Madeleine Wickham "Swimming Pool Sunday"

For those of you who don't know, Madeleine Wickham is the real name of Sophie Kinsella (of "Shopoholic" fame). Before she was published under Sophie Kinsella she had written several books as Madeleine Wickham. Be warned! They are of quite a different style, which of course is one of the reasons they are published under a different name. As a side note, one thing I find funny about this is I had commented to people Sophie Kinsella was an author who you could watch maturing in writing style with each bit. Since "discovering" Madeleine Wickham it is worth noting that I didn't get this feel in her books.

"Swimming Pool Sunday" is the story of a village torn apart by an accident. An accident caused by someone wanting to help others. It is also the story of the emotions and effects of a couple going through a divorce and their children. Lawyers involvement and personal feelings further complicate the issue. Different people have different loyalties to all of the parties involved. Other issues concerned are the power, and otherwise, of litigation, grief and a child with special needs. It deals with the guilt of motherhood and the always present thoughts of "what if". It is a story that shows no-one is perfect and reminds us all that nothing is black and white and to always look at the shades of grey.

I really enjoyed this book! I managed to buy three at the same time and I am very much looking forward to reading the others.

I may have stopped breathing

I just went for 48 hours without reading a single page of a single book. I do not remember the last time this happened. You will be pleased to know I have checked. I am still alive. I am happy about this!!

Pamela Pope "A Collar of Jewels"

I have read this book a few times before. It isn't one I read all the time but was certainly one I enjoyed re-reading.

The story starts in 1890, when Ellie, the daughter of a rich Catholic business man, by chance meets Max, the son of a poor Jewish carpenter working as a waiter. Max saves Ellie's life but the two do not come into contact again for a few years. What follows is a story of romance, one-sided love, bravery, betrayal, loyalty, forgiveness and prejudices that spans two decades. It is set in England and the US in the early twentieth century and during World War I against the background of poverty, extreme wealth, business and the war zone. There are references to unionism, the growing rail industry, family disputes and the issues of an inter-religious marriage.

Ellie falls for Max and he ends up marrying her when she finds herself pregnant. Circumstances eventually mean they flee to England, funded by money from Ellie's mother much to Max's discomfort. Max then abandons Ellie to fend for herself and their baby son while he returns to the US and so the years progress.

"A Collar of Jewels" is a typical example of its genre, but it is a good read. I imagine I will read it again!

Ann Pearlman "The Cookie Club"

I found this book at a school fete and I was particularly excited because I had never heard of cookie clubs before until a friend of my returned to Australia last year after living in the US for five years. This year she is looking at having her own cookie party!

"The Cookie Club" I guess could be categorised as chick lit of older chicks? Women's fiction might be a better description (I might need to do some research on how to work out what genre a book belongs to!). Set around an annual Christmas cookie club complete with rules, old friends, a new friend and cookies it discusses major life issues but looking back briefly on major life issues that have made each of the women the way they are.

Marnie, aka as Head Cookie Bitch, is the narrator. A single mother, two adult daughters and on the brink of becoming a grandmother. It is through her eyes that the story is told and the insight into each of the other women is based on her recollections of shared memories or shared confidences. Still birth, abusive relationships, adoption, childlessness, drug addiction, divorce and many other topics are touched on. Despite all this it is definitely a light read.

A touch I particularly liked was the recipe at the beginning of each chapter and the historical/cultural/symbol insight into different ingredients at the end of each chapter.

The book was a nice light read.

Juliet Marillier "Heart's Blood"

I was given this book to read by a friend ages ago when she heard how much I had enjoyed Juliet Marillier's "Daughter of the Forest" and some of its sequels, but I have only just read it.

Based on the classic fairy-tale "Beauty and the Beast" the book follows the story of a young female scribe called Caitrin who runs away from a cruel husband. She ends up in the household of Lord Anluan. A lord who has been deformed. A lord who lives in a castle no-one will go near. A lord who does not, or cannot, do his duty by the people of the greater area he is responsible for, yet at the same time has the ultimate loyalty of the few members of his household. A lord with a secret. A lord who lives in a castle in a wood filled with whispers and shadows and voices and eyes.

Caitrin is hired to help Anluan uncover a secret so that he can find the way out of the curse that has been on his family for generations and as the story progresses she slowly begins to unravel the mystery and comes to realise the enormity of the horror she has come across.

This was a great book!! It took me a few chapters to get into it, which I find is usual for me with this type of book. It also took me probably longer then it should have for me to get all the characters sorted out in my head. They all have old Irish names, which adds to the feel of the story, but I always find it just makes it that little more complex to follow. As a random side point, I was particularly excited with the reference the old Irish law as I spent a semester studying it a few years ago (Probably not of interest to most people! I do realise this!). I am looking forward to re-reading it at some point as I think there were some aspects I missed. Definitely recommending this one.

The Void

I have been reading, just not blogging about it! My train reading is fairly complex and I am loving the story but it takes concentration so I am reading it slower then I normally do. My home reading has been all over the place. I have read a few Cathy Cassidy books that the girls have given to me. The big two are loving them and if the girls love a book they give it to me because I just have to read it too! They are good :) Plus I have been re-reading a number of the Abbey Girl books after doing the last review. I haven't reviewed all these. I will at some point, but I read them every year, often two or three times so that can wait! I have also been reading a new adult book that I am not finding very absorbing so I am just taking my time. Stay tuned for new reviews!

I love a good book sale! But .....

Borders has a massive book sale on at the moment! Usually this would make me really happy, but having Borders closing down and going into the shop that was half empty was just sad. The fact they were playing sad music probably didn't help either.

I did get a couple of books today, including a birthday present for Miss Aimee, but not that many. Most of them were still more then I can buy them for second hand. I am going back next week though. Yes, I feel a little like a vulture, or a seagull, but if the store is going to go anyway, I feel it is my duty to support it to its last breath.

Elsie J. Oxenham "The Abbey Girls Play Up"

I have to start this post by saying how much I love the Abbey Girl books. Although, I am aware they are very much for a select audience. They are now collectibles although I am by no means an expert on what is considered rare or valuable. My own collection has been obtained through ebay and secondhand shopping and all have been less then $25 (Australian) and in most cases a lot less! The books show all the classic stereotypes of their times as is to be expected. If you are going to try them, this is simply a product of the genre.

If you have not come across them before, the Abbey Girl books are a series written for girls set around a restored abbey in the set of a manor house in England during the twenties and thirties. The early books rotate around three girls. Cousins, Joan and Joy and their friend Jen. Later Rosamund, Maidlin and Mary-Dorothy are added as key figures. As the series progress, they grow up, their circle of friends is extended and they all have children. Later still, their children become the key figures in many of the books. The Hamlet Club, their school's folk dancing group, and the role they all play as Queens play a key part in the series. Alongside helping others and the "Abbey's" spirit of adoption.

"The Abbey Girls Play Up" chronologically is set around the middle period of the series. Joan, Joy and Jen are all married with young families. This particular story is one of the books that is a little different in the sense that it focuses on a friend rather then one of the main "family". Cecily Brown is an orphan who loves music. Through a series of events Cecily comes in contact with Abbey family and they make her dreams come true, in ways she never could have hoped for.

This book is highly recommended for anyone who likes Elsie J. Oxenham's other books or books by Dorita Bruce, Elinor M. Brent-Dyer, Enid Blyton's school stories and others by that type. I have been reading these since I was about 8, although if you were looking for one to introduce to a younger reader, I would suggest going with one of the earlier books. I would also suggest that it would have to be a girl (at the risk of stereotyping) who was already fairly well read. My own girls (12, 10 and 8) have yet to "get" these books although they have all had a go at reading them at some point. At this point in my house they are still my books!

Cate Kendall "Gucci Mamas"

It is no secret that I love chick lit. That said, I do appreciate that there is a difference in quality and style amongst the books that fit in the chick lit genre.

"Gucci Mamas" would come under the broader chick lit/women's literature type category. As the name suggests it comes under the sub-category of books based around women who are mothers rather then the young and single. The book centres around Mim and her circle of fashion conscious, competitive mother, nanny hiring, circle of rich friends and her increasing sense of resentment for her life. One of the things that makes this different from other similar books I have read is that it is set in Australia. This added a slightly different dimension to it for me.

The characters aren't very convincing and at the same time not "clever" enough to feel you are reading a satire. If anything, I got the feeling that the writers would like to live more these sort of lifestyles. Minus the problems of course! Although realistically who wouldn't love to have unlimited money!

Despite the above observations, the authors have gone to lengths to show the hidden sides to each of the main characters. Additionally, every mother knows the perils of over-competitiveness amongst the school/playgroup/mothers' group set regardless of social economic circles and those analogies are well done and will make you smile.

I wouldn't rush to recommend this book and if you don't read a lot I wouldn't put this book on your list. However if you read a lot, have kids and like chick lit give it a go!