Sue Fairhead's Blog, page 39

Treasure at Amorys (by Malcolm Saville)

I am so pleased that I decided to re-read my ‘Lone Pine’ books by Malcolm Saville, after managing to acquire ‘Girls Gone By’ editions to replace the ones I only had in Armada. My Armada paperbacks, bought inexpensively in my teens, were starting to fall apart. I’m still grateful that I had the opportunity to buy them in the 1970s, but in recent years realised that they were quite significantly abridged. So my GGBP editions, in addition to being in great condition (some pristine) and having inte...

Thief of Time (by Terry Pratchett)

In my gradual re-reading of Terry Pratchett’s ‘Discworld’ books, I reached the 26th in the series, ‘Thief of Time’. I’m surprised how much I’m liking some of the books, including this one. It wasn’t unputdownable - some days I read only a few pages, so it took me over a week to finish - but the plot is cleverly done, and some of the concepts stayed with me even though I had totally forgotten the story itself.  Not surprising, really, since I had only previously read it once, back in 2001 when i...

War of the Worlds (by Adrian Plass)

Over the last few decades I have acquired and read everything (as far as I know) written by Adrian Plass. I love his dry humour, his honesty, and his willingness to point out cracks in established religion and its practises. I first read ‘War of the Worlds’ nearly 10 years ago, and I have to admit it wasn’t my favourite of his books. I didn’t dislike it, or thought it badly written, I just didn’t relate to its contents. 

But in gradually re-reading my Plass collection, I thought I would give thi...

Fahrenheit 451 (by Ray Bradbury)

I’ve seen Ray Bradbury’s novel ‘Fahrenheit 451’ recommended on various book lists, and was aware of the rough premise of the book: a dystopian world where books are illegal, and people burn them.  Apparently the title of the book is the temperature at which books start burning. However it’s not a book I would have chosen to read… until it was allocated for this month’s reading group.

I did order a copy from an online shop but the order failed to arrive and I couldn’t easily find the book locally...

How to Find Love in a Book Shop (by Veronica Henry)

I’ve mostly enjoyed the books I’ve read by Veronica Henry, an author I discovered about three years ago. So I added a few interesting-sounding titles of hers to my wishlist. One particularly intriguing title is ‘How to find love in a book shop’ which I was given for Christmas… in 2020! I have so many books on my to-read shelf that I have only just read it.

It’s a pleasant story that takes place in a village where most people know each other. The main character is Emilia, whom we meet in chapter ...

In the Company of Others (by Jan Karon)

I’m so glad I decided to reread Jan Karon’s delightful series of books about the fictional Anglican priest Father Tim, who lives in the (also fictional) town of Mitford, on the East coast of the United States. I loved rereading my way through the first nine books which were mostly set in Mitford, including his surprising romance in his early sixties, his adoption of a teenage boy, and his acceptance of retirement.

Most recently I read what is technically tenth in the series, although not about M...

God Speaks your Love Language (by Gary Chapman)

Years ago when I learned about Gary Chapman’s theory of ‘love languages’, I thought the concept was excellent in helping couples (and families, to some extent) learn to express love in ways that don’t necessarily come naturally to them. Someone whose love language is Words of Affirmation may express love verbally, but if their loved one only really ‘speaks Acts of Service they may feel that the words are meaningless. And vice versa, of course. Learning to use one’s non-preferred love languages ...

We are All Completely Beside Ourselves (by Karen Joy Fowler)

I didn’t remember the name Karen Joy Fowler, although I later realised that I did read one of her books (‘The Jane Austen Book Club’) over a decade ago. But when I saw ‘We are all completely beside ourselves’ at a church book sale last year, with some positive reviews and a note that it was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2014, I decided to buy it. 

I had no idea what the book would be about when I started to read it; the blurb on the back is a little vague, describing a girl called Rosemar...

The Highland Twins at the Chalet School (by Elinor M Brent-Dyer)

Slowly re-reading my way through Elinor M Brent-Dyer’s lengthy Chalet School series, I was very pleased to reach ‘The Highland Twins at the Chalet School’, which was 16th in the original series. I have a hardback edition that was my mother’s when she was a child and have always loved this particular episode in the saga. I last read it in 2011, and as ever I had forgotten many of the details, even though I recalled the main outline of the story.

Flora and Fiona McDonald are the ‘Highland Twins’ o...

Love Beyond Reason (by John Ortberg)

I both liked and appreciated John Ortberg’s books the first time I read them, so I’m now re-reading them, and finding new encouragement and inspiration. I first read ‘Love beyond reason’ in 2008 and again in 2013, so it felt like time for a re-read. Not that I find anything new, exactly, in books like this - but a lot of reminders that are often surprisingly relevant.

This book essentially explains what it means to be loved by God. Not in a general way, but specific. Ortberg uses the word ‘ragge...