Jessi

Read more of Inkheart today - about 80 pages more! I am getting there now.

True Colours - Glee

Sex and the city

Yeah, Seton really seemed to know what she was talking about and that made it so easy to fly through. I thought she handled the more grisly parts of Medieval life well in her writing too.

I need to read Eclipse again too considering it was last April when I read it last - need to remind myself of the plot!!

Katherine by Anya Seton (4.5/5) I heard once Seton was the queen of historical fiction; I believe it now. I definitely just found a new favourite author. Katherine was a best seller back in the 1950s and is about the low born daughter of a knight who rose to be the first lady of England. Set in the medieval era when Edward III was king, it was fresh for me as I had never read a book sent in this era, yet Katherine succeeded in transporting me to the era in a way that no book has since The Last Station. Beautifully crafted and sourced from meticulous research, Katherine is a first rate historical read and gives you everything you want from a historical novel. As well as exploring the love of this passionate pair, it also gives you a glimpse as the other important characters of the time as well as the society; in this time, serfdom still existed in Britain, yet parliament was already formed. Given the complex and contradictory characters, the rich social and political background as well as unexpected plot if you don

Far away - Nickle back

The first Sex and the city movie

So far, so good. I am only 20 pages in - Bree seems like a good character. It

Read some of Short Second Life of Bree Tanner today

Emmerdale

You'll be in my heart - Celtic woman

Finished Seton's Katherine today!

Birdsong

The Pearl by Douglas Smith (4/5) I enjoyed this book. It was so different to everything else I have read this year. The pearl tells the story of Russia’s wealthy aristocrat and the serf who stole his heart. Set in the time of Catherine the Great, this was nothing sort of a crime against society. Nicholas and Praskovia are the heart of this tale, and though in the end there love story came to the end that lesser men than Nicholas wouldn’t able to bring it to, (after she feel dangerously ill he freed and married her a free women) it was followed it quick succession by tragedy as her broken health could not with stand the birth of their only (known) child, Dimity. Yet what makes The Pearl such a fascinating read is not only the love story it surrounds but the social context Smith sets it in. We are given a look into not only high society but also serf society, the world of serf theatre; a glimpse of all the classes who were involved in this part of the arts in this place and time. A very different, interesting and well written book which is only let down by the lack of material it was based on though that was no fault of the authors but rather the time. We know it seems very little of Praskovia so Smith had to reconstruct her from what people said/thought of her. Overall, brilliant though.

What about now - Draughty

Read quite a bit of Seton's Katherine today - a cracking read!

I am reading more of Smith's The Pearl today

Do! It was so interesting and I will definately reread it - it was just brilliant and really writing to bring out your emotions I think. Three Extraordinary Ladies!

Have You been Watching

Strawberry Yoghurt

the news

Jackie, Ethel, Joan by J Randy Taraborelli (4.75/5) I have not enjoyed a book as much as I did this one in a very long time! It was such a joy to read. Jackie, Ethel, Joan tells the story of the three Kennedy wives of the Camelot era. Joan was married to Ted Kennedy, Ethel to Bobby and as everyone knows, Jackie was JFKs first lady. As glamorous as their lives were tragic, Taraborrelli has a real flair for writing and brought every character in the book from family patriarch Joe to all of the kids to life for me. Obviously and as I have already said this is a tragedy as much as a story of triumph, and reading through the chapters concerning both the presidents and Bobby Kennedys assassinations I couldn’t help tears stinging my eyes. Especially the consequences of the shootings; thirteen young kids, none over twenty were left without a dad. Yet there were moments of triumph – JFKs ascent to power, Bobby and Ethel’s seemingly strong marriage (even if he did cheat) and Joan finally taking control of herself and splitting from Ted. If you love American history or the Kennedy era, read this book – I loved it!

Can't touch it - SATC 2 soundtrack

Got to the end of Jackie, Ethel, Joan - am off to review it in a minute. I have now begun Katherine by Anya Seton.