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This is just great - wonderfully described, full of wit and great Freudian jokes. Brilliant imagery. I like the jelly. And I like Martin Amis' ears. And I like the whole concept.

I know it was describing a dream - but it read so real. I fell like this happened.

I think the style if good: dry, economic, well paced.

I like it.

Sometimes I wonder what these little snippets on here could be used for...? Short short stories. I liked it. I could read stuff like that all day.

As many of you may know I began re-reading the works of Dickens a couple of years ago. It's not that I don't read anything else, but I do do try and get through three or four of them a year.

Great little story exploring fantasy and reality. You very quickly get a feel for how the two girls contrast, and the dialogue's convincing. Makes me want to go get a job at Starbuck's.

This is wonderful: funny, sad, dry, self-effacing and very real. The tone is clean and underplayed, but what it is about is kind of heartbreaking. I like it very much. The interspersion with the songs works really well.

I love this site for pieces like this: flashes of people's lives, written, posted, read.

Drew - congrats about Darts, and also, your writing is brilliant.

I love the rhythm, and the gaps between what is said and what is felt. I will probably still be thinking about this later on.

I liked it a lot. I don't want to pick it apart.

There's a typo though - 'drover' should be 'drove'.

I know it's sad but I'm still totally hooked on '24' . Having watched the 4th series on TV, Dave and I got the previous series on DVD. Now for those who haven't seen it, the whole point is that it's incredibly tense with lots of plot twists (most of which work, surprisingly enough). However, as each new episode loads on the DVD they precede it with a still of the most momentous moment yet to come. It completely gives the plot away and one of you has to look at it (ish) to make the selection. What morons!

They have been singing Jerusalem all summer. It's been lovley and stirring. But I think there are better, less jingoistic songs that we should be singing at this time of joy. Here is my suggestion. I am thrilled to be English today. The quirkiness of us celebrating a cricket match sums up what we are. Bonkers and proud.

What about you?

Village Green Preservation Society
The Kinks

Banville, John The Sea Picador
Barnes, Julian Arthur & George Jonathan Cape
Barry, Sebastian A Long Long Way Faber & Faber
Ishiguro, Kazuo Never Let Me Go Faber & Faber
Smith, Ali The Accidental Hamish Hamilton
Smith, Zadie On Beauty Hamish Hamilton

I've only read one, The Accidental, but I thought that was fab. I started a discussion on it below somewhere. I hope that Ali Smith wins but I see that she is the least favourite.

Barnes has never appealed to me. He always seems too self-consciously clever.

I cannot believe that in the launch of their new "doughnut" edition, the Grauniad, having garnered so many column inches about their wonderous new Berliner format (shurely, "filled so many column inches of their own disreputable organ..." - ed.) have not yet availed themselves in print of the above quote by the celebrated sexologist and former US president, Jack Kennedy.