Sue Fairhead's Blog, page 70

The Orthodox Heretic (by Peter Rollins)

I can’t remember where I read an enthusiastic review of ‘The Orthodox Heretic and other impossible tales’. I had not heard of the author, Peter Rollins, but I was curious enough to check some reviews, and they seemed very mixed. Readers either loved the book, or thought it, essentially, heretical. It sounded like an intriguing read, so I added it to my wishlist.

I was given the book for my birthday a couple of months ago, and started reading it about a week ago. The introduction explains tha...

The Lemon Tree Café (by Cathy Bramley)

I so enjoyed the first book I read by Cathy Bramley (‘Wickham Hall’) that I put a couple of other books she had written on my wish list last year. I was delighted to be given them for my birthday this year, and have just finished reading ‘The Lemon Tree Cafe’.

The story is narrated by a young woman called Rosie. She’s clearly a person of strong principles, as we learn in the first chapter. She works for a high-powered social media company, where she’s considered an expert in some fields. But...

Nine Coaches Waiting (by Mary Stewart)

I do like the late Mary Stewart’s writing. I first discovered some of her gothic style romantic thrillers when I was a teenager. I found them somewhat frightening, but also compulsive. As an adult I acquired some titles I recalled, and some which I don’t think I had previously read. One of those is ‘Nine Coaches Waiting’, which I read, probably for the first time, in 2005. So it was more than time for a re-read.

As so often happens after a gap of more than a few years, I had entirely forgott...

The End of Summer (by Rosamunde Pilcher)

In re-reading my Rosamunde Pilcher novels again over the past few years, I reached the one that is probably my least favourite: ‘The End of Summer’. It’s quite a short book - only just over 150 pages - which I last read in 2010.

Jane is the main character of this novel, and it’s told in the first person. We first meet her when she’s sitting on a beach in California, and gets chatting to a surfer. We learn from her conversation and her thoughts that she lives in a small house, essentially lit...

The Skylarks' War (by Hilary McKay)

It's nearly eight years since I first read ‘Saffy’s Angel’, which was my introduction to the excellent children’s writer Hilary McKay. I started collecting others of her books, and have enjoyed them all. So when I saw that she had published a new book which had won an award and was very highly recommended, I decided to put it on my wishlist. I was given ‘The Skylarks’ War’ for my birthday a couple of months ago, and have read it over the past two days.

It’s primarily written from the viewpoi...

Home Leave (by Libby Purves)

I collected and read all of Libby Purves’ novels over a decade ago, and have only recently started re-reading them. It’s sixteen years since I first read ‘Home Leave’, and I had entirely forgotten what it was about.

It opens by introducing Robert Grafton, at a New Year’s Eve ball in Vienna, in 1950. There he met and fell in love with the beautiful Diana. Robert was a diplomat, and she made an excellent diplomatic wife, happy to pack up and move every few years as they travelled around the wo...

An Infamous Army (by Georgette Heyer)

I have been collecting Georgette Heyer’s novels since my late teens. I love the Regency Romance books, and re-read them regularly. But I wasn’t so keen on the two more serious historical novels, ‘Beauvallet’ and ‘The Conqueror’ which I bought second-hand many years ago. They are full of battles and no doubt very well researched, but not my kind of book at all.

So I hadn’t bought Heyer’s other war-related fiction. But, in discussion on an online group dedicated to this author, several people...

A Praying Life (by Paul E Miller)

Every so often I browse the special offers for Kindle books, and download a selection that are free, either long-term or temporarily, and which look interesting. Sometimes it’s years before I get around to reading them, and that’s the case with ‘A Praying Life’ by Paul Miller. He’s not an author I had heard of when I saw this book available free back in 2011, but the reviews of the book were almost unanimously positive so I downloaded it.

I started reading ‘A Praying Life’ about five weeks ag...

Still Me (by JoJo Moyes)

I only started reading JoJo Moyes’ novels about nine years ago. I enjoyed some more than others, then in 2015 read the very powerful ‘Me Before You’, which I liked very much. I was delighted to learn that there was a sequel, and read ‘After You’ almost exactly a year ago. I was then surprised and even more pleased to discover that there was a third book about Louisa Clark, heroine of the first two books. ‘Still Me’ went on my wishlist as soon as it was out in paperback, and I was given it fo...

Seven Scamps (by Elinor M Brent-Dyer)

In slowly reading through Elinor M Brent-Dyer’s ‘La Rochelle’ series, I reached ‘Seven Scamps’. This is the fourth book in the series, and one I have never read before, as far as I recall. I only managed to acquire the book last year; it was out of print for a long time, and I had not even heard of it until the Girls Gone By publishers produced a new edition in 2013.

I wasn’t sure what to expect; the word ‘scamps’ sounds like young children, so I was vaguely imagining seven young children ge...