Life's Little Pleasures

Book Review: Do You Come Here Often?
posted on Sunday, January 9, 2011 at 9:52 PM | 0 cmnt/s

Title: Do You Come Here Often?
Author: Alexandra Potter
First Published: 2004
Genre: Fiction... but really just romance

Plot: DYCHO? follows Grace and her friends through life in central London as they fall in and out of love (which often happens in life, after all). The main plot, however, centers around Grace who takes a break from her fiance, Spencer, a successful, handsome lawyer, and unexpectedly bumps into her first love, Jimi.

Critique: From the very first chapter, you could sense the looming inevitability that you cannot escape from in Alexandra Potter's writing. However, that can be expected in a romance novel afterall, I suppose. Thy style in which Potter writes was curious. At moments she seems to have written like a modern Dickens with long sweeping sentences that carefully detail surroundings and environments, which should earn Potter applause. However, these moments of romantic prettiness is counteracted by the sudden plunge into simple syntax and phrases. The contruction of characters struck a chord with me also, as I found that many seemingly important character traits were developed later (and at times, right at the end) of the story which were inconsistent with what had already been constructed, and often were contradictions to previous traits.
Despite these criticisms, I believe they can be overlooked. Really, DYCHO? is just one of those books which you read as a light read, for example on the bus or plane -- it's not really going to change your life or you're not going to run around suggesting this book to everyone you meet, but it was still a worthy read to maintain your hope in fate and love. You only really need to read this book once, then but it back on the shelf, but I would certainly recommend reading Alexandra Potter's other novels which are quite similar to this one.

Rating: 3.5/5

Faith
posted on Friday, November 5, 2010 at 1:49 PM | 0 cmnt/s

I with I had something to believe in. Some kind of higher power to pray to in times of need.

But I don't believe in anything.

Phobia
posted on Wednesday, November 3, 2010 at 10:50 PM | 0 cmnt/s

So I realised today that I have two great fears in life:

1. Opening my blinds of my window in the morning in fear of seeing something horrific in my backyard i.e. a person who shouldn't be there, and;

2. Walking into my room with the lights on at night when my blinds are up because I can't see out because of the lights, so I don't know what's out there and it could be bad.

Apparently there is no actual term for either of those conditions.

Nethertheless, I'm still completely freaked out every time I'm in such a situation.




...



No jokes.

Legs
posted on at 4:29 PM | 0 cmnt/s

So, get this. I'm watching RuPaul's Drag Race and those dudes have better legs than me.

SOooooooooOOOOooooOOOO not fair!

;)

*sigh*
posted on Wednesday, October 13, 2010 at 7:55 PM | 0 cmnt/s

Sometimes I miss the good old days. Like either 3 years ago good old days. Or like year 3 kinda old days.

Either way. They are good old days.

Like DUDE!
posted on Monday, October 11, 2010 at 7:25 PM | 0 cmnt/s

I really really really love Harry Potter.

I know I sound super nerdy by saying this, but I would give almost anything in this world to be part of that one.

Yeah, yeah I'm a nerd. But at least I'm happy in my own little world.

...And some more, just for good measure...
posted on at 7:17 PM | 0 cmnt/s

Yo mama's so fat that the Sorting Hat put her in all four houses

Yo mama's so fat that a wingardium leviosa spell couldn't lift her

Yo mama's so fat, she makes Hagrid look like "Mini-me"

Yo mama's so fat, she tried to eat Cornelius Fudge

Yo mama's so ugly, even a dementor wouldn't kiss her

Yo Mama's so fat, her Patronus is a Double-Whopper with Cheese

Yo mama's the reason that Dumbledore turned gay

Yo Mama's so ugly, everybody calls her "She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Naked"

Yo mama's so fat that even the Dementors can't suck her soul out in one sitting

Yo mama's so fat, she looked in the mirror of Erised and saw a ham!

Yo mama's so stupid, she drowned in a pensieve

Yo mama's so dumb she thought that she could talk to snakes if she put parsley on her tongue

Yo mama's so poor that Dobby gave her a sock to keep her foot warm

Yo mama's so smelly, Bertie Bott made her his next jelly bean flavor.

Yo mama's so fat that it takes two boggarts to shape-shift into her!

Yo mama's so ugly that she lost a beauty contest to Mountain Troll

Yo mama's so fat the core of her wand has a creame filling

Yo mama's so ugly that as a baby they had to use the Confundus Charm so the family would play with her
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