Rhoda Baxter's Blog, page 76
April 17, 2012
Goodreads Book Review: Interpreter of Maladies / The Namesake
Interpreter of Maladies / The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I picked this book up after hearing about on the radio. I read the first story and I cried. The writing is beautiful. The stories are images from the middle class Indian diaspora – some are sad, some not. It’s a wonderful little book of stories. I’ve read it twice. I’d read it again.
Goodreads Book Review: I’ve Got Your Number
I’ve Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I’ve got your number by Sophie Kinsella
I had high hopes for the new standalone Sophie Kinsella book (I stopped reading the Shopaholic series somewhere near the end of ‘and baby’ – they got too samey). The premise of the book – Poppy loses her expensive engagement ring and, whilst waiting for the hotel staff to report it found, has her mobile phone stolen. She picks up a phone from a wastepaper bin and appropriates it (desperate...
Goodreads Book Review: The Hating Game
The Hating Game by Talli Roland
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Mattie Johns is a snarky, mean, calculating, bitchy character. But you still want to find out what happens to her – even if it’s only to see her get her comeuppance. It was fun reading about a heroine who was so very different to the normal chicklit heroine.
The title, and the game show that features in the book, is great idea. The Hating Game. Mattie has to go on dates which four exes and then has to spend two weeks with the ‘winner’. T...
April 15, 2012
Women of Science
I don’t have a title for my latest book yet, but I know it’s about a woman who is doing a science PhD and wondering whether or not to stay. It was inspired by a conversation I had with a friend about why women leave science.
Every year there are hundreds of women with PhDs who hang up their lab coats and go do something else. It could be something science related (science teachers, lab technicians, that sort of thing) or something totally unrelated – there a lot of accountants and actuaries an...
April 3, 2012
Jen Black – author of Reluctance
Today I've got Jen Black visiting my blog. Her debut novel 'Reluctance' is out this week! This is the first time I've interviewed someone. It's quite exciting actually.
Hello Jen, tell us a bit about yourself
I've always lived within forty miles of where I am now in Northumberland. The only continent I haven't visited is South America – and I've no plans to do so! With a degree in English/History and recently retired from library management, I write almost every day – usually historical adventures.
What inspired you to write Reluctance?
There's a National Trust property called Gibside nearby, and in the seventeen hundreds, a certain George Bowes made immense wealth from the coal trade. Without sons, his daughter inherited everything and made a very unfortunate marriage which scandalised society at the time. I thought I could use the basic thread, and make a very good story out of it. The reasons people married then, as now, are many and varied, and I wanted to explore why a woman might give up her wealth, independence and property to a scoundrel.
Which character did you identify with first, Frances or Jack?
Frances was the character who initially formed in my mind. Well educated, and with an aversion to marital duties after her first marriage, she had absolutely no incentive to marry again. Yet she would. So what was it that changed her mind? That's what intrigued me.
What's the best thing about your hero and heroine as a couple? They are first and foremost friends. From that, comes everything else. He, for different reasons, is also against marriage, but I cannot say more without giving away the plot.
What's your current research obsession?
I'm currently writing about a male protagonist in sixteenth century in France, and swotting over a siege at St-Dizier in 1544.
Reluctance by Jen Black is out on the 6th of April 2012
"It takes courage to love again…
Perhaps marriage is the safest place to hide if you're afraid of love."
If there was one thing Frances didn't want to do, it was marry again. She is perfectly happy with her life as widow and looks forward to spoiling her cousin's children as they come along. But in England in 1803, an heiress was fair game to fortune-hunters and some were more tiresome than others. When two strangers enter her life, she has no idea that between them, they will change it it forever.
You can find Jen on http://jenblackauthor.blogspot.com or on twitter
Reluctance is available from http://museituppublishing.com
March 29, 2012
Patent Attorney heroes – Marsh is not alone
My novel, Patently in Love is set in a patent attorney firm. So, naturally, I contacted @IPKat. For those outside of the world of intellectual property, the IPkat blog is a very popular blog about all things patent, trademark and copyright. I've read the blog for years but never had anything worthwhile to contribute, so I was delighted to get a mention on it.
Soon after, I found out that another book featuring a patent attorney hero, a thriller this time, had been released on the same day. This prompted me to go and look for other books with patent attorney heroes. Turns out there are a number of them.
Here's a list, in no particular order (Thanks to the Patently O review list and Google):
Errors and Omissions by Paul Goldstein – A legal thriller featuring copyright law
A Patent Lie by Paul Goldstein – A legal thriller featuring a Markman hearing
Undue Diligence by Paul Haughey – A legal thriller featuring patent trolls
The book of Air and Shadows by Michael Gruber – A literary/historical detective story involving copyright
Notes of a Patent Attorney by Brian C Coad – I haven't a clue what this is about. I think it's a compilation of stories – maybe whimsical, maybe fantasy – the Amazon listing isn't clear
The patented formula for a multi-armed man by Unno Juza – Japanese Sci Fi/political satire (?)
Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson (Calvin's Dad is a patent attorney – he's not the main character, but he's definitely a hero)
The Schmetterling Effect by Ivan Cotter – Adventure thriller
Patently in Love by Me – Romantic comedy – er… not a thriller)
It looks like most of these are thrillers. This is probably because most patent attorneys have a background in science and most retired patent attorneys are men (assuming the writing is a hobby, indulged in once the pressures of work have melted away). I think I've got my reading list sorted for the rest of the year.
Of course there are patent attorneys who write novels which do not involve IP – Michelle Paver (author of the Wolf Brother series) is the most obvious example, but I'm sure there are others.
It's not surprising that IP attorneys and examiners would turn to writing. After all, these are people who have to painstakingly explain the difference between 'comprising' and 'consisting of' on a regular basis. (If you're not used to them, patent claims can read like cryptic crossword clues).
Just for fun, I thought I'd try writing a set of claims for my story. But then I found this online: http://www.plotpatents.com and decided to give up and go to bed.
March 23, 2012
Goodreads Book Review: All That Mullarkey
All That Mullarkey by Sue Moorcroft
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I enjoyed 'Can you keep a secret' so much that I thought I'd try another book by Sue Moorcroft. I seem to be reading my way through the Choc Lit books at the moment.
Cleo's marriage is on the rocks and she has a one night stand. Unfortunately, she forgot to use protection. Is she pregnant? Can she preserve her marriage? Does she even want to?
Cleo is a nice character, bright, sparky and fairly bloody-minded. Her habit of burying her head in the sand gets annoying by the middle of the book, but once we move on to section two, that sorts itself out. Justin is a lovely bloke (okay, a little irresponsible at times, but still…).
There are two main male characters in this book, but it's fairly obvious from early on who the hero is. The second half of the book deals with some serious issues like harassment, parenthood, the work life balance and the importance of reputation. The dialogue, especially between the men, was really well done.
The ending, although you know it's coming, is really sweet and resonant.
March 19, 2012
How the Kindle App gave me my hobby back
My mother taught me to read. (She also taught me to read critically, but that was much later). For as long as I can remember, I read. A lot. When I was at primary school I read four or five books a week, all age appropriate of course. I continued reading until I went to university when, suddenly there wasn't time for reading for pleasure. I took up reading again when I started work. I had a longish train commute into London. Which meant I had at least two hours a day where I had nothing better to do than read. I went to the library once a week and scooped up a load of books from the 'just returned' trolley – thus ensuring a fairly eclectic selection. Sometimes, the librarians would point me in the direction of something new that they thought I'd like.
I used to read at lunchtime, read before bed, read whenever I could. And then I had children.Pfft. Suddenly there was no time for ANYTHING. Pick up a book? Forget it. By the time I found the book from wherever the Tykes had hidden it, found the right page, unglued it if it had been lovingly covered in jam/porridge/worse, it was time to do something else. So, reading for pleasure was something limited to my lunch hour at work or when I was ill. It was all academic anyway because I never got to browse in the library. The closest thing I got to a fun book was Hairy McLairy (I love that book).
That was the case until I was given a smart phone. The first app I downloaded was the Kindle app. Now, suddenly, I had access to a bookshop that was always open and I could get the book within minutes (seconds, even). I could read in little snippets on my phone – which was always with me and always off limits to little people. Now I read while the kids are splashing in the bath, while I'm waiting for them to finish their colouring before they leave nursery, while I'm waiting in the doctor's waiting room with a sleeping baby on my shoulder. It doesn't take up any room in my handbag (which is full of kid related clutter) and I don't have to wonder where I put it down.
Thank you Kindle app. You've given me back my most treasured hobby.
March 7, 2012
Goodreads Book Review: Please Don’t Stop the Music by Jane Lovering
Rhoda Baxter‘s review
Mar 07, 12·edit
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Read from March 01 to 07, 2012
Jemima has a dark secret. The scars from her past stop her from settling down. Ben has secrets of his own. When Jemima goes to Ben’s shop to ask him to stock her jewellery, they recognise something in each other.
Please Don’t Stop the Music is too dark to be considered chic lit. The deeply damaged hero and heroine, arson, postnatal depression, the peculiar mystery of what Saskia is up to, all combine to make it a compelling read...
Goodreads Book Review: Please Don't Stop the Music by Jane Lovering
Rhoda Baxter's review
Mar 07, 12 · edit
[image error]
Read from March 01 to 07, 2012
Jemima has a dark secret. The scars from her past stop her from settling down. Ben has secrets of his own. When Jemima goes to Ben's shop to ask him to stock her jewellery, they recognise something in each other.
Please Don't Stop the Music is too dark to be considered chic lit. The deeply damaged hero and heroine, arson, postnatal depression, the peculiar mystery of what Saskia is up to, all combine to make it a compelling read. With all that, you'd expect it to be a bit of a depressing read, but it isn't. The characters are vivid. The comedy is mainly through the way the characters interact with each other (no ditzy heroine slapstick here!) and the dialogue is witty. Jemima is likeable and believable, even if you want to shake her sometimes. Ben is so damaged you just want to wrap him in a blanket and take him home. The ending is not quite your traditional happily ever after, but it's upbeat and full of hope. This is a good book; well written and thought provoking. I really enjoyed it.
