The Year in Books - January

Well it's been somewhat of a kindlefest here this month, with 6 out of the 9 books read have been on my Kindle or the iPad using the kindle app.

Just before Christmas I started Broken Angels by Graham Masterson only to realise within the first few pages that this was book two of four.  So I stopped and immediately downloaded White Bones. Come Christmas morning I then discovered I had been given a further eight books one of which was The Great Christmas Knit Off. Well with it being Christmas I felt this one needed to be read immediately so ended up with two books on the go at the same time.  Now normally I don't do that as I would normally confuse the stories and in turn would confuse myself (which doesn't always take a lot let me tell you).  But as they were so completely polls a part I didn't think I would get the two story lines mixed up.

The Great Christmas Knit Off.was a great little read very much a chick flick sorted of book and a little a long the lines of Bridgett Jone's diary.  If it were ever to be made into a film and I had to pick the actress to play Sybil I think it would have to be Joanna Page (of Gavin & Stacey fame).

Then it was back to the Graham Masterson Katie Maguire series of books in earnest.  I was totally immersed in White Bones & Broken Angels they were brilliant reads and the twists in the stories were fantastic.  I was definitely left needing to know more about Katie Maguire and what was going to happen in her life next.  The third in the series Red Light was good but not as good as the first two. Lastly I read Taken for Dead which in my humble opinion let the series down and was certainly less believable and more predictable in places.  There is a fifth book due out in Autumn of this year but until I see the synopsis I'm not sure that it will be a must have download.

This year I set myself challenges, as I do every year, I can't do resolutions as I know inside of three weeks I will have given up where as challenges seem to work for me.  This years book challenge is to re read some of those books I enjoyed reading in my child hood and that of my children.  January kicked off with The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett. This was always one of my favourites every since I was at primary school and my then teacher Mrs Rose read it to us. From then I was hooked and when my daughter came along many years later it was one of the books we shared whilst she was growing up.  In fact since telling her about my challenge and which book I had picked as my January read she has now unearthed her own copy and is re-reading it again.  Who knows one day she may a daughter of her own to share it with.

The Winter Ghost - Kate Mosse was another dowload to my Kindle, I have always liked ghost stories and was looking forward to reading this one.  I was not to be disappointed. I was what I would call an easy read in as much as I could pick it up at varying times and not loose the thread of the story. I had sort of guessed the twist in the story but you were left not knowing for sure until the end which is just how I like my ghost stories to be.  I was given Misteltoe Bride for Christmas which is now in the queue for reading.

As I have already said,  and probably posted, I was given eight books this Christmas and I'm now going to tell you about another two. I think most of us thought it very sad when Lynda Bellingham lost her fight against cancer towards the end of last year. In her book  There's Something I've Been Dying to Tell You she talks openly about her diagnosis and the impact it had on her and her family but in her usual light hearted manor without a bleak moment with in it and I'm sure it was her humor that got her through to the end.  The book stops at the point she makes her decision to stop any further treatment.

Now as you know from the selection of books that I read each month I like to pick a book of the month and my book for January 2015 is Kristin Hannah's Winter Garden. It tells the story of two sisters and their elderly parents. One sister was a stay local to mum and dad, married mum of two daughters and works in the family orchard business, the other is a high flying photojournalist, who travels all over the world.  Their mother has never really shown them love and affection and now as adults they struggle to show her any love and affection  back.  Throughout their childhood their mother used to tell them a fairy-tale of the  Black Knight, the Prince and the Peasant girl. The girls loved this story so much that they decide one Christmas to do the story as a pantomime. Their mother becomes very distressed and never repeats the story, what the girls hadn't realised was that the fairy-tale was actually the story of their mother before she had married their father.  When their elderly father becomes ill he tells his wife now is the time that she must finish telling their girls the story.  This takes the three women on a journey of discovery and for their mother to finally discover the truth.

This was a truly un-put-downable book and wherever I was you would find the book in my hand.

And there we are fast approaching the end of the first month of 2015, I wonder what other great reads we will discover this year.

Don't forget if you haven't already had a chance to check out Laura's Circle of Pine Trees Blog where she is hosting The Year in Books Project 2015. It's not too late to join in the fun of sharing your the books you read and you may find some great recommendations there too. 

Mx

A good start to 2015/ The Year in Books January reads

Having returned to work on Monday after the Christmas holidays I have spent the last two days in bed poorly. 

As there isn't much you can do in between sleeps I thought I would do my first post of the year and have a look back over 2014.

During 2014 I read some 70 books (much to the amazement of my son who tells me he read 4).

I read many fantastic books but I always like to pick one per month that has stood out more than the others

and these are the books that I picked over the last twelve months.

At the end of the year I like to pick a book from these tweleve for my book of the year.

My book of the year for 2014 is

For anyone who has read books by Amanda Prowse before will know, she writes about everyday circumstances that can affect us all.  All her books of the No Greater Love series are some how linked to one another.  In Will You Remember Me Amanda brings back Poppy Day, the young hairdresser married to her childhood sweetheart Martyn Crickett. Here we find Poppy fighting the biggest battle of her life when she discovers a lump in her breast.  I'm sure there will be those of you out in blogland who will have experienced this yourself or know of some one who has.  In my case  a close friend has been going through treatment herself in 2014 and we are all hoping that she will beat her disease. 

In 2014 I also challenged myself to re-read some of those books we were made to read whilst at school,

The twelve books I re-read were

1. To Kill A Mockingbird

2. The Waterbabies

3. Lord of the Flies

4. Of Mice & Men

5. Animal Farm

6. Cider with Rosie

7. The Color Purple

8. To Sir With Love

9.Educating Rita

10. Carries War

11. The Diary of Anne Frank

12. Uncle Tom's Cabin

There were those that I loved, those I hadn't really changed my opinion of in 35+ years and those I loathed.

I have to say that my favourite is still 

To Kill A Mockingbird

Did you have a favourite school read?

So to 2015 

I received a further eight books as Christmas gifts which put together with those still on my bookshelf 

and those residing on my kindle means I probably have enough books to see me through 2015 without buying anymore.  Of course we know that won't happen don't we.  As much as I try not to buy anymore books I know there will be those that find there way into the shopping basket or downloaded to my kindle so I will jut have to read quicker won't I.

So to my January reads.

Alexandra Browns The Great Christmas Knit Off was a gift from my books swap buddy Lou. She said she didn't know whether I was going to like it but the fact it included knitting she thought I may.  

I started it just after Christmas and continued to read it through to the beginning of January and therefore I have included in my January reads list.  

It is a lovely light hearted book about a young lady who isn't having the best of times and decides to visit her close friend who runs a country pub.  What Sybil didn't know when she arrived is that her life was about to change forever.

Definitely a romcom type book and reminded me a little of Bridget Jone's diary in it's composition. 

Sometime ago I downloaded Graham Masterson's Broken Angels only to realise that it is part of a series of books all of which are written about his main character Katie Maguire who is the Chief Superintendent of the Cork Garda..  For sometime I had lost my interest in Crime Thrillers but this series of books seems to have reignited my interest. I have now completed the first in the series White Bones. The books are written in such away that you get to know not only about the crime committed but about the life of Katie Maguire outside of her work. So far Broken Angels is continuing to be just as well written.  

The third and fourth in the series Red Light and Taken for Dead are patiently waiting to be read on my Kindle.

Following on from last years challenge of revisiting some of the books I read at school, this year I have set myself the challenge of re-reading some of my favourite books from childhood and those that I enjoyed reading with my own children. For January I have picked The Secret Garden this was not only one of my favourites from my childhood but also that of my daughters and maybe one day she too will have a daughter of her own to share this lovely book with.

I am delighted to say that Laura from Circle of Pine Trees is continuing with her Year in books project in 2015. I joined her project back in October and I am so glad I did. Not only have I been able to share the books that I have read but also found lots of great recommendations of books to read.

It's quite simple to take part and if you click here you will find out more.

Meanwhile I'm off to take some more meds and possibly even another little dose before teatime.

Happy reading one & all

Mx

Year in Books Project December update

Well Christmas is over again for another year

&

another year is almost upon us.

I thought I would take this opportunity to wish you all the very best for

2015

Over the last month I have continued working my way through the books piled up next to my bed.

When I last posted I had started reading Broken Harbour by Tana French. It is a crime thriller set in Ireland. I thought this one would be quite promising.  A young family are attacked in their home leaving the husband and two children dead and the wife badly injured.  Right from the beginning you are left trying to decide whether it was the husband who attacked his wife and children, a spurned lover or indeed the wife.  Unfortunately it was quite predictable in places and seemed to go on forever, I think the book could of been half the amount of pages if I'm honest and would probably have held my attention much better.

I then moved on to The Rosie Project  by Graeme Simison, so many of you had read this one and from your recommendations it sounded just my kind of read.  I have to tell you, you didn't let me down. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I loved Don's character he so reminded me of some of the Consultants I work with and could have been modeled on my D.  Although it is never said that he is Aspergers I think by the end of the book you can pretty much take it as read that he is.  In order to really understand this book you have to know or indeed live with someone on that colourful spectrum of ASD/Aspergers to really understand Don.  I am so glad there is a sequel to this book and I will definitely be continuing the lives of Don and Rosie in the Rosie Effect sometime soon.

A List of my Dersires  was a  bit of bridge between books for me but it certainly made me think about what my list of desires may be if I were to win the Lottery.  I have to thank Jo Through the Keyhole for sending me this one. 

Lesley Pearse's  Stolen & Till we meet again were my book swaps with my bookswap buddy at work.  She had forwarned me that I might find them a little predictable.  Stolen was about a young girl found on a beach who upon examination would appear to of recently given birth. She had no recollection of how she had come to be washed up on a beach and no recollection of having had a baby.  Till we meet again was a story of revenge for the death of a child and what lead a mild homely women to take such action.  I thought both these books were very good and not as predictable as I had lead to believe.  Certainly I hadn't guessed the twist in Till we meet again. 

Christmas for One  by Amanda Prowse was my Christmas read and as per usual Amanda did not let me down. I have been a follower of the work of Amanda Prowse right from her first novel Poppy Day.  In this her latest novel she takes up the story of Megan who featured in her novel A Little Love released in February this year.

One Night Only tells the story of fading soap star Helen Redford from her humble beginnings to her attempt to make a come back to stage and screen.  A very entertaining read but not one that gripped me, more a holiday read.

Lastly was my last remaining return to school read.  Throughout 2014 I have been re-reading some of those books we were made to read at school.  Some I have loved and others I have loathed.

Decembers read was Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Unfortunately this turned out to be in the loathed category.  I didn't remember anything about it from school until I started reading it again and I soon remembered it as not being one that I particularly enjoyed at school.  Uncle Tom's cabin was about slavery in the American South and how they were treated at this time.  

As usual I like to pick on as my book of the month and for December I think I have to agree with so many of you in picking 

The Rosie Project  by Graeme Simison

I have loved taking part in The Year in Books Project run by Laura at Circle of Pine Trees. I am so pleased she has decided to continue with the project in 2015.

All that remains is for me to wish you all a Happy New Year and I look forward to seeing which books come up next year.

Mx

The Year in Books -December

As you can see there are a few books residing on my bedside cabinet.

These are the start of my Winter read selection. 

With two weeks off over the festive season and the plan being not to do very much, apart from reading and crafting the pile may just increase a little, especially if Santa brings me a few more off my Christmas list. 

So to begin with I have 

The Rosie Project  so many of you have talked about this book that I decided I just had to have it. 

Well half of blogland can't be wrong about this one can they.

Y bought this one a while ago and it has been sitting on my bookshelf along with Ten things I've learnt about love,  The Supremes at Earls all you can eat., Prescious Thing & One Night Only So I thought it was about time they got promoted from the bookshelf to the bedside cabinet in readiness for reading at some point over the Winter months. 

Back in the summer I lent a book to Jo at Through the Keyhole and when she returned it she included A List of my Dersires as she thought I would like it.  So that is a definite read this month.

I then have two book swaps both by Lesley Pearse Stolen & Till we meet again. I've not read any Lesley Pearse before so it will be interesting to see what I make of them. I swap with my bookswap buddy in the office and we love having our own little review of the books we've read over a nice cup of tea.  It's always nice I think to get someone else's perspective on a book that I've read, especially if their take is so completely different to yours. 

and of course 

Anyone who has been following my blog for any length of time will know I am a huge Amanda Prowse fan and therefore I just had to get Christmas for One  which was released at the end of November, but I am being very good and keeping it until next week when I have finished for the holidays. I usually totally immerse myself in her books and don't surface again until the last page has been turned, so next weekend should do it. 

Of course there will be one or two selections from my Kindle as these days there are just as many books residing on my cloud as there are on the bookshelf.  

I think my family thinks I need to join some sort of group for therapy for Book addiction as I just don't seem to be able to stop myself.  I don't think they realise how many there are on sitting on my little kindle cloud..... 

What about you are you very good and only pick a book as you are coming to the end of another one or is it a once a month trip to the library or do you have to avoid passing a Waterstone store at all costs?

I do try and have a book budget and limit myself to how many new books I can have but when Amazon do a 99p book sale it is a little hard to say no don't you find?

So to kick off the month of December I have picked a book that has been sitting on the book shelf for a while now.  Broken Harbour by Tana French is set in Ireland.  I'm not normally one for Crime Thrillers especially where you have to wait till half way through the book for a crime to actually be committed, but in Broken Harbour the crime takes place right at the beginning of the book and from then on you have to decide was it the husband who did it, a spurned lover or indeed the wife. 

And of course being December I have my last return to school read.  I struggled to make up my mind what my last return to school read should be. As I couldn't make up my mind I put the remaining names of books in a tea cup and pulled out a name.  

My December return to school read is therefore going to be 

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. 

I hope you all enjoy your December read's and I look forward to seeing what you all have chosen, no doubt you will give me yet more books to look out for. 

Mx

November Reads Update

November has been a busy month all round at The Willows with visitors to the cottage and a flying visit down to Cornwall for a 50th Birthday. 

So here we are at the end of Autumn and Winter is about to begin.  I know we've had some very autumnal weather but mixed in with that we have been spoiled with some quite mild weather for the time of year.  It's not often you can say that you were on the beach in Cornwall in your jeans and T'shirt on the 1st November is it. 

So to my November reads. 
This months reads were a mixture of Kindle and book.  
As much as I like the convenience of a Kindle I still like the feel of a book.
With it being the month of remembrance I decided I would go for books that to remember those who have been involved in the WW1 and WW2 and those who are still involved with conflict today.

It's All About Treo - written by Dave Heyhoe about his time as a dog handler in the armed forces and his bond with his dog Treo, who always came first. This was a good book for me to read now as my son chose not to tell me too much about what he did in Afghanistan in order for me not to worry, but sometimes that made it harder.  I have now gleaned a lot about what he would of been doing out there and I am now glad he didn't elaborate too much.  Dave Heyhoe has now left the armed forces and Treo retired from active service. He now lives with his fiance and at the time of writing the book they were expecting a baby and of course Treo is with them. 

Soldier Wives - Fiona Field is ex armed forces and now a full time novelist. I had high hopes for Soldier Wives and although it was a good read it certainly didn't have me gripped and in places it was a little too towiesk with Jenna's character. 
It may have been more suited to someone a little younger than my 51 years, I was left a little disappointed. 

The Poppy Factory - Liz Trenow's fictional story of a young army medic struggling to come to terms  with what she witnessed whilst in Afghanistan was brilliant. When Jess returns home and finds she cannot cope she turns to her mother.  Her mother gives her, her great grandmothers journals to read.  The journals contain her everyday thoughts on coping with a husband returning from the first world war.
 At times you forgot that this was fiction and definitely worth reading. 

The Military Wives Wherever You Are - contains 25  true accounts by military wives and at times you will require the tissues to be within easy reach. These are the same military wives who with the help from Gareth Malone went on to form The Military Wives Choir.

The Boy in Striped Pyjamas - is John Boynes fictionional story of Bruno a nine year old boy who befriends a young jewish boy.  Bruno's father is a high ranking officer in the German army and is in charge of one of the concentration camps. Bruno being a little boy doesn't fully understand what it is his father does or what a concentration camp is he thinks it is some sort of farm. The two boys come up with a plan for them to be able to play together and this plan will change Bruno's  family forever.

Lest We Forget -    I had bought this book for D a few years ago, but I can't say that I ever remember him reading it. Somehow it ended up on my bookshelf and I decided to make it one of my November reads.   I am so glad I did. it is a collection of memoirs from those who lived through and survived the first and second world wars.
I chose to read a number of pages each day and with every story it made you appreciate just how much we take for granted now.  If you know anyone who has an interest in the first and second world wars it would definitely of interest to them. 

The Book Thief - Fiction - this one turned out to be completely different to what I had expected.  Lisel is a young girl  growing up in Nazi Germany. I had thought the story was to be how she rescued books for the Jewish people which were going to be burnt. I knew there would be more to the story than that but as the story unfolded it was almost like a Grimms Fairy Story that is the only way I can think of to describe it.  It was brilliantly written and I really enjoyed it.  I have since seen the film but thought the book was much better.  

My return to school read for November was 

Carries War - Nina Bawden Fiction
The story begins with Carrie and her children on a train to Wales where Carrie will be returning for the first time in 30 years. Carrie and Nick Willow are evacuated out of London during the second World War. They are placed with Mr Evans and his sister Louisa. Their friend Albert is staying at Druids bottom with Hepzibah Green and Mr Johnny and Mrs Gotabed the sister of Mr Evans and Louisa. This is the story of their adventures during their time in Wales and is a lovely children's story. 
If you never read this one as a child or you have a child age around 9 or 10 it would be a  story for you to share. 

As always I like to pick a book of the month from my reads and November has to be 




The Poppy Factory - Liz Trenow

I look forward to seeing what you are reading next month as part of The year in Books project.

Happy reading one & all

Mx