Mar
31
2009
5

March books

41b3kmpcvpl_sl500_aa240_Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult features Nina, who is an assistant district attorney. Life is going very well for her until her 5-year old son Nathaniel discloses that he has been sexually abused. Despite spending many years prosecuting child abusers she knows that the likelihood of gaining a conviction is slim, so when her son discloses who the perpetrator was she takes the law into her own hands.

Usually I quite like Jodi Picoult books but this one was much the same as some of her other stories, but it just wasn’t quite as good ! I think I enjoy her novels more when they are set in an unusual situations, like Plain Truth which was set in the Amish community. This one just didn’t quite cut it for me unfortunately.

————————————————————————

4110w1jbj8l_sl500_aa240_ I have been listening to Light on Snow by Anita Shreve on CD. Nicky is 12-years old and and lives in the middle of nowhere in New Hampshire along with her father. They moved there following the death of her mother and sister in a car accident and her father doesn’t really want to have too much contact with the outside wall. However, this all changes when they go walking in the snow one day and find a newborn baby in the woods. Things get even stranger when the mother of the baby turns up at their house in the middle of a snow storm.

To be honest I didn’t really like this book much. I think this is partly because I thought the story was slow, and quite dull and I didn’t really like the characters. However, I have to admit that I found that the woman who was reading the book had the most irritating, drawly, whiney American accent, and that put me off. The other thing that irritated me was that the dialogue was incredibly stilted, with lots of “he said”, “she saids” which just wound me up. I am not sure I would have noticed it so much if I had been reading the book, but listening to it made it very obvious.

Not one of my favourites!

————————————————————————

51wdzagd8gl_sl500_aa240_ The Suspicions of Mr Whicher or the Murder at Road Hill House by Kate Summerscale is one of the first Richard and Judy books that I haven’t enjoyed. It is about the real life murder of a three-year old boy who was brutally murdered by one of the residents of the house. The book was researched using police papers from the National Archive and other information gained from newspapers around the time.

I guess I just found it a bit boring. It was incredibly detailed, but I found the story dragged and I just found the whole research thing a bit tedious.

Seems to me I haven’t enjoyed many books so far this month. Maybe I need to read another No 1 Ladies Detective Agency to cheer me up!

————————————————————————

418my4n3tal_sl500_aa240_Conversations with the Fat Girl by Liza Palmer was a good book. It is about a girl called Maggie and her best friend Olivia. When they were younger both girls were overweight, but Olivia paid for surgery and is now a US size 2 – just in time for her wedding. Maggie hasn’t lost the weight, but this book is about her discovery of how her weight doesn’t make her a better or worse person, and it also doesn’t mean her life has to end.

It is unusual for me to find a novel so thought-provoking. I guess having been a ‘fat girl’ my entire life, I found that I related to Maggie and her traumas. Her anxieties and low self-esteem was both heartbreaking and endearing and she very much proved that she was so much nicer than her skinny friend. However, she rather beautifully got her own back at the end!

————————————————————————

51odriubxpl_bo2204203200_pisitb-sticker-arrow-clicktopright35-76_aa240_sh20_ou02_Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith is the third in the Number 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Series.

So, we meet again with Mma Precious Ramotswe and her now legendary detective work. However, some of he problems are closer to home as her intended husband appears to be suffering with depression. The stories and mysteries to be solved are unusual but not especially interesting, but what I loved the most about this book is the gentle meander through the culture of Botswana. The focus on community and the role of the extended family was beautifully developed and I found in incredibly endearing. I love these stories. The characters are beautifully developed and when I have read loads of crap books, I can rely on the No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency to cheer me up.

————————————————————————

519n80glr1l_bo2204203200_pisitb-sticker-arrow-clicktopright35-76_aa240_sh20_ou02_A Friend of the Family by Lisa Jewell is about the London family, who are a family in need, even though they don’t know it. Gerry and Bernie are the parents, totally in love with each other and live in a house full of tat. They are also the parents to three boys. Tony is newly divorced and in love with one of his brother’s girlfriends. Sean is a successful novelist, who goes to pieces when he finds out his girlfriend is pregnant, and Ned who has just returned from living in Australia where he left a girlfriend who keeps sending her hair and toenail clippings in the post to show how mental she is. Living with their parents is Gervase, an enigmatic rockabilly who seems to have a psychic gift for understanding the troubles the boys are going through.

I really enjoyed this book – an easy read with likeable characters. Halfway through I thought the story was familiar… it was… I have read this book before!!

————————————————————————

51aajaq4eol_bo2204203200_pisitb-sticker-arrow-clicktopright35-76_aa240_sh20_ou02_Sunbathing Naked and Other Miracle Cures by Guy Kennaway is a hilarious, and sad memoir about living with psoriasis. It documents the many different types of cures he has tried for this difficult to manage condition and the ways in which it affects his life. There are some real laugh out loud moments… especially when he is describing naked sunbathing, and the ways in which people contort their bodies to get as much sun the the affected parts. Unfortunately I was on the bus when I was reading that part so I was quite embarrassing. I found this book very interesting as my sister had psoriasis when she was younger and had to use the most revolting smelly shampoo. Anyway, great book about a serious subject!

————————————————————————

21qggmpsy0l_sl500_aa180_Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs is about a TV cook called Gus. She hosts a successful cookery show and seriously gets the hump when she is forced into hosting a life TV cookery show with an ex-beauty-queen called Carmen who she loathes with a passion. The book contains some serious spats and some hilarious attempts at team building.

The other thing that this book did was made me think about how important food is to my family, especially on my Mum’s side. Whether it is family party, wedding, funeral or general day-to-day stuff, food is pretty crucial. My Mum makes an amazing roast and prize winning Guernsey biscuits. Auntie Josie’s profiteroles are legendary, as are Auntie Pat’s meringues. As for Auntie Jen…. pretty much everything she cooks is magnificent. Maybe this goes some way to explain why I am not wafer thin!!

Whilst I enjoyed this book I found the beginning really slow, but the ending was wrapped up way too quickly. The author also wrote The Friday Night Knitting Club which I absolutely loved (and reviewed here) I kind of felt that this second book was a bit rushed and didn’t have the same charm as the first but it was still an OK read.

————————————————————————

41qmxxlkyyl_sl500_aa240_1And now to something distinctly less chick-litty! Onto an audio book called Blood Hunt by Ian Rankin, writing as Jack Harvey.

Gordon Reeve is a survival expert who lives in the Scottish Highlands with his family. His life is ticking along quite nicely, running ‘let’s-play-at-being-soldier’ weekends for men who think they look good with a gun, when his journalist brother is found dead in a car in America. Allegedly it is suicide but Gordon is less than convinced when he finds out that his brother has been investigating a less-than-savoury story. There is plenty of bloodshed and suspense and a great story with lots of twists and turns.

For a start, I really liked the voice of the guy reading this story which definitely helps! I thought that characters were well developed and interesting and it was an excellent read/listen. In general I like Ian Rankin novels and this one was a bit different to his usual Rebus novels.

————————————————————————

41cn4j8647l_sl500_aa240_Home Truths by Freya North is another great book. The McCable sisters, Fen, Pip and Cat have characterised their whole lives by the fact that when they were small their mother ran off with a cowboy from Denver. As a result they were looked after by their eccentric uncle Django who has an interesting take on cooking and an equally colourful dress sense. However, on his 75th birthday their lives are turned upside down when their mother arrived.

I have always like these books by Freya North. Her characters are beautifully developed, largely due to the fact that each of the girls has a whole booked dedicated to them. This story of about families, both traditional and the more untraditional and how close family bonds enable them to get through almost anything.

————————————————————————

41cva4nqh7l_sl500_aa240_2I was very confused by the book More Twisted by Jeffrey Deaver. I found it confusing and difficult to read and I couldn’t work out why each chapter seemed like a different story with different characters and plots. It was only when I got to the end of the book, peeled off the label on the front and read the statement “Bite-sized thrills from the master of suspense” that it actually made sense. The reason that it felt like a book of short stories was because it is a book of story stories. Doh!!!

Written by Anna Williams in: Uncategorized | Tags: ,
Mar
28
2009
2

It’s oh so quiet…

It is rather strange this weekend as The Mister is Oop Norf and I am at home. Since we got together 7 months ago we have only missed two other weekends which I think is spectacular going. Our weekend ‘off’ is because we are going on holiday next weekend and will spend nearly 2 weeks together. To say I am excited is an understatement and a half!

Written by Anna Williams in: Uncategorized |
Mar
22
2009
3

Trains, trains, trains

Another happy and tiring weekend. I didn’t really take any good pics this weekend so you get a text only version this time!

On Saturday The Mister and I went to York for the day. We visited The National Railway Museum and had a look at… oh so many trains! Now, I love going on steam trains, but I have discovered I am not really that interested at just looking at them. I last went to this museum when I was bout 12 and I was bored senseless. I have to admit that after about an hour I was all ready to go and sit outside in the sunshine and read my book, but The Mister took pity on me and we left. We then had a spot of lunch and wandered around some of the gorgeous shops… I love being able to meander my way around looking at unusual shops. It was such a gorgeous day and I even caught the sun on my shoulders.

I love my weekends, and I really love being in Yorkshire, but I have to admit that I find the driving a bit of a killer these days. I would take the train but it is so expensive and it is nice to have my car when I am there so that we can go out and about more easily.

So, next weekend we have… shock, horror (!!) a weekend off seeing each other as the following weekend we are going on holiday. I am so excited about going away… I need some sun.. plus I get two whole weeks with The Mister. He will almost certainly be sick of the sight of me by the end of it!!

Written by Anna Williams in: Uncategorized |
Mar
19
2009
0

Poor Jesus

funny pictures of cats with captions
see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Written by Anna Williams in: Uncategorized | Tags: ,
Mar
15
2009
3

Wonderful weekends

dscn6045The Mister and I have had such a lovely weekend. Friends of mine from church got married yesterday and it was one of the most ‘interesting’ weddings I have ever been to. For a start, there was soooo many people there. The church was packed and the bride looked absolutely gorgeous. One of the things that made me laugh so much was that they exited the church to the theme tune to Rocky. The reception had about 350 people in attendance, and because they had invited so many people they did what they called ‘a picnic of love’. They got people to sign up to bring food and help provide the wedding meal. The reception was held in a church building and had massive tables set up down the middle. It was chaos, but great fun. In the evening they had a brilliant band playing and people just danced and enjoyed themselves. It was a wonderful day for the most fantastic couple.

Today we bunked off church and went wandering instead. I followed a link from Mre C’s blog which mentioned the The Watercress Wildlife Association which is a nature reserve. So, we went for a little walk around it and took a few photos. It is a beautiful spot, quiet and yet really noisy with all the sounds of birdsong. It was such a beautiful day and it was really nice to be able to be outside without a coat or hat. Happy days. These days my weekends are just the happiest days of my life.

DSCN6058DSCN6063
DSCN6068DSCN6066
DSCN6071DSCN6062
DSCN6069DSCN6074

Written by Anna Williams in: Uncategorized | Tags: , ,
Mar
11
2009
11

Being crafty

Here are a couple of my latest creations. Both are for gifts… one for a wedding present and the other for… well… I couldn’t possibly say!

The background is cross-stitched and then I found these gorgeous handmade ceramic buttons. They are really pretty and I have set them on a bit of felt. I am pleased with how they have turned out and think they look effective. I hope the recipients like them!

DSCN6041

DSCN6042

Written by Anna Williams in: Uncategorized | Tags: ,
Mar
08
2009
7

Mozzy bites

dscn6027dscn6031dscn6034This weekend has been really nice and chilled. Having spent the last couple of weekends driving Oop North it was lovely not have to drive anywhere this weekend. So, yesterday we took a very short drive to go to a shopping centre so I could try and find something to wear for a wedding next weekend. I lost the will to live within about 30 minutes – I truly, truly hate shopping these days.

Giving the shopping up as a bad idea we went instead to look at planes at The de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre, better known as The Mosquito Museum. It was where the original Mosquito plane was built and they have the prototype in one of their hangars. What I love about this museum (and yes, very sadly, I have actually been there before – even before The Mister came on the scene, so I can’t even blame him for my fascination in aeroplanes!) is that it really is an anoraks dream. They do have a display about the planes and lots of information but the hangars have several strange people wandering around and working on the aircrafts. It’s a plane anoraks idea of heaven. Therefore, The Mister was happy!

I should also say, that after we had been to the museum we popped along to the RSPCA rescue centre which is pretty much next door to look at the cats and the dogs. There was so many gorgeous cats there that I would have loved to take home with me. The Mister has promised me that if we ever move in together then I can have as many cats as I like. I think three is the ideal number!

Written by Anna Williams in: Uncategorized | Tags:
Mar
04
2009
5

Yum!

DSCN6021

Fabric squares all ready for the next bit of crafting I am going to do. Just don’t ask me how much this little lot cost!!!

Can you guess what it is going to be?

Written by Anna Williams in: Uncategorized | Tags: ,
Mar
02
2009
3

The weekend

I have had the loveliest weekend. The Mister and I went even Further Up North than my usual Up North, to stay with his friends and their kids. It was so nice to see everyone, and on Saturday evening we went out to a beer festival. Fortunately for our livers the festival ran out of beer before we could get really legless, but even so, we had to buy pizza on the way home. Needs must you know! It was fab to spend some time with Tom and Anne and their kids and we had a really nice day in the park with the kids. So, here are some pics…

DSCN5992DSCN5993
DSCN5997DSCN6007

Written by Anna Williams in: Uncategorized | Tags: , ,

Design: TheBuckmaker.com WordPress Themes