one) and then on the shelves at Asda. I bought it without reading the blurb and maybe I wouldn't have bought it if I had.  It's about a group of terminally ill teenagers.  I enjoyed this one - in a sad kind of way and was shocked and saddened by the twist.  MissG thought it was 'cool' that I was reading it because it is written by one of her favourite You Tubers.  I enjoyed it enough to check out his other books.



I'm reading this one at the moment.  It's about a man with Asperger's Syndrome who sets himself the task of finding himself a girlfriend.  I heard the author being interviewed by Simon Mayo on Radio2 and was intrigued.  I think it is also going to be made into a film.



My sister gave me this book.  She said that she couldn't put it down.  I think this will be my next read. 


Do you have any recommendations?  I'm always on the look out for my next good read.

Christmas 'do'

Last night we had our book-club Christmas 'do' at a local restaurant.  Much fun and frivolity.  Oh boy was the food good.  Sorry I don't have any photo's - I'm sure they wouldn't have done it justice anyway but see if this line-up makes your mouth water...

... Starter ...

 Chicken Liver Pate wrapped in Serrano Ham, Pear Chutney 
& Toasted Brioche

... Main ...

Baked Fillet of Salmon on Scalloped Potatoes with Roasted Vine Tomato, Red Pepper & Chorizo Dressing

... Sweet ...

Chocolate & Vanilla Crème Brulee with Butter Shortbread
 

I'm already planning my next visit.  I may surprise MrG with a Christmas 'do' of our own - just the two of us!

 

Photo 24: on your mind

What's on my mind at the moment?  Well, where do I start?  My mind is always buzzing with things.

It's my turn to host the next Book Club meeting and chose the next book.  I am constantly adding to my collection of books that I would like to read but the collection is growing faster than I can read so I always have a large stock pile!  

book club meeting

Our book club meeting coincided with a special birthday for one of our group so as well as the usual wine and nibbles we had M&S birthday cake and Prosecco. Very nice indeedy!

We also managed to discuss the book! I think we all enjoyed this one.


A true story about a lady whose cells were taken without her knowledge after her death. Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa.

Henrietta's cells became one of the most important tools in medicine and were vital for developing the polio vaccine and uncovered secrets of cancer. The cells launched a multimillion-dollar industry that sell human biological materials for research. Her family never saw any of the profits - if Henrietta's cells were so important to medicine, why couldn’t her children afford health insurance and why does Henrietta remain virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked
grave?

A really interesting read.

love's labour's lost

I think I mentioned before about our book-club not being at all 'high brow' and oh boy was that all the more evident when we visited the theatre tonight!

Ten of us from the book-club decided that as none of us had read any Shakespeare since our school days (I can't remember reading any) then would it be a good idea to have a night out and go and see Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost at our local theatre. He is obviously a very popular chap because the theatre was packed!

We settled into our seats and the play started. Within the first five minutes I thought 'oh boy - I'm not going to have a clue what's going on' then I thought 'oh boy - what have I done, why did I agree to come?' then I thought 'oh boy - this is going to be a long, long night'.

But.. I settled down and surprised myself by understanding (vaguely) what was going on. I understood that the King of Navarre and his three lords swore an oath to study for three years and avoid contact with women. The Princess of France and three of her ladies visited the King and their good intentions were tested when the three lords fell in love with the three ladies, as did the King with the Princess. A messenger arrived to tell the Princess that her father had died and she has to return to France. The ladies then tell their suitors to seek them again in a year, and the play ends with the Princess and her ladies leaving.

That all sounds quite straightforward and easy to follow but then there are a few odd things thrown in and it got quite puzzling! There was an extravagantly spoken (camp) Spaniard, his page boy, a country bumpkin, a pregnant dairymaid, a clergyman and a schoolmaster. The second half was quite bizarre.

The cast were great. The acting, singing, dancing and instrument playing was all very impressive. I think it was just a bit 'over our heads'. The language and the story was quite tricky to follow and it was quite hard work.

We were asked if we would like to join the Q&A session after the play but I'm afraid we all felt that we were out of our depth. What heathens we are!

We've experienced a Shakespeare play and yes, it was quite an experience.

book club

Our book-club meets up every 4-6 weeks and we take turns to host and choose the next book. Our group is not at all highbrow (maybe some of the girls are - but they hide it well!). We are a group of Mums who enjoy a good read, a good chat, a good laugh and the odd glass of wine. Although we do 'talk books' and review our recent reads we also manage to cover a plethora of interesting subjects (of course I couldn't possibly divulge). It's reassuring to know that other families are going through similar trials and tribulations with their children whether it's primary schools, secondary schools, GCSE's, A'Levels, Uni, girlfriends, boyfriends or leaving home! It really is good to talk - I always come home feeling far less stressed!

Over the last year our selection of books include the following...


Are you part of a book-club? Are you highbrow? Maybe you could recommend some reading matter. I'd love to hear from you x

first of feb

The first of feb has been a fab day. A frosty start followed by a lovely sunny afternoon - just as I had hoped! I feel so much cheerier today

Reasons to be cheerful -

1. a lovely long lie-in this morning

2. a bowl of tasty porridge with raisins for breakfast

3. a sunny trip to the shops

4. a long-overdue purchase of two new pairs of jeans

5. a bag full of grocery goodies from M&S

6. a prawn salad for lunch from M&S

7. a successful meeting at school re my son's 6th form studies

8. a pretty little notebook

9. a fruit scone and a cup of tea at Emily's Cafe

10. a snatched half hour to start the Book-Club's new book

11. a subscription to Country Homes and Interiors magazine

12. a delicious beef stew in the slow cooker

13. a dog walk in the woods

14. a relaxing soak in the bath

15. a slice of gingerbread and yet another cup of tea

the end of january

Well I'm so pleased that it's the last day of January!

I have not made any New Year's Resolutions (I never do really) but I have decided that I'm going to try my hardest to accept as many invitations to go out. I'm quite lazy. Well no, not lazy but I do like to hibernate in the early months of the year and love to return home from work and the school run and get cosy and comfy and not stray too far away from the sofa (a couch potato, I hear you say!) So... tonight I'm off out for a trip to the cinema with the girls from the BBC (Burton-Book-Club). We're going to see The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (with Daniel Craig). The other girls in the Book-Club have read the book and it was one of the rare books that was enjoyed by all. I have been passed the book to read but I'll probably not bother to read it after I've seen the film tonight!

I have a few things lined up for February too. I have lots of craft projects on the go and really need to get some things finished that have been lingering around for months (I'll post some photo's soon). I have accepted yet more invitations by encouraging/pushing myself to get off the sofa and I've even signed up for an Embroidery Workshop!

Here's hoping for a fabulous February! A February full of frosty but delightfully sunny days. A February full of fun and joy...

thoroughly enjoyable thursday

I had a really, really lovely day yesterday.  It was my day off so I arranged to spend the day with my mum and sister.  We met in Penrith, a lovely little market town just south of Carlisle.  The weather forecast wasn't good for the day so we went armed with our brollies but in fact we enjoyed a lovely sunny afternoon. 

It will be my sisters birthday on Sunday but as I won't see her on the day it gave me the chance to present her with her present!  Mum, very kindly treated us to a delicious lunch in the Bewick Coffee House. 

I was also on the hunt for a birthday present for MrG's mum and Fathers Day presents for both of our Dads.  I try to buy presents when I see something that I know the recipient will be pleased with and then put them away in my present box until needed.  That way I know they will be happy with their present and I avoid buying something on impulse thinking 'that will do'.

I returned home with some beautiful local produce from a traditional greengrocer - plums, cherries and local new potatoes.

I also bought some new things to start a new craft project.  We called into the Penrith Craft Shop to look for decopatch or patterned tissue paper to top up our craft supplies and although they didn't have any they did have lots of other things that inspired us to try.  My Mum bought some wool to make a spiderweb scarf and we bought some card making bits and pieces.  I'm not really into hand made cards (apart from the ones that my children make for me) and it's not something I've fancied doing myself but they had some die-cut samples that weren't the usual naff pieces that you often see.  Anyway we all bought some so we're all going to have a go.  I think I was a bit more (maybe over) ambitious as I also bought the cellophane sleeves to put the finished cards in!  Maybe I should have made a few cards first to see if they will be good enough to sell first!  What am I like!

I have just asked to book a stall at the next Craft Market in a local village hall after seeing an advert in the village newsletter.  The next one isn't until the beginning of October so I have plenty of time to get myself organised. I haven't done one for many years but I decided that if I put my name down for a stall now then it will focus me and I will complete my craft projects more readily. I do have a habit of starting projects with gusto then moving onto the next project before finishing them.

One project I'm so looking forward to finishing is my latch-hook rug that I am making for my summerhouse.  I'm sure I could get it finished this weekend if I put my mind to it.  I do have some photos to show you - I'll drop them in later.

Another reason why I had a Thoroughly enjoyable Thursday is because it was Book Club night!  It was such a good laugh - so much fun.  The Elegance of the Hedgehog received mixed reviews - which was as expected as I think it would be hard to find a book that all 12 of us love.  Although, the group had read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larrson before I joined and I think they all agree that it has been the best book so far.  I borrowed it about three months ago and I still haven't read it! 

Our next book is going to be....