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Showing posts from March, 2009

Teaser Tuesday.

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Grab your current read Open to a random page Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! My Teasers: 'Signs of the once placid domestic life of the city- a bit of knitting, an intact chair, a Christmas wreath, a fan of papers --- were strewn over the streets. Innes hope the girl beside him would not retain the images now forming on her retina.' from 'A Wedding in December' by Anita Shreve, page 175. More teasers can be found here.

Henry's Armour.

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To mark the 500th anniversary since Henry 8th came to the throne the Tower of London is exhibiting ,from 3rd April, one of his suits of armour.This gigantic piece is on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The full story can be found here.

Musing Mondays.

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Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about recording your reading… Do you keep track of what and/or how many books you read? How long have you been doing this? What's your favorite tracking method, and why?If you don't keep track, why not? (question courtesy of MizB) My answer --- This is very topical for me right now as I bought a notebook and began recording just last week. This is a very simple book, but I jot down the title, author, date finished and my opinion. I started this a couple of years ago,recording on the computer but unfortunately I didn't continue. However since I started blogging I've realised that to list my reading is a good habit. I began by keeping a list on the blog , but you can't keep a blog in your pocket. A mobile list is more convenient as I also record books and authors I may like to borrow /buy. Blogging has introduced me to so many new books ,my trips to the library/bookshop are frequent. More ideas can be found here.

Varsity Boat Race.

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Guess what I'm doing this afternoon ... 'Light session: The Cambridge crew in action during a training session during Tideway Week Photo: Getty Images. ' --- Daily Telegraph. Come on Cambridge!!! BAD LUCK CAMBRIDGE --------THERE'S ALWAYS NEXT YEAR!

The Sunday Salon --------' Mr Darcy key ring anyone?'

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This week, I have read about a 'Cat' detective and a knitting club. Perhaps the cat would have enjoyed playing with the wool,lol!The last book was excellent , unfortunately the first was disappointing. I'm reading 'A Wedding in December' by Anita Shreve at the moment and it is going well. I have enjoyed most of her books, especially the Pilot's Wife. Loved that one. I usually scrutinise the Books section in the Daily Telegraph on a Saturday for some new tempts and yesterday certainly delivered the goods; Jane's Fame:How Jane Austen conquered the World by Claire Harman.This book is published later this week and is definitely on my wish list. The accompanying article examines her cult status and our fascination with anything Austen. -- In 1796, before Jane saw any work published, she is reported as saying that she writes only to be famous. Well she's certainly achieved that . Her popularity has increased greatly in the last few years , due in part to th

'The cat who could read backwards.'

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'The Cat Who Could Read Backwards' by Lilian Jackson Braun. This is a 'tongue in cheek' murder, mystery which is set in the Art world. Jim Qwillern has been appointed as an art critic for the Daily Fluxion.As a cultural area he knows little about, he begins his reporting by visiting various galleries and interviewing celebrity artists. ' Qwilleran left the Lambreth Gallery with several questions banging about in his head:How could he tell good art from bad art?Why did triangles get thumbs up while sailboats got thumbs down? ' He was quite a novice in this world but not a novice reporter. Consequently when a painting is vandalised and an artist falls from scaffolding, his nose begins to twitch. His, is not the only nose to twitch either, as his travels have introduced him to Koko a siamese cat with apparently extraordinary talents. When Koko's owner , Mountclemens is found murdered Qwilleran is helped in finding the murderer by the faithful feline. 'Qwil

'A Friday Night Knitting Club novel ----------- Knit Two.'

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'A Friday Night Knitting Club Novel ---Knit Two.' by Kate Jacobs. In the beginning -- '...Every misstep feels like a reason to quit. You envy everyone else who seems to know what they're doing. What keeps you going ? The belief that one day you'll be like that:Elegant. Capable. Confident. Experienced. And you can be. All you need now is enthusiasm. A little bravery. And -- always -- a sense of humor.' The Knitting Club began five years ago , a group of women all with different lives met in a wool shop, 'Walker and Daughter' in Manhatten. At the time they each had their own patterns for life, some favourable, some not . They meet again , same venue , same women minus one. Georgia , a mainstay of the group has died and so these few women , plus Georgia's teenage daughter continue their life's journeys. Their travels are highlighted by joys and sorrows, childbirth, the care of elderly parents, teenage tantrums and romance, but through it all their t

Booking through Thursday

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This week we are asked to discuss the following ------ Suggested by Janet: The opposite of last week’s question: “What’s the best ‘worst’ book you’ve ever read — the one you like despite some negative reviews or features?” The only one that I think fits into this category is 'Blessings' by Anna Quindlen. Published in 2003, the year I bought it ,after reading the jacket cover I was keen to buy it. However, during the interval between buying and reading I came across some negetive reviews. Theses, didn't deter me(after all, money had crossed palms!) so I started with some trepidation. I needn't have worried as I thoroughly enjoyed the novel and it remains on my bookshelf. More book talk can be found here.

Award.

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Jenny has given me this lovely award.Thankyou Jenny, that is very kind. Here are the rules to spread the sisterhood spirit: 1. Put the logo on your blog or post. 2. Nominate up to 10 blogs which show great attitude and/or gratitude! 3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post. 4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog. 5. Remember to link to the person from whom you received your award. So here are my nominations ----- Jane Teresa Mary Random jottings of an opera and book lover. Loopy Lou's blog Ginnie's crossstitch. Amy's passages to the past. Barbara's english garden. Margaret at Books Please. Dovegreyreader. Susan at You can't have too many books. Sassy , as the windmill turns... I could have added a lot more to the list . So apologies for those not included, 10 is not many for a Sisterhood award.

Teaser Tuesdays

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The rules are, 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! Here is my teaser, 'A few steps away, an apartment building had been finished inside the ruins of what looked like an ancient theater, with modern brick and glass windows above rows of arches, the 'lawn' a series of pieces of fallen marble and stone, some of it intricately carved, just lying around like so. A small sign in multiple languages warned passersby about taking a souvenir ruin or two.' from 'A Friday Night Knitting Club novel Knit Two', by Kate Jacobs. page 220. Can you guess which country this describes? More teasers here.

Musing Mondays.

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Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about bookstores… How many bookstores do you frequent? Do you have a favourite? If so, which one and what makes it so? I don't frequent many bookshops. Living out in the 'sticks' I have to travel for personal service. This happens every so often and the bookshop of choice then is Waterstones. They have a great range of fiction and non-fiction (which is my husband's preference). There is also a coffee shop on the first floor and we often have a cup while trying to decide on a purchase. It is a national chain and there is a rewards system in progress; points are earned on each purchase and then these are converted to cash to buy more books. Every quarter they produce a magazine , Books Quarterly this contains lots of book information including news of latest releases. Checking out their website, I realise there is also a book club, so I think this company have got reading thoroughly covered. More bookshop news here.

The Sunday Salon.

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This past week has seen me finish to very different novels. The first was an historical novel by Jean Plaidy, 'The Widow of Windsor'. This book followed the last years of the reign of Queen Victoria. My second novel is the one shown above, 'Agatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death', by M.C.Beaton. The story is centred around a quiet, country village. Quiet that is, until a water company find the village spring and intend to expand their business in that direction. Agatha Raisin , a P.R. for the water firm needs to assess the opinions of the local councillors and villagers. She is told in no uncertain terms that her inteference is not welcome.However when one murder takes place certain villagers seek Agatha's help. Then a second murder is discovered... This was a very light read, quite humorous in places.I would sum it up as 'Agatha Christie' meets 'Miss Read'. It is the first 'Agatha R.' book I have read , but I don't think it will be t

Springtime

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It is a truly beautiful day today. The sun has been shining since early morning and the sky is blue as can be. Spring has sprung, I do hope so. Lambing has been fast and furious this a.m. but it is fine when the weather is so good and the lambs and their mums are out in the fields. Although some require human intervention, they fare well outside on sunny days. As you can see from the photos not ALL creatures like to be outside all day. Mog has been indoors for a while , but she basked in the sun in the living room. What a life that cat has! The bouquet of flowers at the top of the collage are from one of my daughters for 'Mothering Sunday'.They're beautiful. When daffodils are blooming and there are lambs in the fields I know Spring is here, and long may it remain!

Booking Through Thursday.

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Suggested by Janet : How about, “What’s the worst ‘best’ book you’ve ever read — the one everyone says is so great, but you can’t figure out why?” There are one or two on my shelf that could fit into this category, however I think 'The Name of the Rose' by Umberto Eco is top of this list. I can hear the shouts of disbelief, but I'm afraid I couldn't even finish this book. I managed to read about half of it and asked myself 'what is everyone raving about?'. I even borrowed the dvd in the hope that this would help my reading, but I couldn't bear to watch more than half an hour of that. More 'best '/'worst' books here.

'The Widow of Windsor'.

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'The Widow of Windsor' by Jean Plaidy. This novel continues the life of Queen Victoria , following the death of Prince Albert. December 14th 1861 was the date of Albert's death and Victoria mourned him dearly from then onwards. Her many children were some comfort but her eldest son, Bertie continued to be a trial. His gambling and womanising were a constant worry for the queen. Hoping to end his socialising Victoria encouraged him to marry. A Danish princess, Alexandra , was chosen and the couple seemed very much in love. However it was not long till Bertie's lifestyle intruded into his marriage, but Alexandra(Alix) proved a loving and faithful wife and she bore him six children. The Queen's other adult children were all settling into married life in various countries;Victoria the eldest marrying the Frederick of Prussia, Alice marrying Louis 1V of Hesse, Alfred married Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, Helena - Christian of Schleswig and Arthur Married Louise of Prus

Teaser Tuesdays

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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! 'So wise people quickly learned that, while they must amuse the prince and be on friendly terms with him, it was for him to set the pace. They must never forget that he was royal, and Alix as his wife was also royal.' Taken from' The Widow of Windsor',by Jean Plaidy , page 366. More teasers here.

Musing Mondays.

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Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about talking to strangers… We were all warned as children to 'never talk to strangers', but how do you feel about book-talk with random people? When you see people reading, do you ask what it is? Do you talk to people in the book store or the library? Why or why not? What do you do if people talk to you? (question courtesy of Dena) My answers are not very positive here. I can't actually remember starting to chat with a total stranger about books. Now with family and friends it's a different matter. But I digress that's not the question. In my local library , people tend not to talk much, although the 'Silence' rule is not strictly implemented, the librarians chat among themselves. Why don't I talk, perhaps I'm shy/anti-social. Actually I'm neither. If someone begins 'bookchat' with me I'm happy to oblige, especially if it includes a book I've read. This question has got me thinking, next time I'

The Sunday Salon

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Above is my latest book from the library. After reading Jean Plaidy's book, 'The Queen's Husband', I wanted to explore more of Victoria's life. As well as reading novels I thought it might be interesting to actually check out her Highland Journal.I first heard of her writing in the movie, Mrs. Brown. This book was compiled after the death of Prince Albert in December 1861. The Queen, keen to keep the memory of her husband prominent sought to find a writer to help in her cause. When introduced to Arthur Helps , a stylish writer she set about , with his help, cataloguing notes taken from her Highland life. These , described a very happy part of her life with Prince Albert and therefore would embellish his memory. Although not read yet, it does promise to be interesting .Included is a family tree, which I would have liked to reproduce for this post, however as Victoria had nine children and they all married and had their own families, the computer screen is too small

'The Queen's Husband'.

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'The Queen's Husband' by Jean Plaidy. This novel follows the marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Albert, known as Alberinchen was the younger brother in the Saxe-Coburg Gotha family from Germany.His brother, Ernest was a year older. Albert was his mother's favourite and he doted on her. Unfortunately this 'happy' family were soon to disintegrate as their mother's extramarital affairs became known and she was forced to leave the family home. This effected the brothers greatly, particularly Albert who found his father's strict regime difficult to handle. As the two boys grew their grandparents helped in their choice of marriage partners , and so Victoria was presented to Albert as a possible suitor. They appeared to fall in love instantly. They were married in the Chapel Royal by the Archbishop of Canterbury and spent their honeymoon at Windsor. Albert, although happy was not as lively as Victoria . She enjoyed banquets and balls, Albert preferr

'Is Cheltenham this way?'

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'Are we on the right road for Cheltenham Festival?' I don't think so.(lol) This was the scene passing our gate this morning. This couple often drive their carriage in the area. Their horses appear to be 'bombproof' as tractors or lorries don't seem to phase them. The drivers are pretty courageous too, as I have seen them travelling through the centre of our market town without a care in the world. Today saw the last day of racing at the Cheltenham Festival and although I'm not a great fan my daughter loves anything to do with horses. Therefore in between lambing the odd sheep her eyes have been peeled to the tv to watch the most important race of all, the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Kauto Star was successful in 2007 and this year , with jockey Ruby Walsh, he regained the Cup.He certainly lives up to his name, a true 'star'. Hope he gets extra 'feed' tonight!!

Booking through Thursday

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This week we discuss the following, What book do you think should be made into a movie? And do you have any suggestions for the producers? Or, What book do you think should NEVER be made into a movie? Here is my suggestion, a few weeks ago I read this book, Black Diamond by Catherine Bailey. This was a true story of a wealthy, English family. I think this would make a wonderful movie, it has everything I look for in a good movie; History(the general strike , and miners' working conditions), wealth, poverty, aristocracy, stately homes, family feuds,there were also connections with the Kennedy clan. It follows the family tree till the last Earl Fitzwilliam died . An excellent book, I can see all the stage stalwarts in the cast, Dame Maggie Smith, Sir Derek Jacobi, Dame Judi Dench to name a few. It would bve a great treat for movie goers. More ideas can be found here.

'Happy Birthday to you...'

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Today is the 23rd birthday of my youngest daughter. She has grown a little since this photo, but as well as growing in height she has grown in beauty. She lives in Cambridge, many miles from home and we all miss her terribly. A wonderful cook, artist and needlewoman as well as having a BA. Hope you have a fantastic day!!! Loads of love from all on the farm.xxxxxxx

Teaser Tuesdays

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Can you believe it is Tuesday again, the idea is the same for the teaser, 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! Two teasers this week, 'It has been said that every child is born a little savage and has to be civilized. The process of civilizaton had not gone very far with some of the hamlet children;although one civilization had them in hand at home and another at school, they were able to throw off both on the road between the two places and revert to a state of Nature.' 'Larkrise to Candleford' by Flora Thompson , page 186. As I have just finished the next book today I thought I'd tempt you with a teaser, 'They enumerated Bertie's weaknesses. His temper was fierce

Musing Mondays.

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This is the question for this week, What is your policy when it comes to new authors? Do you feel comfortable purchasing a book or do you prefer to borrow new authors from the library? How often do you 'try out' a new author? If the author is not known , and this is their debut novel with an interesting synopsis on the cover and any reviews appear favourably to me then I may read it. However, if the author has a good reputation I am more inclined to read their book. I must admit I didn't try out 'new' authors much until I started blogging. The blogging world has opened up so many new avenues to me in regards actual books and reviews that I feel that my reading repertoire, in 'new' authors has increased tremondously. I am therefore more inclined to try out 'new' authors , either buying or as my house is being overrun by books(lol!) by borrowing from the library. More book 'talk' can be found here.

The Sunday Salon

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This week we had a visit from my youngest daughter. She lives near Cambridge and works in the city itself. There had been a book fair in the centre a couple of weeks ago and she bought me the trilogy , 'Larkrise to Candleford' by Flora Thompson. This is a new read for me although I have watched adaptions on BBC . The first few programmes were quite good but after that I lost interest , I sometimes think tv producers bring modern 'talk' and values onto our screens , when imho they don't fit into the context of the setting. So I am really pleased to get the book, it is small measuring abot 6 inches by 3 inches with 600+ pages, a 'handbag' size. As this is 'The World Classics' editon I am presuming it was the reprint from 1963. There are no dates shown, other than the dates shown in the photo. I'm savouring this book,reading a little each day. It appears to be a good social history of the time. Being set around village life in 1870s and 1880s there

'Return to Rosemount'

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' Return to Rosemount' by Patricia Fawcett. This novel follows the trials and tribulations of two adult daughters and their mother. One daughter Julia is married and although her marriage is not exceptionally happy she leads a comfortable life with her husband and teenage daughter. Comfortable that is until her daughter's teenage tantrums turn into something more significant and the family have to seek refuge, miles away with Julia's mother at Rosemount. Clemmie, her mother is a force to be reckoned with and established a private school years previously with her recently deceased husband.This is Clemmie's 'baby' and as such she keeps a tight rein on the school's purse strings, or so she thinks. The younger daughter Nina runs her own interior design business but is much different from her sister; a free spirit ,she appears to not have a care in the world but deep down she longs for stabilty and her own family. As all the family converge and live in a smal

Booking through Thursday

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This is this week's discussion We’ve all seen the lists, we’ve all thought, “I should really read that someday,” but for all of us, there are still books on “The List” that we haven’t actually gotten around to reading. Even though we know they’re fabulous. Even though we know that we’ll like them. Or that we’ll learn from them. Or just that they’re supposed to be worthy. We just … haven’t gotten around to them yet. What’s the best book that YOU haven’t read yet? I think this week's discussion could be closely related to my last post concerning the Daily Telegraph article on reading habits. However as I have already 'casted my vote' in the 'Telegraph' poll I'll concentrate on books on my bookshelf that I intend to read one day. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver has been sitting on my shelf for years and it remains unread. There is no particular reason for it remaining so I just haven't picked it up, even though it has achieved numerous good r

World Book Day.

To celebrate World Book Day the Daily Telegraph has printed an article about our reading habits. According to the article many of us pretend to read highbrow books in order to appear more intelligent. Included in the books they list are Ulysses by James Joyce. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. Nineteen eighty four by George Orwell. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. and The Bible. It is said that many copies of these books are languishing on bookshelves across the country . Readers in general are seen to prefer J.K. Rowling, John Grisham, Sophie Kinsella, Jilly Cooper and Mills and Boon. I don't know where I am placed here as my preferences are in neither group. I own a couple of different versions of the Bible which I have read in places, certainly not all the way through unfortunately. Other than that I don't own a single copy of the 'classics' list or the preferred contemporary list. Maybe I am not keen to impress or maybe I read what I like , I feel the latter is

Dried Apricot and Ginger Preserve.

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At the weekend I posted that I had made some Apricot Jam, Loopylou was keen to have the recipe , so here it is for you all, 675g. dried apricots 1 litre water 675g. sugar juice of half a lemon 50g crystallised ginger, chopped finely 65g. flaked almonds. MAKES ABOUT 2.75KG. OR 6 LBS. Soak the apricots in water for 8 hours or overnight. Drain. Put into a large pan with the litre of water and simmer gently for an hour or until very soft. Add the sugar, lemon juice and ginger, then stir frequently, without boiling, until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the almonds, raise the heat and boil rapidly , stirring from time to time , until setting point is reached. To test for setting , spoon a little of the preserve on to a clean , cold saucer and leave for a minute. If setting point is reached the preserve should form a skin which will wrinkle when pushed with your finger. Cool until lukewarm, then spoon into clean and dry sterilized jars. When cold , seal, cover and label. The recipe is taken

Teaser Tuesdays

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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! Here are my lines from 'Return to Rosemount' by Patricia Fawcett, page 121. 'It seemed churlish not to ask Nina for some help with the proposed decoration, even though Julia felt sure she could do it herself. However, she knew that she and Nina were treading carefully just now,getting to know each other properly at last, and with Frankie so on edge, Julia's nerves were stretched to breaking-point.' More teasers can be found here.

Are you a skipper or a plodder?

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That is the question this week on Musing Mondays. When reading do you read every word? Do you ever skip chapters or skim over parts? (question curtesy of Wendy) Well I'm a bit of both really. Once I am 'into' a book I tend to skip. Partly, as I am always impatient to find the conclusion or just the end of the chapter. My reading in the past has been erratic, and as soon as I restart turning pages every word is read. I find it tricky at the beginning of a book to skip parts, this would deprive me of the storyline. If I find a book is not to my taste re; some of it's content ,I will skip then also, sometimes just a chapter sometimes a whole book. More posts can be found here.

The Sunday Salon

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This week has been dominated by my love of historical fiction.Although it took me just three days to read 'Innocent Traitor' by Alison Weir My mind was drawn back to the discovering of all these wonderful history books. In the early 70's I was a student nurse working on an old people's ward.It was my first year in nursing and although I enjoyed the work I was very nervous and shy. I remember the Sister-in-charge with great affection. A wonderful, caring nurse whom I admired , she was only a few years older than me and I felt as though we were on the 'same wavelength', although her nursing was far superior to mine. I noticed that every coffee/tea break she read certain type of books, in fact she seemed to have a new one every day. One day I plucked up courage to ask her about her book and she highly recommended Jean Plaidy. From that day to this I have loved these books. Over the last few years I have broadened my horizons to incorporate such authors as Alison W