Books in my week....

I've had a fairly quiet book week - not because the books were bad, far from it - but mainly because I've been spending the time devising a new design for my ever popular knitted book bags, and try as I might I simply can't knit and read paper books at the same time....





Letters From Home by Kristina McMorris

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
jaffa's rating 4paws

Set in 1944, against the backdrop of WW2 this sweet love story is based on the author's own grandparents wartime correspondence.
Elizabeth has a fiancé, but pretending to be her friend Betty, she starts a wartime correspondence with GI Morgan McCain. As Morgan faces fighting in the conflict in Europe, their letters become increasingly intimate, and Elizabeth is faced with the dilemma of loving two very different men.

Beautifully written from the opening page, this is a delightful debut novel. The narrative could so easily have developed into an overly sentimental love story, but the transformation of the characters during the course of the story serves as a panacea against the horror of war. I think that the author has used her own family’s wartime experiences to great advantage, and the book is a marvellous testament to her grandparents, and the resilience and fortitude of a generation of young people who faced loss on grand scale.

I was lucky enough to be given an advance reading copy of this lovely book to review for :

http://www.newbooksmag.com/

Catching the Tide by Judith Lennox

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

jaffa's rating 4paws

This beautifully written book has an overwhelming theme of love and loss, and expertly captures the hedonistic atmosphere of pre war WW2 London and Europe.
Tessa Nicholson is young and very beautiful, she embraces love and passion with joie de vivre, and yet when she meets and falls in love with a married man her whole life is irrevocably changed. Her younger sister Frederica, has a stabilising influence but with war looming the sisters need to make their own very difficult choices.

I really enjoyed this book, Judith Lennox has an easy style of writing that captivates from the opening line, she has long been one of my favourite authors and this latest book is a perfect summer read.

And finally .......My guilty pleasure read of the week !!

A Hint of Rapture by Miriam Minger

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

jaffa's rating 0paws -

In the aftermath of the battle of Culloden, the Scottish highlands are populated with English redcoats who seek to destroy the very fabric of Highland life. When Madeleine Fraser's father is killed at Culloden,she swears to take vengeance, and raids English supplies in order to feed her villagers. When her family home is taken over by a group of English redcoats Madeleine must seek to hide her identity from the handsome English Captain, Garrett Marshall, but she is unprepared for the effect this dashing English soldier will have on her heart.

I love a good adventurous Highland romp, and this was certainly risqué - it also had the added advantage of being a free kindle download.Great escapism - handsome hero gets the girl. Works for me every time !

My weekly review round up...

A really successful batch of crime books kept me occupied last week. Taking me to America and Grant County courtesy of Karin Slaughter's excellent book Broken. Staying in America with Linwood Barclay's Too Close To Home, which was a fascinating look at small town America and the sheer misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. My week ended with Jane Casey's second crime novel The Burning, set in and around London and the Home counties, this was an interesting look at how a murder investigation can evolve.

Broken by Karin Slaughter

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jaffa's rating 4paws

Whenever I pick up the latest Karin Slaughter book I know that I am in for a jolly good read. Graphic and gritty from the opening page Broken just flows seamlessly from beginning to end - the story sees the return of Sara Linton to Heartsdale for a family thanksgiving celebration. Unwillingly she is drawn into a local murder investigation which will have far reaching repercussions for her old adversary, Lena Adams.Interestingly, this novel sees the introduction of Will Trent from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation onto Sara's home turf - the burgeoning relationship between Will and Sara is reaching the interesting phase.

This is a cleverly executed crime thriller, and well worth the read, I really liked it.

Too Close to Home by Linwood Barclay

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

jaffa's rating 4paws

Promise Falls is a small town in up state New York, it's rather sleepy and not much happens, that is, until Derek Cutter witnesses a murder - a classic case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time - or is it? What then follows is s cleverly constructed crime thriller with enough twists and turns in the plot to keep you turning the pages. The characterisation is good, and compliments the storyline which is gritty in places but never gratuitously violent.

I enjoyed it.

The Burning by Jane Casey

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

jaffa's rating 5paws

Maeve Kerrigan is an ambitious young woman detective trying to make her mark in man's world. Her investigating skills are good but never fully recognised until she is given the opportunity to work on an enquiry into the murder of a young woman who may be the fifth victim of a serial killer known as The Burning Man. What then follows is a cleverly constructed crime thriller with enough psychological content to keep you guessing. All the separate strands of the story are cleverly brought together with a satisfying conclusion.

I enjoyed Jane Casey's debut novel The Missing but must say that her writing in The Burning is tighter and much more controlled, overall, it's a much better novel.

I look forward with interest to reading her next book.

This was my favourite read of the week and highly recommend it.

Aren't people great !

I've felt quite ill over the past few weeks with an illness that periodically rears its ugly head and brings devastation to my life, but through all the rubbish I've found out that what is truly important in my life is -

The love of a good man..

My children..

My family, and my friends...

...and reading a good book with jaffa !!

"My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style"
— Maya Angelou

To all those I love -----THANK YOU !!

My Life in Book Titles....

By using the titles from some of the books I have read this year, I've devised this fun list!!

Describe Yourself...Rich Girl, Poor Girl by Leslie Lokko

How do you feel...Tatty by Christine Dwyer Hickey

Describe where your currently live...The House at Sea's End by Ellie Griffiths

If you could go anywhere , where would you go...Crimson China by Betsy Tobin

Your favourite form of transportation...Auriel Rising by Elizabeth Redfern

Your Best Friend...Belle by Lesley Pearse

You and your Friends are ...The Forgotten Legion by Ben Kane

What's the weather like today...Russian Winter by Daphne Kalotay

What's your favourite time of day...Darkside by Belinda Bauer

If your Life was like ...Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts

What is important in life to you...The Weight of Silence by Helen Gudenkauf

What do you fear...The Gallows Curse by Karen Maitland

What is the best advice you have to give...Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson

Thought for the Day ...The Hand that first held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell

Cold comfort crime...

I have spent the last few weeks wallowing in comfort reads, so have decided to go to the opposite end of my comfort spectrum, and immerse myself in good crime novels. Jaffa is breathing a sigh of relief, as comfort reads are a bit girlie for him - he loves a good crime scene, and rather fancies himself as a super sleuth....

SO...... our reads this week are :

Broken by Karin Slaughter - I'm so excited to read this -it's been on my shelf for months but I could only start read it once I knew that there would be another book coming out soon...30 days actually to the publication of Fallen in the UK

http://www.karinslaughter.com/

The Burning by Jane Casey - I really enjoyed Jane Casey's debut crime novel The Missing, so here's hoping that this one lives up to expectations.

Too Close to Home by Linwood Barclay - I read and enjoyed No Time for Goodbye when it came out way back in 2007, but then didn't manage to get round to reading any more from this excellent American crime novelist - so.... as I have two of his books on my shelves , it's high time I read at least one of them....

Thought for the Day - Books. Cats. Life is Good (Edward Gorey)

My weekly review round-up...

During our quiet time jaffa and I have had a good selection of nice and easy reads...here they are...

The Summer House by Mary Nichols

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

jaffa's rating 4paws

Whilst her husband is fighting in the horrors of WW1,Lady Helen Barstairs begins an illicit affair with a dashing young Canadian captain, when she becomes pregnant, Helen's parents hide her away so that she will not be the subject of local gossip and condemnation. At birth the baby is forcibly removed from Helen's care and given to an illegal adoption agency who place the child far away from Helen's grasp.
The novel then moves forward to the 1940's and with WW2 having a devastating effect on everyone's lives, Helen Drummond is preparing for her wedding to Bob Rawton, with little knowledge of how her future is about to be altered.

This is a beautifully written family saga which expertly captures the feelings and fear of living through the war years, when to be young and in love came at a price, and which proves that the consequences of our actions can have far reaching repercussions.

I enjoyed it.

Missing You by Louise Douglas

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

jaffa's rating 5paws

Vulnerable Fen comes with the burden of carried secrets, and yet is a wonderfully supportive mother to her damaged child. When an equally damaged Sean enters her life , Fen is overcome with desire for him but allows him the time and space to find her in his own way. This beautifully written story of love, loss and the power of redemption captures the intricacies of relationships with extraordinary perception.

I loved reading this book, and from the opening page I was drawn quickly into the story - I thought that Louise Douglas's debut book The Love of My Life was pretty special - take my word for it - this one is too.

The Beach Hut by Veronica Henry

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

jaffa's rating 3paws

This is a super series of intertwining short stories which highlight a community of Beach Hut dwellers over the course of a summer. All the characters come to life, and when some stories overlap it all adds to the overall effect of a light and easy summer read.

This is one of those books that you could easily read in one perfect summer afternoon.

That Summer Affair by Sarah Challis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

jaffa's rating 4paws

When 12 year old Jodie Foot goes missing from a sleepy English village the whole community is shocked and saddened, the knock -on consequences will have a far reaching effect on everyone.I really enjoyed the whole village atmosphere and there's some lovely characterisation, with sensitive and thoughtful insights into what makes people act the way they do.

This is a quietly reflective book, rather typical of Sarah Challis's light and easy style of writing. As always she expertly captures the nuances of behaviour in a rural setting.

A worn out jaffa...

Jaffa is quite worn out and has taken to one of his favourite pastimes ...

Whenever I feel a bit down in spirit, I always turn to reading, and my book choices so far this week have been like comfort blankets ...good writing, easy story lines, and with the added joy of becoming so immersed in a book, that you are able forget what's going on around you...

Here are my current reads ....

The Beach Hut by Veronica Henry

That Summer Affair by Sarah Challis

Missing You by Louise Douglas

And two new books in today to be added to my tbr mountain of books:

Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton

Playing the Game by Barbara Taylor Bradford