The Duck Egg Bookworm...

On the dining table amidst the rice cracker packets, tambourine, sippy cups and wires piled precariously high in the middle  out of the reach of unseeing hands desperate for a haul, is my brain. I am sure I left it here...somewhere. Throughout the day in the small snatches of down time I am trying to collect my thoughts for the website and often the afternoon walk is via the antiques shop for vintage finds for Duck Egg! My toddler is a willing companion, as long as the pram doesn't stop moving and we sing loudly to the smirks of teenagers and sympathetic looks of those who have been there and done it!! However, there is one 'me' thing that I don't do enough of and that is to read. I love reading, I loved studying and am complete and unashamed geek. My book choices were often the source of amusement amongst my school friends, who mean the world to me and I am so blessed to be in touch with so many, although they never let me forget the hoards of strange Russian novelists and wonderfully indulgent fin-de-siecle French literature that I had on my shelves in my teenage years. But reading nowadays takes staying power and it needs a specific slot or the washing up and general fire-fighting of our renovation takes over. (Scenes of a deluge last night when I decided to helpfully mend a leak and a toddler thinking all his Christmases had come at once!)

So for those of you who are interested Duck Egg is starting up a monthly readers' club. I am longing to join a book club, but at the moment hours are long and time is short! So in the comfort of your own home, we are going to suggest the book that we are reading each month and a few things to look for along the read! At the end of the month, we'll discuss it (We'd like your reviews!) and choose a new book (suggestions would be fabulous!) You can also tell us what you think via the comments at the bottom of the blog. Hopefully this will inspire us all!

Why?At the heart of Duck Egg is the community we belong to as an entrepreneur, working mummy and as much as possible ethically responsible citizen. So it seemed fun to extend the community further and the Duck Egg website will provide beautiful interiors pieces, but also a forum where we hope to build a community where you can exchange recipes, gardening tips, local fairs and a jolly, good read. We want Duck Egg to be an experience!

So in amongst those moments we never have,  here is our first Duck Egg ...

Book of the Month

The World's Wife- Carol Ann Duffy

I have known very little about our poet laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, I vaguely remember a London Underground poster with one of her poem's on a bleary late night tube home, but that was it. This book is extremely illuminating and there is something magical about a well-known story being told from another's angle. In the author's words it depicts our "cultural ancestry".

A few thoughts to follow throughout the poems...

• Have a look at her themes, female responses and ideals, why does she choose who she does?
• What are your views on her contemporary style and setting?

Join us on twitter @duck_egg and follow the bookclub news on (hashtag)duckeggbookclub

(Where is the hashtag on a macbook- hashtag fail...)