Blog
Simple pleasures
4 December, 2009
I’ve been wanting to do this for a while now but last week I finally ordered my first organic food and veg box. There are a few companies to pick from but I opted for Woodfield Organics and their standard Fruit & Veg Mix. I stepped out to work yesterday morning and there it was […]
Thierry Henry Hoover
2 December, 2009
Over the past few days my ears have been picking up bizarro news stories left, right and centre, but the one that has really stuck in my mind made me picture homes and work places across Ireland becoming neglected and bedraggled-looking soon. Y’see, following a certain (dirty, stinking, cheating…) incident involving Thierry Henry, apparently scores […]
Scrooge’s Christmas Guide
1 December, 2009
I saw this gem on a website ostensibly giving Christmas gift ideas for hapless husbands, boyfriends and brothers. Soon to be ex-husbands, ex-boyfriends and ex-siblings. Apparently Twittering your weight is all the rage at the moment – having your weekly weigh-in broadcast worldwide is the ideal way to keep the winter wobbles at bay. And […]
Judging a book by its cover
30 November, 2009
I’ve been reading The Man from Saigon, by Marti Leimbach (and if you followed the Currently We are Reading section last week, you’ll know I’m throughly enjoying it) and noticed that on Amazon the cover appears as pictured here – featuring a man wearing a Vietnamese hat. However, on the actual printed version of the […]
Available for weddings, bar mitzvahs…and environmental portraiture.
27 November, 2009
Our talented Art Editor, Christina Griffiths, has had her photography reviewed by The Guardian. Never one to toot her own horn, she did not broadcast the news (I only found out today), so I feel compelled and delighted to do the tooting for her. Her ‘portofilio of environmental portraiture’ is described as ‘stylishly executed’. The photos are praised for being ‘wonderfully […]
Top toys for Christmas
25 November, 2009
After a mini-panic last week I have begun my Christmas shopping in earnest, seizing upon ideas with the same desperation that usually strikes this time of year. I came across the usual ‘top 10 toys for Christmas’ list the other week, and it made me wish I was buying for more kids than grown-ups. So […]
It seems Bill Gates has a strange sense of humour
24 November, 2009
Be thankful your boss doesn’t make you do this! I doubt whether even David Brent would have come up with anything this mortifying! Staff in a Microsoft store have been asked/persuaded/forced/blackmailed (slightly regaining respect as we go on) to take part in this little party trick. In a routine that would make Billy Ray Cyrus […]
Life’s funny little coincidences
23 November, 2009
Last night, I had dinner with my mum, and our conversation veered onto my late American grandmother – her life and upbringing. Of all the titbits of information I learned, I was astounded to hear that my great grandmother had packed them up (my gran and her siblings) and taken them to Europe for a […]
Maria-Xuan designs
20 November, 2009
Last night I attended a private sale of a new collection of jewellery and accessories by a young designer, Maria-Xuan. We were invited through some old friends and it was an absolute delight to be privy to this girl’s talent. I can’t add cut and paste any of the pictures of her designs on this […]
The 4th book?
19 November, 2009
Stieg Larsson never had the chance to see his books achieve their phenomenal success. He was the second bestselling author of 2008, beaten only by Khaled Hosseini and according to The Times (this came as a welcome surprise to me) he has now ‘outsold the whole Dan Brown oeuvre in paperback in Britain’. But would […]
Authors talking about books (and not their own)
18 November, 2009
Call me insular, but I love books about, well, books. Which is why I loved Nick Hornby’s The Complete Polysyllabic Spree – witty entries about the wonderfully diverse books he was reading – and why I’ll be adding Susan Hill’s Howards End is on the Landing – an epic journey through her plentifully stocked bookshelves […]
Vampire mania hits again…
17 November, 2009
The new Twilight film New Moon premiered last week which saw screaming fans flock to Battersea Evolution – most of them, no doubt, there to catch a glimpse of heart-throb Robert Pattison (or R-Pat to use the current teen lingo…) The movie hits cinemas across the country this Friday 20 November – and so yes, […]
Need a (dance) kick this Monday morning?
16 November, 2009
Here is something that’s bound to bring a little ounce of joy on a Monday morning, when we could all use an extra boost. I came across this video over the weekend, which took me down memory lane. I’ve been a Fred Astaire fan since I was little. I used to record his films on […]
Creative marketing
13 November, 2009
I´ve been thinking lately about creative marketing – the kind that gets people talking or forwarding on the message or video or whatever to everyone they know, without it being an obvious sell of the product. I loved, for example, Honda´s “Hate Something, Change Something” advert – and I couldn´t stop singing that tune for the rest of […]
iPhones (and Apps) – a justifiable extravagance?
11 November, 2009
A reprise from Chiara’s post last week about Apple Macs Vs. PCs: I am currently on the horns of a dilemma. To buy iPhone, or not to buy iPhone? Can I survive impending family Christmas with not only my brother but my sister-in-law-to-be showing off the latest apps that they have downloaded? Can I bear […]
Foggy Tuesday (time for a free trip to Paris!)
10 November, 2009
I think we’ve seen the last of the fireworks (a brilliant display nearby our offices last night which we watched out of our skylight) and the end of the mild weather is now official. But before we descend into blueness and think hibernation is our only option, consider this little special which is sure to […]
Finding inspiration in mundane things
9 November, 2009
The other day came across this quirky blog, Shopping Losts, that turns people’s shopping lists into a little gem of design. As I admired these small pieces of work, I couldn’t help wondering who had owned each shopping list. Did it belong to a man or a woman? What kind of person likes pizza, frozen […]
Stuart Pawson saves the day! (Well, sort of…)
6 November, 2009
This certainly tops my list of unorthodox reviews for one of our books… In this week’s issue of Pick Me Up magazine there is a story about a woman who was attacked by some machete-wielding robbers who locked her in an industrial container for nine-hours… How did she pass the time? By reading the book Shooting Elvis, […]
Should I go for an Apple Mac or PC?
5 November, 2009
I’m planning to buy a new laptop, and whilst I have always been a PC girl, I am seriously considering going for a Macbook this time. The main reason is the virus issue. Apparently Macs just don’t get viruses – whereas my previous laptop, well, that’s exactly what killed it. Death by Trojan. I had […]
Think you can write a killer read?
4 November, 2009
(There’s never a lack of puns when it comes to talking about crime-fiction books. I’ve tried my own take on the CWA website’s headline which reads “Fancy a stab at crime-writing?” Another option was “Would you murder for a chance to win the Debut Dagger?” The possibilties abound. Feel free to suggest others.) But I […]
Christmas lights in London tonight
3 November, 2009
Our offices are just a few minutes walk from Oxford Circus – where they’ll be turning on the Christmas lights tonight with the usual fanfare including street performances. And although I’m dreading the tube journey home (despite the rain there are always thousands of people flocking to these things), I’m secretly a real Christmas nut […]
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