Sue Fairhead's Blog, page 71

Equal Rites (by Terry Pratchett)

‘Equal Rites’ is the first of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books that I read, back in the early 1990s. My husband had started reading them, and thought I might like this one. I loved it, and was hooked… and remained so, long after he had become bored with the series.

I last read ‘Equal Rites’ in 2000, and am currently slowly re-reading through the Discworld series again, interspersed with other books. I finished ‘The Colour of Magic’ at the end of March, and ‘The Light Fantastic’ in the middl...

The Keeper of Lost Things (by Ruth Hogan)

I had not heard of Ruth Hogan, and am not, in general, a fan of ‘literary fiction’. I’m not entirely sure what that even means, other than books which don’t fit neatly into any other genre. But the title ‘The Keeper of Lost Things’ had popped up several times in Amazon’s recommendations and elsewhere. So when I spotted a copy inexpensively in a church book sale, it wasn’t a difficult decision to buy it.

What a delight this book turned out to be!

It’s really two stories, taking place in differ...

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (by JK Rowling)

This year, as well as many other books, I’m gradually reading my way through JK Rowling’s ‘Harry Potter’ series of books. I’ve just finished the second one, ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’. It’s the fourth time I have read this book in less than twenty years, but I appreciate it every time.

The book opens, as the first one did, with Harry at home with his Dursley relatives. They are caricatures of unpleasant people: greedy, selfish, and vehemently against anything unusual or ‘abnor...

The Back of Beyond (by Sheila Hawkins)

I had never heard of Sheila Hawkins. Apparently she died just over five years ago, but was a very popular writer in her local circle around Paphos. I doubt if I would have picked this book up, but a friend had acquired two copies and gave me one last year. My friend enjoyed it, so I finally picked it up to read a month or two back, and have just finished it.

‘The Back of Beyond’ is a honest, sometimes amusing account of the time when the author and her husband Harry moved permanently to Cypru...

Snow in April (by Rosamunde Pilcher)

In reading my way, gradually, through the late Rosamunde Pilcher’s excellent novels, I reached ‘Snow in April’. This is a book I only discovered around the turn of the century, and have only read twice. I last read it in 2009, and my only memory of it was of someone getting snowed in at a stranger’s house in Scotland.

The opening chapter introduces Caroline, a young woman who is due to get married in a week’s time. She lives in London with her well-off and organised stepmother Diana, and Dia...

Thunder on the Right (by Mary Stewart)

I first read some of Mary Stewart’s novels when I was a teenager. I probably borrowed them from my school library. I remember finding them quite tense, and scary in places; but I also loved the underlying romantic threads that run through most of them. ‘Thunder on the Right’ was a title I recalled - although not the story line - when I acquired a copy of the book second-hand about fifteen years ago.

I last read ‘Thunder on the Right’ in 2005, and had entirely forgotten the story. I like it whe...

Krindlekrax (by Philip Ridley)

I don’t think I had ever read anything by Philip Ridley. He has apparently written quite a few novels for children, mostly with strange titles. He has written some books or adults too. I wouldn’t have picked up ‘Krindlekrax’ for light reading if I had seen it in a shop; the front cover looks quite gruesome. But it’s the kind of thing that might appeal to children of around eight to ten.

A young friend was in a stage production of ‘Krindlekrax’ recently, and was then given the book. After she...

Between Sisters (by Cathy Kelly)

I very much liked the two novels I read previously by Cathy Kelly, so was looking forward to reading ‘Between Sisters’. I was given this for Christmas, after adding several of this author’s books to my wish-list. She writes warm contemporary women’s fiction, mostly set in Ireland.

‘Between Sisters’ opens with a prologue set in London, however. A woman called Elsa is involved in a popular TV show, but is worried about her health. The action then switches to Dublin, and it wasn’t until I was o...

Passing Go (by Libby Purves)

It’s over sixteen years since I was given and read ‘Passing Go’ by Libby Purves. I had entirely forgotten what it was about when I picked it up to re-read a few days ago. The title did not trigger my memory at all.

However, I did recall the basic circumstances of the story once I had started reading. It’s about the Keaney family, whom we gradually get to know over the course of the book. Roy, the father, is the first one to make his appearance. He works as a book publisher, and quite likes wh...

These Old Shades (by Georgette Heyer)

In gradually reading through my large collection of Georgette Heyer novels, interspersed with other books, I reached ‘These Old Shades’. For some reason I did not remember it with any great enthusiasm. I vaguely remembered the plot, and was a tad surprised to find that I have previously read it at least four times, starting in 1987 which is possibly when I acquired it.

The last time I read this book was in 2007, so perhaps it’s not surprising that I had only the outline of the plot in my min...