Hobbies and Crafts

'1,000 Years of Annoying the French' by Stephen Clarke. ;-)

I saw that book in W H Smith’s yesterday Dermot. Is it any good?

I had a Smith’s gift card to spend. I dithered for ages over different books and eventually got “Queens of the Conquest” by Alison Weir. It’s about 5 women who were influential in the century after the 1066 conquest. I’ll add it to my growing pile of unread books :-)

SuffolkVera - Just started reading it & it's a light-hearted discussion/summary of the many interconnections between the UK & France over the years. Some hilarious historical insults are included.

But it is educational too & spruces up some of our mundane history lessons we had to endure at school.

Well worth a read.

Thanks Dermot. I’ll add it to my “To Be Read” list

Vera, Alison Weir is great if you can absorb lots of facts. She is very thorough. I enjoyed her Richard 111 and the Princes in the Tower but I have to admit to skipping a few pages here and there when I got brain fog from all the names and dates.

I’ve got three Alison Weir books now and you are right Ann. I enjoy them but they are quite dense and you have to concentrate.

I’ve finished “Heartstone” which is no. 5 in C J Sansom’s Matthew Shardlake series, I enjoyed it very much. As I’ve already read the 6th book in the series I am now looking out for “Tombland”, the 7th and latest one.

Finished in A Class Of Their Own by Millie Clarke.

I have never laughed out loud so much since I read
Peter Kay's Autobiography.

Rachael and her children survived the poverty in Leith
Edinburgh and as the children were very clever and offered
bursaries to higher education she could not afford the uniforms for the
older ones. They overcame all that and made their mother proud
of them.
The Scottish humour was wonderfully written especially by Sam the oldest
son who was always the cheeky chap who always was running from the police, he
joined the force when older.

Am now reading Spectacles a memoir by Sue Perkins a very funny lady.

Hello all

Mersey whos wedding are you planning?

I am currently reading the Almonds and Raisins series up to book 3 and its Manchester 1960's.

Mersey is planning her own wedding Madge. :-) :-)

Thank you Ann :-0

I am reading the Ghost Tree by Barbara Erskine. It is very good, sort of family history research combined with flash backs and ghosts.

The synopsis looks good. Luckily it’ll be available soon from the county’s digital library. Have placed a Hold.

That sounds a good one Ann. Another one to add to my ever growing reading list.

I think I mentioned that I had got Alison Weir’s book “Queens of the Conquest” about five medieval queens. It’s written in five separate sections so I’ve decided to read one section at a time with something a bit easier in between. I like Alison Weir and don’t find her especially difficult to read but she packs in so much that after a while I go brain dead.

Anyway I have read the first section about the wife of William the Conqueror. She was Matilda of Flanders. She was a very powerful woman, often ruling as regent during William’s absences. She was also very wealthy and seems to have done quite a lot of good with her wealth. By the standards of the 11th century she was a good woman and her marriage to William appeared to be a real love match. Very interesting read.

I am now reading “Our Street” by Gilda O’Neill which is the story of the East End of London during WW2. It really brings home how people in that area suffered. A lot of it is what people who were there at the time told her in interviews etc. Some of it is heartbreaking.

I have just checked out the main character in Barbara Erskine's The Ghost Tree as I suspected he was 'real'.
Erskine went to sea as a midshipman in the Tartar, under captain Sir David Lindsay, who was a nephew of Lord Mansfield and a friend of the Erskine family. The Tartar set sail for the Caribbean, where Erskine was to spend the next four years, rising to the rank of acting lieutenant.[4] When Erskine was eighteen he resigned from the Navy. His ship had been paid off, there were no commissions available, and he didn't want to return to sea as a midshipman after having been an acting lieutenant.[5] The 10th Earl of Buchan had recently died, and Erskine now had just enough money to buy a commission in the army, becoming an ensign in the 1st (Royal) Regiment of Foot.[6] He was stationed first at Berwick and then on Jersey. On 29 March 1770 Erskine married Frances Moore at Gretna Green, against the wishes of her father, Daniel Moore who was member of parliament for Great Marlowe.[7] Frances was the granddaughter of John Moore, who had been attorney general of Pennsylvania. Erskine's regiment was then posted to Minorca, and Frances went with him. Before meeting Frances, Erskine had written about the qualities he was looking for in a bride: "Let then my ornament be far from the tinsel glare, let it be fair yet modest, let it rather delight than dazzle, rather shine like the mild beams of the morning than the blaze of the noon. I seek in my fair one a winning female softness both in person and mind".[8] Erskine appears to have found these qualities in Frances: she is described on her memorial in Hampstead Church as "the most faithful and affectionate of women".[9] The couple had four sons and four daughters.

The novel has so far stuck to the historical side of his story, I am enjoying it a lot.

Did wonder if the author, Barbara Erskine, was a relative or if its a coincidence. The library has said that its now available to read.

Will have to finish The Sixth Day by Catherine Coulter & J T Ellison before stating that.
When several major political figures die mysteriously, officials declare the deaths are from natural causes. Then the German Vice-Chancellor dies on the steps of 10 Downing Street, and a drone is spotted hovering over the scene. The truth becomes clear—these high-profile deaths are well-constructed assassinations, and the Covert Eyes team is tasked to investigate.

I have also wondered that Det I did google it but couldn't find anything.

Finished reading Spectacles by Sue Perkins good easy read.
If you want a light read I would recommend.

Now reading " The Good Mothers" The true story of the women who
took on the worlds most powerful Mafia...by Alex Perry.

AnnG,
According to the Authors Notes, Barbara Erskine is Thomas Erskines grt x 5 granddaughter through his daughter, Frances.

Couldn’t put it down!

Thanks Det, having it on kindle means searching for author's notes. I am 70% through now and still enjoying it.

Homes, a refugee story by Abu Bakr al Rabeeah & Winnie Yeung

In 2010, the al Rabeeah family left their home in Iraq in hope of a safer life. They moved to Homs, in Syria — just before the Syrian civil war broke out.
Abu Bakr, one of eight children, was ten years old when the violence began on the streets around him: car bombings, attacks on his mosque and school, firebombs late at night. Homes tells of the strange juxtapositions of growing up in a war zone: horrific, unimaginable events punctuated by normalcy — soccer, cousins, video games, friends.

Homes is the remarkable true story of how a young boy emerged from a war zone — and found safety in Canada — with a passion for sharing his story and telling the world what is truly happening in Syria.
.......

It’s not ‘do gooder’s’ attempt to tug at the heart strings, nor a narrative of the political causes behind the conflict. It’s an honest account of everyday life as it effected a young boy & his family. The co-author was his Canadian ESL teacher.
They’d left Iraq because of the discrimination against Sunni Muslims.

What struck me most was the description of Abu’s father. He’d been the organiser & provider in Iraq & Syria. In Canada he found it difficult to find a job while he struggled to learn English. From the way he’s presented, given time, he’ll bounce back.