Reading Is To The Mind What Exercise Is To The Body

Another Week Another Four Books!

"Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body" - Richard Steele

Hothouse Flower by Lucinda Riley - Originally published as "The Orchid House". This novel is made up of two intertwining stories, spanning from the 1930's till present. It starts with famous concert pianist Julia Forrester and how she is trying to come to terms with a huge lose in her life. She decides to come home to England to be with her family and to move on with her life. When a estate sale sends her back to the estate her grandparents lived on and where she used to holiday as a child Wharton Park. She has fond memories as a child spending time with her grandfather there in the hothouses. When the new owner Kit Crawford finds a old diary in the old cottage where Julia's grandparents used to live Julia goes to her grandmother to ask about it. Her Grandmother tell her the story of a grand love affair that nearly destroyed Wharton Park.

The historical part of the book is told by Julia's grandmother and is set during the 1930's & 40's in England and Thailand. This is my favourite of the book it basically tells of a forbidden love affair that can not end well for anyone. The historical part of the book for me is much better and much more easy to read. The modern part of the book is so dark and depressing I understand that it is because of what Julia is going but none of the characters in the modern part of the book come across very likable. I also found the twist in the last part of the book very unbelievable it also dragged out the book for another couple of chapters, after that all the lose ends where tied up and the book ended too happy ever after for me. There are lovely parts of the book in the historical part the descriptions of Thailand were beautiful. Wharton Park is like a character in the book which I also like. If you like Downton Abbey or Upstairs Downstairs you might like this book. I just wished there was more of the 30's & 40's story as it was much more appealing than the present day story.

Laura's Handmade Life by Amanda Addison - Laura Lovegrove is leaving behind her fabulous life in London to move to Norfolk where her architech husband Adi has been relocated to. Village life is different small cottage, nosey neighbours, horrible new boss and an ex boyfriend turns up. Worst of all a house fire destroys all of Laura's vintage clothing collection. Now Laura mends whats left of her collection and discovers she likes sewing and creating new things. I really wanted to like this book with its handmade and vintage theme, but the main character Laura was so hard to like. From the first few pages all she did was moan and whine, how her life in London was so much better, how life was better before her two little girls, how her job sucks, how her husband is so distance etc. What I found really annoying was how she put down her husband at every chance apparently her husband has hundreds of bad traits but not one good one! I also found the book jumped from scene to scene. Like when Laura decides to paint her house and in the next scene she is in an ambulance there was allot of scenes like that with nothing linking them together. I did read this book till the end hoping it would pick up, but I was happy when I got to the last page. What I did like was the different types of stitch's at the start of each chapter and the few patterns at the end of the book. Amanda Addison did get all the vintage and handmade stuff right on trend. What attracted me to this book was it's cover and to be honest for me it was the best thing about the book.

The King's Daughter by Christie Dickason - I have read a noble assassin by Christie Dickason which is about another character in this book Lucy Countess of Bedford you can read my review here this book is about another character in that book Elizabeth Stuart daughter of King James I. The novel begins at The Gunpowder plot in 1605 and follows Elizabeth for the next eight years as she becomes a pawn in her Father's court. As she tries to have some control in who she will marry she soon finds out that she will be more or less sold to the highest bidder. She trusts no one until she is given a present of a slave girl called Tallie, she becomes a unlikely adviser and like a sisterly figure in the princess life.

I found the first part of the book regarding the gun power plot a little drawn out it took a couple of chapters to get into the book. I enjoyed the battle of wills between Elizabeth and her father, the relationship between Elizabeth and her older brother Henry was intriguing as well as being slightly too close. There was a few things I found a little strange like when Elizabeth meets Lucy Countess of Bedford for the first time she instantly dislikes her, they become a little closer as the book goes on but nothing like the sisterly bond that is suggested in "A Noble Assassin", also I doubt that a princess would of be looking through a peep hole in a brothel!! I did enjoy the character of Tallie but just as the reader is getting to know her character she gone as quickly as she came into the book. I would of have liked a little a more of her marriage to Fredrick the German Prince and a little less of the eight years leading up to it, but in saying that it was written wonderfully and it is so well researched. I did enjoy this book much more than a noble assassin and The King's Daughter was my favourite of the four books I read this week.

Far From Home by Anne Bennett - Kate Monroe has left her little home in rural Ireland to come to make a new life in Birmingham. She has left behind all she knows and loves, her home, family and forbidden love for her cousin Tim. Upset for her feelings for Tim she knows she has to move away to start a new life just as she settles into life in Birmingham she comes home from work to find her younger sister Sally on her door step. When World War Two breaks the girls find there lives turned upside down and we go on journey with Kate to find love and leave the feelings she has for her cousin behind. I liked this book it wasn't a heavy read and it kind of reminded me of Catherine Cookson or the now late great Maeve Binchy.

I have already started on my next four books still haven't got around to reading 50 Shades yet but it is on my list! Have you read any of these books? If so what did you think of them?