A Year in Books

Well here I am late again, I'm so sorry, but stuff has been happening. Some good stuff, certainly, but on the not so good side, my mum fell in the garden last Tuesday and fractured her neck of femur. She has had a partial hip replacement and physically is doing quite well. However, she is quite confused - much more so than usual, and I can't see us managing to get her back to her own little home again. It is very sad. I know there are packages of care, and we did actually have a pretty good system going between us, but I am so worried now about her being on her own at night. And to be honest, at the moment, she is a bit perplexed in time and space I think even during the day she would need someone with her constantly. We are waiting now to hear which unit she will be sent to for 're-hab', as our local hospital which has a purpose built wing for the elderly and re-hab, now apparently does not DO rehab. So it will be Downham Market, Swaffham or Fakenham.

Garden looking good - cheerful cowslips and primroses

In the meantime, I, who have not had so much as a head cold for nearly two years, - that's how retirement form the NHS improves your health! - has caught a head cold after two visits to the hospital, and now have exacerbation of asthma and a developing bronchitis. Nice. So, on antibiotics and steroids just when I could really NOT be doing with them!

My lovely Burwell Fiddle Class friend Debs

All of which, in-between hospital and surgery visits, leaves me plenty of time to read! I also managed a trip to my Burwell friend Deb's home in Godmanchester last Friday. She rang me to say our fiddle turor from the Burwell Bash, Jock Tildsley, was appearing with his band The New Rope String Band in Huntingdon, would I like to stay at hers and we could all go together? It was JUST what I needed. It was a hilarious gig, and afterwards another couple of Burwell Bashers came back to  Debs and also Jock came and parked his motor home on her drive for the night. We played very silly musical games as there were at least three fiddles, my melodeon, some boom-whackers, and a theorim which I have probably spelled incorrectly. It is a very strange instrument which makes weird sounds but you can play a scale and make a tune if you are clever. We weren't. A really lovely break, and great to see Jock and others who I usually only see once a year.

The New Rope String Band- minus Jock's wife Vera, at home with the children!

Jock, sorry about the terrible quality, I was too far away for a good shot.

Now then, back to books. I continue to race through the Game of Thrones epic, now on the final Dragon book, the last he has written (so far!) However this was not my Year in Books book. That was the Elly Griffiths newest publication "The Outcast Dead" which sees Ruth Galloway back in Norfolk and solving another historical conundrum, whilst dealing with her unorthodox relationship with her young daughter's father. All very satisfying and interest-holding. I look forward to her next! And those of you who have told me you've been inspired to check out her earlier novels - do let me know how you are getting on with them.

For March I have chosen a book by a favourite author of mine - Sally Vickers. I simply adore her first novel, "Miss Garnet's Angel", cannot get into her second, "Instances of the Number 3", and I have "Mr Golightly's Holiday" waiting my attention one day. This new one is her sixth novel, called "The Cleaner of Chartres" and is about the mysterious and elusive Agnes Morel whose little acts of kindness around the cathedral city of Chartres touch the lives of many. Then her tragic past is exposed and life for her can never be the same. I have begun reading this book and I can say she has, for me, regained the lovely flowing prose and human interest I last found in Miss Garnet's Angel. More about this next month!

I have only found this one Snake's Head Fritillary so far this spring.

So happy reading, folks, and I hope you are suitably impressed by the lovely weather we - here at least - have been enjoying. I was actually considering sun-tan lotion this afternoon as I sat out enjoying the flowers and herbs in our garden . Keep it up, weather, I can stand lots more of this!!

A year in Books: March

Well here we go, March already, and I can at last begin to read my new book by Elly Griffiths. February saw me ploughing through THREE Game of Thrones books, and I am part-way through the fourth. To say I am hooked would be an understatement. As I mentioned last time, I cane late to GOT and have never watched it on tv, though I do now have the DVDs to the first and second seasons. I was surprised to find how much I enjoyed the writing of George R R Martin. He covers a very broad stage, peopled with a huge cast of characters, and he writes darned well. The story is fast paced and engaging, and I actually felt involved and interested in the characters - always a good start!

I have to say something about the language (and in the videos, the nudity). I am no prude. However, I think the stories are so good, and the screenplays are stupendous, it is a pity that the the language and nudity would preclude them being read or viewed by youngsters, who, I believe, would hugely enjoy the panoramic stretch of the writing. These are rattling good yarns about kings and castles, knights and ladies, dragons and galleons .....what youngster wouldn't enjoy reading about these things?

However, that is a side issue. I thoroughly enjoyed them and have another two waiting on my kindle for later on. Meanwhile, I shall be diving into  The Outcast Dead, which brings our protagonist Ruth Galloway back to her own stamping ground, where she excavates a body from the grounds of Norwich Castle, who she believes may be that of a Victorian murderess, hung in 1867 for the murder of five children in her care. Meanwhile across the county in Kings Lynn DCI Harry Nelson is investigating the deaths of three children in contemporary time. Hmmm ......sounds a bit grim actually, doesn't it? But Elly Griffiths is more interested in plot and character than in gory details, so it isn't the kind of book that sensationalises the seamy side of life.

So, a short post, but to the point! Lots of good stuff has been happening which I will fill you in on in my next post....... I shall try and not leave it too long before I write it! Enjoy the emergence of spring - we have sunshine and blue skies today - hurrah!

Turning Pages

For the rest of this year, my first blog-post of each month will be devoted to the novel I will be reading that month. I've joined The Year In Books and you can find out more about it (if you aren't already taking part) by popping over to Laura's blog Circle of Pine Trees, and joining the group. You can go the whole hog and do all the technical stuff, or just register your intention. I did finally manage to get the 'button' onto my blog - it is a bit tortuous for a technophobe like me!

I'm a little late joining, so here I'm reviewing January's book which I read without actually being part of the group. I'm sure that you, like me already read more than one book a month! I did re-read a couple of old favourites in January, I've always got one on the go, and I have been re-reading Anne Granger's 'Mitchell and Markby' series; I finished 'Flowers for his Funeral' and 'Where Old Bones Lie'. They aren't heavy, just a jolly good read if you like English detective fiction .... more updated Christie than anything too modern. As you can clearly see, these books have been read more than once!

The new book which I read was a Christmas present from Jim. Elly Griffith's fifth book in her "Ruth Galloway' series, "Dying Fall". Elly writes about Ruth, a forensic archeologist working at the University of North Norfolk, who unwittingly becomes involved in a series of murders, a very married, bluff Northern detective working in King's Lynn, and a cast of truly original and fascinating characters. Ruth lives with her baby daughter in a cottage on a windswept isolated spot on the North Norfolk coast; however this book takes her up to Lancashire to find out more about the death of her old University -pal,Dan, a lecturer at the Uni up there. Dan contacted her out of the blue excited that he had made an astoundingly important archeological discovery, and fearful that his life may be in danger.

The story unfolds with many a fascinating twist, more bodies , and the unexpected close encounter with  Ruth's ex-lover, Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson, father of Ruth's daughter. Well written, very enjoyable, though this was my least favourite novel by Griffiths as it takes Ruth Galloway far from her stamping ground in Norfolk; I found I missed being able to place the characters in an environment I am very familiar with, recognising the places and roads travelled. That's not to say it isn't a good book - just that I enjoyed it less than the others. It hasn't stopped me ordering her next one when it is released.

SO, my Book for February. I must be one of the last people to discover A Game of Thrones! My friend Katy bought and read ALL the books, and watched the serial on Sky Tv long before it was on general release here. I borrowed the first book in the series,  written by George R. R. Martin, A Game of Thrones, but fell at the first hurdle. It is a big book, which wouldn't normally deter me, but I took one look at the list of characters and quailed - there were hundreds of them, and I thought I would be incapable of sorting the four Houses out, and which character belonged to which. And so I gave up after half a chapter, and never bothered watching the series when A Game of Thrones fever hit the UK. However, some face book chatting  sparked my interest, and I decided to purchase the first two books in Kindle form, and here I am, ready to go! I'll let you know next month how I got on. My photograph, at the very top, is of the DVD cover, as I bought the kindle editions, and treated myself to the first two seasons on DVD. I look forward to reading the choices of those of you who have signed up.