And still hot

A while back I bought a Brontë sisters print from artist Louisa Amelia Albani, whose little books I love. I have now had the print framed . . . . beautifully done by Castle Frames in Brampton. I have been deciding where to hang it, trying it in different places, so thought I would blip it - (the frame is actually grey, a shade taken from the print, but the photograph has made it much darker). 


Women’s Prize for Fiction (some comments for anyone interested)

The shortlist has been out for a while now and tomorrow evening the winner will be announced.

My thoughts 
Demon Copperhead has been the favourite to win since long before even the longlist was announced and it still is the favourite. There are some good books on the shortlist but to my mind, and to most other readers, this one stands head and shoulders above the rest. It is a brilliant book in every way. If the judges are to choose ‘the best book written by a woman’ - then this is it. However, there may be a feeling that it is so well known and has already been awarded several prizes, so they may decide to go for something else. I won’t be surprised if they do, but they shouldn’t do. Fire Rush I have not read, but people who have like it a lot for its originality and its strong female character. Pod, which I have not commented about as I am still undecided what i think about it, is original (told from the point of view of a dolphin!) and deals with issues to do with what we are doing to the oceans. I like Black Butterflies a lot, but just think it is not substantial enough - a great debut novel. As is Trepasses, but I feel there are issues to do with credibility with this one. And then of course there is The Marriage Portrait, which is a beautifully written, engrossing book - could the fact that Maggie O’Farrell won the prize two years ago with Hamnet act against her - it shouldn’t do. 

So, it should be Demon and it is the one I would choose, but who knows . . .