Bookwitch

Had road-kill for dinner recently? I’m just asking, as Tamasin Day-Lewis believes in taking home anything that’s still warm, to eat it. I met Tamasin the other evening at Simply Books, and I knew nothing about her, except that she writes cook books. And she has a famous family, but quite frankly, with her cooking and eating habits she doesn’t need to mention them for excitement.

We’ve just had macaroni cheese for dinner, which Tamasin approves of whole-heartedly. It’s far more appetising than the snake she enjoyed, even if she did draw the line at drinking the blood. (As a vegetarian I’m suffering more for my art here than usual.)

Tamasin had hilarious tales to tell about a failed Christmas, with food, migraine, leaning Christmas trees and food poisoned guests (not by her, I believe). But it’s the hanging of hares that gets me. Won’t mention the snake again. And Tamasin didn’t divulge the story about the badgers. Buy the book, or else. But I’ll say this; it’s very economical to eat road-kill. Personally I’ll stick with nettle soup.

Chatted to some nice ladies at the shop that night, who were fascinated by my blogging. Well, who wouldn’t be? They’d like to do it, too. I didn’t mention that it doesn’t pay. Although, Bloomsbury have offered me money for recommending their books, which I declined. So when I recommend something it’s not money behind what I say. It may well be something else, equally questionable.

This year I really, really will try and keep up my Advent reading, and I’ll start by beginning to read on the 1st of December. About now, in fact.

I have this book by Jostein Gaarder called The Christmas Mystery, which is a literary Advent calendar. It’s about an Advent calendar, but also in the form of one, with a chapter a day until Christmas. As it’s Norwegian it finishes on Christmas Eve.

I bought this book many years ago, intending to read it to (then small) Son every night. I got it in Swedish, thinking that it would also be good language practice on a daily basis. We never got far. The reason for this is long forgotten.

Then a few years ago, someone gave me the English version of the book, saying I should read it throughout December, but it was already well into that month, so I didn’t. Last year Daughter read it every day, and this year finally, maybe the witch will do it. I hate to admit this, but I find the English translation improves the book. I shouldn’t be such a purist, as both books are translated. But I sort of believed the Swedish would be closer to Christmas and all that.

Does anyone else have good suggestions for “leading-up-to-Christmas” books?

I’ll just complain a bit here, with no real facts to back me up. I read this some weeks ago, most likely in the Guardian, so I’m disappointed in them. Could have been somewhere else. But it’s stuck in my mind, so I’ll complain away.

Anyway, it was about sales figures for books leading up to Christmas. And it seems that some series about a boy called Henry (why are my books suddenly full of Henrys?) was doing well and passing a number of “proper” books in the bestseller lists. (How dare it?)

I think what annoyed me so was that they were passing judgement (as I am now…) on what was made out to be not quite a real book. Personally I think that even the Doctor Who books are real, although written by lots of different authors, and it’s Doctor Who that matters, not who wrote the book.

Right, I’m getting there. But Henry happens to be Horrid Henry, written by Francesca Simon, who is very real. Somehow she wasn’t worthy of being mentioned in connection with her sales. Henry is a series. So’s Harry Potter. Books are books. And Francesca is an author, who happens to be doing very well. Good for her.

And good for Henry and all his fans. There’s a nice Christmas Henry out, for anyone who’s interested.

It feels like Christmas nearly every day. The book parcels keep coming, and it’s very nice. Thank you, publishers. We were discussing Christmas presents last night, and I said that this year I don’t think a book will be the most welcome present as far as I am concerned.

Some years ago we redesigned the way we buy Christmas presents, anyway. Now it’s strictly charity shop purchases, which does away with wish lists. You just go to an Oxfam or two and stare at what they’ve got, and surprisingly often something that would be perfect for little X pops into sight. The book about Mornington Crescent comes to mind. Or the gold angel.

And the underlying agreement is that we can take it back to Oxfam in January, should it be all wrong. We just want something to unwrap on Christmas Eve. Which is why I’m thinking of this now. It’s the 24th today, so exactly a month to the unwrapping. (And I’ve saved an awful lot of the middle pages of the Guardian to wrap the stuff in.)

We’re off to the Christmas fair at the Scandinavian church. If you’re anywhere near Liverpool, it’s on from 12-3, in Park Lane. I’ll sell you a calendar if you come.

I discovered only the other day that Christmas is coming. Had been so busy I’d almost forgotten about this regular event, and that it was getting ominously close. My nightmare is waking up on Christmas Eve to find I’ve done absolutely nothing, and one year it will be real.

Anyway, the Christmas books are flooding in, and Frank McCourt’s little book about his mother is one of them. When I read in the summer that even Frank McCourt was moving into the children’s market I groaned, but it’s only half true. His publishers have come up with the same story as both a children’s book and an adult book. Both are illustrated, but by different artists.

I’ve just read the adult version, as I decided those pictures appealed to me more. It’s quite a sweet little story, and it should do well as a seasonal gift. Without giving anything away it’s all about keeping Jesus warm, and possibly about not losing him.

I have a neighbour in Sweden (a vicar’s widow, at that) who is constantly losing baby Jesus, so I’m used to the concept. Luckily she has two of them, so the spare can be pressed into service if necessary.

What’s more, Frank McCourt is coming this way, and will be entertaining the Cheshire set courtesy of Simply Books on Wednesday. There’s a session for children after school, and a family based event in the evening with an Irish buffet. Daughter reckoned that meant Guinness, but I think not. Frank won’t do very many events over here, so make the most of it if you can.