Month: May 2012
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I think that most readers would be forgiven for thinking that publishers are doomed and books will soon no longer be printed, or wanted, as we all turn to E-books for our reading materials. Now I have a Kindle and love it. The amount of interesting free books one can track down from various sources…
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"Victorian Secrets is a small publishing house devoted to making the works of neglected Victorian writers available to the modern reader. Although over 60,000 novels were published during the nineteenth century, only a very small number have remained in print. In some cases there’s a very good reason for that, but others have been undeservedly…
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What a simply glorious week it has been – I have travelled the world and seen some wonderful sights but there is nothing, simply nothing, like the English countryside when the sun is shining, the sky is blue and the birds are singing. Throw into that mix a terrific two days at the current Test…
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My sister arrives today and will be with me for the rest of the week. We intend to chat, gossip, she will come with me to London tomorrow to see Florence, and I am relying on her extensive garden knowledge to help me choose plants for a border I am planting in the communal gardens.…
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Have been feeling a bit rubbish this week so apologies for lack of posting. I am falling behind with reviews so am doing a catch up to get me back on track. First up Fatal Frost – James Henry. The original author of the Frost books, R D Wingfield, died a year or so ago,…
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Two debut thrillers have arrived at Schloss Random in the last week and I have enjoyed both of them very much, one set in London, the other in Los Angeles. First one is Cross Bones Yard by Kate Rhodes. Our heroine is Alice Quentin, a psychologist who has problems of her own after suffering an…
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Have not been feeling too good the last two days, seem to have picked up a bit of a bug which has kept me indoors. A shame as it has been a rather nice day today and i would have liked to have been out and about but no sense repining. Due to go to…
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I made a decision a few weeks ago not to watch any more historical documentaries on TV. You know my feelings about Fiona Bruce and her ubiquitous presence and since watching her, I have seen Amanda Vickery talking about Jane Austen and Colin Firth and behaving in a painfully girly way, Lucy Worsley (she of…
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Last year Helen Rappaport's book Magnificent Obsession was my book of the year. Before that I had read her book on Ekaterinburg and now I am reading something completely different. The story of Madame Rachel, a con woman and a fraudster who set herself up as a cosmetician and perfumier and acquired a long client…
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The picture of the divine Mr Petherbridge in my earlier post shows him as Lord Peter Wimsey and, as he said to me 'Thank you for reminding me when I was young and lovely' Well, this picture shows him now and illustrates perfectly why I was so discombobulated at our Close Encounter…..thirty years on…
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Nipped up to London on Friday afternoon to attend a chat session at the Lyttleton in the National Theatre, which was all about a new biography of The Astaires – Fred and Adele by Kathleen Riley which I reviewed here. Took the train this time and made sure my iPod was charged and ready to…
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I was sent The Dying Minutes a week or two ago and noted that this was 'A Daniel Jacquot Novel' and is all about an ex-rugby playing French detective and set in Marseilles. Gallic shrug from moi and Qui? I opened it and started to read and immediately found myself gripped (or should that be…
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Will be in London with lovely family on Wednesday so I am cheating a bit in calling this Wednesday ramblings when I am writing it on Tuesday but am sure, gentle readers, you won't mind. Catching up this week and generally trying to get on with things, but will admit to finding it difficult. Still,…