Posts

Showing posts from January, 2009

'Mea Gloria Fides'.

Image
BLACK DIAMONDS BY CATHERINE BAILEY . This is a non-fiction book which follows the fortunes of the Fitzwilliam family from South Yorkshire. It focuses on the lives of the 7th Earl Fitzwilliam or Billy Fitzbilly as he was known, although his official title was Lord Milton. His life stretched from 1872-1943 and during that time he owned coal mines in South Yorkshire. The Fitzwilliam estates had descended from 'Black Tom Tyrant', Thomas Wentworth, who was the 1st. Earl of Strafford . A trusted friend and chief advisor of Charles 1. Part of the book concentrates on the conditions both down the mines and in the pit villages. The book explains that Billy looked after his miner's well, in both wages and extending the use of the grounds of his home at Wentworth House. Unfortunately Billy's personal life was not so regulated , beginning with his birth being subject to accusations of illegitemacy and following this some family members never being reconciled. As the book progresses

Booking through Thursday

Image
Something a little different today– First. Go read this great article from Time Magazine: Books Gone Wild: The Digital Age Reshapes Literature . (Well worth reading.) Second. Stop and think about it for moment. Computers and digital media are changing everything we do these days, whether we realize it or not, and that includes our beloved books. Third. DISCUSS! To be different, today, I’d love to see a discussion here, in the comments, rather than scattered amongst all our separate blogs. Because this is an issue that affects ALL of us, and I’d really like to see us hash out the merits and demerits of this evolution. Tell us what you think. Do you have an ebook reader? Do you read ebooks on your computer? Do you hate the very thought? How do you feel about the fact that book publishing is changing and facing much the same existential dilemma as the music industry upon the creation of MP3s? Having read the mentioned article I am still not convinced. My preference is paper. I may be an o

Tuesday Teasers.

Image
TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to: Grab your current read. Let the book fall open to a random page. Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12. You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given! Please avoid spoilers! This is my first week with Tuesday Teasers, so here goes --- 'The destruction of the Fitzwilliam side of the correspondence is not in itself odd; a reasonable assumption would be that the papers were among those burnt in the great fire of 1972.' 'The aim of the Royal Tour of the North, as George V himself stated , was 'to see working men and women in working conditions'.' These lines are from 'Black Diamonds', The Rise and Fall of an English Dynasty. by Catherine Bailey. This book follows the turbulant life of the 7th Earl Fitzwilliam and the villagers who live nearby and

Ballet.

Image
Yesterday we saw a performance of 'Swan Lake' at a local theatre. It was performed by the Russian State Ballet of Siberia. The dancing, costumes and music brought magic to the event. I love Tchaikovsky's music in general , it has so much drama and excitement. This is the first time I have experienced the full effect of his music in 'Swan Lake'.The orchestra touring with the ballet company were The Russian State Ballet Orchestra and their talent was amazing. As the story unfolded and the principal ballerina took the stage it was evident why she was chosen; her dancing was quite unique and although all the dancers were very talented she surpassed them. The costumes , especially the 'brides' of Hungary, Russia , Spain, Italy and Poland produced an array of colour and compared beautifully to the swans. It was a truly fantastic night and one I hope we can repeat in future years.

The Sunday Salon

Image
This week has been a good reading week. Having started the week with a thriller by Mary Higgins Clark, namely 'Silent Night' I moved onto 'Fortune like the Moon ' by Alys Clare. The first book mentioned I found a little disappointing, a Christmas story (as it's title suggests) was a quiet, tame thriller. Perhaps as it was set around Christmas the author felt a more gentle approach was needed. The gist of the story was in the police attemps to find a young boy , kidnapped by a criminal. The second of the books, 'Fortune like the Moon' is written by Alys Clare. This is part of my Medieval Challenge. This novel is set in the reign of Richard the Lionheart. When a body of a young nun is found quite near her abbey and a local monastery, the two congregations are witness to a serial of lies and deceipt.The King's emissary Josse d' Aquin is sent to the area to solve the murder , only to be confronted by another body. Josse finds an ally in the Abbess of the

Booking through Thursday

Image
Since “Inspiration” is (or should) the theme this week … what is your reading inspired by? Part of my reading is inspired by my love of history, in particular Tudors, Stuarts and Plantagent years. Although liking history at school I didn't excel at it and it wasn't till I was introduced to 'Jean Plaidy' books by a work colleague that my history passion took off. I'm finding more and more historical novels to my liking and so my TBR read pile increases daily. In addition to historical fiction I also enjoy crime novels. The t.v. series 'Morse' has inspired me to read the books . When I attended an evening with the author, Colin Dextor last year his enthusiasm shone through and this inspired me to read more. Naming just two of my favourite authors is a little unfair as the writings of many people inspire me to read. Their words , spark my imagination and keep 'the little grey cells' working! More 'inspiring' words can be found here.

Book Review.

Image
Silent Night by Mary Higgins Clark. This is a novel based around Christmas time. When a young boy tries to retrieve his mother's purse from the clutch of a thief. He is transported into the world of a convict 'on the run'. I found this small book(160 pages)a little disappointing. The course of the plot was quite predictable. As a Christmas story it had a good ending but I felt it lacked excitement and suspense. Mary Higgins Clark is a new author to me , I have read good reviews of her books in the past so I think I will try another one of her books.

Tagging...

Image
Over on Charlie and me I find that I have been tagged, thankyou Carol. This is what is involved, Choose the fourth folder where you store pictures on your computer. Select the fourth picture in the folder. Explain the picture. Then tag for other blogger's to do the same. The photo above is my choice. It was taken a couple of years ago in the Lake District. I was travelling on a ferry across Lake Windermere at the time. I love all my 'Lake' photos, today when it is cold and damp it is good to remember that Summer WILL come again. Now a tagging is no good if I don't tag, so here are my choices. Looking forward to seeing your photos Ladies. Lezlie loopylou Susan Barbara Ginnie.

How many have you read?

In the Daily Telegraph's review today there is a list of 100 books that they recommend that people read. Check out the list on the above site. I have only read about half a dozen of these, but let's face it everyone's taste in reading is different . This list is just someone's preference, mine would be much different!

Booking through Thursday

This is today's discussion ---- But, enough about books … Other things have words, too, right? Like … songs! If you’re anything like me, there are songs that you love because of their lyrics; writers you admire because their songs have depth, meaning, or just a sheer playfulness that has nothing to do with the tunes. So, today’s question? What songs … either specific songs, or songs in general by a specific group or writer … have words that you love? Why? And … do the tunes that go with the fantastic lyrics live up to them? You don’t have to restrict yourself to modern songsters, either … anyone who wants to pick Gilbert & Sullivan, for example, is just fine with me. Lerner & Loewe? Steven Sondheim? Barenaked Ladies? Fountains of Wayne? The Beatles? Anyone at all… Thinking back over the years, when I was a teenager my favourites were anything by The Bachelors, I had all their records (L.P.'s), I still have them and take a trip down memory lane once in a while. I also li

Book Review -------- Medieval Challenge

Image
The Raven in the Foregate by Ellis Peters. This was the second book in my Medieval Challenge. No.X11 in the Cadfael Chronicles, this was an excellent murder mystery. I have read a few Cadfael stories before and always find them interesting. This story takes place at Christmas 1141 AD when a new priest is presented by the Abbot , this priest will make his home at the Holy Cross(also known as the Foregate).His character is stern and he lacks humility and as such does not warm to the people of the area. When he is found drowned , most of these people could be accused of his murder , including the new young priest who assists Brother Cadfael in his work. As usual Cadfael displays his investigative talents in the form of the study of fauna and flora. A very good book, not long at 252 pages. A real page turner.

Church Dinner.

Last night dh and myself attended our post- Christmas Dinner.This is the second year this meal has taken place. There were 40 parishoners present including our Parish Priest. We thoroughly enjoyed the night; the food was very good- We started with prawns and melon, then salmon with a selection of fresh vegetables and we finished with lemon cheesecake and coffee.Every course was delicious .As we have three Masses each weeken, it is not always possible to meet fellow parishoners often, so this meal helps us to cement and forge friendships. A good night had by all!

Booking through Thursday

Image
This week's discussion is the following -------- It’s a week or two later than you’d expect, and it may be almost a trite question, but … what were your favorite books from 2008? It is hard to narrow it down to a few books, but these were my definite favourites------ The Door. Revelation. Agnes Grey. I have read Agnes Grey, by Anne Bronte, twice now and I love it just as much the second time round. 'The Door', by Magda Szarbo, was part of my birthday present and although not a book I would probably have chosen I found it quite intriguing. C.J. Sansom's Revelation is a wonderful book, this author transports me into medieval England, I love his books. More choices here.

Book Review -------- Medieval Challenge

Image
This is my first book in the Medieval Challenge. 'Mistress of the Art of Death', by Ariana Franklin. I found it a little hard to get into at first but after the first 50+ pages I was hooked and couldn't put it down. Set in Cambridge in 1170 it follows Adelia Aguilar , a doctor, in her quest to find the murderer of children. These children were killed in a hideous manner and in searching for their murderer she uncovers a cavern of evil. The killings are portrayed in a graphic way, and the people of Cambridge stunned by the brutality. A great read. Ariana Franklin is a new author to me but not for long as I am on the lookout for her subsequent novels.

What kind of reader are you?

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Dedicated Reader You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more. Literate Good Citizen Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm Book Snob Fad Reader Non-Reader What Kind of Reader Are You? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz Click on the question above and see what your books say about you!!!

There is always room for improvement.

Image
As I surf all the wonderful blogs that I can find , I realise that there is much room for improvement on mine. So that's the reason for me signing up for this project. It lasts all year but there are no strict rules; you can dip into the site whenever you need. I think that it will be a good project, it starts tomorrow.Advice is posted twice a month.

First challenge of the New Year.

Image
Surfing the web and blogs in particular I came across this challenge. As I love historical fiction , this is definitely one I want to try.If you are interested in joining the details are here. It has been running quite a few months now and finishes the first week of February. The category I'm going for is the easiest -------- 3 books. Life might get in the way of anymore! At the moment I am reading Ariana Franklin's 'Mistress of the Art of Death'. After that I have a 'Cadfael' to start and the third one is yet to be decided. Happy Reading.

Booking through Thursday

Image
Hi everyone, yes I know I'm a day late with this post, but yesterday was special so I think I have a good excuse(I assure you the delay is NOT due to a hangover, lol!) Happy New Year, everyone! So … any Reading Resolutions? Say, specific books you plan to read? A plan to read more ____? Anything at all? Name me at least ONE thing you’re looking forward to reading this year Right I have a few reading plans, these are connected to reading challenges that I am considering. More about these in a later post. For the time being I'm going to try and read another Ariana Franklin novel. I'm reading 'The Mistress of the Art of Death' by this author and thoroughly enjoying it.It's good to find a new author. Happy New Year! More resolutions can be found here.