Thankfully April has been a slower paced month than March
but my illness took a turn for the worse
so I had lots of hospital appointments and I read lots!
but my illness took a turn for the worse
so I had lots of hospital appointments and I read lots!
While I love Morton this wasn't my favourite of her novels. I love her style of writing, the way she can change her writing to different era's in time and start the reader guessing from the very first page! Set in the 1930's when a small child goes missing, from a rambling country estate on a midsummer night party and not one person of the hundred guests at the party notices anything. It's a case that goes unsolved for years until now when a shamed DC is taking some down time in Cornwall this cold case strikes something in Sadie and she will not stop till she solves it.
Morton is still the Queen of secrets and there are lots of them in this novel! She also is excellent at changing from past to present she does it so effortlessly, but I think she tried a little too hard with The Lake House. It felt a little too crammed, maybe 100 pages too long, and a little too many characters. It took me about the 200 page mark to finally start to warm to the characters and get into the story. After that I found it hard to put down, maybe a few too many theories but I did enjoy thinking I had the plot twists figured out only for Morton to throw a curve ball and for the reader to be back at square one again!! In a lesser book any one of these theories would of been the conclusion and I would of guessed it from then start, but not Morton and it's one of the things I love about her novels.
That said I did feel that there might have been one to many mysteries and Sadie's back ground police case was misplaced or not developed as much as it could of been.
When I did get to the bottom of the missing child conclusion I did enjoy it but the ending was a little too happy ever after for me. While I enjoyed The Lake House it wouldn't been for first choice when reading a Kate Morton book
The Biography Kate Bush-Rob Jovanovic
I bought this book around ten years ago and read it cover to cover in one sitting!
I found it in my parents on Easter Sunday and thought to give it a re-read!
I don't read allot of biography's only of people/artist I admire, Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Crawford, Fleetwood Mac, Audrey Hepburn, being a few I have read but I adore Kate Bush. So my 20 year old self rushed out and bought this even though as a big fan I knew allot about Ms Bush already.
This book isn't a riveting read but it does give us an insight of young Kate's life before
she got her record deal. You can tell that Jovanovic is a fan of Kate's work that comes across in the writing. I like the interviews with different musicians and artists that worked with Kate. I also really liked the quotes at the start of each chapter. But there is nothing new here not even the pictures which all Kate Bush fans has seen before. I am trying to get my hands on a copy of the book Waiting On Kate Bush which I am looking forward to reading.
The Red Lily Crown-Elizabeth Loupas
I devoured this book and read it in two days I couldn't put it down. It is a very well written historical fiction novel. It is set in 16th century Florence at the very powerful royal Medici court where family don't trust each other, lies, whispers and greed reigns over the court.
Francesco has become the next Grand Duke but he is very unsuited to the role, he loves women and alchemy he pursues both with a fiery passion. He is cruel, sadist, selfish and needs a male heir soon!
He takes in Chiara as his alchemy assistant when she agrees to sale him some of her late Father's alchemy equipment. She must take a series of tests to confirm she is still a virgin as he believes that will help compete their alchemy work. She also must take a vow to remain a virgin while she at his court and working for him. While at court she meets the mysterious Englishman Ruan and the three work on various alchemy experiments together.
While I enjoy historical fiction I sometimes get bored of the political facts of the story lines
not in this book the political and alchemy story lines where very interesting. No one is safe in the Medici court not even the Duke himself! Loupas is great at explaining how powerful the Medici family are and are not to be messed with!
I liked each of the characters the horrible sadist Franco was a character I loved to hate and is poor wife who really did seem to love him! Chiara was a little hard to like she was well rounded but sometimes a little to selfish, or single minded. My favourite character was Ruan with his dark secrets and his own reason for hating the Grand Duke although he hides it well!
I really enjoyed this book and cant wait to read some more of Loupas books!
A Weekend With Mr Darcy-Victoria Connelly
I wanted a light book to read in between doctors appointments and knew I had found it when I picked this up in a local charity shop!
I had the plot sewn up on page 27 but I enjoyed this book for the light relaxing read it is!
What made me pick this book up was the reference to Jane Austen and of course Mr Darcy
It did get slightly annoying all the referencing to Austen sometime less is more!
The plot is predictable, there are no plot twists or turns but that's what I needed
when my head was spinning from another day spent at doctor surgery's
It's not going to set the world on fire with it's two romances but who wouldn't love
to find there Mr Right at a weekend convention about Austen novels!
It's a nice read but maybe one I will not remember reading next month!
Nefertiti-Michelle Moran
I found this book hard to get into, right from the first pages Nefertiti is not a very likable character.
This should really be called Nefertiti's Sister as it's all her point of view. It's about how she feels being the younger sister of the great Queen Nefertiti. How she has had enough of being her sister's spy, maid, healer and she decides to take her chance at love and a quiet live instead.
Nefertiti and her husband Amunhotep are like the Anne Boleyn and Henry Tutor of there time. They change the religion of there people, ban the old Gods and raise huge temples to there new sun God. But unlike the latter we never found out why. What caused these drastic change in religion was it only because the Amun priests had so much gold in there temples? What made them to up and move there court to a new palace in the dessert?
The reader never once gets these questions answered as Moran never gives Nefertiti a voice. We never get inside the mind of the strong powerful Queen who co ruled with her King. Instead she sees Nefertiti as a spoiled, cruel, jealous little girl, who cares more about who her husband is sleeping with rather than the ruling of her country.
There was no descriptions of how beautiful Egypt was at this time. I don't like pages of description but I do like to know what I am meant to be imaging! The beautiful palace in the desert deserved more than a few lines. I find all ancient Egypt fascinating but this novel really lacked for me and as I have read Moran's novels before I was disappointed with Nefertiti.
The Secrets Of Midwives-Sally Hepworth
I really enjoyed this book funny that I was reading about a family of midwives and babies
while I was going to doctor and hospital appointments about my on going fertility struggles!
It's about three generations of midwives Floss the English Grandmother, Grace the hippy American Mother and Neva the brilliant pregnant daughter
I found this book easy to read. The chapters done in each woman's point of view where short
and engrossing to the point where I kept thinking just one more chapter till before I knew it I was at the end of the book!
Neva is pregnant and will not tell who the father of her child is she wants to go it alone, but her Mother Grace is less than happy about this. Her Grandmother Floss is quite about the subject but that is because she knows a long kept secret of her own is about to come to the surface!
At the heart of this book is about family, and new life coming into the world
We learn that family not just something you are born into, sometimes it is chosen.
What Oisìn has been reading this month
Thomas The Tank Engine
I bought this book around ten years ago and read it cover to cover in one sitting!
I found it in my parents on Easter Sunday and thought to give it a re-read!
I don't read allot of biography's only of people/artist I admire, Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Crawford, Fleetwood Mac, Audrey Hepburn, being a few I have read but I adore Kate Bush. So my 20 year old self rushed out and bought this even though as a big fan I knew allot about Ms Bush already.
This book isn't a riveting read but it does give us an insight of young Kate's life before
she got her record deal. You can tell that Jovanovic is a fan of Kate's work that comes across in the writing. I like the interviews with different musicians and artists that worked with Kate. I also really liked the quotes at the start of each chapter. But there is nothing new here not even the pictures which all Kate Bush fans has seen before. I am trying to get my hands on a copy of the book Waiting On Kate Bush which I am looking forward to reading.
I devoured this book and read it in two days I couldn't put it down. It is a very well written historical fiction novel. It is set in 16th century Florence at the very powerful royal Medici court where family don't trust each other, lies, whispers and greed reigns over the court.
Francesco has become the next Grand Duke but he is very unsuited to the role, he loves women and alchemy he pursues both with a fiery passion. He is cruel, sadist, selfish and needs a male heir soon!
He takes in Chiara as his alchemy assistant when she agrees to sale him some of her late Father's alchemy equipment. She must take a series of tests to confirm she is still a virgin as he believes that will help compete their alchemy work. She also must take a vow to remain a virgin while she at his court and working for him. While at court she meets the mysterious Englishman Ruan and the three work on various alchemy experiments together.
While I enjoy historical fiction I sometimes get bored of the political facts of the story lines
not in this book the political and alchemy story lines where very interesting. No one is safe in the Medici court not even the Duke himself! Loupas is great at explaining how powerful the Medici family are and are not to be messed with!
I liked each of the characters the horrible sadist Franco was a character I loved to hate and is poor wife who really did seem to love him! Chiara was a little hard to like she was well rounded but sometimes a little to selfish, or single minded. My favourite character was Ruan with his dark secrets and his own reason for hating the Grand Duke although he hides it well!
I really enjoyed this book and cant wait to read some more of Loupas books!
I wanted a light book to read in between doctors appointments and knew I had found it when I picked this up in a local charity shop!
I had the plot sewn up on page 27 but I enjoyed this book for the light relaxing read it is!
What made me pick this book up was the reference to Jane Austen and of course Mr Darcy
It did get slightly annoying all the referencing to Austen sometime less is more!
The plot is predictable, there are no plot twists or turns but that's what I needed
when my head was spinning from another day spent at doctor surgery's
It's not going to set the world on fire with it's two romances but who wouldn't love
to find there Mr Right at a weekend convention about Austen novels!
It's a nice read but maybe one I will not remember reading next month!
I found this book hard to get into, right from the first pages Nefertiti is not a very likable character.
This should really be called Nefertiti's Sister as it's all her point of view. It's about how she feels being the younger sister of the great Queen Nefertiti. How she has had enough of being her sister's spy, maid, healer and she decides to take her chance at love and a quiet live instead.
Nefertiti and her husband Amunhotep are like the Anne Boleyn and Henry Tutor of there time. They change the religion of there people, ban the old Gods and raise huge temples to there new sun God. But unlike the latter we never found out why. What caused these drastic change in religion was it only because the Amun priests had so much gold in there temples? What made them to up and move there court to a new palace in the dessert?
The reader never once gets these questions answered as Moran never gives Nefertiti a voice. We never get inside the mind of the strong powerful Queen who co ruled with her King. Instead she sees Nefertiti as a spoiled, cruel, jealous little girl, who cares more about who her husband is sleeping with rather than the ruling of her country.
There was no descriptions of how beautiful Egypt was at this time. I don't like pages of description but I do like to know what I am meant to be imaging! The beautiful palace in the desert deserved more than a few lines. I find all ancient Egypt fascinating but this novel really lacked for me and as I have read Moran's novels before I was disappointed with Nefertiti.
I really enjoyed this book funny that I was reading about a family of midwives and babies
while I was going to doctor and hospital appointments about my on going fertility struggles!
It's about three generations of midwives Floss the English Grandmother, Grace the hippy American Mother and Neva the brilliant pregnant daughter
I found this book easy to read. The chapters done in each woman's point of view where short
and engrossing to the point where I kept thinking just one more chapter till before I knew it I was at the end of the book!
Neva is pregnant and will not tell who the father of her child is she wants to go it alone, but her Mother Grace is less than happy about this. Her Grandmother Floss is quite about the subject but that is because she knows a long kept secret of her own is about to come to the surface!
At the heart of this book is about family, and new life coming into the world
We learn that family not just something you are born into, sometimes it is chosen.
What Oisìn has been reading this month
Oisìn has become more and more interested in Thomas & Friends
He plays with his Thomas Trains and now really likes watching Thomas on TV He now points out trains on the TV and when he has play dates with his friends he asks for choo choo trains!
When we where at the library a couple of weeks ago he found a whole section of Thomas books
Which we took some home and it has been all he has wanted to read lately!
He has even started asking to bring one of the books down stairs in the morning
he carries it around and even wanted to bring it to daycare!
I will have to buy him a Thomas book of his own as he will not be happy when these books
have to go back to the library!
What have you been reading this month?
When we where at the library a couple of weeks ago he found a whole section of Thomas books
Which we took some home and it has been all he has wanted to read lately!
He has even started asking to bring one of the books down stairs in the morning
he carries it around and even wanted to bring it to daycare!
I will have to buy him a Thomas book of his own as he will not be happy when these books
have to go back to the library!
What have you been reading this month?
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