Inver
-
Posts
5,806 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Books
Posts posted by Inver
-
-
Very springlike here today and was lovely to see some of our wee crocus put their faces up to the sun...
-
Well you know how it is you go to a charity shop to hand some bits and pieces in including 3 books....and hey guess what came out with another 3...!...so the space on the shelf didn't last long..!
'The Beachside Guest House' by Vanessa Greene
'A Cornish Affair' by Liz Fenwick
'Reflection' by Diane Chamberlain
Well one was on my wish list so that was allowed..!
-
That does sound creepy Diane .. how old were the twins when one of them died? I'm intrigued. Great review
Kay I think 7yr old...
-
'The Ice Twins' by S.K. Tremayne
A creepy thriller about identical twins, one died but which one, Lydia or Kirstie? After a tragic accident the family move to a remote cottage, left to Sarah's husband, Angus, on an island only accessible by a boat. They hope for a fresh start and to put the tragedy behind them. The twin who is left we are told is Kirstie, but she then insists she is Lydia...! How can this be and many questions are asked of her, can they have made a mistake in identifying the twin they have lost?
The setting is dark and dreary given the time of year and where they are living, but this adds to the atmosphere of the tale. After a few twists and turns along the way it wasn't quite the conclusion I thought it was going to be but it didn't disappoint. Enjoy if you do give it a read.
4/5
-
'The Sweetness of Forgetting' by Kristin Harmel
Somebody on here sent me this book and I'm so glad they did, thank you. Wow...what a wonderful read this one was. Totally deserved 5 stars from me for this one. It brought me to tears. Well written and researched, although heart wrenching/breaking in parts too. I loved the characters and setting. A deeply moving read.
Hope, recently divorced runs the North Star Bakery, which has been in the family for generations. Her daughter, Annie, the rebellious teenager, don't always see eye to eye. She also has her grandmother, Rose, to care for but she has Alzheimers, at times she is lucid and knows who Hope is and others she doesn't make sense and calls her Annie Leona..who is Leona? Rose then gives Hope a list of family members that were lost in the Holocaust, she knows about them all except one brother and she urges Hope to go Paris to find out. Also, Jacob, love of her life, who helped her escape to America, 70yrs ago. Time is running out for Rose and Hope needs to find out and goes to Paris and help find closure to questions for Rose.
I loved the background Hope finds out about her family roots and the journey goes on to find out her family history.
This is a tale of saving the much loved bakery, family past and present, loves lost and finding love, Holocaust and heart breaking decisions that had to be made, religions, second chances, reuniting. Well worth a read.
5/5
-
Oh I'm just loving The Sweetness of Forgetting......Kirstin Harmel.....so sad but lovely..nearly finished. it
-
Oh I'm just loving The Sweetness of Forgetting......Kirstin Harmel.....so sad but lovely..nearly finished. it
-
Oh I hope you get it Gaia...same author as Husband's Secret. Think I enjoyed this one better and is has been recommended quite a few times.
-
'Big Little Lies' by Liane Moriarty
My second read of 2016...and oh what a good one it was.
Pirriwee School is the setting where disaster strikes at a school trivia evening, which was supposed to be an evening of fun. Is it a murder or a tragic accident? It opens with the disaster, but we don't know what it is as such and progresses from six months priortto the event. This is a rapid page turner to find out the conclusion.
Our main characters are parents of children at the school. Jane a single mum to Ziggy who are new to the area and school, but she says nothing about Ziggy's father. Ziggy is accused of being a bully on his first day at nursery. Madeleine, a down to earth and not afraid to speak her mind kind of woman, with a teenage daughter from her first marriage, but Abigail has chosen to live with her ex and new wife...why? Celeste, the beautiful one but has a hidden secret, she probably should tell someone about but is scared to do so. A successful husband and two twin boys, it would appear they have the perfect marriage, or do they? It is filled with friendships old and new and gradually secrets come to the fore.
With believable characters and everyday situations we can all relate to in some way, the story unfolds to its (I felt) unpredictable conclusion, only the fact the something terrible had happened. I did gasp out loud when the truth was revealed about one situation and on the disaster. I also felt the little diary/interview snippets at the end of each chapter added intrigue to the plot and very much so, kept you guessing/wondering what the outcome would be. Yes a very good read Liane Moriarty, thank you very much.
5/5
-
....back. -
Jade....I'm in Aberdeen where in the 'shire are you? -
...have fun settling in.
-
...hope you enjoy it here.
-
Just saying hello Syliva. I do hope you enjoy it here....lots of great people around.
Hi. I'm an online friend of Sylvia and here for the same reason and should have introduced myself when I joined a couple of weeks ago. I'm a retired teacher and live in Tasmania although born and bred in Yorkshire. I like good crime novels, biographies of interesting people in the past and social history.
....and hello to Jean too...have fund finding your way around. -
Belated BCF Anniversary wishes Claire... -
I watched A Little Chaos...with Kate Winslet...out a couple years ago...was quite good.
-
Totally gutted when I found out earlier today...more upset about it than David Bowie. Guess we will get a run of his films now...so many memorable characters and his sexy voice
-
Hubby and I went to see Bridge of Spies....Tom Hanks...was very good.
-
'Murder at the Vicarage - A Christmas Mystery' by Jill McGown
I really enjoyed this little murder mystery. Not my usual type of book, but it was a wee page turner. Simple plot, or so it would seem. Set in an isolated village with a close knit community. Murder takes place at the vicarage at Christmas, and the victim is the vicar's son-in-law. Good characters and writing. It is down to CI Lloyd and Sergeant Hill to solve this modern day version of twists and turns. Whose head will the crime finally fall upon....well that would be telling.....!!
I'm sure Agatha Christie would have approved this version. I might look for more of Jill McGown.
4/5
-
I also received two colouring books ... Lost Ocean and Secret Garden by Johanna Basford and some colouring pencils
My sister has been doing adult colouring for a long time but I haven't done any as yet. Looking forward to trying it and seeing if it can help relax me (not asking much!! 
)I gave my niece the Secret Garden colouring book....the girl who designed them is from up our way. They are lovely and I'm sure you will enjoy doing them.
-
I wish you a smashing reading year in 2016, Diane!
I noticed you had Big Little Lies on your TBR pile. I just read it in December and really enjoyed it and didn't want it to end. I hope you will like it very much, too! Oh good, it was a birthday wishlist book from last year, so I must move it up the list then.
Happy Reading in 2016 Diane xx Hope you enjoy your reading which is far more important than reaching any old target.
I'll be popping in often for shortbread etc
Still have shortbread in the tin Kay...I'll put the kettle on...let me know when you are going to pop in
-
Hiya...
...ah yes the famous last words of 'having a clear out of the book shelves'. Funny you should mention that, hubby and I were just in Waterstones today... he had a voucher to spend, which he did and then I said 'so which shelf will that be trying to find a space on...?' So good luck with it. Nice to see your thread...happy 
in 2016. -
Oh, and definitely buy Night Road this year!
I have The Two Week Wait on my shelves, I'll try and get around to reading it soon and then I will send it to you as I'm not expecting it to be a keeper.
Not that I need to buy/aquire any more books..
-
Have a great
year....and yes I always enjoy a good Diane Chamberlain read...I imagine a few of those will be read throughout the year.
Diane's Reading List 2016
in Past Book Logs
Posted · Edited by Inver
'Sophie's Bakery for the Broken Hearted' by Lolly Winston
Another enjoyable read. Not an author I have come across before but liked. A nice jumble of characters to enjoy.
Sophie Stanton (36) has lost her husband to cancer. Obviously devastated and has to come to terms with her unbearable loss. Only married a few years and they had so much to look forward to, how will she cope. Going through the process of grief she has ups and lots of downs, doing crazy things like eating ice cream for breakfast, hiding away in her room for days, ending up going to work still in her dressing gown and slippers. She loses her job and has to decide what to do next. She moves away from her home and looks for a new life, befriends a young teenage girl, who has problems of her own. Her mother in law who has been diagnosed with Alzheimers comes to visit and she has to help her too....what more can life throw at her. Desperately missing Ethan she has to find something to take her forward, and after having getting a job and enjoying making cakes/cheesecakes etc she decides perhaps going in to her own business of setting up a café/bakery might be the way. Drew, supplies the love interest, but possibly for me (like others) I found that perhaps only a year after losing Ethan was perhaps too soon.
You are never alone in grief and you can always find a way to deal with it even though it can be a long process creeping up on you unawares. Lolly Winston looked at it with a sense of humour and sadness all mixed in to one...such as life is.
4/5