March Roundup

March, approaching Easter with unseasonably warm weather and a plethora of books read and lots to look forward to. I hope I kept some variety on my blog in April, not just with book reviews but other jottings as well.

Variety I think is the key word to sum up March’s reading as well and there was plenty of it.

In this Jubilee year of 2012, it seemed fitting to be reading something Royal and when Sally Bedell-Smith – Elizabeth The Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch came up for grabs on Netgalley I thought I would give it a go, despite the poor write up in the Daily Mail, but I tend not to pay much attention to that paper. A good ‘Royal’ book to start with if you have never read anything about them before, but I feel there may be better ones out there on the market.

By accident, and keeping in the Royal theme, I was transported back to 1953 and the Coronation with Jack and Sadie Rosenblum in Natasha Solomons – Mr. Rosenblum’s List: Or Friendly Guidance for the Aspiring Englishman. The golf course Jack wants to build will have its inaugural match on the day of the Coronation. I really liked this gentle book and my review will appear in coming days.

Whilst we are still in the 2012 theme and anniversaries, here I can mention the wonderful book Last Known Address by James Darcy (no relation). Which is a novel based on the Titanic, a very emotional book and certainly not what I was expecting. I also got to chat to the author when he was signing books in my local Waterstones. A nice chat about the book and I look forward to what else he may write in the future.

So where to move onto next, with familiar authors I think. In this case it came with Debbie Macomber and 8 Sandpiper Way, back with the Cedar Cove residents, as soon as I have finished I am coveting to read the next one. This book was also one of my challenge reads for the year. (See link to page at the top of this blog). Another familiar author but one I have not read any of for a very long time was Marcia Willet and The Summer House. How nice it is to rediscover an author and wonder why you have not read any of their books for such a long time.

An author I had read recently earlier this year was Sue Welfare and when her latest book One Night Only arrived on my kindle I had to of course read it. Much enjoyed and a bit more meaty than your average ‘chick-lit’ say, made you think.

Reading latest books was a bit of a theme for March upon reflection. I had read lots about The Soldier’s Wife by Joanna Trollope and so when I was kindly given a copy for review, it was read pretty quickly. A book very relevant of its time and one which I can perhaps relate to working in a military environment. Again, Joanna Trollope is an author who I have not read any of her books for a while and wondering why?

Another latest book was Sadie Jones – The Uninvited Guests, my last review before this post on my blog. It is always good to see how diverse and author can be, all her books so far have been vastly different and this one is no exception. Rather a quirky book with a big house party and a family of oddballs. So much was going to happen to them.

Sticking with authors I have read before, I come on to Alan Bennett and Smut. I picked this up because I loved The Uncommon Reader which I read last year, and having seen some Talking Heads in the past. However this was a disappoint, rather sad little short stories and if you have never read any Bennett before I would not start with this one.

Where do you start when you venture into a new author that has written many books. Some could say at the beginning, but when I came across Katie Fforde’s Paradise Fields (review to follow) in a charity shop I thought this would be a good place to start. (Besides it was the only one on the shelf) Oh how wonderful to discover an author and ask yourself why have I never read any of her books before? The answer to that is I really do not know, as these books certainly are my cup of tea.

I am not always one for impulse buys but I do know that when I have made my mind up about something I want to get it. That came with Gideon Defoe’s book Pirates! An Adventure with Scientists, (review to follow) I had no idea it was a book before the film and therefore before I see the film, something I hope to do, I wanted to read the book and I wanted to read it now. A bus trip to Waterstones and a search in the shop I came away with the first book, delighted with the tale, the fact that there are more to read, and the Bloomsbury covers are the ones I am coveting despite the film tie in which I had to get as it was the only one in the shop. A great book for all ages but actually a children’s book which was a surprise to me, but I know if I had these when I was growing up I would have loved them.

Eleven books in total for March. However I think this is the first month where I have not read any crime, well actually I started a book on the last day of the month, but that does not count for March. I read as I wish, on a whim and a wonder it is rather exciting what I will pick up in April.