Category Archives: Books

Nov8

Hilary Mantel’s ‘Wolf Hall’

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Hilary Mantel’s ‘Wolf Hall’

It’s not often I rush to read the Booker prize winning entry but I was immediatley attracted to this particular tome – 650 pages of sheer Tudor delight! Most impressively Mantel has written in the present tense, bringing Tudor London to life and creating an immediacy around the events that unfurl as Henry VIII seeks to rid himself of Queen Katherine and wed Anne Boleyn. The book is told from the perspective of Thomas Cromwell, in Henry’s words ‘a sack of serpents’, who works to manipulate the Court and negotiate an annulment for Henry and subsequent marriage to Anne. It’s a difficult read, full of political intrigue and some wonderful historical detail, but – well worth the effort. My only issue was ‘keeping up with the Thomases’: Thomas Cromwell, Thomas Wolsey, Thomas More and Thomas Boleyn. In summary this is an outstanding read and one of the rare books I could happily pick up again and re-read, just to ensure I have a full understanding of the political intricacies and sensitivities of Tudor secular, political, social and religious life. The machinations of Cromwell and his entourage however are probably no different to to-day’s inner governmental circle and I couldn’t help seeing Malcolm Tucker in Master Thomas Cromwell!

Sep25

The last couple of weeks…

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The last couple of weeks…

I realised this morning that I hadn’t blogged for nearly two weeks which is quite unheard of in Blog Land so now feel the need to get writing to my cyber readers. Please therefore forgive this rather long and random post!

Well I see that my last post concerned reading so I shall continue in the same vein having just finished Dan Brown’s latest epic ‘The Lost Symbol.’ As ever, this was a heady mix of short, tightly written chapters packed with cliff hangers, unanswered questions and his trademark twists and turns. I thoroughly enjoyed it despite the bad grammar, spelling mistakes and obviously rushed proof reading. However, without giving too much away, I felt he could have ended the book sooner, ditching the last fifty pages which became far-fetched and pedestrian. Having said that – well worth the read and no doubt we will be seeing another appalling adaptation at the cinema in the near future.

Last week end saw us visiting Laura and her family in Twickenham and in the words of Mr P – ‘ that was one of the best week-ends I’ve had this year!’ On the Saturday Laura, Julia and I drove into Kensington to have coffee and cake and visit Linley Sanbourne House which was wonderful. A beautifully preserved late-Victorian town house which reminded me of an old fashioned doll’s house in life size scale. While we walked around this intriguing time capsule, the boys played golf re-joining us for Laura’s roast pork! On the Sunday I watched Julia having a horse riding lesson in Richmond Park with the afternoon set aside for a walk along the river and a trip to York House in Richmond which had been opened to the public as part of the annual London ‘Open House Week-End.’ This week-end in September allows the public to access buildings in London which are usually closed to the public. A couple of years ago I dragged Ian up to Woolwich to visit Crossness Pumping Station which had been opened as part of said event. Absolutely amazing. I still long to visit one of the disused Tube Stations for which there is an inordinate waiting list!

Wednesday saw me joining a Company Y team event which I won’t write about as my policy is never to write about work on this blog. However I will say it was a good day and I was able to catch up with all the news in readiness for my return in the New Year.

And what of Baby Hughes you ask ? Well, had a good day with Mrs Q and Baby Hughes on Hayling Island. Both are doing well and it was nice to see that Mrs Q had shed some baby pounds and also some of those elasticated waist monstrosities. A lovely lunch – her speciality – two slices of dry bread with some ham and cheese slapped in the middle. No relish. No chutney. No taste. But let’s get real – Mrs Q’s priorities are understandably in a much more important place these days. Like texting me pictures of c-list celebs on reality shows with the caption ‘ Fat Slag.’ Well done Mrs Q – you are a credit to yourself as always.

The voluntary work continues and I still get a great deal of satisfaction out of this – I’m really hoping I can continue in some form after I return to work.

So what of the week end? Well, Mr P left this morning for a long week end in Leeds with his friends. And what a wife I was. Brought him breakfast in bed – ironed him a number of outfits to take with him – helped him pack – and then drove him and his friend to the station with a promise to pick them up on Sunday evening. Why was this you ask? Am I just a model wife ? Why no ! I intend to use this as ammunition in a future argument to demonstrate just how wonderful I am and how terrible Mr P is. Why else would I go to such lengths ? We women plan ahead…

Sep12

Addiction

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Addiction

My name is Julia Painter and I am a Bookaholic. There – I’ve said it. It’s out in the open; I’ve confessed all. But am I ashamed ? No way! The last week has seen me devour three books, all of which have kept me on the edge of my seat to the point of waking at 4am in the morning and picking up one of them to continue reading. So what has kept me so engrossed and quiet? Well – they are: ‘Too Close To Home’ by Linwood Barclay, ‘Just One Look’ by Harlan Coben and my absolute favourite ‘An Empty Death’ by the wonderful Laura Wilson. Now these have been a departure from the books I have been reading over the summer, most recently ‘Prozac Nation’ by Elizabeth Wurtzel. I’d got to page 32 and decided that excellent though the book was, I could no longer read about the young and depressed in America and took a decision to continue the book at a later date. Instead I decided to focus on some pacey thrillers and took up with The Big Three. Now if I had one criticism it would be that all three have a spellbinding journey but lack a really punchy ending. The exception here would be Laura Wilson’s amazing new book which prepares the way for a third novel.

So, a quick summary of what has kept me so busy:

‘Too Close To Home’ tells of a family shot in their own house and the removal of an old computer. What secrets were on the computer and did the murderer go to the wrong house? Written from the perspective of the father living in the neighbouring house you can guess what comes next.

‘Just One Look’ tells of the rollercoaster ride awaiting the suburban housewife who collects her holiday photographs and finds in the middle of the pack a strange, old photo which doesn’t belong to her. Closer inspection reveals that it is an ancient picture containing her husband in his younger days. Why is it there and what does it mean? That night her husband goes missing…

‘An Empty Death’ is written very much in the style of ‘Green For Danger’ by Christianna Brand. Based in a war-time hospital in London, a series of seemingly unrelated murders set against a backdrop of old green tiled corridors, light bulbs hung inside wire casings and gloomy wards sends a shiver down the spine. This is the culprit which kept me up at 4am and must be my favourite of the three books.

So what next? Well – huge excitement as three of the shortlisted Booker prize books arrived this morning! Hilary Mantel’s ‘Wolf Hall’ ( a tale of Tudor England ), Sarah Walters’ ‘The Little Stranger’ ( a post-war ghost story ) and A S Byatt’s ‘The Children’s Book’ ( story of three families and their lives from 1900 to 1918 ). I have openned all and sniffed their pages in the customary manner and now can’t wait to get stuck in!

Jun2

Back to the eighties

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Back to the eighties

My name is Julia Painter. I’ve just been out and that trip has taken me back to 1985. Yes – tonight we dined at La Pergola the Italian restuarant just outside of Lyndhurst in the New Forest. For years now I’ve wanted to eat at this establishment and tonight, on a  balmy summer’s evening, my wish was granted. Now, I had a gut feel that La Pergola was very eighties in its cuisine and a quick glance at the menu confirmed this. That is not to knock what was a very pleasant evening however but by way of an experiment I ordered three courses which I would have ordered as an undergraduate at Huddersfield Poly circa 1985 at our ‘regular’ Italian: Sole Mio. Caught in my eighties time warp I selected bread and Italian Meats, Tortollini Alla Panna and Chocolate Mousse. This brought back fond memories of blasting grant money on pasta and wine – lots of. The only difference this time round was that I am now mature enough to drink just one glass of wine with my meal rather than downing an entire bottle and getting completely hammered ( sorry Mum ). To add to the pictures from the evening I have located a photo of Solo Mio in Huddersfield ( far right ) taken before the baillifs moved in last month as reported in the Huddersfield Examiner.

May20

Angels and Demons

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Angels and Demons

Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear oh dear… what can I say ? I was only half way through the film when I began to ponder – is this a ‘best we can do’ adaption of a poor book or an utterly awful rendition of a pacy, best-selling page turner. I don’t think anyone would call Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons a work of literary genius but easy to read, exciting and imaginative it certainly is.  Unlike the film. Tom Hanks appears again as Robert Langdon, the beleagured symbologist, and wanders the streets of Rome sporting his English academic-abroad look – just a hint of C&A sports casual. His face remains either a) impassive or b) tortured for the majority of the film which trudges its weary way through its constantly twisting plot. Except of course, the producers decide not to follow the book and develop their own version. And why not ? Just because a book is a number one best seller – who says you can’t make it even better with Ewan McGregor parachuting from the skies with just a few cuts and bruises to show for his fall from a fire-consumed helicopter.

This film really is poor – and while I could sit and be reasonably entertained for a couple of hours, it is disappointing that so much cash had been thrown at a movie which made me want to laugh in all the wrong places. And it wasn’t a comedy. So, if you enjoy a ‘symbol-infused’ chase across Rome ( more pentagons and harrowed looking angels than I could eat ) and a Disneyesque spiritual ending, this film may well be for you. If, however, you are a cynical old bird like me then, enjoy your ice cream, take the film for what it is and try not to laugh when Ewan chutes into the Vatican Square.

May14

Panic setting in…

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Panic setting in…

Trying  so hard to write this morning but my brain will just not engage. I don’t have two words to rub together. Mind blank. Panic. And this is not a good time for having a complete block. Winchester Writers Conference looms with competition entries due to be submitted by the end of the month. I have a few completed entries but am still left with three first drafts for the ‘shorter’ short story category and two ‘yet to be started’ non-fiction pieces. The left-hand side of my brain is telling the right-hand side to get a move on but it just isn’t happening. If something doesn’t happen soon I’ll be driven to engage in other unsavoury activities such as cleaning the kitchen floor or wiping down my skirting boards. I cannot let this happen as then I will know that I have hit rock-bottom creativity-wise and transformed from eccentric writing type-person to 1950s housewife. Maybe the go-karting jumbled my brain and the crash destroyed valuable brain cells. Who knows. But I know I have to focus – so, Julia Painter – move away from the Flash and sponge wipes and get tippy tapping on that lappy.

Apr28

Eight glorious years

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Eight glorious years

Yesterday, April 27th, was our 8th wedding anniversary and we decided to celebrate in the customary manner – by cooking an exotic, inedible meal. Yes dear readers, I turned again to Jamie Oliver for inspiration and I have to say he let me down. First course was spicy pan fried squid with an Asian type salad. Purchasing said squid had been less traumatic than envisaged – what I hadn’t anticipated however was the need to pull out the squid head and legs. I did one and nearly vomitted over my lemon grass leaving Ian to the task which rather worryingly he enjoyed.  The finished starter was a heap of greenery with warmed cannelloni beans, chopped chilli, garlic and olive oil with a pile of white rubber bands ( aforementioned squid ) on top. We ate what we could – we’ll leave it there – because there was the wonderful main course to look forward to: Monkfish cooked in banana leaves with chilli, lemon grass, lime juice, garlic, coriander and coconut milk. OK – so first off – for some reason fish seem to have seasons and Spring is not Monkfishs’ so I chose Cod. Also you cannot buy banana leaves in Shirley and at the last minute having found we had run out of foil I improvised with a baking dish and damp greaseproof paper. What we were left with was a pile of tasteless fish in an overly citrusy gloop. Even the rice was over cooked. Never mind – I’d bought a Duchy Original Bakewell Tart with some Green and Black’s vanilla ice cream. Don’t get too excited, it was in Ian’s words ‘ dusty and sandy’ in texture with a brittle crust. But all was resolved and harmony restored as we sat down at 9pm to watch the second episode of the new Ashes to Ashes series; wonderful – except for the scene in the sauna where it became apparent that Gene Hunt has moobies. How the mighty have fallen. Happy Anniversary Ian !

Apr20

Last few days

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Last few days

The last few days have been interesting in a day-to-day kind of way. On the food front I’ve swung back into chocolate abuse after a few weeks of relative abstinence. Yestreday saw me consume 1 x large Lindt chocolate rabbit. Shortly after Ian left for Dublin, I remembered ( well – it was a marked rabbit and had been on my mind for some time ) that I had put his 1 X large Lindt chocolate rabbit in the freezer to ‘save it for him for when he gets back.’ Regrettably, whilst enjoying an episode of ‘Coach Trip‘ ( which in my book competes highly with the oddly compelling ‘Come Dine With Me’ ) I decided that the moment of watching Marion and Phil being voted off the trip would be heightened considerably by some cocoa indulgence. I have to confess to removing the frozen rabbit from the freezer and when unable to bite off it’s ears and paws due to the frozen nature of the chocolate, got out the hairdryer. On the ‘warm’ setting, it defrosted the head of the rabbit in less than five minutes. I was then able to blow dry and eat chunks of rabbit ‘on the hoof.’

Today I have been writing all morning. I completed the first rough draft of a story I am going to submit to the annual Frome short story competition for this year’s literary festival. Needs a lot more work but I have plenty of time for this one. I can’t post this on the blog as it must be completely unpublished to be eligible. I also wrote another 2000 words on the book. Slow progress but I managed to move things along having got stuck at one point. On Friday I’m attending the Flair 4 Words 21st Birthday lunch in Bournemouth where they are announcing the winner of their short story competition based on the theme ‘The Birthday Party.’ Flair 4 Words are a progressive, energetic literary group based on the South Coast. And tonight it’s Write on Site at Rosies – yet more writing challenges with big prize money at stake!

And of course finally – but most importantly – Gene Hunt returns to our screens tonight for the second series of Ashes to Ashes. Gene – you’re a living legend of our times! And in your honour – this blog posting carries some wonderful pictures of you.

Feb19

Writing update

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Writing update

Well, we listened to the interview I did with Rob Richardson on Express FM on Tuesday night. Well, I kind of listened but I have to be honest and admit that it took two vodka and oranges for me to even get close to the radio. Ian set everything up to make a pod cast but I understand there have been some technical difficulties. Mrs Q was particularly supportive – texting me every five minutes with exquisite comments like: ‘You go Running? My a**e’, and ‘Lovely sweetness – listen to you.’ Well Mrs Q – when did you last shift your a**e, move away from the kettle chips and raise your heart rate by one beat? I have taken the liberty of posting a photo of myself and Mrs Q who is wearing something tall and pink on her head reminiscent of Black Adder ( or just plain odd ).

So in addition to the radio episode I’ve re-written a story rejected by one magazine and re-submitted to a different periodical. I’ve also written two more pieces – one of which I have sent off and the other I’m saving for the next Write-Invite session at Rosies Wine Bar. The story for Rosies is called The Feeder and is about Fat Admirers and the emotional and physical control they have over their partners. It’s a bit dark but ends on an unexpected upbeat note which I hope stops it being too depressing. You see I’ve decided that the time has come to try and lighten up some of my writing as at the moment it is rather ‘from the dark side’ of life.

In terms of non-writing activity there have been various local outings which Ive really enjoyed. Loved shopping with Natalie ( my God Daughter ) and Mel for Nat’s prom dress on Tuesday. She looked beautiful in every dress she tried on although unfortuntely she couldnt find exactly the right dress that day. Subsequently she has chosen a pink floaty number which looks wonderful on her.

We also said good luck and bye bye to Duncan on Friday night as he left for a new job. We finished the evening in an Indian at around 10pm. It was excellent value for money actually as I was still seeing the curry well into the next day. I shall not name and shame said Curry House needless to say it wasn’t our usual haunt – the wonderful Jewel in the Crown.

And the week wouldn’t have been complete without a trip to the new Southampton IKEA where you can go in expecting to spend very little and leave having picked up a motley collection of tea lights, candle holders and bed throws. I achieved all of the aforementioned.

Feb15

Largin’ it up!

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Largin’ it up!

Sometimes you watch a film and you think ‘no – I shouldn’t be watching this’ or ‘ pl-lease I’m an adult – this shouldn’t be making me laugh like a constipated donkey.’ But – just two minutes into ‘Kevin and Perry Go Large’ and I was braying in the manner of the aforementioned mule. It was juvenile. It was school boy humour. It was bloomin hilarious. Mel and I enjoyed a good hour and a half as we took our sense of humour back to 1982 and enjoyed the antics of K and P. It may not be BAFTA award stuff – it may not even be BBC material – but it made us laugh like two teenage girls round the back of the bike sheds having a crafty fag and a cackle. Sometimes you just want to be entertained and sod the academia.