Books, Books, Lovely Books

Every year I make sure I receive some books for Christmas, and if I don't get any, I buy them for myself in the Twixmas time.

This year I received three - I gave the boys a list so I knew I would get want I wanted, and so far I have already read two of them.

The first book was Elizabeth Is Missing by Emma Healey

I heard about this on the Richard and Judy book club and put it straight on my To Be Read list.

The story is told from the point of view of Maud, who is an elderly lady suffering from memory loss.  Throughout the book we see what's its like to be unable to remember where you put things, what you are doing half way through doing it, and sometimes even recognising family.  A consistent thread in the book is that Maud is troubled that her friend Elizabeth is missing, despite the fact that everyone around her tells her she is not.  Whilst Maud is trying to find her friend, the narrative dips back into Maud's past when her own sister disappeared as a young wife.  

The two mysteries, interspersed with Maud's problems, are cleverly told and leads to a satisfying and surprising ending.  I wouldn't say this was an easy read, as inside Maud's mind was often a terrifying place to be, especially when you relate it to your own parents or indeed the prospect of your own future. It also gives a great insight into  the frustrations experienced by the carers of those suffering from dementia. 

Like I say, not an easy read, but a worthwhile one.

The second book I read over the Christmas period was The Cake Shop in the Garden by Carole Matthews.

As ever, Carole provides a delightful read with characters you instantly fall in love with.

The main character is Fay who has given up her job to look after her mother who a while ago took to her bed and now refuses to get out of it.  Although there was nothing much wrong with her mother when she first "became ill", years of being in bed have taken their toll on her health and she depends on Fay to provide her with her every need.

The house they live in is by a canal and Fay's dad, who died, loved his narrow boat.  Fay would like to be able to restore it to its former glory but having given up her job to look after her mother, she can't afford to.  Instead she sells cakes from her garden to make ends meet.  In addition, she supports her sister who lives in New York and is involved in a disastrous relationship with a married man, and quite often ends up giving her money that she can barely afford.

As ever in Carole's books there is a love interest in the form of Danny.  Of course the path to true love never runs smooth and this is particularly so for Fay and Danny.  There are many believable twists and turns through the course of the book and certain heartbreak for Fay.  But will Fay and Danny ever get together? You'll have to read it to find out.

Another beautiful read from Carole with the bonus feature of lots of cake!

What good books have you read recently?

Lesson 1 - Put Bum on Chair

Last weekend was a bit full on – several birthdays and of course Mother’s Day, so on Monday morning I was feeling a bit jaded (of course it had nothing to do with the wine consumed!).

 

So this probably wasn’t the best day to try to get to grips with my latest RNA New Writer’s Scheme submission.

I’ve spent a while deliberating on what I’m going to submit this year as I have a couple of unfinished novels that I would like to whip into shape.

 

The one I’ve decided to work on I started several years ago (more than I care to remember to be honest) so it does need quite a lot of work, and it’s March already.

Of course, on Monday I couldn’t concentrate, especially when I realised that it needs to be completely re-written. But, I need to make the most of whatever time I have left in which to write (in case I do get that job), so I’ve decided to set myself a target of spending at least one hour each day on it. And if I have more time, to spend another hour on writing and subbing short stories.

So far the re-write is going well – I’m feeling re-energised and determined to stick to my routine – well, it’s working while I’m not physically at work, but I’m hoping that if I do get into a routine now, I might be able to stick to it further down the line.

I keep remembering something I read about Carole Matthews and how she used to tie her legs to the chair in the evenings to get herself to write after a day at work. That certainly makes the point that you have to apply your bum to your chair and just get on with it.

So that’s what I’m going to do. 

 

Wolf Hall - The Verdict

Well, I persevered with Wolf Hall, and I did eventually finish it, but I can’t say that reading it was a pleasure.  In fact it was definitely more of a chore, 650 pages later though, and at least I can say that I got to the end.

Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy parts of it, and I did get an insight into Cromwell and his rise to power in the reign of Henry VIII, but I didn't find it an absorbing read.  It certainly wasn't unputdownable as some of the reviews suggested. Like I said before, perhaps I’m just not literary enough.  I don’t think I’ll bother with the sequel, although I have downloaded a sample, so I might give that a go and see if I get on with that any better.  Although not for a while.

I got so bogged down with the book that I had to take a break from it for a while, and so in between I read Carole Matthews’ book, With Love At Christmas.

 

I read her previous book, Summer Daydreams and thoroughly enjoyed it. The first chapter of With Love At Christmas was in the back of the book and I loved it too. Just goes to show what a good marketing technique this is as I couldn’t wait to get this book. I thought it would help me get into the Christmas spirit in the run up, and it certainly did that. In my eyes, Carole Matthews never fails to disappoint.

It is the story of Juliet, a working mum with a grown up family.  Like a lot of women these days, Juliet belongs to the sandwich generation.  Not only do her grown up children seem incapable of looking after themselves, her daughter is also relying on her for child care. To say that they are spoilt is a understatement and actually, this was the only thing about the book I didn’t like. I wanted to shake her and tell her to make the kids stand on their own two feet, but Juliet was too nice for that. 

She also had to contend with her own parents, a father who was grieving and a mother seemingly slipping into dementia.  But all through this Juliet’s love for them all, as well as her love of Christmas makes her a, truly charming character. 

But as understanding as he is, can her husband put up with being continually last on her list?  You’ll have to read the book to find out. It’s a truly cracking Christmas read. 

I can’t wait to download her new book, A Cottage by the Sea, which is due out on 3 January.

And while we’re on reviews, one of my Christmas books was Jenny Colgan’s, Rosie Hopkins’ Sweetshop of Dreams – yes it was one of the ones I chose myself.  I’m only part way in but I’m loving it too.

If you have any Christmas books to read, I hope you’re enjoying them too.

Happy reading.