The Twentieth Wife.... Indu Sundaresan

If you've ever thought of  pondering the wonders of India and long-ago lore... then step right this way into a tale of love, mystery, and devotion that eventually resulted in the reality of the Taj Mahal. I bought this book when I was in India and have just finished it today. I enjoyed the skillfull blend of historical reality along with the richness of the scenes the author created, and  whilst  reading it somehow brought all the magic of India back to me, only thing missing was a cup of chai.  I have just ordered the followup  "The Feast of Roses" and can't wait.

Curtesy Chai

Wolf Hall ... Hilary Mantel.... Fantastic

When I was handed Wolf Hall I actually groaned and not exactly with pleasure I might add. I love historical novels, but faced with 650 pages it went on the shelf. I was told it would take me awhile to get into it, so it stayed on the shelf. About 4 weeks ago I decided to give it a go, and then could hardly wait to go to bed to read more, Mantel's writing style drew me in completely. She details short, almost off-hand conversations between Cromwell and his family. And then, sometimes, she will give us fascinating debates between Cromwell and Sir Thomas More, the "man for all seasons" who was ruthless in his practices to rid England of heretics, it doesn't lag one bit for a 600+ page historical novel, it moves very quickly. Throughout the novel, Cromwell is reminded of his humble beginnings and is looked down upon by noblemen who wonder how he has been able to rise to such lofty heights. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in Henry VIII and that time period. Readers looking for something along the lines of "The Other Boleyn Girl" won't find it here...this is fiction at its finest.

I was left wanting more and lucky for me I had the sequel 'Bringing up the Bodies'. It continues the story of Thomas Cromwell; self made man, secretary chief minister and adviser to Henry VIII at one of the most tumultuous times in British History. You will also find yourself reading certain passages over and over again simply because they are so perfect. And  I have to mention that you will find yourself laughing out loud at times? This time I never groaned when I saw 400+ pages in fact I was truly disappointed when I turned the last page. The style, the intricate plotting, the characterizations, and Mantel's total ability to capture England itself and the mundane details of 16th century English life, are without parallel. This for me  goes straight to the top of the list of the best novels I've read this year.

Have you read them? tell me what you thought.

"Pure" Andrew Miller Costa Novel Award 2011

Deep in the heart of Paris, its oldest cemetery is overflowing, tainting the very breath of those who live nearby.



On reading this book, I felt like I had been transported to Paris before the revolution, it’s1785, a decaying city and on the brink of change, disgusting smells and very odd subcultures, vivid descriptions of meals, smells, people, clothing and wigs that probably harbored more than just the hair of the heads they adorned. I even caught myself having the odd scratch on reading this.
Andrew Miller in my opinion deserves every penny of his 2011 Costa Novel Award. I loved it

"Infidel" Ayaan Hirsi Ali 2008

 It took me 2 days to read this profoundly affecting memoir from Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s “Infidel” An incredible insight to a young girl’s traditional Muslim upbringing. Not only did she survive female circumcision, civil war, brutal beatings and later death threats.

She had the courage and intelligence to stand up and speak out for the rights of Muslim women and the reform of Islam.

Salman Rushdie quote: “This is an immensely important book, passionate, challenging and necessary. It should be read as widely as possible, because it tells the truth – the unvarnished, uncomfortable truth.”

The short film made by Theo Van Gogh “Submission” which resulted in Theo’s murder and death threats to Ayaan need no further explanation its short and to the point. I wish this book had never needed to be written, and I too hope like Ayaan that one day all women will be free and equal.

In response to ongoing abuses of women’s rights, Ayaan Hirsi Ali and her supporters established the AHA Foundation in 2007 to help protect and defend the rights of women in the West from oppression justified by religion and culture.


http://theahafoundation.org/

 Submission Part 1



The Black Marble by Joseph Wambaugh 1978 and a Memory

I have been given a few bags of books (love getting books, don't you?) and looking through them discovered a few that I had read and several new ones which is always good news. One book in particular jumped out at me, as I picked it up a memory shot into my head and lingered long enough to create a few chuckles and that day is still as clear now as it was then, yikes must be a good 20 years ago now.

Choose a deserted beach, my DH and I were in Agadir, Morocco where beaches seem to go on forever. Along with a simple packed lunch, a few cold beers and ready to settle in for the day  just soaking up the sun, relaxing with great company and a great book, in my case this was The Black Marble (Joseph Wambaugh). I had been itching to read this for ages but my DH got to it first and kept given me occasional snippets from it. Finally by mid-afternoon  he finished and handed it over, immediately I got comfortable (that was the days when I could lie and read on my stomach.) Page 25, I am engrossed and was reading the following passage. “Then he looked at Mavis, fifty-one years old going on sixty. Skin like sizzling pancake batter, two eye jobs already. Hair dyed the colour of puppy shit, with”..............
And then, I along with DH were drenched in a wave that took us both by total surprise along with our clothes, towels, and everything else that was lying around! The one thing the wave never got was my book as I refused to let it go even when the wave came for us a second time and by this stage it was turning back into a lump of wood. I ran up to a dry spot, placed the book on a stone and then spent the next 20 minutes collecting all our stuff which was floating willy nilly.
For the next two days I managed to read and finish my book by peeling off  each page, scraping of the sand  and keeping one eye on the waves.
I think I might just have to read it again, but a sandless one this time. If your looking for something funny and moving, caustic and sometimes savage, realistic and occasionaly tragic, all very skilfully woven into a novel that is as human as it is dramatic.

The God of Small Things 1997 - Arundhati Roy

The God of Small Things is the debut novel of Indian author Arundhati Roy. A story about the childhood experiences of fraternal twins whose lives are destroyed by the "Love Laws" that lay down "who should be loved, and how.  The book is a description of how the small things in life affect people's behavior and their lives.

The God of Small Things is Roy's first book, and took four years to write. The potential of the story was first recognized by Pankaj Mishra, an editor with HarperCollins, who sent it to three British publishers. Roy received half-a-million pounds in advances, and rights to the book were sold in 21 countries. While generally praised, the book did receive some criticism for its verbosity and controversial subject matter.

I bought a copy for a girlfriends birthday and she has just finished it and in her words.... I have enjoyed The God of Small Things. I stayed awake rather too late last night to finish it. Its one of those books you can’t quite define but you know are going to live on inside you. It was extraordinary and beautiful as well as awfully sad. In one of those moods now where I don’t really want to start to read anything else.

I felt exactly the same way as my girlfriend did after reading this, and if you  have read it I would love to hear your views on it.

Ps: Have started One Moment,One Morning by Sarah Rayner will let you know about it later

FortyAcreWood - Handmade Eco Friendly Cards

Scrap paper, cardboard a little water and a huge amount of elbow grease from Sarah  (the owner of FortyAcreWood), produces the paper for her to then go and create  beautiful natural eco friendly gift tags and cards. Embellished with woodland creatures like rabbits,does, and foxes. Take a look at her cards and you will see just what I mean. If you want to see more then pop over to her shop, she will be pleased to see you. If you would like to purchase Sarah's cards use coupon code KRISHENKA for a 15% discount, offer will run till Dec 1.

The Historian My Thoughts



Late one night, exploring her father's library, a young woman finds an ancient book and a cache of yellowing letters addressed ominously to "My dear and unfortunate successor". Her discovery plunges her into a world she never dreamed of - a labyrinth where the secrets of her father's past and her mothers mysterious fate connect to an evil hidden in the depths of history.



This certainly kept me hooked to the end and it is full of  information on medieval Europe and it's blood thirsty inhabitants. Excellent character descriptions and I have to admit the hair on my neck tingled a couple of times. Do I believe in Dracula?  No I don't..... but then again.

My book shelf groaned with pleasure the other day as my girlfreind Sue (waves) popped in with another three for me, yum! So I have now to read

1. When God was a Rabbit (Sarah Winman)
2. Human Traces(Sebastian Faulks)
3. Room (Emma Donoghue)

Do you like my little blue man which my g/daughter Poppy gave me last week? she thought I would like it as he is reading a book and wearing glasses!!!. I do Pops thank you xx

If you have read any of the above would love to hear you thoughts.

Star of the Sea - Joseph O'Conner

I hate to admit this but I picked this book up three times before I finally gave it a chance, you know the old saying "Never judge a book by it's cover" well I did. 

 I decided  not to read it because on the front it had a ship, therefore it must be a swash buckling adventure and I just didn't fancy it, so I never even  bothered reading the synopsis. I see that they have jigged the front cover and have to say it does look more appealing now.

The Star of the Sea is a coffin ship, ploughing from Britain to America with a freight of evicted Irish who are starving and near deaths door, they get to lodge in the steerage of the ship whilst  several brilliantly portrayed toffs in first class eat and drink till their hearts content. The ship gets lighter by the day, as it sloughs off yet another pile of dead peasants. (They are, so the goodhearted English captain reflects, "as remote from our own race as the Hottentot, Watuti, Mohammedan or Chinese".) A roll call of the ship's main passengers reads like a gallery of Irish stereotypes. There is the brutal landlord, the wronged maidservant, the political balladeer, the aspiring young writer.

A 26 day journey full of surprises, sometimes shocking, hilarious,beautifully written. Loved every page of it all 405 of them and I found I wanted more. Joseph O'Connor's descriptions are so very clever you could almost be in the same room. Highly recommend if your after a great read.

I have just started the Historian  by Elizabeth Kostova a whopping 705 pages so will take me awhile to get through that one unless of course I accidently sprain my ankle whislt hoovering!