Strange Norrell

I had been enjoying this book, but it's tooooooooooooo long. About half way through (page 400) I started thinking about the meaning of life and whether mine would be improved by persisting with this novel. I decided to read the last hundred pages or so but found that too much had happened to the characters in the intervening 300 pages for me to be able to make head or tail of it. I think reading all of this novel would be like eating an enormous pudding, but not exactly like it.

When I used to be a Saturday girl at the library and I read a great many blurbs, which experience has enabled me to bluff and blag quite satisfactorily.

I shall admit to not reading the whole of The Master and Margherita by Bulgarkhov or someone with a name like that. I left out the entire Pontius Pilate section. Any one else got any book-skipping to admit?

While I'm confessing, I'd like to admit to not going to hear my daughter sing in her school concert today, no excuse or reason - just couldn't be bothered. Is she in danger of turning into one of the rascals I was moaning about the other day, I wonder?