Proper mishmash of old and new

I can't believe that I have read five books since my last post. I work full-time and have a garden, and I am trying to learn new crafts, so I don't have much time to read, but I try to read every evening, even for a short while, and I could easily spend the whole day reading! So, to start off with, I found I, Coriander by Sally Gardner, in a charity shop, and it is so interesting. I t is set in London in 1643 and follows the story of a young girl who falls into hard times, being cared for by a wicked stepmother who her father had married to protect the reputation of the family by making sure they live a puritan life, which is difficult for the girl because her mother had a vivid imagination. It is hard to imagine that a country can go from colour to black and white, in terms of lifestyle, just because of a change of ruler. I would really struggle with it! The story has lots of creative twists, but also magic and wonder, and so many lovely - and some not so lovely - characters.

In a previous post, I talked about B.B.'s gnomes, Dodder, Baldmoney, Cloudberry, and Sneezewort. This is  the next installment, Down the Bright Stream, which sees the gnomes and their friends having to find a new place to live because humans have redirected their river for the purposes of industry. They are so sad to leave their new home, but off they go, in their clockwork boat, and undergo lots of adventures and challenges, including a serious betrayal. But the god, Pan, watches over them and keeps them save, and eventually they find a new location in Ireland, to continue living their happy lives with their friends, the owls and the otters, and the squirrel.

The Little Bookroom is another treasure that I have discovered. I have started reading it on several occasions, but I could never get into it, but recently I found it again and just couldn't put it down. It is a series of short stories written by Eleanor Farjeon, and published in 1955. She writes a beautiful foreword about her personal bookroom that she had when she was growing up. The stories are all wonderful so creative! I have read so many fairy tales and it amazes me how there are still more to read, new stories, completely different from all the others. The stories are all wonderful and are suitable for all ages, and they are accompanied by lovely illustrations. I will happily return to this one over and over and am really happy to share it with you.

The next two books are both written by old favourites. I had started French Braid by Anne Tyler before, but I discarded it because the character had been asked to look after a cat by someone who could no longer care for it and as soon as the owner had left, she packed up the cat and took it to a shelter. It made me very sad, so I gave up on it. I don't like that sort of behaviour. But then I was drawn back to it and I pushed through and apart from the cat scene, it was a good read. As per usual, there is a lot of focus on families with certain quirks and the trigger for the story is something that happened years and years ago. I do like her books. They are quite gently, descriptive and easy to read.

And finally, Fannie Flagg's latest book, The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop, the sequel to Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, which I read so many years ago, that I am not sure if I have blogged about it before - I couldn't find a post about it. But it is fantastic, and so I will blog about it a bit here too. The first book was published in 1992 and is about a small town which is part of a railroad and the cafe that supports it. The main character is Iggy, an unusual child who grows up into an extraordinary woman who can mesmerise bees, gambles and drinks with the best of them, but cares for the people she loves. There are some dark parts to the story, but it is all about the community. The story is told by an elderly lady living in an old persons home who tells her story to an unhappy middle-aged woman and together they support each other. It is such a wonderful story and I was worried that the sequel wouldn't match it. I mean, after more than 30 years, to write a story as good as the original - what are the odds! But, oh, it is equally as good and returns to the original Whistle Stop Cafe, remembering the original community members, including the youngest who is now elderly and in a care home himself. The book flits between the different generations, with the most amazing story running throughout and culminating in the most wonderful and perfect ending. Fannie Flagg's books are such feel-good books without being too twee and they are such a joy to read, and I have to say, this one kept me on tenterhooks throughout!

70s science fiction and modern Winter magic

I picked up The Xanadu Manuscript by John Rowe Towsend, ages ago, I think, from my local post office which sells second-hand books in aid of Cancer Research. I started it a number of times and couldn't get into it, but one day, I just couldn't put it down! It was brilliant. It is set in Cambridge and focuses on the experience of a couple of young people who experience some dizziness and then meet some unusual people. I don't want to give anything away, but they come from a place where poor health no longer exists and people don't drink alcohol. They arrive as part of an experiment which goes wrong, and it is up to the young people to help them out. This was a really good read, so interesting, particularly as it focused on the impact of time travel and was really convincing. I love finding surprises in charity shops and this one was fascinating, and I am curious to find more by this author, although I am finding them quite difficult to find.

I love short stories, particularly when they are written by different people. Winter Magic, ideal during this

heatwave, was lovely, full of stories by authors I hadn't read before, but who I am keen to read more of. The book is curated by Abi Elphinstone, and her story, the Snow Dragon was beautiful, about a young girl at an orphanage, who was ruthlessly treated by a bully teacher, who didn't like the way she used her words. The girl was referred to as Runt by the horrid teacher, but all came together in the end with magic and kindness. The stories were all varied and wonderful. I had only read books by one of the authors before, so it was wonderful to find so many new authors whose books I will keep an eye out for. The stories were magical, well-written, creative, and all very different, emphasising the qualities of the individual authors. Definitely a joy to read. Both of these books are for children and young adults, but I really enjoyed them both.

More Japanese translations and French cuisine mixed with crime

Sorry. It has been too long again, but at least I have new books to write about...may there be many more!

I have continued my discovery of Japanese translations, and I am still loving that genre. "The Cat Who Saved Books" by Sosuke Natsukawa is so beautiful and magical. It is about a small second-hand bookshop on the edge of a town, jam-packed with wonderful books from floor to ceiling. Rintaro Natsuki is the main character of this story, a young man, whose grandfather owned the bookshop but has recently passed away. Rintaro has no-one else, except for an aunt who lives far away. He wants to stay at the bookshop, and skips school to tend to it, but realises that he will have to close it. Suddenly, a talking cat called Tiger comes up to Rintaro and asks him for help. The cat needs someone who loves books to join him on three adventures to save books from people who have either kept them hidden away or damaged them or betrayed them. This book was so creative and unique, gentle, sympathetic, tender, thought-provoking....just lovely to read.

"The Goodbye Cat" is written by Hiro Arikawa, and it is the follow-up to "The Travelling Cat Chronicles", which I posted about in my last blog. This is a compilation of short stories, filled with love and warmth, about seven cats and the impact they have on the people they live with/visit, exploring the cycle of life from birth to death, and the afterlife, and emphasising the loyalty of a well-loved cat. 

The translations of both these books are brilliant, and I assume they capture the original intentions. I would love to be able to read and understand Japanese, just to see how they are in their mother tongue.

My husband has decided to randomly choose books, but picking a letter, going into a bookshop, and picking an author whose surname begins with that letter. This time, he chose R for James Runcie, who wrote the Grantchester Mysteries. My husband hasn't seen the television series, so this was completely new to him. I had watched it, and now having read some of the books, I think that they were well-cast. I am in the midst of the series, and I am still enjoying them, although the earlier ones are the best, in my opinion. "Sidney Chambers and The Shadow of Death" is the first in the Grantchester Mysteries, and introduces Sydney as an unconventional clergyman, who has the ability to solve crimes that the police cannot. He works closely with his friend Inspector Geordie Keating, where they discuss cases over a pint and a game of backgammon. In the first book, we are introduced to his best friend Amanda, where you wonder if there will be some romance, and this is teased throughout the earlier books. It covers his love of jazz music and his attendance at a jazz club, where there is an unexplained death. There are several, well-thought out mysteries in each book, and combined with the religious aspects of his work, it provides a good mystery with interesting back stories too. On the whole, it is quite gentle, but there are some shocking moments, particulary the story of the art forgery.

My next book "Let It Snow" is a clever collaboration between John Green, who I have posted about before, and two other authors - Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle, who I haven't read before. I like books like this because you know for sure that you are going to like one of the stories, but you have the prospect of discovering two new (to me) authors. This book is made up of three holiday romances, which feature three different teenagers who's lives are somewhat intertwined. Each story follows their lives as they end up in Gracetown, at Christmas, during a huge snow storm. The first story features a young girl who has been forced to leave her boyfriend on Christmas Eve, because her parents have been arrested in a very comical scene. On the train she meets a young man who is trying to call his girlfriend, but has no phone signal. On the train, there is a group of very excitable cheerleaders, and when the train gets stuck in Gracetown because of a snowstorm, the first girl ventures out to find some food, and gradually the others follow. It is quite complicated, as teenage lives can be, but their stories are carefully intertwined, and there are several comedic scenes, such as the team of cheerleaders demonstrating their winning moves in a waffle house managed by a group of teenage boys. The boys call a range of friends to come down and bring a game of Twister so that they can persuade the cheerleading team to play the game in the hope of becoming closer with them. There are all sorts of shenanigans, but eventually all the stories join up. It isn't complex or deep, but it is fun to read.

As you know, I do love a good detective story, and I was lucky to find two written by the same author, ML Longworth, in a charity shop. They are both set in Aix-en-Provence, and are part of a series starring a magistrate and an inspector, whose wives both provide insights to the cases, and who all love good French food. There are wonderful descriptions of wine and French food, and the detectives seem to spend endless time in their favourite cafe, eating pastries and drinking coffee, or dining in nice restaurants with many-coursed meals, while discussing their cases. Because they are finds rather than organised purchases, I am reading them out of sync, but it doesn't seem to matter. The first is called "The Vanishing Museum on the Rue Mistral" and focuses on a small museum in Aix, the contents of which, mysteriously disappear over a weekend, leaving a bench, a reception desk, and a fern. Coincidentally, a few weeks earlier, there had been a similar mysterious robbery from an elderly lady's apartment. There are some lovely characters, including the suspects, and it is a lovely, leisurely read, with lots of twists and turns.

The second book, "The Secrets of the Bastide Blanche", follows the arrival of a controversial author, who was once very famous, particularly for his first novel, and then all of a sudden changed genre to romantic fiction. He has moved into a grand old house which hasn't been lived in for many, many years, with a plan to retire. However, his nights become disturbed by sinister presences, and although he hires a housekeeper, they both experience strange happenings. He befriends the young daughter of the detective who lives across from him, and soon the magistrate becomes involved. They question whether the author is losing his mind, and find out what happened previously in the house, leading it to become empty. It feels like it is going to be a ghost story, and they make, and there are, comparisons with Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca. The unfolding of the story happens while a young editor interviews the author in a restaurant known for its food and wine, and the author tests the young man by seeing which wines he chooses for each course. It is quite different from the first book I read, but just as engaging and entertaining. I loved both books, but they did leave me wanting to head straight over to Provence for some leisurely dining in the beautiful scenery of Aix.

So, I am caught up now, and looking forward to reading more books over the Summer.

Apologies for the 3-year delay in posting - books, books, books!

My only excuse is that I have been busy with work, with life, and with reading. During this time, I have read a lot of books, and I am not going to comment on all of them. Some have been my usual re-reads, Alice Hoffman (Practical Magic), Sarah Addison Allen (Garden Spells), Laurie R King (Beekeeper's Apprentice), Elinor Brent-Dyer (Chalet School), Agatha Christie, etc, but I have also discovered new, fabulous authors! So many talented writers and so little time :-)

So where to start!?! I live in the South West of England, and WJ Burley writes wonderful detective stories set in Devon, Cornwall, and the Scilly Isles. I have read many over the past few years, and they are creative and beautifully written. I haven't read them all, but my favourite so far Wycliffe and the Cycle of Death, which is set in a bookshop, in Penzance, a lovely harbour town, near to where I live. There were so many twists and turns, and yet a gentleness due to Superintendent Wycliffe's quiet and pensive nature.

Another detective series I like is Inspector Morse, created by Colin Dexter. I have to admit, I am not a great fan of the books, as the couple I read were quite seedy. However, I found Morse's Greatest Mystery and Other Stories in a charity shop, and was totally blown away by it. I love short stories, and this collection is brilliant. Only a few stories are about Inspector Morse, and the Greatest Mystery is a lovely surprise. There are other stories, which are still about crime, but more about prisoners and their antics. One of the tales was absolutely brilliant. It was a pastiche of Sherlock Holmes, and it is done so well, that I had to double-check that it had not been written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It was my favourite and had a great twist at the end....very unexpected and enjoyable! This has rekindled my interest in the Morse books, so watch this space.

So, if you have read my previous posts, you will know that I don't just read crime fiction; I have quite a varied taste, although I do focus on fiction. Recently, I have discovered Japanese translations, and they are so beautifully told, gentle and creative. The first I read was The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa, and translated by Philip Gabriel. I am in awe of translators. The translations of Asterix and Obelix were brilliant because the many jokes translated so well. Obviously, I can't read the original versions, but I am assuming the translations are true to the original. This one is poetic, as I imagine the original version is. I was sceptical at first. I love cats, adore them, but I wasn't sure if I would want to read a book from a cat's perspective, but I truly loved it and happily give copies of this book away as gifts, because it feels like I am spreading the love. This book is described as heart-breaking, but I would say it is heart-warming. There is so much kindness and gentle emotion throughout the book as the cat takes us on a journey through Japan, and introduces us to the beautiful Japanese culture and customs.

The next book I found was What you are looking for is in the library by Michiko Aoyama, translated by Alison Watts. This one focuses on a very special librarian, and a community which has a special attachment to a particular brand of biscuits, and needs the help of the librarian to solve their life problems, through the choice of books she issues to them, along with a little hand-made, felted gift. Each chapter introduces a member of the community, who is looking for something, but is not sure what, and they are directed to a large, rather intimidating, librarian, who surprises them with the book choices she gives them. This is such a lovely story, so inspiring, and makes me proud to be a librarian. I wish I could be as magic as her! Incidentally, the biscuits they are fans of are the Honeydome Cookies by Kuremiyado - I don't know if they actually exist, but someone has posted this recipe, in case you want to give them a go - in the book, they are described as "half-moon shaped cookie with a soft, honey flavored center".

The last book I am going to talk about today is The Book of Beginnings by Sally Page. My sister bought this for me as a gift and it was so beautiful. I have bookmarked so many wonderful quotes! The book is about a young woman who is taking care of her uncle's stationery shop. I don't know about you but I love stationery, and a shop full of pens, pencils, and paper, would be a fabulous place to work. This book has inspired me to write again, using a fountain pen, because she adds new stock to the shop, and encourages potential customers to try writing with a fountain pen and she collects what they write. She makes friends with a female vicar and an elderly customer, and discovers Highgate Cemetery, which is a place close to my heart - if you ever get the chance to visit, do go; it is full of the most incredible people. Anyway, together with her new friends, the main character moves forward with her life and helps them to find themselves too. It is such a beautiful story. The author created a fountain pen shop, PLOOMS, and I was tempted to buy a pen from them, but then I decided to do some research, and found a lovely company in Wales, and I bought a lovely, chunky fountain pen, which inspires me to write, rather than type, and I chose some gorgeous ink colours - magenta, forest green, and turquoise! I like this book because it encourages you to handwrite - there is one sentence, which describes how she learned to write by using exercise books and practising her letters, as a child - it reminded me of my own schooldays. And best of all, this book encourages you to reach out, make contact, stay in touch - "'Dear' is a good place to start" - absolutely, a small word, straight from the heart..."dear" - full of love and care.

And, on that note, I will sign off for now, but I hope to post again soon, Dear Readers. Stay in touch.

Detectives and spies

Shocked to see we are in November and my last post was in January of this year! Well, it has been a strange year, but fortunately we have books to take us to other worlds and adventures. I have continued working, and therefore have needed some gentle books to relax in my spare time. I started off my re-reading my beloved Chalet School books, but as time went on, I branched out and tried some new authors. 

I love Bond films, but had never thought to read the books, so I took the opportunity to read a collection of four of Ian Fleming's short stories, "Octopussy and The Living Daylights". Octopussy, the story, was brilliant, as it brought together, in a short tale, so many elements from the different Bond films, and finished with a very creative suicide. I enjoyed it, because the author clearly enjoyed natural history, and shared his knowledge, making the story even more interesting. Property of a Lady was wonderful as it described the auction of a Fabergé egg, belonging to a lady who worked in the offices of Bond's headquarters, and earning £50 per month. Clearly there is a mystery there, but I am not going to spoil it. It is a superb read, and again very interesting, as I hadn't realised that Fabergé created these eggs to help the aristocracy make their jewels more portable, when they had to disappear in a rush! By the way, interesting fact, Ian Fleming also wrote "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", which I really must add to my list!

Another book I have read is "Enola Holmes: The Case of the Missing Marquess", written by Nancy Springer. I had watched the film first, and really enjoyed it, so I thought I would see what the book was like. They were quite different, and to be honest, I think that if I was the author, I would be quite annoyed at how much of the book was changed. They took the main character, and pretty much created a different story. They are both equally good, but I think it would have been interesting to see the book translated accurately in to a film. In case you don't know, Enola Holmes is the much younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes, and they return to the family home when their mother disappears. In the book, Enola is poorly educated but clearly very bright, and applies the same deductive techniques as her older detective brother, Sherlock, as she tries to find out what has happened to her mother. It was a really good read, and I have ordered the next two in the series, and I am looking forward to the next in the series, although I have just discovered that I missed a book that Fannie Flagg has written called The Whole Town's Talking, so I am quickly catching up with that first! Stay safe and well everyone!

Piranha To Scurfy And Other Stories - Ruth Rendell

I love short stories, and I enjoy crime fiction, but I have never read any books by Ruth Rendell. I had seen her characters come to life on the television, but never read their original stories. This collection of short stories, Piranha To Scurfy And Other Stories, was a great surprise, and I enjoyed them immensely. The macabre twist of the first story, the title cleverly reflecting a volume from the Encyclopaedia Britannica, and the disturbing nature, but satisfying ending of The Wink. The High Mysterious Union really reminded me of the Wicker Man, with its 'loving' community, and the Myth was wonderfully creative, with the idea of the Garden of Eden being in Wiltshire.

Bambert's book of missing stories by Reinhardt Jung

I fell up on this book, quite by accident, in the The Cook Book St Just, a treasure trove of second hand books. I have never heard of Reinhardt Jung, an Austrian author, before, but the story was translated by Anthea Bell, and I am a huge fan of hers, as she translates all the Asterix books, which I have loved since childhood.

Bambert's book of missing stories is about a writer who lives on his own, in the attic above a grocer's shop. Bambert is vulnerable, not able to be very active because of the pain he suffers, so he stays at home and writes stories, while the grocer makes sure that he gets everything that he needs. Bambert likes to sit and talk to the moon at night, and he has written a book called the Book of Wishes, which is made up of 11 stories. He decides to send them out, via balloon, into the world to see where they will land, and he asked the finders to return them to him, telling him where the stories have landed. Those locations then become the settings for those stories. Story titles include:

• The Waxworks Cabinet - the story of a boy who was rewarded by the waxworks he cleaned up. This was one of my favourites.
• The Strange Game - so moving as it was about a child living in Sarajevo during the war.
• The Flight of the Dolls from Paris - a mysterious story about a little girl who found lots of doll parts on the beach.
• Red Stocking, Black Coat - a story of a child living in a village ruled by a greedy count, and how the boy used cunning to make sure he was fed. It reminded me of an Aesop's fable.

This book is aimed at children, but the stories can be enjoyed by all. They are beautiful, and magical, some sad, but all hopeful, thought-provoking, and full of wisdom. I loved this book. It feel's like a treasure, and reminds me of other books, particularly Michael Ende's Neverending Story, or The Little Prince. Stefan Zweig, another favourite author of mine, is also Austrian. I love Austria, so it is a wonderful surprise to discover they have such fabulous authors. If you can recommend any more, please let me know!