A brief bookish moment

I have a basket in my bedside table that is filled with a stash of books I am in the process of reading, or planning on reading. It also has a stash of cards given to me by my beloved, together with ticket stubs from flights, cinema trips, theatrical events and the like that DH and I have enjoyed together. These I use as bookmarks. I leave them inside the books, often for months, so that whenever I open the page I am reminded of a lovely moment in my life and it makes me smile, and remember why I fell in love and who I fell in love with.

The books in the basket range from the hardback books the lovely DH buys me for my birthday to something I got free with the Evening Standard. At the moment the proportion of chick lit is slightly higher than average, since my brain cells seem to be diminishing with every day, and there are tomes to do with pregnancy and birth that I have read from cover to cover, found wanting and have yet to move to another bookcase or use as doorstops. It is with gratitude that, when I followed Nunhead Mum’s instructions to pick up the nearest book, I realised I had the abridged version and that it didn’t in fact have the requisite 123 pages. I can’t imagine three sentences from Clare Byam-Cook’s ‘What to Expect When You Are Breastfeeding and What If You Can’t?’ would be entertaining to the varied readership of the DG blog.

To explain a little better, I am required by NM to do the following:
1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag people to do the same, and acknowledge who tagged you.

Therefore, I came across the following quote from ‘The Short Life & Long Times of Mrs Beeton’ by Kathryn Hughes:

What a contrast is my frigid disposition to your generous, warm-hearted dear
self; it often strikes me, but you know I cannot help it, it is my nature…You
have guessed my weak point, for if there is one thing more than others I detest,
[it] is to be chafed in that quiet manner as you did in the note I received this
morning…Now my darling I must say goodbye, hoping you will freely pardon this
my first offence (at least I hope so), with much love,
Believe me my dearest
boy,
Yours penitently and most lovingly,
Isabella Mayson
Pray don’t
write any more cutting letters as you did yesterday, or I don’t know what will
be the consequence.

I think the book was a Christmas gift from my mother. I also think, on the basis of this extract, it will be a while before I get round to reading it! Now, for the last part, I have just to tag, since the acknowledging has been done. Who would appreciate the challenge?

Wakeup has a lot on her mind right now, but might appreciate the distraction; Gwen likes to read;and CJ likes to write… a short yet distinguished list. I have laid down the gauntlet, but feel free to step over it as you walk on towards more important things.