10 Things I Love About... "The Rules of Civility" by Amor Towles

1) Katey Kontent. A heroine with that kind of name is made to be noticed and Katey Kontent is as cool, classy and confident as her name is cliched. 

2) The harsh reality - quote from page 63

"It wasn't about who had dibs now or who was sitting next to whom in the cinema. The game had changed; or rather, it wasn't a game anymore. It was a matter of making it through the night, which is often harder than it sounds, and always a very individual business."

3) New York in the late 1930s. A place of jazz and glamour, of old money and new fashions, of Depression era worries and of opportunities. If this book is turned into a film, it will be a feast for the eyes. 

4) Did I mention the glamour? - quote from page 47

"The men wore tailored suits and accented their breast pockets with untouched handkerchiefs. The women wore silk dresses in royal colors and chokers of pearls."

5) Katey Kontent's love of Dickens - quote from page 128

"Admittedly, there's something a little annoying about all those plucky underprivileged kids and the aptly named agents of villainy. But I've come to realize that however blue my circumstances, if after finishing a chapter of a Dickens novel I feel a miss-my-stop-on-the-train sort of compulsion to read on, then everything is probably going to be just fine." 

6) Tinker Grey. A fascinating character is all I can say... For some reason he keeps reminding me of the lyrics from Regina Spektor's "Man of A Thousand Faces":

The man of a thousand faces

Sits down at the table
Eats a small lump of sugar
And smiles at the moon like he knows her
And begins his quiet ascension
Without anyone's sturdy instruction

7) The truth about going to the hairdresser - quote from page 233

"Historically, once in the hands of a hairdresser, I had done whatever necessary to stymie conversation: grimacing; sleeping; staring blankly into the mirror; once I even faked ignorance of English."

8) The determination of Evie Ross - quote from page 15

"True, she was only five foot five, but she knew how to dance in two-inch heels - and she knew how to kick them off as soon as she sat in your lap."

9) The stories of elite Manhattan kids - quote from page 169:

"For a group freshly spilled from the country's finest schools, they were surprisingly aimless, but that didn't make them bad company. They didn't have much spending money or social status, but they were on the verge of having both." 

10) The stories of Russian immigrants in New York - quote from page 283:

"The first wind of the New York winter was sharp and heartless. Whenever it blew, it always made my father a little nostalgic for Russia. He'd break out the samovar and boil black tea and recall some December when there was a lull in conscription and the well wasn't frozen and the harvest hadn't failed. It wouldn't be such a bad place to be born, he'd say, if you never had to live there. 

Quotes from a teenage revolution

I am in one of those moods where I can't stick to one book, it is almost physically impossible for me to keep attention on one book. However, last night I started reading "Youth in Revolt" by C. D. Payne and I having a really good time! It is absolutely hilarious, the story is full of twists and surprises and the dialogue is vivacious and fun!


So though I am still only half-way through the book, I will share a few quotes with you to give you a taste of the it and hopefully make you smile:


On moms and hairdressers (page 8): 
Mom gave me $20 this morning to get my hair cut. She likes me to get it professionally styled in a salon where they play loud music rock music. That way I can come out looking like a successful real estate agent, junior division. 


On having to cook a family dinner (page 170):
"This tastes like shit!" slurred Dad. 
"It's Thai food, Dad," I explained. "It's supposed to be spicy."
"Thai food!" he bellowed. "Who ever heard of Thai meat loaf!"
"It's a synthesis of Thai and American cuisines," I elaborated. 
"You're doing this deliberately! You're taking expensive groceries and deliberately sabotaging them. To get out of doing your work!"
Obviously the alcohol had not entirely impaired Dad's analytical faculties. 


Wondering what parents' worst nightmare is (page 260):
"That you will marry an American?" suggested Apurva. 
"That you will never leave home?" proposed Francois. 
"No," replied Vijay, "it is that you will ruin your life and bring disgrace and financial hardship upon the family." 
Wow, if that's true I may qualify as my parents' worst nightmare come true. 

Harry Potter or Edward Cullen? The King's verdict...

"Harry Potter is all about confronting fears, finding inner strength, and doing what is right in the face of adversity. Twilight is about how important it is to have a boyfriend." 
- Stephen King 

(ps. there seems to be some controversy about whether or not Stephen King actually said this but I am going with the majority who seems to think yes) 

Ten things I Love About... "A Provincial Lady Goes Further"

Sometimes it is hard to describe a book or review it because it is really good or really special or really difficult to describe. "The Provincial Lady Goes Further" by E.M. Delafield is one of them. The story of the provincial lady and her friends and family. The flegmatic husband Robert, the wild kids and the independent girlfriend. And of course the oh so French nanny and the stuck-up neighbor - the list goes on and on. It is a really wonderful book but I can't describe it so here are ten reasons why I love it - and they are all quotes!

1) On being a published author at a party: "...Pamela lavishly announces that I am very, very clever and literary - with customary result of sending all the very young gentlemen into the furthermost corner of the room, from whence they occasionally look over their shoulders at me with expression of acute horror."

2) On being a published author when having tea with elderly family members: "Tea and seed-cake appear, we partake, and Aunt Mary hopes that my writing does not interfere with home life and its many duties, and I hope so too..."

3) Having spent much time and effort to go to society event: "...on reaching party and seeing everybody else, at once realise that I am older, less well dressed, and immeasurably plainer than any other woman in the room."

4) About vanity: "Two small artificial curls - Scylla and Charybdis - always worn under bathing-cap..." (who would have thought they had extensions in the 1930's?!)

5) The dry humour of the Provincial Lady: "Lady F. says Shall we have coffee in the drawing-room? - entirely rhetorical question, as decision naturally rests with herself."

6) About having a second home in London, a small but independence-inducing flat: "Return to Doughty Street flat, and experience immense and unreasonable astonishment at finding it almost exactly as I left it..."

7) On clothing crisis (oh how well I know that!): "Question of clothes remains unsolved until eleventh hour, when I decide on black crepe-de-chine and new hat that I think becoming."

8) On the trouble with having staff: "Ethel's afternoon out, and customary fatality of callers ensues, who are shown in by Cook with unsuitable formula: Someone to see you, 'm."

9) On going to meet terribly successful niece of girlfriend: "Have a strong impulse to turn straight round and go home again, sooner than confront so much efficiency, but non-stop train renders this course impractical."

10) On introducing traditional husband Robert to rather ...untraditional... friend Pamela: "Pamela opens her eyes very widely and says she has hear so very much about him - (who from? Not me) - and they shake hands. Can see from Robert's expression exactly what he thinks of Pamela's finger-nails..."

If you like a little bit of 1930's glamour and lots of dry humour and witty remarks, please do not miss out on the Provinsial Lady. She really is an acquaintance worth making!

7 reasons to read "The Rivers of London"

7 reasons to read "The Rivers of London" by Ben Aaronovitch (there are many more than seven by the way!)

Reason 1 - page 103
"I'm just going to have a chat with this troll", said Nightingale
"Sir", I said, "I think we're supposed to call them rough sleepers."
"Not this one we don't", said Nightingale. "He's a troll"

Reason 2 - page 142
I agreed that being part of something real was indeed wonderful, but it would be groovy if she could tell me what she'd seen. I actually used the word "groovy" and she didn't even flinch, which was worrying on so many levels.


Reason 3 - page 178
A London copper doesn't like to intrude on a traveller camp with anything less than a van full of bodies in riot gear - it's considered disrespectful otherwise.

Reason 4 - page 202
"We think he is hiding in Walthamstow," she said. Many would say that was punishment enough.

Reason 5 - page 229
"You really are the most extraordinarily gullible young man", she said, "What on earth are we going to do with you?"

Reason 6 - page 265
The trouble with the old boy network is that you can never really be sure whether it's switched on or not, and whether it's operating in your interest or some other old boy's.

Reason 7 - page 320
Nobody likes a riot except looters or journalists.

A little bit of a Princess Bride

"The Princess Bride"... such a divine little whimsical title. "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman. A divine book! Whimsical, no more like satirical but absolutely delicious. I will be reviewing it soon but here's a little something to share the "The Princess Bride" love:

"I need your advice," she interrupted. "What can I do to improve my personal appearance."
"Start by bathing," her father said.
"And do something with your hair while you're at it," her mother said.
p. 59

She did her best thinking then. Not that her best thinking ever expanded horizons. Still, she told herself, she was not a dummy either, so as long as she kept her thoughts to herself, well, where was the harm? (p. 90)

From his position at the point of the Armada, Prince Humperdinck stared up at the Cliffs of Insanity. This was just like any other hunt. He made himself think away quarry. It did not matter if you were after an antelope or a bride-to-be... p. 165

By 5:48, Buttercup felt quite sure she would be dead. p 305