I have just started this: Ruth Saberton - Katy Carter Wants a Hero. The author made headlines in some quarters by putting the manuscript through Richard and Judy's door at their holiday home. Fortunately they loved it and the rest, as they say, is history. It is chick lit but with masses of humour. The dinner party and the lobster which causes Katy to lose her home and her fiance is brilliant and laugh out loud funny. I'm about 100pages in and so far it is really good.
I have also started Philip Pullman's The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ. It is a simple imaginative retelling of the Gospel story. Jesus and Christ are twins with Jesus being the out going one who preaches and Christ the quiet one who takes down his words. Whether it will annoy or inspire is hard to say. I'm finding it interesting though modern use of language - in my opinion - does not compare with the resonance of the King James Bible.
I've read a few pages of Kal Bonner's Climbing a Ladder Backwards which Anne Brooke did not enjoy. I think it is going to be a little tedious - not because of the Instant Messaging aspect of it but because every joke appears to be somewhat overwritten. I keep wanting to go through it with a red pen crossing out the superfluous words which make it overdone. I will persevere if only because I like the stripy socks on the cover.
Still reading Polly Toynbee's Hard Work - I shall never call myself poor again.
I am nothing if not eclectic in my reading
Showing posts with label Anne Brooke. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anne Brooke. Show all posts
Monday, 12 April 2010
Monday, 31 August 2009
Two books finished
Anne Brooke's The Bones of Summer is a dark and violent read involving Christian fundamentalism, a gay relationship and murder. Craig and Paul - from Maloney's Law - renew their acquaintance. Paul's private investigator skills are needed to unravel and finally lay to rest Craig's violent past. I thought the book was well written and a gripping read. It raises serious issues about the nature of memory and the effect of fundamentalist religion on the human psyche.
I thought the ending was perfect and understated after the violent finale and resolution of Craig's childhood and his teenage relationship with Michael. I loved the character of Pedro - even though we only see him in a few scenes. Paul comes over as a more mature than he did in Maloney's Law which I found interesting as he seems to have grown and developed as a result of the traumatic happenings in that book. Are we going to see more of Craig and Paul? I'd love to know what happened to them after this.
I also finished Richard Hamblyn's Terra which is a fascinating read for anyone interested in planet earth. The 4 events he focuses on are brought vividly to life by the extensive quotations from eye witness accounts and the scientific explanations are easy to understand. He shows how as human beings we fail to learn from our mistakes. Many people survived these events because of good luck or good judgement. I enjoyed it.
I have reviewed both books on Amazon under the pseudonym Damaskcat.
I thought the ending was perfect and understated after the violent finale and resolution of Craig's childhood and his teenage relationship with Michael. I loved the character of Pedro - even though we only see him in a few scenes. Paul comes over as a more mature than he did in Maloney's Law which I found interesting as he seems to have grown and developed as a result of the traumatic happenings in that book. Are we going to see more of Craig and Paul? I'd love to know what happened to them after this.
I also finished Richard Hamblyn's Terra which is a fascinating read for anyone interested in planet earth. The 4 events he focuses on are brought vividly to life by the extensive quotations from eye witness accounts and the scientific explanations are easy to understand. He shows how as human beings we fail to learn from our mistakes. Many people survived these events because of good luck or good judgement. I enjoyed it.
I have reviewed both books on Amazon under the pseudonym Damaskcat.
Sunday, 30 August 2009
Current reading
I am still reading Anne Brooke's The Bones of Summer - only about 50 pages left and yes I'm finding it good. I don't think enjoy is the right word because there are so many heartbreaking issues covered not least the non acceptance by some people of individuals who prefer their own sex. The portrait of a fundamentalist Christian - Craig's father - is brilliant. The current climate of thinking it is only the Muslim faith which produces violent fundamentalists needs to be changed. Any fanatic of any religion can turn violent. I will write a full review when I've finished the book and had time to digest it.
I've rather given up on Richard T Kelly's Crusaders though I haven't quite got to the point where I'm prepared to take the book mark out and pass the book to a charity shop. It's a pity because it is my idea of a good plot. There are just too many characters and too much plot and too much of an attempt to make a social point when it would have been better left to speak for itself from the actions of the characters.
I'm also reading Katherine Parker's Save the Males. An attempt to redress the balance between male and female. It's a bit too much along the lines of return the women to the kitchen and the bedroom where they belong and stop them taking jobs from the men who need to feed their families. I shall write a considered review of it when I've finished it.
Then there's a fascinating book called Terra: Tales of the Earth by Richard Hamblyn. It focuses on 4 catastrophic events over two centuries starting with the Lisbon earthquake in 1755. Each section features eye witness accounts which bring the event to life. Naturally there is a climate change message in there but it is not too high profile. The other three events covered are the strange weather of 1783 - caused by volcanic activity in Iceland putting ash and dust into the atmosphere; the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883 and a tsunami in Hawaii in 1946. Interestingly enough all the events were caused by what happened under the earth and I'm sorry but I cannot see how this could have been influenced by carbon dioxide in the atmosphere whether man made or not. What does come over to me is that what goes on under out feet is totally unpredictable and the earth is very much a living, breathing, changing organism.
I've rather given up on Richard T Kelly's Crusaders though I haven't quite got to the point where I'm prepared to take the book mark out and pass the book to a charity shop. It's a pity because it is my idea of a good plot. There are just too many characters and too much plot and too much of an attempt to make a social point when it would have been better left to speak for itself from the actions of the characters.
I'm also reading Katherine Parker's Save the Males. An attempt to redress the balance between male and female. It's a bit too much along the lines of return the women to the kitchen and the bedroom where they belong and stop them taking jobs from the men who need to feed their families. I shall write a considered review of it when I've finished it.
Then there's a fascinating book called Terra: Tales of the Earth by Richard Hamblyn. It focuses on 4 catastrophic events over two centuries starting with the Lisbon earthquake in 1755. Each section features eye witness accounts which bring the event to life. Naturally there is a climate change message in there but it is not too high profile. The other three events covered are the strange weather of 1783 - caused by volcanic activity in Iceland putting ash and dust into the atmosphere; the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883 and a tsunami in Hawaii in 1946. Interestingly enough all the events were caused by what happened under the earth and I'm sorry but I cannot see how this could have been influenced by carbon dioxide in the atmosphere whether man made or not. What does come over to me is that what goes on under out feet is totally unpredictable and the earth is very much a living, breathing, changing organism.
Tuesday, 11 August 2009
Where Does it Hurt?
Where Does it Hurt? by Max Pemberton is not quite what might have been expected from his previous book - Trust Me I'm a Junior Doctor. This latest offering is about the time he spent working at an outreach project with the homeless, drug addicts and people generally outside 'normal' society. He meets some real characters - the chap who thinks he's God who takes up residence near the back door of a Tesco supermarket; Molly the 80 year old drug addict and former working girl; Barry the schizophrenic who saves the author's life in a sticky situation; Georgia who goes mad and traps everyone in the outreach project's building; Janice the middle class housewife addicted to over the counter painkillers. Not all homeless people are drug addicts and not all drug addicts are homeless though many of each group have mental health problems.
There are people who want to be helped and others who don't. He is warned at the start he will be lucky if 5% of his patients turn their lives around. He has to go out and find many of his patients rather than them coming to him and he gets to know some of the seedier parts of the city intimately. The main point of this book is that there is no one solution to the problems of society because everyone at the bottom of the heap got there for different reasons.
I found the book moving and uplifting though it is difficult to know what to read after it! I have started Anne Brooke's The Bones of Summer and it looks good - especially seeing Paul from someone else's point of view; Bluestockings by Jane Robinson - strange to think women were first awarded degrees only in 1882 and not until 1920 from Oxford; and Carmen Reid's How Not To Shop - chick lit, which I found just too light and fluffy after Where Does it Hurt?. A pretty diverse selection of reading here!
There are people who want to be helped and others who don't. He is warned at the start he will be lucky if 5% of his patients turn their lives around. He has to go out and find many of his patients rather than them coming to him and he gets to know some of the seedier parts of the city intimately. The main point of this book is that there is no one solution to the problems of society because everyone at the bottom of the heap got there for different reasons.
I found the book moving and uplifting though it is difficult to know what to read after it! I have started Anne Brooke's The Bones of Summer and it looks good - especially seeing Paul from someone else's point of view; Bluestockings by Jane Robinson - strange to think women were first awarded degrees only in 1882 and not until 1920 from Oxford; and Carmen Reid's How Not To Shop - chick lit, which I found just too light and fluffy after Where Does it Hurt?. A pretty diverse selection of reading here!
Saturday, 1 August 2009
Currently reading . . .
The Russian Dreambook of Colour and Flight by Gina Ochsner - I've been reading this for what seems like eternity and I keep thinking I'll stop and admit defeat. It is just too much attention to bodily functions, dirt and incomprehensible people who might or might not be dead.
Crusaders by Richard T Kelly - again I've been reading it for too long and keep thinking I'll give up. It's quite good and an interesting subject but about 150 pages too long and rather over written.
The Third Rumpole Omnibus by John Mortimer - a pick up and put down book as it's short stories and always a joy to read.
Mad, Bad and Sad: A History of Women and the Mind Doctors from 1800 by Lisa Appignanesi - I've just started this and it's very interesting. I had completely forgotten that Mary Lamb murdered her mother. Surprisingly enough she did not end up in prison but spent a short time in a private asylum and was then released into the care of brother Charles. She used to have a relapse every so often and would pack her own bag and tell her brother he needed to take her to the asylum.
Waiting in the wings - Anne Brooke's The Bones of Summer and Christopher Booker's The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories. I've wanted a copy of this ever since it came out and I finally decided I'd have to buy it. At 700 pages it is going to take some reading but I shall give it a go.
I also need to read - and write a review of - The Rehearsal by Eleanor Catton which seems to be a sort of DIY story in that you could almost read the chapters in any order. I've read about 20 pages and have totally lost the plot. I think I'm going to have to start again with it. Reviews seems to suggest it is very clever - which I suspect translates as the reviewer couldn't understand it and hopes someone will enlighten him/her as to the meaning of the whole thing.
Crusaders by Richard T Kelly - again I've been reading it for too long and keep thinking I'll give up. It's quite good and an interesting subject but about 150 pages too long and rather over written.
The Third Rumpole Omnibus by John Mortimer - a pick up and put down book as it's short stories and always a joy to read.
Mad, Bad and Sad: A History of Women and the Mind Doctors from 1800 by Lisa Appignanesi - I've just started this and it's very interesting. I had completely forgotten that Mary Lamb murdered her mother. Surprisingly enough she did not end up in prison but spent a short time in a private asylum and was then released into the care of brother Charles. She used to have a relapse every so often and would pack her own bag and tell her brother he needed to take her to the asylum.
Waiting in the wings - Anne Brooke's The Bones of Summer and Christopher Booker's The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories. I've wanted a copy of this ever since it came out and I finally decided I'd have to buy it. At 700 pages it is going to take some reading but I shall give it a go.
I also need to read - and write a review of - The Rehearsal by Eleanor Catton which seems to be a sort of DIY story in that you could almost read the chapters in any order. I've read about 20 pages and have totally lost the plot. I think I'm going to have to start again with it. Reviews seems to suggest it is very clever - which I suspect translates as the reviewer couldn't understand it and hopes someone will enlighten him/her as to the meaning of the whole thing.
Friday, 3 October 2008
More books read
I finished Phil Rickman's 'To Dream of the Dead' last night and excellent it was too. A bit different from his usual Merrily Watkins books as there was very little about her part time job as official exorcist to the diocese of Hereford. There was some very murky corruption going on in the local council and involving a charismatic TV archaeologist and a murder. The advent of a headline making atheist author living incognito to escape threats from various places, next door to a possible prehistoric pagan site which the archaeologist is digging serves to stir things up - if only with the local fundamentalist Christian. The action of the novel takes place over the few days leading up to Christmas and is punctuated by a rapidly rising river threatening to cut off the village of Ledwardine. A very tense and fast paced thriller.
I finished - at last - Anne Brooke's 'Maloney's Law' - not a comfortable book to read including as it does some very murky business dealings. I did like Paul, the private investigator, and thought his upbringing had a huge bearing on the problems he found himself immersed in. I was less sure about Dominic. I thought the ending was appropriate and I feel hopeful about Paul's future prospects. I thought the way Paul always comments about how long it's been since something happened interesting and it fitted his particular personality. He really likes to keep control of things and that quality is also shown by his series of Maloney's Laws. I've only one bone to pick with you, Anne, and that's what you did to Jade - how could you??!! I really liked her and thought she was an interesting character. I have posted a review on Amazon for you - without any comments about Jade as that would have potentially given away some of the plot.
I finished - at last - Anne Brooke's 'Maloney's Law' - not a comfortable book to read including as it does some very murky business dealings. I did like Paul, the private investigator, and thought his upbringing had a huge bearing on the problems he found himself immersed in. I was less sure about Dominic. I thought the ending was appropriate and I feel hopeful about Paul's future prospects. I thought the way Paul always comments about how long it's been since something happened interesting and it fitted his particular personality. He really likes to keep control of things and that quality is also shown by his series of Maloney's Laws. I've only one bone to pick with you, Anne, and that's what you did to Jade - how could you??!! I really liked her and thought she was an interesting character. I have posted a review on Amazon for you - without any comments about Jade as that would have potentially given away some of the plot.
Sunday, 24 August 2008
Books read
'24 for 3' by Jennie Walker - a pseudonym of Charles Boyle the poet. This is a novella rather than a novel and unique as books go. It covers the time span of a test match between England and India. The female narrator - never named - has no knowledge of cricket and her husband - Alan - and lover - the loss adjuster - attempt to explain the rules to her. Stepson Selwyn goes missing for a few days though a phone call is received to say he is all right. The narrator toys with the idea of leaving her husband and family. There are little gems of poetic description and the symbolism provided by the match is linked to everyday life. It is a beautiful book and the Hockneyesque cover really sums it up.
'Got You Back' by Jane Fallon demonstrated in quite literary fashion that you cannot team up with someone else to exact revenge on a third party because you always have different ideas about when enough is enough. Seldom have I read about a believable character with such large feet of clay. James, the husband, is someone we've all met who seems to think his view of life is the right one and everyone sees what he sees. It does not have the conventional happy ending.
I've also read 'Now Then, Lad . . . .Tales of a Country Bobby' by Mike Pannett. This has a very chatty conversational style and contains both funny and tragic events. His knowledge of human nature and the criminal world are wide and he demonstrates how policing in the country is different from policing in London. He transfers back to his home county of Yorkshire because he misses the countryside. His love of the area really shines through. The only thing I found irritating was the Yorkshire dialect - he could have simply commented on the way they spoke and written the dialogue in plain English.
I have also started - Anne Brooke's 'Maloney's Law' - 70 pages - good so far Anne. I like Paul but am definitely less sure about Dominic!
For total contrast I'm also reading Christina Jones' 'Happy Birthday'.
Sunday, 2 March 2008
Thorn in the Flesh
I have just finished reading Anne Brooke's 'Thorn in the Flesh'. In the end, having carried it around with me for the last few days I found I had to know what happened, and read the last 100 pages nearly at a sitting. Kate, like most of us, is her own worst enemy. She is a very private person and does not confide even in her best and oldest friend, Nicky. If she had done things might have been different.
Kate is raped. She is afraid she knows who it was, even though he wore a nask. But she only tells the police part of her ordeal and doesn't tell them about the threatening letters she has been receiving before and after the attack. Kate does not want face up to her past. She would rather bury it deep and not acknowledge it even to herself. But the attack forces her to confront both her past and her own character flaws. When Nicky may be in danger, Kate finds she has the strength to overcome.
The book raises many issues, including how a woman deals with that most feared of crimes - rape - especially when she thinks she knows who her attacker is. How to continue a very close relationship with a childhood friend when she marries and has a family, without coming between her and her husband. How to deal with the past and your own memories when the past comes back to haunt you. It is not a comfortable story to read, but it is gripping and all women will indentify with Kate, when she tries to overcome the mistakes of her youth. Kate's solution to her problems develops from her own particular character and the violent ending is wholly right for the story.
Read this book if you want the hairs to stand up on the back of your neck. You will question your own feelings about rape, friendship and your attitude to your own past.
Kate is raped. She is afraid she knows who it was, even though he wore a nask. But she only tells the police part of her ordeal and doesn't tell them about the threatening letters she has been receiving before and after the attack. Kate does not want face up to her past. She would rather bury it deep and not acknowledge it even to herself. But the attack forces her to confront both her past and her own character flaws. When Nicky may be in danger, Kate finds she has the strength to overcome.
The book raises many issues, including how a woman deals with that most feared of crimes - rape - especially when she thinks she knows who her attacker is. How to continue a very close relationship with a childhood friend when she marries and has a family, without coming between her and her husband. How to deal with the past and your own memories when the past comes back to haunt you. It is not a comfortable story to read, but it is gripping and all women will indentify with Kate, when she tries to overcome the mistakes of her youth. Kate's solution to her problems develops from her own particular character and the violent ending is wholly right for the story.
Read this book if you want the hairs to stand up on the back of your neck. You will question your own feelings about rape, friendship and your attitude to your own past.
Thursday, 21 February 2008
Cosmic ordering success!
It was a success in more ways than one in that it also made me realise how carefully you have to phrase your order! I asked to win some money on the lottery last night - a sum of at least 4 figures. So what did I get? 4 numbers and £46. Money to go towards our new computer. Lots of 4s in that so I really cannot fault the outcome. Obviously the way I phrased it was not quite right. But I am really pleased with it since it worked out for the day I requested. Being on a high I then bought a ticket for tomorrow's Euromillions draw. There is nothing wrong with aiming for the top. I have succeeded in the past with things like requesting a short queue at the post office - I got a short queue once but still had to wait a long time to be served because everyone ahead of me took ages. After that I asked to have to wait no more than 5 minutes to be served, and that was successful at least about 98% of the time.
I have finished 'The Infinite Wisdom of Harriet Rose' mentioned in my last post. Very enjoyable - still not sure whether it's for adults or children, but it doesn't really matter. Harriet's attempt at dealing with fame is excellently portrayed. As is a scene close to the end when the nasty vindictive headmistress attempts to undermine Harriet's credibility but it backfires badly. Harriet's family are delicious - Mother Mia and Nana Olivia practically walk off the page.
Anne - I have replied to your e-mail about 'Thorn in the Flesh' and I'm looking forward to getting my copy. Naturally I shall review it here. Anyone who wants to buy a copy can visit www.goldenford.co.uk and pay by PayPal.
Off for a shower and then to settle down in bed with a book.
I have finished 'The Infinite Wisdom of Harriet Rose' mentioned in my last post. Very enjoyable - still not sure whether it's for adults or children, but it doesn't really matter. Harriet's attempt at dealing with fame is excellently portrayed. As is a scene close to the end when the nasty vindictive headmistress attempts to undermine Harriet's credibility but it backfires badly. Harriet's family are delicious - Mother Mia and Nana Olivia practically walk off the page.
Anne - I have replied to your e-mail about 'Thorn in the Flesh' and I'm looking forward to getting my copy. Naturally I shall review it here. Anyone who wants to buy a copy can visit www.goldenford.co.uk and pay by PayPal.
Off for a shower and then to settle down in bed with a book.
Wednesday, 6 February 2008
Writing progress
I have managed to add some more to Knowledge is Death over the last few days - up to 33,717 words now. We are progressing. Even though I have a plan for the rest of it I keep thinking of things to add, including a new suspect. This means introducing said suspect earlier in the book - good thing I'm just trying to get to the end rather than write perfectly!!
Reading - I have been reading Writers' News and Writing Magazine over the last few days. I am re-reading Veronica Heley's 'Murder by Accident' and seeing things in it I hadn't noticed before. I am still debating whether to write a strongly worded reply to a letter in the magazine saying something along the lines of - writing for publication is a full time job. Well no it isn't or probably two thirds of the books published would not ever be written. So many people combine writing for publication with other jobs because it doesn't always pay well. Doing it as a hobby or part time income does not mean you have an unprofessional attitude to it and a disregard of deadlines. I think all the writer of the letter was meaning was that yu do need to be professional but it wasn't the way it came over.
I have also read 'The Desperate Diary of a Country Housewife' by anon - the book of the Sunday Times Country Mole column. Amusing reading and left me wondering about the fine - invisible? - line between fact and fiction.
Still trying to get hold of Martin Edwards' 'The Cipher Garden' from Amazon. They seem to be having difficulty getting it so I may try Waterstone's instead. Or better still - my local independent bookshop - a job for tomorrow lunch time I think.
Martin -thanks for the tip about the companion to Dorothy Sayers - I shall be hunting for that.
Anne B - I will be buying a copy of 'Thorn in the Flesh' when it's released and I've just e-mailed Goldenford to see when it will be available to buy from their website.
Reading - I have been reading Writers' News and Writing Magazine over the last few days. I am re-reading Veronica Heley's 'Murder by Accident' and seeing things in it I hadn't noticed before. I am still debating whether to write a strongly worded reply to a letter in the magazine saying something along the lines of - writing for publication is a full time job. Well no it isn't or probably two thirds of the books published would not ever be written. So many people combine writing for publication with other jobs because it doesn't always pay well. Doing it as a hobby or part time income does not mean you have an unprofessional attitude to it and a disregard of deadlines. I think all the writer of the letter was meaning was that yu do need to be professional but it wasn't the way it came over.
I have also read 'The Desperate Diary of a Country Housewife' by anon - the book of the Sunday Times Country Mole column. Amusing reading and left me wondering about the fine - invisible? - line between fact and fiction.
Still trying to get hold of Martin Edwards' 'The Cipher Garden' from Amazon. They seem to be having difficulty getting it so I may try Waterstone's instead. Or better still - my local independent bookshop - a job for tomorrow lunch time I think.
Martin -thanks for the tip about the companion to Dorothy Sayers - I shall be hunting for that.
Anne B - I will be buying a copy of 'Thorn in the Flesh' when it's released and I've just e-mailed Goldenford to see when it will be available to buy from their website.
Saturday, 22 December 2007
Plumbers, Anthony Powell and Amazon
Hah! that's hooked everyone who thought this was going to be something erudite and literary! Seriously though, I have just read Anne Brooke's writing blog - see link - and then followed the link to her interview with Chroma, where she mentions 'A Dance to the Music of Time'. Funnily enough it was my fault that the Anthony Powell Society was formed, as I introduced Keith Marshall to the books in the first place and got him hooked on them. Strange how apparently trivial actions can have such large repercussions as I mentioned in my comment on Anne's blog.
The Zen Mischief link is Keith's own blog and the Anthony Powell web site can be found here www.anthonypowell.org.uk
But now to plumbers. I am £78 poorer today but I now have hot water and can stop having cold showers! Simon Barker of Spalding you are a star! You came out the day after our phone call, and arrived when you said you would - and what's more you fixed the problem. We have this electronic box of tricks where the airing cupboard should be called a Boilermate - made by Gledhill. It runs our heating and hot water linked to an oil fired boiler, and provides an electric powered back up should the boiler fail. It gives us hot water on demand - normally. But the sensor had gone wrong and we were getting cold water. Many plumbers don't know what they are and how they work, and normally they don't need any maintenance - except the hot water sensor fails about every 5 years. We've been in the house just about 5 years. Anyway it's fixed now and we have the name of a reliable plumber who understands oil fired boilers and Boilermates.
So a good day as one of the problems on my list is fixed. Actually I think most of them have been fixed now as we had to buy a new printer - the old one decided it wasn't going to print the colour yellow - and the new one arrived yesterday. I don't think I'm waiting for anything else to be fixed now, so I can relax and have a good Christmas.
I have just signed up to Amazon Prime which for those who didn't know about it involves paying £49 per year and getting free one day delivery without having to wait until you've picked enough books to put the order total over £15 and then waiting for your super saver free delivery which sometime takes forever. I decided that I would probably order fewer books and so save money as I wouldn't always be looking for books to make it up to the right price. Well that's what I told myself. Of course I had to test it out and I can verify it works! Obviously if the book isn't in stock it won't be that quick, but you still get free first class delivery when it is dispatched. It looks like being a good thing. It also saves you money on express delivery, though if you've got one day delivery I can't see the point of express, but I suppose some people are just super impatient. Of course Amazon Prime doesn't work with their second hand sellers only Amazon itself, but it always says on the listing whether the item is eligible.
The Zen Mischief link is Keith's own blog and the Anthony Powell web site can be found here www.anthonypowell.org.uk
But now to plumbers. I am £78 poorer today but I now have hot water and can stop having cold showers! Simon Barker of Spalding you are a star! You came out the day after our phone call, and arrived when you said you would - and what's more you fixed the problem. We have this electronic box of tricks where the airing cupboard should be called a Boilermate - made by Gledhill. It runs our heating and hot water linked to an oil fired boiler, and provides an electric powered back up should the boiler fail. It gives us hot water on demand - normally. But the sensor had gone wrong and we were getting cold water. Many plumbers don't know what they are and how they work, and normally they don't need any maintenance - except the hot water sensor fails about every 5 years. We've been in the house just about 5 years. Anyway it's fixed now and we have the name of a reliable plumber who understands oil fired boilers and Boilermates.
So a good day as one of the problems on my list is fixed. Actually I think most of them have been fixed now as we had to buy a new printer - the old one decided it wasn't going to print the colour yellow - and the new one arrived yesterday. I don't think I'm waiting for anything else to be fixed now, so I can relax and have a good Christmas.
I have just signed up to Amazon Prime which for those who didn't know about it involves paying £49 per year and getting free one day delivery without having to wait until you've picked enough books to put the order total over £15 and then waiting for your super saver free delivery which sometime takes forever. I decided that I would probably order fewer books and so save money as I wouldn't always be looking for books to make it up to the right price. Well that's what I told myself. Of course I had to test it out and I can verify it works! Obviously if the book isn't in stock it won't be that quick, but you still get free first class delivery when it is dispatched. It looks like being a good thing. It also saves you money on express delivery, though if you've got one day delivery I can't see the point of express, but I suppose some people are just super impatient. Of course Amazon Prime doesn't work with their second hand sellers only Amazon itself, but it always says on the listing whether the item is eligible.
Saturday, 8 December 2007
A dangerous man
I finished reading Anne Brooke's 'A Dangerous Man' this week. It is a book that lingers in your mind long after you've finished it. It doesn't really fall into any particular category - it contains a crime and a love story but does not fit under either heading. It is a story of Michael's obsession with his art, and his need to transcend his past. There is Joe, who has an unrequited love for Michael, and Paul who is a nasty piece of work. Then there is Jack, a wealthy business man, who loves Michael from when he first meets him. Because of his abusive uprbringing Michael finds it impossible to accept Jack's love for what it is, and ultimately it is this flaw in his character that causes the violent and tragic ending. Here is a lesson in how by trying too hard to escape from our flaws we will ultimately destroy the things we love. Powerful and dark, the book describes gay relationships in a way which brings home to the reader the similarities between all relationships.
I also in the same week, by way of contrast, read some of Erica James' 'Tell it to the Skies' and was disappointed by it. I read her books because they are well written escapism and this one contained too much reality. I didn't finish it because I found the characters surprisingly uninteresting. I'm sure some people will read it and think it excellent, especially if they have not read anything else by her, but I just could not get into it and gave up after about 100 pages. Perhaps I should not have read it at the same time as ADM.
In search of escapism I am now reading 'Second Chance' by Sophie King, and will report on that at a later date.
Surprisingly I have had the latest Rumpole from John Mortimer on my to read pile and have not yet started it. Usually I pounce on these the moment they're published, and re-read them regularly. I think I had it in mind to read over Christmas.
I'm off on Monday for my 3 monthly check up on my eyes. With wet age related macular degeneration in one eye, even though I hate going I know it's a necessity. I get so wound up before I go, though fortunately I haven't felt too bad this time. I am hoping in the next few years that they will find a cure for it, and I watch out for the latest developments. Currently treatment with your own stem cells seems to be promising, but who knows how long this will take to be available? AMD seems to be every much the Cinderalla disease. It is not much talked about and research is significantly under funded. Glaucoma is widely publicised, but unless you know someone with AMD you may not be aware of it.
In spite of lack of awareness and treatment ( I'm in BUPA fortunately) about 500,000 people in this country are affected by it. The figures for the developed world are about 1 in 50 of the over fifties and 1 in 5 of the over 85s. Often wet AMD - where blood vessels leak and damage cells in the macular, is not spotted early enough for the treatment that is available to be effefctive, as the good eye tends to compensate for loss of vision in the eye that is affected. Ho hum. Must stop brooding on it and concentrate on things now rather than in the future.
I also in the same week, by way of contrast, read some of Erica James' 'Tell it to the Skies' and was disappointed by it. I read her books because they are well written escapism and this one contained too much reality. I didn't finish it because I found the characters surprisingly uninteresting. I'm sure some people will read it and think it excellent, especially if they have not read anything else by her, but I just could not get into it and gave up after about 100 pages. Perhaps I should not have read it at the same time as ADM.
In search of escapism I am now reading 'Second Chance' by Sophie King, and will report on that at a later date.
Surprisingly I have had the latest Rumpole from John Mortimer on my to read pile and have not yet started it. Usually I pounce on these the moment they're published, and re-read them regularly. I think I had it in mind to read over Christmas.
I'm off on Monday for my 3 monthly check up on my eyes. With wet age related macular degeneration in one eye, even though I hate going I know it's a necessity. I get so wound up before I go, though fortunately I haven't felt too bad this time. I am hoping in the next few years that they will find a cure for it, and I watch out for the latest developments. Currently treatment with your own stem cells seems to be promising, but who knows how long this will take to be available? AMD seems to be every much the Cinderalla disease. It is not much talked about and research is significantly under funded. Glaucoma is widely publicised, but unless you know someone with AMD you may not be aware of it.
In spite of lack of awareness and treatment ( I'm in BUPA fortunately) about 500,000 people in this country are affected by it. The figures for the developed world are about 1 in 50 of the over fifties and 1 in 5 of the over 85s. Often wet AMD - where blood vessels leak and damage cells in the macular, is not spotted early enough for the treatment that is available to be effefctive, as the good eye tends to compensate for loss of vision in the eye that is affected. Ho hum. Must stop brooding on it and concentrate on things now rather than in the future.
Monday, 26 November 2007
The Hit List
I finished reading Anne Brooke's 'The Hit List' last night. If you want something a bit different - though not in the same vein as 'Pink Champagne and Apple Juice' by the same author - then go for 'The Hit List'. Jamie is doing sterling work looking after his cantankerous elderly father and running his own business from home. His half brother, Mark, the apple of his father's eye, is working in Japan.
One of Jamie's friends from University returns to the village in Suffolk where he and his father live. But David appears to be gay, which he definitely never used to be - which worries Jamie - who soon adds him to his hit list of people he really needs to do away with to improve his quality of life. Then there is Robert - Mark's former boss - who turns up after six years away. The reason for his absence only becomes clear as the story progresses.
Naturally his father who is always comparing him unfavourably with Mark is top of the hit list. I was on tenterhooks wondering how and when Jamie was going to succeed in carrying out his list. The sexuality of many of the main characters is constantly in doubt which adds to the drama. It is not a comfortable book though there are many moments of comedy.
I am also reading - in complete contrast - Carole Matthews' 'The Chocolate Lovers' Diet'. This is chick lit though it does have a bite to it, apart from the chocolate, with a suicide because of huge debts, a drug problem and its effects on immediate family, and two gay men running a chocolate themed cafe . The book has a feel good factor to it with its emphasis on the power of female freindship.
What's next on the list to be read? John Cowper Powys 'A Glastonbury Romance'; Anne Brooke 'A Dangerous Man'; John Mortimer 'The Anti Social behaviour of Horace Rumpole', Erica James 'Tell it to the Skies' - the pile is growing ever taller. I know I buy books at a faster rate than I read them, so eventually I'm liable to disappear under a pile of unread books!! To stop that happening I'm off to decide what to read next.
One of Jamie's friends from University returns to the village in Suffolk where he and his father live. But David appears to be gay, which he definitely never used to be - which worries Jamie - who soon adds him to his hit list of people he really needs to do away with to improve his quality of life. Then there is Robert - Mark's former boss - who turns up after six years away. The reason for his absence only becomes clear as the story progresses.
Naturally his father who is always comparing him unfavourably with Mark is top of the hit list. I was on tenterhooks wondering how and when Jamie was going to succeed in carrying out his list. The sexuality of many of the main characters is constantly in doubt which adds to the drama. It is not a comfortable book though there are many moments of comedy.
I am also reading - in complete contrast - Carole Matthews' 'The Chocolate Lovers' Diet'. This is chick lit though it does have a bite to it, apart from the chocolate, with a suicide because of huge debts, a drug problem and its effects on immediate family, and two gay men running a chocolate themed cafe . The book has a feel good factor to it with its emphasis on the power of female freindship.
What's next on the list to be read? John Cowper Powys 'A Glastonbury Romance'; Anne Brooke 'A Dangerous Man'; John Mortimer 'The Anti Social behaviour of Horace Rumpole', Erica James 'Tell it to the Skies' - the pile is growing ever taller. I know I buy books at a faster rate than I read them, so eventually I'm liable to disappear under a pile of unread books!! To stop that happening I'm off to decide what to read next.
Sunday, 18 November 2007
Pink Champagne and Apple Juice
I have just finished reading Anne Brooke's novel 'Pink Chmapagne and Apple Juice'. It is really good. Angie runs away from home and descends unnanounced on Uncle John - the black sheep of the family. He turns out to be a transvestite running his own club for like minded people in Muswell Hill. How Uncle John welcomes her into his home and yet manages not to 'corrupt' (her mother's word) her in the process makes for an amusing story. There are serious aspects to it though and Angie has to come to terms with John's role in the break up of her own family before the end of the story.
As might be expected the book is full of colourful and yet believable characters. Derek the doorman, Malcolm - Uncle John's lover, Philippe the French waiter and Heinrich the German chef who always cooks mushrooms. Thrown into the mix is Lisa - Angie's friend from university - who turns out to be lesss of a friend than might be expected. This is a brilliant story and it would make a good film or tv drama. Why it hasn't been snapped up by a main stream publisher I don't know. It deserves to become a classic like John Hadfield's 'Love on a Branch Line'.
It doesn't fit into any particular category and will still be readable in 20 years time. Go out and buy it! Anne Brooke has her own web site - www.annebrooke.com and a blog at www.annebrooke.blogspot.com.
I've also read Mary Nickson's 'Secrets and Shadows'. A group of people meet on a creative writing week in Scotland. All have secrets and shadows in their lives. Some are known to each other, some are strangers. All are changed by the course. Some find happiness where they least expected it others have a harsher future in front of them. Some have to make compromises and some find their ambitions are not realisable in the form they had hoped for. Interesting reading if you want a change from light fiction. This is still not heavy reading but it is more thought provoking than many.
I have just bought Ken Follett's 'Pillars of the Earth' which looks like a hefty read at over 1000 pages. It's about the building of a cathedral in the twelfth century. There is a sequel to it - recently published - 'World Without End'. On an epic scale I've bought John Cowper Powys' 'A Glastonbury Romance'. I've come across his books before mentioned in Phil Rickman's Merrily Watkins series. www.philrickman.co.uk if you want more information.
Back to work tomorrow - I shall have to cut down on my reading then - not as much time.
As might be expected the book is full of colourful and yet believable characters. Derek the doorman, Malcolm - Uncle John's lover, Philippe the French waiter and Heinrich the German chef who always cooks mushrooms. Thrown into the mix is Lisa - Angie's friend from university - who turns out to be lesss of a friend than might be expected. This is a brilliant story and it would make a good film or tv drama. Why it hasn't been snapped up by a main stream publisher I don't know. It deserves to become a classic like John Hadfield's 'Love on a Branch Line'.
It doesn't fit into any particular category and will still be readable in 20 years time. Go out and buy it! Anne Brooke has her own web site - www.annebrooke.com and a blog at www.annebrooke.blogspot.com.
I've also read Mary Nickson's 'Secrets and Shadows'. A group of people meet on a creative writing week in Scotland. All have secrets and shadows in their lives. Some are known to each other, some are strangers. All are changed by the course. Some find happiness where they least expected it others have a harsher future in front of them. Some have to make compromises and some find their ambitions are not realisable in the form they had hoped for. Interesting reading if you want a change from light fiction. This is still not heavy reading but it is more thought provoking than many.
I have just bought Ken Follett's 'Pillars of the Earth' which looks like a hefty read at over 1000 pages. It's about the building of a cathedral in the twelfth century. There is a sequel to it - recently published - 'World Without End'. On an epic scale I've bought John Cowper Powys' 'A Glastonbury Romance'. I've come across his books before mentioned in Phil Rickman's Merrily Watkins series. www.philrickman.co.uk if you want more information.
Back to work tomorrow - I shall have to cut down on my reading then - not as much time.
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