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spooky_miss) wrote2010-03-09 05:17 pm
spooky_miss) wrote2010-03-09 05:17 pm
Books Twenty Two and Twenty Three
Well I decided not to read Azincourt - mainly due to the fact that its a heavy hardback, and I didn't want to carry that all around London with me! So over the weekend I read these books instead:
How to talk to a widower by Johnathon Tropper
This book is one of the Richard and Judy book club books, so it was exactly what I expected it to be - but thats not a critism. It was well written, and it was sad, of course. Its about a man who has lost his wife in a terrible accident, and how he deals with it, and the stepson he is suddenly having to bring up on his own. It describes how his family deals with him, and how he starts to date other women again. It was a light and easy read (I read it in a couple of hours), but it had the right amount of "deep and meaningfulness" to bring a tear to your eye in parts. I would recommend it, and also would pick up other books by the same author - 7 / 10
A Respectable Trade by Phillipa Gregory
This is definately Phillipa Gregory at her usual high standard, and made a good companion to the non-fiction book The Slave Ship which I read at the beginning of the year. It is set in Bristol in the 18th century, and follows the life and fortunes of a man, Josiah, who trades in slaves, sugar and gold, his wife, Frances, who married him to get her out of her previous life, and Mehuru, a slave Josiah has bought to England. Frances is given the task of teaching Mehuru, and other slaves Josiah has brought, how to speak English and how to be servants, so they can sell them. Josiah meanwhile is spending far too much money trying to provide the sort of life that Frances was expecting. The ending is slightly predictable if you think about it, but, as with all the Phillipa Gregory books I've read, it has excellent descriptions of their lives, houses, clothes and the city in which they live. I really like this kind of historical fiction and I don't know why I haven't read more of it before. I'd definately recommend this, and all other Phillipa Gregory books :) 8.5 / 10
I'm currently reading Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides, and it's clear that it suffers from the curse of the second novel! (see also: The Little Friend by Donna Tartt) The Virgin Suicides was such an excellent book, but I'm almost half way through this book and its really not as good, it doesn't grip you half as much (even though the subject matter is more controversial, almost). which is a shame really. However having just read some reviews, it apparently is a rip off of Midnight's Children, which is a book that I do want to read, so hopefully that'll be better :)
I had a quite good weekend - even though I feel bad I didn't do much OU work, although I shouldn't really as I'm still a couple of months ahead on the course! On Saturday I went to London, to the Portrait Gallery, Covent Garden and Camden. I haven't had a day like that in London for ages, so it was excellent. I went to the Portrait Gallery to see the Irvin Penn exhibition - he'd done a really interesting photographic portrait of the Duchess of Windsor, so I was interested to see more of his work. It was ok, but not fantastic or anything. But there was something which I loved, a new painting of Princes William and Harry. It was really great as the pose they were in was so informal, but the style of painting was still old fashioned, which I thought was good. I did worry that it might be a bit too modern looking, but it wasn't, which was nice. And plus the Gallery actually had some postcards I wanted to buy for once! :) I always look at them and usually there aren't any of the pictures I wanted to buy postcards of, but this time there were loads :) Oh - and also they had a sculpture which someone had made out of their own frozen blood, which was a bit disgusting!!
Then I went to Camden...and I think I may be able to say I'm a proper Goth now (fashion wise anyway :P) as I now have some proper goth boots :D And they're purple! :D actually quite bright purple, haha. see:
hBLlQOm,n)Q~~_12.JPG)
:D :D
I also bought a ticket to see Anathema on 21st May. There's hardly any gigs coming up it seems, I think I have a ticket to Gotham (10th April) and Anathem and thats it! Oh and we are going to Whitby - but not sure we're going to get a ticket for the main bands, as there are so many other things I want to do, including Uberbyte on the Sunday, which should be excellent :)
This weekend is going to be so great, as it's Katie's birthday party! (and we're going to see Alice in Wonderland, wooo! :D ) My costume has sort of reduced from what it was going to be (as I'm just rubbish at making things!) but it'll still be recognisable I hope! And I have to make a pass the parcel, wrap Katie's present, pack for the weekend (and next weekend!), put the finishing touches to my costume, AND write my essay...I'm going to be rushing around tomorrow night I think. Though not tonight - its the pub quiz tonight, haha - hopefully we'll win, after coming in the top 4 or 5 (and usually 2nd!) for the past few weeks!
How to talk to a widower by Johnathon Tropper
This book is one of the Richard and Judy book club books, so it was exactly what I expected it to be - but thats not a critism. It was well written, and it was sad, of course. Its about a man who has lost his wife in a terrible accident, and how he deals with it, and the stepson he is suddenly having to bring up on his own. It describes how his family deals with him, and how he starts to date other women again. It was a light and easy read (I read it in a couple of hours), but it had the right amount of "deep and meaningfulness" to bring a tear to your eye in parts. I would recommend it, and also would pick up other books by the same author - 7 / 10
A Respectable Trade by Phillipa Gregory
This is definately Phillipa Gregory at her usual high standard, and made a good companion to the non-fiction book The Slave Ship which I read at the beginning of the year. It is set in Bristol in the 18th century, and follows the life and fortunes of a man, Josiah, who trades in slaves, sugar and gold, his wife, Frances, who married him to get her out of her previous life, and Mehuru, a slave Josiah has bought to England. Frances is given the task of teaching Mehuru, and other slaves Josiah has brought, how to speak English and how to be servants, so they can sell them. Josiah meanwhile is spending far too much money trying to provide the sort of life that Frances was expecting. The ending is slightly predictable if you think about it, but, as with all the Phillipa Gregory books I've read, it has excellent descriptions of their lives, houses, clothes and the city in which they live. I really like this kind of historical fiction and I don't know why I haven't read more of it before. I'd definately recommend this, and all other Phillipa Gregory books :) 8.5 / 10
I'm currently reading Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides, and it's clear that it suffers from the curse of the second novel! (see also: The Little Friend by Donna Tartt) The Virgin Suicides was such an excellent book, but I'm almost half way through this book and its really not as good, it doesn't grip you half as much (even though the subject matter is more controversial, almost). which is a shame really. However having just read some reviews, it apparently is a rip off of Midnight's Children, which is a book that I do want to read, so hopefully that'll be better :)
I had a quite good weekend - even though I feel bad I didn't do much OU work, although I shouldn't really as I'm still a couple of months ahead on the course! On Saturday I went to London, to the Portrait Gallery, Covent Garden and Camden. I haven't had a day like that in London for ages, so it was excellent. I went to the Portrait Gallery to see the Irvin Penn exhibition - he'd done a really interesting photographic portrait of the Duchess of Windsor, so I was interested to see more of his work. It was ok, but not fantastic or anything. But there was something which I loved, a new painting of Princes William and Harry. It was really great as the pose they were in was so informal, but the style of painting was still old fashioned, which I thought was good. I did worry that it might be a bit too modern looking, but it wasn't, which was nice. And plus the Gallery actually had some postcards I wanted to buy for once! :) I always look at them and usually there aren't any of the pictures I wanted to buy postcards of, but this time there were loads :) Oh - and also they had a sculpture which someone had made out of their own frozen blood, which was a bit disgusting!!
Then I went to Camden...and I think I may be able to say I'm a proper Goth now (fashion wise anyway :P) as I now have some proper goth boots :D And they're purple! :D actually quite bright purple, haha. see:
:D :D
I also bought a ticket to see Anathema on 21st May. There's hardly any gigs coming up it seems, I think I have a ticket to Gotham (10th April) and Anathem and thats it! Oh and we are going to Whitby - but not sure we're going to get a ticket for the main bands, as there are so many other things I want to do, including Uberbyte on the Sunday, which should be excellent :)
This weekend is going to be so great, as it's Katie's birthday party! (and we're going to see Alice in Wonderland, wooo! :D ) My costume has sort of reduced from what it was going to be (as I'm just rubbish at making things!) but it'll still be recognisable I hope! And I have to make a pass the parcel, wrap Katie's present, pack for the weekend (and next weekend!), put the finishing touches to my costume, AND write my essay...I'm going to be rushing around tomorrow night I think. Though not tonight - its the pub quiz tonight, haha - hopefully we'll win, after coming in the top 4 or 5 (and usually 2nd!) for the past few weeks!
no subject
thanks for the compliment :D I never know if they're good or just waffle - I don't think they're good enough to post on any "proper" book review things, hehe! - but thanks for saying so :D
no subject
I do love yours, though! It's something to keep private if you don't want randoms reading about it, but ever since I've made my reviews public on my Blogspot, I get so much joy from doing them.