Dentists Christmas and all that

I rang my dentist today and they will fit me in on Thursday - it could have been today, but my other half felt there would be too much traffic. He did say that if I was in pain he would have taken me today. As it's not hurting I'm happy to wait until Thursday. I think that is excellent service - and it's why I stick with this practice even though a 140 mile round trip is not ideal.

Nothing to do now until Christmas - well apart from cook a meal tonight and go to midnight mass if my neighbour still wants to go. Weather is dull here today having been brilliantly sunny all day yesterday. It was even still daylight at 16.00 yesterday. No I don't think it means that the days are getting longer I think it's just it was a lovely bright day.

Nothing much on the news today to comment on and nothing remarkable on the books read front. I did finish reading 'Twenty Times a Lady' by Karyn Bosnak last night which was enjoyable. Written by the lady who set up a web site to appeal for donations to pay off her debts. She also wrote a very successful book about the experience as well. 'Twenty Times a Lady' is about a girl - Delilah - who decided to revisit all her former lovers to see if she's accidentally overlooked Mr Right. Her hilarious adventures across America and her self analysis in the process makes good light reading. I thought the plot was interesting only to find in the next book I picked up - Shari Low's 'The Motherhood Walk of Fame' - that the heroine mentions a trip she made to meet all the men she'd been engaged to when she was wondering if she'd missed Mr Right!! OK the trip was described in a few paragraphs but it just shows you can't keep a good plot down.

I am currently having a chick lit fest as anyone reading this blog might have gathered. I have loads of other books to read but at the moment I'm in the mood for light reading. I have Judith Cutler's 'The Food Detective' next in line to read - so I'm back to crime with that. Judith Cutler has written several books so I'm hoping she's going to be an author I'll enjoy. I'm always on the look out for authors who have written more than two or three books, and nothing pleases me more than to discover someone I like who has written a dozen or more. I find it very frustrating to hit on an author's debut novel just after it's published because I'm then left waiting for the next one to come out!

But as I read probably about 3 or 4 books a week and many different authors it's not really a problem. This is where EBay and Amazon second hand is useful. I don't mind paying £2 or £3 to see if I like an author because I usually then go on to buy new.

I'm starting to wonder whether all authors and would be authors ought to make a point of buying one self published or small press book every month, to try and get more publicity for the independents. I often pick up ideas for new authors to try from Writers' News and Writing Magazine. That was how I first came across 'Pink Champagne and Apple Juice'.

But I'm waffling. Writing a blog appears to be addictive!

Happy Christmas everyone

PS I like the name Delilah - I wrote a short story about a girl called Delilah who had been to art school and whose nickname was Dali - from when she was going through a surreal period. It went through to the final judging stage in - I think - The Cotswold Writers' short story competition in 2004/05.