Post Christmas Tidings

I went back to work today because I have one day’s annual leave left until January as I ‘swaned about’ having three holidays this year and took almost a whole week off for my birthday, because I am just foolish like that (it was awesome – I regret nothing). This means I’m also working tomorrow, but have got New Years Eve off so I can get my hair cut, cook something for the New Years Eve do and get a lift with my friends who are travelling up late afternoon. There is no one to market to during these two days and we are so ridiculously over prepared for next year (because we have been waiting for something company changing to happen for about six months and prepared everything because we were originally told it would happen in about a month, oh this is boring let’s move on) so that means blog reading and post typing in my all alone office.

That is part of my Christmas haul above. First the bit you’ll all be most interested in, books:
'Sunflowers' – Sheramy Bundrick: Yes I admit ‘A Work in Progress’ influences almost 50% of my choice of reading now. Danielle made a list about fiction relating to art and nearly all the books went on my wishlist.

'Blue Earth' – Jules Hardy: This is a book I thought looked interesting ages ago, but in honesty I’m now most unsure about it, because the blurb seems to focus on how this one man is irresistible to all the women he meets. However blurbs can be wrong.

'Unseen Academicals' – Terry Pratchett: I try to resist the lure of the hardback when asking other people to buy me presents, but, but the Librarian is in this one and he will be paying football!

'The Falls' – Joyce Carol Oates: Reading Cathy Marie Buchanan’s book reminded me of the interesting the effect Niagara Falls has on people and I haven’t read a Joyce Carol Oates book since last year (I am mostly to be found worshipping her). Looking forward to this one just a little bit more than is decent.

'Death of a Dancer' – Caro Peacock: I think litlove reminded me this was on my list and it’s always nice to have a fun historical mystery turn up over Christmas. I think for me historical mysteries are a winter kind of book, with all their intrigue and figures lurking around in the shadows and fog. (Gah I now see it is the second in a series, must get the first before proceeding or insane series issues may make head explode!)

and some of the jewellery I was presented with:

I’m not sure how well you can make that bit out but it includes the cutest bracelet that my mum bought for me at the November craft fair (yes those are Fimo liquorice allsorts and I must see if I can find the website for you all) and my very surprising Tiffany key necklace. I so wanted an old fashioned key necklace and I’d mentioned it, thinking I’d maybe get one from an independent crafter who uses keys from craft markets, so imagine my amazement when I opened this little box to find a real life sterling silver key necklace from Tiffany’s. It was the best surprise, I luuuurve it! Not pictured but still wonderful is my Wizard of Oz ring. If you like charms you must check out the bracelets in this shop, there is every kind of themed altered art bracelet you could want and I bought one for a friend so I can tell you they’re really nice quality.

And this little guy is keeping me company at work:

He’s a chamois monkey, for wiping screens and he can sit quite stable on top of my screen (although he might be a commuting monkey as my laptop and tv could do with a good clean). I am thinking of naming him Clive or Clyde, which do you like better?

Christmas film/tv news, because I’m not going to make a separate post about them:

2012 was awful, defined new level of awfulness - I thought it would be a cheerfully cheesy, standard action film, but oh no it made my love for John Cussack die. Airplane was supposed to put a stop to these kind of films.

Sherlock Holmes was wonderful and fun on the big screen (we resisted shouting things about how an industry that allows 2012 to get made deserves bad things when the anti-piracy announcement came on). Plenty of comedy fighting, a look into the way straight male friendships get changed when one person marries, slash flirting and although it wasn’t steam punk film there was that kind of exhuberant, messing with history while revelling in it, fun feel about it. I take back everything I said about Jude Law and that ‘tash.

Casablanca, as always was full of classitude, so glad we rewatched it.

The Gruffalo was so cute, just the happiest addition you could ever wish for to the children’s Christmas tv short collection.

Did anyone in the UK watch the Christmas episodes of ‘Cranford’? I thought it might be a bit unnecessary, but was totally captivated by the humour and the relationships right away. It was lovely to see what happened to all the characters, even if some of them did come to a bad end.

We do watch a lot of films at Christmas (I saw ‘Happy Feet’ for the third time as well) because it’s the only time almost nothing good is on tv and we all sit down to watch films at home. We also went out to eat, or to do something every day and then I met friends a couple of nights, so I didn’t read much. I finished my fourth TBR Challenge book, ‘Lullabies for Little Criminals’ and it was a delicious slice of description and genuine feeling (review coming). I’ve just finished the second edition of the’ TBR Tallboy’ which is an independent publishing project for new young adult short fiction, run by Leila at ‘Bookshelves of Doom’ and I’m halfway through Linwood Barker’s suburban thriller ‘Too Close to Home’, which is light, interesting, but I fear may have as crazy a solution as ‘No Time for Goodbye’, which I read last year. I just realised I’m involved in three classic reading projects in January, which may have been a bit silly. Only one of the books has arrived so far, will this end well.

I hope you all had (and are still having) a lovely festive season. See you when I pop by your blogs to see what you’ve been up to!