I bought this book because I kept being drawn to the cover. The back cover blurb sounded intriguing enough. But it turned out to be one of those occassions where ’don’t judge a book by it’s cover’ came into effect. It took me ages to slog through this one – it was so boring. Almost all of the characters were frustrating and impossible to warm to (particularly Norah). They lacked depth, warmth and authenticity. The book was quite heavy in descriptive details of moments, but yet strangely not evocative.

Continuing on with the religious theme… I am reading a version of this book titled ‘Heaven’ that I got cheap at an overstock bookshop. It’s not bad so far. I’ve laughed out loud quite a few times. It kind of reminds me of Janet Evanovich crossed with the Gilmore Girls crossed with, I dunno… maybe Maeve Binchy?

Hideously funny. The characters in Martin Lukes’ workplace are far worse than that of the Wernham Hogg Slough branch of The Office.

I wasn’t sure I’d like this book when I bought it (but it was a cheapie) and I thought the email format of the story would be hard to read, but it was surprisingly compelling. I just had to keep reading to see what situations these characters’ ghastly natures would get into next – would they get their comeuppance, or would they somehow manage to weasel out of all consequences and sleaze their way to the top anyway?

Very creovative™ storytelling. 22.5% better than ‘his’ very best.

I recieved this album in the mail today. I’d seen their gig posters around the joint – I loved the illustrations – dark, circusy, freakshow stuff – a bit like a mash between Fungus the Bogeyman & Victoriana circus. So I looked them up on the internets and found a few songs on their MySpace. It’s just the type of big, theatrical, rollicking stuff I like – with a bit of dirty, dark pirate style mixed in to boot. It reminds me of the Squirrel Nut Zippers – or at least The Ghost of Steven Forster (which is my favourite song of the Zippers).

Now I just have to find some folks to go and see them with!

I thought it was a bit tacky, trashy and patronising. I like light, trashy reading, but this hardly seemed an appropriate subject for a shallow treatment like this! Quite bizzare really. I’d like to know the background of why the author chose to write this book.

It would have been more interesting if the supporting characters were developed more. They seemed like they could have been more interesting and appealing than the main character, who was very annoying and unsympathetic the whole way throughout the book – a very obnoxious, shallow, judgemental, self-absorbed character. Some development of the relationships she had with those around her might have given her character some history of warmth and depth, or at the very least some context to sympathise for her.

She was miracalously cured from a lifetime of depression, anxiety, panic attacks and severe disassociative psychosis by 2 shock treatments and the surprise realisation that she just needed to learn to love herself, which she was able to apply immedietely and without any internal struggle.

I loved this book and was very sad to finish it. Delightful.

It was pretty trashy. Like a lot of this genre. I remember the first time I saw it thinking it was terrible, but I was tired tonight and felt like watching some mindless trash and I quite enjoyed it.

I don’t like the cover of the book as shown here. I don’t picture Justin / David looking like that at all. My version has an illustrated cover. The Justin I imagine looks more like a young Orlando Bloom. Scruffy & grungy.

Anyway, I am about half-way through this. I grabbed quickly on impulse when shopping last week. It’s intriguing. The doomed youth thing is good. Sometimes I am still haunted by a sense of impending doom…Great characters.

I love apocalypse (and post-apocolypse survival) stories…

Went out with friends to try this pizza, which was highly recommended by some other friends. One of them was practically orgasming at the thought of the Pizza for a Friend, which she insisted we try. Despite the fact that I don’t like pine nuts, that was my favourite (it had spinach, pumpkin & pine nuts). We also tried the smoked salmon one and the Romano, plus some dessert pizzas (strawberries and dark chocolate and banana and honey!)

I’d go there again. Next time I’ll sit in the back, because the spot next to the door was very distracting with the many comings and goings and hot too!