Jenni Mills - Buried Circle - very good novel with two inter-twined stories - from the 1930s and the present day. Set around the Avebury stone circle.
Georgette Heyer - A Blunt Instrument - body in the study and plenty of suspects not to mention a Bible quoting PC. Another case for Hannasyde and Hemingway.
Trisha Ashley - Twelve Days of Christmas - chick lit set around Christmas with widow Holly Brown coming to terms with her grief for her late husband. Serious issues but feel good factor too.
Veronica Heley - False Money - latest instalment in the Abbot Agency series. Cosy crime with interesting characters and fascinating scenarios.
Elizabeth Buchan - That Certain Age - two women sixty years apart - facing very similar problems in balancing their own lives with family life
Angela Thirkell - Wild Strawberries - I first read this book about forty years ago and had forgotten how good it is if you like reading about life for the upper classes in the 1930s. Her dialogue and witty descriptions raises this author's work above run of the mill novels.
M C Beaton - Death of a Gossip - first in the Hamish Macbeth series - good light reading.
Anna Dale - Magical Mischief - a children's book but still worth reading for adults - Mr Hardbattle's bookshop has been taken over by magic. We see drawing pins sending messages, a velour elephant which marches up and down a shelf, a step that turns to custard and books that rearrange themselves in the colours of the rainbow when no one is looking. Fun for any age.
Trisha Ashley, Angela Thirkell and Veronica Heley were books the rest were e-books.
Showing posts with label Trisha Ashley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trisha Ashley. Show all posts
Tuesday, 16 November 2010
Saturday, 30 October 2010
Busy Kindling . . .
Is Kindling a verb created from a noun or is it just a new meaning for the word which means the wood you use to light a fire with? I seem to spend a lot of time reading at the moment and the novelty of my Kindle has not yet worn off.
Recent reads in e-book have been:
Georgette Heyer - Death in the Stocks - a body is found in the village stocks and leads Superintendent down some very murky byways of family life
Wendy Holden - Gallery Girl - this was a paperback - I enjoyed it though not as much as some of hers. I did enjoy the jibes at the pretensions of some of the more way out parts of the art world - artificial legs sprayed gold and hung on a washing line - your for £20 million. There are some absolutely priceless scenes towards the end of the book which make the whole thing worth while.
Georgette Heyer - Footsteps in the Dark - a brother and two sisters inherit a dilapidated country house only to find that it appears to have a resident ghost or two. They quickly realise that the ghost may be rather more corporeal than it would like them to think.
Richard Wiseman - 59 seconds - sort of distilled self help and psychology. It was interesting but as I can't remember anything about it now it clearly wasn't that memorable!
The Complete Idiot's Guide to dealing with Difficult People - interesting with a few tips I shall make use of such as lowering your voice when someone is getting angry. It reminds the reader that you can never control the behaviour of others - only how you react to that behaviour.
Currently reading:
Georgette Heyer - Detection Unlimited - murder of a very unlikeable solicitor in a country village - featuring Chief Inspector Hemingway.
Jenni Mills - The Buried Circle - set around Avebury featuring two parallel narratives from the point of view of India in the present day and Frannie, her grandmother in the late 1930s and early 1940s.
Trisha Ashley - The Twelve Days of Christmas - this is a paperback which I'd bought before I realised there was an e-book. I'm getting through it slowly and I'm starting to think her recent books are not as good as early ones.
Recent reads in e-book have been:
Georgette Heyer - Death in the Stocks - a body is found in the village stocks and leads Superintendent down some very murky byways of family life
Wendy Holden - Gallery Girl - this was a paperback - I enjoyed it though not as much as some of hers. I did enjoy the jibes at the pretensions of some of the more way out parts of the art world - artificial legs sprayed gold and hung on a washing line - your for £20 million. There are some absolutely priceless scenes towards the end of the book which make the whole thing worth while.
Georgette Heyer - Footsteps in the Dark - a brother and two sisters inherit a dilapidated country house only to find that it appears to have a resident ghost or two. They quickly realise that the ghost may be rather more corporeal than it would like them to think.
Richard Wiseman - 59 seconds - sort of distilled self help and psychology. It was interesting but as I can't remember anything about it now it clearly wasn't that memorable!
The Complete Idiot's Guide to dealing with Difficult People - interesting with a few tips I shall make use of such as lowering your voice when someone is getting angry. It reminds the reader that you can never control the behaviour of others - only how you react to that behaviour.
Currently reading:
Georgette Heyer - Detection Unlimited - murder of a very unlikeable solicitor in a country village - featuring Chief Inspector Hemingway.
Jenni Mills - The Buried Circle - set around Avebury featuring two parallel narratives from the point of view of India in the present day and Frannie, her grandmother in the late 1930s and early 1940s.
Trisha Ashley - The Twelve Days of Christmas - this is a paperback which I'd bought before I realised there was an e-book. I'm getting through it slowly and I'm starting to think her recent books are not as good as early ones.
Wednesday, 17 March 2010
Currently reading
Trisha Ashley's Chocolate Wishes - escapist women's fiction involving chocolate and very attractive vicar who used to be a rock star and various varieties of witches - both male and female. Everyone needs to escape sometimes.
In contrast I am reading Betty Friedan's The Feminist Mystique - first published in 1963 but still relevant today. Those who advocate women confining their attentions to domesticity and living through their husbands and children need to read this book. It isn't good for anyone's physical or mental health to live their lives through someone else's achievements. If you need pills to adjust to your feminine role in life then there just maybe something wrong with the stereotype of the ideal feminine - especially if a large number of 'housewives' need to take pills to get through the day. One quote I love from this book suggests that most domestic work could probably done by an 8 year old child - and yet people suggest - even now - that this a fulfilling role for an adult woman?
I have also just started Georgette Heyer's Envious Casca - no thoughts on that as yet because I've only read about 20 pages.
In contrast I am reading Betty Friedan's The Feminist Mystique - first published in 1963 but still relevant today. Those who advocate women confining their attentions to domesticity and living through their husbands and children need to read this book. It isn't good for anyone's physical or mental health to live their lives through someone else's achievements. If you need pills to adjust to your feminine role in life then there just maybe something wrong with the stereotype of the ideal feminine - especially if a large number of 'housewives' need to take pills to get through the day. One quote I love from this book suggests that most domestic work could probably done by an 8 year old child - and yet people suggest - even now - that this a fulfilling role for an adult woman?
I have also just started Georgette Heyer's Envious Casca - no thoughts on that as yet because I've only read about 20 pages.
Tuesday, 21 April 2009
Trisha Ashley and First Edition magazine
I like Trisha Ashley's books. They're light hearted with interesting characters and backgrounds. Her latest Wedding Tiers is no exception. Josie is living in an idyllic Lancashire village with her artist boyfriend Ben. She makes individually designed wedding cakes such as the marvellous one she made for an Elizabethan themed wedding in the shape of a pomander. It seems as though her life will become even more idyllic when her long time best friend Libby returns to the village and decides to settle there and buy the local manor house, Blessings. When she plans on setting up a business organising wedding receptions it seems as though it will be a partnership made in heaven.
But as with any Eden there is a serpent in the shape of Ben, Josie's boyfriend, who is being less than truthful about his activities in London. Josie's revenge on him is priceless. The eco friendly lifestyle which most of the villagers live partly through necessity and their informal barter system is well described. I didn't even feel the message was being forced on me! Loved it - real feel good fiction.
First Edition Magazine which Anne Brooke was kind enough to mention is excellent value for money - 18 short stories as well as poetry, interviews, news and competitions. The latest issue - no 3 - contains an interesting interview with Anne herself and is well worth reading. It can be obtained direct from the publisher - www.firsteditionpublishing.co.uk - or from newsagents for the princely sum of £3.00.
I thought the quality of the stories was somewhat uneven but there were some gems amongst them as well. Even the serial was good in spite of the fact I've not read the first two installments! Long may the magazine continue especially as it welcomes submissions. I get the impression short stories are becoming more popular.
But as with any Eden there is a serpent in the shape of Ben, Josie's boyfriend, who is being less than truthful about his activities in London. Josie's revenge on him is priceless. The eco friendly lifestyle which most of the villagers live partly through necessity and their informal barter system is well described. I didn't even feel the message was being forced on me! Loved it - real feel good fiction.
First Edition Magazine which Anne Brooke was kind enough to mention is excellent value for money - 18 short stories as well as poetry, interviews, news and competitions. The latest issue - no 3 - contains an interesting interview with Anne herself and is well worth reading. It can be obtained direct from the publisher - www.firsteditionpublishing.co.uk - or from newsagents for the princely sum of £3.00.
I thought the quality of the stories was somewhat uneven but there were some gems amongst them as well. Even the serial was good in spite of the fact I've not read the first two installments! Long may the magazine continue especially as it welcomes submissions. I get the impression short stories are becoming more popular.
Sunday, 16 November 2008
Books
I finished reading Veronica Heley - False Step the other day and very good it was too. This is a new series which started with False Charity and features widow Bea Abbot who runs a domestic agency. This one involved a suicide which turned out to be murder and a corpse who isn't what he seems. I thought it was the best one so far.
I've also just finished Alison Joseph - A Violent Act which is the latest in the Sister Agnes series. She is a very unconventional nun with a penchant for fast cars, good food and wine. In this story she has to face unfinished business to do with her father who died some years ago. Her friend, Father Julius, wants her to visit a lady who is dying of cancer and an inmate of the hostel for homeless young people which she helps to run dies of an overdose. An excellent complex plot with more serious issues than the average who done it.
Paul Gallico's Flowers for Mrs Harris is a charming short novel - Ada 'Arris - London char falls in love with the idea of owning a Dior dress. So she saves up until she has enough money to fly to Paris to buy one. What happens to her and the people she meets is a gorgeous heart warming story. I had read this author's Too Many Ghosts and The Hand of Mary Constable so this was another one to add to the list.
I am currently reading Trisha Ashley - A Winter's Tale. This is sort of chick lit but also almost an historical novel in modern dress. Sophy inherits Winter's End a rambling manor house, estate and a garden which is in the process of restoration. There are two eccentric great aunts who live on the premises and a cousin who expected to inherit and who is trying to persuade Sophy to marry him so that he can get his greedy paws on the property. Excellent light reading.
I've also just finished Alison Joseph - A Violent Act which is the latest in the Sister Agnes series. She is a very unconventional nun with a penchant for fast cars, good food and wine. In this story she has to face unfinished business to do with her father who died some years ago. Her friend, Father Julius, wants her to visit a lady who is dying of cancer and an inmate of the hostel for homeless young people which she helps to run dies of an overdose. An excellent complex plot with more serious issues than the average who done it.
Paul Gallico's Flowers for Mrs Harris is a charming short novel - Ada 'Arris - London char falls in love with the idea of owning a Dior dress. So she saves up until she has enough money to fly to Paris to buy one. What happens to her and the people she meets is a gorgeous heart warming story. I had read this author's Too Many Ghosts and The Hand of Mary Constable so this was another one to add to the list.
I am currently reading Trisha Ashley - A Winter's Tale. This is sort of chick lit but also almost an historical novel in modern dress. Sophy inherits Winter's End a rambling manor house, estate and a garden which is in the process of restoration. There are two eccentric great aunts who live on the premises and a cousin who expected to inherit and who is trying to persuade Sophy to marry him so that he can get his greedy paws on the property. Excellent light reading.
Thursday, 17 April 2008
Books and other things
This week I finished reading Donna Leon's 'The Girl of his Dreams'. It definitely came up to her usual standard. I'd always avoided crime stories set 'abroad' until a friend recommended Donna Leon. Once I started reading them I was hooked. Her writing style is very plain and straightforward and you are almost unaware of the words when you're reading. The story sucks you in and seems to seep into your brain through osmosis. Her characters are three dimensional with Guido Brunetti himself being one of the most believable detectives I've come across in fiction. Venice - the setting - is a character in itself. The sights and sounds and the people of the city come alive on the page. The plots are never simple and always leave you wondering about the very fine line between right and wrong. Brunetti is always battling the inherent corruption in his attempts to put the guilty behind bars. Frequently he does not succeed or the ending is ambiguous.
This latest book is every bit as good as her previous ones. Brunetti continually grows and matures. He is far from immune from things like impatience and irritability making him a very human character. The girl of the title is pulled out of a canal ostensibly drowned. But Brunetti is not convinced it is just a tragic accident, and the startling post mortem results merely fuel his disquiet. Running alongside the main plot is a personal investigation into a semi religious sect which appears to be persuading people to part with large amounts of cash. Intertwined is the vexed question of gypsy migrants and the way the forces of law and order are hamstrung by the laws they are meant to be enforcing. I loved it.
I've also read Trisha Ashley's 'Happy Endings'. This is a light and frothy chick lit type of story. Its heroine is Tina Devino who writes 'sex and gardening' novels and runs a part time literary agency/critique service. Each chapter begins with a letter to or from one of her clients - which would also make a book in themselves. Tina has an on-off relationship with Sergei - a former Russian ballet dancer. She has reached crisis point when her ex-husband - Tim - goes to work for the publishers of her moderately successful books, and threatens to dispense with her services. What she needs is a rich husband or a successful book. What happens and how she deals with it prove humorous and entertaining. One of the best of its kind in my opinion and I recommend it if you want a little light reading with an approaching middle age heroine.
I've just started reading 'Mothernight' by Sarah Stovell - which Anne has reported on in her blog - link at the top of the page. I came across it as an Amazon recommendation and it looks good. I will report on it at a later date.
Off to look at some favourite sites and then relax with a book - nearly the weekend.
This latest book is every bit as good as her previous ones. Brunetti continually grows and matures. He is far from immune from things like impatience and irritability making him a very human character. The girl of the title is pulled out of a canal ostensibly drowned. But Brunetti is not convinced it is just a tragic accident, and the startling post mortem results merely fuel his disquiet. Running alongside the main plot is a personal investigation into a semi religious sect which appears to be persuading people to part with large amounts of cash. Intertwined is the vexed question of gypsy migrants and the way the forces of law and order are hamstrung by the laws they are meant to be enforcing. I loved it.
I've also read Trisha Ashley's 'Happy Endings'. This is a light and frothy chick lit type of story. Its heroine is Tina Devino who writes 'sex and gardening' novels and runs a part time literary agency/critique service. Each chapter begins with a letter to or from one of her clients - which would also make a book in themselves. Tina has an on-off relationship with Sergei - a former Russian ballet dancer. She has reached crisis point when her ex-husband - Tim - goes to work for the publishers of her moderately successful books, and threatens to dispense with her services. What she needs is a rich husband or a successful book. What happens and how she deals with it prove humorous and entertaining. One of the best of its kind in my opinion and I recommend it if you want a little light reading with an approaching middle age heroine.
I've just started reading 'Mothernight' by Sarah Stovell - which Anne has reported on in her blog - link at the top of the page. I came across it as an Amazon recommendation and it looks good. I will report on it at a later date.
Off to look at some favourite sites and then relax with a book - nearly the weekend.
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