Massive catch-up

I can't believe I have left it so long since my last post! I have been reading, but where to start!

Well, I started reading PG Wodehouse and greatly enjoyed The Inimitable Jeeves. Just brilliant. So entertaining, and full of mischief. The characters and the dialogue are really easy to read and very relaxing. It was a lovely holiday read.

I started reading Skipping Christmas by John Grisham and was so disappointed that I couldn't finish it. It was supposed to be funny, so maybe I just have a different sense of humour. Anyway, I got quite far, but it just seemed to get more miserable and just didn't have the spirit of Christmas.

While I was at my Mum's I picked up an old book that I used to read. Michelle Magorian has written many children's books, including Goodnight Mister Tom, one of my favourites. The book I read over Christmas was called Back Home, and it was about a young teenager, who five years previously had been sent to America as an evacuee during World War II. She comes back from a country without rations, with colour and promise, to a country that is still facing devastation, struggling with rations, with everyone and everything in dull, grey colours. She also finds that her mother has changed. She struggles to adapt, particularly as she has such a strong, American accent. It is a really brilliant insight into the adjustments, Rusty, her mother, and eventually her father, when he returns from the war, have to make. It is a story of bravery, friendship, and tolerance, and it is really good. It is also very believable and I highly recommend it. The descriptions of her life in New England compared to her life in Devon and then London were really interesting. The ending is just right.

As I enjoyed that one so much, I decided to read another one of her books and downloaded Just Henry onto my Kindle. It was fantastic. I could not put it down. Again, it was set during World War II, and again it was focused around the views of the child growing up at the time. The story covered difficult stories including illegitimacy, bigamy, physical child abuse, but emphasised that no matter what the sins of the father were, the children should be treated as people in their own right. All the children were given hope and were encouraged to follow their dreams. It was fantastic and inspirational, and also very interesting as it focused around historical cinematography and photography, so from that aspect alone, it was an amazing book. It was quite a hard book to read as some of the issues were quite traumatic, but it was so well done, and again, I just couldn't put it down. I will definitely look out for more books by Michelle Magorian.

So, that's it for now. I am reading something else, but I will save it for another blog.

Too early for Christmas?

I have two books to talk about today and both very different. Juliet, by Anne Fortier, is a re-telling of Romeo and Juliet, set in the original time and modern day, and not in Verona, but in Sienna.The two stories are linked, the old and the new, and there is a mystery to unfold and a curse to overturn. I particularly loved the historical side of this story, and the modern day bit was good, but perhaps a bit to clever. I can see it making a very successful blockbuster novel, in the style of Da Vinci Code, but personally I think if it had been less complicated, it would have made a better read. Happy to discuss though. It is ideal for a holiday read, and the historical data is really interesting and well told.

The second book is the first of two Christmas books I bought. Falling for Christmas is written by Debbie Macomber and contains two books. Both follow the Christmas theme, and they are very sentimental and romantic and have completely happy endings. There is nothing offensive, a bit of sadness, but all the loose ends get tied up in a magical, simple way. They also contain lovely recipes. I really like the sound of the fried chicken, but I don't know if I have the patience to make it.....it takes hours! Anyway, these are lovely, feel-good stories, and they really get you in the mood for Christmas. And, yes, apologies, for starting so early. I just couldn't resist them. And, what's worse, is the next book I am about to read is also about Christmas. Sorry :-) Please note: the link for this book links to a book of the same title, and the first story is the same as the one I read, but the second story (according to the details on Waterstones) is different. I bought mine from the bookshop, so I am not sure what is going on. The second story in my book was about a toyshop, a little boy who wanted a robot, and an angel.

Christmas spirit

I have just finished Last Christmas by Julia Williams, and it was a great read, especially for Christmas. It is set around a small, rural village in Shropshire, called Hope Christmas, and describes the lives of people living in the village or associated with it. There are stories of highs and lows, and real-life issues are dealt with, including mental health, heartbreak, and redundancy. But thanks to a saintly character called Ralph Nicholas, the world is put to rights. It is a lovely story, which makes you feel good inside.

Misleading quotes on book covers!

I have just given up on a book, something I try to avoid. But I just wanted something lighthearted and magical, to get me in the mood for Christmas and this wasn't it. When I saw The Gift by Cecelia Ahern, described as 'A seasonal tale of love and friendship', 'A heavenly gift that speaks to the heart', 'Heart-warming, emotional, funny and filled with unexpected twists', I thought, perfect! I was so wrong. I persevered until page 176 of 305 pages, but I was just getting so irritated with the main character that I just decided I could not read any more. I found the story was so full of anger, betrayal, deceit, sadness, that I was just feeling depressed rather than uplifted. It was very disappointing. It does bother me when the quotes from reviewers on the book covers don't reflect the content of the book. But I guess that is my opinion. Other people might like it. I think, for me, my favourite Christmas book is still A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg. Now that has magic and kindness, and makes me feel good inside.You can read my original review here.

New author alert!

I found this book quite by accident, and it turned out to be a three for the price of two, which was even better, and it was two books in one, so absolute bargain! Anyway, Christmas in Seattle by Debbie Macomber, is not an intellectual book, but it was a lovely read; gentle, romantic, and with fun characters. Both books were entirely predictable, and yet surprising. By that I mean, you knew which couples would become romantically involved, but when it happened, it was perfectly timed, and just made you smile. It was a really easy read, and very pleasant.