Holiday selection of love and war, mystery and friendship

Rachel Hore’s books make great holiday reads, and this one is no exception, although it did go deeper than the other stories she has told in the past, and I did find that a bit difficult at times. It actually reminded me a little of Rosamund Pilcher’s “Coming Home. Anyway, “A Gathering Storm” starts off in Cornwall, where a young woman, whose father has recently passed away, is trying to work out why he spent much of his life in sadness. She has found out that his past was briefly linked to Cornwall and in particular, to a famous manor house, and she visits a museum nearby to find out more. The curator introduces her to an elderly lady, who over the week’s stay, she manages to unravel the mystery. It is a very complicated story and it moved me greatly because of the very well-told Second World War scenes. The way she explained what happened to people during WWII really made it clear to me. I could really feel what they went through, what they experienced, and it was very difficult to read at times. I imagined how I would have coped, and I am just full of admiration at how they never lost hope and always kept their pride. There is part of the story, which I have to say, I could not understand. It just did not make sense to me, the choices that the older lady made. But while the character is fictional it is based on real-life figures, and therefore those choices were made, which is sad, but you also cannot deny the courage of these women. Although it wasn’t perfect – there were some loose ends that I would have liked to have seen tidied up -it was a very thought-provoking read, though harrowing in place. The descriptions of Cornwall, however, were fabulous.

So, my second holiday read was The Listerdale Mystery, a collection of short stories by Agatha Christie, and once again she surpassed herself. So many twists and turns, pleasant endings, scary outcomes. The first and second stories were such contrasts and lulled me into a complete sense of security. The first was a lovely tale, very romantic, although with an element of mystery. The second was quite terrifying, and I noticed this tale and most of the others had very strong female characters.  These short stories, none involving Miss Marple or Monsieur Poirot, chopped and changed between adventure, fear, excitement, romance. It was a lovely collection of characters and stories. One aspect I must check is the story that has a character called James Bond...which came first, Ian Fleming’s or Agatha Christie’s – these tales were originally published in 1934 - another mystery to be unveiled.

Thank goodness I had my Kindle, because with my two holiday books finished, and the sun shining outside, I needed more reading. I really enjoyed Lucy Diamond's The Beach Cafe, so I decided to read Sweet Temptation next. I have to admit, at first I didn't like it. It starts off about overweight people, and I am sorry to say that I wasn't sympathetic. I just wanted them to have some will-power. However, as I got to know the characters, I really felt for them and was rooting them. The book is called Sweet Temptation, but I think "Fat-busting and Friendship" would have been a better title. It is a great self-help book, really empowering. I am not overweight, although there is room for improvement, and I found this book really inspiring, providing ideas for losing weight. It also covered the issue of domestic violence and in places it was quite disturbing. It was a very pleasant surprise, and I would really recommend it, both as a romantic read and a motivator for losing weight.

Secrets and adventure!

I have just finished another children's book, The Secret Passage, by Nina Bawden. An adventure about three children who are sent to live with their seemingly grumpy aunt. There are lovely descriptions about the adventures they have and their surroundings. The people that they meet all really believable, and the author displays such sensitivity about their characters. I am looking forward to reading more of her books.

Gosh! How time flies!

I hadn't realised how long it was since my last post. My life has been a little complicated and work has been hard, but good, but my brain has needed some easier reading. And reading is exactly what I have been doing lots of to relax and escape. As previously, I have reverted back to childhood and read some recognisable titles, with a grown-up viewpoint. The Enid Blyton Omnibus is an old favourite - good vs bad, right vs wrong - no hazy areas, everything clear. If you are nice, you get a reward from the fairies; if you are bad, then the goblins will get you!

I was delighted to find two Chalet School books by Elinor M Brent-Dyer, in one of my local charity shops recently. They are such a pleasure to read. The perfect grammer, and beautiful descriptions of the characters and the scenery. I would have loved to have been a pupil there. I love the use of different languages to make you feel that you are experiencing the different cultures attending the school. I have just read Jo of the Chalet School and am looking forward to the next one. I am also going to keep a close eye out in the charity shops to find some more. I know I can get them on eBay, but there is something special about finding them by accident!

I then went onto some classics. First of all, I read Anne of Green Gables, by LM Montgomery, which is such a great story about an orphan moving to Prince Edward Island, who has such a wonderful imagination and keeps everyone in her village entertained, including the family she lives with, who were originally expecting a boy to help them on the farm. I then read A Little Princess, which is just lovely, and similar as it is about a little girl who users her imagination to conjure up the most exciting stories. I love the scenes with the Indian friend and his monkey, and the magic they created. After that, I read The Painted Garden by Noel Streatfeild, which was accidently most appropriate because one area of this story was about a little girl acting in the film of A Little Princess, so I could re-visit the book I had read earlier. I did enjoy this book although sometimes the children quarrelling was a little too realistic!

Another book I got from the charity store is Jumping To Conclusions by Christine Jones, a story about a woman who moves into a little village to open a bookshop. This is my dream! Anyway, it is an easy read, describing the horse-racing industry and rural life. Very much a good holiday read!

I have been taking advantage of 3 for the price of 2 offers, and have recently read By The Shore by Galaxy Craze, which is a story about a 12 year old girl living with her mother and brother in a guesthouse by the sea. The story is told from the girl's point-of-view and it is just a really good tale. The second book out of this collection was The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson, which is the story about a woman who finds the body of her neighbour's daughter floating in her swimming pool. The story looks at her complex relationships, with her own daughter, her husband, her family, in particular her sister, drawing on past history, and watches her work out what has happened to this girl in her pool. It is very entertaining, sad in places, but keeps you turning the pages until the end. The last one in this collection is Gifted by Nikita Lalwani, about a girl, born in England to Indian parents, who at the age of 5 is discovered to be a maths prodigy. From that discovery, her life changes as her father becomes obsessed with her fulfilling this prophecy that she is a maths phenomenon. The story looks at the differences between East and West, and the expectations of Asian females in England. It is a very human story, because you can feel that the father just wants the best for his daughter and is supporting her as best he can. But you can also sympathise with her, because as she grows into a teenager, she has different desires, and inevitably clashes occur.

So, I have been reading, and enjoying all my books, I am currently reading The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler, so I am going to log off for now, and get back to finishing that one.

Potter replacement

Well, having finished all the Harry Potter stories, I decided to try the Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman. I didn't really like The Northern Lights. It was so dark and I really didn't like Mrs Coulter, so much so that I didn't see the film. However, I thought there must be something to it, and I was curious to see what would happen to the characters. So, I went to buy the Subtle Knife and the lady in the shop said that I really should buy the Amber Spyglass because once I had finished the Subtle Knife I would just want to carry on. And, she was so right! I did, and it was superb. So after that, I needed another replacement, so I decided to try Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones, about two children who have been orphaned. One of them is a witch, but rather arrogant and spoilt. I haven't finished this one yet, but I am three-quarters of the way through and I am really enjoying it. One book I have just finished, which was fantastic, was The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It is so wonderfully written, and completely unexpected. It is narrated by death and tells the story of a girl living in Germany during the Second World War. It is entertaining, but also incredibly moving. Not sure what I will read next. Recommendations gratefully received!

Summer spent reading

Yet again, time has flown past. Work and holidays has interfered with my reading, but I have managed to find some gems as well as some favourites. Obviously, I read the final instalment of Harry Potter - the Deathly Hallows, and JK Rowling really could not have created a better ending. It was perfect, and I shall enjoy re-reading it in due course.

I have just finished reading The Friday Night Knitting Club and it was wonderful, only the second book to make me cry (the first being Shadowlands - the true story of C.S. Lewis and Joy Davidman). The whole book describes the lives of a group of women who attend a knitting club, which was set up quite spontaneously, and is not just focused on knitting, I might hasten to add. There are wonderful tips for people who are actually interested in knitting, but the majority of the book is about the differences between the women, but how they all complement each other. It is fun, serious, happy and sad, and completely brilliant. You can read more about it on their web-site. I cannot wait for Kate Jacob's next book.

At the moment, I am reading Jeffrey Archer's Cat O' Nine Tales, which are stories of some of the people he met while at Her Majesty's pleasure. I have read and enjoyed all his short stories, and from his novels, I have read Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less, A Matter Of Honour, and his most recent on A False Impression, and I have enjoyed the twists in all.

I also read over the Summer, Probable Future, by Alice Hoffman, and Digging to America by Anne Tyler. They definitely continue to be on my favourites list!

Finally, I read The Other Side of the Bridge, by Mary Lawson, which was about the turbulent relationship of two brothers in rural America. This was such a well-written story. I really felt all the conflicts and struggles, and I felt the love that was given throughout. It is a tremendous story with really strong characters. Crow Lake was written by the same author, and I found that story equally gripping. She is another wonderful storyteller to add to my collection.

So now you can see why I struggle to find time to blog. Until next time....