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?

Espionage and mystery!

Well, I finished Elizabeth Edmondson's Voyage of Innocence. I thought it had been written earlier than the others, because it was a slightly harsher style. It was very good, but slightly dark in places as some of the main male characters seemed to struggle with the battle of their sexuality versus their position and status. The story was about a group of students at Oxford who were discovering themselves and dabbling in politics without understanding the whole context, ending in often tragic consequences. The story described the inequities between rich and poor, and the confusion that arose in these youngsters, following them in the events leading up to World War II and ending with a boat journey to India. The story covers mystery, espionage, religion, and romance, and ends surprisingly.

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.

Latest Laurie Graham

Well, not really the latest, but the latest one that I have read. Gone with the Windsors is about the rise of Wallis Simpson and her eventual relationship with the King of England. It was very entertaining, although I did feel a little uncomfortable at times with what seems like a very calculated and manipulated relationship. The descriptions of the lives of the wealthy in those times sounded so frivolous, but the book contained some very interesting debates about the politics of that time. Laurie Graham's books all sound very factual, but there is never a bibliography included. I would like to know how much of her books are based on fact.