Thursday, October 18, 2012

I read him 'The Night Before Christmas' in French - (Pg 105)


The Nanny Diaries by Nicola Kraus & Emma McLaughlin was recommended to me by a friend. It starts out interestingly enough and is actually quite funny until you realise there are people actually like this and it isn't all tongue in cheek.

It becomes very confusing as to why a supposedly intelligent woman would continue to nanny for such highly strung and extremely rude people.


She put herself into the situation and can quite easily get out of it. Her relationship with the child is the supposed reason why she doesn't leave, however that relationship doesn't come across as terribly strong.

Do not read if you are easily frustrated by stupid people!

74 Days Remaining, 2 Books To Go

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

My eyes still ache if I read or write much - (Pg 113)


Going Solo by Roald Dahl picks up where Boy left off. It is quite a different set of tales I can tell you.

In Boy, there are a lot of characters and situations where you can see Dahl has drawn from later to write his magnificent children's fiction. Going Solo however is much more 'grown up' and the stories, while unbelievable, are not the types of things that make good children's fiction.

I for one am amazed that Roald Dahl survived the situations he faced and was able to escape the war with his life, let alone come back from what he saw and the situations he faced and write such wonderful stories.

An easy and very interesting read, you must read it for yourself.

75 Days Remaining, 3 Books To Go

Sunday, October 7, 2012

And I began to write a book called Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - (Pg 149)


It shouldn't be that I have reached the age I have and not have read Boy by Roald Dahl. Dahl is by far one of my favourite authors. When I was a child his books were a pure joy, as they still are today.

I bought my son a set of Dahl books for his First Birthday. A little premature I grant you, but I wanted to get him a book he would keep forever and then I just couldn't possibly choose between all of Dahl's great stories.

So it came to be that this set of books has been looking at me every night at bedtime for my son and I decided to right a grievous wrong by borrowing Boy from this collection and finally reading it.

It is of little wonder that Dahl has been able to write just amazing fantastical stories, as his life has been filled with characters and situations as you might only find in a Dahl novel. Boy is a wonderful account of a handful of childhood incidents and memories and is just a lovely read.

Highly reccomended to anyone who was ever a child, and loved it!

85 Days Remaining, 4 Books To Go