A hiatus...

So after just three posts my laptop broke leaving me with no laptop and therefore no means to post. So I've lots catch-up on. So I'll cover the last three months in short...

April
Started early, took my dog by Kate Atkinson (Book club)
Another book told from a variety of view points, some of the story lines weren't really to my taste so I wasn't the greatest fan of this book...

The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas
Billed as highly controversial, I'm not sure it was that bad. However it was interesting to have a book where you didn't really like any of the characters. It was also bizarre to read about a community with such a relaxed view towards drugs, I can't imagine a place where parents are fine with their children taking drugs... But I do recommend giving this book a go.

May
The Trouble with Alice by Olivia Glazebrook
I discovered this book via Amazon's Rising Stars, a fantastic first novel that did make me cry. I loved this book because it wasn't your typical love story but mainly because I started off hating the central character but by the end I was converted...

Spying in high heels by Gemma Halliday
A good fun, if slightly unbelivable murder mystery. I lvoed the light hearted nature of the book with a 'ditzy blonde' central character who aside from being intensely nosey also seemed to have a magnetic attraction to trouble. A lovely twist at the end made it a worthwhile, speedy read, though perhaps only for the girls.


Sugar and Spice by Saffina Desforges
Definitely not for the easily offended, this book on the topic of child sexual abuse was a gripping read. You were also convinced that you'd got the end sussed then it all came undone. Some overly graphic descriptions but overall a gripping read with some different viewpoints.

Truth, Dare, Kill by Gordon Ferris
Another 'whodunnit' set in post-war London, a serial killer is on the loose, killing prostitutes. A wounded ex-soldier, turned private investigator, is trying to find out wht happened. However you start to wonder whether he did, or is he being set-up? you'll have to read it to find out.

The Cookbook Collector by Allegra Goodman
I picked this one because I secretly like to read cookbooks even if I don't have a meal to prepare. This book had laughter and tears and I loved it. I learnt about the shares market and challenges of running a start-up in a recession. But what I loved most was the insight behind closed doors into the lives of families and inside the heads of the characters. Definitely worth read even if you don't love cookbooks!


Killer, Undercover, Alibi and Mayhem in High Heels by Gemma Halliday
I loved the first one so ended up reading the box set... By the end I definitely needed a break from the story and the central characters promise to give up getting involved in criminal cases. However I will be planning to read the other books on a holioday because they are definitely easy reading and I still never manage to work out who did it until it's all laid out for me...

Now I've reached June I should be able to remember what the books were about again so I'll write a fuller post tomorrow on the subject of June...

March

This month I got a free replacement for my Kindle cover as the one without the light was causing the Kindle to crash. However Amazon's customer service team were amazing and I now have a smart cover with a light which is great for reading in taxis and doesn't seem to be destroying the battery life :-)

So another amalagmation of a month's worth of books:
Fairy Tales from the Arabian nights by E Dixon
A lovely collection of fairy tales, unlike the British variety I don't think I would recommend these for young children. It seemed in every chapter at least one character died a terrible death and often there was a beautiful princess / fairy trapped in an underground cavern waiting for her prince to marry her.

I also wasn't expecting to find Sinbad the sailor in this book but there he was at the end. He certainly earned his reputation as a bad luck charm on a voyage as on all of his journeys he was the only one to return. Though by the last journey I was more than ready for it all to end. I'm not sure that these arabian fairy tales had quite the same moral aspect but they were definitely worth reading.

The Hanging Shed by Gordon Ferris
Not for the faint hearted this book is a real crime story. But what's interesting is it is not so much of a whodunnit as who didn't... Set in Glasgow council estates there is a level of slightly annoying dialect written out in full, personally I would rather simply add the Glaswegian accent in my head but I guess it's all down to personal preference.

The Basement by Stephen Leather
Another one not for the easily shocked, if you didn't like Emma Donoghue's Room then don't try this one. The seemingly obvious answer to this crime story is smashed in an incredible twist at the end of the book.

An Inconvenient Marriage by Ruth Ann Nordin
Time for a bit of periosd writing and something lighter than the previous two books. Some interesting themes about the role of women in a marriage and I whipped through this easy read.

The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
Although I didn't love the first on of this trilogy when this came up reduced on my Kindle I wanted to find out what happened next. This one moved alot faster, perhaps because there was no need to set-up the characters. There were the twists you would expect although some of them were verging on the ridiculous but all in all I think it is worth persevering with the first book so you can get to this one, the highlight of the trilogy.