1// Mince pies So many have been consumed and I'm not even sorry. I can't wait to indulge in one or two (definitely way more than that) of my Mum's homemade mince pies when I get home on Christmas Eve.
2// Wilkie I was heading back into another DNF daze earlier this week, but I decided to put the book down immediately and head to Wilkie for a quick pick-me-up. He never fails me, and that's why he's my main man. I read the novella 'Miss or Mrs?' and (obviously) adored it, so next up will be 'The Guilty River' for more mystery, intrigue and questionable feminism.
3// Bobble hats It is finally cold enough for me to crack out my selection of bobble hats. I look like a nerd, but my head is cosy - you win some, you lose some. A colleague asked me if my reindeer were parked outside, but I let that one slide.
4// Walking On Friday I knew doing a workout when I got home would be next to impossible (it's been a hard, exhausting week), so I did the next best thing and walked the four or so miles home. I go by way of Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square and then across the Embankment footbridge to the Southbank and on past Waterloo. It was a beautiful walk and one I will never tire of.
5// Planning In trying to keep my head above water I've starting planning things for later this month and for next year. I've got something exciting in the pipeline coming up on the blog soon, and I'm also planning a trip to Oxford in January. In my 25 before 25 list I said I want to take a solo trip somewhere and I think this will be it (not nervous at all). If you have any recommendations for Oxford (bookshops always welcome) then do let me know.
6// Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper This novel looks set to be one of the top debuts of 2015. I've heard rumblings about it around the internet and this week I realised why when a very special package dropped through my letter box. Published by Penguin and due in January, this is a novel about a journey, memory, longing and love. I've read the first few pages and they're beautiful so I can't wait to read more - this may be my Christmas book for this year.
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Arrrghh... Disqus ate my comment. Yay Oxford! You absolutely must visit the Blackwell's bookshop on Broad Street, it is beautiful (even though they didn't give me a job when I applied.) Also a little gorgeous fancy stationer called Scriptum in Turl Street, which is very expensive with leather-bound notebooks and quill pens and all that sort of thing. I bought a nice pen there on one visit and an old-fashioned ink blotter on another. And you can follow in JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis's footsteps by having lunch in the Eagle and Child pub.
ReplyDeleteI think soon it's time I read another Wilkie too. I don't know what, though - I've read The Woman in White and The Moonstone. Do you have recommendations?
ReplyDelete"A colleague asked me if my reindeer were parked outside..." I think I would like this colleague. I've heard wonderful things about Etta and Otto and Russell and James, so I hope all the hype turns out to be the long-lasting type and not the "in six months the average rating will have fallen away" type. And yay mince pies! I went to the farm shop on the Chatsworth Estate this week, for the first time in well over a year, and bought a bunch of their mince pies. When I worked there I used to misappropriate one every shift for my break, and they're literally the nicest I've EVER had. Still lovely with Baileys-spiked coffee and a book all these years later. :D
ReplyDeleteI've been in planning mode too :) I kind of love that about this time of year. And solo trip sounds exciting!!!
ReplyDeleteThe anticipation of a brand new year always makes me plan like crazy! I know, I'm so excited (and very nervous) :D
ReplyDeleteWilkie recommendations? Why, certainly! I really enjoyed No Name this year, but I also have very fond memories of The Dead Secret. Either that or some of his shorter works - The Haunted Hotel is perfectly terrifying :D
ReplyDeleteThank you for the recommendations, bookshops and cafes are very high up on my list of things to do. And thanks, I think they're cool too :D
ReplyDeleteHow dare it?! Stationary, books and a pub? Katie, you know me well! Thank you for the recommendations, I've got them all noted :D
ReplyDeleteYou probably would. I love her, even if she does make the odd disparaging comment about my attire ;) I really hope it's a hype-worthy book. It seems quite different (from a brief flick through), so with any luck it will stand the test of time. Haha Ellie, you're such a rebel! I've never tried a bailey's spiked coffee (or baileys in general for that matter), but it does sound glorious paired with mince pies and books :D
ReplyDeleteIt's very sickly and rich on its own - especially with my slightly uneasy relationship with lactose - but a trickle in a mug of coffee is lovely. Creamy and slightly sweet. They do a chocolate version now too, which IS okay on its own but which is just begging to be tried in hot chocolate at some point. YESSSSS. >:)
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