Current state of play...

Just finished The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd. I was a huge fan of her first book, The Secret Life of Bees and was delighted to find this book in a second-hand bookstore. She writes beautifully, although being religious, it did raise some confusing feelings. However, the end was good and as it should be, and I finished reading with no unease. It is a story about saints, legends, and relationships, and it is set on a mythical island off South Caroline. It was very thought-provoking and a wonderful tale.

Ballet Shoes

I have just finished Ballet Shoes and am beginning to pick up on a pattern. This is the second of Noel Streatfeild's books that I have read, and both have involved 3 children, whose circumstances have changed so that they need to help support the people who are caring for them. I like the way the author seems to identify two of the children as high achievers, with one person being a "plain jane" or "plain john", the latter child coming to the rescue of his/her siblings. They are good books as they are very descriptive of the characters and their surroundings, and make you realise that anything is possible if you are prepared to work for it.