Vulpes review, votes and the completed battle

Am very pleased to say that my review of Alex Beecroft's False Colors, together with further thoughts about the welcome onward march of gay fiction, appears at Vulpes Libris today. Do click through and have a look - the novel is a fantastic read.

Speaking of reviews, I've read Erin Pringle's The Floating Order, a collection of short stories about the dark, jagged side of family life. On the whole, it's great stuff, though I do have initial reservations - but I won't say too much now as I hope to be reviewing it for Vulpes later on.

And here is this morning's meditation:

Meditation 142

He never stays too long
in one place.
That’s a given.

Just when your boat
is moored
and you’re dreaming

of calm waves,
a safe harbour, ease,
he’s vanished again

and you must seek him
in the places you thought
you’d left behind:

in the dark streets
and twisted corners,
the elongating shadows.


For most of the rest of the day, I've been scribbling away on Hallsfoot's Battle and the really, really good news is that the battle scenes are finally completed. Huzzah! The people that were going to be killed have been killed and those that are alive are still hanging on. Though there might yet be a slight twist when it comes to the former category, in one respect anyway - you never know. So all I have to do now is the closing, mop-up scenes, the resolution and then the slight hint of something more to come. Though please God I won't have to think about writing the third in the series for a while. I think one fantasy novel every couple of years or so is plenty enough. I need a "crime novel chaser".

I've also voted, as I couldn't not vote - I mean think of Mrs Pankhurst, my dears! How can women not vote when we remember all that incredibly brave woman and her cohorts had to go through ...?? So I have done my civic duty with pride and negotiated the thrills and spills of the green forms and the huge pale yellow ones. How very soothing on the eye indeed.

Tonight, I'm off to the Rectory as the church is starting a six-week bible study on the Book of James - which I hope will prove more accessible than the Book of Job. And equally challenging, I suspect, but in a very different way.

But the utterly fabulous news is that Lord H and I have finally booked our holiday in Wales, hurrah! We'll be staying at the Tir y Coed Country House, which looks amazing, and admiring the puffin colonies. I hope. Honestly, I can't wait ...

Today's nice things:

1. The review of False Colors
2. Books
3. Poetry
4. Getting the battle completed in Hallsfoot, hurrah!
5. Voting
6. Bible study
7. Holiday bookings!

Anne Brooke - dreaming of holidays to come
Cancer Research Race for Life - 2 days to go!