The Girl with Glass Feet by Ali Shaw.
This is a lovely bittersweet novel based in an Island community, where myth and legend meets real life. Ida returns in Winter to the island where she met a mysterious man, with a secret of his won. Now she is looking for him to see if he has any answers as to why she is slowly metamorphosing. There are many metamorphic themes running through the book. There is Ida's which is the main one, there is Midas Crook's which Ida encourages.
A beautiful novel about changes and the strength of love.
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe.
Connie Goodwin is clearing out her grandmother's cottage, and come across a name. "Deliverance Dane". This book is about Connie's search in the past for Deliverance Dane,whilst at the same time telling the tale of Deliverance Dane, who was hung as a witch during the Salem Witch Trials. Another good book, although it did annoy me in the first couple of pages due to a lack of consistency. This however soon stopped, and the story just pulled me along.
One thing that did annoy me very much was that this book has also been published under a different title, and I had bought that as well. Changing the title is worse than re-publishing a book with a different cover.
The Parisian's Return by Julia Stagg.
What can I say? Another great book by Julia Stagg. With just the right balance of intrigue, mystery and love.
It opens with one of the residents of Fogas knocking out an intruder with a stale baguette. There is sinister stranger lucking, and dirty deeds being done, that are blamed on someone other than the perpetrator.
Like I said, another great book from Julia Stagg.
Only Human by Tom Holt.
The Supreme Being and his son decide to go on a fishing holiday, leaving the younger son in charge. As they leave the last thing they tell Kevin, is "don't touch" the computer. What Kevin does at the soonest possibility is obvious, but the consequences of his actions are far beyond his imagination. With the life forces of several things, human, animal, machine and what can only be described as decoration changing places the world looks like it is set on a course for chaos.....and the supreme being is out of telephone reach....not that it would help....as all systems seem to be descending into chaos as well. Typical Tom Holt humour throughout, a thoroughly good read. (I've nearly read all his comic novels now, and have the next one on pre-order.)
The Stranger's Child by Alan Hollinghurst.
A young man brings his friend home for the weekend during the summer break from university. Daphne meets and falls in love with the friend. At the time no-one realises the impact the weekend will have on the people there, and how it will echo through time. Relationships grow, break up, etc, and all are dealt with in a delicate way.
It is clear to the reader that the two young men are lovers, but their relationship is only alluded to. The way Hollinghurst deals with the relationships echos the way people became more open about relationships as the century progressed. There is no crudeness, or bluntness that you get in some books.
A beautifully written book.
The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown.
Although I managed to read this book, there is one thing that sticks in my mind above everything else. The book is written in third person narrative, which is common enough. The narrator sometimes changes, which is also common enough. But what I really didn't like and it spoilt the book for me, was the way the narrator would change with no indication of who exactly was narrating...no breaks in text....nothing. I finished it because I don't like to be beaten by a book, but I can't say I enjoyed it.
The Pile of Stuff at the Bottom of the Stairs by Christina Hopkinson.
You'd think Mary Gilmore had it all, two children, a part-time job and a husband she loves, but does she love him enough to put up with all his little quirks. She makes a spreadsheet and keeps a record of everything he does to annoy her, without telling him. I must say that when it became obvious to the reader that he had found the spreadsheet, I did think it served her right. Everything turns out OK in the end though. I don't normally go for this sort of book, it didn't wind me up as they normally do. There is nothing wrong with the gentle humour and look at family life, just I prefer something that I can get "to grips with".
As you can probably guess , I love reading, and on Saturday last went into Lancaster to get books.
Julia Stagg was signing books. We chatted for a while as she wasn't busy when I went in, and I thought I'd try one of her books.
Well, I started it Saturday Evening, and finished it Sunday evening.
It is a really good book, with intriguing twists to what , at first, seems a straightforward plot. I really enjoyed it and will be looking out for more by Julia Stagg.
What can I say?
This is just as good as all the other Tom Holt books I have read.
Osiris has had enough of the retirement home, he's been told he likes "nice hot custard" too many times. With the help of his nurse ,Sandra, he makes a break for it when his godson tries to have him certified insane. He goes in search of the "ultimate lawyer" to fight his lawyer godson. At the same time Odin, Thor and Frey have been restoring a traction engine, unknown to Mrs Henderson the "Matron of the gods retirement home. They take it for a trial run and end up hopelessly lost. The goodies win through in the end after a series of typically Holtian escapades.
A brilliant book
Take Tom Holt, Douglas Adams, Jasper Fforde, Terry Pratchett, Tom Sharpe, throw them in a mixing bowl, add a large helping of Stephen King, followed by a dollop of Anne Rice at her Vampire writing best, stir in Anonymous, (the one who wrote The Book with No Name,) add a sprinkling of Bram Stoker, followed by a dash of Michel Faber, at his "Under the Skin" best. Mix well and you might end up with David Wong.
John Dies at the end is a book that is difficult to put down, with a first person narrator the story never loses pace for one minute. I certainly didn't anticipate some of the twists the tale takes,and suspect most readers wouldn't.
I'm not going to tell you about it, apart from the fact there are explosions, shootings, police chases, and "Scooby-Doo" type scenarios throughout the book. Inwardly you are yelling at them not to go into that room with no windows and only the one door, don't open that silvery container, but you know they will. And you know they will come through the experience wiser and maybe still alive.
If you like books that are a little off the wall, I would say read this.
The bumph says soon to be a major movie, I found a link to it, here
I can only presume that it will eventually be released over here.
This story is about someone who has made a new life for himself, under a new name, in order to cover up his past "misdeeds". When his past is threatened with exposure he flees the country, remembering hi past.
Mike Frame is now a respectable married man in a stable relationship, and is about to celebrate his 50th birthday. A figure from the past appears and that is when Mike's, (previously Chris,) past looks likely to be exposed. In the Sixties Mike, then Chris, became involved with a radical group who first started off demonstrating against the USA being in Vietnam, however the group became more and more radical, eventually turning into a terrorist group. The reasoning behind their actions is argued out amongst the different members of the group, so that you could start to think perhaps they were right to do what they did, as they did at the time. (As with every argument it can be viewed from both sides. It is actually quite frightening to think of)
Anyway, the book was engrossing, and an eye opener. Kunzru obviously did his research well.
I'd seen rave reviews about this book, about how good it was, how it was a MUST read book.
I wasn't disappointed, although none of the stuff I'd read had actually said what the book was about.
The Poisonwood Bible is told by five narrators. A mother and her four daughters, for most of the book. You would think that wouldn't make for much variety, but it does.
Nathan Price, a Baptist preacher goes on a mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. Not so long ago, you probably think, but the conditions they encounter there pose challenges to the whole family. The Poisonwood Bible follows them through the mission, and the following events, and how each of them copes with the life they now find themselves living, from the inwardly, and sometimes outwardly screaming narration of one daughter, to the "big adventure/loads of new opportunities" viewpoint of another. This book is how going on the mission changes the life, for ever, of the Price family.
This description doesn't do it justice, if you love a good book, give it a try.
This is the fictional account of around 5 and half months in the life of an eccentric English aristocrat. It is loosely based on a real life person.
You are lulled into the account as the Duke contemplates using his newly finished network of tunnels underneath his Nottinghamshire estate, but as the book progresses the reader is made more aware how eccentric the Duke is. On p74 of the book the Duke's stomach pains, which he imagines are all kinds of life threatening illnesses, come to a head, and he description is humourous, with a fire being caused.
As I got towards the end of the book I was beginning to think eccentric was an understatement, and barking mad is a better description of the Duke, after all, what he does to himself on p243 and the ensuing pages is madness.
The book made me laugh and made me cringe, it certainly wasn't dull