Book Reviews...

Here's three of the best (I'll never put up any 'bad' ones.  I don't finish them, so what could I possibly say about them anyway?)

'FLIP' by Martyn Bedford

If I wasn't already seduced by the brilliant cover of this book then the premise would've done it:
"One morning fifteen year old Alex wakes up to find himself in the wrong bedroom, in an unfamilar house, in a different part of the country.  The family at the breakfast table are total strangers.  And when he looks in the mirror he gets the shock of his life!
How is it possible that Alex has become another boy - a boy called Phillip - or Flip - but more importantly, how will he switch back to become himself again?"

I *heart* books like this.  Anything time-travelly, extra-sensory or downright para-normal (excluding vampires, werewolves etc unless it's 'Being Human' of course... so ONLY British fantasy-type scenarios). And the story didn't fail to deliver.  I read it in about three sittings and I still stroke the cover - it's phenomenally lovely and when my first book is published I want it to feel and be bound like this one.  Get it, you'll see why.

'The Two Week Wait' by Sarah Rayner
My lovely friend Keris sent me this as it's not really her cup of tea (see what I did there?) and I'd already read and enjoyed Sarah Rayner's first book, 'One Moment, One Morning'.
Two women who, for completely different reasons need to undergo IVF treatment in order to conceive. Both of whom I couldn't really identify with and didn't entirely sympathise with, but that's probably just me; I am dead inside at times.
I have to admit to finding it all slightly 'This is going to happen, and then this will happen and then something else will also happen and then... guess what IT DOES!' and I thought "Hmmm... really?  This is the story?" But I'm glad I stuck with it because it was an easy read and the ending was properly delightful and made me well up a bit (I'm not a weller, ordinarily).

'The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight' by Jennifer E Smith

Another 'what's NOT to love about this gorgeous book cover?' moment.  And the story's just lovely too.  If you believe in serendipity and fate and (obviously) love at first sight, then THIS book will have your toes curling up with delight.

I am currently reading 'Somebody Else's Life' by Katie Dale which was signed by the author herself at the very FIRST book launch I've ever been to last week in Cambridge.  I even got touched by an Agent.  I know!  (Okay, so she touched my shoulder to move me out of her way, but still...)

Books, Books, Books...

PERFECT MATCH - Jodi Picoult

We all know how much I love Jodi Picoult's books, and this is NO exception.  When Nina and Caleb discover their five year old son has been sexually abused , the ensuing investigation threatens to tear the very fabric of their world apart.  The twists and turns in this book made me gasp out loud and want to punch somebody in the face, and then I cried.  The clue is in the title.  A perfect read.  I always feel so much better after a bit of Picoult.



FROZEN MUSIC - Marika Cobbold

An absolute joy.
I'd never heard of Marika Cobbold and was a bit worried it wouldn't be my kind of 'thing', half the story being set in Sweden and having *shh* foreign people in it, but the cover pulled me in and the first line: "My name is Esther Fisher and I'm about to walk out on the only man I've ever loved.".  Hooked.  The writing was so refreshingly honest, so clean, so funny, so clever that I actually laughed out loud at some points and wanted to meet these people personally.  Esther is spikey, sceptical and deeply romantic if only she let herself be.  Her mother is a work of comic genius...when her husband (Esther's father) dies, she immediately takes to her bed and starts to eat for England, devouring books and chocolates as if she's been starved of both her whole married life. And in Linus, we have the perfect  hero.  He doesn't know how wonderful he truly is, and all the way through I wanted to take him by the collar and give him a damned good talking to (well... you know...). Everyone should read this book.  It makes the heart glad, it really does.

EVERYTHING AND NOTHING - Araminta Hall

I noticed this as one of Richard and Judy's 2012 reads and thought the premise sounded terrific.  Middle class suburban back-to-work and stressed out couple need to find the perfect person to keep their children safe and sound and fed and watered whilst they try to hold their marriage and careers together.  Enter Aggie who appears on the surface to be the best thing since Mary Poppins.
It's a slow burner, I have to admit, even though you kind of get the gist of where it was going, it felt like going all round Will's mother's and back again just to get to the shop down the road.  But it's well crafted and the suspense and impact is unsettling and deeply, deeply worrying.
Be careful who you let into your lives, they could be the best actor you ever met.

LEAVING THE WORLD - Douglas Kennedy
I've never heard of Douglas Kennedy before and I only picked the book up because the cover reminded me of a similar cover of one of my friends' books (Clodagh Murphy - The Disengagement Ring).  And I DO like to see how a man paints/writes the world othrough a woman's eyes.
On the eve of her thirteenth birthday, Jane Howard makes a vow to her warring parents never to marry or have children and this is a premise I also loved the idea of.  I can't say I was thoroughly entertained by this story but I was rooting for Jane the whole way through and it was an excellent character-led story albeit quite a tragic one.

ME BEFORE YOU - Jojo Moyes

Wow.  Just wow.
Definitely on a par with my favourite of last year: Sarra Manning's 'You don't Have to Say You Love Me'. The chick-lit genre has become flimsy, formulaic fluffiness but here, JoJo Moyes has re-established it's former fabulousness and written a book that is head and shoulders above its peers.
Lou Clarke leads such a small and ordinary life that you immediately connect with her and her quirky family. When she loses her nice, safe little job as a waitress, I actually felt like I'd gone with her to the Job Centre and tried all the hopeless, dead-end, digusting positions she tries fitting into to help pay the bills back at home.  And it's not every day (I can't remember ONE other actually) where the hero of the story is a quadraplegic. This could have not worked on so many levels that it makes the whole thing a piece of genius.  It poses questions and highlights choices not only for the disabled and able-bodied, but also makes you reconsider how we choose to live the life we have.  I didn't want to, but I wept like a baby at the end. In a good way.  You will too.  Heartwarming, life-affirming and uplifting to the power of a gazillion.

Part Two...

More Books...

'Second Glance' by Jodi Picoult (fast-becoming an obsession of mine, clearly!)

Loved, Loved, LOVED this - anything that tells of a broken man who yearns (and tries unsuccessfully, thankfully) to be with his dead True Love, throws in some long-buried Native Indian secrets and a mother desperate to make her son as happy and normal as he can be whilst living under very abnormal conditions, allows dead people to return and fall in love and you have the making of another FABULOUS story from the white-witch of storytelling, Jodi Picoult.  So far, none of her books have disappointed and I'm now at the stage where I'm rationing myself so that I don't read them all before she's written another.  It's like a fix.



'One Moment, One Morning' by Sarah Rayner

The cover of this book had beckoned me for a LONG time... anything which alludes to a cup of tea, however tenuous and I'm hooked. Sad but true.  And the premise is a pretty good lure too.  A passenger on a morning commute to work witnesses the heart attack of another passenger and from then on it's just a case of letting the 'snowball effect' take over. Emotionally moving, emotionally revealing and a totally riveting read; four people's lives' come cataclysmically together and it's so well-done I actually felt a little voyeuristic in parts. Fabulous stuff.

'Into the Darkest Corner' by Elizabeth Haynes

No, NOT written by my cousin (this only works if you know I have an American cousin who was born Elizabeth Haynes but I HAD to mention it).
This gripped me so hard I actually lost sleep over it.  Through both the reading of it and the way the psychological suspense kept swirling about in my head even when I'd lain it down to rest of an evening.  It's just so utterly convincing and the storyline so compelling that I actually wanted to leap into the book and rescue the MC myself.  If you've ever been in a relationship and thought 'wow - this is just TOO GOOD to be true' - then chances are, this is your gut telling you it actually MIGHT be.  made me question all sorts of stuff and look at a lot of situations from a different perspective. SO good.

'A Day Called Hope' by Gareth O'Callaghan

Not my usual kind of 'thing'.  I picked this up at the Dr Barnardo's shop down the road - TWICE and flicked through the pages before deciding any self-help book which tells me how somebody else coped with depression would probably only make me feel worse because they'd clearly overcome it sufficiently to write a book about it.  I decided to do a typically OCD thing and buy it IF it was still on the shelf next time I went there and - subconsciously or not - it was.
Not living in Ireland I don't know Gareth O'Callaghan as a Radio RTE Presenter but some of the feelings he described he felt were unnervingly familiar (seeming to 'have it all' on the outside and quietly dying inside) and I wanted to see how he'd fought through them.  I liked his determination and decision to get through his dark days but I kind of switched off once physical exercise was highlighted as a key turning point.  Because this is something I KNOW I'll never do, unless I get a personal trainer on prescription and somebody holds a gun at my head every time he turns up at the door in his spandex. (Note the 'his'!).
And the day I finished it was the day I had my psychiatric assessment and we all know how well THAT went, right? (maybe another post for another day if anybody really wants to hear about it).

'Keeping Faith' by Jodi Picoult

I know.  A (cheese 'n') Picoult sandwich!  What? Well, it made me smile.

A little girl whose make-believe 'friend' turns out not to be just any old angel, but actually the leader of  All Angels Everywhere, is going to hold my attention for however long it takes for people to start taking notice and listening to her. Religion and the way it can touch non-believer's lives has always held a fascination for me and I WILL read, watch and listen to anything which will convince me there is a God.  I've no idea what that means but I'm sure my counsellor will have a field day if the subject's ever touched upon.
However, I deviate as usual.  I ADORED this book.  I loved the little girl and her innocence and I adored the simmering romance between the little girls' frightened mother and sceptical TV presenter hoping to  de-bunk yet another nutcase jumping on the Stigmata bandwagon.  This book will be RE-READ, I guarantee it.

Currently, I'm reading 'Dracula' by Bram Stoker.

The Girl is studying this for A-level Eng.Lit and as part of my clinging-on-for-dear-life-to-the-past mentality,  I got my own copy (we're even on the same page at the moment - how vicarious can you get?!) so we can, as the exams ask, 'discuss'.  And I'm actually quite liking it.  I've even read all the Foreword and the background and the Bio on Bram Stoker and (typical of me) very much liked the way he seemed to be a closet homosexual who pretended to take as his girlfriend, every sister of whichever male obsession he was currently... well, obsessed with at the time.  Canny, eh?
So, it kind of makes me warm to the guy.  I mean, he was clearly in touch with his feminine side and yet he wrote this darkly sinister story about a Tranny(lol)sylvanian Count who swept Lizard-like about the walls of his castle and drained the blood of every lily-skinned female who crossed his path.
Even more entertaining is the fact - albeit in diary/letter-form - the story is actually written in First Person - which wasn't exactly the Norm for Gothic works.

I'll keep you posted.

Fangs but no Fez...'Jus' like that!'

What I did this Summer (ha 'Summer'! *snort*) PART ONE

With a vaguely self-satisfied smile, because, really, who honestly gives a stuff WHAT I got up to during my Summer (*snort*) holidays?  I mean, REALLY?  Who CARES?! here's what I've been up to.

Clearly the Counselling still has a way to go with confidence issues, but I digress...

The main reason for writing this post is to see if the result will make me feel any better about myself and/or my 'achievements'.  I may not even publish it.  Ha - publish... now THAT's a whole other post for a whole other day and whole other time. And like the oven which SCREAMS for an appointment, my own interior remains stuck firmly with grime and caked-on years of overflowing.....well, stuff.

Anyway, the list.  *clears throat, taps on champagne glass... but not really 'cause it's 11.05 in the morning and that would be WAY wrong.  ahem*...

1. A window shut and a DOOR opened.  I know - a WHOLE door!

At least that's how it felt, in my little brain.  On the very last day of term, I was visited by our Headteacher who'd heard through the grapevine (Hello Luisa! *waves*) that I was very keen to become involved in the creation of our school's (now 'Academy', thank you very much) new website.  I mean, I have a blog, I write for another one, I've got halfway through creating one for the Hubs, how much harder could making a website be, right?

Rrrrr-iiiiiight...

Nine days later and at least three of them into the wee smalls, I still hadn't quite managed to get it looking exactly how I visualised it, and so I created my OWN website in its entirety first, just to check I was able to perform all manner of confusing stuff with only myself to blame if it went wrong.  But it didn't.  And call me old fashioned but I was mightily impressed with my result.

I HAVE A WEBSITE.  

Here: http://www.wix.com/debsricci8/debsriccio 

I KNOW!

And like the newly-recently-redecorated room, I can't stop popping in and having a wee proud glance around.  I know.... I know.... little things please little minds.  That should go on my gravestone.

2. I read some books.  And from now on, I'm ONLY listing books I enjoyed.  It's not nice to publicly scorn a book you don't like becasue (and here I'm going to sound scarily like some Agents I've heard from in the past) reading is SUCH a subjective business.  In fact only yesterday I put back books I was reading and loving five years ago.  Tastes in everything seem to change. So, books, and in no particular order:

'A Spot of Bother' - Mark Hadden (he who wrote 'The Curious Incident...') I nearly peed laughing and it's such a lovely, perfectly crafted book filled with the minutiae of life and how it can get all tied up in knots at times. I immediately re-read the first chapter again right after I'd finished it.  That's how much I LOVED it.

'Alice Hartley's Happiness' - Philippa Gregory. I'd read one of Philippa's book before - not her historical stuff (she wrote 'The Other Boleyn Girl' amongst other successful historical books and the film was a JOY) 'The Little House' and as I'm only just dipping my toes into Historical Fiction, I thought the premise of this sounded less daunting - I'm very easily confused with Kings and Queens and Landed Gentry - whatever they are. And this was SUCH FUN.  I could actually feel Philippa's enjoyment tumbling through the pages as she wrote it - it was as if she'd taken all her clothes off (metaphorically you understand, and these would be regal clothes dripping with heavy ornament and dignity and duty) and decided to run naked through a field of cornflowers just to see how it felt.  Okay, then that's how it made ME feel.  It was perfect madness and I'd urge anyone who can get a copy (it's out of print now for some reason - I got mine from the charity shop down t'road) to GET ONE.  She even made up a word - which was a typo but which fitted the description she was aiming for so well, she kept it in!  Loved it.  Oh, did I say I LOVED IT?

'A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian' - Marina Lewycka.  This was something I'd started to read last year and for whatever reason, I didn't get past the first 2 chapters.  I think it was in the wrong room - a book HAS to be in the 'right' place to get the most out of it, don't you think?  Anyway, my friend on Facebook (Hello Jacqui *waves*) suggested I persevere as she loved it so much... and I'm very glad I did.  Slightly on a par with 'A Spot of Bother' it made me feel fuzzy all over with the minutiae of working class family structure and all the little battles they contain.  Some of it made me squirm with delight and some of it made me squeal like a loon.  I could see it all in my head - which is always a good sign for a book.  I'm a very visual person, me.   I did skip all the technical bits about tractors which, I felt were unnecessary and kind of stilted the flow of the story a bit, even though I know it's like... important to the title and everything.... I just couldn't see why it had to be 'that' important... oh I'll stop now.  It was a great read.

This is already feeling like it might be a Two-parter, so I'm going to stop now and take a breath* and continue later.

*tea, biscuits, bread, butter, (in the style of 'Spam') stodge, stodge, stodge, stodge*

Miss Me?

Here's what I've been doing:
Reading:
'ROOM' by Emma Donoghue.
Was fab. Lapped it up like a vanilla milkshake.  I didn't like all the 'hype' that surrounded it and got (as always) uber-envious of it's star-studded-status on the top of every list going and mentally refused to acknowledge it for months.  Then caved.  After all, who am I to judge?  What I really loved about it was the way little Jack, who's only ever known Room and Bed and Table and TV and all the other thing in his miniscule world, sees the Outside world.  it fair took my breath away with the message it was delivering without making it feel 'heavy'.  Completely understand it's well-deserved accolades now and very sorry for having bad thoughts about it initially.

'GONE'  by Michael Grant
One that The Girl said I should read (and who am I to argue?).  And again, another that I felt really ambivalent about.  Especially considering it's a series of four now, and so I know there's no proper End in sight with the first one.  The idea of reading this made it feel heavy and laboured, a bit like picking up the second in the Twilight series.  But from the first sentence I was hooked.  And that was it - early to bed, late to rise - quite literally Gone - over too soon.  I can't wait to read the next one now! In fact, as testament to how good the writing is, the Hubster's actually reading it now and he usually only reads stuff about Fly Fishing or Trout Tickling.

'HOUSE RULES' by Jodi Picoult
Wow.  Just bloody wow.  I've never read any of  Jodi's books before, although I did see the movie of 'Her Sister's Keeper' and thought it was a pretty decent tear-jerker with a proper twist and I cried at the end.
But I was kind of unprepared for the emotions this book stirred in me.  In fact, so well was the story told that I didn't just become a member of the Hunt family, I was convinced to the point of completing online questionnaires about being on the autistic spectrum myself.  (It turns out my score does indicate a slight sway in that direction and if I'm honest it makes a lot of sense).
It takes a lot for me to fall in love, and to fall in love with a book takes something REALLY special.  And I hardly ever want to read books for a second time - House Rules? Only the third to go on a very elit TBRA pile.  Everyone should read it. It's an order - and orders are good.


'THE VANISHING ACT OF ESME LENNOX' by Maggie O'Farrell
I don't know how I came across this.  Either a recommendation or a browse through the Amazon listing, as I do.  But I'm so very glad I read this.  As I've said before, I'm not scared of Historical fiction anymore and this is SUCH a fabulous read that it's made me actually thirst for Historical now. 
I can't believe that things like this really happened, even though I've heard about it, of course, and it sort of makes sense of the generation that it's set in - but to be living with one such story of how it takes such energy to unravel a mess from a half a century ago,  left me quite emotionally drained - in a good way.
It stirred up feelings of anger on behalf of the eponymous Esme, and I really rooted for her estranged great-niece on whom she'd been unexpectedly foisted.  I loved the generation shake-up and expanding my world even further into unknown terrain. I'll definitely be reading more by Maggie O'Farrell.

'THE KITE RUNNER' by Kahled Hosseini
One of The Girl's A-level reads and another Award-Winner I'd never have read without a small twist of the arm.  It kept me up at nights and apart from (little-brained-me) not really understanding much about the area and getting confused with the unfamiliar names, the writing and the evocation of feelings and situations was just stunning.  Powerful, beautiful stuff and another book I'm very glad I read. I'm definitely getting 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' next.



Currently I'm reading: 'LIGHT ON SNOW' by Anita Shreve and LOVING it so much. I'm so happy there are many other's by Anita Shreve I can buy after this.

I'm nothing if not eclectic in my reading, you think?

Some Book Reviews

THE GLASS PAINTER'S DAUGHTER

I finished this book a few weeks ago and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Main character, Fran is drawn back into both her own childhood due to the hospitalisation of her father (she has to return to her home-town to take care of his glass studio) and also into the past of Laura, the rector's daughter whose journals Fran finds hidden in her father's flat above his studio.
I'm not a great fan of 'flashbacks' but as these didn't form the main character's life, they became almost a separate story and I loved the idea of both characters living on the same street, a century apart and  found myself rooting for both girls.
The only slight problem I had was with the amount of 'sub-stories' that were going on at the same time and I thought some of these could have been diluted at no expense to the enjoyment of the book.
Highly recommended.

THE SWEETEST THING

Having never read any of Cathy Woodman's books before (she's also written 'Trust me, I'm a Vet' and 'Must Be Love') I was a bit sceptical, especially with the cutesy cover.  Immediately I thought this would be TOO sweet for my taste and after about the fourth mention of Aga's in so many pages, I very... very  nearly stopped reading.

Main character Jennie started off annoying me - especially as I'm also a (not so) jolly divorcee myself and when she takes her three children from the city following her divorce and moves to a tatty white cottage in the country, starts buying hens, falling in love even though she's determined not to, sets up a cake-making business and buys her daughter a pony, I actually started hating her for her bloody good fortune.  And then I remembered this was fiction..... give her a break etc... deep breath..... and continue....
It was VERY sweet and very cutesy and a bit predictable but I found myself absolutely rooting for main character Jennie towards the end when her troubled teenage son starts to upset everything she's been striving for.  Light and fluffy,  I wouldn't have read this if the lovely Random House people hadn't sent it to me, but I'm very happy I did.

THE SECRET HISTORY

Everybody else seems to have read this.  Or they know someone who has.  So it was only a matter of time before I succumbed. And as it's become a contemporary classic there's even more reason to see what it's all about.
I'd say it was like a cross between 'Shallow Grave' and 'Prep' which hopefully doesn't give too much away and I could see it as a film (is it/has it been already? I'm so far behind everything in the normal world).  And although it was getting on for 600 pages, I did enjoy it.  I would have preferred shorter chapters and for two of the main characters NOT to have been called Charles and Camilla for the obvious reasons, but apart from that, I thought it was a good read. I wouldn't have used 'compelling' or 'harrowing' or any of the other extraneous plaudits given it, but it was definitely thought-provoking with some excellent dialogue.


THE MAKING OF US
I've saved the best 'til last.
Being in front of a crackling fire on a chilly night, being enveloped in a sofa that literally hugs you, feeling the warmth of the sun after the bleak greyness of winter.... this is how reading a Lisa Jewell book makes me feel.
I can't remember the last time I was so excited about getting a book through the post - a pre-publication copy hot off the press which made it all the more thrilling - and it was an absolute JOY.  From the very first sentence, I knew it would be.

There aren't many writers who can make me feel so wrapped up in a story, who can create such believable characters that I instantly fall in love with, want to protect and actually feel a need to befriend.  'The Making of Us' is like that stunning piece of art you can't avoid staring at -  it's beautiful, it's simple and it's so perfectly painted that you can't believe nobody's done it before.

Lydia, Dean and Robyn don't know each other.  And they don't know Daniel is their father.  Add on-line Donor Sibling Registration and you have the ingredients of a fabulous,  tightly-written, compelling, deeply moving novel you can't help but be swept away by.

Oh,  I've also had the amazing good fortune to be able to ask Lisa some questions for a special guest spot on Strictly Writing where she'll be appearing on Friday 6th May - make a date in your diary!




Right now I've just started reading THE UNSEEN by Katherine Webb and am thoroughly enjoying it - thanks to the lovely Essie Fox, aka the Virtual Victorian and author of the upcoming novel, 'The Somnambulist' for running the giveaway competition on her beautiful blog and for picking me as a winner!

Lately I've been...

Reading:

The Untied Kingdom by Kate Johnson

I was lucky enough to receive a pre-publication copy of Kate's new book, The Untied Kingdom from publishers Choc Lit, and was delighted to find I CAN read off-genre.  In fact I'd find it difficult to put this book into a current genre. it's a book that has EVERYTHING: romance, quirky humour, surrealism, army warfare and actual proper edge-of-seat intrigue.  And the hero?  Blimey, he's a one-off.  I don't generally fall for paper heroes, but for the powerfully delicious Major Harker I made an exception.  Phew.  If you like your books with a bit of edge and a lot of spark, then this is the one for you.

Small Blue Thing by Sue Ransom

As we speak, Sue actually has a guest post on the Strictly Writing site where she talks about how Small Blue Thing came about.  It's a fascinating story and one which made me gasp, sent shivers up my spine and made me green with envy.  It's certainly made me look at my Blackberry a whole lot differently! It was such a lovely book to read, and the fact that it's teen supernatural romance set around the Thames and St. Paul's Cathedral made it feel so much more accessible.  Much nicer than all these werewolves and strange place names in American suburbs.

The Silver Locket by Margaret James

As I said, I've been delighted to find I can read off-genre and this historical romance set during the First World War made me very happy.  In fact I'm eagerly awaiting Margaret's sequel to The Silver Locket, the Golden Chain and can't wait to find out what's happened to the lovely characters I met in this book.  Simply told, easily read and a story that lingers in the mind for ages afterwards - just how a good story should.

 

Currently, I'm reading  The Glass Painter's Daughter by Rachel Hore which is an absolute joy to fall onto every night and I know I'm going to get one of those Clare Chamber's moments when I'm going to HAVE to get hold of Rachels' last two books. Some beautiful characters and such lovely evocative prose, it's doing me good and it's even making me seriously consider learning music as another language.

Watching:

 Twenty-Twelve - a fictional-documentary (a "mocu-mentary") about the 'Team' set up to ease us into the  Phenomenon which will be the 2012 Olympics. Led by the ever-present, eternally endearing Hugh Bonneville - who looks FAB on his eco-friendly folding bike and luminous headgear at the start of every episode, and supported by comic genius's at every turn.  Last week Team Twenty Twelve spent the entire episode lost on a bus in the middle of London trying to find the Olympic Stadium (where a very impatient Sebastian Coe awaited their eventual non-arrival).  Very funny.

Mrs Brown's Boys -  I'm usually suspicious of any new 'sitcom', simply because they invariably end up being shite.  And I was even more suspicious of the eponymous Mrs Brown because she's a man in drag.  And a gobby, blaspheming Irish man in drag at that.  But I am hooked.  Okay, so the swearing could be cut down a little, but Mrs Brown is SUCH a character that it'd probably dilute her.  This week's episode was such a joy (Grandad faked his own funeral so he got to hear people say nice things about him - who hasn't ever wanted to do this?) and the icing on the cake was a fabulous song-and-dance number at the end.  The fact it's filmed before a studio audience and you get to see the out-takes happen live is such a delight.

Monroe - in our house, anything with James Nesbitt in it is an instant hit.  He doesn't seem to do anything bad.  I even enjoyed his horrible Roman Emperor in the Jesus dramatisation a couple of years ago.  And although I find his neurosurgeon character in this new medical 'drama' slightly tongue-in-cheek and a bit fatuous, it is a likeable romp in an operating theatre.  And you can't say that about a lot of things on telly these days.  I do wish Sarah Parrish would be allowed to smile a bit though, her character's so frosty I'm surprised she's in cardiac and not the morgue. 

The Big C - I don't like a lot of American TV but this one caught my eye when it started a couple of months ago and it's still keeping me entertained so it MUST be good. I've loved Laura Linney ever since she failed to get it on with the very hot, very fit olive-skinned guy in 'Love, Actually' because of her needy brother and in this one, she's equally doomed.  This time she's dying of a melanoma.  Oliver Platt, who plays her long-suffering estranged husband is a treat and her eco-warrior brother is a joy to behold.  The characters are fresh, original and so shockingly honest that I already feel sad that they're not going to be around for a second series (presuming she dies, of course). (Actually, in typical American-melodrama there could of course be a last-minute miracle cure if the viewing figures demand...?)

Writing-wise, I've been subbing this past fortnight and apart from the little sparks of optimism, there's been a lot of rejection.  I don't know why I continue to do this to myself. No doubt I'll spring back but I do feel actually, physically hurt this time round.

Onwards and ... onwards

...cos this is what seems to be happening lately.  Seems I don't have time to blog more than once a week *even though I have PLENTY of  time to Tweet and Facebook and other distractionally things of course* and  although the housework (which is a four-letter word) NEVER gets done anyway, time still seems to be slipping through my ever-ageing fingers.  Nice image.  Wrinkly, papery old lady fingers and... as usual I am digressing.

Anyway... nice stuff  happened this week:
Even though I felt crappy - maybe even because I felt crappy on Tuesday, I started subbing 'Grounded', and...
(apart from the lovely telephone call from Ann Agent, which I don't want to reveal too much about in case it *jinxes* anything.  Not that I'm superstitious or owt.. never have been, touch-wood) I  received a total of 11 requests for sample chapters.  Of course some have already got back saying 'not for us' but still, a  request is a request - I must be doing something right, right?!

I was also told that I'd been chosen by the Chris Evans BBC2/Hay Festival organisers to help judge the entries for childrens (13 and under) 500 words short story competition, and my bundle of stories will be arriving this week... AND...

I had the pleasure of receiving and reading a new book by Sophie Page called 'To Marry a Prince' which was a lovely, light read and did what it said on the cover.  Then I was told I'd won two - yes TWO books... one of which is 'The Hating Game' by lovely writerly friend, Talli Roland - whose blog is FABULOUSO (as is she) and also a book given away BY Talli - such Karma! And winning a book is so thrilling even though it means my piles are getting bigger (of TBR's I mean).

And today, after the momumental kerfuffle in Specsavers with my newly (mis) prescribed varifocals - just don't ask.... I was  delighted to come home to a book sent by Publishers Choc Lit, - we do guest spots on Strictly Writing for some of their authors.  Only this one came with the added bonus of.... a bar of chocolate... (dark with ginger pieces - which,  next to dark with chilli, is my absolute favouritest although I don't know how they could possibly have known... Karma again).

BUT...the cherry on the cake  this week  HAS to be the 'quick e-mail' from Agent 1 (who is still deliberating on Double History) saying that she's started reading Grounded and said that my writing "as usual is like a breath of fresh air".... WHOOOOOOOP!


I can't tell you how many metres I soared on reading and re-and re- and re-reading that!


I have this rare feeling of things beginning to shift slightly and in a good direction... although knowing my luck it could just as easily be indigestion!

Having a Lovely Time - makes a change!

This week I've had some lovely things happen to me.  Apart from ageing 12 months I mean... which has to happen to have a Birthday, so I guess one cancels out the other.  A bit of Yin-Yang.

I had a very unexpected delivery in the shape of an Amazon-gift-wrapped DVD set of Fawlty Towers  from my oldest (and gayest) friend in the world.  I don't mean he's the oldest person I know (although he IS the gayest, as I don't know any others, apart from his husband... oh, you know what I mean) anyway, we've  known each other since we were 5.  Isn't that lovely?  I think it is.  And so is the fact that we can go for months without any form of contact whatsoever (sometimes years, in fact) and then he can call - a proper telephone call, a little worse the wear for beer and have what HE thinks is a laugh (at my expense).  Which makes me realise that ours is a proper Forever Friends friendship. And even though we're officially grown-ups, I still want to stick my tongue out at him and pour a pint of beer over his head because he manages brings out the petulant child in me.

I also took delivery of a book for review by Dorothy Koomson 'The Woman He Loved Before' and although I felt slightly sorry for it (see last post) having to follow in the wake of the FANTABULOUS 'You Don't Have To Say You Love Me' by Sarra Manning, I was delighted to receive it. 
In fact it filled up the following three days, it was so darned good.  EVEN THOUGH it contained three of my Deadliest Sins in a Book:
* a Prologue - which is the work of the Devil
* Flashbacks (the Devils' spawn)  and
* Diary entries (which formed the flashbacks - so double *aaargh* for me)

But I had my head turned.  Not only was I hooked after the first chapter, I actually couldn't put it down... it gave me right-wrist-sprain trying to keep it up in bed (no sniggering at the back, thank you) and even though I desperately wanted to find out how it ended, I wouldn't let myself.  It was a thoroughly gripping read and if I didn't know the meaning of the word 'page-turner' before, I do now.  Fab book.

For my Birthday on Tuesday, my darling, beautiful daughter presented me with the latest 'Writers and Artists Yearbook' and inscribed inside "THIS will be your year, Mummy" (as she has always insisted and inscribed every year for the past 4) and my beloved husband bought me some lovely CD's (Rumer, Paloma Faith, Bach) and then we double-dated on a trip to the cinema to see 'Paul'.

Which was lovely, and British and funny.  Just how I like it.

I also got a surprise present through the post from my lovely writing 'sister' Deborah Durbin which also made me squeak with delight, belying my advancing years!

I had so many Birthday Wishes on Facebook I could have spent all day sobbing with happiness at people's niceness... and

This morning I met someone from work for a coffee and a bun.  Something trivial to anybody else, but the fact I haven't socialised properly since the accident last April, for me, it meant the world - even though I know I was nervous, twitchy and itching to get back home.  I kept repeating in my head "Dolly Steps".

And now, after a fortnight (and 18 months of writing) of simmering and stirring and seasoning the latest book, I've finally managed to pluck up courage to send the first few chapters and synopsis of 'Grounded' off to The Agent who was interested in the last teenage book.... thinking maybe she'd forgotten about me.  A couple of minutes later she e-mailed back saying how she's looking forward to reading this one, and that the other one is still with the other person she passed it to, to read and comment on.

And the sun's out.

It don't get much better, do it?

The Sarra Manning Experience

The first time I encountered Sarra Manning I was sitting on the loo and just happened to pick up a book that had been lying face down on the floor.  This was 'Let's Get Lost' and the, then 13 year old Girl was well and truly into it, taking it everywhere with her. Well, apart from when she'd  left it lying on the bathroom floor or course.

Half an hour and probably a fast-approaching haemorrhoid-situation later, I surfaced back to reality.  This was one Helluva Main Teenage Character.  She didn't take any crap, she didn't particularly like her family, she scared her teachers and she shot her mouth off whether it was appropriate or not. 

I loved it and realised that characters didn't have to be all naive and cutesy and innocent like they were when I was a teenager.  They could be arsey and belligerent and bolshy if they wanted, and they were such FUN.

There followed 'Guitar Girl' and then 'Pretty Things' which both lived up to expectations.  They were just so joyful and lovely to read with characters that stayed with you well after the last page was turned.  Along with the Girl, I was hooked.

So when I heard a couple of years ago that Sarra had written her first grown-up book, 'Unsticky', I felt that this was going to be either a huge mistake, considering how brilliantly she wrote for her teenaged audience, or else a move of genius. I couldn't wait to read it.


And Genius it was.  The Girl and I both devoured this in a matter of a fortnight between us.  And it makes for compelling discussions over chocolate cake, let me tell you!

So I was delighted to hear that Sarra's latest book, 'You Don't Have To Say You Love Me' was out and from reviews I'd read by friends' blogs whose opinions I value and generally agree with (apart from the Tom Cruise/Basil Brush dispute, Keris, but we won't go into that) I couldn't wait to get my paws on it.

And  6 days later, I am bereft.  It is SUCH a fabulously-written book of utter joy that I am  physically saddened.   I miss Neve and Max and Celia (even, heaven forbid, the poisonous Charlotte) whom I've spent the past week cosying up with.  They've become like proper friends and I don't know what I shall do without them.  I'm on the verge of demanding a sequel and I HATE sequels.  Such is my sadness at never having them in my life again.    I never skipped a word, sometimes even re-reading some because they'd been so beautifully put-together.    And by the end of the week I was rationing my 'fix' because I didn't want it to end.

As another bloggy-friend, Helen Redfern rightly says, you don't just adore the main character, Neve, you actually *become* her.

I always thought that 'Bet Me' by Jennifer Crusie would take some beating but this has turned my head.  Co-incidentally enough, both books begin with a scene in a bar, an unlikey but totally believable hero/heroine combination, have THE best sex-scenes ever and and ending that's .... well, that'd be telling.  And they're both utterly wonderful...  I'd URGE everyone to read them immediately!

I feel a little bit sorry for the next book on my To Be Read pile 'cos it's got such a hard act to follow!

 

What I've been Reading:

'From Notting Hill With Love... Actually' does precisely what it says on the cover.  Even before this plopped through my Amazon-shaped letter box, I knew I would love it. (Who says I never look forward to anything?! Alright, me, usually) It didn't disappoint.  Okay, so I knew who the main character was going to find her Happy Ending with right from the start, but then half the enjoyment of rom-com movies is already knowing this, and wanting it to happen and just revelling in the sheer pleasure of watching it all unfurl before our eyes.  This was just lovely.  And at one point I even cried (no, not even at the ending - that was predictably, perfectly Happy) real, proper tears.  This is unusual for me.  Not since Marian Keyes' 'Is Anybody Out There' have I been known to shed a wet one - and that was the ending.  So to have me proper weep mid-way through a book must be a sign of it's goodness.

 'The One That Got Away'  was a real test to read with one hand in front of my eyes.  As the title suggests, the whole premise is a 'what if'... which reminded me of Emily Giffin's 'Love the one You're With' (like, NOW, not THEN) book, but any similarity in my head stopped there.  It' felt like a continual cliffhanger and the voices in my head were screaming "No, no, don't do it - can't you SEE what will happen?" virtually all the way through.  Talk about heart-in-mouth moments.

And speaking of the FAB-U-LOUS Emily Giffin (whose first book, 'Something Borrowed' is currently "in-the-can" (which is movie-speak for has been made I believe) and a trailer imminent... not that I'm obsessed or anything *I LOVE YOU EMILY!*  her latest book 'Heart of the Matter' is just stunning.  I knew it would be.  See - another eagerly awaited which didn't disappoint.  The characterisations are so spot-on and so disarmingly diametrically opposed that half the admiration is in how brilliantly they are woven together to produce such a flawless piece of art.  yes, it's art.  At it's finest.  Get it, read it.  You'll be drooling for a back catalogue of Ms Giffin's works. Seriously.

It's taken me a while to get round to reading 'Avalon High' which has more to do with the 'system' in the room we fondly to refer to as the 'Study' (it's the smallest room of the house stacked to the rafters with books, paper, more books, leads that lead precisely nowhere and yet more books, you get the idea...).  And although The Girl has always referred to this as her favourite read of all time, I just wasn't convinced by it's very loud pink and shouty cover and the fact it's got some kind of Girl Warrior wielding a sword on the outside.  Don't get me wrong, I like Teenage fiction, I just though this might be pushing it a bit.  But the minute I read the opening bars of Tennyson's "The Lady of Shallott" I  realised I'd died and gone to Literary Heaven. This was poem that got me through my A-levels.  If it hadn't been for the Willows whitening, the Aspens quivering and the bower eaves entombing the fair maiden who was cursed from looking out of her window onto Camelot, then I'd have given up mid-term.  For 2 years I was the Lady of Shallott.  Sometimes I still am. And the story was just lovely. It brought back all my hormonal feelings, in a good way and made me feel happy.  And a book that can transport and evoke such feelings HAS to go to the top of the pile.

Rowan Coleman has been a 'Friend' on Facebook for ages and I've watched as this book has evolved, so I couldn't wait to get my hands on 'The Happy Home for Broken Hearts'.  It was just perfect. Just as lovely as the cover suggests.  As you can see - that's back and front... although I was a bit disappointed that there wasn't actually a pushbike used in the story (I don't think, anyway).  I loved that the Main Character was so ordinary and had self-doubts and issues way above the norm, and I loved that her Hero (which, once again, you kind of knew right from the start he would be) was equally so realistic and loveable.  And as one who doesn't ordinarily *heart* children characters, Charlie was a breath of fresh air.  He didn't whine, he didn't demand, he didn't distract from the lovely flow of the blossoming storyline and in fact he was an essential part and I could have hugged him to certain death.  I didn't want it to end, and it disappeared rather too quickly - like a Pavlova on a Summer's Day.

Currently I'm reading Sharon Osborne's Revenge' which, once again is another *DJABBIC* book.  it's rather cleverly covered in silver-dust and I'm sure Sharon must've had the diabolically hapless housewife in mind for her reading audience as this is a book which will NEVER gather dust because it's already stuck fast to it in a lovely shimmery way.
I can't believe how far through it I already am - only 4 days in.  It's a bright, breezy, fun read and although the characters aren't brilliantly sculpted, the story doesn't really warrant too much depth.  And  one of them, I'm almost sure has a definite Simon Cowell feel to him.  It's a  page-turning mood-enhancer... and it's got plenty of hot sex if you like your read a bit spicy - rather reminiscent of  the early Bonkbuster.

So that's where I am.  How 'bout you?

An excerpt from Nearly Finished Book No.5!

This is the section in 'Grounded' where the Main Character, Becca has gone home with her best friend, Liberty.  As Becca is electronically 'grounded' (i.e. no mobile, internet, iPod, etc) she's making very full use of Liberty's computer when she's at her house after school one night.  She's currently checking out Facebook and wondering if the boy she's in love with is secretly in love with the most unpopular girl in school as they were spotted together earlier and he touched her face.

‘No way,’ Liberty says decisively. ‘There’s no way those two are an item. No way. I’d bet my last Crunchie bar on it.’

My heart begins a definite rise at hearing this. If Liberty would bet something as sacred as her last Crunchie bar, then it must be true. There is no way on earth that Judd and Claire are together.

‘I think he was probably just swatting a wasp away from her face or something,’ she tries.

‘Swatting?’ I frown. ‘Er…would you really call that a swat?’ I wince. ‘Really? I mean it was the gentlest swat I’ve ever seen if it was a swat.’

Liberty ponders on and I continue the conundrum.‘I mean I’d like to be swatted on a daily basis if that’s the way to get a swat. Wouldn’t you?’

‘Maybe she had some crap on her face,’ Liberty conjures. ‘She was getting well into that baked potato at lunchtime. And baked potato has a habit of clinging to the skin for hours after it’s hit it. He was probably really disgusted for her. He might even be OCD?’

I continue to frown and wonder.

‘OCD? D’you think he could be?’

There’s a ‘ping’ on Liberty’s computer and our eyes fly to the screen. The hoard of Hartley Road Upper are well and truly logged on and are right now regurgitating their days and advertising their evening’s entertainment for the world to view.

‘Oh my god, look! Bethany Landers and Ben Harding are dating! Oh my god, they kept that quiet!’ Liberty realises what she’s just says and immediately (but obviously not quick enough to prevent the words she’s already said from escaping) clamps a hand over her mouth. ‘Oops… shit, sorry,’ she says, her eyes widening apologetically.

I nod resignedly. See? It happens. People have secret lives. Lives they don’t want anybody else to know about until one of them decides to broadcast it to about six hundred and twenty five other ‘friends’ when they’re good and ready.

‘Jeez, look Becs – she’s even given themselves a name - “Beth-amin”. Bethamin! How mental is that? How completely chavvy?’

I try and work out what Judd and I would be if we ever got together and united our names. Budd wouldn’t work – we’d just sound like a lager. How about Jucca? That sounds pretty cool – although a little bit like a cross between a spiky-leaved plant and a large hairy creature from Star Wars.

I’m undecided.

‘Bethamin!’ Liberty is still repeating. ‘Bethamin! Can you actually believe that? Who does she think she is Who does she think they are? Bethamin!’

‘They sound like a spot cream,’ I say sulkily.

What I'm Reading

Having finished my lovely friend Claire Allan's fourth book "It's Got to be Perfect", I’m now reading some other entertaining stuff and thought you might be interested:

On the loo (no, really. Okay then, does it sound better to say “in the bathroom”?) we have ‘Bad Karma’ by David Safier.

I blogged about the rather unusual premise for this a while back, but if you don't remember, you’ll just have to take my word for it… it’s just utterly, utterly fabulous escapism. I’ve never heard of, let alone read, a surreal rom-com, so this is a first. And hopefully not a last. It keeps me chuckling… well, all the way. If you know what I mean.  I can't remember the last time a Main Character was so concerned about her four-legged brother mating with her and her siblings - and I shall never see Cassanova in quite the same way after his appearances in this book.  Buy it. Seriously, you'll smile so much.


And in bed, we have “My So-Called Haunting” by Tamsyn Murray. Such a refreshing, funny book all about a teenager called Skye who has psychic abilities and lives with her Aunt who also has them. Between them they help ghosts who are ‘stuck’ in the living world, for whatever reason, move over to theirs. The ghost in this case is a scared, suspicious teenage boy who's the victim of a gang-related crime.  It's touching, clever and imaginative and what I love even more about this book is that it links so beautifully with Tamsyn’s last (and debut I believe) book “My So-Called Afterlife” but not in a ‘sequelly-type’ way. I love it when this happens – it makes the reader feel all clever having a bit more background knowledge… or that could just be smug-me.

And on the To Be Read pile, we have the Man Booker Prizewinner, “The Finkler Question” by Howard Jacobson, which I read the opening chapter to on-line and though it was great stuff.   “A Dry Spell” by Clare Chambers, “Leaving Poppy” by Kate Cann and “In a Summer Season” by Elizabeth Taylor (no, not that one).
I’ve also been lent “On the Other Hand” by Chris Cleave which I’m told is fab too.

Christmas shopping? Oh no – this is WAY more fun!

OMG It's Got To Be Perfect, I'm 40!

I feel very privileged to tell you that two of my loveliest writer friends have new books coming/out right now!


The funny, talented and super-storyteller, Claire Allan has her fourth book "It's got to be Perfect" out on the 28th - that's next Tuesday to me and you... and not only that, but she's also guest-appearing on the other site I write for, Strictly Writing on that day.   So make a note of it in your diary, set your mobile to vibrate or something and come on over, there'll be fresh muffins and all sorts (in a 'virtual' kinda way, obvs).

And whilst you're waiting for the release of Claire's latest bound-to-be-bestselling-book, why not head out right NOW and get a copy of my gorgeous Witchy friend, Deborah Durbin's latest book, "Oh My God, I'm 40!".  You're either heading that way, know someone who is, or fancy being all ironic towards your twenty-something friends, right?  Either way, this book is a MUST HAVE for any woman approaching the summer of her years.  And what a fab way to fill somebody's stocking this Christmas, eh?

Personally I don't see the big deal in turning 40.  But then women my age ALWAYS say things like that, which just goes to show how old they really are...
Of course having a *29 year old boyfriend at the time, helped me overcome all kinds of obstacles with the turning 40 malarkay. Ah, happy days!

*He turned 30 a few weeks after, which sounds a lot more respectable, don't you think?! (also he was the one with the pipe, slippers and hair cascading from his ears/nose, so there's not always so much glamour associated with the Younger Man, I can assure you!)

Trepi-citement!

Pic from the vey vey funny "Savage Chicken" people

When I wrote my first book (listen to me - first book FFS! - which you can read the opening chapter of up there on one of those tab thingies, btw - called "LABRATS") I needed a word which didn't exist, which meant a  mixture of Amazed and Disappointed - which is how my main character (actually a very badly disguised Real Me) made her father (an equally poorly disguised if you ever had the delight to meet my Dad...) look. So, "Amazappointed" was born.
And I'm delighted that this word is still one which a couple of fellow writers remember from those halcyon days - before they were even published authors.  They know who they are and they rock; I love it when I've written something that stays in someone's mind.  It makes me feel like I've done something a bit special.
Which is what it's all about really.


So... the made-up word for today is Trepicitement... which, as you can probably work out is a healthy mix of trepidation and excitement.  Because today is the day that the book known as 'DOUBLE HISTORY' landed in the in-box of the Agent who's been showing a keen interest in it since March.  I've been editing and redrafting and cutting and pasting and learning how to kill "darlings" (a masochistic but impressive feat) and last night I finally, finally decided That Was It.  Enough now.  If I picked and poked any more, there'd be holes and dropped stitches and all manner of other analogies cropping up and making mincemeat of the whole thing.  I didn't want to lose the plot altogether, now did I?
And so I did what my Dad always told me to do.  I slept on it.  Not literally you understand, otherwise I'd have woken up with  "2GB" impressed across my cheek and that would never do.  There's no amount of L'Oreal that's going to fill a crevice that big, no matter how much I think I'm Worth It.

Anyway.  So it's there.  In her in-box.  And there's also a follow-up e-mail sent about 5 minutes later after I'd checked the 'sent items' in my own box and realised (pant-wettingly and much-sweatingly) that in the subject line I'd typed "DOIBLE HISTORY" and not "Double" - which is an actual word - not a made up one, and certainly not the title of my book, FFS!  (thanks to lovely author lady Keren David ("When I was Joe") who suggested I should own up to this madness in case I was spammed for illiteracy).

So, lucky for me, I got two responses.  One saying thanks she'd be in touch when she's read it - and no worries about the typo.

Oh, did I mention that this nice Agent person also sent me an e-mail last week telling me she'd "love to read anything you've written".  That's me!  That's *love*.  That's anything I've written!  WHOOOOOOOP!

And breathe.