Alexi Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Oh, lots of new purchases! Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted June 23, 2014 Author Share Posted June 23, 2014 I hope you enjoy all your new books . The Ocean at the End of the Lane is on my TBR and I have a book by Maggie O'Farrell on my TBR but not that one. The A. A. Milne books look to have beautiful illustrations, I'm a little jaleous . I've read two other of O'Farrell's books - The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, which I enjoyed, and After You'd Gone which I read years ago and I must confess that I can't remember a thing about it! The Milne books are gorgeous, aren't they. I have The Ocean At The End of the Lane on my TBR list, and I read Instructions for a Heatwave (and enjoyed it) last year. Enjoy your new purchases, Janet. Thanks. I will start TOatEotL at the start of July so it's fresh in my mind for Book Club (which I think is on 14th). Oh, lots of new purchases! Enjoy! Thanks. Must. Not. Buy. Any. More. Books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 I'm currently trying that one.... I'm also trying not to borrow many library books because my TBR pile is becoming a mountain which I will shortly need a chairlift to scale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted July 2, 2014 Author Share Posted July 2, 2014 I missed your post, Alex, sorry. I thought you said stair lift, not chairlift! I managed to kick the bed this morning and one of my toes has gone black. I was going to go on one of my walks but that's out of the question as my foot really hurts with my walking boots on. I bought myself an iPod and have been listening to some audio books as I go walking. I'm currently (still) listening to The Radleys by Matt Haig, which I'm really enjoying! I'm on disc 7 of 8 so I'm on the homeward stretch now, although I may not be able to walk for a few days. Stupid bed. Stupid Janet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 Aw, I loved, loved, loved The Weather in the Streets. Yikes on the toe. Ouch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 I hope your toe feels better soon, Janet . It sounds very painful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 I managed to kick the bed this morning and one of my toes has gone black. I was going to go on one of my walks but that's out of the question as my foot really hurts with my walking boots on. I bought myself an iPod and have been listening to some audio books as I go walking. I'm currently (still) listening to The Radleys by Matt Haig, which I'm really enjoying! I'm on disc 7 of 8 so I'm on the homeward stretch now, although I may not be able to walk for a few days. Stupid bed. Stupid Janet. Not "Stupid Janet", definitely "Stupid bed". I swear they move in our way on purpose - I'm forever knocking my shin on the corner of the coffee table, when I'm sure I was miles away from it I enjoyed The Radleys too, and I've got The Humans near the top of my wish list for future purchase too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted July 3, 2014 Author Share Posted July 3, 2014 Thanks, all. It's slightly less painful today, thankfully, but I've been wearing open-toed sandals today. I'm not sure how I'm going to get on with my work shoes tomorrow, and my job is 100% walking...! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 Yeuch that looks nasty J! Definitely stupid bed - I'm always bruising my shin on the corner of ours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inver Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 Ouchy Janet...hope it gets better soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Wow Janet, that looks pretty bad! I walk into things a lot. A few days ago I tried to occupy the same space as the sharp metal end of my computer desk, the bruise looks pretty bad but gladly it looks worse than it feels. I hope your toe feels better soon . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Congrats on the new books , but DANG that toe looks sore ! Makes my eyes water . Hope it feels better soon . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 That looks horrible ! Eww ! Poor you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted July 4, 2014 Author Share Posted July 4, 2014 Thanks, all. I managed to walk round work okay today in my trainers but it's a bit painful tonight because I spent the day in Bath with my Mum. I normally walk 3 or 4 times a week but I don't think I'll be walking until at least the middle of next week. I acquired another book today. How Steeple Sinderby Wanderers Won the F.A.Cup by J L Carr. It was £2.50 in a charity shop and it looks brand new. I'm behind with my reviews (so, what's new?!) but since I last posted one I've read: A Kind Man by Susan Hill The Tiger in the Well by Philip Pullman Goodbye to Yorkshire by Roy HattersleyThe Fault in Our Stars by John Green The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman I just need to get on and review them now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Ouch Janet! .. that looks sore Hope it feels much better soon Bet you turned the air blue .. stupid bed! Glad to see that your reading is going well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted July 4, 2014 Author Share Posted July 4, 2014 I did use a few choice words that would make a nun blush! Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 I look forward to read your reviews . I'm particularly interested in hearing what you thought of The Fault in Our Stars and The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted July 7, 2014 Author Share Posted July 7, 2014 I look forward to read your reviews . I'm particularly interested in hearing what you thought of The Fault in Our Stars and The Ocean at the End of the Lane. I was going to try to catch up today but it didn't happen! The good news is that I managed to walk today. My toe is still swollen and it's a bit painful if I push it (so I don't! ) but it was really comfy in my walking trainers so I put on my MP3 player and walked 7 miles today and finished my audio book of The Radleys by Matt Haig. As I said (somewhere?), it wasn't at all what I was expecting, but had I known what the subject-matter was I wouldn't have picked it up, so it's just as well I didn't know as I wouldn't have taken it out if I did and I really enjoyed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted July 31, 2014 Author Share Posted July 31, 2014 A Kind Man by Susan Hill The ‘blurb’ Tommy Carr was a kind man; Eve had been able to tell that after half an hour of knowing him. There had never been a day when he had not shown her some small kindness and even after the tragic death of their young daughter, their relationship remained as strong as before. Grief takes its toll however, and it's not surprising that by the following Christmas, Tommy is a shadow of his former self, with the look of death upon him. But what happens next is entirely unexpected, not least for the kind man... I’ve read a couple of Susan Hill’s novellas before and also the non-fiction Howards End is on the Landing and I like her writing style, so when I came across the audio book version of this in the library I thought I’d give it a go. I listened to it whilst I was out walking. Set in the North of the country in an unnamed location (maybe Yorkshire or Lancashire?) in around the middle of the twentieth century A Kind Man, tells the story of a young woman called Eve who meets Tommy Carr one day when he helps her out after she accidentally drops a parcel she was carrying for her mother into the canal. Eve starts dating Tommy and soon discovers that he is a kind man and therefore she marries him. Eve throws herself into married life and she also spends a lot of time helping her sister Miriam who has had lots of children in quick succession and struggles to cope. Life moves on and eventually Eve and Tommy have a longed-for child of their own. Despite tragedy striking, Eve and Tommy remain close. Then strange things happen to Tommy and he acquires a gift which will be both a blessing and a curse. It’s difficult to say any more about this book without giving too much away, but essentially it’s a parable about receiving a gift and how best to cope with it. It’s not a terribly fast-paced story and is definitely more character than plot driven, but I enjoyed it very much. I listened to it on audio book. I would say that the narrator, Maggie Ollerenshaw, has the perfect voice for this story (she also narrates The Beacon by the same author, which I read a few weeks after this). The right narrator is so important, I’ve found. Although it was a very quick listen (and, I imagine, a quick read) it has stayed with me some seven weeks after I finished listening which is a good sign as I often find stories fade quite quickly these days, even if I’ve loved them! The paperback edition is 224 pages long and is published by Vintage. It was first published in 2011. The ISBN is 9780099555445. 4/5 (I really enjoyed it) (Finished 10 June 2014) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 This book sounds really intruiging! I loved Howards End is on the Landing and have A Woman in Black on my TBR. Great review . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted August 2, 2014 Author Share Posted August 2, 2014 Thanks, Gaia. I think she's a very versatile author. In fact, I think Sari started a thread about such authors - I wonder if she's mentioned? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted August 2, 2014 Author Share Posted August 2, 2014 The Tiger in the Well by Philip Pullman The ‘blurb’ Sally Lockhart is 25, and somebody wants to destroy her. She receives divorce papers from a man she has never met, let alone married - yet this trap is so well laid that she is powerless to prove otherwise. When custody of her precious daughter is awarded to this evil stranger, it is the beginning of a terrifying struggle in which Sally will have to fight, and kill if necessary, for the freedom of her family. This is the third of Pullman’s quartet of books about Sally Lockhart, a feisty Victorian woman and successful business owner who lives comfortably with her daughter Harriet and a couple of servants in a large house in London. One day Sally’s happy life comes crashing down when she receives divorce papers from a man claiming to be Harriet’s father… and Sally’s husband. As Sally fights to keep her daughter and refute the allegation it seems that every channel is blocked and it looks likely that Sally will lose all she holds dear… I think this has been my favourite book of Lockhart books so far. It’s longer than the first two and is very faced paced. I really enjoyed Pullman’s characterisations and he really gives a feel for Victorian London. The paperback edition is 431 pages long and is published by Scholastic. It was first published in 1991. The ISBN is 97814071305695. 3½/5 (I enjoyed it) (Finished 11 June 2014) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted August 4, 2014 Author Share Posted August 4, 2014 Goodbye to Yorkshire by Roy Hattersley The ‘blurb’ As far as government administration is concerned, Yorkshire no longer exists. But the spirit remains, of sturdy independence and the hard, proud, determination that characterises both Yorkshire Cricket Club and Leeds United. Roy Hattersley was born and bred in Yorkshire, and his book is part guide and part autobiography. He takes us to Sheffield, to Barnsley, Leeds and York. He tells of brass bands and Hallelujah choruses, of mines and foundries and the strong traditions of non-conformity and socialism. And the result is a moving valedictory portrait of what was once England’s largest County. I loved Hattersley’s A Yorkshire Boyhood so I expected to really enjoy this too… and I did to a certain extent, but the writing was much drier and the content pretty dated now and as a result it took me ages to finish it. Not much of a review, but I find the items in the book have faded from my memory! However, I really like the sound of some of his other books so I’m sure I shall read some more eventually. The paperback edition is 192 pages long and is published by Penguin. It was first published in 1976. The ISBN is 9780140045864 but the book is currently out of print. 3/5 (I enjoyed it) (Finished 23 June 2014) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted August 8, 2014 Author Share Posted August 8, 2014 I tried to get Longbourn by Jo Baker from the library but it has loads of reservations on it in both the Somerset library system and in the Wiltshire one. However, I came across a copy in a charity shop for £1.99 today and it looks brand new. Happy Janet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Wow, that's great! I hope you enjoy it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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