I keep thinking I should have a day just wandering around taking photos, but you know, just a few hours is quite enough for me - I feel grubby after an hour, so goodness knows how I'd feel if I was there much longer. I don't know, its all so fast and loud (now I REALLY DO sound like the country mouse) and although Sale is prety urban, its not the city centre. Really, since the IRA redesigned the shopping areas for us, its quite nice and there's lots to see and do. I headed for the Northern Quarter, where I know my way around because the Artists/Craft Centre is located there - and my favourite place to source paper bags, gold coloured heart shaped labels and jewellery price tags, that sort of stuff. Mark was with me and was nearly gibbering when we walked out of that shop nearly £50 lighter. £50 on paper bags, on bags, he was heard muttering. Poor boy.
The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice; this was a happy accident - . it jumped off the shelf in a book-shop. I have started this series out of sequence as it is one of a large series, but I plan on reading the others - vampire books are not usually a genre that appeal to me one iota, but this is fun; the central character Lestat (who as you might surmise is a vampire) should be an unappealing and hideous character but as a reader, I found myself liking him very much; the first book in the series is 'Interview with the Vampire' which I plan on sinking my teeth into as soon as possible...
The Horse Dancer by JoJo Moyes - a young girl lives with her Grandfather, who was a long time ago a member of the elite French 'cadre noir' - a bit like the Spanish School of Riding but in France. She lives on the wrong side of the tracks in a rough part of London and the one bright part of her life is her horse Boo; with her Grandfather she has been working on haute ecole movements with the horse which will one day, he hopes, give her a way out of the rough environment. The grandfather has a stroke and the girl ends up in care...believing that she will have the horse taken off her, she chooses to conceal it which causes her terrible problems. A lot of difficulties ensue for the carers and the child, which culminates with the child riding to France to try to show the Cadre Noir her horse; there is a second story going on about the carers, and a couple of others about the characters in the story so its not 'just' a horse-and-a-girl type book. Even if you are not into horses, this is one of those wonderful tales that would be excellent for both adults and older children. The result is unexpected, poignant, but ultimately positive. 
Art Journals & Creative Healing (Restoring the Spirit through Self-Expression) by Sharon Soneff and Mindy Caliguire - even had I been able to buy this as an E-book I wouldn't have done so, because this sort of book has to be read, handled and enjoyed - I toy with journal-keeping on a sort of wistful basis most of the time - its basically creative diary keeping, or a process of working through an event or an emotion or a way of keeping an art-based journal on whatever subject you choose. Its a great idea, and I have lots of ideas for working on a variety of subjects...I'll occasionally start one and then other creative stuff will come along and push it aside and I feel ashamed of my pathetic efforts to keep up with it. Journal keeping doesn't really have rules other than you actually have to write it and keep up with it....and as good as my intentions are, I just cannot seem to do that. The process though, when I do put effort in is rewarding and I have (in theory, at least, at various stages of being worked on) several which focus on my animals, my work, and so on. This book's title is self-explanatory...the scope of the work and the subjects is inspiring. I always feel that my journals should be more beautiful but the process is designed for the writer/author to work through that subject and not for the books to be open to the scrutiny of others. In this book though, we do get to scrutinise the journal-keeping work of others...the book is full of advice and inspiration, so perhaps this one will make me put some work into the process.
The House on The Strand by Daphne du Maurier - it comes as a surprise to me how accessible and readable du Maurier's work is when I have not picked up one of her books for a while. Considering her work was written a relatively long time ago, I sometimes fall into the trap of imagining it to be stuffy and stiff. Not so. She produced a lot of other work besides her most high profile books, Jamaica Inn and Rebecca, which are fabulous reads. The House on the Strand is a story of drug-induced time-travel - which sounds a bit weird but is an original and inventive bit of storytelling with great atmosphere. I loved this one; I plan on re-reading Rebecca and Jamaica Inn as soon as I can find the time. 
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell - this is so beautifully written, a story about a young woman who finds out she has an aunt who has been in a mental institution most of her life, just as the institution is about to close. Despite not wanting to, she becomes drawn into the story of Esme and the resulting story is wonderful, happy, tender and so worth spending the time reading.
Creative Time And Space by Rice Freeman Zachery - Rice's books are always a visual treat, and this new one is no exception....the writing is pretty darn good too! I have a billion and one things to do for work right now, and all I have managed to do is flick through and bookmark here and there but I am constantly distracted by it...visually it draws the reader in; it truly is a work of art in itself, I managed to read a bit of it whilst the equine dentist was looking at my horse's teeth a few days ago (which is probably a first for this book generally!) - this is a beautiful book that artists of all kind will enjoy and use constantly.
Goodbye, Dear Friend - Coming To Terms With The Death of A Pet by Virginia Ironside...I am sad to be once again reading this book; I am struggling with grief following the death of my beautiful pussycat Cleo who was my constant companion. This book has gently guided me through the loss of other deeply loved feline companions in the past, and I am working through its wisdom again. I miss my pretty girl every day, and my heart is breaking from the sadness. This book is a much needed resource; this is one to remember for times like these. 
Living the Creative Life: Ideas and Inspiration from Working Artists by Rice Freeman-Zachery - I subscribe to Rice's blog (see my blog list) and her books are wildly entertaining, wonderfully and beautifully writtten and presented and offer a wealth of support and inspiration for any artist in any medium...this is one of those books that I read constantly on and off, if only to remind myself I am not the only nut in the world.
Abundance, a Novel of Marie Antoinette by Sena Jeter Naslund; this got off to a shaky start and I put it down and picked it up a few times before settling to it. Its historical fiction, but actually in the end I picked up some more interesting stuff about Marie Antoinette and enjoyed it. 
Tiaras: Past and Present by Geoffrey Munn; I read this book on and off all the time - with beautiful photography, this is an informative refrence work about the history and culture of tiara wearing - even if you have never worn one (they're perfect for shopping at Tesco), this is a fascinating book that chronicles society, history and the wearing of hair jewellery.
