London Town

Bel and I went to London this week to see 'Matilda', which was such excellent fun. We also visited Notting Hill and the Portobello Market, as well as mooching in our favourite shops. I managed to succumb to temptation in Anthropologie and Orla Kiely, good job we don't visit too often.

Pretty houses in Notting Hill.

The Matilda stage.

Lovely pots at Anthropologie.

Tales From The Tearooms: Selo Deli

Selo Deli in Monton has been open quite a while now, and for some strange reason I haven't got round to visiting. I went with my mum last week and it was quite lovely. Irina, the owner, is Ukranian and the menu boasts many delicacies from her homeland. Not feeling adventurous, I chose homemade broccoli soup with artisan bread and it was simply delicious. I was looking forward to her famed "Monton Tart" but unfortunately all had been eaten, so I had a perfect cherry scone instead. Service was friendly and prices were reasonable. I will be returning VERY soon.

A Visit to Brum

     

I went to the wedding of my friend Pat's daughter recently. She is from Worsley but lives and works in Birmingham and that's where she got spliced. I have never been to Birmingham before and was really excited to visit the new library there. It was a wonderful building, futuristic but filled with floor upon floor of books. The design was breathtaking and we got a brilliant view of the city from the observation deck at the very top. There was a Shakespeare room, a recreation of the original room built at the old library, and I couldn't resist hamming it up for Belinda's photo! It was a lovely weekend, Katy is now married and I finally got to see Britain's THIRD city...

Recent Reads ( Part 1 )

 I haven't blogged in such a long time, no excuses, just general sloth really. I've read so many books since my last post, I thought I would divide them up or else it would be rather overwhelming. I have joined a short story reading group at my local library. I have never been a huge fan of short stories, but this group has really made me appreciate the skill of producing a story that can intrigue, amuse or baffle, in just a few pages. We are reading from an Alice Munro collection and The Penguin Book of Modern Short Stories, really interesting reads.

I think I have mentioned I was a big Smiths fan, 'back-in-the-day' and I could not wait to read Morrissey's much hyped autobiography. I thought it was hilarious and the opening chapters describing his upbringing in Manchester in the 60s/70s are quite brilliant. The book is a bit too long, with a great part detailing the court case brought against Morrissey by the former Smiths drummer, Mike Joyce. However, I devoured it in a few sittings, the writing was acerbic and waspish ( like the man himself ) maybe one for the fans only, but I loved it.

'Burial Rites' by Hannah Kent was a brilliant debut novel and I highly recommend it. I was lucky to find it in a charity shop for a couple of pounds as it isn't out in paperback yet. It is based on a true story of Agnes Magnusdottir who was sentenced to death for the murder of her lover in Iceland in 1829. Hannah Kent writes beautifully, she evokes the wild landscapes and weather with vivid prose and I was drawn into Agnes' world and her fate. There is something of a 'dreamy' like quality to the book, I found it very haunting and it stayed with me long after I had finished.

'Gifted and Talented' by Wendy Holden isn't my usual choice of book, but I was drawn to the story of Isabel, who is embarking on university life. This may be because my Isobel will be embarking on university life soon ( A level grades willing ) so it struck a chord. It was quite a funny book and I liked the character of Diana, a recently divorced mother who finds work gardening at an Oxford college. However, the rest of the characters were a bit hopeless and cliched. I know I shouldn't have expected Brideshead Revisited, but it did not amount to very much at all. I haven't read any of Wendy Holden's books before, and I'm not in a hurry to repeat the experience.

'The End of Your Life Book Club' by Will Schwalbe was just lovely. It is a true life account of how Will and his mum bond over books as she is receiving treatment for cancer. It is a true story and extremely moving. Mary Anne  was an amazing woman who touched the lives of many, and Will writes about her quite beautifully. The books they read are discussed, many have particular resonance to their situation, some I had read and a couple I have since purchased. This is a lovely read, for bibliophiles especially, and I'm sure Mary Anne would be so proud of the way Will has written about their relationship, his love for her shines through.

My September Reads

The nights are drawing in, we are in the midst of university open days and personal statement revisions, and I have read some really great books this month.

Our book club choice this month is "Stoner" by John Williams, first published in 1965. William Stoner is a college professor who spends his entire adult life at the University of Missouri, first studying, then teaching English literature. His life seems to be insignificant, he lives, gets married, retires and dies. However, John Williams writes so vividly and beautifully about his story, we realise that even the most humdrum-looking lives have so much going on under the surface. The relationships Stoner has, with his colleagues, his wife, daughter and lover, are drawn with simplicity but in devastating detail. The blurb on the back of the book says it is "a novel to be savoured" and I would totally concur.

I first read "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt when it was published twenty one years ago. Since then she has only produced two more books, one of which is on my Christmas wish-list ( The Goldfinch). I decided to re-read her debut novel in preparation but also because it concerns a group of classics students, which is the subject my daughter is hoping to study next year. However, I hope she doesn't get dragged into a murder plot which is what happens to Richard Pappen when he becomes entangled and enamoured with an eccentric group at his New England university. This is a terrific book, intelligently written, darkly funny and with great characterisation. It is now on my daughter's "to read" list, I'm only hoping it won't put her off studying the lives of the ancients!

"Reconstructing Amelia" by Kimberly McCreight was an excellent, if harrowing, book. Kate Baron is a successful New York lawyer who is faced with an unimaginable tragedy. The central thesis of the novel, is how well do we know our own children, and how Kate refuses to believe the official reason behind the tragedy and her dogged pursuit of the truth, is a real page-turner. It was very well written, and I had enormous sympathy for Kate and Amelia, the ending was not obvious, and I stayed up until the very wee small hours to finish it. I cried at various points too, but maybe I was very, very tired!

Another book that had me in absolute buckets of tears was "The Light Between The Oceans" by M.L.Stedman. Tom and Izzy are the lighthouse keeper and his wife on a remote island off the coast of Australia in the 1920s, happily married but unable to have children. When a boat washes ashore containing a dead man and a very-much alive baby girl, the couple make the decision to keep her. The novel then goes on to describe the consequences of that decision. This is such a haunting book, the reader's sympathies lie with all the characters and the conclusion is so heart-breaking. One for the chilly autumn nights, make sure you have the tissues ready!

I have enjoyed Salley Vicker's previous books and "The Cleaner of Chartres" is another very good read. Agnes Morel is a a lady with a mysterious past who life is now inter-woven with those in the beautiful city of Chartres. Her story is a sad one, and I did like how all the threads came together to give an almost happy, but realistic, ending. Vickers writes quite beautifully and her description of the cathedral is very vivid. There are some excellent characters, I liked the subversive nuns in particular, and you really do root for poor old Agnes. It reminded me of some of Joanna Harris' novels in a way, no bad thing.

Finally, after such sadness, India Knight's "Mutton" had me chuckling. I wasn't too keen on her last book, "Comfort and Joy" but this was much better, not as mean-spirited. Clara is forty-six and quite comfy in her skin, until her school friend, the impossibly glamorous Gaby, moves in. Being of that certain age myself, I found the book very funny and could recognise a lot of the character's sentiments and traits! India has described some characters very well, I loved the author of "Game of Thrones" type books who had writer's block. A light read, but after all the emotional novels previously read, a bit of relief!

My August Reads

The nights are definitely drawing in, the teen is back at school and soon the lazy, sunny days of August will be a distant memory.....

I found "The Shops" by India Knight in Oxfam and at £1.69 I thought I'd give it a go. India loves to shop and this book is full of her recommendations interspersed with vignettes from her ( very interesting) family background. Although its ten years since it was published, it still seems relevant and most of the shops are still around! I like India's chatty style of writing, and I do prefer her non-fiction to her novels.

Book club choice this month is "Miss Savidge Moves Her House" by Christine Adams. I didn't really fancy this book about a lady who, when faced with her medieval house being earmarked for demolition in the 1960s, dismantled the whole thing and moved it 100 miles to Norfolk. However, I could not put it down. May Savidge spent the rest of her life putting  the house back together and left the unfinished project to her ( initially very unwilling) nephew and his wife, Christine. This is a book about resilience, love and loss, family ties and a very remarkable lady who literally never threw anything away. Christine becomes intertwined with May's world and I won't give away the ending, but it is a delightful tale and all the more remarkable for being true.

I really can't make up my mind about Sophie Hannah. I've read all her books now, and some I really enjoy and others leave me a bit cold. This is her latest psychological thriller and I'm sure if you hadn't read the others you wouldn't have a clue who all the police characters are. This book follows Amber Hewerdine, who is accused of a crime she did not commit after seeing a psychologist and muttering the words "kind of cruel" which were written on a note at the scene of an unsolved murder. The book is a good read, the character of Amber is well written and I didn't really guess who had "dunnit" until near the end. However, I am getting a bit tired of the same setting and police characters in all her books, they are just very uninteresting and as I say, could put off someone who picks up her books as a "one-off".

I enjoyed "The Weird Sisters" by Eleanor Brown, a tale of three sisters who grow up as passionate readers with a Shakespearean scholar for a father. In adulthood, they all follow very different paths but after their mother falls ill, they return home to their small mid-western American college town. This reminded me in some way of Anne Tyler in that nothing much happens but the characters are very well written and do elicit our sympathy. I loved the tag-line on the book's cover, "there is no problem a library card can't solve", I totally agree!

Finally, "A Secret Alchemy" by Emma Darwin was a book I was really looking forward to as it intertwines a modern day plot with the story of Elizabeth Woodville, the subject of the recent BBC series, "The White Queen". However, I was rather disappointed. The modern day story concerns a family who own a threatened printing press in London, Una returns to London following the death of her husband and is researching the lives of Elizabeth and her brother, Anthony. I simply could not engage with the plethora of characters who popped up in the present day story, there were so many I lost the thread of who was who. I preferred the subplot of what happened to Anthony, but I do like that era of history very much. Anthony's tale is deeply tragic and I did like the way it linked to Una in the end. This was not as densely written as a Hilary Mantel historical fiction nor as light as, say, Philippa Gregory, but I thought the modern day plot could have been a lot better and so I can't really recommend the book overall.

Very last "first-day-back-to-school"

It was back to school for my daughter this week and as she set off into Year 13 ( Upper Sixth in my world) I took my usual photo. She started school at the age of three and I now have fifteen pictures of her setting off at the start of the school year. However, this is the last "first day", next year she will have left school behind forever. Oh heck, I appear to have something in my eye.......