If you can keep your head...

JB loves reading, no I really mean it, he LOVES to read. In fact I would go as far as to say it is a slight addiction of his; he will read absolutely anything.
I taught him to read at an early age, using magnetic letters on the fridge and from then our literary monster was born! We have been told at Parents Evenings (and teachers have been very apologetic for telling us) that he reads too much! I think the problem was that he read at the wrong times; he continues to do this and it adds at least ten minutes onto his getting ready time in the morning!
It's a real job keeping up with his passion and making sure that new books are available, although he will re-read favourites again and again. This love of reading is not uncommon in my family and we are able to maximise on this by swapping books with relatives.

As you can see from the picture, not even the chaos of moving house can keep him away from a book!

A little "light" reading for my trip

As you all know, I have been on holiday from work for nearly three weeks now. I have done my best to avoid doing anything work related and bar answering a few important e-mails, I've managed so far. But, I knew the time would come when I'd have to give in; I have a few plays and two new exam specifications to familiarise myself with. So, I'm thinking I will take some of them away with me. I know, I know, I shouldn't take work away with me, but my goodness the school holiday is nearly over! If I wait untl I get back I will only have two weeks left and will end up cramming; that would too stressful. While I'm away I don't plan to do much more than chill by the pool or at the beach; perfect reading time. I think I'll take the plays and leave the exam specs at home; save the deep stuff until I return relaxed and refreshed!

Hair Affairs

If like I, you have been wondering where SisterlockedLondon has been and what she has been up to - wonder no more! As I have recently discovered, she has been busy developing and publishing her e-magazine 'Hair Affairs'. The mag features great articles on Sisterlocks, natural haircare and wellbeing, documents hair journeys and gives an insight into whats going on in SisterlockedLondon's world and of course the UK; a forthcoming addition to the e-mag will be hair related questions answered by Agony Uncle - Chi, a stylist with 20+ years experience.
I know you will join me in supporting this very exciting venture.
Add yourself to the e-mag mailing list by visiting the Hair Affairs blog; while you are there you can even request back issues!


Tuere is Hair Affairs May Cover Girl.
Independent Recording Artist Tuere can be found on itunes, cdbaby and myspace - www.tuereonline.com
The photographer is Marie Thomas and her website is www.mariethomas.com.

World Book Day

My current book of choice is ...

Amazon.co.uk Review

With its gritty Tower Hamlets setting, this sharply observed contemporary novel about the life of an Asian immigrant girl deals cogently with issues of love, cultural difference and the human spirit. The pre-publicity hype about Brick Lane was precisely the kind to set alarm bells ringing (we've heard it so often before), but, for once, the excitement is fully justified: Monica Ali's debut novel demonstrates that there is a new voice in modern fiction to be reckoned with.
Nazneen is a teenager forced into an arranged marriage with a man considerably older than her--a man whose expectations of life are so low that misery seems to stretch ahead for her. Fearfully leaving the sultry oppression of her Bangladeshi village, Nazneen finds herself cloistered in a small flat in a high-rise block in the East End of London. Because she speaks no English, she is obliged to depend totally on her husband. But it becomes apparent that, of the two, she is the real survivor: more able to deal with the ways of the world, and a better judge of the vagaries of human behaviour. She makes friends with another Asian girl, Razia, who is the conduit to her understanding of the unsettling ways of her new homeland.
This is a novel of genuine insight, with the kind of characterisation that reminds the reader at every turn just what the novel form is capable of. Every character (Nazneen, her disappointed husband and her resourceful friend Razia) is drawn with the complexity that can really only be found in the novel these days. In some ways, the reader is given the same all-encompassing experience as in a Dickens novel: humour and tragedy rub shoulders in a narrative that inexorably grips the reader. Whether or not Monica Ali can follow up this achievement is a question for the future; it's enough to say right now that Brick Lane is an essential read for anyone interested in current British fiction. --Barry Forshaw

I'd love to know what you are reading and what you recommend...

Worth a look

My Dad popped by today with a Christmas gift for me and my SO. It's a book called 'Black Beauty' by Ben Arogundade.

'A smart and sumptuous book that offers an intelligent and insightful view of the ever-changing definition of black beauty.' Essence

'Superbly illustrated...today it has done most to make black not only beautiful but enviable.' Daily Express

I haven't had the chance to read it in detail yet, but it promises to be a very interesting book; it also contains some of the most beautiful photography I have seen in a long time.