this is an armchair

Do you ever have those days when you get it into your head to start some project or other and end up working on it till you drop with exhaustion late at night? Yesterday was one of those days. Somewhere between 10 cups of tea, and endless clips of old frasier episodes on youtube, I found myself making new slip-covers for my tatty old armchair out of a pair of curtains I found in Oxfam 6 months ago. The fabric was intended for my quilt, but was far too heavy. It's a sort of brocade fabric, I don't know exactly what material.

I was motivated to get on with it by watching Kirstie's homemade home, which I thought was quite a nice programme, despite the trashing it received in the Radio Times. I saw the look on Kirstie's face when she realized she'd successfully made something half-decent, and I can identify with that sense of achievement.

peanut, the elephant

from 'last minute patchwork and quilted gifts' by joelle hoverson

just for fun, you know...

excuse me, while I be boring

So, I'm going to record all the novels I read this year, because, you know, to me this is a fun thing to do. Sort of like a diary, because I'll remember what I was doing around the time I read each book. Probably also I'll throw in a bit of statistical analysis, like what genre do I read most, and how much I spend on books versus how many I borrow from the library/other people, and on a scale of one to ten how much I need to get out more.


If you're thinking wtf?! how dull! you might want to stop reading....now.

The novels I've read since Jan 1st 2009 ~

(in approximate order)

1. Neverwhere by neil gaiman
2. Cross Stitch by diana gabaldon
3. A Girl Called Thursday by lilian harry
4. Love and Laughter by lilian harry
5. Non-Combatants by alexander fullerton
6. Share of Honour by alexander fullerton
7. Stardust by neil gaiman
8. Very Ordinary Seaman by j p w mallalieu
9. The Voyage of the Narwhal by andrea barrett
10. Westbound Warbound by alexander fullerton
11. Gateway by frederik pohl
12. HMS Expedient by peter smalley
13. Sharpe’s Prey by bernard cornwell
14. Sharpe’s Rifles by bernard cornwell
15. Sharpe’s Trafalger by bernard cornwell
16. Sharpe’s Fortress by bernard cornwell
17. Sharpe’s Triumph by bernard cornwell
18. Sharpe’s Tiger by bernard cornwell
19. Corner House Girls trilogy by lilian harry
20. Perfick Perfick : all the Larkin stories by h e bates
21. Diary of an Ordinary Woman by margaret forster
22. Corvette by richard woodman

The next novels I'm planning to read ~

(in no order at all)

1. Sylvia’s Lovers by elizabeth gaskell
2. Beyond the Blue Event Horizon* by frederik pohl
3. A Promise to Keep* by lilian harry
4. Wish Me Luck by margaret dickinson
5. A Town Like Alice by nevil shute
6. Band of Eagles by frank barnard
7. The Road to Kandahar
8. War Brides by helen bryan
9. Nicholas Everard Mariner of England v1* by alexander fullerton
10. Mr Midshipman Fury by g s beard
11. Sharpe’s Eagle* by bernard cornwell
12. Dragonfly in Amber* by diana gabaldon

those with * are sequels to books in the first list, those in bold I have in the house, those in italics are reserved at the library

My novel consumption is a little out of control, I read too many books too fast. Usually this is because I'm reading them for work purposes, but sometimes its the sort of novel that sucks you in, and prevents alternative use of free-time. A prime example of quicksand masquerading as a book is Cross Stitch (or Outlander in the US - a better title I think).

So, that's my quarterly review, the bookworm will post again in July.