On my bookshelf

Have recently read
The Earth Hums in B Flat by Mari Strachan
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
The Diary of a Nobody by George & Weedon Grossmith

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons

The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood 

On my bedside to read are:

1. Room Emma Donoghue (started it this morning)
2. One Day David Nicholls
3. House Rules Jodi Picoult
4. The Ice Cream Girls Dorothy Koomson
5. Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte (gorgeous hardback for my birthday; been admiring it on shelf and want to read it. Last read Jane Eyre about...ooh..too many years ago)
6. Blood Sweat and Tea Tom Reynolds
7. The Legacy Katherine Webb

Sister by Rosamund Lupton

Product Description courtesy of Amazon

Nothing can break the bond between sisters ...When Beatrice gets a frantic call in the middle of Sunday lunch to say that her younger sister, Tess, is missing, she boards the first flight home to London. But as she learns about the circumstances surrounding her sister's disappearance, she is stunned to discover how little she actually knows of her sister's life - and unprepared for the terrifying truths she must now face. The police, Beatrice's fiance and even their mother accept they have lost Tess but Beatrice refuses to give up on her. So she embarks on a dangerous journey to discover the truth, no matter the cost.

 

I bought Sister at the end of September 2010. It sat on the shelf, winking at me, daring me to pick her up until Christmas week when,  on leave from work, I snuggled onto the sofa with a cup of tea. It was snowing outside and with the heating cranked up I settled down to enjoy the book. I couldn't put it down. Well, I could, but I did so reluctantly. I finished it Christmas Eve.

 

(further comments to follow)

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Product Description courtesy of Amazon:

Enter a vanished and unjust world: Jackson, Mississippi, 1962. Where black maids raise white children, but aren’t trusted not to steal the silver... There’s Aibileen, raising her seventeenth white child and nursing the hurt caused by her own son’s tragic death; Minny, whose cooking is nearly as sassy as her tongue; and white Miss Skeeter, home from College, who wants to know why her beloved maid has disappeared. Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny. No one would believe they’d be friends; fewer still would tolerate it. But as each woman finds the courage to cross boundaries, they come to depend and rely upon one another. Each is in a search of a truth. And together they have an extraordinary story to tell...

Couldn't put this one down. True, there was a fair bit of hype about the book when I bought it but I am glad I did. Three fantastic female characters: Minny, Aibileen and Miss Skeeter. Set in the 1960's, a difficult time in Mississippi: key dates in the history of the civil rights movement. (further comments to be added later)

What have you read recently?

I have been looking at how to save money this year... you know, which websites offer cheaper deals, discount codes etc and I was looking at the Waterstones website. Seriously, I usually buy from Amazon as they often offer the better deals, but it doesn't hurt to look around.  

So their loyalty card, one of the questions was about how many books you buy each year. I have no idea. I started wondering how many books I *read* in 2010. Am sure I *bought* loads more!!!  

I do buy the majority of the books I read.... I borrow some occasionally from the library but I've got out of the habit of going into town, so I don't pass by the library that often. That inevitably means I end up paying loads in fines!

I love books. Love the way they look on the shelf. And occasionally I will lend them out, but only to good friends who will definitely return them in good condition! I have learned the hard way. Over the past couple of years E has been kind enough to purchase me some pretty hardbacks. From the Virago Press and Penguin respectively. I tend to buy paperbacks myself, unless of course they are cookbooks! Most of my cookbooks are in hardback. And I am lucky enough to have some lovely family and friends who indulge me with them for birthdays and Christmas.

Anyway, I have decided to blog a bit about the books I read, covet and buy.

I have read quite a few very recently so will review those first.