Summer
2008
Hello everyone, hope you’re enjoying some summer
weather at last. Here in Spain we’re complaining about too much sun and
already looking forward to autumn.
Never satisfied! I
must say my air conditioned office is a good place to be.
But every afternoon I reward myself with a few hours off to
read and swim in the pool. There’s
got to be some benefits from living here.
So what are you reading this summer?
Here are a few suggestions for you.
Summer Reading
The Borgia Bride by Jeanne Kalogridis
If you love historicals this is one for you.
Set in Italy in 1492, it is a richly textured yarn of
Sancha de Aragon who arrives in Rome newly wedded to Pope
Alexander VI’s youngest son, Jofre.
The debauchery of the Borgia inner circle is notorious and
Sancha’s life is clearly not going to be an easy one.
There are dangers everywhere, not least when she falls in
love with the infamous Cesare Borgia, her husband’s dangerous
older brother. The
book has its sensual moments and Kalogridis captures the feel of
the times well, although I would perhaps like to have experienced
a little more of Sancha’s anguish, and her emotions when her
love affair turned sour. Based
on a true story it is never less than gripping, and transports you
to another world.
If
you’re looking for something with a light, feel-good read, how
about:
Sowing Secrets by Trisha Ashley. Fran’s world is turned upside down when TV gardener Gabriel Weston, the father of her only daughter Rosie, appears on her doorstep – along with TV crews, nosy neighbours and friends behaving badly. The ghosts from her past seem to have come back to haunt her. This is a wonderful romantic comedy written with intelligence and wit. Enjoy!
For
something more thought provoking, I can thoroughly recommend The
Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards.
The year is 1964 when a doctor’s wife gives birth to
twins in a snow storm which her husband is obliged to deliver.
Finding that one is a down’s syndrome girl, he hands her
over to the nurse to take to an institution.
The nurse obeys because she rather fancies the doctor, but
then when she sees the place changes her mind.
The story unfolds over twenty years, exploring how she
copes with keeping the baby, Phoebe, and the consequences to the
doctor’s life and marriage when he attempts to live with the lie
that the child is dead. A
moving, poignant tale, beautifully written, which I absolutely
loved.
I
can also recommend Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See,
which gives a fascinating insight into the position of women in 19th
century China, the effects of foot binding, and the secret
language they shared. It
is a tale of female friendship and sisterhood, class and status,
and inspired a lively and fascinating discussion at our own book
club meeting, as did Memory Keepers Daughter.
Book Snippets
Sony have brought out the Illiad, an e-reader to rival Amazon’s
Kindle.
Nick Hornby, author of About a Boy, claims the eBook will never have the mass appeal of devices like the iPod. "eBook readers have a couple of disadvantages, when compared to MP3 players," Hornby writes. "The first is that, when we bought our iPods, we already owned the music to put on it; none of us own eBooks, however. The second is that so far, Apple is uninterested in designing an eBook reader, which means that they don't look very cool."
I
wonder what you all think of this.
Can you see yourself sitting on the beach with an ebook
reader one day?
This month’s favourite Book shop
And a happy first birthday to Pam’s Bookend, Queen Street, Great Harwood in Lancashire, who on Saturday 19th July celebrated their 1st birthday. Well worth a visit. I discovered Bookends quite by chance while visiting friends in Great Harwood. Independent bookshops are like gold, offering friendly advice, value for money, and first rate service. I love them. I wish Pam, Pauline and Keith a Happy First Anniversary and many years of successful trading in the future.