All in the Mind

You might be forgiven for thinking that we Anti-Room ladies are obsessed with childish crushes. We’ve talked about the shameful crush (nothing, absolutely nothing, will beat my friend J’s childhood love for Paul Daniels). We’ve talked about role-dependent crushes (hello, Don Draper!). And now, my friends, we’re going to talk about one of the most [...]

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Book ditching and fibbing

It’s World Book Day and a poll conducted to mark the day has discovered the books that people lie and say they’ve read. Topping the list is George Orwell’s 1984 which happens to be a book I love and – honest – have finished. Most of those surveyed admitted they had lied about reading certain [...]

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Deflower Power

I will not rest until I get my own copy of this incredibly awesome book, which someone at Found Objects has kindly scanned in its entirety. Published in 1965, The Recently Deflowered Girl is a parody of etiquette guides, and offers advice on how to handle a wide variety of virginity-losing situations. Whether you first [...]

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Reasons to be Cheerful

I’ve been doing a lot of ranting here recently. Actually, I do a lot of ranting in real life, too. But I am also capable of feeling joy! No, really. Here are some things that are currently making me happy.
1. Dear Science by TV on the Radio. This is the best album I’ve heard in [...]

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Keeping up with bewk prizes

I’d like to consider myself a well-read gal who keeps up with goings on in the literary world… until this week when a chap called Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio won the Nobel Prize for Literature.  Who’s that now? I thought Philip Roth was a shoo-in? Turns out I’m not alone in not having a [...]

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On book covers and guilty reads

I’m reading Jackie Collins’ latest novel Married Lovers and I don’t know what it is but I adore Jackie Collins. It’s hugely escapist fiction that is great fun to read, and there’s always plenty of sport guessing which Hollywood star she is describing, such as which 40-year-old actress is mixing Vicodin with Xanax and falling asleep [...]

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So I Got To Thinking…

I’m in the middle of reading Candace Bushnell’s latest book and, to my surprise, it’s not half bad. I read Sex And The City and thought it was a bit disjointed and garbled, although I didn’t mind Trading Up at all. (Is this too much Bushnell to admit to having read?)
The new book is called [...]

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The Anti-Room bookclub #1… get voting

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions in this post about how to get the ball rolling in our inaugural Anti-Room Classics bookclub.  As much as we’d love to meet the delightful Rosie in person, it seems like it suits most folk to meet up online. As today is the 8th of September, why don’t we [...]

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The Anti-Room Bookclub…

As a gale howls outside my door, I’m already drifting into hibernation mode, grumbling about the summer failing to appear and digging out a polo neck jumper to wear today. Given Honoria’s ‘switch it off’ post yesterday and an idea that arose in the comments section of this post, I’m proposing an Anti-Room bookclub – [...]

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Summer readin’… had me a blast

Having had it up to my mammaries with all the rain, I’ve booked myself a last minute week in sunny Spain next week and am looking for book recommendations to bring with me. Now, here’s the caveat: I’m a fussy cow when it comes to books. Someone bought me – actually bought me (I don’t [...]

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