Sue Fairhead's Blog, page 7

Saffy's angel (by Hilary McKay)

(Amazon UK link) A month or so ago I decided to reread the wonderful Casson family series of books for older children by Hilary McKay. Instead of starting with the one that was published first, I reread the prequel, ‘Caddy’s world’, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
So it was time to reread ‘Saffy’s Angel’, originally the first in the series, and the one which made me fall in love with these books. Because it was the first to be written, it doesn't continue a lot of the threads in the prequel, and there...

Authentic relationships (by Wayne and Clay Jacobsen)

(Amazon UK link) It’s a long time since I read most of the books by the Christian writer Wayne Jacobsen, all of which I found thought-provoking and inspiring. I last read ‘Authentic relationships’ in 2009, so it was more than time for a reread.
This book actually has two authors; Clay Jacobsen is Wayne Jacobsen’s brother, and the introduction explains that they wrote the book together. But instead of alternating chapters or anecdotes, they write as if one person, combining their expertise and expe...

These old shades (by Georgette Heyer)

(Amazon UK link) The author whose books I re-read most often is Georgette Heyer. She wrote some 20th century detective/crime fiction novels, but the bulk of her work was in historical fiction. It’s mostly set amongst the upper classes, and generally features a romance. Her characterisation is excellent, and her plots very cleverly contrived.
It’s only six years since I last read ‘These old shades’. It’s a book I acquired in 1987, and I had already read it five times, so the overall story was famil...

Summer at the lake (by Erica James)

(Amazon UK link) On the whole, I very much like Erica James’ novels, and am glad I decided to reread them. I last read ‘Summer at the lake’ in 2015, and had entirely forgotten it. But I knew that I liked it. I always like rereading a book which I know I’m going to enjoy - assuming my tastes have not changed too much. 
The first person we meet is a young woman called Floriana. She is feeling quite agitated over an unexpected invitation to ‘save the date’ for a wedding. We don’t learn who Seb, the g...

Excitements at the Chalet School (by Elinor M Brent-Dyer)

(Amazon UK link) In my gradual re-reading of Elinor M Brent-Dyer's 'Chalet School' series, I’ve reached the Swiss era, which is probably my least favourite. However, there are some gems still, such as ‘New Mistress at the Chalet School’, which I re-read in April. I’ve now finished the one after ‘New Mistress’, one which I recalled as somewhat run-of-the mill without remembering any of the details. 
‘Excitements for the Chalet School’ is 38th in the original series. I last read it nearly ten years ...

Bestseller (by Celia Brayfield)

(Amazon UK link) I have a lot of books on my shelves about writing. This is no surprise; I tend to collect a large number of books on any topic in which I’m interested, many of them bought second-hand. What does surprise me is that there are at least half a dozen which I have never read. I’ve decided to try and read one per month, and started with ‘Bestseller’ by Celia Brayfield.
I have no idea where I acquired this book. It’s marked ‘1.99’ in pencil on the inside cover, but it’s not clear whether...

A man called Peter (by Catherine Marshall)

(Amazon UK link) It’s a long time since I read the book ‘A man called Peter’ by Catherine Marshall. I probably read it in the 1980s or early 1990s, before starting this review blog. But I remembered it for two reasons: firstly that it was more interesting than I had expected, and secondly that it had a sad ending.
To make it clear, this isn’t about the apostle called Peter, but about the author’s husband Revd Dr Peter Marshall, who was a well-known preacher and minister in the United States in the...

The Fifth Summer (by Titia Sutherland)

(Amazon UK link) It’s a long time since I read the novels by Titia Sutherland. I recalled enjoying them, but not much else about them. So I decided to reread them, in the order in which she wrote them. It’s over twenty years since I read ‘The fifth summer’, and I had entirely forgotten the people and the storyline. 
The main characters are a family of four: Will and Lorna have been contentedly married for a long time, and have two teenage children. Debbie is eighteen, Fergus is sixteen. For the pa...

The lion, the witch and the wardrobe (by CS Lewis)

(Amazon UK link) I re-read ‘The magician’s nephew’ just over a month ago. Although it wasn’t written first, it’s the earliest of CS Lewis’s Narnia books, chronologically. It recounts the creation of Narnia, and hints at events to come. I wouldn’t recommend it being read first when introducing children to the series, but as an adult, I always prefer to read that one first. 
And now I’ve just finished the best-known Narnia book, ‘The lion, the witch and the wardrobe’. It’s the one that should be rea...

Miss Garnet's angel (by Salley Vickers)

(Amazon UK link) I had not heard of Salley Vickers until her book ‘Grandmothers’ was assigned for our local reading group nearly four years ago. I liked it very much, and put one of the author’s other books on my wishlist. I was given ‘Miss Garnet’s angel’ by a relative… for Christmas 2021. It’s taken me this long to decide to read it.
We meet Miss Julia Garnet shortly after her friend and flatmate Harriet died. Miss Garnet is an organised, staid kind of person who doesn’t really have any other fr...