It's fascinating to think about, whether it's relevant to Sarah Water's or not.

Sarah Waters - sorry, did I miss some connection here? Where does she come into it?

Frances

Sammy Jay, I'm ashamed to say that i too gave up reading Ali Smith after a page or two - it was Hotel World, though. After hearing her the other day though I WILL go back to it because I know it's good it was just me and the mood I was in. Actually, I know she's a Scot but actually she lives here in Cambridge now and can often be seen here and about getting her shopping and buying a ticket at the Arts Picturehouse. BTW Anyone seen the Da Vinci Code or shouldn't I get you all started? I must be the only person who hasn't read it and can't make up my mind about going to see the film.

O come off it Frances, everyone knows Ali Smith and Sarah Waters are the same person.

JB

ho ho

both shortlisted for the Orange prize, I suppose you mean.

F

No, I mean that in my lack of nicotine, I got Ali Smith mixed up with Sarah Waters.

JB

I was teasing. Both brilliant writers, anyway.

F

I've not read either actually, but liked Tipping the Velvet on TV. I'm not usually this dumb, I'm just undergoing a terrible mind-swamp withdrawl that patches don't even scratch the edges of. I can barely read a novel with anything sinking in at present. But I will stop those coffin nails, damn it.

JB

JB

Save yourself a heap of hell and go to the Allen Carr clinic. I smoked aged 15 to 37 and stopped on the dot of walking out of that blessed man's door, never felt a twinge. Beg borrow or steal.

Pete

Is that hypnosis therapy?

I've quit before, and am a great believer in willpower. I will do it, it's just this is the tricky phase.

JB

Not hypnosis, just the facts about smoking told to you in a way that makes you stop without even needing to try. The underlying message laid into your brain over the course of the session is, boy are you a dumbass, which most people's subconscious can't bear. Result: you don't ever touch another tab. Willpower is fine but any biochemist will tell you nicotine is one tough opponent.

Also, bar a few exceptions, you will never crave again.

Pete

Going back to not-the-thread, Sarah Waters's new one is terrific. She gives good reading, too - reads beautifully, which makes a nice change, really engages with questions and answers them fully, even the ones she must have heard a hundred times, interesting about writing, very friendly. She's doing the rounds at the moment with The Night Watch and I'd recommend her if she's reading near you.

Emma

Jem,

I'm glad i'm not the only one! I intend to try the Accidental again, with a more open mind, instead of saying to myself every paragraph 'oh and here's something else just done for effect' (listen to me, unpublished persona non grata, criticising Ali Smith - I should be hung, strung and quartered.)

Sammy

The problem I have is existential fatalism (day 9 now), that crap philosophical voice that says 'well, you have to die of something' and 'you might get hit by a bus tomorrow', pr worse 'do you really want to be old for so long anyway?'.

I am countering by all out psuedo-voodooism, convincing myself that there is, in actual fact, a demon that lives inside tobacco, and it must be vanquished and not allowed access into the Plane of James. So far, so good.

I've beaten almost every drug under the sun, so I will beat this one too.

JB

James,

The demon in tobacco is a money grabbing spawn that makes some geezer in the USA rich and Fat and the smoker poor and wishful. Imagine that by not smoking you make him weak and insignificant until he crawls back under a rock.

Does that help?

David

JB, smoking killed my dad when he was still in his fifties. Hold on in there and don't listen to the inner fatalist, it's just the nicotine speaking...