Abcinthia

I finished The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Now currently reading The Family Fang. And I bought 4 books today despite telling myself I wouldn't.

I just finished The Confession of Katherine Howard. I am now about to start The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. My first Agatha Christie novel.

37. The Confessions of Katherine Howard - Suzannah Dunn (from goodreads) ‘England: firelight and fireblush; wine-dark, winking gemstones and a frost of pearls. Wool as soft as silk, in leaf-green and moss; satins glossy like a midsummer night or opalescent like winter sunrise…Little did we know it but that night we were already ghosts in our own lives…’ When twelve-year-old Katherine Howard comes to live in the Duchess of Norfolk's household, poor relation Cat Tilney is deeply suspicious of her. The two girls couldn't be more different: Cat, watchful and ambitious; Katherine, interested only in clothes and boys. Their companions are in thrall to Katherine, but it's Cat in whom Katherine confides and, despite herself, Cat is drawn to her. Summoned to court at seventeen, Katherine leaves Cat in the company of her ex-lover, Francis, and the two begin their own, much more serious, love affair. Within months, the king has set aside his Dutch wife Anne for Katherine. The future seems assured for the new queen and her maid-in-waiting, although Cat would feel more confident if Katherine hadn't embarked on an affair with one of the king's favoured attendants, Thomas Culpeper. However, for a blissful year and a half, it seems that Katherine can have everything she wants. But then allegations are made about her girlhood love affairs. Desperately frightened, Katherine recounts a version of events which implicates Francis but which Cat knows to be a lie. With Francis in the Tower, Cat alone knows the whole truth of Queen Katherine Howard - but if she tells, Katherine will die. It was alright. It was not very accurate in places (but to be fair, all historical novels suffer from that problem to some degree) and the writing was just average but it was enjoyable enough as a light read for a couple of afternoons. I probably wouldn't read this book again but I might read the others the author has written. 2/5

I decided to do something different for the start of March and take pictures of what books I am currently reading and what is in my reading box. But firstly, Vodkafan sent me a book. Thank you very much These are the books I am currently reading: And these are all the books in my reading box and two library books, in a rough order of how I am going to read them (I spend ages arranging and rearranging the books). I had managed to get the number in it down to 5 books but it's crept up again. My mum is bringing all her Stephen King Dark Tower Books when she visits tomorrow so the to-be-read box is going to be overflowing

Went to the library today and got out: The Confessions of Katherine Howard - Suzannah Dunn The Family Fang - Kevin Wilson The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Agatha Christie. Then went to a charity shop and picked up: The Picture of Dorian gray - Oscar Wilde Lady Chatterkey's Lover - D. H. Lawrence Innocent Traitor - Alison Weir

Du Maurier is one of my favourite authors. I've really enjoyed every book by her that I've read, except Hungry Hill.

I picked up Mary Anne last week and it's now in my to-read box. I'm looking forward to reading it. I am about 5 chapters into Perdita: The Life of Mary Robinson by Paula Byrne. I am enjoying it so far. Going to the library tomorrow to pick up some more books with my daughter

36. Started Early, Took My Dog - Kate Atkinson It's a day like any other for Tracy Waterhouse, running errands at the local shopping center, until she makes a purchase she hadn't bargained for. One moment of madness is all it takes for Tracy's humdrum world to be turned upside down, the tedium of everyday life replaced by fear and danger at every turn. Witnesses to Tracy's Faustian exchange are Tilly, an elderly actress teetering on the brink of her own disaster, and Jackson Brodie, who has returned to the land of his childhood, in search of someone else's roots. Variously accompanied, pursued, or haunted by neglected dogs, unwanted children, and keepers of dark secrets, soon all three will learn that the past is never history-and that no good deed goes unpunished. Brimming with wit, wisdom, and a fierce moral intelligence, Started Early, Took My Dog confirms Kate Atkinson's status as one of the most original and entertaining writers of our time. I've noticed this book on the shelf at the library for a while now and finally picked it up and read it. It took me a very long time to get into this book and after I passed the 100 page mark, I did consider giving up. But I am glad I didn't give up as I did thoroughly enjoy it from the middle onwards. It had an interesting plot, intriguing characters and mysteries. 3.75/5

I'm about 1/3 of the way though Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson. Just started Perdita: The Life of Mary Robinson by Paula Byrne which I've been looking forward to reading.

Me too! None of my friends can understand why I thought it was so boring. Visually it looked pretty good but the plot was so boring and the film felt like it went on forever.

This is the bookcase I share with my boyfriend. Most of the books are mine even though he's a Literature Student The history books are the only ones in any real order. But they are about to overflow to the next shelf.

The Weaker Vessel was excellent. Fraser is such a good historian in general, really indepth and interesting.

34. The Somnambulist - Essie Fox When seventeen-year old Phoebe Turner visits Wilton's Music Hall to watch her Aunt Cissy performing on stage, she risks the wrath of her mother Maud who marches with the Hallelujah Army, campaigning for all London theatres to close. While there, Phoebe is drawn to a stranger, the enigmatic Nathaniel Samuels who heralds dramatic changes in the lives of all three women. When offered the position of companion to Nathaniel's reclusive wife, Phoebe leaves her life in London's East End for Dinwood Court in Herefordshire - a house that may well be haunted and which holds the darkest of truths. In a gloriously gothic debut, Essie Fox weaves a spellbinding tale of guilt and deception, regret and lost love. I really enjoyed The Somnambulist and was impressed to discover it was Essie Fox's first novel. Fox is definitely someone to watch out for. The writing style and the plot were both excellent and I really enjoyed the characters of Phoebe and Cissy. It's set in the East End of London and Fox really brings it alive, it's like you are stepping back in time. The reason I gave it four stars and not five is not a fault of the author or the book. It's solely because I was very busy when I started reading the book and could only read a page or two before I had to go do something else. This did spoil my enjoyment and meant it took me a while to get into the plot. But when I get around to re-reading it, I'll probably rate it higher. 4/5

I'm currently reading When God Was A Rabbit and The Somnambulist. Both have been really good so far.

I recently finished this and thought excatly the same. I look forward to reading Jennifer Worth's other books at some point.

Oh yes I agree. The same personalities and the same sort of problems. I have Mary Anne in my to-read box so hopefully that one will be a lot better than Hungry Hill. 33. Call The Midwife - Jennifer Worth An unforgettable story of the joy of motherhood, the bravery of a community, and the hope of one extraordinary woman At the age of twenty-two, Jennifer Worth leaves her comfortable home to move into a convent and become a midwife in post war London’s East End slums. The colorful characters she meets while delivering babies all over London—from the plucky, warm-hearted nuns with whom she lives to the woman with twenty-four children who can’t speak English to the prostitutes and dockers of the city’s seedier side—illuminate a fascinating time in history. Beautifully written and utterly moving, The Midwife will touch the hearts of anyone who is, and everyone who has, a mother. Call The Midwife was brilliant. I've never read a book that has made me laugh out loud one moment, sit on the edge of my seat with worry the next, then cry bucketfulls of tears. All whilst showing what the East End of London was like in the 1950s and the true life people that inhabited it. That was what made it such an amazing book. What really struck with me was seeing all the different births and what Jennifer was doing at the age of 22 (the age I am now). It bought back memories of the birth of my daughter, as I didn't have any painkillers and just had two midwives and my mum telling me what to do, not a million miles away from some of the births described in the book. 5/5

Ooo which ones? You're welcome! 32. Hungry Hill - Daphne Du Maurier 'I tell you your mine will be in ruins and your home destroyed and your children forgotten ...but this hill will be standing still to confound you.' So curses Morty Donovan when 'Copper John' Brodrick builds his mine at Hungry Hill. The Brodricks of Clonmere gain great wealth by harnessing the power of Hungry Hill and extracting the treasure it holds. The Donovans, the original owners of Clonmere Castle, resent the Brodricks' success, and consider the great house and its surrounding land theirs by rights. For generations the feud between the families has simmered, always threatening to break into violence ... I was very disapointed with Hungry Hill. The other Du Maurier books that I've read I've adored, so I had high hopes for Hungry Hill. But apart from a few chapters that had me hooked, most of the book left me feeling bored. 2/5

I'm definitely going to buy them at some point. I'm trying to curb my book buying habit but I think next time I'm on amazon, I'll order them. I've just finished Mary's story. It was such a heartbreaking story

I am about halfway through Call The Midwife and at some point I want to buy the others. It's an utterly amazing read. I've laughed; I've cried; I've been on the edge of my seat with worry. It's not many books that manages to make you feel such a wide range of emotions.

A copy of The Stone Cage by Nicholas Stuart Gray. My mum had a copy when I was a child and I loved reading it and I was sad when it vanished when we moved house. It's out of print but my boyfriend managed to get hold an an ex-library copy for £50.

Yes there is one before it called The Crucifix Killer and a third one called Night Stalker. I found everything made sense. It could definitely be read by itself without reading the previous book. There were refrences to The Crucifix Killer but at no point did it say who he was or what excatly he did, so if I find that book in the library it will still be a surprise to read. The only thing really mentioned was that his partner was in some kind of peril at some point because of the Killer but Hunter doesn't go into detail. I have a habit of reading books in a Crime Series out of order. I just pick up whichever book is on display or randomly off the shelf in the library and most of the time just skim the blurb so don't realise it's in a series. I always appreciate the ones that do not give away too many details in previous books or require prior knowledge because if I like the author's style, I'll read the other books at some point and don't want the ending spoilt.

I wasn't sure whether to get The Paris Wife either (I'm also trying to cut down on book buying). I was looking out for it in my local library when I won a copy. I'm so glad I did because it really was enjoyable. I hope you like it too! 31. The Executioner - Chris Carter Inside a Los Angeles church, on the altar steps, lies the blood-soaked, decapitated body of a priest. Carefully positioned, legs stretched out, arms crossed over the chest, the most horrifying thing of all is that the priest's head has been replaced by that of a dog. Later, the forensic team discover that, on the victim's chest, the figure 3 has been scrawled in blood. At first, Detective Robert Hunter believes that this is a ritualistic killing. But as more bodies surface, he is forced to reassess. All the victims died in the way they feared the most. Their worst nightmares have literally come true. But how could the killer have known? And what links these apparently random victims? Hunter finds himself on the trail of an elusive and sadistic killer, somone who apparently has the power to read his victims' minds. Someone who can sense what scares his victims the most. Someone who will stop at nothing to achieve his twisted aim. It was a good crime novel and it didn't realise it was book 2 in a series. Interesting serial killer, cops trying to find him and plenty of twists and turns. I thought I had the killer sussed but I was surprised in the end! The main character (Hunter) was likeable and so brilliant and the police investigation was gripping to read. The murders are very gruesome so it's not for the faint hearted. 4/5

29. The Sisters Brothers - Patrick DeWitt I loved this book! Normally it is not the type of book I would pick up but I decided to give it a go after seeing it reviewed on the TV Book Club. I'm so glad I did read it. I loved everything from the fantastic cover design, the gripping plot, engaging characters and great writing style. I'd strongly recommend it to anyone. 5/5

I'm currently baking some bagels. I didn't realise how easy they were to make!