Nov
30
2010
0

November books

House Rules by Jodi Picoult is actually quite a dense read for a Picoult book. Emma is a single mother of two boys, Jacob and Theo. Jacob is 18-years-old and has Aspergers and as a result he has many quirks, the most striking one is his passion for CSI type programmes. He has a habit of turning up at crime scenes to give the police ‘advice’ and he set sup crime scenes in his house. This is all fine until he is arrested for murder and put on trial. A daunting enough process for anyone, but especially for a young man whose disorder makes him look guiltier than most. A good book, although not always an easy read as it is narrated chapter by chapter by different characters in the story. Well worth a read though.

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The Love Resort by Faith Bleasdale is one of the worst and most surreal books I have ever read. I can’t even bring myself to tell you what the storyline is about because I am quite embarrassed to have read it (and even laughed at the ridiculousness of it on occasions!!!) The characters were shallow, the plot absolutely ridiculous and the writing wasn’t very good. Avoid, unless you are drunk or desperate.

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Reading in Bed by Sue Gee is a nice read. Georgia and Dido have been friends since school, now retired their lives are taken up with their children and grandchildren. Georgia’s husband died a few years ago and Dido finds out that her husband has been chasing a younger bit of skirt, things which change their worlds as they have known them. This was quite a good book with nicely developed main characters, although some of the other characters seem a little shallow. There was one thing that really, really annoyed me throughout this book though. The author seemed to have a complete aversion to speech marks. She never, ever used them to denote dialogue and I found it made it hard to follow at times!

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I really enjoyed Jewels of the Sun by Nora Roberts. Jude Murray flees Chicago to rural Ireland to stay a while in a cottage belonging to a distant (and dead) relative! She becomes fascinated by local folklore and decides to write a book. Of course she meets and falls in love with a hot Irish-man who is charming and silver tongued and their is a perfect happy ending! It was a nicely predictable book and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I should also say that this author is The Mister’s nemesis. When he lived in Canada for a few months he worked in a bookshop and apparently Nora Roberts is such a prolific author that he used to have to spend ages putting all her new books out on display. I think he has an aversion to anything to has every written now!

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Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner is a reasonably good book but the plotline is pretty ridiculous. Addie and Val were best friends at school, although they had a big falling out. Many years later Val, now a successful TV meterologist, turns up on Addie’s doorstep saying she has run over a boy they used to go to school with whilst they were at a school reunion. They decide to go back and see if he is ok, but when they get there he is nowhere to be seen. What follows is a ridiculous tale of them trying to avoid the law, whilst also trying to work out what happened to him.

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Judge & Jury by James Patterson and Andrew Cross is a much better read than some of the Patterson collaborations I have read. Andie DeGrasse is a wannabe acress who ends up serving jury service for the trial of the century for Mafia Don Dominic Cavello. It is a good read with exciting twists and turns. Andie teams up with the police officer who has been following this criminal for years, and between them they manage to get justice where the legal system fails.

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I really enjoyed The Chandler’s Daughter by Victor Pemberton even thought I know that these books probably appeal most to women of a certain age. Admitting to enjoying his books is a little like admitting a guilty secret! Set in 1937 Grace Higgs is a young woman who works with her father on his mobile grocery shop. When her father dies she is forced to continue with the business, whilst also finding out that he kept many secrets from her, all of which impact her life in a positive way. A schmaltzy war-time romance but I enjoyed it.

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You’ve Been Warned by James Patterson and Howard Roughan is not just one of the worst Patterson books I have ever read, it is one of the worst books I have ever read and Amazon reviews seem to agree with this. Patterson has written a ‘supernatural thriller’, that is a book that has no real storyline, doesn’t really make sense and actually doesn’t have an ending. It’s crap. Don’t bother reading it, even if someone gives it to you free!

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Scandalous by Tilly Bagshawe is a cracking read. Sasha Miller goes to Cambridge University to study physics and whilst there she makes a revolutionary discovery which her professor, Theo (who she has been having an affair with) steals and makes his fortune and becomes a scientific celebrity. The book springs forward to several years later and Sahsa hs left science behind and moved to America where she becomes a ball-busting business woman, all with the intention of ruining Theo’s life. She manages to achieve this by teaming up with Theo’s ex-wife and his downfall is dramatic and public. A good fast-paced book.

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Step on a Crack by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge is the first in the Michael Bennett novels, one of which I read last month (I think!) I like this new character and this book really sets the scene for him more than anything else. He is the father of 10 adopted children and in this story his wife is dying of cancer. Not only that, some of the most famous people in the country and gathered in the cathedral for the funeral of the former first-lady when they are taken hostage. So, whilst Detective Bennett is coping with his wife dying he is also being superman and trying to bring an end of the situation. I enjoyed it.

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Pretty Little Things but Jilliane Hoffman is quite a disturbing book about a bunch of teenage girls who go missing and turn up several months later after being imprisoned by their captor. When the dead bodies start appearing they are posed in an ‘artistic fashion’ and a photograph of the scene is sent to a local journalist. Not a bad book for this genre, although I worked out who the killer was ages before it was revealed. Fifteen love to Auntie Doris!

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Tears of the Moon by Nora Roberts is the second in her Irish Trilogy, and is not really as good as the first. This book focusses on the other Gallagher brother and the storyline is just so obvious it is ridiculous. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy the boy-likes-girl-likes-boy story but the ending was pretty obvious. I am wondering whether this is a downward trend and whether the third book will be absolutely appalling!

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Take A Chance On Me by Jill Mansell is an OK book in the chick-lit genre, but it isn’t especially earth-shattering. Cleo is working as a chauffeuse in the town where she grew up and this is all hunky-dorey until her childhood tormentor, in the form of Jonny LaVenture turns up following the death of his father. In the meantime her sister has found out that her husband has a long-lost daughter and the proverbial all hits the fan. Not a bad read, but not genius like some of her other books.

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Written by Anna Williams in: Uncategorized | Tags: ,
Nov
22
2010
1

Wet Windy Whitby

Last weekend The Mister and I went to a wet and windy Whitby. We stayed in a B&B called Argyle House which is a typical seaside B&B but it is beautifully clean with an excellent breakfast. The owners were so helpful and it was a short walk to all the attractions which has meant we haven’t had to get in our car at all this weekend. Bliss!

On Saturday morning we wandered into the main town bit and climbed the 199 steps to St Mary’s Church and Whitby Abbey. The Abbey is such a striking piece of architecture. Set high up on the headland the ruins stand out above the little town of Whitby. It was cold and windy up there and when it was used by the monks in AD657 it must have been absolutely freezing. Having said that it has the most beautiful views and is well worth a visit.

St Mary’s Church is one of the most bizarre churches I have ever visited. When we walked past it to get to the Abbey we commented that it looked like it had had bits added on to it. There was nothing coherent about it, and when we went inside it was absolutely the same. Apparently the building was extended numerous times and it has big box pews throughout the church, and they are really tall so it kind of makes it feel all boxed off. It’s such a strange place!

The rest of the Saturday we spent wandering around, doing a bit of shopping, drinking tea and trying to avoid the rain. We also went to one of the arcades and played on the 2p slot machines which I love and find really addictive! It was a wet and windy visit but so nice to have a bit of a break. There is something really nice about visiting a typical English seaside town out of season. It is relatively quiet and the whole place must be really different in the summer. So, whilst the weather might not be so good I would thoroughly recommend it!

On Sunday we did a bit more wandering around the town before going to the famousMagpie Cafe for gorgeous fish and chips for lunch and then The Mister drove home.

It really was a blissful weekend. We had no schedule to stick to. No-one to see and nothing planned. We spent plenty of time sitting in pubs and cafes reading newspapers and books and ignoring each other. We walked a lot, took photos and spent time just being together. A perfect weekend. No doubt about it!

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Written by Anna Williams in: Uncategorized | Tags: , ,
Nov
14
2010
4

A cat in a box

This video has really made The Mister and I giggle. Skip through to about 2 mins 10 secs for the that amused us the most!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XID_W4neJo[/youtube]

Written by Anna Williams in: Uncategorized | Tags: ,
Nov
11
2010
10

Waiting

I have been uhming and ahing for some time about whether to write this blog post. Most people who have read this blog for several years will have read my ramblings about being single and without children. To a certain extent it was all very well writing about those things whilst I was single, because they were (generally) just about me. Of course, now I am married I not only have to think about what I write affecting me, but also how it affects my lovely husband. So, when I was thinking about writing on here a bit about how I was feeling I asked The Mister what he thought of the idea. I asked him not because I want permission, but because I love him and don’t want to say anything that would embarrass or upset him. He didn’t have too much of a problem… as long as I didn’t say anything too personal!

Anyway, back to the subject in hand. Over the years I have been very honest about the things I want. I wanted to meet someone wonderful and get married and I want to have children. I have been very lucky to achieve the first one, now I would really like the second one! I never expected it would be such an emotional journey though. It’s not like I expected to be able to conceive immediately, and yet when it doesn’t happen it is really hard to deal with. The hardest bit is knowing people who seem to manage it really easily, and now have gorgeous children. My heart breaks when I see them, and it is hard to keep that resentment at bay. The fear that it might not happen to us is overwhelming and I am scared that I will never get to have the children I have longed for for so many years. I think we will be good parents and I am frightened that we won’t get the chance to have those experiences. Of course this whole issue is made even more difficult that my younger sister is pregnant for the second time. Once again she gets to do things twice before I even get to do it once!

I guess if someone could say to me, “in 3/6/12 months you will be pregnant” then I would be able to relax. It’s the not knowing that is so difficult to deal with. I hope it will happen, but who knows. Generally, all the things I have wanted most in the world I have had to wait for. If one more person says, “oh it will happen to you at the right time”, I am likely to punch them in the face. Nobody knows. Quite simply that is the fact of the matter and that really sucks.

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

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