Lucybird

The Piano Tuner- Janice Y.K. Lee Synopsis (from Amazon) In 1942, Will Truesdale, an Englishman newly arrived in Hong Kong, falls headlong into a passionate relationship with Trudy Liang, a beautiful Eurasian socialite. But their love affair is soon threatened by the invasion of the Japanese, with terrible consequences for both of them, and for members of their fragile community who will betray each other in the darkest days of the war. Ten years later, Claire Pendleton lands in Hong Kong and is hired by the wealthy Chen family as their daughter’s piano teacher. A provincial English newlywed, Claire is seduced by the colony’s heady social life. She soon begins an affair!only to discover that her lover’s enigmatic demeanour hides a devastating past. As the threads of this compelling and engrossing novel intertwine and converge, a landscape of impossible choices emerges — between love and safety, courage and survival, the present and above all, the past. Review I did quite like this book but I was only ever interested in one side of the story at a time. Initially I quite liked Claire’s story and seeing how she approached the culture in Hong-Kong as a British woman. From the way some of the other British living in Hong-Kong were described I thought that bit could have gone quite wrong, with Claire just being a bit of a socialite and not seeing the ‘real’ Hong-Kong. In some ways I did feel like there was a very British feel to the novel, it was almost as if the bits of Hong-Kong culture were added in order to remind the reader that The Piano Teacher wasn’t actually set in the U.K. However in other cases it was interesting to read about how Hong-Kong nationals had actually joined their own culture with the British culture. In the early points I didn’t like Trudy and Will’s story at all. I wasn’t interested in the life of a socialite at all, and to be honest I really didn’t like Trudy, mainly she annoyed me. As the story progressed I started preferring this story to Claire’s however. I am a frequent reader of stories set in war time, and as war approached I found the book much more interesting, especially as I had known next to nothing about Hong-Kong during the second world war. I still didn’t like Trudy though. To be honest I think I just would have preferred this book if it was a book about Hong-Kong during war time, and I think there was enough material to make that possible. 3/5

I'm (have many times cn you say)re-reading Order of the Phoenix

Finished American Wife- Curtis Sittenfeld and started The Piano Teacher- Janice Y.K. Lee The boyfriend bought this one yesterday. I shall read it after him. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it Chrissy.

American Wife- Curtis Sittenfeld Synopsis (from Amazon) In the year 2000, in the closest election in American history, Alice Blackwell’s husband becomes president of the United States. Their time in the White House proves to be heady, tumultuous, and controversial. But it is Alice’s own story – that of a kind, bookish, only child born in the 1940s Midwest who comes to inhabit a life of dizzying wealth and power – that is itself remarkable. Alice candidly describes her small-town upbringing, and the tragedy that shaped her identity; she recalls her early adulthood as a librarian, and her surprising courtship with the man who swept her off her feet; she tells of the crisis that almost ended their marriage; and she confides the privileges and difficulties of being first lady, a role that is uniquely cloistered and public, secretive and exposed. Review. I read a fair few positive reviews of this book around about a year ago and added it to my wishlist. It’s not the sort of book I would have bought, although I may have been a little interested if I picked it up in-store, but the reviews convinced me somewhat. (I can’t remember where I read the reviews now, but if it was on your blog, thank you). In the end I got it off Bookmooch (which is a great site by the way, I get lots of books that way). When I logged the book on Goodreads I had a quick flick through the reviews and a few readers were saying that knowing that Alice was loosely based on Laura Bush made them view the book differently and less like fiction. Luckily I know next to nothing about Laura Bush so it didn’t really affect my reading of it. The only way it did affect my reading was that I wondered if some things were true. I wouldn’t recommenned researching Laura Bush before reading American Wife, however, if you know little about her as I do. In some ways I don’t think it was a good idea for Sittenfeld to pronounce the similarity between Laura Bush and Alice, at least at the beggining of the novel. I think if you already knew a lot about Laura Bush you would probably work it out, and knowing before reading the book could impact your reading of it. I considered not mentioning it here but as it is stated at the start of the book I don’t think it really matters where the knowledge comes from. I did really enjoy this book. I got more engrossed in it than I expected too, and it sort of had more plot that I expected. I suppose I thought that a lot of it would be about being a President’s Wife, or at least a political wife, but for the most part Alice could have been almost any person from a middle-class background who married into money. It is more a book about class, about marriage, and just about life in general than it is about being a President’s Wife. That still does not make it sound so intriguing but I did find it a rather more emotional book than I had expected. I don’t think I can really say more without giving away important plot points. I do wonder if Laura Bush knows the contents of this book? I can imagine some things she may not be happy about. 4.5/5

The Distant Hours- Kate Morton Synopsis (from Amazon) Edie Burchill and her mother have never been close, but when a long lost letter arrives with the return address of Milderhurst Castle, Kent, printed on its envelope, Edie begins to suspect that her mother’s emotional distance masks an old secret. Evacuated from London as a thirteen year old girl, Edie’s mother is chosen by the mysterious Juniper Blythe, and taken to live at Millderhurst Castle with the Blythe family. Fifty years later, Edie too is drawn to Milderhurst and the eccentric Sisters Blythe. Old ladies now, the three still live together, the twins nursing Juniper, whose abandonment by her fiancé in 1941 plunged her into madness. Inside the decaying castle, Edie begins to unravel her mother’s past. But there are other secrets hidden in the stones of Milderhurst Castle, and Edie is about to learn more than she expected. The truth of what happened in the distant hours has been waiting a long time for someone to find it . . . Review Well I must say this kept me on the edge of my seat right to the very end. At one point when I thought we would never find out all the secrets I was actually shouting at the book "But what happened?!" It may have been better if one of the secrets wasn't revealed It would have added a bit of a puzzle for the reader to try to work out if not all the secrets were revealed, but seeing as I was getting frustrated when I just thought a secret wouldn't be revealed maybe it is a good thing there was nothing left to wonder about. I found the way Kate Morton wove the different secrets into the story was really clever. A number of times I was convinced I had worked out a secret only to find that everything I thought had been evidence really wasn't. It was clever the way Morton walked the reader down one path only to suddenly veer off in another direction, which I at least never expected. I found the characters quite engaging. Only real problem was that there seemed to be to many similarities between Saffy, young Meredith and Edie. I could understand with Edie and Meredith, I imagine that some of Meredith would have rubbed off on Edie, even though Meredith had changed by then. I can't say I really liked Percy, although there was something about her strength and her loyalty that I admired, and I certainly found her an interesting character to read. In some ways Percy was the hardest character to figure out. Immediately she seemed quite straight forward but as more secrets were revealed the reader is made to challenge their perceptions. . She seemed very controlling, but her intentions, at least, were good. I found Juniper's character very interesting too, although I found her more likeable than Percy. I'm still not entirely sure I have her figured out. Only real problem I had with The Distant Hours is that it took a while to get going. Despite the fact that I had been really looking forward to reading it I had started planning a disappointed review by the end of the first chapter. I'm glad everything changed. 4.5/5

Annie Hall missed the beginning so may have to watch it again but was funny.

Well then I hope you both enjoy

That Day in September- Artie Van Why Synopsis (from Amazon) We all have our stories to tell of where we were the morning of September 11, 2001. This is one of them. In “That Day In September” Artie Van Why gives an eyewitness account of that fateful morning. From the moment he heard “a loud boom” in his office across from the World Trade Center, to stepping out onto the street, Artie vividly transports the reader back to the day that changed our lives and our country forever. “That Day In September” takes you beyond the events of that morning. By sharing his thoughts, fears and hopes, Artie expresses what it was like to be in New York City in the weeks and months following. The reader comes away from “That Day In September” with not only a more intimate understanding of the events of that day but also with a personal glimpse of how one person’s life was dramatically changed forever. Review I feel that words cannot really describe my thoughts on this book, it completely blew me away. I will try my best to put my thoughts into words, just don’t expect too much! At first I was a little unsure about reading a book based on September the 11th, not because I had no interest in the subject but because there was a part of my that thought it didn’t seem right to make money out of a tragedy such as that day, but once I started ‘getting to know’ Artie I didn’t feel that way any more. It felt more like he was helping people to understand while relieving his own pain. I can imagine that writing about what happened that day must have been difficult for him. In terms of read-a-bility for such a difficult matter That Day in September was surprisingly easy to read. The book was short (less than 100 pages) and the language was simple, so I managed to read the whole thing in less than an hour while waiting for the boyfriend in a coffee shop. However the simplicity didn’t take anything away from the subject matter (at least in terms of emotional impact), if anything it let events speak for themselves. I liked that Van Why left things unsaid, sometimes words cannot match an emotion or an image, who can really describe what we all saw (whether in person or through the television) that day? I did find myself wanting to e-mail Van Why as soon as I had read the book. Wanting to write about what I had read and urge you all to read it. What a shame I was nowhere near a computer! 5/5

Hi Star Handle with Care is my favourite, but mainly for personal reasons.

A Heartbreaking Word of Staggering Genius- Dave Eggers Synopsis A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius is the memoir (or autobiography if you prefer of Dave Eggers). It tells the story of his life after the death of his parents as he raises his younger brother Toph. Review So lets see, I am rather behind on reviews so it has actually been about a week since I finished this one. To start off I found Dave Eggers style quite funny, the chapter with his mother dying was actually strangelly amusing (and yes I know that sounds strange) it was just the particular little aspects of the situation that he decided to highlight, they seemed so trivial and somehow to be thinking about those kind of things when your mother is dying was rather amusing. After a while though I found less and less to amuse or entertain me. At first I thought it was quite self-centred (I guess, that’s not really the right word). I know that writing about yourself is quite a self-centred act in a way but it felt kind of arrogant, like he thought he was always right. At first I found that aspect kind of funny in itself, I thought it was, I don’t know, sarcastc or something, but after a while it just became annoying, I wanted him to think he wasn’t doing something the best possible way just once. I must admit by the end of tje book I just didn’t like him, although there were still the occasional scenes which made me chuckle a little. 3/5

Finished my re-read of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire yesterday, and read a little of Remember, Remember at the boyfriends, although only because I didn't have a book with me. Kate Morton's The Distant Hours came in the post as well so think I will be starting that today. Oh and I ordered a copy of The Fry Chronicles, couldn't resist it half price at the book depository.

The Inbetweeners. Funny but not as funny as the TV show, I think it got a bit much in parts

About 200 pages into AHWOSG liking it but finding it kind of like wading through treacle, it seems to say little in many words!

Watched The King's Speech on DVD over the weekend. Still fantastic the second time. We were going to go to the cinema but got distracted...

Hi Sue. Of course I remember you

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban- J.K. Rowling Synopsis (from Amazon) Harry Potter is a wizard. He is in his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It’s always a relief after summer with the Dursleys, however, Harry doesn’t realise that this year will be just as eventful as the last two! The atmosphere at Hogwarts is tense. There’s an escaped mass murderer on the loose, even the Muggles have been warned. The sinister prison guards of Azkaban have been called in to guard the school and Harry, Ron and Hermione rapidly discover why all witches and wizards live in fear of being sent to Azkaban. Lessons, however, must go on and there are lots of new subjects in third year – Care of Magical Creatures and Divination among others. Plus the delights of Hogsmeade, the only village in the UK entirely populated by the magical community. Review I know this book is a favourite among many of Harry’s fans but of the books I’m read so far it’s been the one I’ve looked forward to the least. It’s not my least favourite but it is far from my favourite and my excitement about the read-a-long has abated a little. I was trying to stop myself reading The Prisoner of Azkaban at the beginning of the month but suddenly the end of the month was here and I was worried I wouldn’t finish it in time! Luckily I finished it today just within the time! Having said this is not my favourite there still are a lot of things I like about it. Not least of all. I love the introduction of Lupin in this book, I think he remains my favourite teacher, or at least my favourite Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. In fact Lupin remains a favourite character of mine all the way through, despite his behaviour in Deathly Hallows. I also quite like hearing a little bit about James’ time at Hogwarts and his friends, and finding out a little about what happened the day Harry’s parents died. Those who know my love of Harry will confirm I’ve always been very interested in back story. However Marauder back story, although interesting is not something I feel the need to explore, I would much rather read about Voldemort’s school days. I think that’s one of the reasons I don’t like Prisoner of Azkaban so much, it’s very light on Voldemort. Despite that I do think it’s important in Voldemort’s gradual rise to power 5/5

Started A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius- Dave Eggers. Finished That Day in September- Artie Van Why and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban- J.K. Rowling.

I always like the 3-for-2s. I tend to go in find 3 things I want, add a few others to the wishlist, then never actually buy anything off the wishlist. I think better value single books might be better though, save more money overall anyway I think, I just worry nothing I'm interested on would be on offer, usually with 3 for 2 it's quite eclectic but the article makes it sound like there will be fewer offers.

I started today, am only 11 pages into the proper story but have read all the introduction bits.

I loved When God was a Rabbit, I read it just before it was released. My boyfriend however found it depressing. My review is here

I picked up a copy today, first time I've gone into Waterstones and only bought one book for ages! I have a 9/11 memoir to read first though, I actually want to review it on my blog on 9/11 (or 11/9 as it should be!)

Bought A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius- Dave Eggers and have been reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

In the Kitchen- Monica Ali Synopsis (from Amazon) Gabriel Lightfoot, executive chef at the once-splendid Imperial Hotel, aims to run a tight kitchen. Though under constant challenge from the competing demands of an exuberantly multinational staff, a gimlet-eyed hotel management, and business partners with whom he is secretly planning a move to a restaurant of his own, all Gabe’s hard work looks set to pay off. Until, that is, a worker turns up dead in the kitchen basement… Enter Lena, an eerily attractive young woman with mysterious ties to the dead man. Under her spell, Gabe makes a decision, with consequences that strip him naked, and change the course of the life he knows – and the future he thought he wanted. Review Okay, time to be honest, I pretty much bought In the Kitchen because I remembered really liking Brick Lane. I was waiting for it to come out in paperback for so long I eventually gave in and brought it in hardback when Borders was closing down, but it’s still one of the books which has been on my To Be Read list for the longest amount of time. I did start it shortly after buying it but decided I wasn’t in the right mood for reading it, so it has sat on my TBR pile staring at me ever since. Everytime my TBR pile gets low it seems to be saying “Pick me! Pick me! You wanted me so much!” but I was never in the right mood. Well when I eventually did get around to starting it (almost a week ago now) I couldn’t understand why I didn’t feel right about it first time. There is something about the opening which showed so much promise. A bit of intrigue, a promise of something unknown to be revealed. Unfortunately things went downhill from there. Things were just so slow. That first chapter made insinuations that lots was going to happen. I didn’t really expect a fast paced, exciting, detective style novel. It’s still Monica Ali after all and if Brick Lane is anything to go by she’s not the writer of fast paced novels, preferring the gradual reveal. However while I remember Brick Lane having so fantastic descriptions and a great insight to life as an Asian migrant in Britain I didn’t find any such interest in In The Kitchen. While there was the element of a revealing of life as an Eastern European migrant it wasn’t as deep as the insight had been in Brick Lane and didn’t hold so much interest for me. Really it wasn’t a story about Eastern Europeans, or about a kitchen. It wasn’t a story about a death. It wasn’t a story about a woman. No it was really a story about Gabriel, and, to be perfectly honest I didn’t like Gabriel. I have no particular reason to not like Gabriel, I just didn’t, and really I didn’t care about what happened to him. I think if I had cared about Gabriel I would have liked the story, so it’s really a shame I didn’t. In the Kitchen was slow going but it was all about the gradual reveal, the journey to a climatic end. By then I was a little interested, and if I liked Gabriel I might have ended up liking the whole book, such a shame. Maybe this review is a bit biased. I can see how good Monica Ali’s writing is. I can see how clever she is with her little clues of what will happen to Gabriel, how she uses the journey to a climax with great success. I really wish I could have loved this book, but in the end the journey was just too long for me. 3/5

Just finished In the Kitchen- Monica Ali. Re-read of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban next.

A Wispa, YAY!