Perfect for Halloween

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah E. Harkness, an American historian, has been described as "Twilight for grown ups", and that is quite an apt description, although I would also say that there are similarities to the Harry Potter series too. I am a fan of all of them, and I did really enjoy reading this book, although I hadn't realised that it is the first in a trilogy, and I now have to wait until next June for the next installment! The story starts off in Oxford, and there are wonderful descriptions of the Bodleian Library. It focuses around a reluctant witch who is studying alchemy, and is desperately trying to avoid using her magic. However, she retrieves a book from the stacks, which is desired by daemons, vampires, and witches, and there the adventure begins. She gains a mysterious vampire protector, and as her magic struggles to reveal itself, other creatures come out of the woodwork. The story bounces from Oxford to France, from where the mysterious vampire hails, to America, where Diana, the witch comes from and where her Aunt and partner live in a wonderful house which has a personality of its own. This is a great story, really well told, and nicely researched. I think it is more of a cross between Twilight and Labyrinth, taking the illicit romance between creatures from other worlds, and linking it with the history of old France. There is a lot to enjoy in this story, and while I am disappointed that I have to wait for the next book, I am also glad that the author didn't try to cram all the adventure into the one book.

Frustrated reading

I have just finished two books. I had started one and was near the end when I started the other one because I was going away for a long weekend. Anyway, I am frustrated with both. I did enjoy them, but there were issues.

Laura's Handmade Life, by Amanda Addison had such potential. It was about a married woman with two children who had to move from London to Norfolk because her husband's company had moved there. She had a part-time job teaching art and design in a local college, but she was not happy. She actually had no reason to be unhappy, but all she did was moan in the first part of the book, and embark on some dodgy flirting with an old boyfriend. The good bits of the book were when she joined a sewing class and learned how to sew, and made things out of old fabrics. She had loads of wonderful ideas, and I can't help wondering if that was what the author wanted to do, just write about the things she makes and the sewing class she belongs to. That would have been great. She created a marvellous character called Hannelore, who had escaped from East Germany in the most creative way, the description of which was crammed into a letter at the end of the book, and it would have been wonderful to hear more about her life. But the author focused on a non-existent affair, possibly to make it a summer romance. Actually it would have been nice if she just talked to her husband, who seemed really nice. Anyway, I did finish the book, and there was lots that I really enjoyed, and at the back of the book she has patterns to make things, and also a list of further sources of information.

So, onto the second frustrating book. I really love the Twilight saga, and I really like Carol Goodman's books, so when I saw that her new book was for fans of Twilight and True Blood, I jumped at it. I haven't read the True Blood series, so I don't know what they are about, but I like Twilight because it is romantic, and is more about feelings other than lust. So, I got a bit of a shock when I read Incubus, and maybe I should have researched what an incubus is. Anyway, the book is very erotic, and I think a bit too much. It was odd, because it felt as though it was written by two people. It was an interesting story, about a young woman accepting a job as a professor in a college specialising in folklore in a remote town. I did like all the descriptions of brownies, fairies, and witches, and the college sounded gorgeous and very interesting, but there was a lot of distraction in the form of her relationships. She did seem quite fickle. Anyway, I think that I will take care when looking at the publisher's blurb on the covers. Quite often, I have noticed that they are referring to a previous book written by the author, which might be quite different, and with this Incubus, well, the only thing to compare it to Twilight are that there are three vampires who play only a minor role in the story, so the publisher description was misleading. Also, while I would read Twilight over and over again, I think, with Incubus, once was more than enough, and it certainly won't be one I share with my young relatives.

The Prince of Mist

I have long been a fan of Carlos Ruiz Zafón, and, by the way, he has a great website. Anyway, his latest offering is actually the first book he wrote. In his earlier days, before Shadow of the Wind and The Angel's Game, he wrote a set of four books for young adults. The Prince of Mist is the first one to be published and it is brilliant. Really quite scary, but as usual, beautifully described, with wonderful characters and gorgeous scene descriptions. The mystery is so imaginatively written and quite powerful. I read it in less than two days and I would have finished it in one, but I wanted to sleep last night. It is a horror story, but in a Philip Pullman Dark Materials kind of way. It is a book that suits young adults and above, a delight to read, providing excitement, terror, and adventure combined with rich characters and beautiful beach scenes. I can't wait for the next three to be published.

Hope springing from ashes

I thought I had read all of Alice Hoffman's books, but I haven't. I found The Green Angel, a sad, but also beautiful tale, and quite poignant at this time where a number of natural disasters have recently occurred. This story tells the story of a girl who has lost her entire family to a disaster. It is so tragic, but tells of kindness and hope. It is a lovely, inspiring story, and very magical. There are lovely descriptions of asparagus soup and chestnut bread, and I love Ghost the greyhound. There was quite a lot of sadness in the first half of the book, but understandably so, and just like the perfect fairytale, as the girl is kindly in her activities, she is rewarded and her life begins to turn around. Life will never be the same, but her despair disappears.

It's been a while!

Although I haven't blogged, I have been reading, some repeats - Twilight and Chalet School. But I have also been downloading to my Kindle and the latest book I have read is The Girl Who Chased The Moon by Sarah Addison Allen (or Addison Lee as I keep on referring to her). It is a gorgeous book as all of hers are. They remind me of Alice Hoffman, but they are gentler, but still so magical. And this one was no different. It is a beautiful story of love and acceptance and focuses around Emily, a young adult whose mother has recently died. She has to move back to the town where her mother comes from to live with her grandfather who is over 7ft tall. The story describes how she fits in and how she learns more about her mother than she ever knew. There is so much more to this story, but I don't want to give it away, but it is a nice read, with lovely descriptions, and magical cakes that have the power to bring people back.

More Sarah Addison Allen

After reading Garden Spells, I went straight to Waterstones to buy the next one The Sugar Queen. The lady in the shop said that she preferred Garden Spells, but that it was still a good read. I was a bit worried, but took the risk and was pleasantly surprised. It was slightly different, and I can't say how, because it would spoil the story. But again, the book had strong female characters, complicated romances, and a touch of magic, in the form of a fairy-godmother-type character. It is a lovely Summer holiday read.

Floral magic

I have just finished Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen, and it was just lovely. Actually, lovely is probably the wrong word as the are some sad/difficult moments focusing on domestic abuse, but the majority of the story is about the magical powers of flowers and how they can be used in cooking to manipulate emotions. You can find the recipes on the author's website - just click on books and choose a title, and there you will find the recipes. Back to the book, I love the sound of the garden, with the mischevious, magical apple tree. The style reminds me of Alice Hoffman, but gentler. All the women have strong characters and they are all so engaging, and not just the women, but the five-year old daughter of one of the women too. I have The Sugar Queen waiting in the wings, while I read The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

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.

Too many books to remember!

Well, this is going to be a long post, because all I have done this Summer is read, walk, take photos, and embroider patterns. I have had a lovely time after devising a timetable to improve my work-life balance.

Now, I thought I had blogged about the House of Riverton, a book by Kate Morton, that I read before The Forgotten Garden. They are similar styles, flitting between eras, 1920s and the 1990s, tracing the history of a house and the characters that live inside. Absolutely, lovely story, with colourful characters, mystery, and love.

I had five books for my Summer reading, and only one failed. Unfortunately, the sequel to the Friday Night Knitting Club, Knit Two, by Kate Jacobs, was a disappointment, to the extent that I have disposed of it. I loved the first one and also Comfort Food, but this one just did not engage me. I didn't feel anything for the characters and it just felt rushed. Such a shame!

So, after that one, I read the American Wife, by Curtis Sittenfeld. I had read Prep and thoroughly enjoyed it, but when I read the back cover of this one, it just seemed completely different. Prep was about teenagers and based in a school, where as this is loosely based on the life of Laura Bush. It is a really interesting read, a love story about a couple who cope with life's ups and downs, and support each other right the way to the top! At the start of the book, you really cannot imagine how they might get there. Again, great characters, and a really interesting story about America, and the political system there.

Next I read, The Lost Book of Salem (known as The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, as of April 2010) by Katherine Howe. I thought it would be in the style of Da Vinci Code, eg a typical holiday read, but it was better. It was full of facts about the witch trials in Salem, with links to further information, and there was lots of reference to herbalism, which I found interesting. This book also travelled between time periods, and it was clever the way the author changed the dialects.

Finally, I read The Villa in Italy, by Elizabeth Edmondson, which was fabulous. It is about a group of four strangers who are sent to a beautiful villa in Italy as recipients of a will belonging to someone none of them seem to know. The story unravels as they face their demons, and learn more about themselves, and each other, aswell as the gorgeous location where they are staying. I really enjoyed this book. Such interesting characters, with unexpected sides to them. I am looking forward to reading more of this author.

In between books, I rediscovered a childhood favourite of mine, which unfortunately is no longer available in print - Little Grey Rabbit's Storybook by Alison Uttley. It is such a magical storybook. I love the pictures by Margaret Tempest, and the simplicity of the stories.

So that's it for now...time for another trip to the book shop. Although, with my new timetable, I am trying to do some writing of my own, although a non-fiction book, rather than fiction. I just don't have the imagination as these authors do.

Author websites

Many authors are setting up their own websites now, to support their publications. They often have guidance for authors, book clubs, and additional resources, such as recipes, and information about the history of where the stories are set. These are some of my favourite websites:

• Fannie Flagg
• Kate Mosse - Labyrinth
• Kate Mosse
• JK Rowling
• Adriana Trigiani

I am sure there are many other great author websites. Please let me know of any.

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....

Pottermania!

Lots going on, and although time to read, no time to blog. I am currently re-reading old favourites, which includes the Harry Potter series. When they first came out, I just could not get into them, but about a year and a half ago, I started reading them, and couldn't stop. My least favourite is the Order of the Phoenix, not because it is a bad book, but because I find Professor Umbridge really disturbing, but then I am a bit of a scaredy cat! I really enjoyed the Half Blood Prince, but I think my favourite is the Goblet of Fire. JK Rowling has a great website, really well-designed.

On a sadder note, I read Alice Hoffman's book "At Risk" a story, written in the 1980's about an eleven year old girl who contracts AIDS after receiving a contaminated blood transfusion. It is so moving, and describes the stigma associated with AIDS.