Kate
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Posts posted by Kate
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Fantastic read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend it to anyone
I have to thank you Angel - when you told me how good this was I just had to take it off my shelf, and I'm so glad I did
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Waterstones Synopsis:
A lost child: On the eve of the First World War, a little girl is found abandoned on a ship to Australia. A mysterious woman called the Authoress had promised to look after her - but has disappeared without a trace. A terrible secret: On the night of her twenty-first birthday, Nell Andrews learns a secret that will change her life forever. Decades later, she embarks upon a search for the truth that leads her to the windswept Cornish coast and the strange and beautiful Blackhurst Manor, once owned by the aristocratic Mountrachet family.A mysterious inheritance: On Nell's death, her granddaughter, Cassandra, comes into an unexpected inheritance. Cliff Cottage and its forgotten garden are notorious amongst the Cornish locals for the secrets they hold - secrets about the doomed Mountrachet family and their ward Eliza Makepeace, a writer of dark Victorian fairytales. It is here that Cassandra will finally uncover the truth about the family, and solve the century-old mystery of a little girl lost.This is a large book - over 600 pages, and to be honest, I was daunted by the size of it. However, I shouldn't have been. The story flew off the page and the book read very quickly. There was adventure, life changing events, fear and destruction. There was also friendship, love and great fairytales.
There is not one main character in the book. The book spans a century and we get to know Nell, Cassandra and the Mountrachet family members well. The book does jump between time eras and events but it follows a stream of consciousness - by that I mean that when Nell or Cassandra discovers something about the past we then jump back in time and read what actually occurred. It is through this that we learn so much about the individuals featured in the book. I didn't struggle with the time changes at all. As long as you note the year at the beginning of the chapter you are fine and it is easy to follow and keep up.
I loved the storyline. I loved how it was written so you kept discovering new things, and I enjoyed reading about London at the beginning of the 20th century, and how the upper classes lived. This is a historical novel, and I don't think it was badly or inaccurately written. Nothing notably wrong jumped out at me; and reading the acknowledgements at the end suggests that Morton did research this well.
I found this book gripping and a great read. Once I got past the size of the book I loved it and only have praise for it. I have loaned my copy to my Mum I enjoyed it so much and she too is currently enjoying it. Morton is a gripping writer. She wrote characters I liked, set the scene wonderfully and wrote a story I was interested in and wanted to know what happened. I can only give this the top rating. A superb book.
5/5
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Waterstones Synopsis
Maurice, a streetwise tomcat, has come up with the perfect scam. Inspired by the Pied Piper tale, cat and kid lead a band of rats from town to town to fake invasions of vermin. The rewards to get the rats out of town are plentiful. It works perfectly - until their little con game is sussed.This is a children's Discworld novel, and number 28 in the series. The star of the show is Maurice, a cat who has learnt how to think and talk like a human. With his new intelligence he teams up with equally intelligent rats to con humans our of money by paying the rat's Pier Piper to get rid of them.
Once again, Pratchett has taken a classic tale and put his own spin on it, and of course, it was a good book. It isn't my favourite, but there were some wonderful moments in the story - like tap-dancing rats and the rat-catches drinking a whole load of laxatives! I liked the rat's names as well - they were just random words taken from discarded packets of food.
As ever, this book was gripping, entertaining and well worth reading. It can be read as a stand-alone book as the only character which features in any of the other books that appeared in this one was Death. Of course, being my favourite Discworld character I was pleased with this!
I enjoyed this book and think that this is a must-read series.
3/5
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I give my books to charity shops. I don't have space to keep them and buy new books!
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I finished Grave Secret by Charlaine Harris at the weekend. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I felt the beginning was a touch slow but it soon opened up into a great story. Some of the outcomes I wasn't surprised about, but there was one twist which surprised me
I didn't think it was Mark who killed Cameron, was surprised he did it.
I thought this was a good book
I'm currently reading Yours, Faithfully by Sheila O'Flanagan. It is a girly book but I like it
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I'm saving the eyes until last because I think it might freak me out - him staring at me as I saw!
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A simple trip to Brighton turns into a summer of adventure for Cassandra Paxton when she encounters the enigmatic Lord Deverill. She believes him to be a friend of her dead brother, but she soon finds that there is more to him than meets the eye. Lord Deverill is hiding a secret, and, when Cassandra discovers its significance, the accidents that have befallen her appear in a new and deadly light. With danger looming on every side Cassandra reluctantly knows she must join forces with Lord Deverill if she is to survive. After searching her heart, can Cassandra admit that she loves him? And will Lord Deverill Manage to save her life.To be honest, I was a bit reluctant to start reading this book. I chose it for my dissertation reading as it is set in Brighton, and I was worried it was going to be a boring, historically inaccurate Regency romance. To my pleasant surprise, I actually enjoyed the book.
The main character is Cassandra, who is determined, strong-willed and sensible. She is Brighton for one reason: to sell the family home. There she meets Lord Deverill, who knew her brother, and the real way he died. Yes there is a romance in the book but it does not overshadow the rest of the story. I liked Cassandra. She stuck to her guns and faced the truth and reality head on.
The history in the book didn't seem too bad. The book is set in Regency Brighton and featured swimming in the sea, the horse races and evenings out at different parties - including one hosted by the Prince Regent at the Royal Pavilion. All of these things did occur during the late 1700s, early 1800s.
The plot was good. There was more going on than just falling in love. Cassandra had a little sister to look after, a house to sell and a suitor to chase away, as well as finding out the truth about her brother. Most of the story did not surprise me, but there was one twist that I missed. I thought the ending was a bit soft, but overall I enjoyed this book.
3/5
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Kell and Diane, your work is lovely! I love the butterfly and the daisy chain.
I'm working on the second page of Johnny now. It won't be done by the 18th so I'm not going to rush it. Here is my update:
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I'm planning to re-read Wuthering Heights soon for my Bronte sisters challenge so I'm backing it for this too!
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I'm reading in bed - I like my night time read to be light and fluffy so am reading Yours, Faithfully by Sheila O'Flanagan. Am 100 pages in and am enjoying it. It is written better than I thought it would be and it has a good storyline
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I'd like to join in with this in March!
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OK, here are new links:
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Yesterday I finished In The Heart of the Canyon by Elisabeth Hyde. It is a trip I will never physically make but the novel took me there and let me experience the trip and the landscape wonderfully. I loved the characters and the storyline. It was engaging and well written and I highly recommend it.
The other week I finished The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. I did try and post something here but I lost my internet connection.
That was another book I really enjoyed. It is big - over 600 pages, but I flew through it. I loved it straight off. The story jumps between different characters and times but it was easy to follow and so enjoyable. There were a few surprises, and some of the twists I worked out, but overall, another highly recommended book. -
I have finished the first page of the Johnny Depp cross stitch:
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I finished In The Heart of the Canyon by Elisabeth Hyde today. I really enjoyed it. I've now started Grave Secret by Charlaine Harris
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Kate, I notice you are using a square frame. Do you find them more comfortable than the round wooden frames?
I do find the round frames uncomfortable to hold and was considering the square frames.
I much prefer the square frame. Its a lap frame which makes it easier to use as well
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I like the freebies off magazines! I agree, they are usually quite easy. The magazine will probably have patterns for beginners in it as well.
Here is a Johnny update for you:
I like him, but I do miss colour!
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I found this one Kat: http://crossstitch.about.com/b/2009/09/25/free-hockey-motif-cross-stitch-pattern.htm I can't find anything else I'm afraid
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I have another request for a bookmark! They are so popular
I don't suppose anyone knows where I can get my hands on a small picture of a hockey player/hockey theme to fit a bookmark? I'm not having much luck browsing the web.
Did you find a pattern? You looking for free or paid?
Kell yours is looking good
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During her lonely childhood in Shanghai, Adeline Yen Mah wrote adventure stories to escape from her terrible step-mother and cruel siblings. The characters she created often became more real to her than her own family. In Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society, Adeline tells the story of Chinese Cinderella, a young girl who, after being thrown out of her home, has no choice but to go out and seek her own destiny. Soon she meets up with a group of children, all orphaned but each from a different background, who live with an old lady called Grandma Wu. Chinese Cinderella, or CC for short, decides her future after consulting an ancient book which helps to show her the way forward. And her choice takes her on a mission to save the lives of others. Based on a true-life incident during World War II. CC and the others bravely rescue a group of American pilots whose plane crashed after a bombing raid on Japan. Although her father is looking for her, CC knows that she can never go back to live with her cruel stepmother, and now there is no turning back.This book follows CC, a girl whose step-mother makes her life miserable and whose father never seems happy. She frequently finds comfort in visiting Big Aunt, but she has to return to her home to care for a sick elderly lady. CC is lost, and by chance stumbles upon a circus act. One of the performers hands her his business card and the following day she seeks this group out. What she finds is The Secret Dragon Society
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He is looking good Kell
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I have this on my TBR pile but I can't remember...is it a stand-alone book? Glad you enjoyed it.
It is a Discworld novel but it doesn't feature any of the "main" characters except Death so it can be read as a stand-alone book
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I finished The Forgotten Garden this afternoon. I loved it, a fantastic book
I've started The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown now -
The other week I finished The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett. Tap-dancing rats, very funny! As usual I loved this book. Not my favourite but well worth reading. I haven't been able to do much reading this month because we have moved but I'm hoping to get The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton finished today, which is a great book.
Books to Charity
in General Book Discussions
Posted
It came to my notice when I moved that some of the books I've bought from charity shops have come from boxsets or from a voucher offer and aren't to be sold separately or at all - how come charity shops can sell these?