Jaffa's Sunday Corner

Cat themed reading for the discerning feline

Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been?

I've been in London to look at the queen.

Pussy cat, pussy cat what did you there?

I frightened a little mouse under her chair

~~Nursery Rhyme~~

origin

The origins of the "Pussycat pussycat" rhyme dates back to the history of 16th century Tudor England. One of the waiting ladies of Queen Elizabeth I had an old cat which roamed throughout the castle. On one particular occasion the cat ran beneath the throne where its tail brushed against the Queen's foot, startling her. Luckily 'Good Queen Bess' had a sense of humour and decreed that the cat could wander about the throne room, on condition it kept it free of mice!

First Published 1805 in Songs for the Nursery.

Friday Recommends...

My Friday Recommended read 

is

The Girl You Left Behind

by

JoJo Moyes

Published 27 September 2012
Penguin

My thanks to Real Readers for a review copy in advance of publication

From Goodreads

In 1916 French artist Edouard Lefevre leaves his wife Sophie to fight at the Front. When her town falls into German hands, his portrait of Sophie stirs the heart of the local Kommandant and causes her to risk everything - her family, reputation and life - in the hope of seeing her true love one last time.

Nearly a century later and Sophie's portrait is given to Liv by her young husband shortly before his sudden death. Its beauty speaks of their short life together, but when the painting's dark and passion-torn history is revealed, Liv discovers that the first spark of love she has felt since she lost him is threatened...

In The Girl You Left Behind two young women, separated by a century, are united in their determination to fight for the thing they love most - whatever the cost.

My 5***** Review

This dual time narrative set alternatively in wartime France, and modern day London explores the history of an enigmatic painting which acts as a link between two very different women.

What I enjoyed most about  The Girl You Left Behind was the ease of transition between the dual time frames. 

The story starts in 1916, with the first third of the book involved with Sophie’s story. The description of her life in occupied France is vivid, and made all the more evocative by the sense of unrelenting hardship, and restriction of choices. I felt a sense of loss when Sophie’s part in the story ended, only to be drawn quickly into life in modern London, and newly widowed Liv’s despair at her dreadful financial status. With great skill, the author infuses such warmth into her characters that Liv very quickly becomes as much loved as Sophie, and as the lives of these two very different women intertwine, we are drawn into a story of devastating sorrow. 

I really enjoyed this story; it’s very easy to get emotionally involved with both Sophie and Liv, and as neither time frame outshines the other, I was just as enthralled with the modern day mystery, as I was with the historic setting of occupied France. 

Without doubt  The Girl You Left Behind will be in my top ten reads of 2012 - and if you have never read a book by JoJo Moyes, then please give her books a try - you won’t be disappointed.

There is a prequel to The Girl You left Behind available now as a novella ebook

Review - Love Slave by Jennifer Spiegel

 Love Slave

 by

 Jennifer Spiegel

Published 4September 2012 Unbridled Books

My 3 *** Review 

Set in nineties New York when the craziness of the streets is mirrored in the craziness of life in this vibrant city. Sybil Weatherfield is an office temp by day but ,by night she becomes a journalist writing for New York Shock - her column "Abcess"  makes her something of a minor celebrity.

But life is transient and Sybil seems to float in a blur of temporary status until she hooks up with Rob - he's the lead singer in a rock band called Glass Half Empty, who is quietly mourning but covering his loss in late nights and trivialities. What then follows is a story about love, loss and the search for the meaning of life

Sharp and witty in places, the author has a nice way with words, she describes New York as someone who knows the city well. I would think that if you experienced this time in the nineties, you would associate more with the characters, but as a social observation this story is carried me along until its satisfactory conclusion.

My thanks to NetGalley and Unbridled Books for the opportunity to read something so far out of my comfort zone.

Jaffa says ...."Nice cat on the cover!"

Wishlist Wednesday...

I am delighted to be part of wishlist Wednesday which is hosted by Dani at pen to paper

The idea is to post about one book each week that has been on your wishlist for some time, or maybe just added.

So what do you need to do to join in?

Follow Pen to Paper as host of the meme.

Pick a book from your wishlist that you are dying to get to put on your shelves.

Do a post telling your readers about the book and why it's on your wishlist.

Add your blog to the linky at the bottom of her post.

Put a link back to pen to paper (http://vogue-pentopaper.blogspot.com) somewhere in your post.

My Wishlist Wednesday Book 

is

The Rose Petal Beach

by 

Dorothy Koomson

From Goodreads

Every love story has a dangerous twist. Tamia Brenett is horrified when her husband, Scott, is accused of something terrible - but when she discovers who his accuser is, everything goes into freefall. Backed into a corner and unsure what to think, Tamia is forced to choose who she instinctively believes. But Tamia's choice has dire consequences for all concerned especially when matters take a tragic turn. Then a stranger arrives in town to sprinkle rose petals in the sea in memory of her lost loved one. This stranger carries with her shocking truths that will change the lives of everyone she meets, and will once again force Tamia to make some devastating choices..

I love the elegance of this book cover -it reminds me of an Alma Tadema Painting !

Dorothy Koomson has  long been one of my favourite authors, and sooner or later I know I'll get a copy of this one.

Published in the UK by Quercus on the 26th August 2012.

Review ~ The Vanishing Point by Val McDermid

My thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic inc for a review copy.

The Vanishing Point

by

Val McDermid

Grove Atlantic
September 2012

From Goodreads

One of the finest crime writers we have, Val McDermid’s heart-stopping thrillers have won her international renown and a devoted following of readers worldwide. In The Vanishing Point, she kicks off a terrifying thriller with a nightmare scenario: a parent who loses her child in a bustling international airport.

My3*** Review

The story opens with child abduction at a US airport -  it’s the stuff of nightmares for every parent, one minute your child is there, and then as powerless to help, you witness your child being taken away. The Vanishing Point starts off well, the idea of looking back to see how the story unfolds is interesting, and as we are introduced to the major characters, we are given glimmers into the twisted world of celebrity status. There is Scarlett Higgins, a TV reality star with an unsavoury past, and Stephanie Harker, the ghost writer, who when drafted in to write Scarlett’s autobiography as a letter to her then unborn child, takes on rather more than she bargained. Add together a handful of American FBI agents, mix together with English detectives, and this book should satisfy readers on both sides of the Atlantic.

Overall, I thought the book was a well written thriller, with enough twists and turns in the plot to keep the book ticking along nicely. The troubled past of the main protagonist is convincing, and as there are so many nuances of recent celebrity lives intertwined in the narrative,  you find yourself wondering if something like this could ever have happened. The least convincing part of this story, for me, was the ending of the book, which I found a bit improbable, but, this is fiction after all ,and a few liberties are allowed to be taken. 

I'm not a huge fan of Val McDermid,  this is only the second book of hers that I have read, however I am sure that her legions of fans will devour this book.

The walk in my week...

The walk in my week took in two very pretty places

Ambleside

in

Cumbria

English Lake District

 This beautiful Princess of the Lake brightened a stormy landscape

Even on a cloudy summer's day little boats still bob around on 

Lake Windermere

The majestic qualities of the hills above Lake Windermere are hard to resist

Arnside

is

 a pretty seaside town in Cumbria

on the edge of the English Lake District

Arnside is famous for its tidal bore

 The tidal bore results from a combination of the high tidal range and the shape of the bay as it narrows into the Kent Estuary at Arnside. The water enters the tapering estuary and the rising waters become confined which results in a distinct wave developing, which can be anything from a few centimetres to almost a metre high on full spring tides.

And just to prove a reviewers work is never done......my kindle is always close at hand !

Jaffa's Sunday Corner

Cat themed reading for the discerning feline

The Tale of Tom Kitten

by 

BeatrixPotter

Published in September1907
 Frederick Warne

Once upon a time there were three little kittens, and their names were Mittens, Tom Kitten, and Moppet.

They had dear little fur coats of their own; and they tumbled about the doorstep and played in the dust.



Mrs. Tabitha dressed Moppet and Mittens in clean pinafores and tuckers; and then she took all sorts of elegant uncomfortable clothes out of a chest of drawers, in order to dress up her son Thomas.

Tom Kitten was very fat, and he had grown; several buttons burst off. His mother sewed them on again.


What Did Jaffa think?

This lovely story will last forever .....

The naughty little kittens who wouldn't keep their clothes clean is a favourite of mine, but kittens really shouldn't be dressed in smocks and trousers !

I think if I had a coat like Tom's my buttons would pop off too...