Paper and Kindle

Well, since my last post, I have finished another three books, three of which are on Kindle. The one I was reading The Postmistress. Quite a coincidence as it was also set in the Second World War, but this time from an adult perspective. It was very moving and described the dilemmas that people faced in England and America during the war. The main characters were a female, American radio reporter, based in London, and a postmistress and a newly-wed woman, living America, the latter whose husband had gone to London to do his bit in the war. It was a really interesting story, sharing insights into how people survived while their loved ones were in another country. Part of the story involves the radio reporter following Jews across Europe. It was incredibly sad, but also made their stories so alive. It was very thought-provoking and does make you appreciate what people went through.

On a lighter note, I searched the Kindle store for my favourite authors. Not many of them are there. Still missing JK Rowling, Fannie Flagg, Elinor Lipman, and Alice Hoffman, but some of them are there, like Agatha Christie, Laurie Graham, Adriana Trigiani, Stephenie Meyer, and Debbie Macomber. So I downloaded Viola In Reel Life by Adriana Trigiani, and Perfect Meringues by Laurie Graham. Viola in Reel Life was about an American teenage girl, very skilled in making films, who is sent to boarding school for a year, while her parents are filming a documentary in Afghanistan. It is quite light and fun, and very easy to read. This is very different to the author's other books, but it is very enjoyable for all ages. I am not sure if it is aimed at teenagers, but it was good, particularly the bits where she describes how to make films. Perfect Meringues, if I am honest, is not my favourite book of Laurie Graham's, but it was perfectly readable and enjoyable. It is a about the life crises suffered by morning TV chef. I would say it is a good holiday read, with laughter and tears, particularly around all the characters on the morning TV show, and all the diva tantrums.

Book binge!

I can't believe that it has taken me so long to update this blog, but I guess, there have been holidays and of course loads of work. I had a bit of a Chalet School fest, reading about four books which I bought from eBay, a good source for books that are no longer in print.

I also bought The Third Angel which is just such a beautiful, but tragic love story. Alice Hoffman writes about such sad events, but with such beauty and gentleness. She also tackles the death of a lover which such dignity. It was so moving, but this wasn't the entire focus of the book. This story links a variety of characters over a period of about fifty years, focused around the events in a hotel and two sisters. I just loved it.

And now, I am reading The Glass Painter's Daughter which I am really enjoying. I would love to do a stained glass workshop now. I am learning so much about glass and also choirs, and it is a wonderful story with a mystery based on a historical journal. I am struggling to put it down. But alas, responsibilities beckon...

Amazing imagination!

Kazuo Ishiguro amazes me. His books are so different and so convincing. He must be so intelligent to have gathered such a wealth of experience and knowledge. I have just finished Never Let Me Go. It is a strange topic, which I won't divulge because you really wouldn't guess from the description on the back cover and I wouldn't want to ruin the plot. In honesty, the subject material did make me uncomfortable, but in a good way, because it made me question man's current behaviour. It was so believable, and the characters were endearing. I am just full of awe that someone can come up with a story like this. It is just so different to Remains of the Day, which was equally brilliant. I have read three of his books so far, set in different eras, and about people's lives. Really enjoyable.

Not sequels, but same author...

Well, I thought I would give the author of The Jane Austen Book Club another shot, so I read The Sweetheart Season. This one took me a while to get into, I have to admit. I got a little confused because of the flashbacks, but by the end I was completely gripped again. Interesting characters, complicated relationships, but well written, and set in the post-second world war period, it is about an all-female baseball team.

I have also just finished My Latest Grievance, by my new favourite author, Elinor Lipman. Slighly uncomfortable at times, but brilliantly written. She tackles some unbelievable issues with humour, compassion, and excellent plots. I loved this one.

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.