A fantastic piece on the Grauniad in which seven women from ages 20 to 88 talk about why they are feminists. No "balanced" "feminism has taken its toll", no "but lots of young women don't like that word", just seven women saying what they think. It's rather heart-warming.

In other news, it's nearly ten, I'm still in my pyjamas, and I have already answered the door to about five people while looking like an idle slattern because it's the time of the month when the couriers deliver my review books. Quite a good crop so far this month, especially Virago's reissues of Elizabeth Taylor's novels (no, not the violet-eyed Richard-Burton-marrying friend-of-Michael-Jackson). Taylor is one of those authors whose books I've always noticed in shops but have never found enticing enough to read; on the basis on the one I've read so far (Angel) I was totally wrong. Angel is the story of a really terrible but successful novelist who believes that she's a genius, and is an awful warning to writers everywhere....