Burning Bright by Tracy Chevalier

Yet another brilliantly evocative story about ordinary people and their lives as they cross paths with history. Jem and him family move from their small village in Dorsetshire to London and meet Mr William Blake: poet, dissenter, radical and free thinker. Along with his new best friend, Maggie, Jem learns about opposites and what's between them.

Fabulously and meticulously researched with richly drawn and incredibly deep characters, this book reminds me again why I am such a fan of this woman's writing...

Ross O'Carroll Kelly: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightdress by Paul Howard

OK, so this is definitely going to be the last one of these I'll read for a while. I need to read something with a little more weight to it, and we're talking TOTALLY! Still, for what they are, these books have been incredibly entertaining and this one is no different.

Ross's marriage has gone badly wrong, as you might have expected. But he didn't even make it past the reception! (For fock's sake!) He's got a saucepan (lid = kid; it took me a few minutes to figure that one out) from the wrong side of the tracks, but if it'll piss off the old pair (Dick Features and the Wagon) and get him back with Sorcha, Ross will put in the time and get to know little Rohn-nin. Who is seven. And has eyes and ears all over town.

Also, Ross's new career as rugby coach is taking off and so is his old dear. Her clothes, that is. For a charity calendar. Ross is not happy about that...

Ross O'Carroll-Kelly: PS, I Scored the Bridesmaids by Paul Howard

Ross is growing up. He's asked Sorcha to, like marry him. He's learning to dance. He's got a wedding list in BTs (of course). Sorcha has turned into a TOTAL bridezilla. A man has to release his tension somehow. But with the bridesmaids? Both of them? And when everything blows up spectacularly, as it has to, it's because of something totally unexpected...

Ross O'Carroll-Kelly: The Orange Mocca-chip Frappuccino Years by Paul Howard

Ross is repeating first year for the third time when there's an embarrassing incident in town and his old pair, we're talking Dick Features and the stupid wagon, end up throwing him out of the house. For, like, nothing! Thank God that Fionn let him stay at his flat and JP got his Dad to give him a job and all the guys wanted to buy him beer, or else it might have been really awful. But, is Ross growing a conscience?

The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Suzanna Clarke

A book of fairytales, rather than short stories. I was really pleased with myself when I described the book as being like the Brothers Grimm rewritten by a Victorian lady with a wicked sense of humour. I was a bit disappointed to see one of the reviews on the back of the book had described it as being like the Brothers Grimm by Jane Austen, so I wasn't as original as I had thought. Nonetheless, this was an absolutely FABULOUS book. I loved it. Read it.

Ross O'Carroll-Kelly: The Teenage Dirtbag Years by Paul Howard

So, roysh, Ross has gone to college on a sports scholarship and he's still, like a total orsehole. More interested in booze and birds than studying. Unfortunately, UCD isn't as understanding as Castlerock College was about that. Anyway, while he's in America on the J1 for the summer, we find out that he slipped one to his best friend's, we're talking Christian's, mom. Will Christian find out? Not as funny as the first book, but still entertaining. Hasn't put me off reading the rest of them either.

After Dark by Haruki Murikami

Another weird and wonderful tale about a woman, a man and the people that their lives cross with in one night. As per usual, the story is beautifully crafted, nothing is resolved and yet everything is as it should be. Perhaps that's the key to Murikami's genius? Just like in real life, the loose ends don't get neatly tied away, but there are enough possibilities and potentialities that the story itself is enough and it doesn't need to be neatly boxed away.

I did it!

I've been threatening to do it in my head for a couple of days, but today I finally went and did my first 15 km run - that's just under 9 1/2 miles in old money - hooray! I went from Celbridge to Leixlip towards Maynooth and back to Celbridge. That's pretty far in anyone's map!

It took me slightly longer than my target of an hour and a half, but only by 4 minutes, so all in all I'm pretty proud of me.
Can I just mention that it was freezing cold this morning, with a blustery wind (that I was facing into for the whole 6 to 10 km points, which, incidentally, was all uphill.
I'll say it again - hooray! Go me!

Ross O'Carroll-Kelly: the Mis-education Years by Paul Howard

Oh! My! God! This book, loike, TOTALLY focking rocked, mon! The worst of it was, that Oi've actually spent the last four, loike, months actually troiying to teach these goys. Oi really, loike, enjoyed the story. It was SO funny. And Oh! My! God!, that Ross O'Carroll-Kelly dude, is loike, the biggest focking orsehole Oi have ever, loike, read.
Enough of the phonetics - you get the picture. Great fun. Would even consider reading the rest of them... High praise indeed!

Does that put the fear of God in you, Gerry?

I've been listening to too much radio, with the ad for GiftGrub where Mario whatshishead is ripping off Ben "Does that put the fear of God in you, Jackie Skelly?" Dunne. Anyway, it seemed like an apt opening line.

Gerry has decided that he is going to become the guardian of the physical health of the old Shantallians. He is trying to shame us all into getting into shape to run the Dublin marathon in 2009 and is dangling a crazy money fund before our greedy little eyes as some form of Carrickmacross-carrot.

There are a few problems with his crack-pot scheme. One is that Amo has been involved in athletics for years, is really fit and has already done the marathon (in 3 hours 45 minutes or something equally incredible), so she's pretty much guaranteed the prize, or at least the major share of it. James (aka Jim) is too busy playing happy families and walking the dog. According to Gerry though, James is wavering. Gerry thinks he can get him on board. Another problem is that my husband (or wuss-band as I must now call him, apparently) isn't really interested in engaging with the whole process. The boys may be calling him yellow, but he stands by his woeful tale of shinsplints. Ow.

Suzanne has agreed to participate. So has Amo, but then of course she would, seeing as she's most likely to win. Gerry's got to because it was all his crazy idea. And I'm in. But I've got a sneaky plan.

I'm going to do the marathon in 2008. Ha! Training is in full swing. My first test will be in April when I do the half-marathon in Connemara. I'm reliably informed that it's a demon. The last three miles are all uphill. I figure that if I can manage that, I'll be good for the full jobbie in October.

I'm up to 12.5km, 3 times a week. This week, I'm going to bring it up to 15km, which is three-quarters of the distance of a half-marathon.