Girl’s Night In on 15th June 2010
My ladies group and I had a girl’s night in recently. It coincided with our book group meeting. When the ladies found out I would be bringing Galaxy dark chocolate as part of the treats for Independent Book Week they couldn’t believe it! They had never heard of Galaxy dark chocolate. Funnily enough we nearly had a full complement and a new member (Dee whom I had met recently down at the allotment). As a book group we had really enjoyed reading ‘Chocolat’ by Joanne Harris: as women we really enjoyed chocolate.
Alison Richards who was hosting the event had kindly set aside a table so I could put out my wares, free chocolate, books on chocolates, copies of Book Time, various book marks and a bargain book ‘The Messenger of Athens’ by Anne Zouroudi. The latter being at an unbeatable price of 99 pence they all went away with one in their bag of goodies.
I told them about my own holiday recently in Turkey which involved a very large black scorpion popping onto our terrace for breakfast. My 11 year-old son spent the rest of his holiday eating inside. He finally came out late evening when we persuaded him scorpions and hornets don’t come out at night. The last time we had been on holiday in Gocek (a beautiful marina in Turkey) a large hornet had flown in through the taxi window and been buzzing round my sons head. This led us into discussing ‘The Tent, The Bucket and Me’ by Emma Kennedy. Funnily enough it was all about her holiday experiences of camping in Britain and abroad in the Seventies.
The Tent, The Bucket and Me – Emma Kennedy rrp £7.99
The cover of ‘The Tent, The Bucket and Me’ caught my eye straight away, from the little girl’s haircut to her grin. It shouted out, ‘me, in the seventies on holiday!’ My book group ladies all agreed that it brought back memories of various camping trips they had taken in the seventies too. The majority of us found it hilarious. My poor husband (who is a baker and has to get up at 4 in the morning) was kept awake at night with me laughing out loud.
The book follows Emma from being three years old on her various holidays with her parents Tony and Brenda. They have one disastrous holiday after another in Britain and abroad. The family have an encounter with a force 10 gale in Wales, brave the squat toilets in France and have an interesting time in the Isle of Wight.
Dawn French is quoted on the front cover of ‘The Tent, The Bucket and Me’ as saying she thought it ‘frighteningly hilarious’. Like her I thoroughly enjoyed this book and think it is well worth reading.
Our book group’s other book for discussion was:-
Dear Fatty – Dawn French rrp £7.99
