I hope everyone has some exciting plans for the weekend. I have quite a busy weekend work wise but hopefully I will find a bit of time to get some reading in.
My chosen poem this week is by a favourite of mine, William Blake.
The Smile
There is a Smile of Love
And there is a Smile of Deceit
And there is a Smile of Smiles
In which these two Smiles meet
And there is a Frown of Hate
And there is a Frown of Disdain
And there is a Frown of Frowns
Which you strive to forget in vain
For it sticks in the Heart deep Core
And it sticks in the deep Back bone
And no Smile that ever was Smil'd
But only one Smile alone
That betwixt the Cradle & Grave
It only once Smil'd can be
But when it once is Smil'd
There's an end to all Misery
William Blake
Happy Reading
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I hope everyone is having a good week so far. I have had a lovely day out today but I must admit I am rather tired now. Anyway, here is what I have been up to recently that isn’t book related.
Shugborough Estate
We do love our National Trust property visits and this is one we have visited in the past but is such a beautiful property we are always happy to visit it again. I also love the library at this property.
Spa Day and Afternoon Tea
This week I also met up with my best friends and we treated ourselves to a spa day at The Elms which included afternoon tea. This was a belated birthday celebration for my best friend and it was so good to spend time together after not seeing each other for a while.
Burwarton Show
I spent all day today at Burwarton Show and absolutely loved it. My feet are rather sore now from all the walking but it was worth it. Very cute animals, good food, good drink, vintage tractors and much more. All my favourite things.
The rest of my time has been the usual work, reading, walking with a little bit of housework.
I hope everyone is having a good week.
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My chosen quote for today is by Helen Keller (1880-1968).
At nineteen months of age Keller became deaf and blind but with aid of her teacher and family she learned to read, write and speak. At the age of twenty-four, she became the first deaf and blind person to receive a bachelor’s degree. Keller wrote a dozen books and many articles, she was also a world renowned public speaker, activist and advocate for people with disabilities.
“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.”
Helen Keller
Happy Reading
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Cornell is having a bad time. Kicked out of secondary school for a fight he didn’t start, he finds himself in a Pupil Referral Unit. Here he makes friends with one of the Sinclair family. You don’t mess with the Sinclairs, and when Ryan Sinclair demands Cornell comes with him to teach another student some respect, Ryan witnesses something that will change his life.
Torn between protecting his family and himself, Cornell has one hell of a decision to make.
Review
Wheatle is another new author for me and one I decided to read because I really like the Quick Reads series.
I struggled to get into this book at first because it took me a bit to get used to reading the gang slang but once I got used to it I soon got into the book and it took me about an hour to read.
This book deals with some very real issues and issues you don’t often read about in books but which should be highlighted more. The story was quite emotional in places and you couldn’t help feeling sympathy for all the characters because in a way Cornell and both his parents have good reasons for what they want to do.
I will be honest the book didn’t wow me but I suspect this was due to the short length of the book. The book was excellently written though and a good read. I will definitely be checking out Wheatle’s full length books because he is a very good writer. I give this book 3 out of 5 Dragons.
(All purchases made using one of the above affiliate links gives a small percentage of money to myself with no extra cost to yourself. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this blog. Thank you ever so much, your support is gratefully received.)
About the author
Alex Alphonoso Wheatle MBE (born 3 January 1963) is a British novelist, whose notable works include Brixton Rock, Crongton Knights and Cane Warriors.
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I hope everyone has had a good week. I am finally getting back into routine after catching Covid and it was really nice to be back playing the organ for church this morning.
Not much blogging this week but I have definitely got my blogging mojo back.
Meet Shaun Bythell, bookshop owner, bibliophile, and misanthrope extraordinaire. He lives and works in The Bookshop, Wigtown, whose crooked shelves contain anything from a sixteenth-century Bible to a first-edition Agatha Christie. A booklover’s paradise? Well, almost…
In Shaun’s honest and wryly hilarious diaries, he reveals the highs and lows of life in the book trade, as he contends with eccentric customers, bin-foraging employees, and a perennially empty till. Along the way, he’ll take you on buying trips to old estates and auction houses, recommend lost classics – and introduce you to the thrill of the unexpected find.
Review
I will be honest I have always rather fancied owning and running a bookshop, even though I know it would be hard work and I would probably be constantly worried about finances. However, I would be very happy to be surrounded by books all day.
I must admit I was rather surprised by this book. I picked it up at my church which has many second hand books for sale and thought it looked good fun. What I wasn’t expecting was the wit, humour and sometimes sadness within this book.
Bythell’s diary of his book shop adventures for one year was a real eye opener and very funny. Bythell’s shop seems to attract some very weird employees with the most eccentric being Nicky. I’m not entirely sure why Bythell put up with Nicky as she seemed more of hindrance to business rather than a help. I would not have had the patience Bythell has with Nicky or in fact half of his staff. Bythell at times seems to be the only sane one at the shop and that is saying something.
One of the things I really liked with the diary entries was the daily updates of takings and customers. It was really interesting to see how the time of year affected the amount of customers and takings. I also really enjoyed seeing how there are certain returning customers who are clearly returning regularly and ordering random books because they are loyal to the shop and don’t want to see it go under.
As the diary entries go on we see what a witty and humorous character Bythell is and how he clearly uses humour as his coping mechanism because without it he would clearly either cry or completely lose it with certain members of public. The element I found sad was seeing how the book trade had changed so much over the years and the damage Amazon was having on the second hand book shops. It was sad to see how the life of the second hand book shop was having to adapt to survive and even that adapting might not save it.
Wigtown has been on my list of places to go since I was a teenager and I very nearly went with my parents but ill health had to shorten our trip sadly so Wigtown was saved for another day. After reading this book I want to go even more and will be pestering my husband for a holiday there very soon. I will definitely be reading more of Bythell’s book and I give this book 5 out of 5 Dragons.
(All purchases made using one of the above affiliate links gives a small percentage of money to myself with no extra cost to yourself. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this blog. Thank you ever so much, your support is gratefully received.)
About the author
Shaun Bythell is the owner of The Bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland’s National Book Town, and also one of the organisers of the Wigtown Festival.
When not working amongst The Bookshop’s mile of shelving, Shaun’s hobbies include eavesdropping on customers, uploading book-themed re-workings of Sugarhill Gang songs to YouTube and shooting Amazon Kindles in the wild.
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The poem I have chosen today is by a new poet for me. Walter de la Mare (1873-1956) was an English poet, short story writer and novelist. He is best known for his works for children.
Silver
Slowly, silently, now the moon
Walks the night in her silver shoon;
This way, and that, she peers, and sees
Silver fruit upon silver trees;
One by one the casements catch
Her beams beneath the silvery thatch;
Couched in his kennel, like a log,
With paws of silver sleeps the dog;
From their shadowy cote the white breasts peep
Of doves in silver feathered sleep
A harvest mouse goes scampering by,
With silver claws, and silver eye;
And moveless fish in the water gleam,
By silver reeds in a silver stream.
Walter de la Mare
Happy Reading
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First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?
Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book!
Hello!
Apologies for the break from blogging. I just decided I needed a little break but hopefully I am back to normal blogging routine now. I started a new book today so I thought I would use it for my First Lines Friday post. Answer will be below the cat pictures.
Shipperton Church was a very different-looking building five-and-twenty years ago. To be sure, its substantial stone tower looks at you through its intelligent eye, the clock, with the friendly expression of former days; but in everything else what changes!
and the answer is…
When Scenes of Clerical Life, Eliot’s first work of fiction, first appeared in print anonymously in 1857, critics immediately hailed it for its humorous irony, the truthfulness of its presentation of the lives of ordinary men and women, and its compassionate acceptance of human weakness. The three stories that comprise the volume foreshadow Eliot’s greatest work, and an acquaintance with them is essential to a full understanding of one of the greatest English novelists.
(All purchases made using one of the above affiliate links gives a small percentage of money to myself with no extra cost to yourself. All proceeds go towards the upkeep of this blog. Thank you ever so much, your support is gratefully received.)
Please drop me a comment with your First Lines Friday and I will head over for a visit.
Happy Reading
If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you
Lady Book Dragon 