If Music Be

by Arthur Golden

Synopsis from Amazon: Readers experience the entire life of a geisha, from her origins as an orphaned fishing-village girl in 1929 to her triumphant auction of her mizuage (virginity) for a record price as a teenager to her reminiscent old age as the distinguished mistress of the powerful patron of her dreams. We discover that a geisha is more analogous to a Western “trophy wife” than to a prostitute and, as in Austen, flat-out prostitution and early death is a woman’s alternative to the repressive, arcane system of courtship. In simple, elegant prose, Golden puts us right in the tearoom with the geisha; we are there as she gracefully fights for her life in a social situation where careers are made or destroyed by a witticism, a too-revealing (or not revealing enough) glimpse of flesh under the kimono, or a vicious rumour spread by a rival “as cruel as a spider.”

Review: This book was recommended to me from my book list last week when i couldn’t decide what to read next. So to those people on Twitter who suggested it i have only one thing to say: Thank you.

This story is wonderful, instantly captivating, thrilling and heartbreaking all in one go. The characters of the geisha and their friends and ‘family’ are beautifully drawn and wonderfully realised. The world in which they inhabit is so far removed from anything we see or know but so easy to imagine ourselves in. The only criticism is that the story peters out rather than finishes properly but that doesn’t take anything away from its power

4 out of 5

I’m still working on my ABC’s as promised but in the meantime here is the latest selection of inspiring posts from around the blogosphere

First up is the woman many of us want to be Blonde and her confessional about how good it really is to live on her own. Everyone knows how much i advocate living alone as a way to really understand who you are but Blonde is right, some habits do creep in that you would never indulge if there was someone else around.

Next up is a bit of a related double whammy from Nilsa on ‘popular blogging’ and from Lilu via DC Blogs on what not to do on your blog. It’s funny how subjective some of this stuff is, especially the things about how to be popular – in my opinion if you start a blog looking to be popular then you’re really missing the point.

Now onto another post from Erin, this time about cookie cutter fashions. Here she talks about the cut and fit of clothes at low end stores, i’d be just as concerned about the fact that thousands of other people are wearing the same outfit and thinking it looked cute. It’s worth investing more money in staples – jeans, underwear, shoes and dressy-dresses and you can save money on 1 season things like t-shirts and cute summer tops.

Finally, the ever wonderful Jenn tells us about what she’s learned from old relationships, especially about herself and what a relationship should be like. It’s interesting to read about how other people view their past relationships; i try and take something and learn something from each of them, i find its the only way to stop being bitter about them essentially being failures. Seems i’m not alone there.

That’s it for the week, mwah x

Anyone who reads the rather inspiring In it to Gym it will know that there is at least one person on there who is getting to their weight-loss goals by following the principles of eating clean. The first time i read about it i was intrigued but the second time after reading this post i was inspired to look up more about it.

Essentially the principles aren’t a diet, they are a lifestyle change that alters your metabolism by eating a combination of lean protein and complex carbs 5-6 times a day plus including 2-3 servings of healthy fats. Now i work in an office and i initially thought this would be really hard to achieve but actually all it means is having a mid-morning and mid afternoon snack, ensuring i have breakfast before i leave the house and choosing a ‘clean’ dinner.

My work day meals are essentially the same every day, i have oatmeal for breakfast (i don’t want to say porridge because i always liken that to something made with milk) with flax seed, berries and a spoonful of natural non-fat yoghurt. I make it by buying frozen berries and getting a few out and putting them in my bowl before i go to bed with a plate over the top. In the morning they are nicely defrosted and then all i do is put in the oats and the flax seed and cover with boiling water. Stick the plate back on the top while i go and get dressed and it’s ready to put the yoghurt on and serve when i come back downstairs. I have this with a hot water and lemon juice drink and 2 apple cider tablets

Mid-morning is usually half an apple (i experimented with pears but they aren’t happy with being cut and left) and a handful of unsalted nuts (usually almonds).

Lunch is spinach leaves with a whole tomato and a portion of cucumber cut up in it with either tuna (1/3 of a can) and balsamic vinegar (not dressing) or a large spoonful of low-fat cottage cheese.

Mid afternoon snack is a hard boiled egg white and the other half of the apple.

Then for dinner i have chicken, turkey, lean pork or fish with either sweet potato and vegetables or brown rice and vegetables or lentils and vegetables.

I have switched to de-caff tea (i have fruit tea at work), no sugary drinks so no fruit juice or squash. If i’m thirsty for a cold drink i have water or water with lemon juice in it.

The thing that i have really noticed is that the portion sizes are much smaller than you would usually eat but because you are eating 5-6 times a day you don’t feel hungry only having a small dinner. Working the portions out is based on the size of your hands so its easy to do without measuring out everything etc.

So how am i doing? Well week 1 i lost 5lbs and week 2 i lost another 3. i know its easy to say when you’re in the first flush of love with a new ‘diet’ but the principles are sound and i think that when i hit my goal weight of (135lbs) i should be able to incorporate treats back into my diet without totally destroying the principles.

I pledge to give a 2 weekly update on my weight loss and hopefully you will celebrate with me when i hit my milstones and help me work out where i went wrong if i fall off

Starting Weight: 159lbs
Current Weight: 151lbs
Goal Weight: 135lbs

Once again i seem to have lost my mojo but this time it looks like there are a number of causes

• I’ve had a lot of work on and have spent a fair number of evenings recently without the PC on at all
• I know some of my family read my blog and that puts me off sharing everything because of the inevitable calls etc
• I have half formed posts in my head but can never seem to articulate
• I’m clearly lazy!

So, i am going to bite the bullet and just start blogging for me again – i think i have to do that or move and become secret and i don’t want to become secret again, i love my little corner of the interwebs

by Robert Harris

Synopsis from Amazon: Cicero was rare among politicians in the Roman Empire – principled, concerned with moral justice, a brilliant orator and lawyer, yet formidably determined and ambitious. Beneath it all though, he remains kind-hearted and human, a man who cares. This book tells the story of his rise from humble senator as he strives to attain the highest position of power, one of the two Consuls of Rome. The narrator is Tiro, his loyal slave and confidant, who invented a system of shorthand which rendered him indispensable to his master. From the moment Tiro admits the unkempt Sicilian stranger who seeks Cicero’s help against the corrupt Verres, governor of Sicily, the story is one of intrigue and treachery. Hated by the aristocrats who control the senate, the odds seem so heavily stacked against Cicero that it is hard to imagine how he can possibly succeed.

Synopsis from Amazon: Harris’s protagonist is the engineer Marcus Attilius, placed in charge of the massive aqueduct that services the teeming masses living in and around the Bay of Naples. Despite the pride he takes in his job, Marcus has pressing concerns: his predecessor in the job has mysteriously vanished, and another task is handed to Marcus by the scholar Pliny: he is to undertake crucial repairs to the aqueduct near Pompeii, the city in the shadow of the restless Mount Vesuvius. And as Marcus faces several problems–all life threatening–an event approaches that will make all his concerns seem petty.

Reviews: Both of these books are, in short, brilliant. Harris writes about long dead events in a modern and compelling way that makes you want to rip through the stories to find out what happens next. They are wildly different in story obviously, Imperium being about the rise of Cicero through the Roman senate and Pompeii being, funnily enough, the story of the days leading up to the eruption of Vesuvius but they share an enthusiasm as well as a style that makes them gripping reading. The story-tellers in each book are not the main characters (although as the Aquarius in Pompeii Aquillus is the main human, the main character is always Vesuvius) which gives them just enough perspective to tell the story without it seeming biased or otherwise. Superb storytelling – can’t wait to read more

5 out of 5