Lilywhite

I've somehow managed to acquire another 4 books this week to add to my TBR mountain. From Notting Hill with Love Actually ~ Ali McNamara and To Love Honour and Betrey ~ Kathy Letteboth came from Greenmetropolis with credits for books I've sold. I then got a copy of A Cold Season ~ Alison Littlewood from Richard & Judy's 2012 book club, which I will be reviewing for WHSmith. Finally, a colleague who is leaving next week gave me her copy of The Mistress's Revenge ~ Tamar Cohen as she had seem me eyeing it up on her desk!! Suppose I better get reading!

The Smell of Football Mick Rathbone When Mick Rathbone signed for Birmingham City as a 16 year-old apprentice he was living every schoolboy's dream. But when he discovered he was so nervous he was unable to speak, let alone pass the ball, in the presence of his boyhood hero and City star Trevor Francis he realised that a career in football might not be everything he had imagined. The Smell of Football is the brutally honest and utterly unputdownable story of how 'Baz' conquered his personal demons to build a life in the game - from the terrified teenager who purposely tried to get injured in training rather than get picked for the first team, to the experienced pro who became Head of Medicine at Premier League Everton FC in charge of the treatment of the likes of Wayne Rooney, Louis Saha and Tim Cahill. Brilliantly written and packed with hilarious tales featuring a football 'who's who' cast of characters - from Sir Alf Ramsey and 'Big Sam' Allardyce to David Moyes, Duncan Ferguson and Rooney himself - The Smell of Football is an engrossing and moving memoir that covers every aspect of the professional game and gives an unprecedented insight into what life is really like at football's coalface. Started: 21/01/12 Finished: 29/01/12 Rated: 5/5 Comments: Right from the start I was hooked with this book. Not only because I know of Mick from his time at my local football team but the light comedic style in which the book is written, instantly puts you at ease. Some biographies I have read tend to go on about the boring stuff we don't want to know and only touch upon the interesting bits. This one, however, is full of funny and touching anecdotes from the various decades in which Mick has worked in the industry. I'm pretty sure that, even if you didn't have an interest in football, you would still find this book strangely readable.

The Faithless Martina Cole Gabby looked at the woman she had hated nearly all her life. Then she sat down on the ladder-backed chair, put her face into her bloodied hands and cried. To the outside world, Cynthia Tailor is a woman to envy; she has a devoted husband, a lovely home and two gorgeous children. But Cynthia is deeply unhappy with her lot; she has always craved the best things in life, and is determined to see that she gets them. Cynthia will let nothing stand in her way, even if it means devastation and tragedy for those nearest to her. And the casualties are many: her husband Jimmy, weak and unable to fight the wife he can never please; her sister Celeste, from whom Cynthia steals her most precious possession; and her parents, Mary and Jack, who pick up the pieces. But the victims who suffer the most are Cynthia's children. For James Junior and Gabby, the pain she causes will stay with them for ever... Started: 12/01/12 Finished: 19/01/12 Rated: 3/5 Comments: Another page turner from Martina Cole. It's not her best work, by a long stretch but it still has a readable quality about it. Towards the end, it started to get a bit slow, and I think she knew that when she was writing it, as she kept flicking forward by a few years every other chapter. There were only a few characters in this one, and from the outset, you knew you would never like one of them; you're not supposed to. The rest of them you grew to love as the story developed. This isn't as hard hitting as her usual books, but I think that is a good thing.

I've really enjoyed this one so far. It can be a bit OTT and does get very weird at times but I love that " what the?????" feeling you get when something strange happens and isn't quite explained until later on. A bit like 'Lost' in that respect. I found watching them a few at a time helped. I would have probably lost interest after the first couple if I'd had to wait until the next week.

Belle Lesley Pearse She witnessed a murder - and now her life is in danger . . . Fifteen year-old Belle, though raised in a London brothel, is an innocent. But when she witnesses one of the girls brutally strangled by a client, she is cast into a cruel, heartless world. Snatched from the streets and sold into prostitution, she is made a courtesan in New Orleans. At the mercy of desperate men who crave her beauty and will do anything to keep her, Belle's dreams of home, family and freedom appear futile. Are Belle's courage and spirit strong enough to help her escape? And what will await her at the end of the long, dangerous journey home? Lesley Pearse, author of Number One bestseller Stolen, has done it again with Belle - a heroine for our times: a strong woman trying to be good in a world gone bad. Started: 06/01/12 Finished: 12/01/12 Rated: 3.5/5 Comments: I was a little let down by Lesley Pearse's last book (Broken) and was a little apprehensive when I picked this one up but my fears were unfounded. This story was gritty right from the start and from the first couple of chapters, I was hooked. Several times I was quite annoyed at having to put it down and go back to my real world. It's quite fast moving, with ever changing scenery and it's only by the end do you realise the short time in which this book was based. My only reason for not scoring it any higher was the ending. By the last few chapters you kind of new what was going to happen and the main character is infuriatingly stubborn at times. This is definately on of Pearse's better stories, well up there with Remember Me.

Looking good Kell!

Skipping Christmas: Christmas with the Kranks John Grisham Imagine a year without Christmas. No crowded shops, no corny office parties, no fruitcakes, no unwanted presents. That's just what Luther and Nora Krank have in mind when they decide that, just this once, they'll skip the holiday altogether. Theirs will be the only house on the street without a rooftop Frosty the snowman; they won't be hosting their annual Christmas Eve bash; they aren't even going to have a tree. They won't need one, because come December 25 they're setting sail on a Caribbean cruise. But, as this weary couple is about to discover, skipping Christmas brings enormous consequences-and isn't half as easy as they'd imagined. A classic tale for modern times, Skipping Christmas offers a hilarious look at the chaos and frenzy that has become part of our holiday tradition Started: 02/01/12 Finished: 02/01/12 Rated: 3/5 Comments: This was the perfect read to end the holiday season with. In the aftermath of Christmas you fully empathise with the Kranks and their wish to avoid the holidays for just one year. I almost envied them and their plans to get away but knew in my heart that things would not run so smoothly. An entertaining tale that manages to point out all of those silly festive rituals that we go through year after year whilst at the same time, holding on to those reasons that we do it. Anyone who thinks they've had enough lights and tinsel for one year, I recommend this read to you.

Think of a Number John Verdon It begins with a letter . . . The letter contains a request - think of a number, any number - and a sealed envelope. Inside the envelope is that number. When Dave Gurney, retired NYPD homicide detective, is contacted by an old college acquaintance about some startling letters he's been receiving, it is at first little more than a diverting but sinister puzzle. Until the acquaintance is brutally killed. Suddenly Gurney finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation that makes no sense. The killer seems to have known his victim intimately. How else was he able to predict his victim's thoughts, even his actions? How did he know his darkest secrets? The killer is smart and he is playing with the police. Gurney needs to be smarter if he's going to catch him, but this seems only to be the beginning. And the killer alone knows where it will end. Started: 21/12/11 Finished: 01/01/12 Rated: 3/5 Comments: This book is definitely worth a read. I was initially drawn in by the recommendation from Tess Gerritsen on the front cover and picked it up from my managers desk to have a nosey. She said she couldn't put it down and would pass it on when she was finished. It starts off a bit slow and takes a couple of chapters to actually get around to anything resembling a crime but once you are there, it picks up pace and keeps you guessing right to the end. I had my suspicions from very early on and was pleased when I was proven wrong (I hate predictability) I have been thoroughly engrossed for the last few days and have not been disappointed.

Waiting to Arrive My Wish List/Books of Interest Kelley Armstrong ~ Waking The Witch (Otherworld book 11) Kelley Armstrong ~ Spellbound (Otherworld book 12) Kelley Armstrong ~ Tales of the Otherworld (Otherworld Novella) Kelley Armstrong ~ Angelic (Otherworld Novella) Kelley Armstrong ~ Counterfeit Magic (Otherworld Novella) Kelley Armstrong ~ Forbidden (Otherworld Novella) Kelley Armstrong ~ Made To Be Broken (Nadia Stafford book 2) Kelley Armstrong ~ The Gathering (Darkest Powers book 4) Michele Bardsley ~ Wait til your Vampire gets home (book 4) Michele Bardsley ~ Over my dead body (book 5) Michele Bardsley ~ Cross Your Heart (book 7) Michele Bardsley ~ Must Love Lycans (book 8) The Sacrifice by Kathleen Benner Duble Jayne Slayre ~ Charlotte Bronte & Sherri Browning Erwin Blameless ~ Gail Carriger Truman Capote ~ Breakfast at Tiffany's Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz Revelations: A Blue Bloods Novel by Melissa De La Cruz The Van Alen Legacy: A Blue Bloods Novel by Melissa De La Cruz The Spaniard's Daughter by Melanie Gifford Charlaine Harris ~ Dead in the Family (book 10) Charlaine Harris ~ A Touch of Dead (book 11) Rosamund Lupton ~ Afterwards Gregory Maguire ~ The Next Queen of Heaven Carole Matthews ~ Wrapped up in You Amy Molloy ~ Wife, Interrupted The Italian Matchmaker by Santa Montefiore Bernard Shaw ~ Pygmalion Alison Weir ~ The Lady in the Tower Elizabeth H. Winthrop ~ December Cath Staincliffe ~ Looking For Trouble Cath Staincliffe ~ Witness Jodi Picoult ~ Between the Lines Jodi Picoult ~ Lone Wolf Terry Pratchett ~ Dodger Previous Book Logs Kat's 2011 Reading What Kat Read Next 2010 Kat's Reading in 2009 Kat's Reading 2008 Kat's Reading 2007 Kat's Reading 2006

'Mount To Be Read' 56 Mitch Albom ~ For One More Day Kelley Armstrong ~ Exit Strategy (Nadia Stafford Book 1) Kelley Armstrong ~ The Summoning (Darkest Powers Book 1) Kelley Armstrong ~ The Awakening (Darkest Powers Book 2) Kelley Armstrong ~ The Reckoning (Darkest Powers Book 3) Margaret Atwood ~ The Handmaids Tale Michele Bardsley ~ Because Your Vampire Said So! (book 3) Michele Bardsley ~ Come hell or high water (book 6) Trudi Canavan ~ The Priestess of the White Trudi Canavan ~ Last of The Wilds Trudi Canavan ~ Voice of The Gods Trudi Canavan ~ Magicians Apprentice Gail Carriger ~ Soulless Tom Cox ~ Under The Paw: Confessions of a Cat Man Christie Dickason ~ The Principessa Pen Farthing ~ One Dog at a Time Stephen Foster ~ Walking Ollie Tess Gerritsen ~ In Their Footsteps Tess Gerritsen ~ Stolen Tess Gerritsen ~ Call After Midnight Emily Giffin ~ Something Borrowed Seth Grahame-Smith & Jane Austen ~ Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Philippa Gregory ~ The Red Queen (Cousins War Series bk 2) Vicky Halls ~ Cat Counsellor Charlaine Harris ~ Dead and Gone(book 9) Raven Hart ~ The Vampire's Seduction Raven Hart ~ The Vampire's Kiss Torey Hayden ~ Beautiful Child Mandasue Heller ~ The Pact Susan Hill ~ Mrs DeWinter Jeanne Kalogridis ~ Burning Times Elizabeth Kostova ~ The Swan Thieves Gregory Maguire ~ A Lion Amongst Men Gregory Maguire ~ Lost Gregory Maguire ~ Mirror Mirror Donald McCaig ~ Rhett Butler's People Karen Moline ~ Belladonna Kate Morton ~ The Forgotten Garden Christopher Paolini ~ Brisingr Jean Plaidy ~ Castille For Isabella (Isabelle & Ferdinand Trilogy bk1) Jean Plaidy ~ Uneasy Lies The Head (Tudors bk1) Terry Pratchett ~ The Light Fantastic Justine Picardie ~ Daphne Eva Stachniak ~ Dancing With Kings Jonathan Stroud ~ Heroes Of The Valley Sue Townsend ~ The Queen & I Willy Vlautin ~ Lean on Pete Freda Warrington ~ A Taste of Blood Wine J M Warwick ~ A Season of Eden Alison Weir ~ The Lady Elizabeth Alison Weir ~ Innocent Traitor Christopher Paolini - Inheritance (bk 4) Gregory Maguire ~ Out of Oz Philippa Gregory ~ The Lady of the Rivers

Currently Reading Already Read 26. Jodi Picoult ~ Harvesting the Heart 25. Gregory Maguire ~ Matchless (A Christmas Story) 24. Emma Donohue ~ The Sealed Letter 23. Jo Beverley ~ Ladt Notorious 22. Araminta Hall ~ Everything or Nothing 21. Karen Rose ~ No One Left to Tell 20. Cath Staincliffe ~ Split Second 19. Rachel Joyce ~ The Unlikely Pigrimage of Harold Fry 18. Philippa Gregory ~ Meridon 17. Philippa Gregory ~ The Favoured Child 16. Philippa Gregory ~ Wideacre 15. Mo Hayder ~ Hanging Hill 14. Jodi Picoult ~ Sing You Home 13. E.L. James ~ Fifty Shades of Grey 12. Ben Aaronovitch ~ Rivers of London 11. Kathy Lette ~ To Love, Honour and Betray 10. Jojo Moyes ~ Me Before You 9. Mons Kallentoft ~ Midwinter Sacrifice 8. Tamar Cohen ~ The Mistress's Revenge 7. Ali McNamara ~ From Notting Hill with Love... Actually 6. Alison Littlewood ~ A Cold Season 5. Mick Rathbone ~ The Smell of Football 4. Martina Cole ~ The Faithless 3. Lesley Pearse ~ Belle 2. John Grisham ~ Skipping Christmas 1. John Verdon ~ Think of a Number

Linen is a different fabric altogether. It still has squares on it to stitch but they are not as even and not quite as clear to see. Aida is the most common material and probably the easiest to stitch on as all the squares are even and easy to see. Linen will be a new experience for me. The angel is halfway done. I keep taking breaks from that one as it's so big. I want to finish the Rules for the home piece soon. That was one of our very own Kell's designs. You should have a look at her bits and pieces too. She's has some amazing designs.

Hi Julie, I have a thread in the members threads section, Kat's Stitchy Stuff although I haven't had much chance to update it recently. Hopefully I will get some more done and can add a few more pictures. My linen arrived in the post this morning and I'm excited and scared as I've never stitched linen before. I've looked into the method and such and I understand what I'm doing but I just have to take the leap and do it now!

I haven't been able to stitch for ages due to the major overhaul we have been doing on the house. I just didn't want to get them dusty or dirty. I've been itching to get my unfinished projects back out for a few weeks now so I think I may restart in the New Year. I've been building up quite a list of things I want to stitch but I can't start anything new until I complete at least one of my ongoing projects.

Think of a Number John Verdon It begins with a letter . . . The letter contains a request - think of a number, any number - and a sealed envelope. Inside the envelope is that number. When Dave Gurney, retired NYPD homicide detective, is contacted by an old college acquaintance about some startling letters he's been receiving, it is at first little more than a diverting but sinister puzzle. Until the acquaintance is brutally killed. Suddenly Gurney finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation that makes no sense. The killer seems to have known his victim intimately. How else was he able to predict his victim's thoughts, even his actions? How did he know his darkest secrets? The killer is smart and he is playing with the police. Gurney needs to be smarter if he's going to catch him, but this seems only to be the beginning. And the killer alone knows where it will end. Started: 21/12/11 Finished: Rated: Comments: I've moved this over in to my 2012 List as I won't have finished it in time for New Year.

You Belong To Me Karen Rose The next addictive thriller from the uncomparable bestseller Karen Rose When forensic pathologist Lucy Trask stumbles across a mutilated body by the chess tables in her local Baltimore park, its face so badly damaged it is unrecognisable, her sole concern is that it might be her old school teacher Mr Pugh. When the corpse is identified, Lucy is shocked to discover that the victim is actually another man from her past. Who killed him and why his skin is burnt with the number '1' is unclear but it's evident that someone is demanding Lucy's attention. The discovery of a second branded body raises worrying questions: how many more lives may be at risk before the killer's final message is revealed? And can Lucy solve the killer's gruesome puzzle before their thirst for revenge is complete? Started: 15/10/11 Finished: 13/11/11 Rated: 2.5 Comments: This is not one of Karen Rose's best thrillers. I think she's deviated slightly from her usual formula and it hasn't worked for me. At times it felt like there were too many threads all at one and I struggled to keep up with who/what/when/where. maybe it was the longer gaps between reading, I don't know but it certainly didn't flow as well as usual. Saying that, I still read to the end and was continually trying to guess 'whodunnit'. Am looking forward to her next book in the new year.

Thanks guys! I'll pop along and see what they say. (And thanks Duncan - it's my favourite ever book )

I've not had my annual letter from my Dr to tell me they are offering the jab so I completely forgot about it. Having had swine flu at the very start of the year, I really, really want this jab. I'm not going through that again any time soon and if there is the slightest chance this vaccine can help, I'll have it. (and I'm terrified of needles!) Do you have to wait to be invited to get it or can you just go in? I should have one as I'm asthmatic.

Great Expectations Charles Dickens 'It was now too late and too far to go back, and I went on. And the mists had all solemnly risen now, and the world lay spread before me’ A terrifying encounter with an escaped convict in a graveyard on the wild Kent marshes; a summons to meet the bitter, decaying Miss Havisham and her beautiful, cold-hearted ward Estella; the sudden generosity of a mysterious benefactor – these form a series of events that change the orphaned Pip’s life forever, and he eagerly abandons his humble origins to begin a new life as a gentleman. Dickens’s haunting late novel depicts Pip’s education and development through adversity as he discovers the true nature of his ‘great expectations’. Started: 11/10/11 Finished: 21/12.11 Rated: 2/5 Comments: My rating may seem a little harsh but I just didn't take to this book. I finished it because I wanted to know how it ended, not because I felt some sort of need to see how it all worked out. My main problem was my dislike of the main character. I just couldn't get past this to enjoy the story as it unfolded. I won't say it's put me off Dickens as I still love his Christmas Books but I may investigate much further before I pick up another story.

I bought your design Kell! It's a great cause to support and as a bonus, it's a lovely design too. It might be a little while before I get it stitched but I'll keep you updated when I do.

From Dead to Worse(book 7) Charlaine Harris The supernatural community in Bon Temps, Louisiana is reeling from two hard blows: the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina, and the manmade horror of the explosion at the vampire summit in the up-north city of Rhodes. Sookie Stackhouse is safe but dazed, and she's yearning for things to get back to normal. But that's just not happening. Too many vampires - some friends, some not - were killed or injured, and her were-tiger boyfriend Quinn is among the missing. It's clear that things are changing, whether the weres and vamps like it or not. And Sookie, Friend to the Pack, blood-bonded to the leader of the local vampire community, is caught up in those changes. She's about to find herself facing danger and death and, not for the first time, betrayal by someone she loves. And when the fur has finished flying and the cold blood has stopped flowing, Sookie's world will be forever altered . . . Started: 02/08/11 Finished: 05/10/11 Rated: 4/5 Comments: I can't believe it took me sooo long to read this book. Moving house really interrupted my flow! None the less, it was great. I can't express enough how much I love this series (and not just for the TV show). I love how Sookie always ends up neck high in trouble and this book is no exception.

I just had a caramel latte from Costa. It's my secret indulgence!

Altogether Dead (book 7) Charlaine Harris Sookie's beginning to get used to being surrounded by all varieties of undead, changeling, shapeshifting and other supernatural beings - but even she has her limits. She'd really like to take a while to get over being betrayed by Bill, her long-time vampire lover, and get used to her new relationship with the sexy shapeshifter Quinn - but instead, she finds herself attending the long-planned vampire summit, the destination of choice for every undead power player around, as a sort-of human 'Geiger counter' for Sophie-Anne Leclerq, vampire queen of Louisiana. But the job is fraught with difficulties. Sophie-Anne's power base has been severely weakened by Hurricane Katrina, and she's about to be put on trial during the event for murdering her king. Sookie knows the queen is innocent, but she's hardly prepared for other shocking murders: it looks like there are some vamps who would like to finish what nature started. With secret alliances and backroom deals the order of the day - and night - Sookie must decide which side she'll stand with, and quickly, for her choice may mean the difference between survival and all-out catastrophe. Started: 06/07/11 Finished: 02/08/11 Rated: 3/5 Comments: This wasn't my favourite Sookie book but it was far from boring. It took a long time to get going and then all of a sudden it was over. The big build up was a bit of a let down when the main event came and went.

Definitely Dead (book 6) Charlaine Harris Sookie doesn't have that many relations, so she hated to lose one - but of all the people to go, she didn't expect it to be her cousin Hadley, a consort of New Orleans' vampire queen - after all, Hadley was technically already dead. But she is gone, beyond recall, and she's left Sookie an inheritance - one that comes with a bit of a risk - not least because someone doesn't want Sookie digging too deep into Hadley's past - or her possessions. Sookie's life is once again on the line, and this time the suspects range from the rogue werewolves who have rejected Sookie as a friend of the pack to her first love, the vampire Bill. Sookie's got a lot to do if she's going to keep herself alive . . . Started: 24/06/2011 Finished: 03/07/11 Rated: 4/5 Comments: Another cracker! I love these books! This was another good one, mainly because Bill was no more than a passing reference. I love Quinn, he's GGGRRRRRRReat! (If you catch my drift) Can't wait to get onto the next one.

I love The Secret Garden too! It's such a wonderful story I didn't think that He's Just Not That Into You would be a good book. It comes across well in the cinema but reading it wouldn't be that great.