Joanne the Coach

Book review: The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer

Thanks to the help of my bloggy friends, and particularly Deb of Carrots and Kids, I ended up choosing The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks as our book group book for this month. So far I'm 37% of the way through (thank you Kindle for that information) and it's terrific, I'm really glad I chose it.

Another book I enjoyed but couldn't face selling to book group is The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer, which was sent to me recently for review. This is a re-issue of a spin off book from the Twin Peaks TV series. I was a huge fan of the series when it first aired, and have been watching it again recently, so was looking forward to revisiting the book too.

It's very odd and unsettling returning to a book like this many years after having originally read it - though that's appropriate, since odd and unsettling was Twin Peaks' USP.

I don't remember much about reading it first time round, other than that I galloped through it pretty quickly. This time, it felt like a much tougher read.

The story starts with 12 year old Laura, whose life very quickly takes a tumble into sex, drugs and violence. And this time round, reading it as the mother of a 12 year old, it's kind of hard to take. The book is more violent and more sexually explicit than I remember, but then maybe I am just more sensitive to that kind of thing nowadays.

Twenty years after it first aired, the cult of Twin Peaks still has a loyal following. The yearly US Twin Peaks convention still takes place, and there's now a Twin Peaks UK festival which has just had its second gathering.

I went to the first UK festival and met the legendary Log Lady (seen here with teeny tiny log, and me with cherry pie). It was interesting to see how many people there were too young to have seen the show when it started.

So for the new generation of Peakies, this book is a must read. Written by David Lynch's daughter Jennifer, it's a prequel of Laura Palmer's life before the events depicted in the TV show. I don't think it's over-spoiling to reveal that she dies in the end, and inevitably this casts a shadow over the whole book.

The new edition features separate forewords from Twin Peaks creators Mark Frost and David Lynch. Frost's is the more illuminating, whilst the enigmatic Lynch doesn't give much away.

The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer (Simon & Schuster) is available now in paperback and Kindle formats.

Competition: Win a slanket of love

 

Despite being a gnarly curmudgeon at heart, occasionally I thaw a little and decide that I'd like to give the world a cuddle.

Or on second thoughts, maybe just one lucky winner.

In honour of the upcoming day of Valentines, here's how to win a slanket of love in this easy as pee competition.

THE PRIZE:
The Love Rug Sleeved Blanket from FindMeaGift.com (pictured here) is, as the name suggests, a soft and cuddly fleecy blanket with sleeves. It's red with a white hearts pattern and comes complete with a pocket for your remote control.

So you can have a cup of tea, use your laptop, enjoy a snack fest marathon, all whilst cuddled up nice and warm. Slip a potty underneath and you may never have to leave the sofa again. It's the home worker's nirvana.

Retailing at £24.99, it's one of a range of Valentines gifts on offer from Find Me a Gift in honour of the impending season of lurve.

HOW TO ENTER:
This may be a single slanket, but let's face it, you could easily fit somebody else in there if you wanted to. Leave a comment below saying who you would share your slanket with on Valentine's Day.

EXTRA CHANCES TO WIN:
Double dips for anyone who likes this blog on Facebook - say if you're claiming an extra entry when you're leaving a comment.

RESTRICTIONS:
One entry per person
UK entries only

CLOSING DATE:
Midnight on Monday 6th February. Any entries received after this time will not be counted. A winner will be chosen at random on Tuesday 7th February and the prize sent out as soon as possible after that, so you should be all cuddly and cosy by Valentine's Day.

You can find more competitions to enter at ThePrizeFinder - UK Competitions and Loquax Competitions

The next evolution of parent blogs

First the parents came, and they blogged about their kids and it was good (actually, some of it was a bit tedious, but why let the facts get in the way of a good story?).

And then the kids grew up a bit and said - WTF Mum and Dad! Why did you tell the world about that time I peed on you?

And the parents scratched their heads and said - Fair enough, I did sell you out for a sponsored post about pizza.

And so a new era was born

I give you - parent and child, blogging together in laptop harmony. Apart from when they fight about SEO.

My 12 year old and I have started what seems to be the UK's first mother and daughter blog. There are a few others sprinkled around the world, but not many - yet.

Yes, I know what you're thinking - it all sounds hideously twee and vile. But rest easy, it's not. At least I don't think so. So far we have posts about teeth, music and how to tidy your room. It's high grade weird and regularly surreal. Which, in my world, is a good thing.

So hustle on over and say hello to Eljae - a blog from El and Jae (no prizes for guessing which one I am). We may be the first but we sure as heck won't be the last.

I won't stop blogging here though. It's good to have a virtual space of your own.

 

 

 

Now, did I tell you about the time my kid peed on me......?

How do you choose a book for book group?

It's a choice up there with what to name your children or what colour to paint your house, only more important - what book am I going to recommend to book group when it's my turn to choose?

The first time it was my choice, I went for a book I had read and really enjoyed - Thirteen by Sebastian Beaumont. It's set in Brighton where we live - even our local curry house gets a mention. The main character is a taxi driver, as is one of the members of the book group. How could it fail?

Actually, it did OK, but a few people had mixed feelings. And every time a criticism was murmured of the book I loved, I felt like I was being stabbed in the eye.

After that I decided that it was best for my sanity was to choose something I hadn't read before, so I wouldn't take it so personally if somebody didn't like it.

So I went for Me Cheeta by James Lever which was well-recieved, apart from those members of our group who were rather turned off by the monkey sex. Too vulgar, apparently. You can't please every body.

My next choice coincided with a Brighton Festival-linked initiative to get all of Brighton reading From Russia With Love, with free copies all over the city. They do that kind of thing round here. We didn't like it much. Blame the council.

After that I thought it was time to big up the local authors, so I went for (the very good) Contact by Jonathan Buckley. I like the idea of supporting current, local authors. Especially now I've got a book out myself, you know that every bit of word of mouth support matters.

But I don't like to be predictable, so my next choice was Room by Emma Donoghue, which seemed to be the novel of the moment which everybody apart from the members of our book group had read.

And now this week my turn to host and choose has come round again and I am all of a kerfuffle and don't know what to go for.

Is it time for a classic? Should I be brave and revisit a book I've read before? Patti Smith's Just Kids, which I loved, is out in paperback, maybe that's the one? I'm going to make lemon cake, which takes me neatly into The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake but maybe that's too obvious. Plus if we start theming the evening around the book then we'll all have to squat on the floor if somebody chooses The Tiny Wife.

I just don't know, what do you suggest?

Should you tell someone their child is a little brat?

I've been asked this question a number of times since my book came out, from:
My friend is struggling with her toddler, do you think she would appreciate it if I gave her your book?
to the more direct:
My friend's child is a little horror - I think she needs your book
to the absolutely no question about it:
My friend's child is a little brat! Can I use the book to tell her without getting murdered myself?

Deep down I think all parents know that our children have their less than appealing moments.

Some parents won't admit it - but that doesn't mean they'll welcome it if you point it out. It's quite taboo in our society to criticise someone else's child.

The title of my book - Toddlers: An Instruction Manual - is obviously meant to be a jokey response to the exasperated parent's moan- I wish toddlers came with an instruction manual. So yes I think you could give it to someone without causing offence.

This is why we didn't call it Your Child's A Brat, Mine's An Angel or even Don't You Wish Your Child Was Perfect Like Mine? *files away for future sequels*

The trouble with judging how other people parent is that it's easy to make assumptions when you don't know the full story. You may look from outside and think you can see how someone else is getting it wrong, but how does that help them?

So support, don't judge. Meet up away from the kids. If your approaches to parenting really are miles apart then you'll have to either avoid the subject or accept that the friendship may be on the way out anyway.

And if you really feel that your relationship can withstand you telling it like it is, think carefully about how you phrase it. There's a world of difference between
Your child is such a brat!
and the alternative 
I was reading the other day how children feel much more secure with clear boundaries, what do you think?
The first will feel like the verbal equivalent of stabbing your friend in the guts. The second might open the way to some new thinking.

So would you tell someone if you thought their child was a right little horror?

 

image credit: HA! Designs - Artbyheather