Angel

Thank you Roland Butter Pure was not my usual type read and if I'm honest found it a bit slow going at first. A bit of a strange subject matter - how a man survives clearing one of France's biggest cemetries Now reading James Forrester - The Roots of Betrayal 1564: Catholic herald William Harley, Clarenceux King of Arms, is the custodian of a highly dangerous document. When it is stolen, Clarenceux immediately suspects a group of Catholic sympathisers, the self-styled Knights of the Round Table. Francis Walsingham, the ruthless protégé of the queen's Principal Secretary, Sir William Cecil, intercepts a coded message from the Knights to a Countess known to have Catholic leanings. He is convinced that Clarenceux is trying to use the document to advance the cause of the Catholic Queen. And soon Clarenceux enters a nightmare of suspicion, deception and conspiracy. Conflict and fear, compounded by the religious doubts of the time, conceal a persistent mystery. Where has the document gone? Who has it and who really took it? And why? The roots of betrayal are deep and shocking: and Clarenceux's journey towards the truth entails not just the discovery of clues and signs, but also the discovery of himself.

The House of the Wind was a lovely read intertwining the plague of 1347 in Italy with the years 2007-8. Moving onto a new writer to me Andrew Miller - Pure A year of bones, of grave-dirt, relentless work. Of mummified corpses and chanting priests. A year of rape, suicide, sudden death. Of friendship too. Of desire. Of love... A year unlike any other he has lived. Deep in the heart of Paris, its oldest cemetery is, by 1785, overflowing, tainting the very breath of those who live nearby. Into their midst comes Jean-Baptiste Baratte, a young, provincial engineer charged by the king with demolishing it. At first Baratte sees this as a chance to clear the burden of history, a fitting task for a modern man of reason. But before long, he begins to suspect that the destruction of the cemetery might be a prelude to his own.

Titania Hardie - The Houuse of the Winds San Francisco, 2007. Madeline Moretti is grieving for her fiancé. Nothing brings her joy any more, and Maddie's grandmother, a fiery Italian, sends her to Tuscany to heal. Here, Maddie is immersed in the mystery of a ruined villa. Destroyed centuries ago in a legendary storm on the Eve of St Agnes, it has been known ever since as the Casa al Vento - the House of the Wind. Tuscany, 1347. Mia hasn't spoken since her mother's death, and lives in silence with her beloved aunt. One dark night, a couple seek refuge in their villa. Used to welcoming passing pilgrims, Mia is entranced by the young bride's radiance and compassion, but mystified by her reluctance to reveal even her name. Where has she come from, and why must her presence be a secret? Centuries apart, each searching for a way to step into her future, Mia and Maddie will be haunted by the myth of the woman who walked unscathed from the ruins of the House of the Wind.

To celebrate his birthday I will try to reread some of his books. I loved A Tale of Two Cities so it may be that one. I have read many of his books and they are so expertly written. I am so glad that this country is doing the honourable thing of celebrating his life and works. I have been following it all on the local news for the last 2 weeks and it was heartening to see all walks of life still enjoying him now. Well done Ben

I'll read it if I think it's relevant - history, craft books and if I think that it will benefit my reading of the book. Sometimes I just give a cursory skim read

Shakespeare's Mistress was a very pleasant read. Did the Bard have a mistress and was Anne Whately intended to be his wife. Records show that he was granted permissio to marry Anne on one day but had a 'shotgun' marriage to Ann Hathaway which ended up as a distrastrous marriage. Were those seductive sonnets dedicated to his first love? Juststarting Anna Dean - A Woman of Consequence

Karen Harper - Shakespeare's Mistress

I really enjoyed the Stephen King 11.22.63. This book sees King attempting to explore the feasability of time travel in order to change major events in history and the potential effect on modern day, however this book does lack the usual classic horror that King is so popular for. This time I did not feel the heartbeat racing. However it was a very good read and I would reread. Moving onto Richard Montanari - The Echo Man.

Moving onto Stephen King's latest book - 11.22.63

Just completed Penny Vincenzi - Old Sins. A whopping 980 pages. A lovely classic Vincenzi

Well Julie it has worked! DS also gave me another doorstop - Stephen King's new one 11.22.63 (740 pages). Guess they're trying to tell me something!

Well it's about time I resurrected this thread Penny Vincenzi - Old Sins weighing in at 985 pages. Tiger gave this to me for Christmas in the hope it would keep me quiet - it's a very good read but taking a while to get through

Books waiting patiently waiting to be read:- 1. Penny Vincenzi - The Dilemma 2. Penny Vinzenzi - Old Sins 3. Stephen King - 11.22.63 4. Kate Mosse - Sepulche 5. Kathy Reichs - Spider Bone 6. Suzanna Dunne - The Queen of Subtleties 7. James Becker - The First Apostle 8. Titania Hardie - The Rose Labyrinth 9. Elizabeth Gaskell - North and South 10.Katie Fforde - Highland Fling 11. Mo Hayder - Pig Island 12.James Herbert - Others 13, Penny Vincenzi- No Angel 14. Penny Vincenzi - Forbidden Places (more to be added soon)

Currently reading:- Jane Austen - Mansfield Park Barbara Kyle - The Queen's Lady Read so far during 2012 :- Penny Vincenzi - Old Sins Stephen King - 11.22.63 Richard Montanari -The Echo Man Karen Harper - Shakespeare's Mistresss Anna Dean - A Woman of Consequence Titania Hardie - The House of Wind Andrew Miller - Pure James Forrester - The Root of Betrayal Stephen King - The Dead Zone Wendy Holden - Marrying Up Karin Slaughter - Kisscut Susanna Kearsley - The Rose Garden Jodi Picoult - The Lone Wolf Tracey Chevalier - Falling Angels Gabrielle Kimm - The Courtesan's Lover Cathy Kelly - The House on Willow Street Simon Lelic- The Child Who Elizabeth Chadwick - To Defy a King PD James - Death Comes to Pemberley Peter Ranley - Plague Child Richard Montanari - Don't Look Now Fiona Mountain - Lady of the Butterflies Stacia Brown - The Glovemaker Polly Williams - How to be married Anne Perry - Execution Dock Rory Clements - Prince Peter Ranley - Cromwell's Blessing Katherine McMahon - Season of Light Catherine Alliott - A Rural Affair Jo Carnegie -Horse Play Jean Plaidy - The Vow on the Heron Karin Slaughter - Fallen Cassndra Clark - The Law of Angels Kathy Reichs -Grave Secrets Amanda Addison - Laura's Handmade Life Alison Weir - A Dangerous Inheritance EL James - Fifty Shades of Grey Maeve Haran - The Painted Lady Catherine Alliott - Rosie Meadow Regrets Christopher Gortner -The Tudor Secret Jean Plaidy - Epitaph for Three Women Hilary Mantell - Bring Up the Bodies Susannah Gregory - Mystery in the Minster Anne Perry - Acceptable Loss EL James - Fifty Shades Darker Hilary Mantel - Bring Up the Bodies Philippa Gregory - The King Makers Daughter Kathy Reich - Flash and Bones E.V. Thomas Hawkes Tor Dawn French - A Tiny Bit Marvellous Elizabeth George - Elizabeth I Jean Plaidy - In the Shadow of the Pomegranate Henry James Turn of the Screw Susannah Gregory -The Body in the Thames Charles Dickens - A Tale of Two Cities Peter Ellis - The Pilgrim of Hate Elizabeth Gaskell - North and South PD James - The Skull Beneath the Skin Jean Plaidy - The King's Secret Matter Thomas Hardy - Desperate Remedies Susanna Gregory - Murder on London Bridge

I have read most of Hardy's works and I love him. Although Under the Greenwood Tree is considered a minor work, it is a pleasant read. Far from the madding crowd is an excellent book and I would thoroughly recommend it. One of his most outstanding books for though is Jude the Obscure - so bitterly sweet and a real tearjerker in places - certainly one of my altime classics

I love this series. Her new book came out last week - the last of this trilogy, The Lady of the Rivers. My DH bought it for me and it is a lovely read. It tells the story of Jacquetta - the mother of the future White Queen

Jean Plaidy - The Follies of the King

I can't believe it's over a month since I last updated. I have been so busy and now that the lighter evenings are in I spend most of them sewing! I am now reading Wives v Girlfriends by Katie Agnew

The Ground is burning was a good read , although it took me a while to get through it. It certainly was not a light read and I found that I needed to be awake for that one. I quite like reading about the Borgia's but I found that there was a lot of history missing though Gerard O'Donovan - The Priest

Cheating husbands, and the past. I normally enjoy the Kate Long book's but this one took ages to get into. Not a bad read though Samuel Black - The Ground is Burning

Another light hearted book - A Mother's Guide to Cheating

Cecelia Ahern - The Book of Tomorrow

Bethan Darwin - Two Times Twenty

Jane Eagland - Wildthorn

Colleen McCullough - The Independance of Miss Mary Bennet