20. Trades of the Flesh - Faye L Booth

Having thoroughly enjoyed Faye L Booth’s debut novel, Cover the Mirrors, I was very excited to read Trades of the Flesh. I think I actually liked this one even more, due to a stronger, more lively protagonist.

Like Cover the Mirrors, Trades of the Flesh, centres around a young woman trying to make a life for herself in Victorian Preston. However, the two protagonists are very different in personality and lead very different lives. Lydia Ketch is a prostitute, and Booth handles this controversial and difficult subject skilfully. She doesn’t patronise the reader by attempting to delivery some kind of moral message, nor does she glamorise prostitution by presenting it as an easy and safe way of life. Lydia is not ashamed of her profession, but neither is she entirely satisfied with it, knowing that her looks and luck will not last forever.

Trades of the Flesh is the story of Lydia’s struggle to find independence and security. Although a key plotline does involve a developing romantic relationship, unlike conventional romantic historical novels marriage to a sympathetic and understanding man is not the kind of security Lydia is looking for. Lydia herself, and not her romantic relationship (complex and thrilling though it is), is the main focus of this novel; her independence and creative talents remain her goals throughout.

Dealing with themes of pornography, grave robbing and autopsies as well as prostitution, this book is not for the easily offended. It is, however, not as racy or sensational as the cover or blurb might have you believe. These controversial issues are dealt with matter of factly, evidently well-researched, without being objectified or exaggerated for the sake of glamour.

Highly recommended for anyone who likes strong heroines, isn’t afraid of dark and adult themes, and doesn’t believe that romance is all about getting married and having babies.

25. The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, or the Murder at Road Hill House - Kate Summerscale

I kind of bought this book by accident a few months ago at Borders. (The same day I bought The Little White Horse, as it happens.) There was a promotional offer where this book was only £2.99 if you spent a certain amount of money, and when the cashier asked if I wanted it I said yes without thinking. When I got home, I had a look at it and failed to notice that it was non-fiction, and assumed it was a crime novel, something I’m not really into. I was going to put it on Bookmooch, but never got round to it, and then forgot all about it until my friend Jo blogged about it, saying how good it was and I realised it wasn’t what I thought it was at all.

It’s actually a non-fiction book about a murder in 1860, that inspired the country-house murder sub-genre of crime fiction and was one of the first crimes in Britain to be investigated by a detective. Not only is it a fascinating and chilling case, but it’s a very interesting insight into Victorian society, such as the relationship between the upper classes and their servants, how the media reported crimes, and how people reacted to the new detectives. It was such a thrilling book that I read it all in one night, despite having an early shift the following morning. One of the best books I read all year.

24. The Little White Horse - Elizabeth Goudge

When I was young, I had a whole bookcase of books that used to belong to my mum when she was a little girl. I read and loved nearly all of them, but one of the exceptions was The Little White Horse. I never read this book, for the very silly reason that I had never read it before, and I preferred to reread old favourites rather than start new books. I would occasionally look at the very pretty cover and think that it was a shame that I couldn’t read it. The stupid thing is, there were other books I read that I hadn’t read before (of course — otherwise I’d have no books to reread) so why I felt this way about this particular book I have no idea. Anyway, I don’t know what happened to that old copy but a few months ago I saw it half-price in Borders and decided I would finally give it a go.

I was really very silly to put off reading it for so long because it’s just the kind of book I would’ve loved as a child (and still have a fondness for now). It’s the story of an orphaned little girl who goes to stay with a kind old uncle in a castle-like house in a hidden valley, and discovers all the fairy-tale mysteries that exist there — the legend of a Moon Princess, a generations-old feud between proud and powerful men, long-lost loves and magical creatures. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys old-fashioned children’s classics such as The Secret Garden or The Wolves of Willoughby Chase or The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. (NB: I am not saying the story is like those stories. I’m just saying that if you like those stories, you’ll like this.)

Pattern: A bottom-up modification of Mrs Darcy
Designer: Mary Weaver (with mods by Wakenda)
Needles: 5.5mm circs, 4.5mm dpns
Yarn: Stylecraft Aran with Wool (the first picture is a more accurate representation of the colour)
Comments: It’s been a long time since I attempted to knit a garment, but Tara-Marie encouraged me to give it another go and here’s the result.

I loved the look of the original Mrs Darcy design, but as I’m a bit on the busty side I decided Wakenda’s more modest modification would probably be better suited to me.

I’m very proud of myself for successfully knitting a complete garment! The only trouble is, it got quite a bit bigger during blocking. Blocking didn’t go very well at all actually. I’d never blocked before, so I read up about it online and then, thinking I understood perfectly, washed the cardigan and laid it out flat on the bathroom floor. Three days later it still wasn’t dry, and smelt of damp >.< My mum took it away and blocked it at her house, and left it to dry in the airing cupboard. Her attempt at blocking was much more successful, but unfortunately the cardigan ended up a few inches wider than it had been when I’d finished. I’m not sure if this happened in the first blocking or the second blocking, or whether it’s down to the yarn (it got VERY heavy when it was wet, maybe the weight stretched it).

It’s not miles too big, it just makes for a very unflattering fit because the waist shaping isn’t really visible anymore. I’m thinking of knitting a belt and attaching some belt loops, but I don’t mind if it can’t be salvaged. At least the knitting and (little bit of) seaming was successful, I’ll just think of this project as a practice one. I know I’ll do better next time!

I probably won’t use this yarn for a garment again. It’s certainly very good value, but the high acrylic content makes it very hot and not particularly soft. I think I’m going to save up for good yarn for future projects.

20. Science of the Discworld III - Terry Pratchett, Jack Cohen & Ian Stewart

Maths and science are definitely not my strengths, being much more of a literature and languages kind of person. So the majority of the non-fiction parts of this book, being about black holes and string theory and natural selection and other things, were really far too complicated for me to understand, but there was something kind of comforting about that. The book made me realise that all the stuff we’re taught in school about evolution and certain other scientific theories are so vastly simplified that they become almost inaccurate, and that some of the things I thought I just about had a grasp on, such as black holes, are actually a mystery even to scientists. There’s something kind of nice about hearing that. Maybe it just makes me feel a little less stupid.

As for the fiction parts of the book, they were enjoyable enough, but kind of repetitive. Without the structure of a real novel, the fiction parts are really just a series of comic vignettes that don’t really add anything to the characters of the Unseen University. This is understandable and probably for the best though, as the Science books don’t fit into the official Discworld sequence as such.

On the whole though, it was quite an interesting read.

18. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Kings & Queens of Britain - Charles Phillips

Before I read this book, I was very interested in the history of the British Monarchy but was only really familiar with the Tudors and the 20th century monarchs. So I was very excited to find this and it was with reluctance that I decided not to get it; it was the day before my holiday and I wanted to save my money to spend while I was away. I promised myself I’d get it as soon as I came back. But then, while I was on holiday I saw it in the museum shop of the caves at Cheddar Gorge, which I took to be a sign and bought it right away.

I wasn’t disappointed. Every monarch has at least one page about them; most have a double page spread and some of the more important ones have several pages. There’s also a section about the Scottish monarchy, something I knew nothing about previously. As well as the lives of the kings and queens, the book also includes other elements of history, such as information about popular artists, scientific inventions, and geographical discoveries so it’s a pretty good overview of British history.

I did notice a few typos of names and dates which was a little annoying because there may have been more, less obvious ones (ones that were out by less than a decade instead of a whole century, for example) that I didn’t notice, but I suppose in a casual guide such as this, precise dates aren’t as important as in a more scholarly work. Another frustration was that I thought the author was a little biased against Edward VIII (the only British monarch to have abdicated) but perhaps I only felt that way because I know quite a bit about the situation and also because the book only has space to tell the story in a very simple way.

Still, in general this book was very informative and I’d recommend it to anybody looking for an overview of, or to wanting to fill in the gaps of their knowledge of, British history.

17. Song for Arbonne - Guy Gavriel Kay
I LOVED this book. The funny thing is — I know I’ve read it before and although I vaguely remembered liking it, I couldn’t remember a single thing about the story. So reading it again was like reading it for the first time. I guess something in me must have changed in the few years since I originally read it, because this time around I really fell in love with it.

I don’t know whether this book is better labelled as ‘fantasy’ or ‘historical fiction’. The land of Arbonne is fictional, but it doesn’t feature magic or fantasy races or anything supernatural, and is heavily based on medieval France. Maybe it’s a romance in the old sense of the word; not a modern boys-meets-girl-and-they-live-happily-ever-after kind of romance, but an epic story of love and honour. Or rather, a beautiful story about love and war, troubadours and mercenaries, fathers and brothers and bitter brooding younger sons (that you can totally fall in love with), priestesses and mothers and queens, feuds and duels, the God and the Goddess, ambition and duty, corruption and honour, death and sacrifice, long-lost loves and passion and heartbreak.

I definitely recommend it (if you couldn’t tell that already).

(credit)

I saw this meme over at Wine in the Afternoon and thought it looked fun!

★ Do you snack while you read? If so, favourite reading snack?
Sometimes, it depends where I am. I love getting into a nice hot bath with a good book and a bar of chocolate. When I read the Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, I got into my day bed with a big bag of chocolate and stayed there for hours. I read the book in two sittings and it was a lovely experience.

☆ Do you tend to mark your books as you read them, or does the idea of writing on your books horrify you?
I think pencilled notes in the margin of an old book look lovely. It has to be pencil though. Not because it can be erased, but because it has a nice soft look to it. I make a lot of notes when reading Shakespeare, and I’m always disappointed if I buy a second-hand Shakespeare play and find that there the previous owner didn’t leave any notes.

★ How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog ears?
If it’s an old book, I fold the corner of the page down. If it’s a new book with pristine pages, I just memorise the number (and usually forget). Well-read old books are the best and brand new books are nice, but brand new books with one or two creased pages are the worst.

☆ Fiction, Non-Fiction or both?
I love both. I tend to read non-fiction at bedtime, because fiction grips me too much and can keep me awake for hours. I save most of my fiction-reading for the bath.

★ Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point?
I do most of my reading at bedtime, and I read until I fall asleep with the book still in my hands. Usually I’ll half wake up after a while and remember to fold the corner down, but not always, which can be a bit annoying.

☆ If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
I rarely come across unfamiliar words, and on the occasions that I do, I’m usually able to figure it out from the context.

★ What are you currently reading?
A biography of Queen Victoria, which is very interesting, and The Constant Princess by Phillipa Gregory, which is a fictionalised account of Catherine of Aragon’s early years in England. As you can probably tell, I love learning about the history of the English monarchy.

☆ What is the last book you bought?
Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett. I rarely buy new hardbacks, but I’ll make an exception for a Discworld novel.

★ Are you the type of person who can only read one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time?
I always have at least one book on the go. I try and commit myself to finishing a book before starting a new one, but I just can’t help myself. Similarly, I keep telling myself not to buy any more books until I’ve made some progress on my big pile of books to read, but I just don’t listen.

☆ Do you prefer series or stand alone books?
I like both.

★ Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith but I’m sure you’ve heard me talk about that before. I also recommend Neil Gaiman a lot, because he’s a genius and has fairly universal appeal. Probably also The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, which again is pretty universal.

☆ How do you organize your books (by genre, title, author’s last name, etc.)?
I have far too many books for my bookcase so they’re just crammed on however they’ll fit. Originally, I had a shelf each for manga, fantasy, favourites, classics, children’s, and non-fiction and then from there they were ordered by size, but now all order has been lost.

Autumn Leaves by John Everett Millais

There is a harmony in autumn, and a lustre in its sky, which through the summer is not heard or seen, as if it could not be, as if it had not been!
— Percy Bysshe Shelley

☆ the anticipation of Christmas
★ hot chocolate & cinnamon toast
☆ Samhain & letting go of the past year
★ the colours of the leaves
☆ watching the sky become dark in the evening
★ LUSH’s limited edition Christmas products (especially Creamy Candy Cane!)
☆ the feel of change in the air
★ seeing Orion getting a little higher in the sky every night
☆ fireworks & bonfires
★ knitting Christmas presents
☆ putting away summer clothes & pulling out cute jumpers (sweaters) & tights
★ the crunching of dry leaves underfoot, or wading through piles wet leaves

♥ This Big Train sketch. We’ve watched a couple of Beatles documentaries recently as there seems to be a bit of a Beatles season going on, and I just can’t help but start laughing whenever I hear George Martin, thanks to this sketch

♥ FreeRice.com. I’m sure you’re all already aware of this site, but it’s a good cause and so always worth a mention. Thanks to mentioning it earlier, I’m now trying to get to level 60 and have raised 1980 grains of rice so far!

♥ Lovely Complex (anime). I said this last time, so it may seem pointless to repeat it now. But at that point I’d only seen five episodes. I loved it for being a cute and funny typical high school romantic comedy with pretty animation, but now I love it for all those things and additionally for being quite a realistic and touching depiction of love, despite the silly concept (a tall girl falling in love with a short boy). It also has a very similar ratio of romance-comedy-angst that I’m aiming for with Mon Petit Chou (the manga Sonia and I are working on. It’s coming along very slowly. Nothing really to show yet.)

♥ Tumblr. I signed up for an account ages ago but didn’t know what to do with it. It was only when a couple of friends of mine started using the site that I decided to give it a go. Now I’m addicted to finding and reblogging pretty pictures and quotes. I’ve also been contributing to a tumblr blog Curves Ahead, featuring natural and curvy beauty.

♥ This Heart is a Stone by Acid House Kings I must have played this song about a million times since I first heard it. It has everything I look for in a song!