Pages & Co.: The Bookwanderers by Anna James Chapters 1-3

not easy : hard to do or make

"Now, other than your particularly arduous workload, what else do you have planned for the week?"

limp, wet, or dirty from or as if from rain or mud

Rain meant quiet days in the shop as people stayed inside with only the odd group of bedraggled readers drying out in the café area.

a short period of time when you do too much of something

I haven't the foggiest what book I was reading, but your mum went on a real classics binge while she was pregnant, nostalgic for her own childhood, I suppose.

showing or feeling little concern : NONCHALANT

She tried to wander over casually.

to gather together information from different sources in order to study it carefully

In the pages were a collection of photos her grandparents had let her collate that all featured her mum.

to think about deeply and carefully

Tilly contemplated the question.

unwilling to accept control or advice

She had explored wonderlands and secret gardens with girls curious and contrary.

something that is used as a reason for making a judgment or decision

"Someone who's adventurous, and clever, and brave, and funny..." Tilly said, checking her criteria off on her fingers.

a feeling of dislike for someone or something considered not good enough

"I can't find the vanilla essence!" Jack shouted, making two people sitting drinking coffee eye him warily and Alice the cat raise her head in disdain from the cushioned seat she had claimed for the morning.

a learning disability in which a person usually has a problem in reading, spelling, and writing

"Oskar's dyslexic," Mary said, coming up behind them.

impossible to bear

"And do you know, he turned to him and said in the most insufferable voice, 'She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me.'"

a place that has many confusing paths and passages

The shop was made up of five floors of corners and cubby-holes, sofas and squashy armchairs, and a labyrinth of bookshelves heading off in different directions.

in a way that uses the ordinary and usual meaning of a word

"She was literally just sitting here as I came up the stairs," Tilly said, confused.

very great or overpowering

"Do you ever wish," she said, ignoring Grandad's question and turning to her grandparents with a serious look on her face, "that you had a relatively good friend in mortal peril that you could go and rescue?"

pale and sick

"You look a bit peaky."

a strong liking for something or a strong tendency to behave in a certain way

"I'll have you know I have quite a penchant for books about pirates and the ocean," he said.

the state of being in great danger

"Do you ever wish," she said, ignoring Grandad's question and turning to her grandparents with a serious look on her face, "that you had a relatively good friend in mortal peril that you could go and rescue?"

not changed by people : left in its natural state

A blind eye was usually turned as long as they reappeared in pristine condition.

when compared to others

"Do you ever wish," she said, ignoring Grandad's question and turning to her grandparents with a serious look on her face, "that you had a relatively good friend in mortal peril that you could go and rescue?"

to be pleased by : ENJOY

For a second she forgot that she was splattered with muddy water and simply relished the week's holiday that stretched out in front of her like the view from the gate of a fairground.

the state of trying to defeat or be more successful than another : COMPETITION

Mary and Jack had a long-standing, mostly affectionate rivalry that was almost entirely one-sided.

showing or feeling embarrassment especially because you have done something foolish or wrong

Tilly's cheeks, usually fair with a smattering of freckles, blushed a deep raspberry as she sheepishly started picking up the potatoes.

a building or place with many connected rooms, passages, etc., where you can get lost very easily

"You know how this place is like a rabbit warren."