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.

My final 3 for 2

So, here it is, my final three for two. I have already talked about Laura's Handmade Life in a previous post, although despite my criticism, it did inspire me to buy myself a little sewing machine, and I have so far made about six lavender bags and two little jewellery bags. My sewing machine is fuschia pink and from John Lewis, and it is really great. Anyway, enough plugging for JL...my Mum works there, so I have an excuse. So my last two, bargain books were completely different. Both were authors that I had read before, so I was familar with their style. My favourite out of the two was The Summer of the Bear by Bella Pollen. I really like her style and this was a wonderful story, quite complicated, but really good. There is a mystery throughout, and the story is about  diplomat's family, who following a tragedy, uproot themselves from a city in Germany to a remote Scottish island. The story tells how each of them copes with what has happened and how it all works out, especially when the mystery is solved. It is a beautiful book, full of sadness, love, both old and new, and hope, and young people discovering themselves. It is well worth a read, completely magical.

The second book I read was The Man of My Dreams by Curtis Sittenfeld. I have read the author's other books, Prep and American Wife, both of which are so different, they could have been written by different people. This book was written after Prep, and they are quite similar, in that they focus on youth and growing up. The Man of My Dreams focuses on the life of a girl who together with her Mum and sister has faced domestic abuse, with her father throwing them out of their house after years of bullying. This treatment clearly has an effect on her future relationships with men, and the book takes us through her life, the highs and lows, and how she finally comes to reconcile herself with her life. It was good, just a bit heavy in places, and sometimes you just want to give her a shake and say, "Why are you like this?" but of course she has her reasons. So, that is the end of my 3 for 2...how will I discover new authors now? Suggestions please?