#i say marginally. it's not perfect. but he manages to get ten's general vibe down well and wow i didnt know u had it in u dude

[aq2003]

my verdict on the day of the doctor novelization is that the plot is still so stupid to me but at least i can live my life knowing moffat can write ten marginally correctly but he only keeps it in a novelization where nobody is going to see it. (my personal highlights under the cut)

him. aroace

this is a really good take on the ten and river dynamic, they're acquaintances and ten purposefully keeps it that way. the "time can be rewritten maybe her horrible death that happened in front of me can be prevented if i stay away from her" really goes well with how he's left after the events of journey's end

"he had to stop thinking before it tore him apart!" is THE most ten narration i've seen in my life. i need to eat rocks

this part just makes me really really sad. the dissociation between the tone and what's actually happening (him getting tortured. for months). how he's so clearly not acknowledging what's happening to him (he won't describe the screaming as his own). how he latches onto the only other presence there and focuses on charming her and making her laugh??? this also makes the hinting at a romance between ten and elizabeth that moffat does, extremely fucking upsetting because you can see how ten is just so fucking lonely and on instinct attaching himself to anyone who has any amount of regular presence to him. even if. well. you know. the torture.

like this. see. i need to be shot

you will hear from my lawyers steven.

[coughs up blood]

the "over and over". i need to be put in a blender

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

[rathertoofondofbooks]

I’ve decided, at the last minute, to take part in #NonFictionNovember! I have a lot of non-fiction on my TBR so it seems like a good time to read more of it. I struggled to make an exact TBR as generally once I make a list of books to read my brain decides it wants to read anything but what’s on the list! This time I’ve picked a selection of books that I really like the sound of – I’ve deliberately picked more books than I’m able to read in a month in the hope that having more choice will keep me on track. I do have some fiction to read and review so I may not read exclusively non-fiction but I aim to mostly read it in November.

I’ve predominantly picked books that I owned before 2017 so that I can use these books towards my Goodreads Mount TBR Challenge as I haven’t managed to complete that as yet, hence why there aren’t any new books (other than review books) on this list. I’ve tried to make my list a mix of easier non-fiction to balance some of the more challenging books in the hope it keeps me on the non-fiction track for the most part!

#NonFictionNovember2017 was started by abookolive and Non Fic Books on YouTube.

Their prompts for this reading challenge are:

Home

Substance

Love

Scholarship

and you can interpret these prompts however you like.

  Here’s my #NonFictionNovember TBR

Hystories by Elaine Showalter

This is one of my picks for the scholarship prompt. I first heard about Elaine Showalter when she was giving a talk at the university that I was about to start. I loved her talk and went on to read two of her books soon after. For some reason I never got around to reading this one so it seemed a good choice to aim for during this reading challenge.

Nothing is True and Everything is Possible by Peter Pomerantsev

This is another book that could possibly fit into scholarship as Russian politics is something I feel I should learn more about and this book looks like it could be an accessible way to start. It’s also a book that’s been on my TBR for a while so it’s time I picked it up.

Essays in Love by Alain de Botton

This is my pick for Love seeing as it has love in the title! I’ve had this on my TBR for a while too and it seemed a good pick for something to dip in and out of during this challenge to break up some of the heavier books on my TBR.

It’s Not Yet Dark by Simon Fitzmaurice

This book doesn’t really fit any of the challenges but it’s a book I’ve own for a long time and really want to read. It’s a book about the author being diagnosed with MND and how he has come to terms with how that has changed his life. I didn’t read it for a while because there was a time when this felt like it might be too close to home but that time has passed now and I feel ready to read this.

The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell

This book could fit into home as it’s a book about a couple making a new home for themselves in Denmark. I’ve wanted to read this for ages and so I’ve added it to this TBR for some light relief if I find myself needing it.

The Emperor of all Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee

This is my pick for substance as it’s a biography of cancer and looks at the way cells can go rogue within the human body. I’ve wanted to read this for so long but it’s a subject that I find really hard to read about. I’m using this challenge to push myself to read it at last because I feel sure it will be fascinating.

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The Lonely City by Olivia Laing

This book is on my TBR simply because I really want to read it and I think it might have a different vibe to other books that I’ve picked and so might be good to change things up a bit.

Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life by Justine Picardie

I’ve had the lovely hardback of this book on my TBR for about seven years now and I have no idea why I haven’t read it yet as it’s a book I really wanted. I also love the author’s writing so I’m hoping that I’ll be able to fit this book in this month.

Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman

This is a recent buy but I’m so looking forward to reading that I’ve added it. I may well end up not reading this as I want to focus on books from before this year but I’ve put this on the list in case I get stuck at any point and then I know I can pick this up. It’s the book that inspired Roger Waters to write Amused to Death and as I love that album I am very keen to read this book!

Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan

This is another book that I’ve wanted to read for a long time and I don’t know why I haven’t done so as yet. I feel like this might be a one sitting read and so perfect for this reading challenge.

Mercury and Me by Jim Hutton

I do like memoirs and biographies so have added this one as it will break up the other books I have on my TBR. I’m a huge Freddie Mercury fan and can never resist books about him.

The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson

I love Jon Ronson’s books and this one is on a subject that fascinates me so I’m keen to see how he approaches it.

Small Acts of Disappearance by Fiona Wright

This is an essay collection that I’ve been looking forward to and it seemed like a good idea to have another book that can be read on and off throughout the month.

The Undertaker’s Daughter by Kate Mayfield

This is a memoir of Kate Mayfield and how it was to grow up living above a funeral parlour. It sounds like such an interesting read and when I flicked though it seems like a really accessible writing style so seems a good book to have on the list for a reading challenge.

Dear Cathy… Love, Mary by Catherine Conlon & May Phelan

This is a book of letters written between the two authors in the 1980s and it just sounds so wonderful and nostalgic. I can’t wait to read this one!

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Selfish, Shallow and Self-Absorbed by Meghan Daum

This is a book that I bought ages ago now and really wanted to read but then the time never felt right. I’m really interested to read about women who’ve chosen not to have children though so a collection of essays seems like a good book to add to this challenge.

A Pound of Paper by John Baxter

This book has been on my TBR since before I had a Goodreads account (more than nine years). I’m mortified because it’s a book about a book addict and I feel sure I will love it. What’s more is that it’s in a lovely hardback edition and when I picked it off my shelf to make this TBR I just wanted to curl up with it right away. Therefore this book also fits the challenge of home for me because books are home to me.

Culture and Imperialism by Edward Said

This has also been on my TBR for a long time (more than ten years!). In fairness I have read some of it for my degree but I never sat down and read the whole book. I’ve kept it all this time so there must be something in me that still wants to read it so I’m including it in this TBR. I will just say that my edition has small text and my eyes aren’t great at the moment so this book may not get read this month but I’m including it on the list to keep it fresh in my mind so that it doesn’t languish on my TBR for another ten years!

  I also have some Non-Fiction ARCs to read so I’ve included them in my reading plans too

Riot Days by  Maria Alyokhina

This is a book about the Russian band Pussy Riot and how they were imprisoned. It sounds like such a fascinating read and I’m keen to get to it soon. If I don’t manage to read it during this reading challenge, I will aim to have it read and reviewed before the end of this year.

The Day that went Missing by Richard Beard

This is a memoir of how the author looked back at what happened on the day his brother drowned and the aftermath. It sounds like a really moving book but it’s one I want to read soon.

Rest in Power by Sybrina Fulton & Tracy Martin

Trayvon Martin was shot dead whilst innocently walking home minding his own business; he was seventeen years old – it was such a shocking story on the news when it happened. This book is his story as told by his mum. I’m sure this will be a heartbreaking read but it’s important that books like this are read and spoken about.

The Book of Untruths by Miranda Doyle

This is Miranda Doyle’s memoir told through lies – this was all I needed to know about this book before I requested it on NetGalley! I’m so keen to read this book and hope to get to it this month.

Gone by Min Kym

  Of Women: In the 21s Century by Shami Chakarabati

I just got and ARC of this book this week so I’m adding it to this list of books that I may get to this month. It does sound like it could be a very prescient book given what is happening at the moment with the #metoo so I’d like to read this soon if I can.

Chase the Rainbow by Poorna Bell

I was unexpectedly sent a copy of this book for review a little while ago and it sounded interesting so I added it to my TBR. The subject matter sounds tough as it’s about the author’s husband’s suicide but it’s so important to be more aware of mental health so I want to read this one soon.

Currently reading

This House of Grief by Helen Garner

I’ve been reading this book for the past few weeks but I had a spell where I just wanted to read fiction so it got put to one side. I picked it up again this week though and am back to being engrossed in it.

Good Night and Good Riddance: How Thirty-Five Years of John Peel Helped to Shape Modern Britain by David Cavanagh

This is a book that I’m dipping in and out of and it’s just wonderful. I highly recommend this if you love music and John Peel.

A History of Britain in 21 Women by Jenni Murray

This is an audiobook that I spotted when I was looking for non-fiction in my Audible cloud. I’d forgotten that I had this on my TBR but as soon as I saw it I knew I wanted to listen to it asap. I started listening to it today and am really enjoying it.

The Everything Store by Brad Stone

I can’t remember buying this book but it’s been on my TBR for ages. I started reading it last night and I think it could be a really interesting read.

    Are you joining in with #NonfictionNovember2017? If you are I’d love to know what you plan on reading for this challenge.

My (rather ambitious!) TBR for #NonFictionNovember2017 I've decided, at the last minute, to take part in #NonFictionNovember! I have a lot of non-fiction on my TBR so it seems like a good time to read more of it.

[charliechanaratsopon-blog]

How 'Charming Charlie' Built A Hit Fashion Chain In Under A Decade

Charlie Chanaratsopon is a young man in a very great hurry. "I hate downtime!" exclaims the 35-year-old Thai-American, chopping the air for emphasis. With his slicked-back hair and sleeves rolled up to the elbows, he's always ready to get down to business--even as he weaves frantically in and out of Houston traffic in his black Mercedes S550, eager to show a visitor one of his stores. "I'd probably be the worst lawyer, worst doctor, worst engineer on the planet because of my ADD-ness," says Chanaratsopon (cha-na-ROT-suh-pon).

No examples of botched cases, mangled surgeries or shoddy construction in his world. But there's an element of reckless endangerment in Chanaratsopon's rush to build a retail chain of accessories. In less than a decade the young founder and CEO of Charming Charlie has built a $400 million-plus (sales) mini-empire of watches, necklaces, scarves and handbags--284 stores in 40 states that FORBES values at $1 billion-plus. With an estimated net worth of $500 million he's careening toward billionaire status before his 40th birthday.

Since launching his first store in Houston nine years ago, Chanaratsopon hasn't slowed down a whit. He's now opening five stores a month, mimicking the model of fast-fashion giants Zara  and H&M by selling attractive but cheaper versions of trendy items, sourced from Asia. Examples: $15 scarves, $9 sunglasses and $7 to $15 iPhone cases. Customers spend, on average, $30.

Is he making money? Chanaratsopon insists that all but one of his existing locations is profitable. The company's Ebitda is an estimated 15% or so--better than most apparel chains but far below luxury retailers like Coach COH -1.76% and Michael Kors. Chanaratsopon refuses to comment on a key index--same-store sales growth--though it's probably safe to peg it at 10% (Francesca's, a clothing and accessories boutique with 360 outlets, does 10% to 15%). One former Charming Charlie buyer claims on her LinkedIn LNKD +% page that her division, apparel and accessories, expanded 26% across same stores in 2012.

Charlie Chanaratsopon says he's in a race to capitalize on a burgeoning trend. Accessories are a $9.2-billion-a-year business in the U.S. and expanding swiftly. As a category, paired with beauty and footwear retailers, it grew six times as fast as other mall-based apparel stores from 2007 to 2012, reports Credit Suisse. "We've spent years brute-forcing things across the finish line," says Chanaratsopon.

His drive runs deeper than business, supercharged as it is by a familiar immigrant success story. His maternal grandfather worked at a gas station in Houston to put his two daughters through college. As the first generation born in the U.S., Chanaratsopon always felt the heat to keep pushing. Perhaps a frightening childhood episode played a part, too. Burglars broke into his house at 2 a.m., tied up his family and forced his father to give up all their valuables. "They put me on the floor and started kicking me," he recalls. "They took the revolver out, shoved it in my throat, clicked it back. I'm 13, and all I remember thinking is, 'Well, I think I had a great 13 years.' "

His parents, who immigrated in 1974, had founded Silver Express, a sterling silver jewelry outfit that sourced production from Thailand and sold on consignment to the likes of J.C. Penney, Nordstrom JWN -3.11%, Target TGT -1.46% and Wal-Mart. Chanaratsopon grew up with the business, watching his parents work 18-hour days, overhearing dinner-table discussions of employee issues and traveling with them on sales calls and sourcing visits.

Some of that business education surely stuck, since Chanaratsopon ended up in the elementary school principal's office after charging first-grade classmates $1 a day to rent his Nintendo games. Profits fueled more game purchases and, hence, more rentals. Today, he says, "I'm still buying and selling--that's what I love."

There were detours. After graduating from Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles with a degree in finance, he became a real estate analyst at Sanwa Bank, then came back to Houston to help his dad find a new headquarters, persuading him to build rather than lease. Chanaratsopon supervised construction of an office building as well as an adjacent strip mall, which he quickly filled with tenants. That venture was so successful he started financing construction of other shopping centers in Houston's suburbs, building seven in two and a half years. "It wasn't being smart, it was kind of luck at the time," he muses. "The real estate market was so hot, and they were valuing it so high, whatever you built you could make so much refinancing and selling it."

But Chanaratsopon couldn't sit still. He dreamed of building 100 such malls and making more money by owning the store that anchored them all. But what kind? Apparel had too many players. Harwin Avenue, Houston's stretch of discount stores offering cheap imports in warehouse settings, offered inspiration. With leftover consignment returns from Silver Express as the merchandising backbone, the first Charming Charlie opened in October 2004.

It nearly died after the first month of desultory traffic. On a whim Chanaratsopon decided not to pull the plug and re-lease the space but to stay open another couple of weeks. Thanks to dumb luck, or a direct-mail drop, women started queuing up outside the doors before Charming Charlie opened each morning. "It became the 'in' place for suburban moms' day out," recalls COO Steve Lovell, who joined the company after the third store. "Word spread like crazy. My wife heard about it from her friend before it ever opened near us."

Chanaratsopon didn't need much encouragement to start fast-tracking. "Own the store, own the complex--that was the idea," he says. "That kind of turned when I realized you couldn't physically build 100 shopping centers in six years. The stores were getting so much traction. It was a better business--a faster business." Each cost, on average, $750,000 to open.

So he appended a grandiose plan to his business school application to Columbia in late 2005. Over the next two years he flew back and forth most weeks between New York City and Houston, where he not only wrote checks but also hung display racks and swept floors at new locations. Monday mornings he was back in Morningside Heights, soliciting advice from professors and speakers.

Slapping "the go button even faster" after he returned to Houston full-time in 2007, Chanaratsopon raised an undisclosed amount from private equity firm Hancock Park Associates, to double the store count from 7 to 14. (He and Hancock today control 95% of the company.) As the economy crumbled, Chanaratsopon squeezed desperate shopping mall operators for the best terms. "Landlords were freaking out," he recalls. Charming Charlie more than doubled in size to 36 units in 2010, jumping to 96 in 2011. Its cheaper wares hit the mood of the times, offering what Hancock Park managing partner Mike Fourticq calls "the perfect shopping experience for a hurting economy."

But as the economy mends and the chain grows, Chanaratsopon pegs his overall performance at six out of ten. As he walks into store number five, it's obviously in need of a face-lift. He shudders at the warehouse-style fluorescent lights, beige slat wall and water-stained ceiling panels--all part of a discount store vibe that "drives me nuts." As the company fanned out across the country, it replaced those features with higher-quality fixtures but still organized merchandise according to color instead of type (walk out of teal and into orange).

The newer stores are smaller--averaging 5,300 square feet instead of 8,000--and assert more fashion confidence, leaving little to a wandering imagination. Push on the hot-pink doors and walk into walls of bold navy and white stripes and blaring pop music. The floor is packed with mannequins and flat-panel TVs to demonstrate hot looks using different Charming Charlie products. New trend tables show off the latest bubble necklaces and sand-blasted bracelets; cubby walls hawk higher-margin handbags.

One slight problem: The redesign isn't making the stores more lucrative. Average sales are slightly lower than they are at the company's traditional stores, though costs per square foot are up 25%. So why do it? Customer surveys suggest that store experience has dislodged low prices as the chief reason for shopping there. Put another way, Chanaratsopon is trying to develop Charming Charlie into a brand--one he hopes to export to the Middle East and South America (as well as to New York City's Fifth Avenue next year). "Where I think we have an opportunity is 5,000 stores globally," he blurts without hesitation.

You want to tell him to chill. "A few stores in Canada are a whole lot easier than in Europe and Asia," says Laura Champine, retail analyst at Canaccord Genuity, the New York investment bank. "There's still plenty of runway in the U.S."

Charlie Chanaratsopon might also put more horsepower behind his e-commerce efforts. The first attempt, two years ago, was a painfully expensive mistake he refuses to quantify. "We didn't really focus on it, didn't complete the thought," he says. Take two, launched in October, is a clean if unexciting website that isn't yet mining a potentially rich vein of customer data.

If there are speed traps ahead, Chanaratsopon seems determined to ignore them. Says Bill Moreland, the new vice president of real estate, "It's 100 miles per hour all the time around here."

Original posted... https://www.forbes.com/sites/briansolomon/2013/11/27/speed-demon-how-charming-charlie-chanaratsopon-built-a-billion-dollar-fashion-chain-in-under-a-decade/#1b625ce62dc3