Toni had been reading the lovely Jill Mansell. I’d been reading a crime novel by a new-to-me writer that I expected to enjoy but didn’t. The author, who I won’t mention, described every person who made an appearance in minute detail – with a heavy helping of cliché. He also described every building (and its history) and every room.
Chekov believed that over description was an insult to the reader, that too many details lessen credibility. There was a good story at the heart of the book and I could see it making great television, but I found it a hard read and in the end didn’t care enough about the fate of the characters to wade through so much tedious stuff.
After that I went to Llandeilo with the dh to do a little Christmas shopping – anyone with a bright idea for an 85 year old aunt who’s allergic to plants and flowers and whose eye-sight is not good enough for heavy reading, could well find me falling on them in gratitude and sending them a copy of the book of their choice from my backlist!
We had lunch in Café Braz, a small restaurant we hadn’t tried before but will certainly visit again.
The cards – most of them – have now been sent. Still hunting for some addresses. I only send a few. The stupid amount of money I used to spend on them now goes to charity; St Martins-in-the-Fields will receive it again this year.
This is the first year in as long as I can remember when I won’t be in charge of the cooker on the big day, but if you’re looking for recipes to inspire you, check out the revamped Harlequin Romance Authors blog.
7 comments:
I love Llandeilo.
85-year-old aunts generally get consumables from me. Bath stuff, lovely tea or marmalade or chocs. Or how about a lovely soft cashmere shawl?
Hello Liz
How about audio books? I know my late Great Aunt Bella loved them, and she was ninety-three.
Hi Ros - yes, Llandeilo does have a lot of charm and some lovely shops!
I sent my aunt a hamper last year - may do the same again. Have been hunting for something special. So many of them are all sweet stuff, though. :(
Hi CC
Not sure whether she has any kit to listen to audio books. Will have to check. That would be an excellent idea! Thanks.
Re ereaders, I have a Kindle, Liz, and am really enjoying some different strategies for finding new authors to read on it, e.g. www.backlistebooks.com
For your auntie, maybe one of those nice wheat-packs that have a pretty fabric cover and essential oils so that they smell nice when heated in the microwave.
Hi Lilian - how lovely to hear from you.
I'm loving my Kindle, too, although still addicted to dropping in at the library and picking up paper books.
The wheat-pack is a great idea. I dug mine out yesterday for a dodgy shoulder (although I have to stick it in the oven since my microwave died!)
Ros and CC, if you didn't pick up the message in my latest blog, you are each awarded a book from my backlist. Can you email me at liz at lizfielding dot com so that I can organise delivery!
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