Susie Kelly (Author of Best Foot Forward)

Susie Kelly is now friends with Heather

Susie Kelly gave

to:

Vic's Big Walk: From SW France to NW England
by Vic Heaney (Goodreads Author)

read in May, 2012

My rating:

To celebrate the debut of his eighth decade, Vic Heaney decides to walk from his current home in the French Pyrenees to the town where he was born in England. A distance of a mere 1900 kilometres, or 1,100 miles, in 70 days. The second reason behind...more To celebrate the debut of his eighth decade, Vic Heaney decides to walk from his current home in the French Pyrenees to the town where he was born in England. A distance of a mere 1900 kilometres, or 1,100 miles, in 70 days. The second reason behind Vic's Big Walk is to raise money for research into pancreatic cancer, which killed his first wife. With the whole-hearted support of his second wife Gay, who plans his route and drives the campervan in which they spend their nights, Vic sets off to walk the length of France and almost half the length of England.

La Belle France has a vast network of hiking trails through glorious countryside of hills and valleys, waterfalls and tumbling streams. On websites and in brochures you see images of tanned and joyful GR hikers striding out in groups beneath cloudless skies. But, when you are walking a very long distance in a relatively short time you have to opt for the shortest route, and unfortunately that doesn't always mean the most scenic. And contrary to what the tourist brochures might suggest, mid-summer in France isn't always hot and dry. Vic has set himself a strenuous schedule that means he had to walk every day. He's pretty fit for his years, but its still a physical challenge. And then there's the coffee problem. Unlike England, a far smaller country where even the remotest village will usually have somewhere you can find a cup of coffee and something to eat, you can walk all day in rural France without finding anywhere, and even if you do there's a fairly strong possibility that it will be closed for no apparent reason. And for vegetarians like Vic and myself, meal choices, if you are lucky enough to find somewhere open, can be rather restrictive.

Written in the form of a diary, Vic's Big Walk records his journey as he trudges, scrambles, and sometimes just ambles along, undeterred by rain, roads that lead to nowhere and campsites operating on the lines of prisons. He meets friendly people (but never on the beautiful hiking trails!) who instantly donate to his cause, others who promise to but don't. People happy to stop and chat, and others who ignore him.

I so much enjoyed this read. His easy and chatty style, spiced with his dry humour, carries you along effortlessly, and I could totally relate to his highs and lows, triumphs and frustrations. having done something similar myself. I was SO pleased when he got lost even with the benefit of GPS!

Chapeau, Vic. A tremendous achievement.

All the proceeds from Vic's book sales go to Pancreatic Cancer Research. It's a good read for a good cause. Download a copy.(less)

Susie Kelly liked Susan Keefe's review of The Valley of Heaven and Hell - Cycling in the Shadow of Marie-Antoinette:

The Valley of Heaven and Hell - Cycling in the Shadow of Mari... by Susie Kelly

" I couldn't put this book down, having been interested in this period of history for a long time.
Susie and her husband's adventures on this epic cycle ride had me captivated, from their start at Versaille, the horrors of cycling in Paris to her des... "
Read more of this review »

Susie Kelly gave

to:

I'd Sooner Starve!
by Mark Sinclair

My rating:

“I’d Sooner Starve“, by Mark Sinclair is about a council employee who decides he’d rather be a delicatessen/restaurant owner, his sole qualification being his ability to make a quiche without a recipe. Opening during the winter and serving only cold...more

Susie Kelly gave

to:

The Tree that Walked
by Alan Grainger

My rating:

Alan Grainger,retired, decides to visit Peru because when he was 16 he had met a girl from there. He takes his wife with him, and they arrive during the Sendero Luminosa terrorist rebellion. They comfort themselves with the fact that coming from Irel...more

Susie Kelly gave

to:

Sell the Pig
by Tottie Limejuice

My rating:

Tottie's nearly-nonagenarian mother has begun to lose the plot and is prone to saying "bugger" rather often and becoming increasingly absorbed with bums. Tottie's brother is a self-destructive drunk. Tottie's elderly dog suffers from epilepsy and a c...more

Susie Kelly gave

to:

Goodnight Dear: The Unsentimental Diary Of A Bereaved Husband
by Darren Humphries (Goodreads Author)

My rating:

I found this a very interesting read, written by a man whose wife dies unexpectedly at a very young age, leaving him with an 8-year-old boy and 16-month-old daughter. As the title suggests, it is unsentimental, even at times quite funny in a rather d...more

Susie Kelly gave

to:

A Severed Head
by Iris Murdoch

read in February, 2012

My rating:

This started out well with a pleasing wave of schadenfreude washing over me when adulterer Martin learns that his wife is having an affair with his best friend.

But it was downhill from there on, because the six characters, none of whom engaged me, al...more

Susie Kelly is currently reading:

Trevellas Goes Forth
by James Penhaligon

My rating:

Susie Kelly marked as to-read:

The Fatal Englishman by Sebastian Faulks

The Fatal Englishman: Three Short Lives
by Sebastian Faulks

My rating:

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	Best Foot Forward 3.76 avg rating — 33 ratings — published 2000 — 3 editions	My rating:
	The Valley of Heaven and Hell - Cycling in the Shadow of Marie-Antoinette 4.37 avg rating — 19 ratings — published 2011 — 3 editions	My rating:
	Two Steps Backward 4.00 avg rating — 8 ratings — published 2004 — 2 editions	My rating:
	A Perfect Circle 3.60 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 2006 — 2 editions	My rating:

Susie Kelly is now friends with Heather
May 21, 2012 10:25am
Susie Kelly gave to: Vic's Big Walk: From SW France to NW England by Vic Heaney (Goodreads Author) read in May, 2012	My rating:
To celebrate the debut of his eighth decade, Vic Heaney decides to walk from his current home in the French Pyrenees to the town where he was born in England. A distance of a mere 1900 kilometres, or 1,100 miles, in 70 days. The second reason behind...more
May 19, 2012 04:09am · see review
Susie Kelly liked Susan Keefe's review of The Valley of Heaven and Hell - Cycling in the Shadow of Marie-Antoinette: " I couldn't put this book down, having been interested in this period of history for a long time. Susie and her husband's adventures on this epic cycle ride had me captivated, from their start at Versaille, the horrors of cycling in Paris to her des... " Read more of this review »
Apr 22, 2012 02:41am · see review
Susie Kelly gave to: I'd Sooner Starve! by Mark Sinclair	My rating:
“I’d Sooner Starve“, by Mark Sinclair is about a council employee who decides he’d rather be a delicatessen/restaurant owner, his sole qualification being his ability to make a quiche without a recipe. Opening during the winter and serving only cold...more
Apr 05, 2012 01:28pm · see review
Susie Kelly gave to: The Tree that Walked by Alan Grainger	My rating:
Alan Grainger,retired, decides to visit Peru because when he was 16 he had met a girl from there. He takes his wife with him, and they arrive during the Sendero Luminosa terrorist rebellion. They comfort themselves with the fact that coming from Irel...more
Apr 05, 2012 01:26pm · see review
Susie Kelly gave to: Sell the Pig by Tottie Limejuice	My rating:
Tottie's nearly-nonagenarian mother has begun to lose the plot and is prone to saying "bugger" rather often and becoming increasingly absorbed with bums. Tottie's brother is a self-destructive drunk. Tottie's elderly dog suffers from epilepsy and a c...more
Apr 05, 2012 01:23pm · see review
Susie Kelly gave to: Goodnight Dear: The Unsentimental Diary Of A Bereaved Husband by Darren Humphries (Goodreads Author)	My rating:
I found this a very interesting read, written by a man whose wife dies unexpectedly at a very young age, leaving him with an 8-year-old boy and 16-month-old daughter. As the title suggests, it is unsentimental, even at times quite funny in a rather d...more
Apr 05, 2012 01:18pm · see review
Susie Kelly gave to: A Severed Head by Iris Murdoch read in February, 2012	My rating:
This started out well with a pleasing wave of schadenfreude washing over me when adulterer Martin learns that his wife is having an affair with his best friend. But it was downhill from there on, because the six characters, none of whom engaged me, al...more
Feb 21, 2012 06:54am · see review
Susie Kelly is currently reading: Trevellas Goes Forth by James Penhaligon	My rating:
Jan 31, 2012 12:16pm
Susie Kelly marked as to-read: The Fatal Englishman: Three Short Lives by Sebastian Faulks	My rating:
Jan 31, 2012 12:11pm

Susie Kelly

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