Imminent insanity

I've just signed up to do the local Race for Life in July and registered my interest in the Moonwalk for next May - spurred on by friends who did it last week, though I should probably be concerned that one of them has said she won't do it again! A few people I know have either had breast cancer or a cancer scare and getting fit seems to be a good way to raise money for further research. Wish me luck....you can sponsor me here if you have a few pennies to spare!

Bookaholics Anonymous

A couple of weeks ago my MIL had her loft insulated which meant that all the boxes we had stored up there had to come down, including the 16 crates of my books which had been stashed up there ever since the Other Half told me the kids couldn't sleep in the shed. Yesterday I went through them, theoretically to sort out which ones I no longer wanted (the pregnancy ones...not doing that again!) and then the plan was to put them back in the loft until we have enough space for bookcases again!

As I went through the boxes it was like seeing old friends again, and it became increasingly clear that whatever the OH thinks, I don't hoard books as I had read all of them at least twice and it was only because he kept checking on me that I didn't start them all again...is it strange that I got upset, too, because being in boxes wasn't doing them any good? The upshot is that Arthur's old bedroom is now filled with my books on shelves, and there was even some overspill of the larger ones onto the shelves downstairs. Arthur's mum liked the Haunted London one and was quite put out that she hadn't seen any of the ghosts in the places she knew well!

So here are some of the highlights of yesterday's (re)discoveries...

1. Paul Gallico's Mrs Harris books.

2. Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising sequence. The people who made the film should be locked up for crimes against literature.

3. All the Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House books

4. Giovanni Guareschi's Don Camillo books

5. Robert McCammon's A Boy's Life. I've recommended this to so many people - haven't liked any of his other books but this one is beautiful.

6. Joan Aiken's Dido Twite books - The Wolves of Willoughby Chase is probably the best known one, but they're all wonderful. She was a great writer, her short stories are also recommended.

7. Phil Rickman's books. All of them.

8. Elizabeth George's Inspector Lynley novels. The TV series wasn't bad, but the books are great.

9. Lindsey Davies's Falco novels.

10. Neil Blackmore's Soho Blue

I could go on, but won't...Anne Tyler, Stephen King, Martha Grimes, Alexander McCall Smith, Mary Wesley, vast numbers of travel books, London history, wartime history, the complete Spike Milligan diaries....if I disappear for a while look for me behind the paperbacks!

I've just noticed how long it is since I've posted on here - I did try a fortnight ago, honest, but Blogger was broken and wouldn't let me upload anything. I've also been busy with my latest addition - Dylan, who arrived on February 4th and has been keeping me occupied, to say the very least. He weighed in at 8 lb 9 oz after a 3 hour labour and is quite gorgeous. I didn't get to call him Woody, but I did get Arlo in there as a middle name!