Bored? Try a board game. There is a new one out to coincide with The Golden Compass film, naturally. We tried it last night and it seems to work. Can’t claim to have understood it all after so little time, but I think even I could get more of a hang of it after a few more test runs.
It’s called The Board Game of The Golden Compass, not surprisingly, and is made by Sophisticated Games. What I liked most was the total absence of dice. I don’t know why all games have to have them. Here we had an arrow to twirl round the alethiometer. There are many things to keep in the air at one time, but once you work out what is most advantageous to do, it should be possible to plot to win. As usual the Resident IT Consultant won, so we’ll ban him from further playing.
My Christmas present and I have been banished from the living room. The others got out a dvd to watch, and I just wasn’t allowed to remain with the book I was reading snippets from; A Slip of the Pen, The Writers’ Book of Blunders. I managed to read one or two quick quotes out loud before I dissolved into such uncontrollable laughter that I was kicked out. Just one quote. “She picked up a snapshot of a dear friend who had recently died on her bedroom mantelpiece.”
Otherwise the most used book present has been Daughter’s Games For Parties, which has a lovely 1950s feel to it. There’s no date anywhere, so we’re just guessing. The games are slightly out of date and somewhat unsuited to people of today, but we’ve already had a good hour or so playing some of the games. London tube stations haven’t changed much, but London shops have. Still fun to discover what you can guess.
Some of you may be surprised to hear what a lovely gift can be made from what’s on your right as you read this. Someone very resourcefully came up with a present based on my categories, which I feel takes some doing. You know who you are, so a big THANK YOU.
The good thing about having presents on Christmas Eve is that on Christmas day we can sleep in. Only a stocking to deal with, which can be done at any time. Then no fixed engagements until dinner in the evening.
Well, I managed it after all. The Advent reading is complete, and I didn’t need to cheat once.
The Christmas Mystery was well worth reading and a very Decemberish read. I have learnt a lot from the travelling through Europe and through time. I nearly feel as if I, too, stepped through the opening to the stable to see the crying baby within.
A friend of mine declined reading something I’d written about Philip Pullman. She said she knew nothing about him, so had looked him up. On finding he’s “anti God”, she decided not to read anything either by him, or by me about him. As for me, I decided not to try and persuade her that she might be wrong.
So, I was interested to find that not only does Philip send Christmas cards, but he sends “religious” ones at that. I hasten to add I’m not on his Christmas card list. Yet.
Some years ago I found that Daughter had included some authors in her list of people to be emailed her special Christmas greeting. You know, the sort of greeting that is most suited to girls of about twelve. I hastily emailed the authors concerned to apologise. Turns out they’re either very tolerant and polite, or find it good from a research point of view to see what young girls write. I was told they’d received far more “interesting” emails from elsewhere. So, that’s OK, then.
Here is my Christmas card to all of you. I’m not taking a break, but I’d just like to wish you all a Happy Christmas, and thanks for reading my blog.
Do you remember my woe regarding unstable piles of books earlier? I even published a photo to prove what a charming library I have. Needless to say, the necessary time to sort books out for Oxfam hasn’t materialised. Yet.
Mother-in-law is coming for Christmas. I don’t know what is worse, having a witch for a daughter-in-law, or having to sleep in the library. I need to deal with some of the piles, now, or risk injury to our guest.
I’m addicted to good house magazines. In one of them, I recently found a new “interesting” wallpaper. It’s a pile of books. And I believe the price is something like €55 for one metre. Who’d want to artificially make their room look untidy, with fake books? It’s like buying jeans already faded, worn and torn.
(The thing I can never stop myself doing, is to check the pattern repeat. Once you see where the same book turns up again, next to another book which is also the same… I’d go mad.)
This was my first encounter with Anthony Horowitz’s Diamond Brothers. I’d noticed the wittily titled series before, but never got round to reading any of them. Decided that a Christmas story would fit the bill.
Anthony has been having fun with the hard boiled style and with the exceedingly bad puns. “‘An anonymous letter!’ Tim exclaimed. ‘Who from?’” Intelligence isn’t the strongest point of the elder Diamond.
There’s a brief story in there, and it should be perfect for the less confident reader, who still likes something exciting. And if I’d paid more attention to the cover, initially, I’d have found out more about the plot, too.
I suspect the target audience can’t ever fully appreciate either the titles with their puns, or the use Anthony makes of classic hard boiled PI fiction. Never mind. It may make the parents smile and convince them to get the books.
This has only a token connection to books, and that would be the hymn book and maybe a song book. And it’s also a few days late, as Lucia should be celebrated on December 13th. But when in exile, we have to make do with the nearest weekend.
In Sweden every town and every school has its own Lucia. Many places of work do, too. If you’re a teacher you’d be wise to get up early that morning, so you’re awake when your pupils turn up on your doorstep wearing white dresses and with candles on their heads. And hope they can sing.
Away from Sweden the task of celebrating Lucia often falls on the Swedish church, if you have one. We’ve been going to Lucia in Liverpool for many years now. First as spectators, then providing young children dressed up, and finally reaching the position of Lucia. Whereas homegrown Swedish children know this sort of thing almost automatically, here it takes a bit of teaching.
I think the half-Scandinavian children here do a magnificent job. They are at best bi-lingual, but sometimes mainly English speakers trying very hard. I attended the first practice for Lucia a couple of weeks ago. Lucia and one of her attendants were to sing a hymn on their own. No music, just voices. These two girls, aged 14 and 15, didn’t know each other before. One is an Anglo-Swedish speaking Finn and the other is Danish-Swedish. They simply stepped forward and started singing, and it was among the most perfect things I’ve heard.
Every year is different, but the standard is always high. I think it’s amazing the way these children are able to perform. The little gingerbread men this year had to be bribed to behave. In a few years’ time they’ll most likely be the backbone of the whole thing. Daughter was Lucia last year, but started her career as a junior attendant, chewing and licking her hand-held battery candle.
They all grow up in the end.
Here is a sample of yesterday’s Lucia, at Gustav Adolf Church, Park Lane, Liverpool. The sound quality isn’t great, and the crying babies just go to prove it’s a family event.
I have been in a quandary over this. Do I save mentioning The Night Before Christmas until the night before Christmas, when you’ll be in the right mood? Hopefully. Or do I mention it now, while there’s time to dash out and get a copy?
This new book with the old well known poem by Clement C. Moore and new illustrations by Niroot Puttapipat, is so special, that I think sending you all to the nearest bookshop is a good move.
The poem is the same as always, but the illustrations… Wow! Niroot has done some beautiful black and white drawings, with a touch of red and green and gold in places. It’s the house of your dreams in a Christmassy snowy landscape.
I don’t know the technical terms for this, but there are cut-outs, and flaps, and things. You see both the outside and the inside of the house. You see through windows. (Yes, I know you do generally, but this is special.) There are open doorways. Lots of lovely little details. And then the most incredible cut-out of Father Christmas and his reindeer.
Don’t leave your child alone with this book, whatever you do! But read it with them. Lots of times.
There aren’t just “Advent calendar” books; there are Christmas books, too.
At the risk of some of you disappearing off in disgust, I have to tell you that some years ago I really enjoyed Rosamunde Pilcher’s Winter Solstice. A bit old-fashioned and romantic, but a very comforting and satisfying build-up to Christmas, which I read in more or less real time.
Adele Geras knows how to comfort, too. Silent snow, secret snow is a Christmas house party, all snowed in. If I knew how to write fiction, I could have written it myself. I get worried about Adele, because sometimes we seem to share the same daydreams. Maybe I can adopt her as my older sister.
More Adele and Christmas with Hester’s Story. Another sort of house party, albeit a working party, and lots of secrets and intrigue. But it would have made a perfect Christmas read, had the book not come out in January a few years ago. Talk about bad timing.
It’s too late for this year, but I’d be grateful for suggestions for future December reading. As it’s Christmas, cosiness and romance are more than welcome. Something soothing for when your family is screaming among the mince pies.
