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SueK

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Posts posted by SueK

    Joanne Harris

    in General Fiction

    Posted · Edited by SueK
    embarassing mistake

    Hi, apologies if she has been mentioned on here already (I am still trying to find my way round:smile2:) but I am about to embark on a few of her books. Apart from Chocolat which I'll assume is the best one to start off with, what other ones of hers would you recommend?

     

    Many thanks.

     

    Edit: it would perhaps help if I spelt her name correctly - sorry - Joanne Harris

    Foreign food

    in Food, Cooking & Recipes

    Posted

    Sue, have a look here and here

    A friend of mine, who went on holiday there told me that he came across kiosk like stands selling them.

     

     

    Yes you're right, I asked my OH last night and he said they are very popular in the North East, hence why I didn't see them in Bangkok although I admit I think I remember seeing a street seller selling a sort of locust but I never tried them. I've just come back from there and didn't see them selling any this time. But then, the cuisine is changing dramatically towards Western food and authentic good Thai food was getting difficult to find.

    Foreign food

    in Food, Cooking & Recipes

    Posted

    depends how weird Andy. No way will I go to Thailand and eat fried insects.....:shudder:

     

    Hmm, not sure they eat fried insects in Thailand. I'm married to a Thai and I lived there for quite a long time but can't ever remember seeing fried insects on the menu.

     

    Lots of other lovely things to eat in Thailand anyway without worrying about eating insects.

    Favourite sports?

    in Sport

    Posted

    Has to be footie too, I'm afraid. And I have to own up to being an Arsenal supporter:irked: - not a plastic glory hunting fan, but I was born within spitting distance of the old Highbury ground.

     

    So, c'mon Mr Wenger, for goodness sake buy some experienced players in January:motz:

    Strictly Come Dancing - new line-up P15

    in Music / TV / Films

    Posted

    I think Heather was probably the weakest this weekend and would put money on her going tonight.

     

    I hope Cheri stays, she doesn't suit Latin as much as classic ballroom but I think she has a lovely style.

     

    Do you ever get the impression Len doesn't want to be sat next to the other judges, they seem to be on a different planet to Len. He is so down to earth.

     

    I'll let you into a secret; in my yoof, I was prof. dancer and I used to attend Arlene's classes at the Old Dance Centre in Covent Garden, when she had just started up Hot Gossip. She was the best of her kind around at that time - so innovative.

    Jacquot and the Master by Martin O'Brien

    in General Fiction

    Posted · Edited by SueK
    typo

    Hi there, I've read two in this series, the first - Jacquot and the Waterman and then Jacquot and the Angel. I really liked them especially, as you say, you feel the sun on your back in Provence. He is an interesting character, not 2-dimensional like a lot of detectives, he actually has a few flaws.

     

    I am behind now in this series and need to catch up as I think he has written quite a few more in the series.

    Books by Kate Furnivall

    in Historical Fiction

    Posted

    Continuing with my theme on Russian post revolution lit (sorry:smile2:), I found this an interesting read. I picked it up in Asda and thought I certainly had my money's worth. It's by Kate Furnivall and is loosely based on her grandmother's life (although the book is a work of fiction). She was a Russian woman called Valentina who married into minor nobility and played piano for the Tsar on occasions. After the Revolution her husband was taken away presumed dead and Valentina and her daughter had to make their way to the International Settlement in Junchow Province in China and live as best they could - or starve. The story then takes us through the early days of the Kuomintang and Communist uprisings with a love story threading it's plot through the book. I found this well written and it taught me a lot about that era - which was fascinating.

     

    Recommended reading.

     

    Love

    Sepulchre - Kate Mosse

    in General Fiction

    Posted

    I generally find Kate Mosse's books fail to deliver. I read Labyrinth but the editing was so bad (like you say "OK" in the 12th Century?:)) and her heroine driving up and down France like she was just going to the shops annoyed me. However, I picked up Sepulchre earlier this year and thought the premise was good. It takes place near Rennes le Chateau (famous through the bestseller Holy Blood and Holy Grail) - she even has Berenger Sauniere appear in the book; plus the Debussy link which I thought was going to be interesting seeing as he was part of the so called conspiracy theory in Holy Blood) but ..... it just didn't really happen and I was quite disappointed in the end. I think she has an ability to write a page turner but I just wanted my pages to be a bit more interesting.

     

    Love

    Books by Robert Alexander

    in Historical Fiction

    Posted

    Forgive me if there is post on this author, I'm new and still finding my way about - also please move if this is in the wrong thread. Thanks.:roll:

     

    Robert Alexander's genre is Tsarist Russia and so far he has written: The Kitchen Boy which is about the last days of the Tsar and his family at Ekaterinburg: Rasputin's daughter, the third book, the Romanov Bride, I yet to read.

     

    They are small works of fiction but are real gems. I think he has extremely good knowledge of that period and his writing is clear and cleverly plotted. Here is a link to his homepage. I'd be interested in hearing what other think of them.

     

    http://www.sitestories.com/robertalexander/

     

    As I've mentioned earlier, I love reading about this very immotive period of history, followed by works of the early post Revolution era.

     

    Thanks

    Who is your favorite detective/crime fighter?

    in Crime / Mystery / Thriller

    Posted

    Has to be Sherlock:readingtwo: I have read and re-read the SH stories and still find new and interesting things in them. I particularly love the the fact that the books are contemporary and you are reading exactly how life was in late Victorian times.

     

    My other fav is probably Brother Cadfael - another set of books that I love to re-read when I feel like it. His herbal knowledge and medieval "forensic" work is quite fascinating.

     

    There are plenty of others I could mention but will have to give it a bit more thought.

     

    Love

    The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

    in Historical Fiction

    Posted

    Hi, I absolutely loved this book and it was a great companion to me when I was off work with a broken ankle last year:irked:. I love books about dusty tomes and rummaging through libraries, it all adds to the atmospheric nature of the book. Admittedly I did find it a bit slow in parts but I was in no hurry and somehow it all built up to the tension but I found the work ultimately a very satisfying read. I don't know if Elisabeth Kostova has anything knew in the offing but I shall look out for her stuff.

     

    Love

    Hi, another newbie

    in Introductions

    Posted

    Just popping in to introduce myself. I have been looking for a Book Club Forum for a while and happened upon this one, so I've taken the opportunity to join up

     

    I am an avid reader with a house full of books - all hoping to be read before I'm too old;)

     

    Interests mainly in historical fiction, Russian literature, Sherlock Holmes and Victoriana generally.

     

    Look forward to seeing posts from like minded people.

     

    Love:readingtwo:

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