Fail

This week I've read 10 pages of Women In Love and all of A Cut Above by Colette Caddle. A Cut Above was disappointing for a junk read. Everyone got together and, without exception, had a happy ending. It read as if the author had got to a certain point and decided that she liked all of her characters too much to harm any of them - even the hard office bitch who was sleeping with the boss. Not a good way to end a piece of chick lit.

A few weeks ago my mum bought something called The Roald Dahl Treasury on a whim. There are two volumes - one is a collection of songs and poems from Dahl's stories for children, the other is a loose scrapbook of extracts, illustrations and autobiographical material. My favourite is the poetry collection, simply because it's really annoying reading a small extract from something which I remember as being much longer and more satisfying - better to read a complete poem which recalls the greater whole without tantalising. While I was leafing through the scrapbook, though, I came across The Minpins in its entirety. I'd completely forgotten about this wonderful little story, and I set about re-reading it with much anticipation. It was every bit as good as I remember it, but it seemed a whole lot shorter. I must have been very young indeed when I first read it - or else I furnished a vast amount of detail in my own imagination, since forgotten.

I now own a copy of The City of the Dreaming Books by Walter Mores. If I ever finish Women In Love, this will be my next project.