Sue Fairhead's Blog, page 8

A problem for the Chalet School (by Elinor M Brent-Dyer)

(Amazon UK link) It’s nearly ten years since I read ‘A problem for the Chalet School’, 36th in Elinor M Brent-Dyer's original series. It's the first time in several decades that I read it in an unabridged edition. I previously had an Armada paperback which was starting to fall to pieces, so I was pleased to be able to acquire a ‘Girls gone by’ version, with the full original text. Apparently it was quite seriously abridged, with an entire chapter missing in the Armada paperback.
I vaguely recalled...

The me I want to be (by John Ortberg)

(Amazon UK link) I do like John Ortberg’s books. He’s an American pastor who writes with honesty and some humour. His writing is often thought-provoking, and I found it particularly so in this book. I last read ‘The me I want to be’ in 2010, so had pretty much forgotten what was in it. Possibly I borrowed it the first time, as I could not find it on our shelves. So I put it on my wishlist and was delighted to be given it for Christmas.
I’ve reread it over the past couple of weeks, a chapter or two...

The Trapp family on wheels (by Maria von Trapp)

(Amazon UK link) Since I re-read the book ‘The sound of music’ (originally known as ‘The Trapp family singers’) a month or so ago, I decided to read its sequel, ‘The Trapp family on wheels’, which was sitting on our shelves. I have no idea where we acquired it, nor do I have any memory of having read it before. The front cover states that it’s an ‘enchanting sequel’, and the blurb at the back says that it will appeal to anyone who read the first book. It's written, as with the first book, by Mari...

Ghosts (by Adrian Plass)

(Amazon UK link) I have been re-reading some of my collection of Adrian Plass’s fiction books over the past year or so, around one per month. I have just finished ‘Ghosts’, which I last read in 2015. I had remembered the broad idea of the book, and the main character, but had forgotten all the other people and what transpires.
There’s not a whole lot of plot in this book. David Herrick, who narrates, is a Christian speaker whose wife Jessica died after a short illness about six months before the s...

Fifth formers at St Clare's (by Enid Blyton)

(Amazon UK link) It’s over thirty years since I last read ‘Fifth formers at St Clare’s’, the sixth and final book by Enid Blyton in her series about the St Clare’s boarding school. I re-read the first five over the past few months, and on the whole liked them very much. The first four take place over four consecutive terms, with the twins Pat and Isabel O’Sullivan the main characters. Then the books take leaps forward, sometimes more than a year.
The twins don’t in fact feature much in this book, ...

Nights of rain and stars (by Maeve Binchy)

(Amazon UK link) It’s almost two decades since I read ‘Nights of rain and stars’ by the late Maeve Binchy. So it’s not surprising that I had completely forgotten the plot and characters. I hadn’t even remembered that this book is set in a small Greek island rather than the author’s more usual setting of Ireland. 
Whereas the last few Binchy novels I read featured some of the same characters, this one is - as far I know, anyway - an entirely new set of people. And the story opens with a terrible tr...

Devil's breath (by Jill Johnson)

(Amazon UK link) I hadn’t heard of Jill Johnson, and probably wouldn’t have chosen her book if I had seen it for sale. I don’t usually choose books that state on the front that they are ‘eerily compelling’. But ‘Devil’s Breath’ was this month’s reading group selection. I was able to buy it inexpensively for the Kindle, and started reading a few days ago.
The main protagonist - who tells the story - is Professor Eustacia Rose, who lives in London. She isn’t currently working, and we quickly learn t...

In search of the healing place (by Murray McGavin)

(Amazon UK link) It’s always difficult to try to review a book when I know the author. Murray McGavin and his wife Ruth have been friends of ours for a long time. We heard a lot, in the past couple of years, about the often frustrating process of having his book published. But finally ‘In search of the healing place’ is in print, and we were given a copy. I started reading it a couple of weeks ago, and have just finished reading it.
I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when I began the book. I kn...

Allegra (by Clare Darcy)

(Amazon UK link) I’m pleased that I decided to read - or reread - my collection of novels by Clare Darcy. She’s the only writer of historical fiction I’ve come across whose style is similar to that of Georgette Heyer. The writing feels authentic, the characters realistic, and the plots enjoyable.
I don’t recall ever having read ‘Allegra’, although perhaps a did a few decades ago. In any case, I had entirely forgotten both the people and the story. The title character, Allegra, is twenty-five - ‘on...

The painted garden (by Noel Streatfeild)

(Amazon UK link) I’m so enjoying re-reading my books by Noel Streatfeild. She wrote originally for children, primarily girls. I loved her books when I was around eight or nine, and again as a teenager, and have continued to read them regularly as an adult. Her characterisation is excellent, and the writing well-paced with a little humour and some poignancy.
I last read ‘The painted garden’ in 2016. I had recalled the overall storyline: a family with three children goes to the United States, where ...