bookaddiction

Books Read in January 2012

2012-01-17T22:32:00.000-08:00

Those Who Wait: Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery

This review is for the L.M. Montgomery challenge.

Rilla of Ingleside starts off in a dramatic fashion when party-goers learn that war is declared. It is 1914 and 15 year old Rilla is at her first grown-up party. She is more interested in handsome Kenneth Ford and not ruining her beautiful French-heeled shoes than the consequences for her family and the inhabitants of Rainbow Valley.

Rilla has to grow up fast, however, as the boys of the Valley join up, one-by-one. She watches her friends and her brother, Jem, go. Soon the inhabitants of Ingleside are reading the papers voraciously. They cling to every victory and mourn every disaster. Maps are brought out and foreign names are learned. Even Susan, the indomitable housekeeper, begins to learn an incredible amount about the war.

Rilla finds herself looking after a war baby, organising the Red Cross, and helping the war effort generally. She struggles to 'keep the faith' as she watches Jem, Shirley, and her favourite brother, Walter, join up.

This novel isn't only about Rilla. There are many great characters here. Bitter and clever Miss Oliver is one of the most interesting. There is also Irene, Rilla's much-admired friend who surprises Rilla. Walter's poetic, visionary spirit is probably the one that truly shines in the book.

Rilla of Ingleside is a fairly dark and grim novel which brings home the consequences of war and the importance of maintaining inner strength. It's much darker than most of the 'Anne' novels. (Anne doesn't play much of a role in this book, except as the family's wise mother). It's beautifully written and there are amusing scenes which lighten the bleakness. I've read it many times and I always enjoy it. It's probably one of Montgomery's best novels.

I did find a few things about the novel which annoyed me. Rilla isn't an ambitious character like Anne. She just wants to get married. Also there's not much romance in it. More romance might have made the book a bit happier. Some reviewers have been upset by Rilla's urging young men to go to war. However, she is criticised in the book for that, I felt.

Life Skills by Katie Fforde

Katie Fforde's books are perfect holiday reading. I did find Life Skills a bit annoying, however.

Julia, the heroine, is tired of her high-pressure job and her male chauvinist boyfriend. She begins working on
a canal boat instead and cooks for the passengers. She makes friends with Suzie, her much younger boss, and she enjoys travelling on the boat through the glorious countryside and towns such as Tewkesbury. Trouble looms when her old boyfriend, Oscar, and his awful mother arrive to take a tour. The situation becomes even more confused when Julia's mother decides to match her up with an old school 'enemy' called Fergus. He arrives to help with the boat.

The first part of the book is interesting. I enjoyed reading about the work on the canal boat and the English towns and country. I've been to England but I haven't been to Tewkesbury and I liked Fforde's description of it. I also liked Julia. However, she becomes extremely irritating in the last part of the book. The hero is a lovely man - he's too good to be true, really. Everyone keeps telling her this but she treats him quite badly. The worse she treats him, the nicer he becomes! I found this a bit unbelievable.

Nevertheless, I will keep taking Fforde's books on holiday with me!

Books Read Lately

2011-12-28T14:20:00.000-08:00

I''m a bit pressed for time lately. I hope to be a better blogger soon! I intend to join a few challenges, include a few interviews, and start a series. Please keep reading!

Here are some new short reviews.

Thunder on the Right by Mary Stewart

This was a cleverly plotted mystery involving Jenny's search for her cousin in the French Alps. The eerie atmosphere and strange characters make this book difficult to put down. The ending is especially exciting.

Jenny is a sweet, but immature and innocent girl at the beginning of the book. She is likable, but she might seem old-fashioned to the young women readers of today. She has to grow stronger and much more mature, however. In the end she discovers where her heart lies.

Marie Lloyd by Richard Anthony Baker

This book will interest anyone who likes to read about music-hall stars and music-halls. It is probably rather too factual and dry for other readers, however. Some of the descriptions of music-halls are evocative and the era was certainly fascinating.

I liked this book but I think that the generous star deserved a better writer.

And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander

2011-11-25T01:19:00.000-08:00

A charming and beautifully written historical mystery about an engaging heroine. Read my review here: An Appealing Historical Mystery

An Eloquent Journey Towards Grace

2011-10-01T18:43:00.000-07:00

Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber is almost like a non-fiction Brideshead Revisited. Like that wonderful novel, Surprised by Oxford, is a moving love story and a tale of conversion. Set in Matthew Arnold's "sweet city of dreaming spires", this is an eloquent memoir of the journey to faith.

When Weber is a young undergraduate student studying Donne in Canada, she is criticised by her lecturer for not understanding the poem. She is surprised to discover that her professor is a devout Christian who tells her that "anything not done to the glory of God is doomed to failure..." She begins to think about this in a deep way. This is the first sign that, like the great poet, Weber is on a spiritual pilgrimage.

When Weber arrives in Oxford on a graduate scholarship, she is engaged to a nice young man but she feels dissatisfied with her life. She has an anguished relationship with her clever father who apparently threw his life away to a great extent. A tall, dark, and handsome American student realizes that she is homesick and sympathizes with her, making her feel somewhat happier.

She starts to think that 'TDH' is a bit strange when she sees an email from his friend attempting to match him up with a 'virgin', and TDH tries to convert her rather too quickly. However, she soon starts wanting to find out more about Christianity and finds out that many of her tutors and fellow students are Christians. Even her study of Romantic literature is leading her along this path.

Weber struggles with her new search which some people, including her fiance and her family, find difficult to understand. TDH helps her on her journey and she begins reading the Bible and going to church. However, she tries to escape from her new-found faith at times, which leads to a falling-out with TDH.

This is a journey towards finding meaning in life. A passage which will resonate with many Christians is when Weber discusses Christianity with her friend, Edward. He argues that he "gives himself meaning" and he "is the ultimate judge of goodness." She finds this attitude a very odd one.

The memoir is beautifully written. Lovers of the classics and great literature will especially enjoy this book because it contains many quotations and descriptions of Carolyn Weber's studies. She also describes the beauty and traditions of Oxford vividly.

I liked all of these aspects of the book, but I have to admit that I liked the love story best of all. It was almost like a real-life version of a Jane Austen love story. Jane Austen, a deep-thinking Christian herself, would certainly approve of this lovely memoir!

NB: This was a free book from the Book Sneeze program. This opinion is entirely my own and I was offered no incentive to write a good review.

Books Read in September

2011-09-12T17:00:00.000-07:00

That Woman by Anne Sebba

Sebba created controversy with this biography of Wallis Simpson because of her theory that Wallis suffered from a strange sexual disorder which may have even rendered her incapable of sleeping with her husbands. This would have meant that Prince Edward told King George the truth technically when he said that he and Wallis had not had "sexual relations".

Sebba really doesn't appear to have much evidence for this hypothesis. There are also rumours about abortions and trouble with her ovaries.

The author dismisses some other tales as myths. For example, she writes that Simpson really wasn't very interested in politics and that she probably didn't have affairs with Guy Trundle or Ribbentrop. There's also no mention of any drug-smuggling in China.

She still paints a picture of Simpson as very ambitious, materialistic and unlikeable. She married the Prince because she'd gone too far and couldn't get out of it without incurring even worse problems. There is some evidence that she didn't understand the British Constitution and thought that she could possibly be Queen.

This biography was a bit dull compared with Sebba's excellent biography of Jennie Churchill which I really enjoyed.

I intend to start a new series soon because I feel like doing something different as well as keeping a book journal.

Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran

Madame Tussaud had to play a dangerous game. Friendly with revolutionaries, such as Camille Desmoulins and Robespierre who came to her mentor's salon, she also taught Madame Elizabeth (the King's sister) to make wax sculptures and she was a closet Royalist. She was an incredibly tough woman who was forced to make sculptures of people straight after they'd been guillotined because of threats to her life. Eventually she was able to escape to England from the Revolution. She also had to overcome many struggles there.

I liked this book by Moran although it was fairly simply written. Marie is an engaging and strong character and the other characters also ring true. Moran manages to make the royal and the revolutionary characters ring true, no easy task.

Be warned, some of this book is quite gruesome. I couldn't read parts of it. I'd like to read more books by Moran, however, especially a sequel to this one.

Rose in Bloom by Louisa May Alcott

This novel enchanted me. I enjoyed it almost as much as Little Women! Rose did get on my nerves a bit though because she was just too anxious to be good.

The Rose of Eight Cousins has come back from her tour of Europe with Uncle Alec and she is now an accomplished young lady with many ambitions. Uncle Alec is rather tyrannical. He fears that the temptations of going to balls, flirting and generally having a good time will stop Rose from achieving these. The trouble is that he is really too much of a Puritan altogether!

Rose insists on having a few months of doing what other young ladies do. She still tries to be good, however. For example, she doesn't buy a beautiful dress at one stage because she comes into contact with a poor woman who makes her feel guilty about wanting it. I felt that this was going a bit too far!

Rose also has a dilemma. She doesn't just want to get married - she wants to do more with her life. However, she has many suitors including some of her cousins. How will she make up her mind? What kind of lover should she choose? Should she choose a man with deep flaws and try to change him? The love story in this book is beautifully written.

This novel was surprisingly modern for its time. Alcott deals with many issues still relevant today. These include feminism, women's careers, and class distinction. It may get on some young girl's nerves because its morality is rather old-fashioned, but many will enjoy it.Search Amazon.com Books for rose in bloom

Playing with Fire by Nigel Havers

This was surprisingly enjoyable and not badly written. It's full of hilarious anecdotes, but it is a bit crude at times.

Havers, a son of a former Attorney-General, has led a charmed life. He chose to go to a high school in London which focused on the arts because he realised that he wanted to be an actor from an early age. The lucky boy lived by himself in his parent's London flat but he mostly managed to avoid temptation and focus on his studies. His father defended the Rolling Stones so Haversl met them and even found himself at a party with them at one stage! These were just some of the famous people who he met from an early age.

Havers's blonde good looks and cut-glass accent together with his excellent acting ability soon won him roles. He tells all about many of his films, including his exploits in outback Australia. I found his chapters about his role in my favourite film, Chariots of Fire, the most interesting. It's certainly a fairy-tale story.

The actor is also very candid about his personal life. He tells the story of the break-up of his first marriage and his love affair with his wife, Polly. Some women won't be sympathetic with his marital problems but he did feel extremely guilty.

Any fans of the good-looking, sauve actor will appreciate this book.

Books Read in August

2011-08-28T00:02:00.000-07:00

Was She A Gold-Digger Or A Woman In Love?

Did Wallis Simpson want to be Queen or was she just desperately in love with King Edward VIII? According to Charles Higham in Mrs Simpson, she 'wanted to have her cake and eat it too'. She liked the grand life-style and the stunning presents she received as Prince Edward's mistress and she wanted to remain his mistress after he became King.

This is about the best thing about her, according to this book. Apart from being vulgar and common, Higham writes that she was also a Fascist, promiscuous, and even a drug-runner in China! The Duke of Windsor was also sympathetic to the Nazis and even gave secret information away. He even suggested that England should be bombed more heavily so that the country would be more inclined to want peace!

They were apparently an extremely nasty couple if this information is correct, and Great Britain was extremely lucky that this King abdicated!

This book is full of salacious gossip and scandal but it's written in a fairly dull way. I wouldn't recommend it unless you are very interested in this story.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

This book has been the hit of the year and it is certainly a tour-de-force. After 'Skeeter' comes back to her small Mississipi town from college in the 1960s, she looks at her home with different eyes. She starts wondering why the family maid, Constantine, disappeared. She also begins noticing what a hard life the African-American servants lead and the discrimination and persecution they suffer.

Skeeter decides to tell the stories of the maids but what will this cost her? How much is she prepared to sacrifice?

Stockett captures the stifling, small-town atmosphere well and even writes in the vernacular in an authentic way. Skeeter is an engaging character and the other characters are well-rounded and believable. It's a great book and highly recommended.

I do have to admit that it struck me as a bit contrived, but that's not a big criticism. I also feel obliged to admit that one of my favourite books is Gone With The Wind.

How To Find Cheap Textbooks

2011-08-11T23:40:00.000-07:00

Do you need affordable textbooks? Many college students have trouble finding cheap textbooks. Textbooks are often printed in limited editions which makes them extremely expensive. Don't despair! There is a way to solve this.

You can use this excellent comparison site to find affordable textbooks. Here you can search 20 different partners for a book. You can search for books easily by searching by college, university, title, or keywords. You can also search for multiple college books at once. There is even a free iPhone app that you can use to search for books!

This site also has other interesting features, such as a featured book and some of the New York Times Bestsellers.

Books Read in July

2011-08-06T23:16:00.000-07:00

Marrying Anita by Anita Jain

Anita Jain is a clever, Indian-American journalist who is over thirty and wants to get married.

She becomes tired of the dating scene in New York. Most of the men she dates tell her at the start that 'they're not looking for anything serious'. She writes that if they say that at the beginning, they think that they can easily date women for a while and then leave them. Honesty, she writes, is about their only good quality.

Jain thinks that the Indian attitude to marriage is better. Indians don't see anything wrong with wanting to get married and they don't place as much value on independence and freedom. She decides to live in India and try her chances there. The men who she dates in India seemed to me to be just as bad or worse, unfortunately.

Jain annoyed me a bit by drinking too much and taking drugs. There seemed to be even more of this in India than America, surprisingly. She also struck me as rather silly in other ways at times. However, her comparisons of Western and Indian attitudes and her descriptions of life in Delhi are well-written and atmospheric.

A Great War- Hero of Many Countries

2011-07-31T01:36:00.000-07:00

My mother worked for the U.S. Air Force in Australia during the Second World War, so I was very interested in reading Macarthur by Mitchell Yockelson. She used to see the General in the lift (elevator) and she told me how nice and pretty his wife was. She's also told me hair-raising stories about typing letters begging for more planes. Macarthur is certainly a hero to my mother and should be a hero to all Australians as well as Americans.

Yockelson's book is an excellent introduction to the life and legacy of the great general. It outlines the importance of Macarthur's noble family background, the facts of the wars and the general's struggles with Presidents and other war-leaders. Unfortunately, there is only a small chapter on Macarthur's time in Australia. This was, of course, the part that interested me the most. However, I couldn't really expect more because the book is written to appeal to American readers.

The writing is, unfortunately, a bit dull and the book could be used as a textbook. The extracts of Macarthur's own writings are much more lively! However, it did make me want to read more.

The author does include many anecdotes and details about Macarthur's personal life which makes Macarthur more accessible and the book more interesting. For example, Macarthur had a mistress at one stage. He was also a natty dresser - during the First World War he often wore bright turtleneck sweaters, riding crops and shining puttees! He was nicknamed 'the Beau Brummell of the AEF'!

I hope to read some more biographies of the general now, and I'll certainly visit the Macarthur Museum again soon!

NB: This book was a free book provided by the Book Sneeze blogging program. My opinion of this book is entirely my own.

No Way Home by Carlos Acosta

2011-07-10T18:41:00.000-07:00

The troubles of Lee Cunxin (Mao's Last Dancer) were bad, but seem like almost nothing when they are compared with those of the famous ballet star, Carlos Acosta. This book made my hair stand on end!<br/><br/>Born in a poor area of Havana, Acosta overcame terrible conditions to become a ballet dancer. He really wanted to be a footballer so he played truant from his first school and played football and joined breakdancing groups. His father gave him a good thrashing when he found out. Luckily, another school accepted him. Once Acosta was inspired by going to the ballet, he decided to put up with his coackroach-ridden shed in a swamp, absence from his family, and long bus-rides to school. His teachers saw his potential and helped begin to achieve his ambitions.

These weren't his only problems. His father was injured in a car accident which worsened his already bad temper. His mother suffered a stroke at only 35 and one of his sisters was diagnosed with Paranoid Schizophrenia. It was almost too much for anyone to cope with. Acosta must have had supreme inner strength and determination, however. He was also spurred on by his father who wanted to help him get ahead.

This is probably the most miserable book that I've ever read! It becomes somewhat happier when Acosta starts becoming successful. It's interesting to see how he copes with life in the wealthy West and isolation. He describes the contrast between Cuba and the West well. In spite of the poverty of Cuba and his father's bad temper, Acosta longs for his family and his country, but he wants to become famous in other countries.

It's certainly an emotionally powerful story and it's well-written and easy to read. Acosta's very honest as well. He gives a lot of details about his love life which makes the book spicier and even more interesting.

Books Read in June

2011-06-21T22:08:00.000-07:00

To Hellas and Back by Lana Penrose

Penrose jumped at the chance to go to Greece with her Greek-Australian boyfriend. However, she was very miserable in Greece. She found herself amongst unfriendly people who were difficult to understand and lost without a career or friends. Learning the language was impossible. Her partner loved it and his career was leaping ahead. This had drastic effects on their relationship.

Penrose tells a hilarious but sad tale. I enjoyed this book but the author was too 'out there' for me. She reminded me on occasion of why many people avoid being known as Australian when they go overseas! She liked drinking a bit too much and only became happier when she found some New Zealanders who also seemed to be drunk a lot of the time. The Greeks can apparently enjoy a few civilised glasses of wine over dinner without getting drunk afterwards. I am not a 'wowser' but this can only be praised.

* 'Wowser' means someone who wants to stop people enjoying a few drinks, gambling in moderation, or generally having a good time.

Queen Emma and the Vikings by Harriet O' Brien

Harriet O'Brien captures the atmosphere of Viking times and studies Emma's character reasonably closely. She describes the splendour of Emma's life but doesn't shy away from the grisly times.

Emma was certainly a strong and interesting woman. Her relations included Vikings and Normans and she married two important Kings, Aethelred the Unready and Cnut (Canute). One of her sons was actually Edward the Confessor. Queen Emma was even called the 'Queen of Spin' in modern times because she commissioned a book which whitewashed much of her history!
I will read more about her.

Cloudstreet by Tim Winton

I couldn't read this at all. The writing was just too 'ocker'. Yet I loved The Harp in the South series by Ruth Park which is a very Australian series. I will watch the adaptation on TV, however.

Absorbing the Liturgy

2011-06-21T21:57:00.000-07:00

Chittister shows how absorbing the liturgy throughout the year makes one a better Christian. This is a deep, thoughtful and philosophical book about the importance of the liturgy and its history. It is well-worth reading.

Do you go to sleep during readings and sermons? Do you know whether its Lent or Advent? Reading this book will help you if you do! The Liturgical Year shows the importance of the different spiritual times of the year, for example, the sacrifices and fasting of Lent and the candles and decorations of Christmas. Chittister studies the origins of these periods of the year and their connection with the story of Christ. She even goes into the different colours of the church decor of these times, for example, purple for Advent.

She writes that the symbolism, the readings, and the drama of the liturgy all correspond with Christ's life. If we follow them and absorb them, this will help us become better Christians.

This book is written from an extremely Catholic perspective. Chittister grew up with colourful Catholic processions and all of the drama of Catholic traditions. I was raised an Anglican so I didn't find this hard to understand because the Anglican church retains some of these traditions. I also like the colour and drama of Catholicism. However, this aspect of the book could annoy many Protestants who don't attach much importance to symbolism.

The problem that I had with this book is that it is inclined to be vague and heavy-going. I will keep it because it is a book that requires re-reading.

NB This was sent to me as part of the Book Sneeze blogger program. My opinion of it is entirely my own.

Beautiful Medical Uniforms at Blue Sky Scrubs

2011-06-11T21:02:00.000-07:00

Are you tired of wearing unfashionable medical uniforms? There is an answer. Blue Sky Scrubs specialize in making beautiful nursing uniforms. They manufacture custom made scrubs which have a slimming flit and high quality fabric.

The company makes two types of scrubs for women: Original Scrubs and Simple Scrubs. The Original Scrubs feature fashionable stitching on the two back pockets of the scrub bottoms and matching stitching on the pocket of the top.

These very attractive uniforms will help you look good at the hospital or wherever you work in the medical field. They are designed to flatter any figure. The uniforms are available from http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/categories/Scrubs/Scrubs-for-Women/Original Scrubs.

Adding Books to my May Post

2011-06-05T22:30:00.001-07:00

I have added a few books to my May post. I added another book today.

Why You Should Use Repair Pal

2011-05-29T15:35:00.000-07:00

Do you want to find the best information about your car? If so, you should look up Repair Pal. This useful site contains reviews of different car models and information about recalls and technical service bulletins of many different cars.

Repair Pal also provides price estimates for repairs. They tell you what you need to know about particular repairs. They will even send a printable version of the estimate to your email.

You can also find a list of repair shops in your area by looking up Repair Pal. You do this by entering your city or postcode. Then the company shows you the best repair shop in your area. It also has user ratings and reviews of the shop.

This is an excellent website with lots of helpful information for car owners.

Books Read in May

2011-05-15T17:20:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth of Glamis by David Duff

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Elizabeth of Glamis provides evocative and descriptive accounts of royal events and ceremonies. The royal history is interesting.

However, you won't learn much about the Queen Mother from this book. She must have had a will of steel and she was very supportive of her husband. She was also devastatingly charming and a wonderful hostess.
Duff seems to regard her as almost verging on sainthood! You won't find any criticism of her in these pages, let alone any scandal or gossip.

I am a fan of the Queen Mother's, but this book even got on my nerves in the end. The writing was just too cloying. The style is also rather old-fashioned and breathless, although I didn't mind that.

Me & Orson Welles by Robert Kaplow

This is a coming of age story full of excitement and drama. When Richard is 'discovered' by Orson Welles and placed in his innovative Caesar, his life changes for ever. He falls in love with the damaged Sonja, decides what he wants to do with his life, and meets stars such as Joseph Cotton.

Eventually Richard has to learn to judge what the enigmatic Welles and the other actors in the play are really like, and whether Sonja is worth it.

This fast-paced novel captures the fascination of 1930's New York, although I would have liked even more about this, and the strange character of Welles. If only we could have read this type of book at school instead of the boring and dreary Josh by Ivan Southall! I know that I'm being unpatriotic here, but Australian literature is often dreary and depressing. Why?

View all my reviews
Elizabeth of Glamis: Story of the Queen Mother

Josh Hartnett Definitely Wants To Do This by Bruce Beresford

Diaries can often be quite dry and dull, but this one is surprisingly interesting. Beresford drops lots of famous names and the difficulty of a director's life is made very clear.

He writes about many celebrities, such as Barry Humphries. He's also extremely honest about them. For example, he tells how Jennifer Byrne did an interview with him and wanted to write about his teeth and argue that his political views were controversial. He also relates how he got into big trouble for saying that Toni Collette's acting was over-rated. I enjoyed all this.

I was surprised to learn how difficult a director's life is. Beresford has to make films he's not at all interested in and he lost films such as Miss Potter and Amazing Grace because of contractual problems! He has to deal with people who he dislikes all of the time.

He also writes about some of the extreme political views of the people in the arts. One woman told him that she admired Bin Laden, for example! Beresford seemed to me to stick to the mainstream in his politics, but that apparently annoys many. I'm not going to discuss politics here!

Josh Hartnett Definitely Wants to Do This--: True Stories from a Life in the Screen Trade

Ella: Princess, Saint and Martyr by Christopher Warwick

This well-written book captured the rich and colourful atmosphere of the Russian Imperialist era. However, I felt that I didn't learn that much about the personality of Grand Duchess Ella, the sister of the last Tsarina of Russia, except that she was incredibly brave and charitable.

Did she really love Sergei, her husband? Warwick is very objective about him but he was universally hated and a nasty piece of work. Was she cold or just extremely repressed? What was her true attitude towards her wards, Dmitri and Marie? I was not sure about the answers to these questions when I finished reading.

The Education of a Princess by Marie Pavlovna is helping me gain more of an understanding of Ella's true character.

The Principle of the Path by Andy Stanley

2011-05-13T19:14:00.000-07:00

When Andy Stanley was young, he and his girlfriend drove along a shortcut on a road that was closed. Suddenly a black Monte Carlo drove up behind them at great speed. This scared them especially when the driver of the car stopped and got out, waving his hands around. He told them that if they continued along that road they’d wind up on a half-finished bridge! He then helped them get to the right road.

This is what Stanley’s book aims to do – direct people along the right paths in life. He points out that good intentions and even goals don’t matter that much if you don’t do anything that helps you achieve them. If you want to have a happy and successful life, you have to follow the correct path. He writes that following a certain path will always lead to a destination.

Stanley uses many Biblical examples and examples from life to show that this is true. For example, he cites cases of single men who’ve had affairs with married women only to be puzzled when this got them into trouble. He also gives the memorable example of a couple who found themselves in financial difficulties. It wasn’t sudden – they’d overspent and had problems with mortgages. At one stage they saw a financial adviser. They told Stanley that he gave them a good plan which was very ‘do-able’. When he asked them what they did with the plan they replied that they’d put it in the drawer!

Stanley writes that there are always signs that people are heading in the wrong direction. For example, the couple should have acted on the financial plan. Everyone knows where affairs with married people lead.

His book is designed to help his readers follow the right paths or return to the right paths. He provides questions to help you to make decisions and see whether you are on the right track. He also has a useful chapter on how you can determine your motives for following particular paths.

This is a very helpful book and certainly one of the best ‘self-help’ books that I’ve ever read. If I’d read it when I was younger it would have helped me even more. The questions at the back of the book which are designed to help people examine their lives and their directions in particular categories in their lives are especially helpful. Although it will certainly appeal mainly to Christian readers, this book will help anyone searching for the right direction in life.

Disclaimer: This book was given to me by Book Sneeze as part of their blogging programme. The views expressed are my own. I was not required to write favourably about this book.

Books Read in April

2011-05-04T16:29:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn by Colm Toibin

This is a haunting book about a young Irish girl who has to leave Ireland for a new life in Brooklyn in the 1950's. When she gets there, she suffers from terrible homesickness but she gradually starts to enjoy her new life and fall in love. Eventually she has to return to Ireland where she faces difficult choices...

Toibin certainly captures the atmospheres of Ireland and Brooklyn in the 1950's and cleverly compares them. He also has an uncanny ability to describe the way that Eilis, the main character, would feel in that situation. He also makes her extremely likeable and memorable.

The only problem that I had with this book is that I felt that I had to read every word. It seemed to require a lot of concentration for some reason, although it isn't by any means a difficult book to read.

Books Read in March

2011-04-30T03:53:00.000-07:00

My review of Anne's House of Dreams

Books Read in February

2011-02-08T15:56:00.000-08:00

I hope to write about the books that I read in January when I have time, but I'll have to start off with my February books. The first one was a biography of James Stewart.

James Stewart by Marc Eliot

Jimmy Stewart lived a life full of integrity and had a stellar acting career. He began his career as a rather sweet and innocent young man who'd lived a reasonably sheltered life. He became a war-hardened man able to identify with many different types of characters and show anguish in his face. In his greatest role in the film, It's A Wonderful Life, Stewart took his character from an ambitious, cheerful young man to a despairing, disappointed man on the verge of suicide.

Stewart was a war hero - he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for showing incredible bravery during the Second World War.

This book is long and full of interesting anecdotes, many of which should probably be taken with a grain of salt. Did Jimmy Stewart really lose his virginity to Ginger Rogers? Did his crush on Margaret Sullavan have such a big effect on his life?

The problem with this biography is that it is just too detailed. Every one of Stewart's movies is analysed at great length. It is advisable to skip some of this if you haven't seen the particular film being discussed. I got rather tired of this detail. However, the summary of Stewart's character was excellent, I thought.

Hidden Treasures of the Romanovs by William Clarke

This is a nicely written book about a strange, complicated man who bravely saved many of the Romanov's jewels. Bertie Stopford was an antiques dealer who mixed with high society and a secret agent until a scandal marred his life and he discovered who his true friends were...

I felt that Clarke preferred to write about people like Gladys de Grey and the Ballets Russe. He obviously loves the grand life of the Belle Epoque. He was also in his element with Russian high society and the value of the jewels. However, the book certainly didn't disappoint although I didn't enjoy it as much as Clarke's last book.

A Romanov Fantasy by Frances Welch

I found this a very odd book. Welch describes Anna Anderson and the rather mad cast of characters who supported her in a rather abrupt way. It's amusing but I found the writing pedestrian and it just doesn't flow.

It's a pity because the story of this imposter is incredible. Most of her supporters appeared to favour her because of her rudeness and nasty character! I would have thought that anyone truly aristocratic would be gracious.

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

NB: This contains spoilers.

This wonderful book retains all of its old magic, although I was disappointed when I first read it. I started off with Anne of the Island and found the first one in the series a bit childish after that. However, I enjoyed it much more later.

Anne of Green Gables is the story of a charming red-haired orphan who is adopted by mistake by Marilla and Matthew. The old brother and sister really want a boy to help them on the farm. Anne manages to win their hearts, however, and the hearts of all of Avonlea people.

This book is full of constant action as Anne gets into constant scrapes. She lies about Marilla's brooch, dyes her hair green, accidentally gets her best friend Diana drunk,and hits her rival Gilbert on the head. Anne certainly has a lot to deal with in this book. Apart from the scrapes, she has to obey strict Marilla, attempt to outdo Gilbert in the exams and endure the sneers of Josie Pye.

Anne also has a lot of growing up to do. She has to face kind Matthew's death and decide whether to make up her argument with Gilbert.

Many girls have been inspired by Anne. I think that they like her independence and ambition as well as her famous optimism and charm. She is also easy to identify with because of her many scrapes.

L.M. Montgomery's writing can hardly be faulted. All of her characters are memorable and her main character is adorable. She writes with great depth about the troubles of young girls and obviously understands them.

Her descriptions of Prince Edward Island are so vivid that the beautiful island becomes another character of the book. Any 'Anne' fan who visits will be able to immediately recognize such settings as The Lake of Shining Waters and Lover's Lane.

Books Read in December

2010-12-19T23:50:00.000-08:00

Love's Shadow by Ada Leverson

Love's Shadow is like an Oscar Wilde play in the form of a novel. It is a social comedy and 'full of froth and bubble', but Leverson has very sharp insights into people's behaviour.

Like most social comedies this book involves many love triangles. Hardly anyone is really happy. Edith Ottley is married to the rather volatile and unlikeable Bruce - they form 'the little Ottleys'. Edith's life becomes much more interesting when she starts watching what her friend, the beautiful Hyacinth, does. Hyacinth loves Cecil Reeves, but he is fascinated by the bohemian Eugenia. Sir Charles adores Hyacinth, but he is stuck with his formidable wife. The only one who has some semblance of happiness is the strange Ann, who also adores Hyacinth, but is willing to be friends with her.

I didn't think that any of the characters were especially interesting, but the novel is so light and charmingly written and so Edwardian in a rather modern way that it is really irresistable reading. I also always wondered who 'the little Ottleys' were so I was quite pleased to find them in the library by accident!

I enjoyed Robert Wagner's autobiography, Pieces Of My Heart
very much. It was especially interesting to read about his great love, Natalie Wood.

Tuscan Rose by Belinda Alexander

Be warned! This is NOT holiday reading! I found this historical novel rather harrowing. Our heroine, Rosa, has to endure prison, rape, and trying to care for an illegitimate child. And that's not all! The book is set in the dreadful era of Mussolini's Italy but Rosa had to go through too many torments for my liking.

Alexander knows how to tell a good story although the writing is a bit amateur at times. The setting is thoroughly researched and the characters are well-drawn. Rosa is extremely strong and likeable.



                          I thought that the final twist was completely unbelievable and not explained very well, unfortunately. The book would have been better off without it. Tuscan Rose is worth reading if you like historical novels and you don't mind a tortuous story full of suffering and sadness.

The Fast Life and Sudden Death of Michael McGurk by Richard Vereker with Mark Abernethy

The murder of property developer, McGurk, caused a sensation in Australia. This was partly because he threatened to release secret tapes which he said could bring down the New South Wales Labor government.

After reading this book I wasn't surprised that McGurk was killed. He annoyed so many people. He was apparently involved in many get-rich quick schemes and scams. He didn't hesitate to defraud people, according to this book.

He was also addicted to drink and cocaine. This made his delusions of grandeur and sceming much worse. It also increased his money problems and made his life very difficult.

This wasn't the whole story about McGurk, however. He loved his family dearly, went to church regularly, and tried to overcome his addictions.

This wasn't my usual type of book. I wanted to learn a few secrets about shady deals in N.S.W. but I'd have to read a different book to find out about corruption in the state. Property developers and the government are certainly too close for my liking, however. It was a very complicated story and some of McGurk's schemes were hard to understand, but the book does give the reader an insight into the close links between property developers and MP's.

I find it a bit difficult to see why Vereker wrote the book. He keeps referring to himself as a 'friend' of McGurk's but I wouldn't want to be a friend of anyone who'd write such a story about me! I can't help wondering whether the main motive here is money, unfortunately.

The Tsar's Ballerina

2010-12-06T13:49:00.000-08:00

There is a new novel about Mathilde Kschessinska: The Memoirs of Little K. Her child certainly wasn't the Tsar's but I am interested in reading the novel which has had good reviews.

All things Alcott Challenge

2010-12-02T03:55:00.000-08:00

I read Eight Cousins for the All Things Alcott Challenge but I didn't finish it.

When the book begins Rose, a pale orphan, lives with her old aunts who over-protect her and give her lots of pills for her health. She's living rather a dull life. Things change when Uncle Alec turns up to save the day! Uncle Alec throws the pills out, makes Rose have plenty of light and air, and gives her wise advice. He encourages her to make friends with her seven boy cousins. I did think that the Uncle was a bit too enlightened when he gave Rose a medicine containing hemp!

Rose and the other characters are all very engaging. The problem was that I found this book just too moralistic. Uncle Alec gives Rose lectures and advice all of the time. He stops her from wearing corsets and high heels, for example, and shows her their dangers. I didn't finish because I got a bit tired of all this.

However, I may prefer Rose in Bloom and I'm certainly going to give it a try!

Books Read in November 2010

2010-11-26T20:16:00.000-08:00

Sovereign Ladies by Maureen Waller

This was an enjoyable summary of the reigns of six queens of England. Written in a lively manner, it is full of anecdotes. Some are quite amusing such as this one. When Disraeli lay dying he was asked whether Queen Victoria should be sent for. He replied that: "She'd only want to send a message to Albert!"

I didn't discover anything new in this book but I found the sections on Queen Mary of Orange and her sister, Queen Anne, especially interesting. My knowledge of these two queens is somewhat lacking so this book was helpful.

I would recommend this to lovers of English history and biography, especially royal history.

Favourite Poem

2010-10-30T01:25:00.000-07:00

You can read my favourite poem here.

Insure with Guardian Insurance

2010-10-27T00:55:00.000-07:00

You can quickly obtain insurance quotes. Guardian Insurance provides life cover, funeral cover and accident cover. They offer up to $1.5 million insurance cover on each of these different types of insurance.

You can obtain an obligation-free quote from a Guardian Insurance Consultant by requesting one at the company's website. The consultant will call you back in under five minutes.

You can also request a free information pack or obtain a quick quote online. Why not visit today?

Dark Beauty

2010-10-26T16:17:00.001-07:00

This is a post from my blog Favourite Things and More which I am finishing.

I read Thomas More's Dark Night of the Soul about a year ago and I liked it, but I found it rather heavy, vague and unhelpful. I will try it again, however, because I am going through a difficult time facing my mother's and my aunt's age and frailty.

I am Fabulous's post about Dark Beauty is beautifully written and made what More was writing about much more understandable. Unfortunately, I can't find the link! I will keep trying.

Books Read in October 2010

2010-10-26T15:55:00.000-07:00

The Rebel Princess

I loved Judith Koll Healey's first novel, The Canterbury Papers. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this as much, but I still liked it. I will look out for more of the author's books.

This was more of a historical adventure story than a mystery. It concerned Alais, the sister of King Phillippe, who discovers a plot by an evil monk to involve her brother in a war against the Provencal Cathars. The Cathars were an unusual Christian sect in medieval times. The plot endangers her son, Francis, and Alais must embark on an adventure in order to save him.

The Rebel Princess is well-written and full of historical atmosphere and there is not too much 'textbook' history. The medieval detail is vivid - it is easy to imagine the splendour of the palace and the gold-filled chapels. The only flaw here is that the dialogue is a bit too modern at times, I think.

The characterization is the best part of this book. Alais is strong, charming and engaging. Her lover, William, is well-drawn and the villians are suitably evil!

Renoir, My Father by Jean Renoir

This is a lovely biography. This very loving and impressionistic biography of his father, the great artist, is regarded as a classic and it's not hard to understand why.

Jean Renoir was a famous film director and this is reflected in his writing which is very visual. Like his father, he paints scenes. He makes it easy to imagine the young Renoir dressed in his smock painting in the green fields near Paris or enjoying a night of cameraderie with his fellow Impressionists. Sadly, it is also easy to imagine Renoir in his wheelchair, bravely battling his terrible arthritis, but still enjoying his painting.

It is full of quotes from the famous artist and interesting anecdotes. I especially liked reading about how kind Renoir was. When a young lawyer turned up with a forgery that he wanted signed, for example, Renoir didn't tell him that it was fake.
He actually painted him another one and signed it!

This is not a chronological biography but that is part of its charm. I greatly enjoyed it and it's well-worth reading.

Jane Austen by Carol Shields

This was a well-written and concise biography of JA which was very easy to read. I did take issue with two statements that Shields made, however. She wrote that JA had a small soul which had been wounded. I don't agree that JA had a 'small soul', at all. Her books seem to indicate otherwise. This was rather a sweeping statement, I thought.

Shields also wrote that Emma is a somewhat nasty character. Perhaps she appears to be from a very modern point of view. Opinions of Emma are personal and many people do like her. She may be snobbish, bossy, and vain but I really think that calling her 'nasty' is taking it too far!

The Queen's Pawn by Christy English
You can read my review here:

The Jersey Lily

Lilly Langtry: Manners, Masks and Morals by Laura Beatty

After reading this book I felt like giving Lillie Langtry a prize for resilience! She overcame a maverick father, a drunken and violent husband, and virtual bankruptcy in order to become an actress and clever businesswoman. Langtry is often derided for being the mistress of Edward VII, but she was really much more than that. She was talented at art and writing, as well as apparently being a reasonably good actress.

When she was at her lowest ebb, Lantry could have got out of it by marrying a wealthy aristocrat. She didn't love him, however, so she decided to start again and become an actress. After a relatively easy and glamorous life as the mistress of Edward VII she had to work quite hard. I think that I would probably take the easy way out if I had a choice like that!

This is a well-written biography but Beatty tended to be a bit moralistic at times. The book was written in the seventies - biographers might take a different attitude today. There's no doubt that Langtry was immoral but I felt that Beatty occasionally lacked understanding. Surprisingly, the extracts from Langtry's autobiography sparkled in comparison with Beatty's. However, it was certainly easy to read and I was sorry to finish it.Lillie Langtry: Manners, Masks and Morals

Lee's Life of Virtue. (Lee, A Life of Virtue by John Perry)

2010-10-14T19:09:00.000-07:00

My knowledge of the battles of the Civil War came mostly from Gone With The Wind and movies like Shenandoah before I read this book, I'm sorry to say. I certainly didn't know much about Robert E. Lee! Lee by John Perry is an excellent summary of the great man's life.

Well-written and engaging, it is enjoyable but sad reading. Lee's reputation apparently suffered a lot during his lifetime and afterwards. He was accused of being a traitor to his own country and fighting in defence of slavery. Neither of these myths is true and Perry certainly manages to restore the heroic general's reputation.

Robert E. Lee came from a distinguished Virginian family that arrived 200 years before America was established. He had a hard childhood because his father, also a war hero, left when he was only young and his mother was ill. The young boy used to have to carry her to and from his carriage.

Lee was an excellent student at Westpoint and soon got promoted. However, as he was an engineer his work often involved hard labour such as fixing up forts. He distinguished himself in the war against Mexico. When the Civil War finally came, Lee joined the Virginian side because he didn't want to fight against men from his own state. (Unfortunately, half of the State joined the Union side to his great sorrow). He also believed that the abolition of slavery should be gradual.

The great general almost did the impossible in the Civil War even though the Confederacy was out-numbered and out-gunned by the Union side. They had more modern weapons and more money as well as more people. Unfortunately, Lee made the mistake of deferring to his commanders instead of trusting his own judgement. If he had trusted his own plans, the South may have won.

Perry's analysis of Lee's character is excellent and moving. He uses extracts from Lee's letters and diaries to good effect in the book. He also writes just as much about Lee's personal life - his marriage to a great-granddaughter of Washington - as he does about his heroism. Perry emphasizes the important role of faith in Lee's life and how this helped him in his many dark moments.

The only problem with Lee, A Life of Virtue is that it seems a little bit too admiring. However, there is certainly much to admire in the life of this great general of the Confederacy.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Love Child by Allegra Huston

2010-10-14T00:50:00.000-07:00

Love-children certainly run in Duff Cooper's family! A few weeks ago I wrote about My Three Fathers by Duff Cooper's love-child. Now I am including a review of by his son, John Julius Norwich's daughter, Allegra Huston.Love Child.

Duff Cooper's Love-Child

2010-09-20T00:58:00.000-07:00

I found out that Duff Cooper had a second son when I looked up Lady Diana Cooper in the Archives of Time Magazine one day! There I discovered a review of William S. Patten's memoir, My Three Fathers. Here is my review.

Books Read in August 2010

2010-09-13T15:47:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth and Leicester by Sarah GristwoodThis was an interesting analysis of the romance between Queen Elizabeth 1 and Leicester. It dispelled many myths, such as the legend of the meetings when they were both prisoners in the Tower.

It's not a romantic book but very much a textbook account of the couple. I found the information about Leicester especially interesting. He was apparently 'a man of many parts' who wanted to find out about almost everything - astronomy, science, and exploration, for example. I also didn't realise that he was such a Puritan.

It's a few months since I read this, unfortunately. I should have written my review at the time!

I must apologize for not keeping up to date with this blog - I'll try to catch up.

Site of the Week: Pack a Book

2010-09-11T22:11:00.000-07:00

Pack a Book was a very clever idea for a web site. Many people don't want to read heavy non-fiction books on their holidays, but they like to immerse themselves in the culture of the country that they're visiting. Pack a Book makes it easier for people to do this. It provides lists of novels set in different countries. If you are going to Italy, for example, the web site has novels to choose from with a little bit of information about them.

This is also a good site if you just want to 'armchair travel'. You can choose a book to read set in the country that you want to 'visit'. You can also 'study' a book set in a particular country for a few weeks by subscribing to the newsletter and reading the suggested book.

There are also interesting blogs with reviews at the site.

Love Isn't Always The Answer

2010-08-25T16:40:00.000-07:00

Love Songs and Lies by Libby Purves

I enjoy Libby Purves's novels and this one was no exception. They're all well-written with compelling stories. They're also very English and I like that.

I liked the heroine in this book most of the time, but most modern women would regard her as a bit of a wimp, probably. She even got on my nerves some of the time! I identified with her age group and feelings, however, although she's a little bit before my time.

Sally, like many other girls, has trouble separating her real life from her fantasy life. She studies English Lit at Oxford and gets lost in the world of Keats and Byron. She then falls into unrequited love with the handsome and cold Max. These days she'd probably just read: "He's Just Not That Into You", but this was the Seventies. Max is a bit of a lost cause, but his younger brother, Marty, is keen. The problem is that he's mixed up with the drugs crowd...

I liked Sally more as I kept reading. She goes through a lot and shows that she has a certain amount of inner strength.

Libby Purves writes a lot of interesting things about unrequited love, drug addiction, and society's changing attitudes to sex and life. This book is worth reading, but it's quite depressing. I certainly didn't agree with this part of the blurb: "Libby Purves's new novel perfectly captures what it means to be a woman in the last third of the twentieth century." It was much too dark for that, I thought.

Friendship for Grown-Ups by Lisa Whelchel

2010-08-25T02:39:00.001-07:00

(Lisa Whelchel from Women of Faith.com)

Life is difficult for child stars and Lisa Whelchel was no exception. She went to Hollywood at the age of 12. Whelchel found it hard to make and keep close friends because she didn't have a normal school life. Eventually she struggled with her marriage which was breaking down and she suffered a nervous collapse. In this book, Whelchel tells the story of her journey towards making true friendships and how her faith helped her. She also provides excellent advice about how to make and keep friends.

Whelchel had many friends but she realized that she had been building defences around herself so she found it difficult to get close to people. Therapy and her strong belief in God and prayers helped her to understand that she needed to find a way to become closer to her old friends and make new friends.

The pretty star suffered rejections along the way. She wanted to be a 'best friend' to a woman called Heather, for example, but Heather rejected such a close friendship. In another case, a new friend told Whelchel secrets about her own life, and then asked her personal questions. The friend then told other people things that Whelchel wanted kept secret.

Whelchel joined a group called Women of Faith and tells how this helped her. Here she found empathetic, new friends who encouraged each other. She got valuable advice from some of these women which she shares in this book.

This is a helpful, honest account of Whelchel's story. She writes about the elements of friendship, what true friendship means, and how to tell whether a new friend is untrustworthy. There is a list of practical steps for making and keeping friends and a list of conversation pointers at the end of the book. The book is simply written and easy to understand. It is recommended for anyone interested in making more friends.

(I received this book free from Book Sneeze.)

Dancing Into The Unknown by Tamara Tchinarova Finch

2010-08-16T18:46:00.000-07:00

My drawing of a ballerina.

A gypsy told the ballerina, Tamara Tchinarova Finch, that she would travel, learn other languages, and people of different nationalities would applaud her work. Finch was only very young at the time, but she remembered the gypsy's words all of her life. They came true.

Finch was a 'Baby Ballerina' with the Ballets Russes, toured Europe, America, and Australia, and eventually married the great actor, Peter Finch. Her lively personality matches her joyful dancing, and she tells a riveting tale in this book which reads like a novel.

Life was difficult for Finch and her mother, a poor Romanian living in Paris. Her mother was very strong - she left Finch's father and refused to go back to Communist Russia with him. It was a very prescient decision but she had to make ballet shoes so that her talented daughter could have ballet lessons. Life was tough.

Soon Finch toured with the Ballets Russes - her mother went with her as chaperone. This is probably the most interesting part of the book because the ballerina came into contact with such interesting people. They included Nijinska, Danilova, and Chaliapin.

She lived in Australia during the war and met Peter Finch there. Finch doesn't give Australians a good write-up. She found them mostly hard-drinking, blunt and crude. I think that if she'd associated with different people, she might have had a different picture of us.

She and her husband, Peter Finch, went back to England to further his career. When he got the chance to go to Hollywood to make movies, his drinking and Vivien Leigh helped to ruin the marriage. The book has a lot of information about Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier and it gives a strange picture of Olivier.

Some ballet books are very dry, but this one certainly isn't. I was sorry to finish it!

Books Read in July 2010

2010-07-16T21:26:00.000-07:00

What Happened To Anna K. by Irina Reyn

This is a brilliant transposition of the story of Anna Karenina from Imperial Russia to modern Jewish New York. Reyn has kept the essence of the characters and the spirit of the story alive. She manages to make the characters sympathetic and easy to understand for modern readers. The actual writing is so exquisite that I didn't want to finish this book!

Clever and beautiful with her curves and dark, wavy hair, Anna K. envisions a brilliant future for herself even though she comes from a poor Russian immigrant family. She dreams of an exciting career in publishing and a lover like Darcy or Heathcliff. She wants a future that features 'searing political essays, powerful lovers and a work of art shaped by the most idiosyncratic emigre mind since Nabokov'.

When the book begins, Anna is 36 and disillusioned with life and love. When she meets the older, wealthy Alexander, she decides that it is time to give up the struggle and accepts his proposal. They have a son, Serge, and her parents are overjoyed.

When she meets her cousin's boyfriend, David, a younger writer who has similar dreams and actually likes Russian novels, Anna falls hopelessly in love. Her feelings lead her into a reckless journey of self-destruction.

Lev, in this novel, is a Bukharian Jew, who falls in love with Anna's heartbroken cousin, Katia. But will their love last the distance when Anna casts her spell over him as well? He discovers in Anna someone who shares his interest in classic novels and French movies.

This novel, like the original, contrasts ideal love with the reality, and a fantasy-world with the 'real world. Anna, Lev, and David are all in danger of wanting the kind of life that they've read about in books. The author writes that: "When I neared thirty, I realized I was in danger of leading a wholly fictional (read: delusional) life and it was time to take myself in hand." This is something that Anna, unfortunately, never does.

The Concert Ticket

Olga Grushin's The Concert Ticket is a beautifully written, almost mystical story that shows how people can find meaning in their lives even in the grimmest of conditions.

As a family waits in a long line in Soviet Russia for concert tickets, they start to become discontented with their lives, and look for answers elsewhere. Gradually, they cannot help discovering secrets about each other that they never knew. Will the line bring them closer together or tear them apart?

I especially liked Grushin's comparison between the beauty and colour of life before Revolution and the surreal meaninglessness of life afterwards. Her story of the grandmother, who was a ballerina in the Ballets Russes, stands out. I also liked her philosophical writing about the meaning of time.

This is highly recommended!

Love and Louis XIV by Antonia Fraser

This is a charmingly written book which discusses the influence of women on Louis XIV
and dispels many myths about the King who gave us the grand palace of Versailles.

The Church had to engage in a fight for Louis's soul against his liking for mistresses, according to Fraser. Louis was caught between dominating Bishops who gave damning sermons against him, his own rather pious nature, and beautiful women like Athenais. Athenais, a luscious blonde, was his mistress for many years.

In the end, the religious Madame Maintenon became his morganatic wife and returned Louis to the Church. She has often been viewed as rather sly, ambitious, and a prudish woman who always dressed in black. Fraser writes that she was really very sweet-natured and loved fashion when she was young.

Fraser also dispels the myth that Louis was a lascivious layabout. He was really very hard-working and a perfectionist. He was also an excellent diplomat.

This is simply and clearly written. It is well-worth reading, but I did get a bit confused by all of the different people in the book.

New Post

2010-07-07T15:06:00.000-07:00

I've been very busy this week, but I hope to write new posts next week!

The King's Secret Matter by Jean Plaidy

2010-06-29T18:07:00.000-07:00

This is a sympathetic portrayal of Catherine of Aragon who suffered so much at the hands of Henry VIII. Plaidy paints a vivid picture of the splendour of Henry's court and the life that Catherine is forced to endure after her downfall.

Catherine is depicted as proud and determined to fight for her daughter's legitimacy. She is a very loving wife and mother, and remains very fond of Henry even when he subjects her to great trials. She is, perhaps, shown as a little bit too saintly, but Plaidy does an excellent job of making the reader feel very sorry for her.

Plaidy's character analysis of Henry is also excellent. He could be kind and loving, but quickly change to being nasty. His mercurial nature must have been extremely frightening! Henry was capable of turning against people very quickly, and the fear of death became ever-present for those close to him.

Plaidy also wrote well about Wolsey, but I got a bit tired of reading about him. He wasn't a very likeable character, and I wasn't especially interested in reading about his thoughts. Plaidy probably thought that this made the story clearer, but I am not sure that it was necessary.

I enjoyed this book and thought that it was one of Plaidy's better novels. The story is depressing and the reader knows that at the start. This probably made the novel even harder to write because many readers like happy endings. This book is worth reading if you like historical novels set in Tudor times.

Six Wives by David Starkey

2010-06-29T00:07:00.000-07:00

This is a clearly written and interesting book in which Starkey attempts to get rid of many misconceptions about Henry VIII's wives. These misconceptions have existed for centuries. Catherine of Aragon has always been regarded as saintly, for example. Although Starkey agrees that she was very religious, he does think that she probably lied about her first marriage. She did spend a long time with Henry's brother, Arthur, who was quite healthy. It is unlikely that the marriage wasn't consummated.

He also writes sympathetically about Katherine Howard. She is usually regarded as a rather stupid tecenager, but Starkey's book shows that she really wasn't stupid. She also had a mind of her own and spoke up for some people whose lives were in danger.

I did think that Starkey got carried away by speculation at times. He writes that Anne Boleyn, for example, had her bed hung with richly embroidered crimson velvet of the 'Bed of Alancon'. He thinks that Anne may have wanted this because she got the Duke of Alancon mixed up with the French duke, Longueville, captured by the English during Henry's war with the French. Catherine had written that she would exchange the coat of the dead King of Scots, killed in the great battle of Flodden, for the Duke. Starkey thinks that Anne may have regarded the relic as a symbol of Catherine's finest hour, and appropriated it for herself. This seemed to me to be rather a stretch. Perhaps Anne just liked the beautiful fabric?

One reviewer wrote that Anne was Starkey's favourite, but I didn't think so. He annoyed me by attributing ulterior motives to her at almost every turn. The passage about the bed was just one example.

He also appeared to dislike Jane Seymour, who didn't seem to have too many qualms about Anne's death. His view of her was more understandable, I thought.

This was not a riveting book. The beginning was a bit dull but Starkey got into his stride when he started writing about Anne Boleyn and the book became more interesting. Most people who like to read about Henry's fascinating wives will enjoy it.

Life Cycles by Neil Killion

2010-06-29T00:04:00.000-07:00

This was an interesting and helpful book, but I do find the theory a bit complicated and mathematical! Here is my review: Dividing Your Life Into Life Cycles.

Library Loot

2010-06-16T05:17:00.000-07:00

Like many book readers, I haunt my local library. I should read the books that I have at home, but I have to supply Mum with books too. She devours them so I really don't have enough books for her as well, unless I get them from the library. I often find books that I want, though!

Here's what I got today:

An Education by Lynn Barber;

The Lost Mona Lisa by R.A.Scott; and

How To Be Free by Tom Hodgkinson.

They all look good, especially An Education.

SPOILER

I just saw the movie and greatly enjoyed it. Falling in love with a wealthy thief has its advantages, apparently! Still, I'd like to see a film about a female student at Oxford.

Tuesday Teaser!

2010-06-14T20:54:00.000-07:00

I haven't done this for ages. If I remember correctly, I write two sentences from the book that I'm reading and then tell you what it is! I hope that's right. I think that they're supposed to be some of the best sentences from the book. Here they are:

"To the young Louisine, the strange, almost abstract image of stage-flats, dancers and specks of light resembled nothing she had ever seen before on canvas. 'I scarcely knew how to appreciate it, or whether I liked it or not, for I believe it takes special brain cells to appreciate Degas."

That's from page 150 of The Private Lives of the Impressionists by Sue Roe.

Huge Readathon!

2010-06-14T20:23:00.000-07:00

Kristen of Bookworming in the 21st Century is holding a huge readathon until this Sunday. You can obtain points if you join. (I haven't worked it all out yet, but I'm going to join).

Here are some books that I hope to finish:

The Private Lives of the Impressionists by Sue Roe;

Six Wives by David Starkey;

I am Madame X by Gloria Dilberto;

and

The King's Secret Matter by Jean Plaidy.

Books Read in June

2010-06-08T17:26:00.000-07:00

Meltdown: The End of the Age of Greed by Paul Mason

This was written just after the GFC hit so it has the value of immediacy, but it's out-dated now in some ways. Paul Mason describes the fall of Lehman brothers, the bank bailouts, and the sub-prime mortgage crisis clearly and reasonably simply. However, I still found the book a bit difficult to read.

He attributes the crisis to the failure of neoliberalism, deregulation, a share market that was allowed to run wild, and various other factors. His analysis of the causes of the crisis is probably the most interesting part of the book.

Mason writes about the crisis from a left-wing point of view. Whether you agree with his conclusions or not will probably depend on your politics to some extent. Right-wing commentators have often argued that the GFC had completely different causes.

Mason does draw conclusions and suggests that the answer is a completely new form of hyper-regulated capitalism. I couldn't be bothered reading this part of the book, however, because it was just too ideological and dull.

Young Bess by Margaret Irwin

2010-06-04T00:45:00.001-07:00

Young Bess by Margaret Irwin

By the time that this book begins, young Princess Elizabeth has had a lot to cope with, including her mother's brutal death, different stepmothers, and her father's changing moods. She has, understandably, become guarded and somewhat distrustful. Now she finds herself dealing with her father's death and her feelings for Thomas Seymour.

Ebullient, handsome Thomas Seymour, played brilliantly by Stewart Granger in the movie, is the real star of this book. Mercurial and ambitious, he has his eye on the Crown and he falls in love with the young Princess. This naturally upsets his sweet wife, the late King's widow. Elizabeth struggles with her feelings, torn between her love for Thomas and her love for his wife, Katherine. Thomas Seymour, has 'wit, but little judgment' and his love for Elizabeth places him in great danger. It also places him in grave danger, from his equally ambitious brother, the Lord Protector.

The rivalry between the two brothers and their different characters is described with great analytical skill. The Lord Protector is cold and jealous, but he is also idealistic and he does a lot to help the common people. Which aspect of his character will win?

Elizabeth comes into her own when her love for Thomas means that she has to fight for her very life. Her courage and brilliance shine in the last section of the book.

Margaret Irwin's book describes the Tudor period in vivid detail and it's sure to please most lovers of historical novels. However, some may find the novel too full of historical detail and the style rather breathless and old-fashioned. She descends into purple prose at times, but some of the writing is luminous and some of the scenes are memorable. These include the scene in which Cranmer walks in the garden and thinks about his late friend and master, his beloved King.

Tudor Challenge

2010-05-02T15:28:00.001-07:00

The Tudor Mania Challenge run by the wonderful Marie Burton. I am going to enter this. I have started too late, however, so I'm very unlikely to win the prize!

Books Read in April

2010-04-08T03:52:00.000-07:00

A Dangerous Liason by Carole Seymour

Two myths surround Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. One is that they were loyal workers for the Resistance. The other is that they had had a wonderful romance. Seymour puts paid to both in this rather plodding biography.

This couple actually had rather a good time in the war - they even held parties and drank wine with Picasso. They were also not averse to working for the Germans. Sartre did write plays promoting the cause of freedom, but neither Sartre nor de Beauvoir did much for the Resistance according to this book. De Beauvoir could even be anti-Semitic at times.

They may have had a very long romance but it was very anguished. According to this book they liked to torment each other by having affairs with each other's lovers. De Beauvoir even had affairs with her young women students and passed them on to Sartre. Then she wanted to know the details of his affairs with them. They apparently constantly used and abused people and were really a nasty pair.

Sartre and de Beauvoir were also 'fellow travellers' and regarded as 'useful idiots' by the Soviets. Sartre was even carried away by a female Soviet agent. Neither of them saw the evils of Communism. De Beauvour made the remark that the notorious labour camps were really for 'rehabilitation.'

Seymour does write about their good points. They could both be generous and they also did much to promote their causes. Sartre invented Existentialism and constantly protested about the evils of French colonialism, for example. De Beauvour was one of the first feminists.

De Beauvour cared for her mother when she was dying which made me like her a bit better.

I wouldn't have bothered continuing with this book if I hadn't been so interested in the subject. It was difficult to read and written in a fairly dull way, I thought. This was odd when it is such a fascinating story.

Love Letters by Katie Fforde

This book kept me company during long and lonely hours at airports in Paris and Bangkok, and on long plane trips. It's very light chick-lit but it was extremely enjoyable and I will certainly read more novels by Katie Fforde. I found her writing quite soothing!

The quiet and shy heroine of this book, Laura, is feeling down at the beginning because the bookshop where she works is closing. She feels better when she gets the chance to organise a book fair but she impulsively suggests that she should make her literary hero, Dermot, the star of the show. This is difficult because she has never met him!

The novel becomes a delightful chase as Laura visits Ireland to find the elusive Dermot and gets into all sorts of scrapes! The attractive Dermot turns out to be rather lascivious. Can Laura avoid becoming just another notch on his belt?

Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper by Harriet Scott Chessman

This is a luminous novel about the relationship between sisters, and art. Mary, an Impressionist artist, loved to paint her sister, Lydia. Chessman paints in words how both sisters feel and their moving relationship. This is a book that one could read many times.

The main problem with the book was that it was a bit hard to understand the relationships between the other family members. Lydia remembers her past and examines her life and the loss of her lover and brother. I wasn't quite sure how many brothers she had.

The Unknown Matisse by Hilary Spurling

This is a brilliant analysis of Henri Matisse's stubborn Northern character, his rebellion against his father, his rebellion against conformism, and his struggle to transform modern art into a glittering world of light and colour.

This biography is well-written and interesting. However, it's very long and detailed.

Obstacles Welcome by Ralph de la Vega

2010-04-06T21:55:00.000-07:00

Ralph de la Vega outlines his journey from the poverty of Cuba and hardship as a migrant in America to becoming the president of AT & T Mobility. He arrived in America as a scared boy of only ten who had to leave his parents behind. In this book he gives suggestions on how to overcome adversity and turn tough situations to your advantage.

De la Vega includes many useful tips in this book and he gives examples of how he overcame hard times himself to rise to the peak of his career. He writes about how Hurricane Andrew showed him that ‘he had to take care of his own people first’, for example. When Hurricane Katrina hit de la Vega knew exactly where all his employees were and set up a tent city for them. After the employees knew that they were cared for they could focus on their work.

This book is especially useful for rising managers and CEO’s. De la Vega writes about ethics, communication, having a vision, and other self-help topics. It is not very helpful for the self-employed.

The book was interesting but I found the writing very disjointed. I would have preferred a chronological account.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Books Read During March

2010-03-21T22:02:00.000-07:00

Since we last met I've walked around the Golden Mount in Bangkok, been lost in beautiful San Gimignano, lamented being snowed in in Venice, and had a sleepless night on a train from Venice to Paris. I apologise for being away for so long but I had a lovely holiday.

That Summer in Sicily by Marlena de Blasi

This book has everything - a moving love story, exciting history, and a villianous enemy. It concerns a romance between a poor but strong woman who falls in love with a prince in the Italy of the 1930's. Unfortunately, the Mafia plans revenge on the prince because of his reforms which help the peasants.

I enjoyed this book and I liked reading it in Italy. However, I preferred Marlena de Blasi's autobiographies.

Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik

This was about an American man who moved with his wife and young son to Paris. It has great detail about the minuitae of family life in Paris and gives a child's view of this enchanting city. Gopnik has interesting insights about the contrasts between Americans and the French. I found the chapter on a war crimes trial the most interesting, however.

This book did annoy me somewhat. I felt that Gopnik was very keen on himself and he included a lot of information on baseball. I really couldn't care less about baseball so I skipped these parts of the book. (Apologies to Americans who love baseball!)

Katherine the Virgin Widow by Jean Plaidy

Jean Plaidy brings Katherine of Aragon to life in this easy-to-read novel. She analyses her character brilliantly and shows how young and shy Katherine, who is ordered about by Henry VII and her duenna, Elvira, when she first leaves Spain, gains strength of character.

The book also involves other interesting characters, including Elizabeth of York and Katherine's ladies-in-waiting.

Casanova's Women

I didn't like this book much at all and left it on the train between Venice and Milan after I finished it. It was rather prurient and sickly. Perhaps I'm just prudish.

However, Casanova's women were a very interesting lot. They included a runaway aristocrat, a woman pretending to be a castrati, and a women who ran a business in London organizing balls. The writing wasn't bad so I'm willing to try more of this author's books.

Royal Mistress Challenge

2010-02-20T18:31:00.000-08:00

I am going to enter this challenge located at The Royal Mistress Challenge . I'm quite excited about this one but I will have to write more about it later.

Online Casinos Planet

2010-02-18T03:13:00.000-08:00

Online Casinos Planet has excellent
and up-to-date information about many online
casinos and real casinos. It lists real casinos all over the world.

There are comprehensive reviews of several online casinos at
Online Casinos Planet. These include the games you can play at the casinos, the payouts, and the bonuses available. They provide useful information to enable you to choose a suitable online casino.

You can play free casino flash games at all of the online casinos listed. Other online games include blackjack, baccarat, and american roulette.

Books Read in February

2010-02-17T14:49:00.000-08:00

Serendipity by Louise Shaffer

I was so lost in the world of old Broadway that this book describes that I almost missed my bus!

This is by a former actress so she knows this world and evokes it very well. The book concerns three generations of women - Carrie, Rose, and Lu - who all have conflicted relationships with their mothers and grandmothers. Carrie, the heroine, is struggling with her mother's death when the book begins. She wants to solve the mystery surrounding Rose. Why did Rose, a beautiful and wealthy socialite, who married a famous writer of musicals and lived a glamorous life donate most of her money to the poor when he died? Why did she bring Carrie up in a small, stuffy apartment in a working-class neighbourhood? Why did she never speak to Lu, her famous actress grandmother?

As Carrie discovers more about Rose's reasons, we also read Rose's and Lu's stories.
All of these women are very strong, American women, but their characters are very different so they are all very easy to read about. Even though the book deals with all of these varied characters, it is not confusing. The transitions are done very smoothly.

Carrie is a very easy heroine to identify with. She is a little bit of a muddler at the start but she gradually gains confidence.

I did like reading about Rose and Lu the best, however. I went to New York thirty years ago and may not go again so it was interesting to imagine the streets and cafes of old Broadway and read about the difficulties of acting and writing musicals.
The writing is vivid so I really felt that I was actually there!

This was also a gentle, soothing book to read. I'll certainly be reading more of Louise Shaffer's books!

TeaserTuesday

2010-02-02T04:04:00.000-08:00

I found this at the Reading Adventures blog. It's great fun! It's a reading meme that consists of opening the book that you're reading at a random page and selecting two sentences that show the quality of the writing and give readers an idea of whether they'd like the book or not.

Here goes:

The last thing Rose needed in her life was another self-centered, workaholic egomaniac in her life. But the right girl can change a man.

This is from Serendipity by Louise Shaffer.

'Anne of Windy Poplars' (1940)

2010-01-22T04:00:00.000-08:00

As I am a big fan of the 'Anne' series by L.M.Montgomery I couldn't resist taping Anne of Windy Poplars the other night. It was on very late and the timer on my video machine doesn't work so I had to stay up more than half of the night!

I can see why many 'Anne' fans have written bad reviews of this film. It is incredibly old-fashioned and corny. It is also extremely melodramatic.

In the book Anne, who has recently graduated from university, goes to a small town to teach. Unfortunately, this town is dominated by Pringles who dislike Anne from the start. She finds Jen Pringle, a girl in her class, especially difficult. She also finds a fellow teacher, Katherine, very cold and unfriendly.

The film sticks to the spirit of the book but the story is changed in a few ways. There are several new characters who are rather quaint and irritating, such as the man who stokes the stove at the school, and an old sailor. There is also a rather handsome Pringle, Tony, who becomes keen on Anne. I didn't mind him.

I haven't read the book for a long time and it's somewhat confused in my mind with the 1980's series so I may be wrong. However, the old lady who dominates the Pringles is much nastier in the film I think. This annoyed me. Her role is acted extremely well.

It is obvious that the movie was shot in a studio which was a pity. The series was shot on location and the scenery was beautiful. The sweeping photography showed the vistas of Prince Edward Island to perfection.

In spite of these issues I enjoyed the movie and wish that I could have watched it as a teenager. (I liked corny films much more then!) Anne Shirley, who changed her name because of the character, makes a lovely Anne. She is sweet and brave. Patric Knowles who played Gilbert was a bit stiff. The actress who played Katherine was also excellent.

Now I have to try and get this converted to DVD!

Books Read in January

2010-01-19T02:45:00.000-08:00

The Conjurer's Bird by Martin Davies

This was an enchanting mixture of history and romance although I thought
that the story's ending was a let-down. A young naturalist sets out to find
out the truth about a famous bird discovered by Joseph Banks in the South Seas.

The book was based on historical fact and certainly made me more interested in
Banks. His life was apparently fairly mysterious in some aspects.

Here is my review of : Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani.

With Violets by Elizabeth Robards

This is a beautifully written novel about the ambitious, young woman artist, Berthe Morisot, and her love affair with Edouard Manet. The prose does descend into the 'purple' sometimes, I feel, and the dialogue is a bit contrived at times, but I enjoyed it very much.

The characterization is very good. Berthe is a very likeable young woman, torn between trying to please her mother who wants her to marry well, and her love for a married man. She is also an excellent artist.

Edouard Manet is also well-imagined. He is handsome and charming, but has a certain ruthlessness. I also liked the character of Degas, who seems to be either understanding or annoying because of his sarcasm.

The struggles of the Impressionists are interesting. Morisot is very determined to have her art respected, and this is always difficult for a new style of painting. Robards writes well about the problems that the Impressionists faced.

The Women in Black by Madeleine St.John

This was a charming book about women who worked in a
department store in the sixties in Sydney.
It contrasts the innocent Aussies with the more sophisticated European
migrants very well and St.John's characters are
very realistic.

The central character is young Leslie who changes her name to Lisa in order
to seem more grown-up and confident.
(You can see why I liked it! lol) Magda, a Hungarian migrant, takes her
under her wing, and helps to transform her into
a young woman with poise and grace, who knows where she is going.

This novel is based on the famous Sydney department store of David Jones and
reminded me of shopping there when I was young.
It used to have a Food Hall and a piano player (sometimes) and always seemed
very glamorous.

TV Channels For Around $1.00 A Day

2010-01-09T22:13:00.000-08:00

My TV Options provides you with the best choices in TV channels at very cheap prices. There are over 150 channels at My TV Options and they are all digital. Get a choice Direct TV package for only $29.99 per month until 2011. That is a saving of $26.00 per month!

Satellite Directv is a great way to see new and exciting TV channels. At My TV Options you can choose from Sports channels, Movies, Local, and Global channels. The movie selections include Encore movies, Showtime movies, Flix, and many more.

It's a great idea to buy Direct Satellite TV. What are you waiting for? Choose a package today!

Buy The Best Ticket Deals At A Cheap Seat

2010-01-07T23:34:00.000-08:00

Would you like to buy the best deals on tickets at sporting and music events at American and Canadian venues? A Cheap Seat.com is an online ticket broker that can provide you with the hottest deals on events such as hockey, football, tennis, and even Broadway shows. A Cheap Seat.com can also help and advise you on ordering your seats.

Tickets for the Chicago Blackhawks are also available at A Cheap Seat.com. This hockey team has not won the Stanley Cup since 1961 but they were restructured under a new General Manager in 2004-5 and they may do better in the future. There are many excellent events featuring the Chicago Blackhawks this year at the United Center in Chicago.

You can buy tickets to watch events at the Mellon Arena through A Cheap Seat.com. The Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the home of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League and many ice hockey games are held here. Interestingly, the Mellon Arena used to host the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, and it still holds large musical events. The great guitarist, Eric Clapton, will play at the Mellon Arena in February.

You can also watch another great hockey team, the Calgary Flames by buying tickets at A Cheap Seat.com. The Calgary Flames were in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2004, the first Canadian team in a decade to advance to this level. There are many Calgary Flames events to choose from.

Poems for the New Year

2009-12-30T22:16:00.001-08:00

Here is some special poetry to see in the New Year! This is my personal favourite by Alfred, Lord Tennyson:
Ring Out, Wild Bells

TBR Challenge

2009-12-27T21:01:00.000-08:00

I am going to do MitzB's TBR 2010 Challenge .

My List of Twelve Books

A Castle in Tuscany: The Remarkable Life of Janet Ross by Sarah Benjamin

Wordsworth and Coleridge by Adam Sisman

Time Out: 1000 Books to Change Your Life

That Summer in Sicily by Marlena de Blasi

Katherine The Virgin Widow by Jean Plaidy

True Grace by Wendy Leigh

The Emperor and the Actress by Joan Haslip

The Golden Fleece by Bertita Harding

A Place in the World called Paris

I Remember St.Petersburg by E.M. Almedingen

Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopkik

The Party that Lasted 100 Days by Hilary and Mary Evans

I will put by Alternative List up soon!

I've made a mistake and the print has suddenly got much smaller. Help! I've read: Paris to the Moon, That Summer in Sicily, and Katherine: The Virgin Widow.

A Candle for St.Jude by Rumer Godden. Chapter One

2009-12-21T14:27:00.000-08:00

(I used this picture because it's in the Common Domain. I am going to look for one that is more suitable.)

An old coach house covered with wisteria, with its own theatre with red plush chairs and chandeliers, and a ballet school. This is the setting for Rumer Godden's novel.
The coach house in Anna Pavlova's old haunt, Hampstead, is almost a character in this novel. The struggles to keep the ballet school and theatre going will be a central theme. As Godden writes, 'A theatre is blooded in triumphs and tears.'

Madame Anna, the main character, runs the ballet school and theatre. She is a typical Russian ballet diva - vain and dominating but good-hearted. She surrounds herself with relics of her great career in the ballet, such as a chocolate box from the Tsar and an opal from the people of Sydney. These relics are 'personal memorials to be held in reverence and an incentive to faith.'

There are also the characters of Lion and Caroline, the premier stars of her theatre. We are only told a little bit about them, but we are told that Caroline's feelings are 'not exceptional' and Lion is not musical.

Miss Ilse, who was married to Madame's brother, and Mr.Felix are some of the other characters. They devote their lives to Madame but they are also strong characters.

NB: Read about Carnaval.

Unfortunately, I probably won't have time to go on with this book until after mid-March.

A Candle for St.Jude by Rumer Godden

2009-12-20T22:59:00.000-08:00

I am going to start my Rumer Godden retrospective with this book. I know that This House of Brede is the favourite of most people but I've always loved A Candle for St.Jude the best for some reason. I'll start reading my battered old copy soon.

Does anyone want to join the discussion? Are there any Rumer Godden fans about? I'm hoping to discuss the first three chapters by next week.

Art History Reading Challenge

2009-12-20T22:56:00.001-08:00

I didn't get very far with the last one but I'm going to try again! I'm joining : Heidenkind's. I will probably start with Renoir's biography of his father.

I'd love to hear from others doing this challenge!

My theme for this challenge is the French Impressionists. That is just the way that it has worked out.

With Violets by Elizabeth Robards

This is a beautifully written novel about the ambitious, young woman artist, Berthe Morisot, and her love affair with Edouard Manet. The prose does descend into the 'purple' sometimes, I feel, and the dialogue is a bit contrived at times, but I enjoyed it very much.

The characterization is very good. Berthe is a very likeable young woman, torn between trying to please her mother who wants her to marry well, and her love for a married man. She is also an excellent artist.

Edouard Manet is also well-imagined. He is handsome and charming, but has a certain ruthlessness. I also liked the character of Degas, who seems to be either understanding or annoying because of his sarcasm.

The struggles of the Impressionists are interesting. Morisot is very determined to have her art respected, and this is always difficult for a new style of painting. Robards writes well about the problems that the Impressionists faced.

Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper by Harriet Scott Chessman

This is a luminous novel about the relationship between sisters, and art. Mary, an Impressionist artist, loved to paint her sister, Lydia. Chessman paints in words how both sisters feel and their moving relationship. This is a book that one could read many times.

The main problem with the book was that it was a bit hard to understand the relationships between the other family members. Lydia remembers her past and examines her life and the loss of her lover and brother. I wasn't quite sure how many brothers she had.

The Unknown Matisse by Hilary Spurling

This is a brilliant analysis of Henri Matisse's stubborn Northern character, his rebellion against his father, his rebellion against conformism, and his struggle to transform modern art into a glittering world of light and colour.

This biography is well-written and interesting. However, it's very long and detailed.

I only read three books for this challenge, and I was supposed to read six. I haven't done very well! However, I will probably read three more books about the Impressionists and post short reviews here.

Books Read in December

2009-12-19T22:04:00.000-08:00

I read quite a few books in October and November but I don't think that I can put them in order. I'm starting again now!

The Lost Art of Gratitude by Alexander McCall Smith

I love reading about the charming and philosophical Isabel. The third one in the series, this book includes all of the usual characters - Jamie, Cat, little Charlie, and Grace. Isabel is asked by Minty to help solve a problem and has to apply her detective skills and decide whether the rather hard-headed Minty is trustworthy or not. She is also required to meet her niece Cat's new boyfriend, a trapeze-artist. (!)

Alexander McCall Smith's gentle, Scottish novels evoke the misty, romantic setting of Edinburgh very well. They are also very amusing, although the ones set in Africa are probably funnier. I am attracted to cold, green locations, and I like the philosophical questions in these books so I prefer this series. I've only read the first one in the other series so I'm not sure about this, but I also prefer Isabel to Precious so far.

Londongrad by Mark Hollingsworth and Stewart Langsley

This is a long and complicated tale about the large influx of wealthy Russians into London and their surprising amount of power. It involves mysterious deaths, drawn-out legal battles and power struggles with Putin.

The most interesting part of the book is the account of Litvinenko's poisoning and its repercussions. The lack of democracy in Russia and the crises after the end of the Cold War are explained very well here.

I have to admit to enjoying reading about the excessive wealth of the oligarchs. Their art collections, London houses and country mansions are likely to make any reader envious and the authors get quite carried away when they describe it all!

Rumer Godden Retrospective

2009-12-15T23:38:00.000-08:00

I am going to read many of Rumer Godden's books again soon. She is one of my favourite writers and I want to read and discuss her books with interested readers.

Please join me!

Books Read During September

2009-10-23T15:51:00.000-07:00

I've been on holidays so it's a bit hard to remember which books I read in September. I'll try to list them!

Love In The Age Of Drought by Fiona Higgins

This was a very Australian love story between a farmer and a city girl. Fiona has issues with her past and misconceptions about cotton farmers so the Sydney executive has a lot to cope with when she becomes attracted to Stuart. Stuart falls for her quickly. Fiona realises what a good man he is and goes to live on his farm in Queensland.

Here the city girl finds frogs in the loo, finds dangerous snakes in the grass, and tries to work in 40 degree heat without air-conditioning! She also has to compete with women who appear to be perfect housewives and cooks.

This book is a sensitive love story and very interesting about many issues which affect Australia.

The Sea Lady by Margaret Drabble

This book was so well-written that reading every word was a pleasure. It was also a very emotional love story and a good mystery.

Humphrey and Ailsa meet as teenagers in a seaside village in the windswept north of England. Later they meet again and quiet Humphrey falls in love with the wild Ailsa.
Their lives intertwine until they come to a final resolution.

The main problem is that this book is just too politically correct at times. Certain aspects of Ailsa's character were almost enough to turn me off her altogether.

An Uncommon Woman by Hannah Pakula

I found this difficult to get through although it is an interesting story. Pakula's writing is just too dense and the politics is extremely complicated. I liked the subject of the book because I am interested in royalty and Vicky was a strong, brave and admirable woman so I finished it. She certainly lived up to the title of the book.

It isn't the best royal biography that I've read.

Books Read During August

2009-09-08T18:17:00.000-07:00

I started many books in August, as usual. I didn't actually finish many, though!

Chez Moi by Agnes DesartheI enjoyed this quintessentially French novel about charmingly disorganized Myriam who transforms her life by opening a restaurant in Paris. Myriam has led a tough life. Divorced from her cold husband and estranged from her beloved son, she concentrates entirely on her restaurant. She has no time to do anything but sleep and cook at first. Soon her wonderful food attracts customers and helpers. She eventually becomes part of the community but it is a hard journey...

Like most French novels, this is very philosophical and somewhat circular. It's worth reading, however, especially if you want to try out the recipes!

Between Wyomings: My God and an iPod on the Open Road by Ken Mansfield

2009-07-31T19:58:00.000-07:00

This is a very moving account of a spiritual journey and an examination of a life. Most people will enjoy this tale about Ken Mansfield’s career and conversion to Christianity. It will appeal to anyone who grew up in the Sixties and Seventies because Mansfield tells many stories about the singers of these decades.

After Grammy-award winning record-producer, Ken Mansfield, is diagnosed with cancer, he and his wife decide to revisit old haunts and come to terms with his successes and failures. He also needs to get rid of ‘baggage’ and finally understand his relationship with God.

The tales of his glamorous musical career and his pilgrimage seem incongruous until the second half of the book when Mansfield compares the peace he has found in Christianity with the money-dominated world of the music industry. Here his writing flows more as he describes the towns and countryside that he visits. They all remind him of his past life.

I enjoyed his anecdotes about his record-producing days and the many famous people who he met during his career, especially those about the Beatles and the Australian group, the Seekers.

This is certainly well-worth reading.

Between Wyomings

Search For The Latest Menswear At ShopWiki

2009-07-30T20:38:00.000-07:00

ShopWiki is a revolutionary new search engine for shopping. It crawls the web for shopping websites and it also includes buying and gift guides. It doesn't only show stores that have paid for placement unlike traditional shopping sites so you can see all the suitable shopping sites.

At Shop Wiki you can seach for the latest menswear. ShopWiki provides you with guides to the latest styles, such as the Men's Fall Style Guide. This shows you where you can find the new menswear fashions for Fall, including the updated white shirt and the turtleneck cashmere jumper.

There is also a Men's Winter Style Guide at ShopWiki which shows men how to stay warm but still look well-dressed. The latest winter styles include pea coats and argyle sweaters.

The latest styles by menswear designers, such as Liz Claiborne and Pierre Cardin, can be found by searching
ShopWiki's men's clothing designers .

Stylish men's suits can also be found at ShopWiki .

Books Read During July

2009-07-15T17:11:00.000-07:00

.Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear is an engaging character who works hard to join the middle class and becomes a detective. Her first case involves investigating the mysterious death of a badly injured soldier after World War One.

This was an enjoyable book with lots of interesting philosophy. I especially liked the line that 'coincidence is the messenger of truth'.

My main problem with the book is that I found the ending very unbelievable. Also much more time was devoted to history rather than the actual case. I am going to try the next book in the series soon, however.

Veuve Taylor by Henrietta Taylor

After her husband died Henrietta Taylor became a young widow with two little children. After a terrible time with grief, bouts of drinking, and a difficult court case, she decided to 'escape' to France with her children. She was a former teacher of French so she had no difficulties with the language.

She tells her story in a self-deprecating, charming way in this book. Her problems with drinking and men may shock some, but she's just so likeable that I'm sure that even the most straight-laced would enjoy her tale.

What struck me most was how much happier the children were in France than in Australia, even though they had to learn French. I got the impression that the French are much better at handling and educating children than we are here. I was surpised that they didn't have to do any homework at primary school, even though they had to work very hard at high-school. I agree that children should not have to do homework at primary school. It's very tiring for young children to spend hours at school and then be faced with even more study at home. Why can't they be taught whatever they need to learn during school hours? It obviously agreed with these two!

Gradually Henrietta and her children became healed by the helpful French people, the beauty of the countryside and the mild climate. She had to work pretty hard to achieve this, but the way that she did it is very interesting.

I've got the sequel out of the library and I can't wait to read it!

Diamonds in Disguise by Tessa Barclay

This is the third book in this series about the Royal detective, Gregory Crowne, and his girlfriend, Liz. They're all tightly-plotted, interesting and set in exotic locations.

Gregory Crowne comes from an exiled Royal family and works with musicians. He is also good at solving crimes. Helped by his girlfriend, Liz, he investigates the theft of a Russian icon in this novel set in Italy. This leads to a series of mysterious deaths. Greg and Liz are very engaging characters and it is easy to identify with them.

I will watch out for the next book in this excellent series!

A Relaxing Holiday at Myrtle Beach

2009-07-14T16:18:00.000-07:00

Enjoy a relaxing holiday at the beautiful Prince Resort at Myrtle Beach in South Carolina this year. The Myrtle Beach Resort, set on the ocean front provides comfortable and modern rooms in many different sizes. Many have excellent views. All of them have attractive furnishings and spacious bathrooms.

The Myrtle Beach Accommodations also have many other features, such as fine dining, hot tubs, and a quiet river nearby.

There are lots of attractions and activities available at the Myrtle Beach Resorts. These include the historic Cherry Grove Pier, golf and many shopping centres with interesting specialty shops.

The Scandalous Idina Sackville: A Review of The Bolter by Frances Osborne

2009-07-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

This is a little bit out of time because Idina was really a 'flapper', but she was born during the Edwardian age and she certainly shared some Edwardian traits! I greatly enjoyed this excellent biography. Here is my review: The Bolter

Books Read During June

2009-06-17T19:11:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe that June is almost over. Time goes so quickly. I haven't finished many books yet. It's probably because I try to read too many at a time!

Up at the Villa by Somerset Maugham

Wealthy and beautiful, Mary is staying at a villa in Florence and thinking of marrying an older man about to be promoted to an excellent position in India. The only problem is that she doesn't love him. Feeling somewhat jaded, Mary longs for an adventure. When a poor young refugee falls in love with her she gets more than she bargained for...

Maugham often writes about rather shallow women who long for more purpose in life. Mary's character is sympathetically drawn and the book is unusually exciting for Maugham. It gives a very different perspective on life from The Purple Veil and it was more fun. However, The Purple Veil was much wiser and the main character was easier to identify with.

Act of Mercy by Peter Tremayne

This is part of a series about Sister Fidelma, an engaging advocate and religeuse in ancient Ireland. She investigates rather gruesome mysteries. These are well-written and the setting and details about ancient Irish law are fascinating. However, there are too many murders in this book and it's somewhat complicated. I do prefer 'cosy' mysteries.

Lina Cavalieri by Paul Fryer and Olga Usova

Lina Cavalieri was an Edwardian opera singer who was once called the most beautiful woman in the world. She led a wonderfully interesting life, transforming herself from a cafe singer to an opera singer who received some good reviews. She sang in Russia and had an affair with a Russian prince. She also married Robert Chandler, a relative of the Astors, and wiped him clean!

This book, however, was rather dull. I didn't really want to know about every performance Cavalieri ever gave and what every critic wrote about her. I wanted to know about the scandals surrounding her and her rivalry with Mary Garden.

Site Of The Week: Julia's Blog

2009-06-17T19:04:00.000-07:00

Julia's posts atLoscuadenosdeJulia are always interesting and insightful. Her subjects include Russian literature, social networking and blog posts that she likes. I'm very happy that I found this blog!

The Art History Reading Challenge

2009-06-14T23:19:00.000-07:00

This is another challenge which appeals to me. Joining involves reading at least six books about art history this year - fiction or non-fiction. You can make a list or read according to your whim - I think that I'll do the latter!

Booking Through Thursday

2009-06-04T15:12:00.000-07:00

Booking Through Thursday suggests making a list in fifteen minutes of 'fifteen of the books that have stayed with you'. Here they are:

1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
2. Persuasion by Jane Austen
3. Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery
4. Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell
5. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
6. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
7. Lord of the Rings by Tolkein
8. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith
9. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
10.None Dare Call It Treason by Catherine Gavin
11.How Sleep the Brave by Catherine Gavin
12.The Free Frenchman by Piers Paul Read
13.A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
14.Sorrell and Son by Warwick Deeping
15.Little Women by Louisa Alcott

These are not in any particular order and I have many other favourite books!

Posts

2009-05-27T02:43:00.001-07:00

I have been away recently and I am going to find it a bit difficult to write often because of travelling between two places. I will do the best that I can to make my posts as frequent as possible.

Passages to the Past's Book Giveaway

2009-05-16T18:42:00.000-07:00

Amy at Passages to the Past has a great prize. This book is called 'Royal Blood' by Rona Sharon and it looks great. Here is the link: Book Giveaway

Books Read During May

2009-05-12T22:49:00.000-07:00

Learning by Heart by Elizabeth McGregor

I enjoyed this moving and tender story about a mother hiding dark family secrets and a daughter trying to cope with an unfaithful husband. The descriptions of Italy were especially evocative. The novel was very cliched in parts, which was a bit annoying.

I exchanged this for Rhett Butlet's People so I'm quite pleased!

An Antarctic Affair by Emma McEwin

When Douglas Mawson endured the horrors of his Far Eastern Sledging Journey in Antarctica his love for his beautiful fiancee spurred him on. Paquita, the daughter of the founder of BHP, was a well-educated, cultured young woman who impressed the great explorer. They fell in love but waited until Mawson returned from Antarctica to marry - this took much longer than they thought because Mawson had to wait an extra year.

This is a moving love story by Mawson's great grand-daughter and an excellent account of Mawson's explorations. Sir Douglas Mawson achieved a great deal for Australia. His scientific achievements alone would be enough, but it is due to him that Australia is recognised as having the greatest territorial claim to Antarctica. (All territorial claims are suspended, however, due to The Antarctic Treaty.) He had a terrible time in Antarctica - enduring Ninnis's and Mertz's deaths - and having to cope with blizzards, crevasses, dreadful winds, his dog's deaths and many other ordeals. He worried that by the time he came back Paquita would find him very different and end the engagement.

Paquita was much younger than Mawson. This book shows how she grew up during the time Mawson was away and how she coped with the trauma of the long-distance love-affair.

Note

I didn't think that my interests in Anna Pavlova and Antarctic explorers would have anything in common. I was surprised to learn then that Anna Pavlova christened The Aurora and that the explorers named a huskie after her!

Black Diamonds by Catherine Bailey

A changeling child, family feuds, illegitimate children - the riveting story of the decline of the extremely wealthy Fitzwilliam family includes all these and more. Dark secrets abound in the history of this family. Many of the members were rather unlikeable. tells how the family disappeared from prominence and why the beautiful Wentworth House, which is twice as long as Buckingham Palace, is now owned by an ageing recluse.

The Fitzwilliam family made their money from coal-mining and the sad tales of the miner's poverty and degradation takes up much of the book. The family, to give them credit, was unusually good to them - at least compared with other mine-owners. This part of the book was interesting, but quite horrific so be prepared!

Roxana Freed!

2009-05-06T05:08:00.000-07:00

She is not really free, but she is out of jail and Iran. I am glad that Roxana Saberi, the Iranian-American journalist accused of spying on Iran has finally had her sentence reduced, and that she is able to go back to America. She recently ended her hunger-strike and is now very weak. There is some suggestion that her case has been used to appeal to the hard-liners who don't want to make any concessions or agreements with America. Many of the ordinary people of Iran are upset about the dire state of the economy so the extremists felt that jailing Saberi may help their cause. You can read more about her case at: Free Roxana.

Victorian Reading Challenge

2009-05-05T15:30:00.000-07:00

I've finished the first book for this challenge!

Becoming Queen by Kate Williams was a very enjoyable, fast-paced read about the wild Princess Charlotte Augusta and the young Princess Victoria. Williams keeps this story interesting and is especially good when describing Victoria's struggles with her mother and John Conroy. I was sorry to finish this book and I'm looking forward to reading William's other books.

Queen Victoria Was Amused by Alan Hardy

I didn't quite finish this. This collection of amusing anecdotes shows that Queen Victoria had a good sense of humour, loved to dance and was quite broad-minded. She even danced Scottish reels at 72! This book became a bit repetitive, however.

I am reading American Jennie by Anne Seba at the moment.

Alumni Book Fair Acquisitions

2009-05-03T19:06:00.000-07:00

The Alumni Book Fair of my university is a great place to find books. Even rare and signed books are available there. Boxes of books are available on the last day for only $12.00. It's held every two years - it used to be held every year. I've still got at least one book that I bought there at least twenty years ago! The one that I can find is Unquiet Souls by Angela Lambert. Just wonderful, although I am not sure that I agree with her about the pointlessness of the First World War.

These are mostly about royalty and history:

Elizabeth and Alexandra by Anthony Lambton. This is about the two Hesse sisters. One became the last Tsarina and the other married a Russian Duke. Both died tragic deaths. This will suit my Romanov obsession!

Victoria and Disraeli: The Making of a Romantic Partnership by Theo Aronson: I like Aronson's style and this will fit nicely into the Victorian Reading Challenge.

The Prince and I by Rosemarie Buschow: Buschow was a nanny for a Saudi prince. Her story ended in tragedy when a royal princess was executed for adultery.

With Love by Theodora Fitzgibbon: Fitzgibbon lived a bohemian life in Paris just before the Second World War.

Nelson: The Hero and the Lover by Harry Edgington: I am interested in any book about Lord Nelson.

Violets for the Emperor by de Caraman-Chimay: This is a biography of Louise de Mercy-Argenteau in the Paris of the Second Empire.

A Kingdom by the Sea by Nancy Phelan: I've read this before and found this story of a Sydney childhood enchanting.

The British Monarchy at Home by James Frere: An expose of the monarchy!

The Russian Revolution by Alan Moorehead: An Australian historian's classic book about the Revolution.

Queen Victoria Was Amused by Alan Hardy: Supposed to be very funny.

The Kemble Era by Linda Kelly: This is about great actors of the eighteenth century.

The Sweet and Twenties by Beverly Nichols: A book about the Roaring Twenties.

Discovering London: Four books about finding historical London. They're quite small.

I bought a box so there are more, but I'm getting tired. I'll leave them for the next post!

Books Read in April

2009-04-07T01:51:00.000-07:00

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

This wasn't especially well-written, except in patches but I thought that it was reasonably helpful. After all, it's not a good idea to brood about the past all the time or constantly think about a better future. How often have you regretted not enjoying good times in the past as much as you should have? How quickly it goes! (I'm over 30.) This book shows a way of finding peace of mind by living entirely in the present.

Cherry: A Life of Apsley Cherry-Garrard

This Antarctic hero famously almost lost his life searching for the eggs of the Emperor Penguin hoping that they'd help solve a Darwinian problem.

A son of an aristocratic family who eventually inherited two English estates, Cherry-Garrard could have become a country gentleman and squire. He didn't need to work, but he was looking for more meaning in his life. He met Edward Wilson who became his mentor and helped him win a place on Scott's last expedition. 'Cherry' wrote his great classic, The Worst Journey in the World, about his harrowing time in Antarctica.

This biography describes Cherry's great expedition and experiences at the Antarctic, deals in depth with his terrible struggles with depression and his mistreatment by the Press and the British Museum, and his happy marriage at the end of his life. Wheeler also made an expedition to the Antarctic and her anecdotes make this part of the book very interesting.

The problem is that the book fell away a bit after the account of the Antarctic journey, because this was the most fascinating part of Cherry's life. It also became quite harrowing because Cherry was haunted by wondering whether he could have saved Scott and this affected his life badly.

However, it's well-worth reading if you like to read about Antarctic heroes.

The Queen's Favourites by Jean Plaidy

Plaidy is at her best in this book about the rivalries between the Churchills and the Mashams for the Queen's attention. The characters are finely drawn - Sarah is intimidating and dominating and Abigail is suitably sly, but the reader still likes both characters! (At least, I did.) John is lovely, of course. Queen Anne is treated sympathetically and receives her due.

It is historically accurate, like all Plaidy's books, captures the attention, and moved me to tears at one stage. I was sorry to finish it!

Victorian Reading Challenge

2009-04-01T17:13:00.000-07:00

I've joined the Victorian Challenge is being hosted by Alex from Le Canape

When you join you choose one of these levels:

* A drink at Whitechapel: 3 books
* A walk in Hyde Park: 4 books
* A tour of the British Museum: 5 books
* A visit to Buckingham Palace: 6 books

I've joined a bit late because the challenge has to be finished by 30 June 2009. Your books must have either been written during the time of Queen Victoria's reign, or be set during this time!

I read North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell at the beginning of the year so I'm going to include that. I'm reading Crime and Punishment now.

I hope to make the visit to Buckingham Palace and read 6 books!

Bingo Hideout

2009-04-01T16:51:00.000-07:00

I love to have a game of bingo occasionally. Now there is a cool way to play bingo online! Bingo is a social networking site which enables you to find out where to play free bingo online and chat about bingo.

Bingo features a directory of bingo sites, the latest news about bingo, articles about bingo and a blog. The news includes helpful articles, such as ten tips to make the most from your bingo site. The site is attractively laid out and very easy to use.

If you join Bingo you can obtain 200 pounds towards playing no deposit bingo.

Where Will Books Take You?

2009-03-06T02:54:00.000-08:00

Strumpet recently posed these questions: "Is there a place that you have always dreamed of visiting specifically because of a book you read? It can be any kind of book: fiction, non-fiction, travelogue, you name it. If you have been to the place, did it live up to your expectations? If you haven't been, do you think you'll ever make it there?" (It was really last month's question but I couldn't resist!)

Dreaming of Russia

At first it was ballet books with their gorgeous photos of the Bolshoi Ballet. Then I read the incredibly sad story of the last Tsar and the Imperial Russian Family so I wanted to visit the palaces and The Golden Ring Soon afterwards I read War and Peace (not properly) and admired Natasha, a rather frivolous girl whose character became forged by the hardship of war. Will I ever see the splendour of the Hermitage and Tsarskoe Selo, let alone feel the haunting presence of Tsar Nicholas, Alexai and his four daughters in the isolated Golden Ring? Fate will tell.

Anne's Beloved Island

My grandmother gave me Anne of the Island when I was 11. After reading about Anne's adventures at university I couldn't wait to buy the whole series. Unbelievably, the books were hard to find in Australia then. We travelled to Canada soon afterwards and saw the spectacular scenery of the Rockies. Lake Louise is probably the most beautiful place that I've ever visited. My parents weren't very happy with me, however, because I spent too much time in bookshops looking for the 'Anne' series.

One day I hope to see Green Gables, The Lake of Shining Waters, and all of Anne's favourite places.

Vienna

I have been reading about the fascinating Empress Elizabeth of Austria/lately so I'd love to go to Vienna and imagine myself in the age of Imperial Splendour!

March Reads

2009-03-05T23:28:00.000-08:00

Anna Pavlova: Her Art and Life by Victor Dandre.

This reminded me of the saying that: "There's gold in them there hills if you're willing to look for it." This book by the great ballerina's husband was written in an excessively old-fashioned and rather dull way but he does include lots of interesting details about her tours, the people that Anna Pavlova met, and the work involved in running a ballet company. Pavlova liked Australia - even Brisbane's ghastly heat and humidity was preferable for her dancing than the cold, apparently. She took home bulbs of a purple bell-like flower to grow in her greenhouse.

This isn't a chronological biography. It is composed of chapters about different aspects of Anna Pavlova's life.

Luckily I got this through Inter-Library Loan because it is very expensive! If you are a big fan of the wonderful Anna, however, it is worth buying if only for the beautiful photos. (For a bit more on Anna see my Edwardian Promenade blog

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates

This book is all the rage and it's certainly wonderfully written. I almost didn't go on with it, however, because I didn't have much time for the main characters. I didn't think that they had much to complain about and they both really annoyed me. It's a depressing tale of self-destruction and surrendering to the worst parts of life. I am not sure whether I want to read any more books by this author, but I will see the movie.

Romanoff Gold by William Clarke

Clarke describes Imperial Russia vividly and delves into the money trail meticulously.

The first part of this book is the most interesting. Certain images stayed in my mind: beautiful Meriel Buchanan 's Russian admirer visiting her in a panic after the Revolution, the Tsar's daughters enjoying their first dances and balls, and the final terrible journey and end of the Royal family. (NB)

Reading how Clarke traced the money of the Romanovs is like reading a detective story, but it becomes a little dry and complicated at times. He does dispel long-held myths about Queen Mary and money and jewels spirited away during the First World War.

This is a book well-worth reading if you enjoy reading about the Romanovs.

NB: Meriel Buchanan was the British Ambassador's daughter.

Katherine Swynford by Alison Weir

Alison Weir isn't my favourite biographer but this is a sympathetic account of this beautiful, well-educated woman who famously became mistress of the powerful John of Gaunt, had four children to him, and finally married him. Weir describes the sumptuous riches of John and medieval life well but, unfortunately, she ruins some of the book by too much speculation. She provides little evidence for her belief that John died of syphilis, for example.

The Spies of Warsaw by Alan Furst

This beautifully written spy novel is surprisingly gentle and slow-moving. Colonel Mercier, a French agent trying to obtain details of German plans, faces conflict when he falls in love with a beautiful young lawyer. I fell for the rather sensitive and religious aristocratic hero! I'm a fan of spy novels and I liked Furst's writing so I'm going to look for more of his books.

The Painted Veil by Somerset Maugham (Spoilers)

This was a very wise, precisely written book about a woman's journey towards peace of mind. Kitty marries a man she doesn't love because of the pressure of her parents. When she commits adultery her husband punishes her by taking her to a cholera epidemic in China. Kitty learns many lessons here and finally becomes a much better person.

This was set in the 1930's and Maugham evokes the mysterious, ancient civilisation of China and its effect on Kitty well.

Louis and Antoinette by Vincent Cronin

Vincent Cronin inherited his writing talent from his father, A.J.Cronin. This is an eloquent defence of Louis and Antoinette which dispels the myths that Louis was a terrible King and that Marie Antoinette was a spendthrift who didn't care about the people. I am looking forward to reading more of Cronin's histories.

The Author of The Interrogator Interrogated!

2009-02-18T18:50:00.000-08:00

JJ Cooper's novel, The Interrogator, will be published in 2009. This exciting thriller about a military interrogator who knows too much was, amazingly, JJ's first novel. He very kindly agreed to this interview:

1. Could you tell us a bit about your book, The Interrogator, please?

I like to think of it as an ‘Aussie fast-paced thriller’. I’ve converted my experiences as an interrogator into a work of fiction.

Here’s the short synopsis – THE INTERROGATOR is a story of betrayal and nightmarish conspiracy firmly rooted in the highest levels of government across international alliances. Jay Ryan is an interrogator with a dark past and a tortured soul; he’s also the keeper of secrets Israeli spies will kill to get their hands upon. Renowned for his skills, he is used to commanding a certain level of respect amongst his peers. Then one day Jay is drugged, tortured, tattooed and accused of rape. He is forced to reveal information that could further destabilise fragile Middle East relations and plunge the entire region into war. The story rockets toward a shattering finale that will leave the survivors changed forever.

2. Did you write with a particular audience in mind or mainly to please yourself?

I started out with the goal of just writing a novel. After seventeen adrenaline-filled years with the military, I needed a creative outlet and I found it in my writing. So, it started out for me and what I enjoyed reading – thrillers. It certainly ended up an ideal read for thriller and/or crime fiction readers.

3. What is your writing process?

I have a full-time job, so my writing time is limited to evenings. Maybe a couple of hours of a night. Generally, I write ten chapters (around 15,000 words) then edit. This process helps me to identify areas to strengthen the plot and look at sub-plot elements as I go. It allows me to check the flow and ensure the right characters are doing the right things. Mostly, it helps me to review and strengthen the writing early.

I don’t outline. I stick to a linear type of story that I find allows me create a realistic plot following a logical sequence of events as seen through the eyes of my main character. So, there’s no author intrusion and readers discover the twists and turns as my main character does. My writing is third person point of view in past tense. These are the stories I like to read and I enjoy writing in this method.

4. What are you doing to market your book?

Thankfully, my publisher, Random House Australia, have plenty of experience in the marketing and publicity area. I also believe authors should be active in promoting their books. All of my marketing at the moment has been online. I’m active on local and international writing-related forums, have a blog (website coming soon), am a debut author of International Thriller Writers, have a group page and own page on Facebook and am active on several other sites. It’s a tough balance because I have limited time for writing and maintaining an active presence on all of these sites. But, I see it as necessary and at the moment I’m maintaining a balance.

As I move closer to publication, I’ll be working with the Random House marketing and publicity department in planning on whatever is needed of me to promote my novel.

5. Do you find that internet marketing is helpful? I noticed that you've joined Facebook and International Crime Writers?

Certainly. It’s exposure to an audience that you may not reach through other means – a global audience. Because of the internet and online promotional activities, I’ve met writers, readers, agents and editors throughout the world who all share a passion for writing. Even if it doesn’t convert to sales, it still allows for a wonderful exchange of information with other like-minded individuals.

6. Finally, what tips do you have for aspiring writers?

Stay determined. Start with goals that lead to your dreams and believe that you can do it. If you believe you will never be published – you won’t. Beliefs drive thinking, actions and results. Accept constructive criticism and use it to improve.

(I couldn't resist that title - sorry!

Books Read in February

2009-02-14T17:13:00.000-08:00

The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie

Miss Christie never lets one down and this is no exception! In this enchanting novel, Jerry, who is suffering from a bad case of ennui after the First World War, and his smart and fashionable sister go to the country so that Jerry can recover from a car accident. They expect the country to be very boring so they're amazed to discover the small village awash with talk of poison-pen letters. They join the investigation when they receive some themselves. The situation becomes even more dangerous when murders suddenly start happening...

Eccentric characters and a fairy-tale romance make this book one of the most enjoyable of Christie's novels.

The Road to San Michele by Bengt Jangfeldt

The Story of San Michele was such an unusual book - so lyrical and magical that it's hard to beat. It remains one of my favourites.

This is the true story of Axel Munthe, the famous doctor who owned a villa on Capri, Italy, and saved birds from cruel methods of hunting. Apparently he had a long affair with Queen Victoria of Sweden and associated with other royals and the aristocracy. He played with the truth in his wonderful book so it was very interesting to know his real story. The writing is fairly straight forward and prosaic (perhaps it loses something in translation) so be sure to read The Story of San Michele as well.

East Side Story by Louis Auchincloss

Auchincloss captures the character of old New York well, following in the footsteps of Edith Wharton. I used to like his books but this one lacked 'bite' and was rather disappointing.

Bushfire Appeal

2009-02-09T02:57:00.000-08:00

Please think of, and pray for our friends in the South so sadly affected by the terrible bushfires and those in the North afflicted by the floods.

Give generously to Australian Red Cross Bushfire Appeal

Books Read During January

2009-01-03T14:08:00.000-08:00

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

Gaskell's writing lacks the precision of Jane Austen and the passion of the Brontes. However, it is very lucid and descriptive, if rather long-winded. I find her quite soothing even though this book deals with class-wars during England's Industrial Revolution.

The story involves Margaret, who is forced to move from her beloved country village when her father decides to leave the Church. They decide to live in the polluted, but thriving town of Milton. Here she has to cope with her invalid mother, her growing feelings for mill-owner, Mr.Thornton, and her escapee brother. Margaret has great integrity but she is also very human and it is easy to identify with her. Gaskell's characters are very well-drawn, generally.

She also writes very perceptively about the conflicts between the employers and employees - these are still very relevant today.

SPOILER

This sentence made me think: "Plus ca change...."

"Hitherto there had been no failures in Milton; but, from the immense speculations that had come to light in making a bad end in America, and yet nearer home, it was known that some Milton houses of business must suffer so severely that every day men's faces asked, if their tongues did not, 'What news? Who is gone? How will it affect me?"

The Humble Grand Duchess: The Last Grand Duchess by Ian Vorres

Ian Vorres's kind neighbour, a rather charming, little old lady, often invited him in to have a cup of tea. Soon he found out that she was Grand Duchess Olga, the sister of the last Russian Tsar. It was destiny... Vorres, a writer, persuaded her to let him write her biography.

Grand Duchess Olga's life was so dramatic that it remains interesting even though Vorres's writing is rather straightforward and prosaic. The interview format doesn't help. He doesn't often let his imagination run away with him! However, it doesn't matter because Olga's words capture the splendour of the Russian court and the horrors of the Revolution.

Grand Duchess Olga wanted to correct the untruths directed at her family - the Rasputin scandal, accusations of tyranny and criticisms of the Tsarina Alexandra. She does this to a big extent, although her argument that monarchy is a divine right is not very convincing. She explains that Tsar Nicholas was really not brought up to be Tsar - her father's main mistake.

The Grand Duchess is surprisingly honest, blaming the rest of the Romanovs (not the immediate Royal Family) for their downfall. She thought that their involvement in scandals lessened the people's respect for them.

She is also very humble and disliked the balls, parties, etc. that she had to attend almost every night at one stage. When she found a new life in Canada she was quite happy gardening, staying at home, and wearing shabby clothes.

This is a very sad book, of course, but well worth reading because it gives a personal insight into the lives of the last Russian royals.

The Amazing Mrs.Snow: A Dash of Daring by Penelope Rowlands

This enchanting book tells the story of Carmel Snow, the renowned editor of Harper's Bazaar during much of the twentieth century. She made many innovations to magazine publishing, including introducing the layout which all fashion magazines still use. She made Harper's Bazaar into the greatest fashion magazine of all, even beating Vogue, by finding the best talent available. This included photographer, Richard Avedon, and the writer, Truman Capote. She discovered Balenciaga.

The book also gives an account of Snow's famous rivalry with Edna Chase, the editor of Vogue.

The Shivering Sands by Victoria Holt

This fairly creepy gothic romance was good holiday reading. The heroine, a piano-teacher and widow, trying to investigate her sister's mysterious death, is engaging.
The hero is suitably sardonic and appealing. It's worth reading if you like this sort of story occasionally.

She May Not Leave by Fay Weldon

This very amusing little fable about an au-pair who weaves her way into a modern woman's family is very well-written, but it gets silly at the end and a bit too hard to believe.

The Sensational Scotts: Captain Robert Scott and Kathleen Scott

2008-12-09T20:28:00.000-08:00

Scott of the Antarctic by David Crane

This is a grim and very sad story of great courage and sacrifice told movingly and sympathetically by David Crane. Recent historians have given Scott's reputation a beating and Crane restores it very well in this excellent book. He argues that all of the qualities that made Scott so beloved by Edwardians - honour, loyalty, patriotism, sacrifice - are the very characteristics which have made him reviled today.

After reading this book I wonder that anyone dared to criticise Captain Scott. As Sir Ranulf Fiennes wrote: "No previous Scott biographer has manhauled a heavy sledgeload through the great crevasse fields of the Beardmore Glacier, explored icefields never seen by a man or walked a thousand miles on poisoned feet. To write about hell, it helps if you have been there."

Scott coped with enormous difficulties - the deaths of some of his men, the loss of dogs and ponies, crevasses, manhauling heavy loads, terrible winds. The list goes on and on. In the end it was really only the unusually cold weather that defeated his team, according to Crane.

Scott's leadership has been criticised and he did have flaws. He could easily get irritable and he didn't like any lowering of standards, but his men (except for Shackleton) said that they'd follow him to the ends of the earth. As indeed they did.

The sentence that summed up the character of this complicated naval officer, who was unhappily beaten to the South Pole by Amundsen, for me was: "In his journal Bowers noted that Scott gave himself a longer trace on his harness when they were pulling through the worst of the crevassed areas, so that if anyone went down it would be him."

Scott's Last Words

I defy anyone to read these without being moved to tears.

"Had we lived, I should have had a tale to tell of the hardihood, endurance and courage of my companions which would have stirred the heart of every Englishman. These rough notes and our dead bodies must tell the tale, but surely, surely, a great rich country like ours will see that those who are dependent on us are properly provided for."

A Great Task of Happiness

I can't find this and I hate losing things, especially books, so it's really upsetting me! I'll write a little bit about it from memory, but I like to have the book beside me when I review it. I'll write more when I find it.

This was the sort of book that I really like. Kathleen really had a more interesting life than her admirable husband! She lived life at a breakneck speed and Young, her grand-daughter writes in a breathless style which suits it.

A Bohemian young sculptor who 'gallivanted around Europe' and loved to sleep outside, Kathleen didn't meet Scott until she was 28 and he was over 40. Before this she studied art in Paris where she met Rodin and attracted flocks of men (as she seemed to all of her life), went to Macedonia to help war-victims and backpacked in Greece and Italy. She also met the famous dancer, Isadora Duncan, and stayed with her when she had her baby. Isadora was in love with a 'cad' and was still single. This was rather shocking in those days but Kathleen didn't care.

She became famous herself after she married Scott, gaining commissions from people such as Lloyd George and George Bernard Shaw. She associated with the aristocracy and artists.

Kathleen became rather an intimidating figure as she got older, apparently, although liked by many. Her daughter-in-law, the novelist, Elizabeth Jane Howard, married Kathleen's son, Peter, and found Kathleen difficut to cope with. Only 17 when they married, she felt that she couldn't live up to the success of this eminent family.

Kathleen's reputation has been blackened like her husband's. She's been accused of having an affair with the explorer, Nanssen, while Scott was suffering in the wilds of Antarctica; deserting Duncan when she took to drink; and various other things. Young restores her name in this book, correcting these misconceptions. This is very much worth reading if you are interested in the Edwardian age, the English aristocracy, or just a good biography.

How I Became Interested In Reading About Kathleen

Scott of the Antarctic by David Crane

I first went to beautiful Christchurch, NZ, four years ago and saw Kathleen Scott's sculpture of Captain Scott near the cathedral. When I came back I looked her up on the internet and found out more about her. I meant to read this book then but I didn't do it until I came back from NZ last year! She deserves to be famous once again so I hope that this blog will make more people aware of her.

Books Read in November

2008-11-28T13:22:00.000-08:00

I haven't read many books this month because I haven't had time. My mother is quite old and frail - although not for her age - so I often go to her place and help her. This means that I have books in two places!

The Clocks by Agatha Christie

This was a clever mystery involving a blind lady, clocks, gossipy neighbours and a sweet romance. I didn't understand the ending, however, so maybe it was too clever!

Homeland by Clare Francis

I found this a rather dreary book with a miserable, but dramatic setting - the Somerset moors. It was about a Polish ex-soldier trying to make a new life for himself in England just after the war. I liked him so I did finish the book. It did bring home to me the plight of the Polish people, but I wouldn't recommend this novel.

There is one more book to add. I will write about that next week.

A Tribute To Anne

2008-11-22T22:41:00.000-08:00

This year all lovers of L.M.Montgomery's 'Anne' series celebrate the 100th anniversary of the publication of Anne of Green Gables. This article about Anne was originally published at Seeds of Knowledge.com under my pen-name, Viola Ashford.

A TRIBUTE TO ANNE

L.M. Montgomery's classic stories, especially her warm-hearted series about Anne of Green Gables had a strong influence on my girlhood, and that of many women of my generation. Still popular, the 'Anne' books are constantly reprinted, have been made into a high-rating TV series, and are the subject of a mailing list on the Internet. Sadly however, the series is not as widely read as it once was. Many of today's teenage novels are pessimistic, dealing with dark issues such as depression, drugs and teenage suicide, often awakening feelings of despair and hopelessness.

The 'Anne' series is set in the late 19th century on the beautiful Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, off the coast of Nova Scotia. When the story begins Anne is an 11 year-old, red-haired orphan mistakenly adopted by stern Marilla and her kindly brother Matthew, who were expecting a boy to help out on their farm Green Gables.

Sunny-natured, feisty Anne soon charms her way into their hearts and the hearts of those in the little village of Avonlea, even though she annoys Marilla by constantly getting into 'scrapes'. These misadventures include being nasty to Marilla's best friend when her red hair is criticized, accidentally making herself and her best friend Diana drunk on Marilla's homemade wine, and mistakenly dying her red hair green.

Anne has to cope with experiences common to many girls of her age, for example, being taunted at her new school, worry about her marks, and malicious friends. She also, at 16, has to bear the sorrow of her beloved Matthew's death. Heroic Anne survives all this with flying colors.

Clever, independent and ambitious, Anne, the daughter of schoolteachers, unlike most girls of her time, wants a career. She obtains a B.A, the first person from Avonlea to do so, and fulfills her ambition to become a high-school teacher.

The girls who read about Anne cried for her when Matthew died, worried about how she would get out of her scrapes, and cheered for her when she went to university and obtained her BA.

As a teenager Anne was one of my role models. She confronts her problems optimistically, with charm and grace. She is determined to achieve her ambitions and does this under difficult circumstances at a time when women were not encouraged to pursue careers. Many women all over the world owe their desire for an education and career to her example.

More importantly than that, however, Anne, with her courageousness and optimism, showed how life should be lived.

Back soon!

2008-10-28T22:18:00.000-07:00

I am having a break at the moment. I'll be back next week!

Books Read In October

2008-10-07T23:14:00.000-07:00

I'm cheating because I started this in September!

Five Empresses by Anisimov

This was heavy at times, but the author has a very disarming and descriptive way of writing so it's worth persevering! He intertwines personal opinions or anecdotes in a very Russian way. He writes that Catherine the Great was a 'graphomaniac', for example, and how wonderful and exciting it is to feel that creative flow when one can't stop writing!

The stories of the empresses are interesting and I liked reading about the magnificence of life at court. I didn't realise that Peter the Great chose a simple peasant girl to become his empress. Her Cinderella life was even more of a fairy tale than our Princess Mary's!

Christmas Lessons by Janine Boissard

This was a delicately written book about the strength of a French family which has to deal with the consequences of a nasty incident on the Paris Metro and a young daughter's pregnancy and several other events. Pauline, the heroine, becomes more self-aware and self-possessed as she copes with unrequited love.

I didn't like this one as much as A Matter of Feeling, the first one in this series about the four daughters of a French family, which has been compared with Little Women. I did think that even though it was written in the seventies it was very modern because it dealt with issues such as disaffected youth and homelessness. I intend to read all of the novels in the series.

The Silent Pool by Patricia Wentworth

My husband thought that this began badly and that it wasn't well-written. He wouldn't even read it! It did have an odd beginning because the actress who came to request Miss Silver's help pretended to be someone else. I couldn't see much reason for this. However, it was light holiday reading with a detective a little bit like Miss Marple, a love story and a few complicated murders.

Bad Faith by Jane Smiley

This won awards but I found Smiley's style rather abrupt so I probably wouldn't have read it if I hadn't been on holidays. I liked the hero, Joey, a 'green' real estate agent who gets involved with a fast-talking developer and a married woman.

Gold speculation, selling off loans, and an excess of money are some of the subjects in this book which was set in the 1980's. That's right - THE 1980's. Some of us have been down this road before!

It was rather technical so I don't know if I'll read more of Smiley's books.
'

A Charmer Who Likes To Be Centre-Stage: Lord Snowdon

2008-09-23T16:11:00.000-07:00

Snowdon: The Biography by Anne de Courcy is an excellent analysis of a very complicated man, but livelier writing would have improved the book greatly. It's written in a sympathetic and straightforward way, but the excessive detail sometimes annoyed me. I didn't really want to know about almost every piece of furniture in each of Snowdon's houses, for example.

Anne de Courcy has been criticised for focusing on scandal, but I don't agree with that. Snowdon, himself, didn't make any fuss about the book's content. It does list all or most of his affairs but not in a malicious way.

Three aspects of Snowdon's life made a big impression on me. I felt that he was the one largely responsible for the break-up of his marriage. He started having affairs and he could be quite cruel at times to Princess Margaret. However, they seemed to be unsuited - they both wanted to be the centre of attention and she wanted to spend evenings partying while he liked to go to bed early so that he was ready for work in the morning.

His focus on work is admirable. He is very driven and talented, but on the other hand, he spent so much of his time working that he neglected Princess Margaret and she became lonely.

He was a real crusader for the disabled and achieved very much for them. (I'll add some examples later.) He should be very proud of these achievements and this obviously impressed the author very much.

This is well-worth reading for those who have time. I think that Anne de Courcy, at least, may get rid of the impression some have that Snowdon is just another charming and womanising aristocrat who didn't do anything important.

Site Of The Week: Jane Austen Jewellery

2008-09-15T19:33:00.000-07:00

JA is my favourite author and I also like jewellery, like most women! I was pleased to find this site, Reader's Jewelry

Michelle decided to develop lines of jewelry inspired by some of her favourite authors and books, such as Katherine by Anya Seton and Outlanders by Diana Gabaldon. I am sure that both Jane Austen and Katherine Swynford would approve of these designs - they are elegant, charming and historical.

She needs help before she actually has the jewelry made so please vote in her polls!

I also looked at the home site and found some interesting pages about The Bronze Horseman by Paulina Simons. I haven't read this yet, but I like historical novels about Russia and I've enjoyed the books that I've read by this author.

The Life of Elizabeth 1 by Alison Weir

2008-09-04T15:27:00.001-07:00

I find Alison Weir's writing a bit heavy and dull so I'm not sure why she is so popular. However, she is very good at description and includes pertinent quotes from Elizabethans and Elizabeth herself, so I persevered and this great Queen did come to life for me to a big extent. (It helped to watch Elizabeth R. with Glenda Jackson at the same time!)

Queen Elizabeth 1 led a fascinating life. Her long love affair with Robert Dudley, rivalry with Queen Mary of Scots, and her great victory over the Spanish all make a wonderful story.

I have read many books about her and each one makes me admire her more and more. I know that the Irish don't like her but that's another story again.

Books Read in August

2008-08-12T03:32:00.000-07:00

The Ghost by Robert Harris

A clever and intriguing mystery, this is difficult to put down. When his agent requests the 'ghost writer' to do the former British PM's autobiography he realises that this may be his big chance. He travels to Martha's Vineyard to stay and interview Adam Lang and his wife, only to find himself in a dire situation. The suspicious death of the former ghost writer and secrets of the very charming Lang keep him awake. When he discovers some of Lang's former associates he has to make difficult choices.

The wind-swept, cold and wintry atmosphere of Martha's Vineyard suits the story.
I did find this quite far-fetched and very political, but there is a lot to think about.

Monsoon Rains and Icicle Drops by Libby Southwell and Josephine Brouard
Libby becomes devastated after losing her lovely boyfriend in a climbing accident and the deaths of other close friends. Unable to deal with her grief, she leaves Australia and heads overseas. Here she has some amazing adventures, including healing by a Llama, catering for the wealthy and famous in Sri Lanka and riding wildly across the Mongolian plains.

Finally she goes back to Sri Lanka only to experience the full horror of the tsunami. Even though she nearly dies from an illness, she travels back home and starts a charity to help the Sri Lankan people.

This was an uplifting story by a truly inspiring woman.

During the last couple of weeks I've been in Cornwall with Nell and Cassandra of The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton.

Who is the Authoress? Why does Cassandra inherit a house in Cornwall? Why was Nell left abandoned in Australia? These are just some of the mysteries that Cassandra, the main character of the book, has to solve. Luminous writing, a romantic Edwardian atmosphere, and dark family secrets - all these will keep the reader turning the pages of this wonderful historical novel well into the night!

To be continued