Hobbies and Crafts

Re Amazon - I got sent a couple of £1 voucher codes but thought they were for music downloads or 'streaming' or something. They've been deleted. I'd have used them if I'd known :-0

I'd also accidentally taken out a trial of Amazon Prime by clicking on a 'free to Prime subscribers' book. That's been cancelled, thank goodness. However, I was able to read it for free! (Not something I'd recommend doing)

Mmm! Curiouser snd curiouser! :-( :-D

Poor Ann :-(. I wonder why I was honoured. It can't be because of the money they get from me as I hardly spend anything. I mostly get free books from them or, if I really want something, I wait till the price drops right down. Perhaps it was an attempt to get me to spend a bit more. Didn't work then :-)

Going to sulk now 'cos I haven't had one! :-( :-(

I am currently reading Ancestors by Paul Crooks. It's an interesting story so far and I'll post about it when I finish it.

I've also just downloaded The Other Son by Nick Alexander which I had on my "to read" list after it was mentioned on here. It was £1.99 on kindle books so it used the Amazon £2 voucher they emailed to me. I expect the rest of you that use kindle books on Amazon got a voucher as well. It was a nice surprise :-D

Alice and Freda Forever..a Murder in Memphis by
Alexis Cole.

It's about a love affair between two girls back in the 1800s
which was not even thought about then that people of the same sex
could fall in love.

Interesting so far although finding one of the girls also has boyfriends.

I had a look in the library recently for Never Look Back by Lesley Pearse as recommended by Ann, as it sounds an interesting book. They didn't have that but I picked up another one by the same author, Stolen.

A girl is found washed up on a beach. She is still alive but she has amnesia. It is clear that her mind is blocking out something dreadful from her recent past. As she gradually recovers her memory we learn of the traumatic events that led to her being found on the beach, and that the horror isn't over yet.

It's a good story, which should be full of fear and menace, and there was one twist I hadn't expected, but the style of writing is so lightweight that I didn't feel any emotional involvement at all. It's a good holiday/beach book but a disappointment if you want something that makes you think a bit.

I always feel guilty if I post a review that's a bit negative. I really don't want to put anyone off trying a book that they may love even if it's not to my taste.

EDIT. I have just been reading some reviews of this book and it looks as though I've picked up Lesley Pearse's one poor book. Lots of the reviews said they couldn't believe she had written it as it is not in the same league as her other books. Several said it felt as though it had been written by a teenager. I will try another of her books now I know it's not just me who didn't much like this one.

That sounds a good book Haribo. I'll look out for that one.

Am almost finished reading SILENCIO first book written by L A BERRY.
It's a book based on factual events about baby trafficking in Spain. It is written in a thriller genre. Ten years after her newborn was taken off her by the nuns, Mercedes who is now a journalist uses her expertise to unmask a network that has spanned decades and moved thousands of babies out of Spain.
This book is a real page turner, thrilling and emotional, would recommend.

Thanks Vera, sounds like one to avoid then.

I have just finished Not Quite Nice by Celia Imrie. I knew it would be a light read but thought it might be quite enjoyable. However, although I did finish it, I was disappointed with it. It started OK but after a while I found I was bored and I couldn't believe in any of the characters and the story got sillier and sillier. Just my opinion of course, but I think Celia Imrie is a better actress than writer.

Finished Never look back by Lesley Pearse now. I really enjoyed it. It covered so much information about America in the 19th century including the civil war. My knowledge of that was a bit sketchy and this was quite lurid in places. You tend to think of America as being a civilised country and forget that in this war the hospitals would have been very basic and that so many men on both sides died. It also showed how much poverty there was in the states at that time, with immigrants arriving from Germany, Ireland and other places, expecting to find employment and somewhere to live. families with out of work fathers then living three families to a house meant for one small family and others living rough among rats and excrement.
I always like her books and would recommend this one.

Had put off buying it Vera but it's there now and have
several books to read before I tackle it.

I'll look out for that book Ann. It sounds interesting.

I read Lynda Bellingham's book a while ago Emma. Enjoyed is not the right word for such a book but I was glad I had read it.

That one sounds interesting AnninGlos. A bit out of the ordinary.

I'm still reading and just downloaded Lynda
Bellingham's book from Amazon for 99p.

I am reading Never look back by Lesley Pearse. Set mainly in America it tells the story of Matilda who starts life in a very poor family in London, becomes a flower seller, saves a toddler from being knocked down, is taken on as her nanny and goes with the family to America where she is treated as one of the family, death eventually leaves her on her own with the child, she joins a wagon train to go to Oregon to join friends, death interferes again and she ends up in San Fransisco and that is as far as I have got. :-D it is a good read, very informative about life during the gold rush.

I've been reading, Vera, but they're mainly free kindle downloads. How about this one?

Music Tells All: A Bobby Owen Mystery by E R Punshon
It should be mentioned that it was first published in 1948 when rationing was still in force and policing methods unrecognisable by today’s fiction standards.

"Bobby Owen (now ‘temporary-acting-junior-under-deputy-assistant-commissioner’ of the C.I.D.) and his wife Olive are house-hunting. Finding the perfect country home, every prospect pleases … until they meet their neighbours, including the odd, piano-playing Miss Bellamy, and Mr. Fielding, whose jollity is unsettling. The incessant piano music seems to jar on everyone, and Bobby Owen even wonders if the recent murder of a stranger might have been provoked by it. The true significance of the music, and what it has to do with a recent jewellery theft, is at the heart of a classic mystery set in the English countryside."

It reflects a by-gone age and it’s that which made it interesting. We rarely read about how the lack of food affected everyone’s lives and, although this wasn’t a particular theme within the book, it obviously played on the author’s mind. Why else would he comment on the meagre rations when ever he could?

Would I buy it? Probably not. There was nothing to get the adrenalin going.
..................

The Last Safe Place: A Psychological Thriller by Ninie Hammon
Gabriella is a single mother and an author who under her pen name writes fantasy novels.

“A deranged fan [Yesheb al Tobbanoft] who believes he is The Beast of Babylon from her novel turns up at a book signing and stalks her, determined to claim her as his bride. And to sacrifice her son, Ty, as a blood offering to seal their union.”

She, her son, and her son’s paternal grandfather run for their lives to Mt. Antero where she, her twin, and their older brother enjoyed a childhood holiday. Amongst the story line of the fabulously deranged Stalker’s search for her are flashbacks explaining how both her brothers died and how Gabriella felt she was responsible.

Its part mystery, part horror – one of those books where you don’t want to carry on reading….but must.
......

The Change (Unbounded Series Book 1) By Teyla Branton
Hidden amongst us is a genetically different race of humans, ones who become ‘unbounded’ as they reach about the age of 30. They can live long lives of at least 1000 years, with an incredibly fast speed of healing and a slow aging process. The cause is a recessive gene which needs two carrier parents for it to occur and then not always.
“Erin’s Change separates her from her loved ones and alters everything she believes to be true. A week earlier she was considering a marriage proposal; now she contemplates the best way to stay alive. Caught in a battle between two Unbounded groups, the Emporium and the Renegades, she is also hunted by a secret mortal society sworn to eradicate the Unbounded gene.”
It’s a 9 book series. If they were all free, I’d certainly read them, but not for £1.49 - £2.99 each. I get through too many books in a week!

Isn't anyone reading much at the moment? This thread has been good at introducing me to some new authors, particularly since my local library changed its system. The shelves used to be arranged in categories e.g. Crime, Historical, Romance etc and within each category authors were arranged alphabetically. I could pick genres I enjoy and find new authors to try. Now the whole library is arranged alphabetically by author so all the genres are mixed up. Apparently it is what the majority of users wanted but I haven't yet found anyone who likes the system :-(

I've been reading "Rebel Queen" by Jane Robins which I picked up in a charity shop. I thought it was a novel but it is a factual book. Jane Robins is a writer and broadcaster and her research seems to be impeccable.

The Economist said "A young woman marries into the royal family and discovers that there are three people in the marriage. Neglect and separation follow. She finds consolation in the arms of a foreigner; attracts intense media attention; becomes the darling of the people, and after proceedings for divorce, dies in suspicious circumstances." Sound familiar? However this is the story of Caroline of Brunswick who married the future king George IV.

I knew very little about her and found it fascinating. She was treated appallingly by her husband but was pretty badly behaved herself, yet nearly became the focus of a revolution in England, particularly around the time of her trial for adultery in 1820.

It's quite a dense book and it seemed to take me a long time to get through it but I found it a really interesting and entertaining read.

"Isn't it well for ye? - The Book of Irish Mammies" - by Colm O'Regan.

Ideal for those born & raised in Ireland. Otherwise, some translation of odd phrases & words may be required for 'outsiders'.

Anyway, I enjoyed the light-hearted banter about the weird & wonderful ways of Irish mothers. :-D