Life in Pictures April 2014

Have you all had a good April? Many Easter eggs did ye get?

I had six days off for the Easter holidays, and I done nothing. I'm not even sorry... it was bloody fantastic.

Some of my favourite things this month...

This hilarious comedy play, Party Suzie. It's back in May, go see it!

This was the only event I attended at this year's Aye Write festival. I'm sufficiently pleased with my lot: Bernard MacLaverty is a fantastic writer and speaker, and I've just finished breaking my heart to his novel Cal (a must-read).

One of my writing group friends demanded I read The Panopticon, by Jenni Fagan, and I'm so glad I did. Belter of a story! I devoured this book in two days, made all the better with the sun in my garden!

Looking after my 5 week old godson, Corey. Overnight, no less! He was the perfect angel, and I didn't want to give him back. He's sooo teeny! :')

The weather is finally starting to improve... long may it continue!

More food blog shenanigans, if you're intae yer grub. Guess who figured out how to make collages?

That's plenty for now. I hope April was good to you all. Lets hope May gives you even more of what you love.

Take care
Catherine x ◦

Life in Pictures April 2014

A bibliophile's dream

Last week, my twincess Irene & I languished in the devastation of celebrated our 29th birthday.

I'm not one to accept growing old(er) gracefully. I live in denial. I turned 25 last week, OK?

To soften the blow, Colin got me the best birthday gift my geeky little heart could ever wish for. I was taken to my favourite place in the world, Voltaire & Rousseau, and given free rein.

Free rein in this place!

4 carrier bags later, we were home, and I was delirious with happiness.

Here's the list, in all its stunning entirety:

• Ulysses - James Joyce
• Cal - Bernard MacLaverty
• The Sunday Philosophy Club - Alexander McCall Smith
• Red Dust Road - Jackie Kay
• White Teeth - Zadie Smith
• Choke - Chuck Palahniuk
• Pulp - Charles Bukowski
• Not Not While The Giro - James Kelman
• The Acid House - Irvine Welsh
• Moments of Being - Virginia Woolf
• Any Human Heart - William Boyd
• Senor Vivo and the Coca Lord - Louis deBernieres
• Creative Writing (Pocket Essentials) - Neil Nixon
• The Peppered Moth - Margaret Drabble

With all this joy comes a great dilemma... in which order should I read the beauties? I'm slightly obsessed with Irvine Welsh at the moment and have started on The Acid House... I'm thinking James Kelman next. Have you got a favourite amongst them all?

Just when I thought I was all-booked-out for the immediate future, I received this lovely tweet from my writerly friend, Paul Forrester (be sure to follow him on Twitter):

Wayne & Maria were having their own book clear-outs, so I jumped at the chance! I came in to work to find this wee cracker on my desk:

I can't wait to read it, especially as I'm rewriting some of The Novel and about to embark on some serious editing.

I'm experimenting with close (third person) narration and took an extract of my latest attempt into writers group on Thursday. On the whole it was positive, although it clanged with a few people. I'm going to continue with it, though, I feel like I've got some momentum going at last!

How are you all getting on?

Take care
Catherine x ◦

A bibliophile's dream