I want to buy a book from the website below, and I cannot find a 'pay now' link. The payment methods at the side are just images, and although I emailed the owner earlier, I have heard nothing. Have I just missed it? Would be very grateful if someone could take a peek and let me know...

http://www.coullcollectibles.com

ETA: All sorted now - there was a bug on the page which had made the payment tabs vanish. All sorted now and have made my purchase. Some of the GGBP books are half price, so worth a look!

Clearing off my shelves, more to follow.

( Malcolm Saville, EBD, Firefly/Serenity related, Rough Guide to PeruCollapse )

Margin Notes Books have just republished 'The Whicharts', Noel Streatfeild's first book which was later rewritten as Ballet Shoes. £13.50 including postage (within the UK. I have just ordered a copy, breaking my 'no more books until May' rule...

http://www.marginnotesbooks.com/index.html

I am writing a talk about books set in the Fens/Cambridgeshire. So far I have thought of:

The Nine Tailors - DLS
Laura Principal books - Michelle Spring
Tom's Midnight Garden - Philippa Pearce
Greene Knowe - Lucy Boston
Waterlands - Graham Swift (unread as yet)

I'm sure there were more...can you think of any others? I want to talk about descriptions, atmosphere, and the way the Fens are used in plots, and I would like a range of different types of books.

Two days into Lent and I haven't touched sporcle (not bad as I've been going there several times a day), and I've almost finished Thomas Paine's The Age of Reason, which is an ironic choice for the season. It is my first Tom Paine book, and I am fascinated by it. If you know little about it, more information can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Age_of_Reason

Mr Paine starts by stating that he believes in God, but not in the Biblical interpretation, or in the Bible itself. The second part of the book is devoted to an analysis of the Bible, pulling it apart book/section by book/section. He points out historical (and occasionally logical) inaccuracies, and explains why he believes the choice of books to be included as the Bible to have been arbitrary (I know nothing about the theology/history of this but would like to read more). He also has interesting thoughts on the definition of the words 'prophet' and 'prophecy'.

Reading between the lines, it says much about religion in Britain in the eighteenth century, and about what the church was telling people to believe. I am also interested that although I agree with many of his points, there are others that I see logical alternative arguments too, even with my limited knowledge. I found the discussion of some of the more violent sections of the Old Testament particularly recognisable as thoughts I'd had when I first read it (I was utterly horrified by Joshua and didn't touch the Bible for some time after).

So, muddled thoughts, more as a record for me rather than an attempt to be controversial. I would be interested to hear the ideas and opinions of anyone else who has come across it, and I thoroughly recommend it as a thought provoking read.

I went into the city today to do the netball banking, pay in a couple of cheques, collect my glasses (for the third time - first time the lens cracked a couple of days later, the second time the lens was drilled incorrectly, third time lucky), and try to spend some vouchers. I didn't spend the vouchers, but I did go to a booksale in the Henry Martyn Hall and found six DLS hardbacks for 90p-£1.50, including a non-Peter Wimsey (Begin Here), and a paperback of the only Peter Wimsey I don't own. I justify this by saying that they'll take up much less room than my paperbacks (being the Gollanz editions).

Off now for a film, tapas and cocktails (in an event nothing connected with the date)!

The lump under my chin is still there but has completely ceased to hurt. I think it might be smaller too. Have decided to give it a few more days and hope it vanishes completely.

Still haven't tried the two remaining crisp flavours.

Have avoided Twilight thus far, and it suddenly occured to my why: I expect them to be like Virginia Andrews, but with vampires instead of incest. Am not fussed about vampires, unless they are Joss-verse vamps, not crazy about fantasy generally (I can hear you all gasping with horror) although I like Tolkien and I loved Dragonlance a few years back. I am probably completely wrong, but even so I have no desire to try them...

I have a lump under my chin. It hurts when I brush it [1], is about the size of a ten pence piece, is under the surface and can't be seen from the outside (or seen/felt from the inside). It is pretty much equidistant from my jawbone, and appeared out of the blue two or three days ago. Any ideas? I have no other symptoms...

Did anyone see the programme about pTerry and Alzheimers last night? It was really interesting, but the bit when he was reading from his new book, and half an hour in was struggling was devestating. Very human, especially his coping techniques and wanting to be him and not man-with-disease. If you have access to iPlayer, I recommend you watch.

The clutter-busting continues. I have been documenting the progress with my camera so you will be getting a picspam at some point. Last night I managed to reduce my junkbag + drawer-of-junk + box of junk to half a drawer of junk. Maybe tonight I'll get rid of the drawer...

[1] Not brush as in hairbrush, you understand.

Bought a bed! It is this one http://www.futoncompany.co.uk/linear-single-sofa-bed-219.html and I am really tempted to keep it folded up as a chair (the original plan was to put my mattress on the base)... At the moment my old bed has been disassembled and is waiting to be freecycled, and my new bed is in boxes downstairs. I am dejunking the area under my old bed. Actually feeling quite positive about it all...however, quite a long way to go. I am taking photos to ring the changes.

Sorry, you must all be well and truly sick of me rattling on about my chronic untidyness.

Played netball this morning. Sooooo cold. We lost, but shouldn't have...it was a good game though.

As well as buying a bed yesterday I was bad and bought some other things. I got Second Chorus a Humph book about jazz in David's Bookshop (my favourite in Cambridge). 1950s hb with dw and lots of lovely photos. I also got T is for Trespass for £1 and a Gillian Slovo for 50p in the Cancer Research shop, and an unabrighed audiobook of Dumb Witness in the Arthur Rank charity shop. Must. Not. Buy. More. Books. I shall get rid of much junk to make up for it.