Book Review: Cloud Atlas versus The Bone Clocks

It's been a while since I've written about books. Mainly because I have been so busy recently, that I haven't had nearly as much time to read as I'd have liked to. As our house is very small, I've been very good in the last few years of not buying books, but borrowing them from my local library instead. This has lead to me reading a wide variety of books (some terrible, some gripping, some just a bit meh) which I probably wouldn't have ever bought.

When I was travelling in Argentina, back in 2010, I was staying in a hostel in Ushuaia, in Patagonia in Argentina.

I'd finished the book I was reading, and the only English book in the hostel book exchange, was David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas. I did a quick skim of the inside (my usual test for whether I think I'll like a book - I have to like the font and the page layout, or a book will annoy me!) and wasn't convinced. I considered getting a book in Spanish instead, but that would have taken a lot of effort, and I wanted something to enjoy reading. 

So I took it, and on a series of long distance bus journeys - the perfect time to read uninterrupted - I started reading. Well it was a struggle. I thought it was utter rubbish. I skipped a fair few chapters at the start, only to realise that they had second halves and that I was quickly going to run out of book if I continued at this rate! So I went back and struggled through most of the book but I was seriously disappointed. I don't feel like I've read a book this bad for ages. Especially one that was supposed to be good!

Over lunch at school one day, I was speaking to our school librarian (who has literally read everything!!) about what to read, and she started telling me about David Mitchell's other books, saying she really liked Black Swan Green, and recommending that I read it. 

When passing my local library the next day, I saw that they had The Bone Clocks, which I'd seen advertised on the Tube as being Mitchell's latest book, and so thought that as every other person I've ever spoken to about Cloud Atlas seemed to love it and rave about it, I should give him a second chance. 

And well....The Bone Clocks is an entirely different story. I got into it straight away, as it seemed a fairly normal story about a teenager in the 80's in England - a story I could relate much more to that the 1850's in the South Pacific. It was a while before anything unusual slipped into the story, but it was slipped in in such a way that it was just a casual injection of something a little out of the ordinary, and then gone, back to a normal story. 

I don't want to say too much about the actual plot, as I don't want to ruin it but I will say READ IT!! It was incredibly gripping. I struggled to put it down at night to go to sleep, and even tried to drunk-read it on the tube on the way home from a night out (it didn't work - I had to re-read it all the next day as I remembered nothing!)

It was so addictively written, and really made me think about what our world is going to be like in 30 years time, and what we are doing to it. 

I'm tempted to read it again before returning it to the library, but instead, I think this will be a book I will buy as I know I could read it again and again. 

AXA Car Insurance Advert - Pink Baby Mobile

I was very excited to see one of my mobiles on TV!!! Back in May, I made a very special pink African animal felt baby mobile to be featured in the new AXA TV advert.

Here are some images:

It is so lovely to see it in use and on TV! Until recently, I'd only made my African mobiles in more traditional colours, so an orange giraffe, yellow lion and grey elephant, but I guess if my elephants can be all different colours then there is no reason why the other animals can't be too!

All of my mobiles can be custom made to order, and can be found here: www.fairlyamy.co.uk

Zig Zag Zig Zag

Another dress that I have recently made, from fabric from Goldbrick Fabrics, is this fabulous turquoise zig zag stripe fabric. Here are some photos:

It was quite hard to take photos of it here as it was very very windy!! But I think it gives an idea of the shape. It has a high neck, with elastic to gather it, a fitted bodice, and then quite a full skirt, with pockets! I love it!

I've also used some of the left over fabric to make some lovely grey and turquoise mobiles:

What To Do With A Lost Shoe?

Whilst swimming in the sea at the weekend in Milford on Sea (while, more like floundering whilst being battered by some pretty rough waves, and attempting to body surf) I lost one of my beloved Juju Jelly Shoes.

I bought them last summer after remembering how much I'd loved my Jelly Shoes as a child, and they were great! I wore them everywhere, and walked miles in them! Even when it started to turn autumnal, I still wore them with tights and they looked great.

They were also really practical for wearing in the sea when it is pebbly. Hence why I was waering them in the sea at the weekend, as Milford is very pebbly. I was diving though a wave and whumpf, gone. Only one jelly shoe left. :( I tried my best to look for it but the sea was so churning, and the current so strong that we had no chance.

The next morning, I went along the beach for a walk, half keeping an eye out, and whilst I sadly did not find my missing jelly, I did find a fair selection of other sad, lost shoes.

Whilst pondering what to do with my other jelly, it made me think about what people do with the other un-lost shoe. Do they just throw them away? Or is there some charity that collects shoes for one legged people? I shall have to do some research. 

Although, the eternal optimist in my is hoping that on one of my next 2 trips back to Milford this summer, I may just find it lurking, lonely somewhere, waiting to be rescued.....