January: A man walking along Caledonian Road falls over onto the huge roll of bubble wrap he is hugging, perhaps for just this sort of situation. 'This book is a delight ... the world is full of little surprises, momentary little fountains of pleasure and beauty, that could be visible to all of us if we learned to stop and notice' - Philip Pullman 'An odd, beautiful book ... Buy an extra copy to give to someone you love' - Neil Gaiman Inspired by her popular Twitter account, The Year I Stopped to Notice brings together Miranda Keeling's observations of the magic, humour, strangeness and beauty in ordinary life. Through the changing seasons, on city streets and on buses, in parks and cafes, Miranda notices things: moments between friends, the interactions of strangers, children delighting in the world around them, the quiet melancholy of lost items on the pavement. Accompanied by stunning watercolour illustrations from Luci Power, Miranda's poetic vignettes take us on journeys of discovery and share with us the joy of stopping to notice. September: On a sweltering, packed rush-hour train, my arm suddenly feels lovely and cool, and I look down to see a shopping bag held by the woman beside me - full of just-bought cartons of milk. AUTHOR: Miranda Keeling is a writer and actor. Her writing has appeared in the Metro, Reader's Digest and 'Tweet-off on the Tyne' for The Verb, Radio 3. She has appeared on EastEnders, Doctors, Emmerdale and at Theatre Royal Haymarket, and is a winner of the BBC Radio Drama's Norman Beaton Fellowship. This is her first book.