Ooshie

Boy

frightened

Indolence

A great review of Rebecca, Feste; I have read quite a few du Mauriers over the years, and it is one of my favourites. I still have it on my shelf, so hopefully one day I will get the chance to give it a reread

I'm reading The Handmaid's Tale just and loving it, The Miracle Inspector is definitely going on my wish list!

Foundation and Empire Synopsis - from Amazon Foundation and Empire is the story of first contact between the two Foundations of Hari Seldon. The Seldon Plan guided the First Foundation safely through two centuries of chaos as the Galactic Empire disintegrated. Seldon's recorded holographic image appeared in the Council Chamber on Terminus at moments of crisis predicted by psychohistory, and his voice was heard. Even war between the Foundation and the remains of the Empire was foreseen - and planned for - by the great scientist. But Seldon had no way of predicting the birth of the Mule, a mutant of uncanny power and unlimited ambition. The Mule's conquests are effortless and his subjects mind-controlled slaves. The Foundation is powerless against the supernormal force the Mule exerts. The Seldon Plan is in tatters. Two men and a woman from Terminus flee to the ruins of might Trantor in an effort to discover where the mysterious Second Foundation was established. Its help is needed desperately against the mental powers of the Mule. But the Mule, using those same astonishing powers, is also looking for the Second Foundation. A pretty good read, but I'm definitely not enjoying the series as much as I did in my 20s. I gave it 4/5 though - quite short, and kept me engaged throughout! A Month in the Country Synopsis - from The Folio Society In the summer of 1920, Tom Birkin, a shell-shocked young veteran of the Great War, comes to a small church deep in the Yorkshire Dales, where news of world events is scarce and whole villages meet for Sunday picnics. He has been hired to restore a ‘Doom’ painting of Christ’s last judgement, concealed for hundreds of years on the church wall. Deeply scarred by grief and the horrors of his experiences in the trenches, Tom is slowly drawn out of his isolation, by the slow, comfortable rhythms of English country life and by a young married woman’s sometimes wary, sometimes playful, efforts. The month in the country becomes a glorious summer, but as the work of restoration on the painting continues, secrets rise to the surface. Carr’s classic book was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1980. The Folio Society edition, first published in 1999, is evocatively illustrated by Ian Stephens and introduced by Ronald Blythe, author of Akenfield and the 20th century’s finest writer on rural England. Well, this is where I wish I hadn't given quite so many books 5/5 this year! This really has to be one of the best books I have ever read. It is only about 120 pages long in my edition, but the writing is absolutely superb and touches on so many things. I'm pretty sure it was Willoyd I saw mention it quite a long while ago - so thank you, Willoyd! I would hate to have missed out on this treasure. V is for Vengeance Synopsis - from Amazon Las Vegas, 1986. A young college graduate is murdered when he is unable to pay back a loan funded by notorious criminal Lorenzo Dante. Two years later private investigator Kinsey Millhone finds herself assisting to apprehend a shoplifter - Audrey Vance - in a shopping centre. Events take a much darker turn when Audrey's body is discovered beneath the Cold Spring Bridge, a local suicide spot. Unable to believe she took her own life, Audrey's fiancé Marvin Striker hires Kinsey to investigate. It soon emerges that the shoplifter had become caught up in a much larger operation. Meanwhile Lorenzo Dante has begun to grow weary of his life in organised crime and frustrated with his violent and impulsive younger brother Cappi. While the police net begins to close in on him, Dante meets the beautiful Nora, who exerts a powerful pull over the gangster. As Kinsey’s enquiries reach a dramatic head, it becomes clear that she and Dante have one thing in common – they must be careful who they trust . . . This is number 22 in this series, and I am definitely not enjoying them as much as I used to. The last 3 or 4 have been a bit of a disappointment to me. It was still a reasonably good read with some interesting twists and turns, but definitely not as good as the earlier books. However, having persevered with it through to V, I am pretty sure I will keep going until Z! (Maybe I'm being a bit unfair though, as I think any book would have seemed a disappointment after A Month in the Country.) 3.5/5

I haven't read anything by Jack Vance yet, but liked Second Foundation, really liked 11.22.63, and loved Imajica!

Thanks, Steve, I really did enjoy it, and I am sure I will go on to read more GGK and more other fantasy, too.! I found The Virginian a very good read indeed; apparently it is regarded as the first cowboy novel and Owen Wister spent a lot of time in the West so it is regarded as quite authentic. It looks like it is available at Project Gutenberg, and is £1.45 for the Kindle at Amazon too. Well... the Stephen King/time travel thing is a dilemma indeed! I enjoyed it a lot, but it is by no means a short book which means it is a bit of an investment both cash wise and in reading time. It has references to earlier King characters etc and has made me want to reread "It", which I do still have. I like the idea of reading all the King novels from the beginning, but then what would I do about all the ones in the middle (the few I read and hated, and then quite a few more that I didn't even bother trying!)?

11.22.63 by Stephen King Synopsis - from Amazon WHAT IF you could go back in time and change the course of history? WHAT IF the watershed moment you could change was the JFK assassination? 11.22.63, the date that Kennedy was shot - unless . . . King takes his protagonist Jake Epping, a high school English teacher from Lisbon Falls, Maine, 2011, on a fascinating journey back to 1958 - from a world of mobile phones and iPods to a new world of Elvis and JFK, of Plymouth Fury cars and Lindy Hopping, of a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and a beautiful high school librarian named Sadie Dunhill, who becomes the love of Jake's life - a life that transgresses all the normal rules of time. With extraordinary imaginative power, King weaves the social, political and popular culture of his baby-boom American generation into a devastating exercise in escalating suspense. I was a fan of King's earlier books (until Misery), and I have quite enjoyed his last few as well, but I wasn't particularly looking forward to this one. I just couldn't see how he could make an entertaining book - particularly 740 pages long! - with that King feel out of JFKs assassination. Well, I was wrong. This was a great read that only took me a couple of days to get through as I just couldn't put it down. I have only given it 4/5 because I didn't enjoy the last section of the book (well, the second-last section to be precise) too much, but I have often found that King's endings aren't his strong point. The Virginian by Owen Wister Synopsis - from Amazon "The Virginian" is Owen Wister's classic novel of the Wild West. A highly fictionalized account of the Johnson County War, a dispute in 1890's Wyoming between large cattle ranchers and smaller operators over land use. Rich with detail of the old Wild West frontier days, "The Virginian" is at its core a study of the inherent nature of man drawn out by the savagery of the wilderness. Set in the cattle country of Wyoming in the 1870s, this work tells of the rivalry of the eponymous hero and the villain Trampas, and the wooing of the pretty Vermont schoolteacher, Molly Wood. It portrays the contrast between the pioneering standards of the West and encroaching civilization. I had two reasons for reading this book; one being that reading Lonesome Dove at the beginning of the year made me want to read more Western novels, and the other that the title made me feel nostalgic for the TV series that used to be on BBC1 many years ago. I knew that the storyline of the novel was different to the TV series, so that didn't spoil it for me. Written as short stories in the late 1800s and published as a novel in 1902, the language and style of writing took me a little while to get into, but after I had adjusted to that I really got into the story. Yet another book I have given 5/5 to!

Drawing Conclusions by Donna Leon Synopsis - from Amazon When a young woman returns from holiday to find her elderly neighbour dead, she immediately alerts the police. Commissario Brunetti is called to the scene but, though there are signs of a struggle, it seems the woman has simply suffered a fatal heart attack. Vice-Questore Patta is eager to dismiss the case as a death from natural causes, but Brunetti believes there is more to it than that. His suspicions are further aroused when the medical examiner finds faint bruising around the victim's neck and shoulders, indicating that someone might have grabbed and shaken her. Could this have caused her heart attack? Was someone threatening her? Conversations with the woman's son, her upstairs neighbour, and the nun in charge of the old-age home where she volunteered, do little to satisfy Brunetti's nagging curiosity. With the help of Inspector Vianello and the ever-resourceful Signorina Elettra, Brunetti is determined to get to the truth and find some measure of justice. Insightful and emotionally powerful, Drawing Conclusions reaffirms Donna Leon's status as one of the masters of literary crime fiction. The latest in the Brunetti detective series, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. As always, it is full of the atmosphere of Venice, and Brunetti and his happy family life are always a joy. A great read. 5/5 The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay Synopsis - from Amazon Hauntingly evocative of medieval Spain, a deeply compelling story of love, adventure, divided loyalties, and what happens when beliefs begin to remake – or destroy – a world. The ruling Asharites of Al-Rassan have come from the desert sands, but over centuries, seduced by the sensuous pleasures of their new land, their stern piety has eroded. The Asharite empire has splintered into decadent city-states led by warring petty kings. King Almalik of Cartada is on the ascendancy, aided always by his friend and advisor, the notorious Ammar ibn Khairan – poet, diplomat, soldier – until a summer afternoon of savage brutality changes their relationship forever. Meanwhile, in the north, the conquered Jaddites' most celebrated – and feared – military leader, Rodrigo Belmonte, driven into exile, leads his mercenary company south. In the dangerous lands of Al-Rassan, these two men from different worlds meet and serve – for a time – the same master. Tangled in their interwoven fate – and divided by her feelings – is Jehane, the accomplished court physician, whose skills may not be enough to heal the coming pain as Al-Rassan is swept to the brink of holy war, and beyond. This book probably really deserved 5/5, but I only awarded it 4.5/5 because I kept getting confused by the names of a lot of the characters and places. My fault not the book's, I know, but it did spoil my enjoyment a bit! As mentioned in the synopsis, I know the story is loosely based on mediaeval Spain, but I purposely decided not to try and learn about that as I was a bit confused alreadyalready and adding facts to the mix would have been the final straw I think - but I think I will try and learn more about that period before reading it again. Despite my confusion, it was a very good read, not what I had expected from a fantasy writer (I had previously only read the Fionavar Tapestry trilogy by GGK).

I read nothing but Nesbo for over a month while I was having trouble concentrating on my reading - they work a treat, don't they?

I know what you mean, poppy! I really like Anita Shreve's writing, but I went through a spell of a couple of months where I couldn't bear to read anything with emotions in it and just read crime novel after crime novel!

I agree, Chrissy, I found it very moving too, especially the ending. It's amazing just how much Lessing can pack into a very few pages! Anita Shreve is one of my favourite writers - I enjoyed Rescue, and always really look forward to her new books coming out.

I'm another one with Birdsong on the TBR pile; I really must get started on it soon!

That's great news, frankie!

I haven't read Dracula yet, but I'm hoping to read it this autumn. Looking forward to it!

Talking of GGK, I finally found The Lions of Al-Rassan, just in time to be my next read! I knew it would happen eventually...

deep

berate

Interesting idea, might give it a try, will be prepared for nightmares, though!

truth

gentle

ink...

I have the book this short story is in, but haven't read it yet. It looks as though I might have to be in a strong mood to tackle it, though!

Red Mist by Patricia Cornwell Synopsis - from Amazon Kay Scarpetta has arranged to meet an inmate at the high-security Georgia Prison for Women. The prisoner is a convicted sex offender and the mother of a vicious and diabolically brilliant killer. Against advice, Scarpetta is determined to hear this woman out - she believes she may hold some answers to the murder of her former deputy. But soon she finds connections to a string of grisly killings, including the slaughter of a Savannah family years earlier. She can see a pattern to these killings, but who is behind them and why? As she learns more, Scarpetta is compelled to conclude that this is only the beginning of something far more destructive: a terrifying terrain of conspiracy and potential terrorism on an international scale. And she is the only one who can stop it.. It is so long ago that I can't remember exactly how good the early Scarpetta books are, just that they are brilliant. This one is fine, I think. Certainly not brilliant, but an entertaining enough read which has helped nurse my missing mojo back to some sort of health, so it deserved kudos just for that I think! 3.5/5 Brass Ring by Diane Chamberlain Synopsis - from Amazon The images were vivid, the sensations powerful, and the more she tried to fight them, the more they drew her in. Claire leads a busy, fulfilled and happy life, a life she wouldn't trade for anything . . . and one that is about to change forever. When Claire fails to prevent a disturbed young woman's suicide, the incident seems to trigger something in her - forgotten images of a long-lost sister and a childhood she had always remembered as being close to perfection. Realising that this was not the case, Claire runs the risk of uncovering the dark secrets that are locked away in her memories. Caught in a complex struggle between the present and past, between the man who wants to help her and the husband who cannot, Claire must discover the terrible truth for herself. I very much like Diane Chamberlain's writing; to me she is similar to Jodi Picoult, but better. This is a reissue of one of her earlier books - I usually hate when publishers do that when a writer becomes popular, because too often the earlier efforts are pretty dire! Although not quite up to her current standard, I did enjoy this one quite a lot. Some people could find it a bit harrowing because of the subject matter though. 3.5/5