Musical tales

Kazuo Ishiguro's latest book, Nocturnes has left me thinking, which isn't a bad thing. It is made up of five short stories, all following a musical theme, and although the tales were involved, and the characters were realistic, the endings were left for the reader to imagine. I suppose this is a clever way of writing and involves your reader, but sometimes, you just want to know what the author wants to happen. Anyway, I might try reading it again and find what I am missing.

Shoes and Italians

I do like books by Adriana Trigiani. Her latest, Very Valentine, is about a girl working in the family business making exquisite hand made shoes. The company was set up by her grandfather and the book describes traditional methods and traditions. Of course, there is romance, with a chef and the descriptions of his recipes are just sumptuous and had my mouth watering! As with all her stories, it is loosely based on her Italian family, and there is a wonderful visit back to Italy, which Valentine takes with her grandmother. It is such an enjoyable story, and I am really looking forward to the sequel. As usual, the author slips in recipes, which I think make the books that extra bit special, because you can bring the story to life in your kitchen. If you like, food, shoes, Italy, romance, drama, then this is the book for you.