Books and matters medical

I have been rather busy over the last few days because my OH has just had an operation - a Nissen Fundoplication. Do not Google it if you are squeamish! It's a cure for acid reflux basically but the after effects are probably more than most of us would care to experience. He has to be on a virtually completely liquid diet for the next couple of months though he can manage things like rice pudding if he eats small amounts - and I mean small - less than a dessert spoonful at a time.

Eventually he will be able to eat a more normal diet but may never be able to eat bread again. He has done well so far as he had the operation last Saturday and came out on Monday. He was expected to stay in about 5 days because of his serious lung problems and his diabetes but is recovering much better than was expected.

Books

Trollope by Victoria Glendinning - a comprehensive biography of the author which makes many references to his books and really brought the man to life for me.

Here Come the Girls by Milly Johnson - an enjoyable romp of a book which was a very welcome read at the weekend. Four friends go on a cruise. It changes all their lives - for the better.

Gently Through the Mill by Alan Hunter - the fifth book in the Gently series. 1950s crime in a flour mill with Gently involved because the body is that of a petty London villain.

Ellie Andrews has Second Thoughts by Ruth Sabberton - Again an enjoyable light read with Ellie reminiscing on her wedding day. The reader does not know exactly who she is marrying or whether the marriage will go ahead until the last few pages.

Current Reading

Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey - the classic novel about Richard III. Still good even when you know some of the text off by heart!

The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy - I'm still reading this in small chunks which you might think would cause a problem trying to remember what has gone on. I must have read the books many times back in the 1970s because I'm finding I have no problem recalling the story line.

The Perfect Hero by Victoria Connelly - Kay moves to Lyme Regis and opens a B&B. Her first guests are some of the actors involved in a new film production of Jane Austen's Persuasion.

Reading . . . .

Milly Johnson's A Summer Fling is one of those books where you hate turning the last page. Feel good factor in spades and women whose friendship with one another is just as important as a date with the man they're interested in. If you want something to curl up with on a wet weekend - in summer or not - read it. This is chick lit about 'real' people in a real place. You could imagine meeting them in the supermarket queue.

I've just started reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot which is absolutely gripping reading. Henrietta was an African-American woman who died in 1951. She had cancer of the cervix - which is not that unusual - but the type of cancer was unusual. For a long time scientists had been trying without success to grow human cells in laboratory conditions. They could sometimes get them to grow for a short time but then they died. The cells taken from Henrietta's tumour however were different - they multiplied at an alarming rate and weren't too fussy about what they grew in or the conditions they were stored under. For the first time human cells could be used for research studies because cancer cells share many of the characteristics of human cells.

These cells - referred to as HeLa cells - were sent to labs all over the world and have helped - among other things - to test the original polio vaccine. The book is a fascinating study of Henrietta's life and the way the immortality of her cells has affected her family. I'm about half way through and finding it fascinating.

More reading . . . .

I spent yesterday painting doors and door frames and the previous day sanding them down so my time has been otherwise occupied this week. I have now painted the doors in the hall and the door frames and the skirting board. Doesn't sound much when you put it like that but I wanted to do it properly rather than make a mess. One more door and frame to do downstairs and then I'll start on the upstairs doors. Decorating is not my favourite occupation but as I can't afford to pay someone to do it - needs must.

But in the evenings I have been reading. I finished Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and have almost finished listening to Mansfield Park. The listening has given me new insight into Fanny Price. I had remembered her as weak and wishy washy but in fact she isn't at all. She is quiet and shy but won't be pushed into doing what she knows is not right for her - and she has very definite ideas of right and wrong. Mrs Norris must be one of the most dislikeable women in fiction and Frances Barber - who is reading the book - really gives her an absolutely perfect voice.

I started A Summer Fling by Milly Johnson. It's about a group of five women working at the head office of a small supermarket chain. They all have secrets that they don't talk about at work - in fact they don't really talk about anything. Their new boss Christie, must try and get to know them and hopefully help them with their problems. So far so good and I've read about 100 pages. Nice light read with some serious issues.

I am also reading and have nearly finished The Selfish Society: How we all Forgot to Love one Another and Made Money Instead by Sue Gerhardt. It's about how the upbringing of small children affects the sort of society we live in. If babies don't get their needs met they turn into monsters of one sort or another. It's an interesting book and I will post my thoughts on it when I've finished it.

Ivy Brown and others

I did enjoy The Reinvention of Ivy Brown by Roberta Taylor and I shall be looking out for more of her fiction. The plot revolved round the relationship of three women to Brian - or Arthur as Ivy refers to him. It is well written though perhaps the last few chapters are a little rushed. The writing was understated with many happenings left very much to the reader's imagination. I thought the book was all the better for that. The characters are interesting though some are not pleasant people. The flamboyant Pandora stuck in my mind even though she played very little part in the story. The tragic ending is foreshadowed in the beginning so it is not a total surprise though nonetheless chilling. Well worth reading in my opinion.

I've also been reading A Spring Affair by Milly Johnson. Lou Winter - unreconstructed Stepford Wife - is starting to come out of her chrysalis when she reads a magazine article about de-cluttering. From this small beginning stems major upheaval in her life, and the lives of those about her. Will she give smarmy devious husband Phil the boot? What about hunky skip company boss Tom and estranged best friend Deb? Light women's fiction with some good points to make about fulfilling the expectations of others.