Stars and sparkles

"Tonight all, I'm going to be 'reviewing Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie."

Our monthly Book Club meeting is at my house this evening. Better tidy up. There's enough food debris under the sofa seat cushions for an army of mice and what I find on the floor under the sofa itself is indescribable. OMG there are dust cobwebs drifting across the ceiling. 2 of the ladies have dust allergies and it's embarassing if it's your house that makes them sneeze! Anyone else bought these magic cleaning e-cloths that claim 'perfect cleaning with just water'. Why use magic e-cloth? It will save you time, money (at £5 a cloth??) and give better results with a sparkling smear free finish. I'm taken in by this vision of sparkling smear free windows letting in the sparkling Spring sun. They forget to add that you still need someone with elbow grease. Better wait for my servants to get home from school/work.

The book we've all read moves from Nagasaki 1945 to Delhi and Indian independence and partition, to Karachi, to Pakistani-Afghan training camps and thence to New York after the 9/11 attacks ending with a scene at Guantánamo Bay. With the current affairs in Japan no doubt tonight will include some debate about the nuclear industry.

Next month's book is "The Anatomy of Ghosts" by Andrew Taylor.

PS. 9 out of the 10 book club ladies came, an excellent turnout. Lynette I hope your husband has forgiven you for forgetting it was his birthday the same day! Oh, and nobody sneezed.