June books
Categories: uncategorized
Date: 30 June 2009 23:50:20
One-Hit Wonder by Lisa Jewell is a really nice read. Ex-popstar Bee Bearhorn is found dead in her flat. Only three people turn up at he funeral, and none of her family make an appearance. However, a few weeks after her death her estranged half-sister turns up to collect her belongings and there starts a bit of investigation into Bee's death. As time goes on family secrets are revealed and a different side to Bee comes to light. I enjoyed this book. It was light-hearted with nice characters, but not too trite.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
When he was 21 years old Bear Grylls had a bad accident when he was parachuting and crushed three vertabrae. Just two years later he decides to climb Mount Everest. Facing Up is his story of this epic, dangerous and awesome journey.
I have to admit that I am a bit of a fan of Bear Grylls, apart from the fact that I think he is utterly lickable, I also think he seems like a really nice bloke. This certainly comes across in this book and he is both clever and compassionate but also an extremely determined man. One of the things that struck me about this book though is his very quiet faith. He often talks about his relationship with God and I found it terribly endearing, especially when he commented on the awesomeness of the mountains and puts his relationship with God into this context. Knowing that God created him as much as he created the mighty mountains.
A lovely book, very inspiring and a cracking read. There are also a number of stories about wee and poo, most of which were revolting but they made me laugh!!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Olive Farm by Carol Drinkwater is her memoir of a love affair with a Frenchman, but also her love affair with a rundown olive farm, Apassionata, in Provence. Carol Drinkwater is an actress who has appeared in many TV shows and theatre productions, but I wouldn't know her if her saw a picture of her. However, I love her style of writing. She is honest about her failings and fears but most of all I loved how reading this book made me feel. Even when it was raining outside I started feeling the warm sun on my face, the taste of olive oil on my lips and the smell of herbs in the air. I loved it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just after I finished the last book I picked up The Olive Harvest by Carol Drinkwater. It is actually the third book in this series, I haven't managed to acquire the second one which is called The Olive Season.
This book is 12 years on from the first one and Carol and Michel return to their farm Apassionata. They are still tending their olive trees but they also acquire a some beehives. This book was kind of a sad one in some ways. Michel and Carol have got married and they have a car accident which leaves them with minor physical injuries, but for Michel the mental scars remain. He makes the decision to spend some time alone in his flat in Paris, and much of this book is about Carol's feelings of loss and guilt as it was her driving the car.
I thought this was another great book and can't wait to find the second one... even though that is a bit back-to-front!!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies is a slightly strange book. It feels like two different stories somehow crammed together in one novel. The first story is about a young welsh girl called Esther who happens to live near a prisoner-of-war camp, and a young German soldier who is incarcerated there. The second story is about a a Jewish refugee who is working for the British government and is sent to interview Rudolph Hess.
Somehow this book didn't really work for me. I didn't think the stories themselves were that great and the characters didn't grow on me as much as I hoped they would. Disappointing really.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eden by Tim Smit is the story of the inception and creation of The Eden Project in Cornwall.
This book was fascinating. I am absolutely desperate to visit the Eden Project and The Lost Gardens of Heligan (Smit's project prior to the Eden) and I am hoping that I might get to go next year. This book was a bit heavy in places, going on and on about the problems they had with funding, building permissions etc. but then I realised that those elements of the story are what makes it such an awesome project. It is not only the size of the place, but the size of the inspiration and the vision that Tim Smit had to have to think of something so nuts!!
It's a great book. We need more people like Tim Smit. People who are visionaries, slightly mental and who want to make a difference on a grand scale.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Narrow Dog to Carcasonne by Terry Darlington on CD kept me entertained over a few hundred miles driving.
It is the true life story of a journey from England, over the English Channel and through the waterways of France down to Carcasonne. The story was written by pensioner Terry, who along with his wife Monica and their thieving whippet Jim made this epic journey in a traditional narrow boat!! The book is absolutely hilarious in places and one of the moments that had me cackling with laughter was when the author described his dog Jim wearing his life jacket and looking like a Liquorice Allsort.
Brilliant book to listen to and the guy who was reading it had the most wonderful voice and did the most fabulous accents. Lovely!!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
That Certain Age by Elizabeth Buchan is a story of two women who are stuck in a rut. Siena is a 21st century woman who is married to a lawyer and she has too many options available to her. Should she move to America to continue her career, should she have a child etc. She seems unable to make a decision that benefits both her and her husband.
Barbara lives in 1959 and is married to Ryder who is an airline pilot. Her life is equally constrained by choice, but unlike Siena who has too much choice, she doesn't have any. She is in a marriage in which she isn't exactly unhappy, but she doesn't feel especially fulfilled.
This book was kind of strange. It didn't really go anywhere. The characters were nice enough but the storylines were poor and it didn't really rock my boat. I didn't love it, but neither did I hate it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
To My Daughter in France by Barbara & Stephanie Keating is a fab and fascinating book.
When Richard Kirwan, an Irish academic dies his children find out about another daughter he has in France. They have no idea who she is and have never heard of her before. The book is set in 1970 and in 1942 and flicks seamlessly between these two time periods. What unfolds is a story of the war, the resistance and true love. It involves two families, secrets that cover generations and true bravery.
I really loved this book. Thought the story during the war was very moving and sad and the horror and confusion when the children find out about each other was well-written. I was also interested to see that this book was written by two sisters. One who lives in France and the other who lives in Dublin. I wonder how they split up the writing. Did one write the 1942 story and the other the 1970 story? If so, it is very hard to see that it is a collaboration by two different people.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Since I Don't Have You by Louise Candlish is a book about Rachel and her two best friends Mariel and Jenny. They have three girls between them who are the same age and are copying their mother's by having a close friendship. The expectation is that they will grow up together and will go through life as friends. However, at the age of six Rachel's daughter is Emma is killed in a road accident when she is returning from a school trip. Full of grief Rachel takes herself off to her mother's childhood home of Santorini and there she begins the long process of dealing with her grief.
This is a lovely book dealing with tough subjects and it is beautifully written. It really made me want to visit Santorini and see what it was like, but more than anything this book brought home just how tough it is to lose a child.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Pact by Jodi Picoult is about a teenage couple called Emily and Chris. Their families live near each other and they have known each other their whole lives. One day Emily is found dead, shot, apparently by Chris. However, he is adamant that it is is a double suicide pact that never reached completion.
This is a classic Jodi Picoult novel. Court based legal drama with a few twists and turns. It was ok, but not one of her best books.
------------------------------------------------------------------------